To start, I’m not a doctor, but I’d advise you to avoid smoking while you are sick, as it could exasperate your condition.  That much aside, I know hookah can be a hard thing to forgo for weeks at a time if you’re as much of an “enthusiast” as I am.  Also if you’re like me, you find it rather…uncomfortable to smoke most flavors.  The point of this is to tell you there’s something you can smoke with a cold or sore throat without feeling like hell-fire is shooting down your throat.  

In case you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s mint.  Mint flavors of all brands has a pleasant way of completely unblocking your airways and sinuses while at the same time allowing a nice, cool, almost refreshing sensation to hit the back of your throat and fill your lungs.  Personally I prefer Al Fakher mint but from my experience, all brands act just the same.  

A word of warning for those of you who have never smoked mint hookah before: mint is an extremely strong flavor, and is VERY overpowering.  It will mask any other flavor in the bowl and, if you’re not used to it, it might be hard to hit without coughing or gagging.  As someone who cannot smoke a straight mint flavor without coughing, I suggest using whatever flavor you usually use and sprinkling a small amount of mint on top.  The mint is quite strong so you’ll definitely get the flavor of it, as well as the beneficial effects of clearing your nose, while still being able to smoke it like a normal flavor.  If you regularly enjoy mint, disregard this little section, since you know exactly how mint acts.

Of course you don’t have to stick with mint primarily when you’re sick, but I feel like that’s one of the best times to smoke it, since the cooling sensation makes it the easiest to smoke and the flavor automatically unblocks your airways.  

I’d love to hear what you think about smoking mint when you’re sick, or just about smoking in general when you’re sick with either an ask or submission.

Happy Smoking,

Cam

Click here if you love hookah!

With the exception of a few people, almost everybody loves honey.  Sandwiches, desserts, so why not hookah?  

Looks like the people at Al Fakher are right on top of that.  Now if you’re hoping it’ll taste just like honey, you’ll be a bit disappointed (as I was).  It has a more floral taste, with a reminiscent hint of Double Apple.  But more on that later.  On to the ratings!

Aroma: 7 out of 10

As mentioned before, this flavor has a definite floral smell.  In the tin it smells almost exactly like Double Apple, but if you hold it long enough, you’ll get the sweetest smell of honey.  

Taste: 8 out of 10

The taste is quite strong.  It’s not enough to gag you but you definitely get a strong taste.  Once again, this flavor doesn’t taste exactly like honey, but more floral.  The after taste is that of honey, a very sweet aftertaste, but the flavor you get at first is slightly bitter and tastes like Double Apple.

Stamina: 9 out of 10

This flavor lasts for a decently long time.  Over an hour before the bowl burned out, at least, even with improper coal placement.  

Flavor: 9 out of 10

The flavor is quite hard to kill on this one.  While it does fade over time, you don’t really lose it completely until at least an hour in to smoking.  It’s great if you find the taste appealing.

Smoke: 7 out of 10

The smoke you can get from this flavor is thick, but not terribly thick, unless you start burning the tobacco too much.  It is enough to play with smoke rings though.  

Personal Rating: 5 out of 10

The only reason I gave this a personal rating a 5 out of 10 is because I’m not a fan of the flavor at all.  The floral flavors were never my favorite, but all personal aspects aside, this flavor would be rated at least an 8 out of 10 due to it’s long lasting flavor and strength of that flavor.  

Overall Strength: 7.5 out of 10

Overall Stamina: 9 out of 10

Smoke: 7 out of 10

You might like this flavor if you enjoy: Double Apple, Rose, Apple 

As always, any questions, comments, concerns, or if you just want to show off your hookah, drop an ask or submission.

Happy Smoking,

Cam

Click here if you love hookah!

Prize list for the giveaway.

250 gram tin Prize Brand List:

Starbuzz (Exotic, Bold, Acid)

Layalina (and Gold)

Al Fakher

Nakhla (Double Apple Only)

Tangiers

Fusion

50 gram packs Prize Brand List:

Havana

Hypnosis

Starbuzz (Exotic)

Layalina

Al Fakher

Nakhla 

Here are the lists of brands the winners can choose from.  Subject to change at anytime without notice.

I got this question today and wanted to address it in a post.  (Easier to tweak media and format I think.)

Anyway, this is a very common question.  There are very many different fruit flavors out there, so it really depends on what fruit flavor you like best.  

My personal favorite fruit flavor is strawberry (and I’m still trying to find the best one) but the best one so far is Al Fakher Strawberry.  

Al Fakher offers a lot of single fruit flavors like strawberry, berry, melon, etc.  They’re a good brand and are very reliable in my experience.  

If it’s a fruit mix you’re after there are many, many options out there.  California Dream, Passion Fruit, Fruit Cocktail are just a few.  It’s hard to say specifically what’s good and what isn’t since it’s mostly a matter of opinion, so your only option is to pick up what smells good to you and try out a few flavors.  

Al Waha is my favorite new brand because they’re usually cheaper in price, they are much sweeter than the other brands and (and dissimilar to other brands, like Starbuzz) the smell of the shisha itself is almost identical to the taste and smell of smoke you get.  Plus they have a wide variety of fruit mixes as well as other non-conventional flavors like Chocolate and Banana Split.  

If you’re not entirely tired of mint flavors you can also try an assortment of fruit and mint flavors pre-mixed.  I’ve heard good things about “Lemon Mint”.  

You might also try various flavors from Al Waha and Starbuzz.  They have a big variety of anything from Apple Martini to a great flavor called “Purple”. (Not sure what it is but it tastes amazing)

Well I hope this answers your question.  Good flavors from Al Fakher include Strawberry and Berries, Al Waha has a great Peach Apple and Passion Fruit Mix and Starbuzz has an amazing White Peach and Purple (highly suggest this one!). So just go see what you can find!  

As always any questions, comments, concerns (or if you just want to show off your hookah) submit or ask!

Happy Smoking,

Cam

Click here if you love hookah!

So today I decided to branch out from my Starbuzz coffin and try one of the most heard about tobacco brands in the area: Al Fakher.

I bought this at the recommendation of an employee at my shop; I told him I was looking for a tobacco brand that had a strawberry flavor which actually tastes like strawberry.  I’m happy to tell that I was not disappointed. 

Taste: 9 out of 10

To start off this tobacco had an amazing  smell.  It actually smelled like strawberry and it sort of reminded me of those Kirkland brand gummy candies.  The only reason this didn’t get a full 10 out of 10 is because it does lose a bit of flavor when it’s smoked.  It goes from a very concentrated (and glorious) smell to a taste that was slightly less than what I was expecting but overall a great taste.  

 Smoke: 8 out of 10

When first started off this tobacco smokes amazingly.  Only a few minutes of preheat and a couple of puffs and it’s going full force.  You place the coals right and you get some really huge clouds throughout the whole session.  On top of it all it almost never goes harsh.  

Time: 9 out of 10

To be blunt, I smoked this shisha till I got tired of lighting coals.  It almost never went harsh, when it did it was a quick fix, and it was flavorful right up until the last leaf had burned.  I was almost tired of smoking by the time we finished (which never happens). 

Overall Rating: 9 out of 10

This has not only been one of the most flavorful smokes but has also been one of the longest and most tasty.  I am proud to say that I have found a new favorite that outweighs even my passion for the peach flavors.  I highly suggest this one to anyone who loves strawberry or just wants a great smoking experience.  

As always if you have questions, comments, concerns (or if you just want to show off your hookah) please submit a question or picture/post.  

Happy Smoking,

Cam

Click here if you love hookah!