I Cannot get Tangiers TO SMOKE!!

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Tangiers'][quote name='TJ Perry'][quote name='Tangiers']Tangiers it not all things to all people. Some people don't like it, and like I suspect, some people like TJ are extremely sensitive to nicotine. I don't think there is one brand anywhere that everyone can sit down and agree "This is a really good brand." Tangiers is no exception.  

Erica, two choices: you can come on by (best).

or I can talk you through this. Some peope have trouble their first several (more) times. As Scali ironically pointed out, most people get it on the first try or two. I would suggest you try some more tobacco...not so much that airflow through the bowl is tough. Also, your holes might be a little small...try more/ larger ones, get airflow through there...mixing more air in makes it smoke better.[/quote]

I'm not sensative to nicotine. I smoke like... 3 times a day whether it's nahklah, fahker, layalina, waha, amir.. anything. It has nothing to do with that.[/quote]

Which of those have nicotine in?

I went out of my way to help you, man. I don't see what the negativity is about.

You don't like Tangiers...we get the point.[/quote]

I never said I don't like it, it's just not for me. I don't see how me posting my honest opinion is any different then people idolizing your quotes or jerking off to the latest and greatest tangiers release. It's not even the other end of the spectrum in my eyes. You were helpful but for weeks we went back and forth and even you had no idea how to get your product to work on my hookah.. I think that's a sign of a serious problem inherent in the product itself.

I'd be curious to see the public outcry of me posting an actual BAD review of your products as opposed to anyone elses (nahklah, fahker, etc etc..)

[ghostofdavid]

Every time I've smoked Tangiers, it has been "Fakher 2.0" and I'll tell you why.

The flavour does not have a mild undertone that has this ambigious scent or flavour that one can barely feel or taste. It is heavy on flavour and heavy on smoke. When making the transition when using Tangiers vs. other brands, the only thing I've had to do was to let it acclimate. Is it a pain? No, not really. Is it an extra step than when using Al Fakher or Al Amir? Yes. Is it worth it? Of course. The flavours of Tangiers that I have used are the following:

Root Beer, F-Line
Red Tea
Summer Solstice Mixed Fruit

All of them I got to work on the first try. If there is a bad Tangiers flavour, I am not aware of it. Rating shisha is so subjective and has personal preference of flavour at the crux of the individual's decision, it becomes hard to say what constitutes a good flavour vs. a bad flavour. The argument should be, is Tangiers a QUALITY shisha? The answer, is obviously, yes. Few stems, consistent flavor from batch to batch, and a guy that stands behind his product. It is an American made product (without corn syrup, to my knowledge), that is produced stateside cheaper than what most retailer imported Havana, Al Fakher, and Al Amir.

Just realize that when you speak negatively towards a man's passion, he may reflect the same attitude back your way.

Let us all play diplomatically in the digital sandbox.

Edit: For the record, Tangiers and I are not in cohorts together. I do not work for him, but I do smoke his shisha... purchased from hookahcompany.com .

[MilqueToast]

I may lose a lot of forum "friends" over this, but I strongly disagree with the turn this topic has taken. Let me first say that I harbour no ill will towards anyone in this forum, least of all Tangiers.

All right. I want you all to look through this forum and notice how many threads are dedicated to the "proper way" to smoke Tangiers. Do you see that many posts for how to get Starbuzz or Al Waha or Nakhla or Al Fakher (or any other brand) smoking right? No. Do you all find it a plus that Tangiers tobacco takes that much effort to smoke properly? (I know the argument is now going to be, "It's only hard until you figure it out perfectly", but that doesn't change the fact that you have to do more work for Tangiers than any other commonly smoked brand.)

Also, I've not seen any flaming from TJ to Tangiers. He simply stated that he doesn't like the way Tangiers smokes because it is "harsh". He didn't say, "Boycott Tangiers" (still an on-going thread on this forum) or that he personally hated Eric. Just because Eric is a member of this forum doesn't mean that people can't express their honest opinions about his products. Don't we do that for other brands? Other companies? People from this site are turning TJ's comments into a bash-event.

