THE WYTEBOY REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mathazar]

Good point, cypress,  I was concerned about that too.  If I
quit smoking,  would using these forums trigger me to start
smoking again?  Hmmm....I don't know.  I have a wealth of
knowledge that I could share with others in this forum,  yet on
the other hand,  being in the environment for which I'm trying to
quit may not be such a good idea.  But,  I'm just as much
addicted to this forum as I am to smoking.

I guess the answer would be to quit the forum,  because former
smokers tend to have little willpower when it comes to completely
quitting and getting out of the environment may just be a wise choice.

Thanks for the acknowledgement,  tobbsman,  your words have GREAT inspiration in them to quit smoking.

I may just smoke a few bowls from each flavor,  and then ship them
off to wyteboy, and finally end my habitual addiction to this hobby of
ours

[Nathalie]

Mathazar: maybe the idea would be to quit the forum for a while while you're getting used to the new lifestyle but theoretically, apparently habits are withdrawn from within 2-3 months while the physical addiction you should technically be over within a week or two....so in the worst case coming back after 2-3 months is always an option since this palce would be losing a lot of experience and great reviews and input if you weren't here..man I probably still wouldn't have bought a hookah if ti weren't for your help with deciding which one i should buy way back when etc.
But I do see your points about health and think quitting may be a good idea. I've smoked a lot in the past week and can really ntoive it in my lungs where a lot means 4-5 times a week so I cannot imagine what the amount you're smoking is doing to your lungs.
But also, you might be able to quit to get past the physical addiction and then after a while be able to reintroduce occasional social smoking. I was physically addicted to cigarettes a few years ago and after quitting for about 6 months I was able to start smoking socially again and have done so ever since and can quite easily no problem (I quit 3 weeks ago and have not yet experienced any problems) I just ahd to make sure when I started back up tyhat I restricted myself to 2-3 cigarettes a week....
Good luck with it all and such...and hopefully you'll be able to stay on the forum after all, but fo what's best for you....

[cypress]

[quote name='Mathazar']I may just smoke a few bowls from each flavor,  and then ship them
off to wyteboy, and finally end my habitual addiction to this hobby of
ours[/quote]


I am not going to persuade you one way or another but I would like to
support you in your final decision.  @ 10 bowls a day and @ 9
favors this will take 2 days at most.  Are you really going to
quit by Fri.

If you are honest with yourself then you can do it cold turkey. If you
honestly think you can't try to ween yourself off of it. Try to find
other things to do when you are at home. Go for a walk. Go to the
library. Take some road trips. Go some where away from the house or the
computer since that is where you spend your most time and is more
convinient for you.

[Mathazar]

Thanks A LOT Nathalie for communicating your kind thoughts to me. 
Your words were very well thought out and meaningful to me 

cypress......I don't think I can ween myself off of this.  That
really wasn't the point I was trying to make.  I, for the most
part,  just wanted to get at least one last taste of this stuff
before I quit.  Geez.....wyteboy's gonna be one HAPPY
CAMPER.  This maassel wasn't cheap.  If he couldn't afford
$37 for a blow-torch,  there's no WAY he would have been able to
afford to buy all this maassel anytime in the near future.

I'm really going to try to quit over the next couple days.

wyteboy,  when you get home from work tonite,  PM me your
mailing address.  I haven't entirely decided whether or not if I'm
going to actually do this and quit, yet, but I usually do things
spontaneously,  and if at sometime tomorrow I get the URGE to
quit,  then I'm going to need a QUICK outlet for getting rid of
all this tobacco and my hookah.  Yep,  that's right, 
the hookah is part of the deal also

No point in getting rid of the maassel and then keeping the hookah.

If I do ship it out to you tomorrow,  I'll PM you the UPS Tracking
Number.  I'm thinking about going the extra mile and sending you
my blow-torch along with 15 large butane cans.  They'll literally
last you a lifetime,  depending upon how much you smoke.  Oh
yeah,  and I've got 3 boxes of Golden Coals,  also,  and
1 box of 3Kings Coals.  So you'll be SET for quite awhile. 
My one reccommendation to you while smoking the Hookah-Hookah maassel
is to put some ice in vase.  For some reason it seems to smoke
MUCH better when the smoke is cool.

sh*t........I'm starting to have PANIC ATTACKS right now just thinking
about quitting.  I wonder if nicotine patches really help?

