THE WYTEBOY REVIEWS PART 2!!!!!!

[wyteboy]

Yes, it is 4:15 am!
I had a crazy long stressful night of work that ended after 1am. A friend of mine came over and we smoked 2 bowls out of my NEW HOOKAH THAT I PICKED UP TODAY!!!
First off, the base is actually a little smaller I think than the other base that I have, but the rest of it is MUCH higher quality. This bowl is MUCH MUCH better!!  However, I am STILL surprised at how little ma'assel you put in...I guess I just never realized.  I still got some foil burn which is annoying...not quite sure how to totally avoid this except just pack it lighter, which I thought I did well but I guess not.
One weird question about the hookah before I review.  I am not sure on all techincal stuff so I will describe as best as I can....The bowl doesn't really CONNECT per se....like...I guess it's the stem you put the charcoal circular catchy thingy over and then you put the bowl in the middle...this doesn't really directly CONNECT to the bowl, the bowl just sort of sits on top of the round end of the stem...you can move the bowl around a little bit, but I guess the height of the round end that is now sort of inside the base of the bowl prevents the bowl from moving completely around...is this normal or is there a piece I am missing?
I used the Lemon Wood Coals I got today. Few positives, maybe more negatives. Too huge chunks, really weird shapes so it is hard to ensure direct contact with the foil....however, they were pretty tasteless so that was good.  When I light my last bowl of stuff I have that I have yet to try (alwaha 5 star) I may try using a 3kings or use the vivi wood coal...
ONTO THE REVIEWS:
1) Alwaha Coconut....sticky, greasy wet again, seemed pretty wet to me.  Still a little too clumpy like the nahkla, i wonder if that is causing the foil burn.  I am very interested to see the cut of the AF HH and Romman that I will be getting to see how greatly it differs...I imagine finer cuts also make it much easier to avoid foil burn.  The coconut taste was there but again way too subtle for my liking!  Smoke density was VERY solid and the buzz was REALLY there, def the most yet.  Still, not enough fruit taste for my liking...Also burned some of the ma'assel but I didn't feel it in the smoke, I just realized it when I peeled it off.
2) Nahkla strawberry - tried this again just to see if the new hookah made a difference.  Same experience. Decent density not as good as the alwaha, fruit taste slight, smoke smoothness was ok....eh.
I would not smoke either of these again I do not think...I just hope its the stuff and not MY setup.  Poking holes I have realized is a big pain in the a$$ as is foil sag...any tips on avoiding that?
Still not sure about a hole pattern...I sort of just poke a TON of randomly placed small holes...like the size of the head of a toothpick small - is that TOO small by chance?
I am very excited to smoke the 5-star tomorrow since I have heard that is the best Alwaha makes...Cypress, you will be getting a lot of my nakhla and alwaha in return!
I am going to crash to sleep now! I am so glad I got the new hookah, the hose is real nice and washable too, seems to be made of real solid durable material (the hookah as well)...my only concern is the no direct connection INTO the bowl, but more just sort of placing the bowl on top of the stem opening...though like I said I did get a very good thick smoke density so maybe it is not a problem.
I am gonna enjoy a nice long sleep now! Please give me input and feedback on the review and my questions posed as I now start to learn firsthand!  Much love!

[mushrat]

Woo hoo he's official....
The placing the bowl on top of the stem looks/sounds like a typical egyptian set up to me...Is there a rubber grommet? Since I have a Syrian i'm not ure if there is supposed to be....
With mine the top inch or so of the stem unscrews, i put the charcoal tray on top of the stem and screw the small piece back on to hold the tray in place, then the bowl going into the stem (syrian type). When i first set it up iy took me a while to figure out that top part of the stem unscrewed. I don't know if your Egyptian works the same way or not.
Nice review. I picked up some nakhla strawberry finaly to compare to my Afzal strawberry. Don't think I've reviewed the afzal so I'll try the Nakhla and do both after the weekend. Atleast I have one "premium" brand to use as a standard for the Non-Nakhla group.

[wyteboy]

hurry, smoke the nahkla soon! I want a comparison review!
Gonna smoke alwaha 5-star later this evening and will post a review tonight...then gonna take another 3-4 day break from the hookah until I get Cypress' stuff

[yashman19]

Like said above, most of the time there should be a rubber grommet which helps make a airtight connection from the bowl to stem. If you do not have one, they are cheap, and until then, you can use a paper towel, run it under the water, and squeeze most of the water out so it is still damp, then fold it a few times so its a nice strip and wrap it around the stem. Now just place your bowl on top of it and it should work well for a make-shift grommet.