Direct quotation from chat (not provoked; nobody was even talking about TJ): Person1: who's things fucking trolling penis head TJPerry ?
Person2: what?
Person1: TJPerry, the Tangiers hating trolling knobend.

I'm sorry, folks, this is really depressing to me. Apparently, it's okay to say things like this or to refute what TJ's said by casting it off as "flaming", but this is not the cult aka Tangiers. Be fair.

[Scalliwag]

[quote name='TJ Perry']I never said I don't like it, it's just not for me. I don't see how me posting my honest opinion is any different then people idolizing your quotes or jerking off to the latest and greatest tangiers release. It's not even the other end of the spectrum in my eyes. You were helpful but for weeks we went back and forth and even you had no idea how to get your product to work on my hookah.. I think that's a sign of a serious problem inherent in the product itself.  

I'd be curious to see the public outcry of me posting an actual BAD review of your products as opposed to anyone elses (nahklah, fahker, etc etc..)[/quote]

This is not an outcry in defense of Tangiers, just an observation. You just bought a hookah and can't get it going so you bash the vendor. While it is possible it is a bad hookah, your view here raises questions on that as well.
Just because you cannot get it to smoke right while a lot of others including myself can says more about you than the product. At least in the case of a product proven to work by others.
So you buy a deer rifle and you keep missing everytime you shoot a deer, defective product I guess?
This "serious problem inherent to the product itself" seems to evade me. I can get a bowl going when I'm drunk even.
And just because Tangiers cannot get your hookah going over the phone or through email or whatever does not mean shit...
Back to the deer hunting scenerio, you call tech support while hunting, they tell you aim/shoot and the POS misses again. You can only help so much over a phone or email is what I am saying. Just because Eric said he could not get this going on your hookah does not mean he could not have had it going in 5 minutes in person.

Again this is an observation. But when you make a blanket statement that there's "serious problem inherent in the product itself", it's only a problem for some people. I don't know the answers as to why some people have trouble with it and I don't. I had a damn good beer buzz going when I loaded the first bowl and it worked the first time. So I just repeated the same step from then on.

BTW- I'm not bashing you anymore than you are bashing any of us with that lTangiers with the "people idolizing your quotes or jerking off to the latest and greatest tangiers release" comment

[Erica]

I really did not mean for this post to turn into a debate. I was just asking for some suggestions on how to get this brand smoking. Since the person who makes it is actually on the forum I thought hey! Why not get some tips from the person who makes it and fans of the product. Anywho... People love Tangiers because he makes awesome products... People are intitled to giving bad reviews but obviously, people are intitled to knock your bad review as well. I would like if you guys would just drop this whole subject unless you actually have some input or suggestions on how to get a good bowl of tangiers to smoke. Thanks.... :/

[Scalliwag]

get you some 33mm Three Kings, a metal screen that fits your MYA standard bowl good. Fill to about an 1/8" under the screen. Get a heatgun nozzle (hey, I just happened to already use one) load the vase with ice and fill with water, tea, or juice.
I put one coal on at first. After the flavor first starts to fade I keep two coals stacked.
I know this is an odd setup but I had all the stuff already and that's the way I set it up. There is not enough room with the screen I use to move the coal around or have them side by side. So I figured I would stack them and it worked great under the little nozzle.

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Scalliwag'][quote name='TJ Perry']
I never said I don't like it, it's just not for me. I don't see how me posting my honest opinion is any different then people idolizing your quotes or jerking off to the latest and greatest tangiers release. It's not even the other end of the spectrum in my eyes. You were helpful but for weeks we went back and forth and even you had no idea how to get your product to work on my hookah.. I think that's a sign of a serious problem inherent in the product itself.  

