Popular Tabaccos?

[Gaara]

Some people may give me some flak for this one, but if your looking for a buzz and a good flavor I think it's worth checking out Nakhla if you've never had them.

They're probably the oldest manufacturer of ma'assell in the world and they have a wide variety of excellent (and very inexpensive) flavors, all of which really pack a punch in the buzz department. Nakhla is considered by most hookah smokers to be "traditional" or "non-premium" hookah tobacco, but there are still quite a few people who prefer the flavor and unique feel of Nakhla's smoke over that of newer ma'assells such as Starbuzz, Fumari, Al-Fakher, and other such "premium" brands (And I happen to be one of those people ).

When you try Nakhla you can expect a very dense smoke with strong throat coating flavor that usually isn't perfectly realistic to the flavor description on the box, but is still extremely delicious (to me and some other old schoolers at least LOL). You'll also find that Nakhla carries a very strong buzz that, while usually not overwhelming, can certainly lay you back in your seat for a good long time. The feel of the ma'assell in the package is different than the "premium" ones too. It's a very sticky (almost dry at times) ma'assell that isn't really really wet so much as it's "sticky". But as I said, if your looking for a strong buzz than Nakhla is probably a good place to start, as the buzz on Tangier's smoke can be a bit too strong even for seasoned hookah smokers sometimes.

But anyway, if you want to give Nakhla a try it might be just what your looking for. Some people hate the stuff, others love it. But you never know until you try and since Nakhla is only $6 or $7 for a 250 gram box you won't be out too much money if you decide you don't like it. Of the Nakhla flavors I've tried, here's a quick list of the ones that are my personal favorites...

Apple - (An all time favorite of mine, best if bought in a glass jar.)
Double Apple - (The tried and true standard for double apple.)
Askandarany Apple - (A sweeter apple with a touch of lemon.)
Strawberry - (Another all time favorite, best if bought in a glass jar.)
Cola - (Delicious and realistic cola flavor, some batches are a touch "cola nutty".)
Cherry - (Strong black cherry flavor, execllent if mixed with cola.)
Orange - (One of the best oranges I've ever had, 100% perfectly realistic with no artificial candy flavor.)
Mandarin Orange - (One of the best oranges I've ever had, 100% perfectly realistic with no artificial candy flavor.)
Mint - (Very strong and the cooling effect is awesome, best when mixed with other flavors.)
Chocolate Mint - (Like eating an Andes mint or a York peppermint patty, excellent.)
Lemon - (Bright and highly realistic lemon flavor, awesome when mixed together with Strawberry.)
Sweet Melon - (If you like cantaloupe than this is where it's at.)
Mango - (Very realistic flavor, some batches can be a touch "piney".)
Caramel - (A rather light flavor but still wonderful. Mix it with Apple and it's a real joy.)
Cappuccino - (Coffee with a touch of cream but without the bitterness. My favorite way to enjoy coffee.)


Those are my personal favorites, although I still have not tried many of Nakhla's flavors... Bannana, Coconut, Cinnamon, Caramom, Rose, Licorish, Pistachio, Tropicana, Margherita, and Vanilla are all the flavors which I have not tried yet. But out of all the Nakhla flavors I've tried there were only a few I didn't like, and heres why and I didn't like em...

Jasmine - smelled like cat urine and tasted somewhat similar
Peach - tasted like a bar of soap
Mixed Fruit - tasted like vomit (I kid you not)
Apricot - was a little too sickly sweet for my tastes
Grape - tasted kind of sickly and made my stomach seriously upset


So I think for me Nakhla has had a whole heck of a lot of "hits" and very few "misses". If your looking for some old fashioned ma'assell that packs a nice buzz, great flavor (IMHO), and won't drain your wallet than you should check out Nakhla sometime. It's a little different than other ma'assell, but it's certainly worth a try

Looking at your post, you have almost identical taste as me when it comes to Naklha so I'll give you a heads up. Don't bother trying Vanilla; there is absolutely no flavor in it & Banana is average but won't recommend it either.

I think the worst Shisha I've smoked is Naklha Jasmine. It leaves this strong flavor in the Hookah so you have to really clean it out.

Just tried Al Waha and not impressed at all. It has some flavor but no density in smoke.

Starbuzz doesn't really give me a buzz so not my preference although it has great flavor.

I think I'll try that Layalina next; have to order it online since the stores around here don't carry it.

What do you recommend? Naklha Orange or Lemon? Haven't tried either.

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Although nakhla has some decent flavors, i find that they are few and far between. Double apple is good, along with i just found out the orange is fairly decent. But the mixed fruit is awful, the strawberry tastes like plastic, the mango is somewhat like burnt rubber, and the same goes for the cherry and grape. There are some good flavors though, but just be careful.