[wyteboy]

yes there is a small little round rubber piece at the top of the stem that the bowl goes over...but it is small, not like the size of the bowl or anything. if that is how it is supposed to be then I am all good!

[Cold493]

I do not know anything about Hookahs compared to most people here but there should not be any air able to escape from the hookah except for the air you suck out.  SO if it is airtight your good if its not then you gotta problem solve it.

[wyteboy]

actually didn't get a chance to smoke the 5-star yet, met some people at a bar instead.  It is 2am now and I am gonna crash but tomorrow afternoon sometime I will smoke and review the 5-star!  Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

[cypress]

A couple of the flavors I sent where HH strawberry and AF coconut. Try
those first off and I hope you might taste the diference. Good
luck. 

[wyteboy]

cypress, yeah I am definitely gonna smoke near the beginning , that and the HH pineapple and melon too!  screw it, I'll just smoke em all right away
Being realistic, I hope to review 2 flavors a week or so.

[wyteboy]

OK so I am bored and the hookah is just staring at me...waiting for a friend to come over later to try the 5-star but in the mean time I am going to light up another bowl of the alwaha apricot...for a few reasons..One I am not gonna smoke tomorrow (taking a break for the night) and I know later this week all I am gonna be smoking and trying is Cypress' stuff and the woman comes next Sunday which means I won't be smoking very much next week at all...Also I felt bad giving the nahkla and the alwaha I bought only one chance and it was with my crappier hookah when I prob packed the bowl real badly...I gave the nahkla one more chance and it failed so with this bowl of the alwaha I packed it very carefully with longer strands of the tobacco, will poke the holes real well and use one or 1.5 vivi wood coals...Plus Ashan swear by the alwaha apricot so this bowl is in his honor!  I'll post a review in a bit!

[wyteboy]

OK i'm back!
First off, a coal question...after you heat the coals and put them on, are they already supposed to be covered in white ash?  If not, then the vivi wood coals produce WAY too much ash...if that is how it is supposed to be then they are fine
2nd, I'd like to congratulate myself on my first bowl with ZERO foil/ma'assel burn!! NONE, woohoo! lol
I initially started with 1.5 vivi wood coals and wasnt getting near the smoke density I wanted so I took them off and threw on two 1/2 pieces of the lemon wood. 
Smoke density got pretty good and I had several decent hits...flavor was better this time! not a TON TON better, but a little better.  I am having trouble having the bowls only last about 20-30 mins, is that about right?
Buzz was pretty dam strong this time too...about the same as the coconut I had the other night.  was smooth smoke too. I am more pleased with this smoke than I prob have been with any other so far...I used long strands only this time and packed the bowl about 1/2 way or maybe even a little less but I really wanted to avoid the ma'assel burn on the foil.
I think I am getting better at this whole bowl packin thing  
Few more questions...do you guys find yourselves frequently blowing or tapping the ash off the coal or do you just let it sit on the foil...I am likea compulsive ash-blower and i think I need to stop since some of the ash then gets into the bowl.
The bowl i pack later with a friend I am gonna try nerv's way with poking the full thickness of the toothpick, but staying under 20 holes.
My hose is washable but I am still a little nervous about running water through it. For those with washable hoses do you always wash it with water or only after every few smokes or so?
This was fun and relaxing which is what I needed but also not really nearly as fun as hitting it with a friend.
5-star later tonight to come....thoughts and input always appreciated bigtime for this still-learnin newbie!

[wyteboy]

also one more question...i don't get why if the hookah filters out a bunch of the minimal crap that is in the ma'assel to begin with and a ton of the nicotine, etc - then why doesn't the water get cloudy or nasty?
Or at least mine doesn't...does that mean I'm doing something wrong?

[Cold493]

wyteboy that is a bit of a myth.  it doesnt filter any nicotine or tar.  i believe it does filter a few small things but not that much.  I could be wrong here someone who is more knowledgeable could correct me.  I have heard numerous things about how much nicotine and tar you get from a bowl but if you just smoke once in a while your fine. kinda like macdonalds hehe.

