Please help a newbie! Advice/input needed

[wyteboy]

I just got into hookah smoking about a year ago and basically found 1 spot I loved in LA and stuck to it.
I have decided to buy my own small hookah to use from time to time and I just went to NY to buy some stuff.  I knew going down there that nakhla and al waha were the 2 main brands, but not knowing much about either at all (which is better, different characteristics, etc).  sure enough, the 3 stores I went to only had those 2 brands.
Unsure of what to buy, I thought I'd but a little of both, but for the future I would love the input of those educated on here of what is best from both. I love apricot and pineapple from what I have previously smoked but no clue what brand. 
I bought from Nahkla: strawberry and vanilla and from Al waha I bought: 5-star mix, coconut and apricot.  I care MUCH MUCH more about the flavor and taste than I do about getting the buzz for the most part, though a little buzz is obviously nice as well...
Did I buy the good flavors from each brand or am I going to be very disappointed?  Is one brand's specific fruit much better than the other brand? (ie strawberry from al waha is much better than nakhla, but nakhla's apricot is better than al wahahs or something like that)
Also what coals are best? I hear a lot of 3 Kings around, but I have also heard sometime Japanese coals are better?
ALL input and advice is really, really appreciated about the stuff I already bought and what to buy in the future.  I am new to this forum as of right now but I hope to be around for awhile!  Thanks!!

[cypress]

Al Waha and Nakhala are okay brands but there are some flavors you
should stay away from especially in Nakhala. If what you are looking
for is lots of flavir and if money isnt a factor then you should order
the premium stuff such as Romman and Al Fakher. Your best bet is to get
50 gram packs of a quite a few flavors. You are pretty much going to
need to develope your tastes and actually taste the diference between
traditional and premium brands. I think the flavors you got are safe
for not being a bad flavor.

As far as the flavors you have bought, I have only tried Nakhala
Straberry and in my opinion is bland. If Nakhala is a must then their
best flavor is Double Apple.  I heard Al Waha 5 Star is good but I
have not tried it yet.  Your best bet before you buy again is to
look at some of our reviews and hell you can even write some of your
own.

If you must use quick lights your best bet is to use Golden Coals. I
use these half the time and they dont leave any added flavor.  I
have heard 3 Kings leave a bad flavor and Japanese coals from my
experience leave a bad flavor too.

[wyteboy]

Thank you cypress!
I thought quick light charcoal were the best to use?  otherwise don't you have to have a constant heat source on your charcoal while smoking?
Price is sort of an issue, but taste is more of one!  I also heard good things about the 5 star mix which is why I bought it, but I heard poor things about nakhla's double apple so i stayed away from it...
Are Romman and AlFakher the best because they taste the best or provide the best buzz?
Thanks to all who respond to this and have any more insight to nakhla/al waha or coals as well.  I bought a roll of 10 3king for $3.00 so I plan to break them in half and use them to not put too much heat on the shisha....please any recommendations for shisha flavors from these brands and others, as well as coals is much appreciated!
Thanks again from the newbie on here!!

[wyteboy]

Also Cypress, which flavors do you know off that I should stay away from in nakhla or in alwaha?

[cypress]

The main one is Nakhala Mixed Fruit is the main one to stay away
from.  I believe it was here is where i heard it was bad. Romman
and Fakher are pretty much going to give you the overall best smoke.
Now there are some flavors that Hookah Hookah make are excelent. There
are some Fumari Flavors that are excelent.

Nakhala Double Apple is pretty good if you have never tried it
before.  The thing with a good double apple you are going to get a
licorice flavor with it.

As far as the coal. Some times I use Nour Fingers and Natural Coals. 

[wyteboy]

good to know!  i will buy some nour coals off of ebay very soon if those are some of the better coals to use!
Thanks again for the input!

[cypress]

Best advice with coals is not to go with any off brand as some times
you will get burned in more than one way. Nour is good and Golden is
good. 

[wyteboy]

OK cool.
Heading to bed now but thanks a TON for taking the time to answer so many of my questions in one night.  Really appreciate it - you seem like a cool guy!
I'm sure I will be back tomorrow night with some more questions!

[Mathazar]

Listen to cypress,  he's da man 

I second what cypress said about Romman, Al-Fakher, Hookah-Hookah, Golden Coals,  and Nakhla Double Apple

I've got Nakhla Double Apple & Lemon,  and they're both
Excellent.  I just placed a $300 order at www.Hookah-Shisha.com
and www.Hookah-Hookah.com

The best thing for you to do is what cypress said,  order 50gram
packs of several different brands and try them out first before buying
the more expensive 250gram containers.

Go to: www.Hookah-Shisha.com and at the top of the page click on "USER GUIDE".

Also go to: www.SocialSmoke.com and in the upper right corner click on "Hookah 101".

The best Romman flavors, in my opinion, are: Double Apple, 
Strawberry, and Sweet Melon.  Many people on the forum love the
Peach.

