Ordered My First Brick Of Tangiers (And Some Nakhla)... Got A Couple Questions

[SultanOfSchwing]

So, as the title says, I picked up 250g of Tangiers Noir (Horchata...mmm) along with a couple 50g packs of Nakhla. As such, I've got a couple of questions.

 

As far as acclimation goes, I know you're supposed to acclimate it in the same environment you want to smoke it...unfortunately, I can't really do that. I can't leave it outside where I smoke, with the insane humidity and assloads of insects. So, if I acclimate it inside and then pack and smoke it outside, will the experience be ruined at all?

 

Second, I don't use foil at all anymore; just my Lotus. I suspect that the Lotus would work perfectly fine, but I'm a newb. Can I use the Lotus? Or should I bust out the Reynolds?

 

Lastly, does the Nakhla need any special prep? I get the impression that it's your standard pinch 'n pack, but I might as well ask, eh?

 

Random, unrelated thought: AF strawberry is...kinda gross. It smells like strawberry scented crayon and tastes like those strawberry candies your grandma always has, but nobody knows where they come from...feels like I'm eating one of those in a Crayola factory.  :blink:

[mustang67n]

You want to acclimate the tobacco to the humidity of where you are smoking. Try acclimating it near an open window. It's kind of a guess and test system (acclimating) from my experience.

 

The Lotus should be fine, what size bowl are you using? probably 2-3 coals in the lotus should be perfect for tang.

 

Lastly, Nakhla is like.. the easiest tobacco to smoke. Fluffy, tight, packed down, lots of heat, medium heat. w/e. it doesn't care much. It'll smoke no matter how you do it lol

[mattarios2]

Pack the shit out of original nakhla (anything that isn't part of the mix line, ice line, or mizo line) If it is part of the ice, mix, or mizo line just a regular fluff, medium dense pack will be fine. For original nakhla pack it really really full so it is densely packed and over the rim of the bowl.

[Skoozle]

You might not need to acclimate the tang.  That's just something you do if the tobacco is in humidity shock.  Smell it before you acclimate it, if it smells like a light nutty flavor or a creamy cinnamon, it's probably good to go.

 

I keep my Tang in my basement where it is usually cooler than the rest of the house and I have taken it out side in Humid 90-100 degree weather and it smokes fine.  I'm the have hookah, will travel kinda guy.

 

If the tobacco is in humidity shock, it will smell like molasses, soy sauce, BBQ sauce or something else totally unrelated to Horchata (from what I have heard).  I have never experienced tobacco is in humidity shock.

 

What Nak did you get?  You might want to air it out depending on the flavor.

[king_lunchb0x]

try using the kneeding method before cutting it open.. it has the tobacco abosrb some juice.

[SultanOfSchwing]

Thanks for the answers! I'm using a small phunnel with the Lotus. Most of the time I use 2 coconaras in it. Tang is a low heat moassel, IIRC... right?

Nakhla-wise, I got 3 50g packs, one each of Cardamom, Earl Grey, and Sweet Melon.

[Nerdy]

Yes, tangiers takes very little heat to smoke well. Too much heat causes it to not smoke at all, oddly enough.

[SultanOfSchwing]

Alright, I'll stick to two coals then.

I just tried the Nakhla earlier...to be honest it was kind of disappointing. It's really dry and it didn't give me good cloud volume. I'm probably doing something wrong...flavor was tasty,though.

[mustang67n]

Clouds with nakhla = lots of heat. if you're using the small phunnel Definitely use 3 coals in the lotus. Maybe even an extra one lol. I use 3 coals on smalls with nakhla with tin foil. so i think 3-4 will be good with the lotus.

[Skoozle]

Try the ice, mix or mizo lines of nakhla if you are looking for big clouds.

[Coyote]

You might not need to acclimate the tang.  That's just something you do if the tobacco is in humidity shock.  Smell it before you acclimate it, if it smells like a light nutty flavor or a creamy cinnamon, it's probably good to go.

 

I keep my Tang in my basement where it is usually cooler than the rest of the house and I have taken it out side in Humid 90-100 degree weather and it smokes fine.  I'm the have hookah, will travel kinda guy.