[Mathazar]

Great reviews wyteboy,  only I would stop worrying so much about the  white ash,  that's normal.

As far as your water getting cloudy,  it's really not supposed to
unless you've smoked A LOT of maassel,  or if the maassel has a
dark color to it like red will make your water very discolored. 
Other than that,  it doesn't look as if you're doing anything
wrong 

[wyteboy]

ok this is a 2 part review.
first off I am real buzzed right now lol
I am smoking 2 smaller bowls of the 5-star because I also want tot est the 3kings which i have yet to smoke before I get Cypress' samples to see what I like best.
1) 5-start  = best tasting by far yet that I have smoked.  I used 2 1/2 pieces of the lemon wood, one on each side. smoke density was awesome, flavor is best yet, but still not what I was looking to get..still solid though.  Buzz is definitely good out of this smoke - I see why ppl like this product from alwaha very much.  I am beginning to think my place in LA just uses real premium ma'assel and that is why I am real used to the very fruity, very good tasting stuff...satisfied with this smoke, but not REALLY happy.  Also this maassel is by far the WETTEST, the ziploc i have this stuff in as a whole puddle at the bottom from all the stuff that maassel is sitting in...
2) review with the 3kings to come....(and thanks math! what about the washing of the hose?)

[wyteboy]

ps. I also used Nerv's hole technique, poking to the full thickness of the toothpick...that may be a reason for the better smoke...However, I also got a TON more ash in the bowl than I have yet...ok onto the next smoke.

[wyteboy]

wow this is unexpected!  ok...
So I tried one 3king coal...few things first...
1) this coal produced MUCH less ash than the lemon wood and the vivi wood which I like a lot, was much cleaner on the bowl...
2) initially, I was LOVING this coal. density of the smoke was OUTSTANDING, flavor was better this time than with the lemon wood...who here uses the 3kings consistently and who here HATES them?
Ok...so the first 10-15 mins was OUTSTANDINdG...then it took a turn for the worse....maybe the holes were too big? maybe I didn't put enough in the bowl? but either way, I think it got too hot and the stuff started to burn...the smoke got a little harsh and then started to taste gross, either like burnt maassel or like the charcol itself, I am not sure which...
Any thoughts?
Either way this was a much better smoke.....however,  I am feeling a little discouraged.  I am doubting my ability to put together a great setup and a great smoking session...not sure if it's the maassel or the charcoal or the holes...so far the smoking sessions have not been up to par with why I have enjoyed myself so much in the past...
I cannot wait to get Cypress' stuff and see if my sessions improve...any thoughts or advice is much appreciated...
I will say this now -- the reason I loved the hookah so much is for how fun and relaxing it was...these sessions have not necessarily been that way.  If I do not enjoy myself a TON more with Cypress' stuff, I may decide that the home-owned hookah is just not for me and I'll stick to letting those who know how to do it - set up my hookahs for me This forum is awesome and I love how helpful, friendly and nice everyone is here.
ROCK ON!!  (all input on the 3 kings and anything else you guys care to share is always welcomed.)  I also got some foil burn this time , dunno why, I didn't pack the bowl very full...maybe I should try a screen? zjz, I know you use one...would that reduce my burn chances? is there a specific size screen I should buy? 

[wyteboy]

p.s. The gf comes to visit Sunday and as of now, is not the biggest hookah fan or a fan of me owning one....so when Cypress' comes on Tuesday I will probably be reviewing flavors several nights in a row since I won't be smoking Sun-Wed or so
I can't get over the little discouragement I feel so far that my smoking sessions haven't been up to par...I am beginning to think that the 3 kings gives a real good smoke but maybe I poked too many holes or too many close together...do the 3kings generally burn really hot or not so much compared to others?

[Mathazar]

Yeah,  3Kings do burn hot,  but they also impart a charcoal
flavor into the smoke, that's probably why the flavor went bad on
you.  Also,  3Kings burns-out too quickly. I can't stand
them.  Golden Coals is the BEST way to go if you want a REALLY
satisfying smoke.  And for a quick-Lite,  Golden Coals beat
the pants off of EVERY other quick-lite on the market.