I'd be curious to see the public outcry of me posting an actual BAD review of your products as opposed to anyone elses (nahklah, fahker, etc etc..)[/quote]

This is not an outcry in defense of Tangiers, just an observation. You just bought a hookah and can't get it going so you bash the vendor. While it is possible it is a bad hookah, your view here raises questions on that as well.
Just because you cannot get it to smoke right while a lot of others including myself can says more about you than the product. At least in the case of a product proven to work by others.
So you buy a deer rifle and you keep missing everytime you shoot a deer, defective product I guess?
This "serious problem inherent to the product itself" seems to evade me. I can get a bowl going when I'm drunk even.
And just because Tangiers cannot get your hookah going over the phone or through email or whatever does not mean shit...
Back to the deer hunting scenerio, you call tech support while hunting, they tell you aim/shoot and the POS misses again. You can only help so much over a phone or email is what I am saying. Just because Eric said he could not get this going on your hookah does not mean he could not have had it going in 5 minutes in person.

Again this is an observation. But when you make a blanket statement that there's "serious problem inherent in the product itself", it's only a problem for some people. I don't know the answers as to why some people have trouble with it and I don't. I had a damn good beer buzz going when I loaded the first bowl and it worked the first time. So I just repeated the same step from then on.

BTW- I'm not bashing you anymore than you are bashing any of us with that lTangiers with the "people idolizing your quotes or jerking off to the latest and greatest tangiers release" comment [/quote]

Sorry, I tried it in THREE different shishas of mine, and two that wern't even my own.

edit: That quote wasn't in reference to anyone in particular. But if you're jerking off to the next tangiers product... well... I really don't know what to say :wink:

edit: ALSO, Milquetoast set it up for me and once it was smoking well she handed me the hose and said "here, this is how it's supposed to be". I didn't even have a hand in it that time.

[Macho555]

I'm starting to get a little intimidated XD. I just recieved my first package of Tangiers Orange Soda. I have a small case of strep right now, but you can beleive its the first thing I 'm going to smoke once I'm all better. I can only hope my first try will be successful.

PS - Thanks Nunu for the link, it will really help out.

[Lukasa]

[quote name='Scalliwag']get you some 33mm Three Kings, a metal screen that fits your MYA standard bowl good. Fill to about an 1/8" under the screen. Get a heatgun nozzle (hey, I just happened to already use one) load the vase with ice and fill with water, tea, or juice.  
I put one coal on at first. After the flavor first starts to fade I keep two coals stacked.
I know this is an odd setup but I had all the stuff already and that's the way I set it up. There is not enough room with the screen I use to move the coal around or have them side by side. So I figured I would stack them and it worked great under the little nozzle.[/quote]

So you smoke tangiers without direct contact between foil (screen, in your case) on tobacco? Maybe I'll try this, as I have been trying the contact method everytime i use tangiers.

[Scalliwag]

[quote name='Lukasa'][quote name='Scalliwag']get you some 33mm Three Kings, a metal screen that fits your MYA standard bowl good. Fill to about an 1/8" under the screen. Get a heatgun nozzle (hey, I just happened to already use one) load the vase with ice and fill with water, tea, or juice.  
I put one coal on at first. After the flavor first starts to fade I keep two coals stacked.
I know this is an odd setup but I had all the stuff already and that's the way I set it up. There is not enough room with the screen I use to move the coal around or have them side by side. So I figured I would stack them and it worked great under the little nozzle.[/quote]

So you smoke tangiers without direct contact between foil (screen, in your case) on tobacco? Maybe I'll try this, as I have been trying the contact method everytime i use tangiers.[/quote]

My experience from that is the same as with other shisha, harsh as absolute hell.
At least in my case I think the little nozzle concentrates the heat efficiently. I use this with my other shisha and it worked very well with the MYA bowl.
I am getting phunnel bowl and making a special screen for it. It should work if my gut feeling is right.

[Sonthert]

Apologies, to Erica, we seem to have hijacked your thread.

1. Erica made the best point of all, really. People ask so many questions because I am here. Thats why there are so many threads. The same thing could be said about Myas...why do people talk about and ask questions about Myas? Because Mr. Badawi is seen around here.