Oh well,  by tomorrow I think I'll have a better grasp on the
situation.  All I need is that mailing address, 
wyteboy,  and you're gonna be in Hookah Heaven

[cypress]

I have his address and I will PM you Mathazar. I am pretty sure he won't mind if you do end up getting it out today. 

[Mathazar]

Thanks pal 

[wyteboy]

Holy ****, what did I come home too??? Man Math, that is such a nice offer of you!!!!! But truth be told, I am more worried about your own health and psyche.  In such a short time here, I already feel like I've made good friends.  I've already talked on AIM with mushrat and ashan and cypress even helped me on the PHONE and math you answer every single question I ever post...you guys are amazing.
Math, I will PM you my mailing address but please do not feel pressure to send me stuff.  I will obviously graciously accept if you send stuff my way, but do it for you and your own personal needs.  If you do quit the forum, could you PM me your email so I could at least email with you? Or would that be too much of still being in the environment if I asked you questions and what not...
 
All this being said, I was just going to say I am already proud of myself.  My nicer hookah is supposed to come tomorrow hile I am at work meaning I will drive to pick it up on Friday.  I have this crappy hookak here but I am still going to already take a 3 day break (smoked 2 tiny bowls with a friend yesterday) and plan to relight with my nicer hookah on Saturday night with a friend, go to dinner then come back smoke another bowl. Prob smoke the alwaha coconut and 5-star saturday night.  Either way, it is nice to finally have one!
Math, please let me know what you decide to do! I will be at work from 9am-6pm tomorrow and unable to check this forum or email so I will get on in the morning and then again when I return from work.  Much love!

[wyteboy]

Also, I am curious for ZOojohnny to chime in since he has become a big nahkla fan recently and is a very experienced smoker...I got very little fruit taste and basically zero strawberry taste from the nahkla strawberry last night...

[E.G.]

[quote name='Mathazar']The idea is to quit forever....   No, seriously, I think I should
just stop cold-turkey and get myself some nicotine patches or something
relative to that.

Next thing on my list of stuff to give-up is caffiene.  [/quote]

A bit of unsolicited advice to help you out if you're serious. 
Make an appointment with your doc (I hope you have a doc!)  Be
prepared to be honest about how much you smoke and all the forms.

S/he'll be able to help you out with a 'script for Wellbutrin, which is
a great med for killing cravings of any sort.  S/he'll also be
able to help you figure out how much nicotine you should get through
your nicotine patches, and how to cut back on those gradually. 
Finally, there should be some discussion about other strategies to cut
down on smoking (being aware of when and why you smoke, triggers that
make you reach for a smoke and how to avoid them or deal with them
differently, etc).

Finally, remember that the nicotine patches work much better when they're applied to your skin, not smoked!

E.G.

[Mathazar]

Thanks E.G.,  I'll make an appointment today,  sounds like a great plan! 

[mushrat]

Well well..a genuine intervention right here on the HookahForum!
Good luck Mathazar!

[Mathazar]

Thanks man! 

[dmitri926]

Yep good luck Math we all got your back 

[Mathazar]

Thanks Again! 

[NERV]

I am curious at to what brought about such a dramatic decision. Going
from 10 bowls a day to nothing just like that? It's probably the best
choice though, the way you describe the situation, if you tried to cut
down to 1 or 2 a week you'd end up smoking it all anyway. And how will
this affect your attendance of the forum? You're a valued member here,
but don't let that keep you from quitting if that what ou really want.
Hate to say but it seems like even discussion about hookah might be too
tempting. Whatever happens, good luck and may you reach your goals.