I forgot what you asked about the hose,  and I'm too tired right
now to go back and look.  But with the hose that comes with the
Sultan Hookah,  I don't see any other choice but to wash it. 
The last time I washed it out,  out came all this brown junk, and
I let the water run for awhile.  Then I hung the hose to dry over
the bathtub, and the brown junk was still dripping-out.  The thing
is,  with washing the hose you have, I would imagine that over
time your hose would begin to rust because there's metal tubing inside
of it.  That's why busy hookah lounges like Fumari tend to
throw-out and replace their hoses every week.  It's too bad, 
but the cheap hoses just don't last very long.  If I were
you,  I would go to www.HookahHookah.com and buy one of their
Washable Plethor Hoses.  They're durable and a real pleasure to
smoke.  They'll probably last you many years without needing to
replace them.  On the Plethor hose,  it says, 
MYA.  So I'm assuming that these hoses are made by MYA
SARAY.  But don't quote me on that.

[jhegro]

from what i've read on the board, i thought 3 kings was not a hot burning coal?

[wyteboy]

I don't have golden coals...not sure where to get them on the cheap...I was excited to try some of those actually but no worries.
I guess I'll stick with the lemon wood or the vivi ones for the next few times I smoke...
Question for zjz, don't you use the 3 kings all the time? Do you not taste an added charcoal flavor? And for others who use lemon wood, how do you deal with the fact that the charcoal's weird shape means it's often not directly touching the foil...or does that not matter, jsut the heat from the charcoal being above the foil is enough?

[wyteboy]

also math I am not sure what type of material mine is, but I am not sure if it is plethor or metal on the inside...the outside feels very rubbery...it is sort of an orangish-brown colored material...came with the small sultan I got from the socialsmoke ebay store...do you know this kind of hose? is it the same one you have with your small sultan?
Anyway, just wondering.  I just ran some water through it and it came out the tip side completely clean and clear....then i blew through one end til the water stopped dripping out.  Bed time for me now, it's 3:20 am over.  taking a break from the hookah tomorrow night and then hopefully breaking in Cypress' samples Tues night!!!

[Mathazar]

jhegro......perhaps I'm mistaken about the heat intensity of the 3kings
coal,  but I know for certain that they burn-out quickly and
impart a charcoal flavor into the smoke.  Just my personal opinion.

wyteboy.......I have the exact same hose as you,  orange/brown
colored.  And you're not going to see any brown junk come out so
soon after receiving it.  You'll have to smoke quite a few bowls
before you start seeing any discoloration in the hose. At the pace you
smoke,  you probably won't see any brown liquid junk for about a
month or two.  But,  at the rate of which I smoke,  I'll
likely see more discolortion in the hose than you. 

I would write more,  but I can't seem to keep my eyes open right now.

[wyteboy]

ah thanks math!  I woke up this morning feeling like shhhhhh and thought about not going to the gym  today...but I knew if I didn't do what I said I would do, that I would NEVER go, so I made myself go.  Did 6 sets of weights and almost 2 miles on the treadmill...it did feel very good once I got going, now I just have to try to remember that when I try to make myself go again on Thursday, lol!
Hopefully I'll get Cypress' stuff tomorrow and I can break open a bowl of something good! Either HH pineapple or melon or the Fumari Watermelon to start I think

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Hey Wyteboy! Your reviews are going very well I see! Sorry I havnt been
around much the past few days, I've just been really busy with work and
playing DDR when I'm not working 


 But you are correct, the only coal I use is Three Kings. I've
tried a lot of different brands and I just like Three Kings the best.
To me they taste completely neutral and add no flavor whatsoever to the
smoke.
They take 30 seconds or less to light and reliably produce
a thick smoke that lasts about 45 minutes. Every now and then when you
move the coal around on the bowl a little bit of coal might break off
and fall through the foil/screen if the holes in it are large.
When that happens you might notice a burnt taste and
should just blow the smoke lingering in the pipe out through the air
valve and wait about a minute to start smoking again. By that time
anything that was burning will have gone out and you can go back to
smoking happily with a good flavor.

  I find that Golden Coals are pretty much the same thing as Three
Kings only about 1 coal out of every 10 Golden Coals will literally
explode while you are  smoking it.  And I don't mean just
break apart, I mean completely blow up and send shards of burning coal
in every direction and covering everything within a three foot
radius. 
  After severely burning my arm once and completely
destroying a chair and carpet twice because of an exploding Golden Coal
I refuse to ever use them again. I just stick with Three Kings because
I know I wont end up in the hospital with 3rd degree burns from coal
shrapnel with them