2. It is not for everybody. I've said it before. Yes, I offered the idea that maybe you were sensitive to one or more components in the tobacco. The only one I've ever heard of is people being "allergic" or hypersensitive to is nicotine. I said, it might be endangering your health...you should just stop smoking it or something to that effect. Its not unusual. I am hypersensitive to cashews. Most of the brands you described don't have hardly any nicotine compared to Tangiers. Some of them are supposed to, but most people seem to feel Tangiers is still stronger...so perhaps you are sensitive to nicotine. I am sure everyone is aware that some ways people prepare hookahs are not conducive to getting Tangiers to smoke well. I think the results are worth it.

3. Tangiers is, admittedly, different than other brands. I gave early consideration to calling it something other than a general maasel. Since it is designed and smokes so much differently. There are numerous posts about people who can't get their hookah to smoke right, Tangiers or not. They put up a general message and the first question is always "What brand of tobacco?" again, since I am here it would make sense people would ask questions directly of me.

[quote name='TJPerry']Milquetoast set it up for me and once it was smoking well she handed me the hose and said "here, this is how it's supposed to be".[/quote]

So, from reading your post, when Milque Toast packed a bowl for you, it smoked well? Like I said the three or so times we talked on the phone, there was something in your technique that was other than the way I learned. It is hard to figure that stuff out over the phone. I couldn't figure out what it was...did Milque Toast notice anything?

I'm sorry you didn't like it. I did do everything I could. I sent you a free bag of tobacco and a free head, at my expense, I talked on the phone with you several times, we sent PMs back and forth many times. I think I went to extraordinary lengths to help...I wish you could get it to work right, maybe you'd like it...So, I'm sorry. I've done as much to make you satisfied is as reasonable. You are indeed entitled to your opinion, but you seemed hostile when challenged about it, which makes some people uncomfortable. I have talked to a huge majority of people who have never had any trouble. Rarely does anybody post a mesage "Worked great, no problems." Its a waste of time and space. I do see messages like "Brand X" smoked real bad, all three flavors I bought...I hate brand X. Is brand X bad? No, they just take some different steps and it smokes fine...whats so different between the two situations? 85%, more or less get it on the first or second try. 95% by the fourth try. I like answering questions, so if people have a problem, maybe I can offer a suggestion that will make Tangiers smoke better for them. I will help as much as I can and hopefully get everything working well. I do know how you fell, TJ, I get a little irked when I continually seeing all the Mya QT people talk about Mya QTs. I guess its unavoidable. If it weren't me, it would be HookahGal and HookahHookah shots.

[imonlyapuppet]

[quote name='MilqueToast']All right. I want you all to look through this forum and notice how many threads are dedicated to the "proper way" to smoke Tangiers. Do you see that many posts for how to get Starbuzz or Al Waha or Nakhla or Al Fakher (or any other brand) smoking right? No. Do you all find it a plus that Tangiers tobacco takes that much effort to smoke properly? (I know the argument is now going to be, "It's only hard until you figure it out perfectly", but that doesn't change the fact that you have to do more work for Tangiers than any other commonly smoked brand.)[/quote]

This is what I fear. I was reluctant to buy Tangiers for a long time because it seemed, for lack of a better word, to be a circle jerk around here. I was intrigued by the popularity of the product, but also wary of all the threads by people who were unable to get the shisha to smoke differently. I ordered some from HookahKings and it will be here tomorrow, so I'll comment on how that goes.

I use a metal screen on my bowl instead of foil, and I use 3kings quick lite coals: will i be able to smoke tangiers using a metal screen?

[HookahDuck]

I havent been following this thread at all until now. After reading the entire thing, I've come to a few discoveries of my own. I will try to be as impartial as I possibly can, and make this about TANGIERS TOBACCO as opposed to ERIC HOFFMAN (they are two different entities- regardless of the fact that we seem to refer to them as one and the same).


Eric and I joined the forum at nearly the same time, just about a year ago. I have witnessed (as all of us who have been around that long) Tangiers rise to power on this forum from day one. I was a little leary of this guy who brought to the market an entirely new ma'assel, nothing like the Al Fakher, Nakhla, Al Amir, and others that everyone discussed ad naseum. I learned how to properly set up my hookah in the FIRST PLACE from this forum. I watched Taqseem hookahs become huge for a while- then the mighty QT take over. Vendors kicked off and welcomed, discount codes exploited, and a wealth of good conversation. Tangiers Tobacco was the talk of the forum as soon as the first samples were sent out.