 

If the tobacco is in humidity shock, it will smell like molasses, soy sauce, BBQ sauce or something else totally unrelated to Horchata (from what I have heard).  I have never experienced tobacco is in humidity shock.

 

What Nak did you get?  You might want to air it out depending on the flavor.

 

Correct on the Tangiers advice here. Also, fyi- Horchata can be a bitch with acclimation and heat. 

[mattarios2]

If you pack nakhla really really full, it really doesn't need that THAT much more heat. On my small phunnel I normally use 3 halves of coconut coals for tangiers, for nakhla I use 4 halves. On my mediumish bowl (45g) I use 3 coconut coals on tangiers, on nakhla I use 4. So about 25% difference, definitely a difference but nothing insane. The big difference is how you apply the heat IMHO, tangiers likes it added slowly over a 10-20 min span, nakhla takes it all at once and loves it, nakhla really is a whore :-)

[SultanOfSchwing]

You might not need to acclimate the tang.  That's just something you do if the tobacco is in humidity shock.  Smell it before you acclimate it, if it smells like a light nutty flavor or a creamy cinnamon, it's probably good to go.

 

I keep my Tang in my basement where it is usually cooler than the rest of the house and I have taken it out side in Humid 90-100 degree weather and it smokes fine.  I'm the have hookah, will travel kinda guy.

 

If the tobacco is in humidity shock, it will smell like molasses, soy sauce, BBQ sauce or something else totally unrelated to Horchata (from what I have heard).  I have never experienced tobacco is in humidity shock.

 

What Nak did you get?  You might want to air it out depending on the flavor.

 

Correct on the Tangiers advice here. Also, fyi- Horchata can be a bitch with acclimation and heat. 

Thanks for the advice, all.

 

So here's the tale of my first Tangiers experience.

 

I opened the package (and read the whole insert, because that's how I roll), and kneaded the stuff in its bag for about 5 minutes.

 

Then, I cut it open and dumped it into a Rubbermaid. It smelled faintly like cinnamon and molasses, so I figured it needed some time. I let it sit for about 3 hours, stirring it around every 45 minutes or so, and then sealed it.

 

Later in the evening I opened it back up and gave it a whiff. Some faint cinnamon and a creamy smell wafted out, so I thought, "Sweet! Let's try this."

 

I packed my  small phunnel tight, up to the lip of the spire, put it on the pipe, and covered it with the Lotus. I decided to play it cautious, because the Lotus conducts heat like a mofo, and added one coconara with the vents closed.

 

After a bit, it started hitting, and it eventually started giving me amazing clouds on just one coal! Unfortunately... there was no flavor. None. Not even a bad one. I did occasionally get a small hint of cream, but for the most part it was nothing.

 

Despite that, it was yielding awesome clouds, so I kept it going. I added another coco and opened the vents a little. Rinse and repeat for about 2.5 hours.

 

Eventually I started getting a hot molasses taste, but it wasn't awful. Even so, I clearly need to acclimate this beast.

 

Lessons learned: Coyote is right, it's gonna be some work to acclimate this stuff. But, heat management wasn't a problem at all; seriously, the Lotus is amazing. Aside from the price (worth it, if you ask me), I don't understand the hate it gets on here sometimes. *shrug*

 

Last, but not least, more questions! How strong should the cinnamon/cream/nut smell be in the container before I can call it acclimated? And should I poke some fork holes in it after it's packed, or leave it uniform like I did this time?

Edited July 9, 2013 by SultanOfSchwing

[Coyote]

Try just doing a mini acclimation instead of 4/20. I am increasingly finding that 4/20 is either overkill and in some cases leads to acclimation shock.

 

Mini acclimation should be done right before you smoke.

- Stir contents of your container thoroughly until all the juice is fully incorporated into the tobacco

- Let the container sit, lid off, completely UNDISTURBED for 15-20 minutes

- After 15-20 minutes, again stir the contents of the container untill all the juice is fully incorportated into the tobacco

- Give it the sniff test. It should not smell of ketchup or soy sauce. Keep in mind that some flavours will smell slightly off (BGB, Marigold) or smell more of tobacco than other flavours (Pink Grapefruit, Guava)

- Use proper packing, foiling, and heat management procedures

 

If for whatever reason your Tangiers just won't acclimate and you have ruled out packing/foiling/heat management issues, then seal your tobacco in a completely airtight container for 2 weeks. DO NOT FREEZE YOUR TOBACCO. After 2 weeks, try mini-acclimation FIRST.

