Shisha Review: Al Fakher Chocolate

Shisha Review: Al Fakher Chocolate

Today I’m bringing you a review of Al Fakher brand chocolate flavor hookah shisha. I’ve mentioned before how Starbuzz is my favorite brand, but venturing out into other brands can lead to an unexpectedly delicious flavor or provide a financial solution to maintaining your hookah smoking habits. A 250g tin of Al Fakher shisha ($11.95) is cheaper than a 250g tin of Starbuzz shisha ($19.99).

In this case, I wanted to choose a flavor not offered by Starbuzz. A few stuck out initially, but my sweet tooth really kicked in when I saw that Al Fakher sold a chocolate flavored shisha. I grabbed it off the shelf and took it home with me.

I loaded a bowl of this new chocolate shisha, and waited for the coals to reach a satisfying burn level (I judge my natural coals by when they are red all the way through). Al Fakher shisha comes in a zip-lock pouch, which can be very convenient, especially for travel. However one thing to note about this shisha is that it tends to be much wetter than other brands. By the time you reach the end of your Al Fakher shisha, you might consider pulling out the remaining pieces with something other than your hands, especially if you have an aversion to getting them dirty.

After about 10 minutes, I loaded the coals onto my Vortex bowl filled with chocolate shisha (I chose a Vortex bowl for this occasion because I’m not too sure of Al Fakher's ability to preserve flavor). As the shisha began to warm up, I couldn’t taste much at first. It tasted vaguely sweet with only a hint of chocolate. As the smoke began to come thick and white from the hose, the shisha took on its full flavor. To me, it didn’t taste quite right. The taste of chocolate was indeed there, but sort of in a toned down, artificial sense (Although to give credit to Al Fakher, how much can you really expect from flavored tobacco?).

A few minutes into my smoking session, I became frustrated with the way this shisha tasted. It was simply too bland for my liking, so I decided to add some Starbuzz Raspberry shisha to the bowl. To do this, I took off the coals and removed the top layer of tin foil. I replaced half of the shisha inside the bowl with the Starbuzz brand and mixed it around before replacing the foil top. I found a much more enjoyable combination of flavors after this small adjustment. The sweetness of the raspberry shisha complimented the chocolate in a balanced way that eliminated any hint of an artificial taste, yet retained the chocolate flavor they were trying to nail.

Overall, I would recommend this shisha as a flavor enhancer, and should be smoked alongside other favorites. Some may like this chocolate flavor solo, but I will mix mine with other fruity flavors in the future in an attempt to replicate the success I found with my chocolate raspberry bowl.

Shisha Review: Starbuzz Mint Colossus

Shisha Review: Starbuzz Mint Colossus

Starbuzz brand shisha seems to be consistently changing their marketing technique in order to attract new and returning customers. First, in addition to their normal flavors they came out with the Starbuzz Exotic shisha label, which as far as I can tell is just a mixture of two existing flavors. Then, they came out with the Starbuzz Acid shisha, which is Starbuzz’s attempt at a sour hookah shisha flavor. Finally, their most recent additions to their shisha catalog come in black tins and sport flavor names you wouldn’t exactly expect from a shisha company.

I chose Mint Colossus.

Now, I’ve smoked many mint flavored shisha tobaccos, and in general I find that they are best used as a mixer with another flavor. Mint by itself tends to be a little overpowering for the taste buds (Winterfresh, for example, is extremely strong and may even be nauseating for some by itself). Regardless of my past experience, I loaded a bowl exclusively of Mint Colossus.

In an attempt to minimize what I expected to be an overwhelming mint flavor (the name, after all, suggests it to be as such) I also placed ice cubes in the hookah vase to cool the smoke and enhance my smoking experience. A few minutes later, my coals are ready and I place them on the edge of the bowl so as not to immediately burn the shisha (this technique also helps warm the bowl itself, creating a more even burn overall).

It takes a few puffs to get the hookah smoking, but what I find is a pleasing contradiction to my former expectation. It doesn’t taste like I’m chewing on a bunch of mint leaves, but instead is much tamer than that. The taste is very similar to other mint flavors I’ve tried, but without the minty intensity. The flavor lasts, smooth and enjoyable, for a very long time without becoming harsh or changing in intensity. I suspect Mint Colossus would also perform well as a mixer with another shisha flavor (I like to mix mint flavors primarily with fruity ones). Once the coals start burning low, I wrapped a bit of tin foil around the bowl, a technique used to trap heat more effectively which preserves smoke density for a longer period of time.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed smoking this new flavor. Perhaps Starbuzz created this new line of black tins to revisit older flavors and improve its flavor/smokability, but either way I give Mint Colossus a thumbs up, as it smokes great as a solo flavor and as a mixer.

On a final note, Hookah Happiness will proudly begin selling various brands of hookah shisha, including Starbuzz, at a discounted price soon!

Shisha Review: Starbuzz Blue Mist

Shisha Review: Starbuzz Blue Mist

There are many flavors of hookah pipe tobacco, or shisha, out there. It can sometimes be hard to pick out the good shisha flavors from the bad ones. I've smoked my fair share of bad shisha, but I've found some great flavors, too.

I bought a tin of Starbuzz Blue Mist shisha last weekend, looking for something a little different. The tin said the flavor was a mix of blueberry and mint. This sounded like a refreshing combination to me.

I got out my favorite new hookah, loaded it with Blue Mist, and put on a couple coals. The shisha burned very smooth and did not get harsh at all. It smoked very well, too, producing big clouds of hookah smoke without having to inhale smoke for very long.

I was surprised at the flavor. In my experience, when mint is mixed with another flavor of shisha, it usually overpowers it. But with Blue Mist, the mint flavor balanced with the blueberry very nicely. Neither flavor overpowered the other. The shisha kept going for nearly two hours, but the smoke had almost lost its flavor by about halfway through the second set of coals.

Blue Mist shisha also mixes very well with other flavors of shisha, because of the mildness of the blueberry and mint mix. I recommend mixing it with a citrus flavor, or something sour.

On the whole, I recommend this shisha. It is one of the better flavors of tobacco I've ever put in my hookah.