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

*Chime! Chime!*

Okay Whyteboy, sorry it took so long, but I'm chiming in now

 First off let me say a few words about Hennway massell.
    I find it to be very similar to Nakhla but much more dry,
a little less smoke thickness, less flavor, and far less of a buzz. I
have about half a jar of Hennway Mixed Fruit sitting in the other room.
Although it has a wonderful "Plum/grape" smell to it the flavor is
really pretty light when smoked. The smell does carry over into the
flavor but the smoke just isnt flavorful or thick enough to make me
want to smoke it on a regular basis.
One good thing I can say about Hennway Mixed
Fruit is that it is the only good tasting Mixed Fruit I have ever
had... which isnt saying much considering the only Mixed Fruit flavors
I have had were Nakhla and Hennway.



 As far as Nakhla Strawberry goes, heres my general take on it...

 It was the first massell I ever smoked and the stuff that got me
really into smoking hookahs. It just holds a special place in my heart
(and lungs)... Like if I had children with a hookah they would pop out
as little 50 gram boxes of Nakhla Strawberry

  But in all seriousness, Nakhla Strawberry has a very nice
strawberry candy type smell to the massell. When it comes to the flavor
that is somthing that can vary from batch to batch. 
If the massell in your box of Nakhla Strawberry is very
sticky and wet with molasses then it should give you a very flavorful,
thick, and rich smoke that has a great perfumey/strawberry/candy sort
of flavor to it. 
If your box is really dry and not very sticky then it most
likely will smoke poorly, not taste incredibly good, and burn very
easily. In this case you can still salvage some good smokes by using
only the extremely wet and sticky massell that is still fresh from the
very center of the clump. The massell on the outside may be dried up
and useless, but the stuff in the center should still be good.


  So far out of the 6 years I have been smoking a hookah I have
only bought a bad batch of Nakhla Strawberry on two occasions, so this
shouldnt happen very often. But if it does then you know what to do



The main thing that I think puts a lot of people off about Nakhla is
that it wont taste exactly like the flavor shown on the box. Nakhla's
creations are in interesting sort of abstract artistry that will have
hints of the flavor shown on the box but for the most part they will be
somthing unique and unexpected.

  There are a few things you can always come to expect from Nakhla I think... those being

1. Very thick smoke
2. A strong buzz
3. An interesting and unique version of a popular flavor



 To put it the best I can, "Nakhla has a very distinct style to
the way they make massell. The flavors won't be perfectly real tasting,
but they will for the most part taste very good. The smoke will be rich
and thick, and the buzz satisfying.
If you want a 100% real fruit tasting massell you should
look elsewhere, because your not going to find it in Nakhla. What you
are going to find is a somthing that will leave you feeling relaxed,
peaceful, and satisfied with a unique and pleasent taste in your mouth."


Thats Nakhla in a nutshell. You can love it or hate it... but personally, I love it

[Mathazar]

I only love the Lemon & Double Apple,  all the other flavors I've tried BLOW!!! 

[wyteboy]

that's weird...my batch seems extremely wet and sticky! But the smoke wasn't extremely thick, I wasn't very buzzed AND I don't think it tasted particularl fruity...maybe it was the crappy hookah...but that shouldn't be the reason, should it?
I imagine once I try Cypress' samples, I probably won't ever have the need to go back and find out?

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Hmm... well I have found that depending on the hookah you use it can
make the massell taste different. I have a really ancient and really
poor quality brass Syrian hookah that will totally kill the taste of
good massell and make it taste really strange and unpleasent. It's also
rather small so the smoke doesnt get very thick when smoking through it.

  Which is quite unlike my Sphinx from Hookah-Shisha and my Junior
Sultan. They both allow the full flavor of the massell to come though,
although somtimes a flavor will come through a little stronger in one
than the other.


So I think the hookah itself can have a lot to do with the way the
massell smoked in it will taste. A really low quality hookah just wont
give you the same flavor as one that is of better quality.

It should also be noted that every time I smoke the hookah I use 1
Three Kings quicklight charcoal regardless of the size of the bowl. The
type of coal and ammount of it you use can also affect the flavor.