My first Tangiers in the mail was Kashmir Peach, Lemmon Blossom, Watermelon, and 2 bags of Rasberry. I didnt pay a single dime for them. This guy, Eric, was so confident in his product that he sent out countless kilo's of tobacco (which he had invested not only his money, but years of research) to members of the forum just to try out. He wasnt asking for great reviews. Would it be entirely possible for the same thing to have happened, and we all discover that his ma'assel sucked? I would actually presume that would be more likely. Hell, hookah tobacco isnt made by just throwing some pipe tobacco and molasses- its a difficult process. Sure, something could be said about him being a nice guy by sending us samples, however- I dont think you can attribute that Tangiers tobacco developing the cult following that it has. People buy, smoke, and enjoy Tangiers because it is a SUPERIOR PRODUCT. If it wasnt, people simply wouldnt smoke it. Do you think we all sit around puffing on a product that isnt satisfying?

The first time I smoked Tangiers (Kashmir Apple), I didnt like it. It was rough on the lungs, carried a heavy buzz, and the aroma was very strong. I tried it a few times again, and found I still wasnt a fan. I gave it to a friend- and he said he wouldnt smoke anything else ever again and demanded to know where I bought it. To this day, the smell is very unpleasant. I found the same thing when I tried to smoke Al Waha Mixed friut- I tried to like it, but it tasted terrible to me. My friends however? They love the nasty stuff.

The second smoke was Tangiers Rasberry. I liked it, but it wasnt awe-inspiring. I smoked it a few times more, and found it to be enjoyable, but still found myself falling back on Al Amir.

Third smoke- Kashmir Peach. Oh my god. It was like I had died and gone to flavor heaven. Every complaint I ever had with ma'assel was the lack of a complexity of flavor that can be found in cigars. That complexity was here and then some. As I exhaled puffy clouds of a ripe Gerogia Peach locked in battle with an unfamiliar floral taste, I discovered what makes this tobacco so great.

From then on, Tangiers is my favorite smoke.

I have tried:
F-line Apple
Rasberry
Kash. Apple
Kash. Peach
Licorice
Watermelon
Cool Strawberry
Cooling
Orange Soda
Vanilla
(im sure Im missing a few).


It should be noted that I set up my Tangiers almost NOTHING like the way Eric does. I prefer to use small holes, with very sparsly sprinkled tobacco (of which, I put in much less than Eric). I find that this provides the best smoke FOR ME. Attempts to use his method have nearly always resulted in a harsh smoke and abandoned session.

Have I found Tangiers flavors to be unpleasant: Of course
Have I found Tangiers flavors that I absolutly love: Of course.

Is this any different than what you expect from EVERY BRAND? It is not only ignorant of you to assume that you will like EVERYTHING that has Tangiers on the packaging, it is just plain stupid.

Nakhla Choc-o-mint: Amazing. Possibly my favorite flavor of tobacco ever.
Nakhla Banana: Urinal cake sandwhich. Utterly discusting.
Al Amir Blackberry: Awsome
Al Amir Watermelon: Bong water.

Catch my drift?

Now, how about the most important question.

Do I find Tangiers yields a tastier, more enjoyable smoke MOST OF THE TIME than other brands?
Absolutly Yes. But that doesnt mean orders for Havana Mango, Nakhla Chocomint, Al Amir BlackBerry and countless others will not contiue appearing at my door.

That is the definition of a favorite brand. I like Havana, I like Al Amir, I like Nakhla. I dont like Waha, Hookahhookah, and SOEX for just that reason.

I wont even bring up the caliber of Eric as a person. Its not the point of this discussion, and its not even close to debatable as far as I am concerned. He could not be friendlier, more generous, or more helpful. PERIOD.


/rambling off.

[SanguineSolitude]

i can feel the e-tension here. its intense... like the flavor you get when kashmir peach is smoking just right. mmmm buddy.

