crazyhead Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I rather prefer the taste of non-flavored tobacco, as opposed to the fruitcentric offerings that I've found predominate the hookah-smoking practice. One can occassionally find some of the more traditional hookah blends that aren't candy-coated, but I still much enjoy the blends cultivated in the Western world -- namely, pipe tobacco blends.But of course they tend not to be nearly so moist, so my question is - what's the proper way of treating them for use in a nargileh/hookah/whatever-you-want-to-call-it? Will water alter their flavor?, I assume that honey or molasses certainly would.Naturally, your advice will carry more weight if you've had some experience in this regard yourself, or you can link to an authoritative source for the information.Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Zaghoul tobacco is pretty much strong tobacco made for hookah, absolutely no frills. To make pipe tobacco suitable for hookah use you add Glycerin, the kind you can buy at the pharmacy. If you need more information there's been several succesful homemade batches of hookah tobacco and threads about them, Search is your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerjer72 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Yeah you use glycerin/honey/molases. I had instructions somewhere and I am trying to find them for you. If I can find them I will post it on here. There was a specific brand of pipe tobacco that also worked the best so if I find it I will let you know that also. Making your own will give you a unique experience that will be a bit different than bought shisha so don't expect the same but all in all it won't necessarly be a bad one. Once you try make some a few times you will be able to get the hang of it and perfect it. Don't expect your first batch to be perfect. Just keep trying once you figure out how to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhead Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 Hello! Now that I've a nargileh, I can return to this old post of mine. I hope anyone who responds will be so good as to answer, first and foremost, are you also a pipe smoker who enjoys heavy oriental/English blends (latakia, etc.?)I've a few new questions:1) Everyone says to "add glycerine/honey/mollasses". These are all, however, very sweet substances, and I am interested in making tobacco that is not sweet. What are my alternatives?2) Pipe tobacco is very heavy, and is not inhaled when smoked. Will smoking it through my nargileh alter this quality of pipe smoke, or will I still need to not inhale it?Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_smith Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Your best bet is to get some Zaghoul flavoured Tobacco, which is pretty much what you seem to be looking for. Checkthe reviews section for which company makes it, because I can only think of Tangiers off the top of my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shisha fan Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 nakhla makes zaghloul as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhead Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 Hello! Thank you for the replies! Yes, I will buy the kind of shisha that you have recommended. Thank you for the suggestion! I am still curious if my idea is feasible though? Perhaps I could use distilled water to moiston the pipe tobacco?I must admit to a slight confusion when it comes to shisha, coming from smoking only pipe tobacco; while in the world of pipe tobaccos there are many, many obscure blenders and companies, whose blends have evolved over many decades, with shisha it seems like there are perhaps only about a half-dozen blenders (available to import into the USA through the websites), and that most of their blends are based upon "Flavors" instead of "tobacco blends". For example, in pipe tobacco, you have "virginia blends", and "english blends", and "oriental blends", etc., but in shisha so far I do not see much that is comparable apart from this zaghloul that you have recommended to me. I am not saying that shisha should "be like" pipe tobacco, I am just curious why it seems (and I stress "seems", in case I am mistaken) that there is so much emphasis on fruit and candy flavors, but little that relies only upon the tobacco. I had assumed that Middle-Eastern culture would have produced even more talented, obscure historical blenders than there are in Western tobacco production, but instead I get the impression that there is very little available apart from what is offered by about a half dozen big producers.I will search for zaghloul right now! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shisha fan Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 there are at least 30 different brands, just check the review section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhead Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 I see! Yes, there are many brands. Very good! Now to search through them all for the non-fruit/candy shishas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhead Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 QUOTE (crazyhead @ Oct 20 2007, 09:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I see! Yes, there are many brands. Very good! Now to search through them all for the non-fruit/candy shishas... Hm, reconsidering my words, I think I would say now that it seems like, while there are in fact many blenders, there are still less than I expected blends that are tobacco only. Also I am finding it difficult to discover in these blends what tobaccos they are using exactly (latakia, virginias, burleys, perique - what are the proportions?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhead Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 A website I found gives these instructions:Cigarette/Pipe Tobacco Instructions: Fill the base as described above. Reassemble the hookah and place one or two of our 1" screens (available in brass but steel is recommended) in the bottom of the bowl. Fill the bowl as you would any other pipe, light, and then inhale through the hose.Does that sound like it may work? It says nothing about moistening the tobacco... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staygone Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 The instructions above sound as if you're using a bigger pipe, it would smoke the same if you just smoked a pipe in the first place. The water wont do much, and the smoke would be "pipe-like". Why use a hookah in the first place if your directly lighting the tobacco. Switch the lighter for coals and it won't do much either. You aren't "baking" the tobacco, your lighting it on fire. That ain't hookah, that's pipe.If you're looking for a non-sweet, viscous substance to moisten the tobacco, just use glycerin or unsweeten molasses. It doesn't get much "non sweeter" than this. -QM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhead Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 (edited) Thank you! Which of the two (glycerine and unsweetened molasses) is the more "flavor neutral"?Also, which of the two has the better "cooking" properties for good simmer with tobacco and coal on top?Thank you! Edited October 21, 2007 by crazyhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staygone Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Glycerin is a sugar alcohol and molasses is the byproduct of processing sugar can into syrup. If you look at many popular companies ingredients, many of them use glycerin as apposed to molasses. I have used glycerin and it thicken the smoke BUT hindered the flavor rendering more tastelss for lack of better term. I have no clue for molasses. Go both and do some experimenting, maybe a mix of two will work best. If not, you can always find a tree and tap the sap out of it. Bleh,-QM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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