Thats the weird thing about Nakhla ya know... the flavors are really open to the interpertation of the individual smoker. I don't think I've ever seen any other ma'assell company that got such mixed reviews all over the map from it's smokers.

For instance, I've tried many different company's versions of Strawberry... I've tried Al-Fakher, Al-Amir, Fumari, Romman, Starbuzz, Sultan, Al-Waha, Afzal, and Nakhla. And after all those different Strawberry flavors, Nakhla is still my hands down favorite. I think Nakhla has the brightest and best tasting Strawberry flavor I've ever encountered. Infact, Nakhla Strawberry is tied for my all time favorite ma'assell (tied with Nakhla Single Apple).

But then you have Barnzy's view on Nakhla's Strawberry flavor... he feels that it tastes like plastic and probably wouldn't smoke it unless he absolutely had to. And that huge difference of opinions of a flavor kinda blows my mind... I mean, how is it that some people feel a flavor is one of the best ever and the others feel it's one of the worst? Who knows... But you see that a lot when it comes to Nakhla's flavors, people either love em or hate em.

It's pretty much a universal consensus that the Mixed Fruit is absolutely horrible, but outside of that one flavor the quality of Nakhla is really up to the perception of the user. But at $2 or $3 for a 50 gram sample and $7 for a 250 gram box you really can't go wrong trying it at least once or twice.

I think the most important thing is not the brand of ma'assell you smoke, or the price you pay for the ma'assell. What is important is that you smoke the ma'assell that you enjoy most... be it traditional, premium, or otherwise. But you'll never know what the best ma'assell for you is until you give em all a try (And there is a LOT out there to try!) Edited April 5, 2007 by ZooJohnnyZETA

[Kym]

I don't understand why you would want a buzz from Shisha? Maybe it's just me. I think i would be sick!

[Barnzy02]

Gaara, i'd suggest Nakhla Orange. I smoked a bowl of it 2 nights ago and i was really surprised by it. The smell is dead on accurate and the smoke is just the same.

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Gaara, i'd suggest Nakhla Orange. I smoked a bowl of it 2 nights ago and i was really surprised by it. The smell is dead on accurate and the smoke is just the same.

WORD

If I had to choose between Lemon and Orange I would go for Orange for sure. It's the most realistic Orange flavor I've ever had and The Mandarin Orange is actually even better. By "better" I mean it leaves a sharp citrusy bite on the tip of your tongue like eating a real orange would, and I think theres a bit more complexity to the flavor as well.
But anyway, I'd go for the Orange rather than Lemon if I had to choose between the two.



And Kym, when it comes to the buzz of the ma'assell thats really up to the user's preference. Some people don't like feeling buzzed, others find it to be extremely relaxing and an integral part of the hookah smoking experiance. It's not like your going to get stoned from it or anything, but a good hookah session with a good buzzing ma'assell can really relax you and put you in a comfortable dreamy state of mind for a while. If you find it uncomfortable than there's plenty of good ma'assell out there that has no buzz to it (Starbuzz in particular, most Fumari, and Al-Waha). Edited April 5, 2007 by ZooJohnnyZETA

[Kym]

Gaara, i'd suggest Nakhla Orange. I smoked a bowl of it 2 nights ago and i was really surprised by it. The smell is dead on accurate and the smoke is just the same.

WORD

If I had to choose between Lemon and Orange I would go for Orange for sure. It's the most realistic Orange flavor I've ever had and The Mandarin Orange is actually even better. By "better" I mean it leaves a sharp citrusy bite on the tip of your tongue like eating a real orange would, and I think theres a bit more complexity to the flavor as well.
But anyway, I'd go for the Orange rather than Lemon if I had to choose between the two.



And Kym, when it comes to the buzz of the ma'assell thats really up to the user's preference. Some people don't like feeling buzzed, others find it to be extremely relaxing and an integral part of the hookah smoking experiance. It's not like your going to get stoned from it or anything, but a good hookah session with a good buzzing ma'assell can really relax you and put you in a comfortable dreamy state of mind for a while. If you find it uncomfortable than there's plenty of good ma'assell out there that has no buzz to it (Starbuzz in particular, most Fumari, and Al-Waha).

I never thought of it that way. I know Smoking Hookah after a meal is a digestife' and very relaxing for the digestive system. I never thought getting buzzed from it would be another way to use it for relaxation. I unfortunately usually only smoke Sinbad's (cheap for me to get it), which has never givin me a buzz. I think i need to expand my horizons and try some more diffrent brands. All the other brands that I have tried did not give me a buzz either though! I'll have to check it out.

[kornkitten42]

I dont like the buzz from shisha. i dunno. something about it. When i do get a buzz the next morning i ALWAYS wake up with a migraine even though i dont fall asleep with it. Buzz is def some peoples pref. I would rather just chill and smoke and not have to worrry about feeling awkward.

I smoke smileys, aw, aa , nahkla, sb, hh, and sinbad so far.