 

Hope that helps.

[SultanOfSchwing]

I tried the mini acclimation tonight, and the smell seemed to improve. But the same thing happened, I got good smoke but little, non-molasses flavor (despite smelling a nutty cinnamon after acclimating). Time to seal 'er up for a couple weeks!

[Chreees]

I have a feeling you're not packing correctly. Check out my guide to Tangiers success thread (link in my sig). Hope it can help you. Stick with it man. Practice makes perfect. :)

[Skoozle]

Good point, Chris.

If Tang is packed to tightly it will give little to no flavor. That was a mistake I made when I first started out and all the advice I was getting was to hulk smash it into the bowl. I later came to realize that I had packed 50g into a 30g bowl. Big clouds, no flavor.
Try packing it a little less dense and see of the flavor improves. Still make sure you have good contact between the tobacco and the sides of the bowl and still pack it up to just below the rim but use a little less tobacco to get there.

Also keep in mind that Horchata is not a crazy strong flavor, so you're only going to get so much out of it anyway.

[SultanOfSchwing]

I actually read your guide before I got the shipment, Chris. Good stuff. It looked like your examples when I packed it, but then again, I am pretty much mashing it into the bowl with the fork... I'll have to try again tomorrow. I'll use the mini-acclimation, and then pack it a little looser.

 

No worries, I'm not giving up on the Tang.  B) Speaking of flavors, I know Horchata is popular, but what others would you recommend? I've heard good things about the orange soda. Unfortunately, H-S is way under-stocked on Tang it seems.

[Chreees]

Try using your fingers- it gives you a better feel on how dense you are packing it. Basically, try to make it as dense as you can when it first came in the brick, before you broke it apart, and as high as the inner spire but just below the outer rim (a quarter's depth). As for other flavors, I found I am partial to Tangiers's floral fruit flavors. My favorites are Static Starlight and Indian Summer. Try as many as their flavors as you can, as one that you thought you wouldn't like at all may just end up becoming your favorite. ;)

[SultanOfSchwing]

There we go. Packed it a bit looser, and now the flavor is there. Enjoying it right now! The flavor is really subtle, but tasty. Clouds have diminished a bit, but the buzz is stronger. I really appreciate the help everyone!

Might have to order more sooner than I thought...

[joytron]

I would try a flavor that is more heat tolerant, something like Kashmir Cherry.

[SultanOfSchwing]

I was looking at Summer Solstice and Orange Soda. The place I buy from is consistently sold out of most of the Noir line. :(

 

On a more positive note, had my 3rd session with the Horchata... fantastic! Flavor was good, clouds were good, buzz was relaxing, and I managed to make it last almost 3 hours on 4 cocos without losing flavor or cloud volume, and without burning it. Lotus FTW.

[SultanOfSchwing]

Just ordered juicy peach, orange soda, and melon blend. What can I expect in terms of flavor strength and heat management?

[mattarios2]

Melon blend can be tricky at times with heat, never had juicy peach, and orange soda I tried once and wasn't a fan. Melon blend and orange soda are both quite sweet.

[SultanOfSchwing]

So, just had two back to back, 2.5 hour sessions with the Juicy Peach and the Orange Soda... absolutely delicious! The flavor never died out, either, it was incredible. I didn't think the Orange Soda was too sweet at all, in fact the flavor was spot on. As the bowl went on it actually started getting a bit creamier, like an orange creamsicle.

 

Definitely a Tangiers fan now!  :wub:

 

What else was awesome was the fact that all three flavors were perfect right out of the bag, no acclimation needed! I wonder if the Horchata had been sitting in a warehouse for a while or something...but even then, it only took a couple quick acclimation sessions to get it going. And heat management was a complete non-issue; thanks to the advice in this thread, Coyote's guide she sent me, and the Lotus, I had no burning or harshness at all.