[wyteboy]

I may be making it an early night as I am exhausted (maybe not though) but if I do, rest assured when I get home from work I am going to immediately make a post comparing my new hookah to the old one.  I am most excited to see the new bowl because I assume it will be a LOT LOT deeper than the one I currently have and then I can actually SMOKE this stuff instead of placing like 3 small maassel specs in the bowl, ha!!  how deep would you say the average bowl is? I literally think the bowl i have is MAX 1/2 in deep...must be a bowl for weed or something.

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Well, for comparison I can give you the specs of the bowl I use on my
Hookah Shisha Sphinx Hookah.  I was a bit suprised the first time
I saw it, as the bowl is no more than half an inch deep. It uses a very
small ammount of massell but still smokes great and will last for about
45 minutes to an hour per smoke.

Anyway, heres the specs...


The bowl is a standard Egyptian hookah bowl made of brown glazed clay.
It is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Somewhere a little in between the two.
It is about 2 and a quarter inches wide, sized to fit a standard steel screen.



That may seem small compared to a Sultan bowl, but thats pretty much
the standard size for Egyptian bowls in the hookah industry. The nice
thing about smoking with a steel screen is that you can fill the bowl
all the way up to the screen, tamp it down a little bit, and it will
still smoke fine.
The screen tends to be so thick that you can have the
massell pressed up against it and it still wont burn when you put the
coal on. And with that bowl I use about 10 grams of massell per smoke
compared to the 20 to 25 I would be putting in a larger Sultan bowl.

All in all I would say I prefer to smoke with a standard sized Egyptian bowl and a steel screen.

[wyteboy]

well maybe i'm an idiot? my bowl just seems SOOOOO small compared to what i have smoked at in restaurants and how much maassel i thought you were supposed to be bale to put in it....
I dont have a ruler but i would bet my bowl is like 1.5 in wide and 1/4 in deep....?  how about this...its as deep as my pinky fingernal and diamater is from the big knuckle on my forefinger to the middle of the nail....does that help anyone? LOL!
curious, do ppl mostly do patterned holes or just sort of lots of random little holes?

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Hmm... judging by the dimensions it sounds to me like you have a
standard Egyptian bowl, only the holes wern't made quite right. In the
Egyptian bowl I have there are 5 holes, all of which are a little
thinner than the eraser on a pencil. Although  lots of little
random holes might improve the thickness of the smoke over a few large
ones.

 I think you might have been used to smoking hookahs with Syrian
"funnel" style bowls that are 2 to 3 inches deep and use up a great
deal of massell. I know I totally flipped out and thought Hookah-Shisha
had sent me a hookah with a really messed up bowl when I first saw the
bowl on my Sphinx. I couldnt believe that I could get a really good
smoke out of a hookah with such a tiny bowl but I soon learned
otherwise.

 I found that with Egyptian bowls of this style you really have to
fill the massell to the brim of the bowl and gently tamp it down a bit
instead of just loosely sprinkling it around like you would in a funnel
bowl. Even then the massell will be pressed up against the foil, which
can lead to burning if the massell is too dry. Thus the reason I use a
steel screen instead of foil with this type of hookah. Less heat passes
through the screen so my massell never seems to burn with this method.




So from all that you have said about it I would say that there is
nothing wrong with your bowl at all. If smoked on a good quality hookah
it should work just fine, smoke almost as long as a funnel style bowl
(about 45 minutes, instead of an hour), and conserve a great deal of
your massell in the process.

Hope all this helps... and just for reference purposes I'll try to post
a pic of my Egyptian bowl tomarrow so you can compare it to your own.

 

[mushrat]

hmm...wyteboy seems to be suffering from bowl envy!
My bowl is quite large by comaprison it would seem....
[img]http://www.hookahforum.com/uploads/mushrat/images/2005-04-15_051927_MVC-648F.JPG[/img]

[wyteboy]

hey johnny, when I send Cypress his containters back I am also going to include this pitifully small bowl and then we'll see if you still feel the same way! I still think I got jipped and there is def something wrong with it, ha!