The best Al-Fakher flavors are Apricot, Plum, Cola, Coconut, and Cappuccino. Some people on the forum love the Grape.

The best Hookah-Hookah flavors are:  Margarita, Pineapple, Grape,
Melon, and I also like their Apple.  Though some people on the
forum hate their Apple. cypress loved their Strawberry & Menthol.

I heard Al-Waha Strawberry was good,  so I ordered some.

Flavor is really a matter of personal opinion.  We could sit here
and list all our favorite flavors from these different companies, 
and you could hate every one of them.  So,  practice what
cypress preaches,  get the 50gram packs where you can find them.

Also,  I just bought 9 boxes of Golden Coals from
www.Hookah-Shisha.com.  That's 900 coals.  Golden Coals
really are the best quick-lite coal on the market, as they are odorless
and flavorless.  I've extensively tried 3Kings Coals,  and my
personal opinion is that they emit too much charcoal flavor into the
smoke,  which will ruin whatever flavor you're smoking.  Some
people will disagree with me,  but that's just my opinion.

Goodluck and welcome to the forum!!! 

[hookaman]

ya i agree with mathazar 3 kings is garbage. its a waste of the paper that its wrapped in lol. it gives this disguisting taste to ur tobacco. so if ur smoking nakhla melon for example with 3 kings, ur actually smoking a mix of melon/charcoal tobacco. really quite disguisting. when i first started smoking the hooka at my house all i had was 3 kings so it seemed normal to me. then when i found those natural finger coals, which give absolutely no nasty flavor or smell, the 3 kings seemed so nasty to me. in my opinion i would stay away from 3 kings

[mushrat]

I also found very good information on [url="http://www.hookahculture.com"]www.hookahculture.com. (HookahCultures site i believe)
He listed a site with a great selection of alfakher and what look like some super deals on hookah's themselves
[url="http://bnnimportexport.com/index.cfm[/url]"][url="http://bnnimportexport.com/index.cfm"]http://bnnimportexport.com/index.cfm[/url][/url][/url]
 

[wyteboy]

Wow thanks guys!  hey hookaman, are nour coals an example of those good natural finger coals you refer to?  I have seen Japanese "diamante finger coals", are these also good natural finger coals or are they gross?  An ebay auction for nour coals ends tomorrow so I have some time, but due to the cypress recommendation, I am thinking of getting them.  Just looking for some confirmation from anyone else who uses them that they are great (not that I already don't trust Cypress, he seems like the man! lol)
Problem is, all the stores I went to only had 250g boxes, so I bouight 250g boxes of each.  I guess I will have to just smoke all the nakhla and al waha before I can buy the other stuff....I hope the apricot and coconut are good, but we'll see I guess, huh? 
Others agree that foil is better than screens?  I have Reynolds Quality Aluminim Foil Wrap, does this work well or is there a specific kind?  I figured a screen would be much easier than foil, but if the smoke isn't as good then not much of a point I guess.  Anything else I should know?
Thanks again guys!

[wyteboy]

Also wondering how you guys actually put the meassel in the bowl? do you use a knife or something to make sure it doesn't clump?  if it is really wet, do you use your hands and just put in little bit by little bit?  not sure how to avoid clumping and stuff once I have my hookah.  I feel like I'm being annoying by asking SO many questions, so i apologize.  There is just SOOOO much I am realizing I don't know.  Also, hookaman if you read this, any clue what type of meassel rama geni uses?  That stuff is awesome.

[Mathazar]

Nour coals are my favorite next to Golden Coals,  but just keep in
mind that you're going to have to heat them up on the stove and that
could take a good 4 to 5 minutes because you want them REDHOT before
placing on the foil.

Regular Reynold's Wrap is what I'm using right now and it works very
well.  Just cut out squares,  and then poke enough holes for
one to one and a half coals.

As far as clumping goes,  the way I avoid it is to mix the
ma'assel in the container it comes in,  which does two
things:  Separates the ma'assel and mixes the liquids into the
ma'assel.

Don't pack your bowl, loosely sprinkle the ma'assel into the
bowl,  and gently spread it around.  Whatever you do, 
don't pack the bowl.  I use the tongs which come with the hookah
to sprinkle the ma'assel into the bowl,  and I use the same tongs
to heat my quick-lite coals.  Although,  you're getting
Nour,  but you will need some tongs to transfer the Nours from the
stove to the hookah.  It would be a wise idea to get a separate
set of tongs,  one for the tobacco & one for the charcoal.

