Monday, December 28, 2009

Flavor Diaries: Citrus Mint

Citrus Mint by Fusion is definitely an interesting flavor combination.

Flavor: Citrus Mint

Brand: Fusion

Fusion regards itself as a premium hookah flavored tobacco producer. The price is more modest than that of Starbuzz, while still maintaining respectable quality.



Packaging / Properties: 4.5/5

The sample received was a 50g hexagonal box with a small bag in it. Apparently people think hexagons are "in" now. I see no pluses for the awkward shape besides just being different. They really only stack in a honey comb fashion (which is entertaining for about 30 seconds) making them annoying to store. They're also quick to lose that shape and just be awkward squished cartons. Anyways, the bags seem leak proof and clean.

The tobacco itself is extra sticky and gooey and maintains a nice lemony aroma; a very refreshing and invigorating scent. The chop is very fine and the entire mix almost has the texture of toothpaste. Although the juiciness is nice and appetizing, shisha is rather difficult to break up because of its gelatinous properties. You could practically spread it with a knife. Because of this texture, you would require to use almost the entire bag in a 30g bowl.


Scent/Flavor: 4.7/5

With the use of 2 hot coconut charcoals I begin the experiment. I added about 6 drops of lemon juice to the base, in order to add more of a citrus kick. The bowl used was a 30g Mya bowl: slightly larger than the standard 25g bowl. After about 2 minutes of heat, we were getting great smoke. The flavor was very familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it, at first. Imagine a lemony-orange minty smell; strong and fragrant.... I realized that it tasted exactly to how pine-sol smells. Yes, this was floor cleaner flavored! At first it was strange, however it grew on me and actually was very delicious. The mint is rather subtle in the beginning, but as time passes, it becomes more and more pronounced.


Endurance: 4/5

The endurance of the smoke was very long, potent, and resilient. The bowl smoked for about 90 minutes with 4 people dragging on it. There were no complications with the heat destroying the flavor. Strong flavor maintained until the end of the smoking session.

Overall: 4.2/5

Citrus Mint is truly a strong flavor. It lasts a very long time and maintains a durable flavor. The long duration could come from the fact we used the entire 50g in the experiment. I would recommend getting a 250g box and experiencing it yourself. Citrus Mint has the freshest most invigorating taste I have ever had. Unless you hate or are sensitive to citrusy flavors, you will love Citrus Mint!

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Flavor Diaries: S'mores

Flavor: S'Mores

Brand: JM Tobacco

JM Tobacco produces not only hookah tobacco products, they also produce a wide variety of flavored cigars.



Packaging / Properties: 4.5/5

The sample we received was a 100g "tin" of finely diced tobacco. The tin gives the package a nice sturdy feel. After "popping" the top you will realize that you get the shisha bagged, of course, and an extra little JM Tobacco reseal-able plastic baggy. The baggy nicely stores all of the remaining unused portions. It's such a simple idea yet very few companies use it!



Examining the cut you will notice most shisha comes in shreds of leaves however this was cut quite finely. The shisha does not particularly look juicy and the smell is quite mild. The scent of the tobacco is more similar to hot cocoa mix. The tobacco is rather dry and not gooey. As I pack the bowl I notice I can fill the bowl while using very little product.



Scent / Flavor: 2/5

Setting the coal on top of the foil, I hear the "sizzle" sound, indicating that there is adequate heat to begin smoking. It took about 5 minutes for it to get a decent volume of smoke. After about 30 minutes, the flavor hit its peak and then declined slowly for another 30 minutes. At its peak, the flavor was still not particularly strong, I can describe it as mild hot cocoa flavor. As the night grew later, the flavor dissipated and was replaced by the standard "tobacco flavor" which can be found in many other tobacco products. At first I thought I was being rather rash, and wanted to just dismiss the findings. I decided to try the experiment again, except this time with more tobacco, as this may be explain the weakness of the flavor. Alas, the second smoking session 2 days later yielded the same results as before, and everyone participating in the "tasting" shared my opinion. In the second experiment, I used the same charcoals, hookah, and setup as with the first experiment. I added about 3 times as much shisha, however, to make sure that I am really giving it a fair chance to taste like rich S'mores. I noticed the flavored was more like eating flaming marshmallows than melty.




Endurance: 2/5

The flavor reaches a peak of at about 20-30 minutes and then declines. Another fact to note is that the flavor is rather sensitive to heat. Adding too much heat can really cripple the taste. Most fruity shishas are relatively resistant to overheating; I dare say resilient.

Overall: 3/5

S'mores could use some further engineering. I personally would enjoy a stronger chocolate flavor. The marshmallow is definitely there, but it is very very subtle. The airiness (somehow) is captured in the flavor, quite an impressive characteristic. It is a very original flavor, and although not terribly flavorful, the smoke is still very smooth. S'mores flavored shisha is definitely worth trying.



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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Smoking is smoking

Just read a good article on smoking hookah. Thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you all.

I only wish other sites would be moderate and not shaking the “Hookah can be worse than cigarettes” card. That’s like saying stabbing someone can be more deadly than shooting someone. The relativity is absolute. Smoking a hookah is relative… It certainly isn’t “idiot proof” as cigarettes are. When preparing a hookah it is important to know the safest ingredients. Although the world health association can say that smoking hookah does X, They certainly don’t mention that some products are more harmful than others. Hookah smoking relies on all of the fallowing:

Charcoal selection: The most important ingredient which health choice can play into effect is the charcoal selection. Instant lights, sadly, have become the popular commodities for getting the bowls hot. Instant light charcoals contain a metal film which gets ultra hot when ignited from another flame source such as a lighter. The foil contains heavy metals and other toxins that should not be smoked. Instant lights also carry a nasty stench, habitual smokers may not notice the smell (taste). Of all charcoals, coconut coals are BY FAR THE BEST COALS IN THE WORLD. They burn tasteless abd smooth with no bad odor. They also burn longer than any other coal and leave only 5%, by volume, ash.

Temperature Control: The temperature which the shisha “bakes” at can prevent the oxidation of the shisha. Generally “smoking” a hookah does not turn the tobacco to ash, it merely bakes the tobacco. As with baking with an oven, too much temperature can singe and make the flavor not nearly as enjoyable. Lower temperatures produce less oxidation and thus less carcinogens. Ideally for health concerns one would use a hookah as a vaporizer more than say a tobacco pipe where the tobacco is directly lit by open flame. Not only is the type of charcoal important so is the airflow control.

Airflow Control: The airflow control simply means controlling how much air flows passed the charcoal (further heating the charcoal) carrying the heat through the shisha (flavored tobacco) and drawing the smoke through the water due to atmospheric pressure rising through the water, stem, hose and into the mouth

As for addiction… Hookah smoking is nothing like lighting a cigarette. There is by no means a convenient way to prepare a hookah in less than a few minutes. The preparation of a hookah takes time and care. It is certainly a ritual which, because of the lack of convenience, occurs on occasion.

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