[Skimo]

lol, e-tension? wow im speechless....

[Sonthert]

I think I need to say something here.

I can't think of anything to say...I feel alot better, though.



Thanks, Tanner.

[Lukasa]

[quote name='HookahDuck']Lots of awesome words.[/quote]
Have I ever told you that I love you.

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='HookahDuck']LOL WORDS[/quote]

great post. its very true, some stuff is great. and some sucks.

of your brand opinons i have to disagree lol. to my taste i love al-waha, and dont really enjoy al-amir as much.

funny how those things go haha.

i cant wait to try my hand at Tangiers and see how bad i roach my first bowl.

[xpimpitox]

man i just have 2 put my 2 cents in. Tan's tobacoo is sort of like an aqcuired taste to many people. heck my friends cant even smoke it (newbies lol). it just so happens that many people on this board love it and thats me included despite not getting it 2 smoke right as of late. when i first got my first batch of tangiers (kashmir peach, passion fruit, and watermelon) i packed kashmir peach like regular shisha and i was blown away by it. maybe i did something different that i didnt notice but what im saying is I have witness the full potential that is eric's product and i love it. I may not be gettin desired results with a little work i will get it. Shit i cant even smoke nakhla anymore after smoking tangiers. but anyways thought id throw in my thoughts on the subject.

[Puddy]

I had my first Tangiers experience last night... Passion Fruit.

First off, yes it was harsh at the beginning. I had 2 half finger coals on there, and once I took one off the smoke calmed down (either that or I had gotten used to it). I then added the original second coal as the first died down, then a third. It went for about an hour and a half, and there was still enough to add another.

My roommate who is kind of a know-it-all and always tried to tell me how to use my hookah whined about the shisha being harsh and was hacking up a storm, but I loved it. It's definitely more of a smoker's shisha re: the complexity of flavor vs. most mu'assel where the tobacco flavor is completely covered up. I wouldn't pull this out for friends who were smoking hookah for the first time.

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Tangiers'][quote name='TJPerry']
Milquetoast set it up for me and once it was smoking well she handed me the hose and said "here, this is how it's supposed to be".[/quote]

So, from reading your post, when Milque Toast packed a bowl for you, it smoked well? Like I said the three or so times we talked on the phone, there was something in your technique that was other than the way I learned. It is hard to figure that stuff out over the phone. I couldn't figure out what it was...did Milque Toast notice anything?

[/quote]

Hardly a difference. In fact, Sanguine and her have smoked tangiers on a regular basis.. so when she says "this is how it's supposed to smoke" i trust her. It was a little bit better than when I had it going... But it was still "harsh". It was heavy and uncomfortable compared to all other brands I tried.

You DID do everything that you could. I applaud you for that over and over and when it comes to YOU, I love what you've done with the product in terms of marketing and customer service. But when it's all said and done, I don't like the tobacco you're offering so I respectfully have to disagree when people say it's a superior product because to me.. it's not. It's got nothing to do with you, or how much you helped me over the phone. It's got everything to do with the tobacco itself.

Oh well, debate over. I don't like tangiers even when it's "smoking how it should" and the sun will rise tommorow :wink:

[DrunkenWizard]

I know what you're saying about it being harsh. I prefer to call it strong. I can't take huge puffs like I do with other brands. I just puff a little and enjoy the flavor. For huge clouds, I pull out my AF or even Layalina.

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='DrunkenWizard']I know what you're saying about it being harsh.  I prefer to call it strong.  I can't take huge puffs like I do with other brands.  I just puff a little and enjoy the flavor.  For huge clouds, I pull out my AF or even Layalina.[/quote]

It's not strong, it's harsh. There is nothing "strong" about tangiers. It just doesn't smoke smoothly.

[DizzyGuy]

[quote name='TJ Perry']It's not strong, it's harsh. There is nothing "strong" about tangiers. It just doesn't smoke smoothly.[/quote]

To you, it's harsh and not smooth. To someone else, it's strong and smooth. It's all personal opinions, dude.

[Joseph]

Nothing like a little discussian about semantics to get my blood pumping