After poking holes thru the top of the foil,  then poke holes thru
the bottom of the bowl.  This allows airholes to evenly distribute
heat throughout the bowl,  and it also frees up the draw so that
you get a nice loose draw  when taking a hit

[hookaman]

ya whytboy the ones i have is simiar to nours i dont know if its the same company but its good, no bad flavor or smell i just wish it would last longer. about rama genies, dont tell alot of people but he doesnt use alot of tobacco, thats what i meant when he says its not bad for you. he puts dried fruit in the bowl. yup amazing isnt it. he makes his own stuff. he has his machines and prepares all the fruits or anything and puts taht in the bowl. but dont ask him he likes to keep everything mystical lol. just go and smoke no need for questions.

[cypress]

To heat my coals I use one of those steamer pots. Its the one with the
holes already in the pot and its easier for me to transfer the coals.
My expereince with the Japanese coals are the silver coating does add a
slight bad taste to the coals.  I would say for convenience Golden
Coals are going to be the best. The light very quick but the only
downside is the poping when you are originally lighting them.  I
have to clean my stove every time i light one of those. Just remember
when using the foil turn it shiny side down.  Dont overfill the
bowl because it will cause the tabacco to burn and stick to the bottom
side of the foil and it will taste nasty.  Good luck. 

[wyteboy]

Just got the hookah today off ebay, very excited!  I am sure I will ask more before it arrives!
Foil - shiny side down...got it!  Anyone here use screens instead of foil?  Just wondering. 
I may buy the nour coals off of ebay as well...dunno yet.  All I can is nahkla strawberry smells outstanding though I believe most of you here that it probably won't taste as good as it smells!

[cypress]

Which hookah did you get? 

[wyteboy]

I don't know if this will work but here is the link to the auction....It's an Egyptian one, not like I know the difference...http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&a mp;item=3965209081&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT& amp;rd=1
Cypress, how do you feel about foil squares?  I do own Reynolds foil wrap, but seems like ther "hookah" foil squares are thinner and probably better for heat distribution?  You said screens are bad, right?

[wyteboy]

Also, I am thinking of taking the maessel out of the packaging and sort of "pouring" it out into the tupperware and then shake the tupperware a ton to break up the maessel? Is this ridiculous?  The tupper will get sooooo sticky and gross, I think it might even be impossible to get off but some have recommended breaking it up this way....
new here, but I love you guys already! so much advice and no one's called me a moron yet!!

[Brendank]

You MORON!! SHINY SIDE DOWN!! BREAK UP THE [url="http://mailto:MA@SSEL"]MA'SSEL[/url]!! ICE IN THE BASE!!
 
 
Just Kidding. All this advice is great but even still don't be afraid to experiment, Burn yourself with coals, make your own ma'ssell, choke to death on foil fumes cos you used tin-foil (DONT USE TIN FOIL) spill your water all over the place, put petrol in the base,Even try Nakhla mixed fruit (Just kidding DONT TRY IT, ITS WORSE THAN THE PETROL) and at the end of the day you'll come out with your own perfect smoke.
Happy smoking and welcome to hookah

[cypress]

Hmm for some reason the link did now work.  It said it was an
invalid item. I havent tried the foil sqares so I cant comment on that.
I have used regular foil and it works good enough for me. The screen I
tried it once and it does not seal on the edges so it alows too much
air in. I have heard some people use the screen and foil together but I
have not tried that. What i do is dump the ma'asell into a Zip-Lock and
then into a tupperware.  Its better to at least put it in a
ziplock that way if the juices settle youe can mix it up easier with
your hands with the stuff in the bag. I tried it once in just the
tupperware and all it did was get sticky.

There isnt much name calling here. This forum is here for people to
learn the right way to do things or at least get different ideas to
figure out what is best for them. One of the other things we do here is
rate brands, flavors, and different internet merchants. At any time ask
a question. There are others besides me that can answer questions. I
get bored at work so i always check the forum. You may see my posts at
all hours of the day because I work shift work and it changes from days
to nights in a pattern.

[wyteboy]

ha thanks brendank!!!!
By break it up you mean I should do what I said?  I would think it would be easy enough to break up into little pieces when I go to put it in the bowl...
How do you guys handle the problem of getting ash on the carpet or anything like that?
Cypress, that hookah I got look okay to you?  I got the hookah, carrying case, cleaning stuff, a pack of charcoal and another pack of massel for under $31....not bad I think!!

[wyteboy]

Gotcha, thanks cypress!  I am sure there are others who are really knowledgeable on here as well, it's just you are very friendly and proactive in asnwering my questions...or at least the first one to put up with all of them   Later today, I am gonna try that, dump each flavor in its own ziploc and shake the bag to break it up, then put the bag into the tupperware...
God now I can't wait to get this hookah in the mail and try it out!!
p.s. hookaman I did know that about Veni with not using a full bowl of massel but actually putting dried fruit in it....I was asking what type of massel he used...like romman, fakher, etc....no worries though!

[cypress]

Here is how I handle not getting coal on the carpet... I riped up my
carpet because I got a burn spot being too clumsy and put tile. 
What happend is i sat on the hose that was lying on the couch and it
tipped over.  So just be carefull.