Hookah Catering Content

Have you ever had the dilemma of inadequate heat source available, to light that CocoNara or Al Fakher coconut cube? Well, there are some really creative tools that can do the job.

Using a lighter to ignite a coconut charcoal is like dragging a whale with a riding lawn mower (...possibly a stretch). It's difficult, time consuming, and wasteful. You'd go through 2 lighters before getting one side lit. Below is a list of cost effective ways to light those damn inconvenient, however lovable, coals. I mean, how could you not love the long burn, absence of odor, and intense heat? They may not be as reliable as instant lights, but they sure are worth the tender care of a hookah enthusiast!

Portable Butane Stove:
A portable gas stove has been my number one mobile heat source. The initial investment is pretty low cost and the gas canisters last quite a while. Each canister lasts about 2 hours straight! Considering you only really need it on for 5 to 10 minutes, it can be seen why this is a great choice. Cans of butane gas (the fuel) can be purchased for about $2-$4 a can. The stove itself is between $20-$50... Not bad at all.

Heat Gun:
You thought a heat gun was just for drying paint or making toast when the oven breaks (... why not). Well you clearly underestimated the greatness and profoundness of this nifty hand gadget. Please don't confuse heat gun with blow dryer, they are very different =P. They come with multiple power settings. Make sure your model is at least 1500w, as this is enough to get those little bricks going in no time flat! If you take it somewhere, also get an extension cord - the cords on these units are never very long.

Electric stove:
I never thought they got hot enough, however I was wrong. An electric stove works pretty good. It's certainly not portable, unless you bring an arsenal of car batteries and a hell of an AC/DC transformer. But the consistency of lighting is phenomenal! From one corner to the next, the light is perfect. This is not so with the open flame style lighting techniques, which can very greatly due to the "wandering flame".
NOTE: Glass top, though it works, can be damaged from the intense heat of the coconut charcoals. As long as you don't mind some finely singed outlines on your (or someone else's ;D) glass top, you'll be fine. Coiled stoves work flawlessly.

If anyone has any other ideas for lighting charcoal, please post them! Also, I guess I should tell you to keep safe and not burn your house down while testing these great methods.

Methods yet untested:
Microwave (doubt it would work)
Laser (Not sure where to get a laser big enough)
Focused Sunlight (I'd like to see this gigantic freaking magnifying glass!)
Arc Welder (Possibly dangerous, I don't recommend, also might be a bit of an overkill)
Toaster?

Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS

Get a tall 26" hookah with some coal and shisha thrown in for only $85!
http://ping.fm/E7Dzy
You won't find a better deal anywhere! You get to pick the four flavors of shisha you will get with this package. The vase of the hookah can come in blue, silver, and green - once again, you choose. Most vendors act like it's a huge deal when they sell a tall hookah for under a $100. This is $85, and you get a whole starter pack - tobacco, coals, tongues... The whole 9 yards. Think about it.
Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS

Flavor: Exotic Blue Mist
Brand: Starbuzz
Container: 100g Tin
Fuel: x2 Al-Fakher Coconut Charcoals
Bowl: Pyrex 10g bowl
Pipe: Acrylic Hookah 27"

Packaging / Properties: 5/5
Starbuzz brand shisha typically comes in a tin which is very handy to use.
Cut: Shredded
Liquid Concentration: Medium, Not Sticky, Not Dry

Scent/Flavor: 4.8/5
Flavor: The actual sent of the tobacco is that of blueberry pie. It smells very strong and fragrant.

Endurance: 5/5
The sample lasted about 70 minutes. This could be expected considering the bowl size. 6g of tobacco was used, when the standard bowl size is about 15g. The Pyrex glass bowls carry high surface area and low bowl depth. These bowls are perfect for trials, when little product is desired to be used. The only downfall is that with such little shisha you have a greater chance of overheating, creating a harsh taste. With a larger bowl which holds more tobacco you have less that can go wrong. This bowl is best in the hands of a hookah enthusiast whom doesn't mind shuffling the coal around in search of a "sweet spot" (i.e. The perfect volume of smoke, releasing the greatest flavor.)

The taste could be compared with mixing .75g of grape w/ 1.5g melon, .75g of mint, 3g blueberry. I believe mixing these flavors could emulate the experience.

Emulate:
4 parts Blueberry
2 parts Sweet Melon
1 part Mint
1 part Grape
(untested)

I would give this shisha a 4.6. To enjoy this flavor you you will need to enjoy the coolness of the menthol.

4.6/5

Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS

Now is the perfect time to book a party - getting hookahs catered to your next event is impressive to your guests & convenient to you! Birthdays, Spring Break celebrations, Graduations, House Parties, you name it... Hookah Catering, LLC will gladly service your next party by setting up beautiful tall hookahs, maintaining the coals, providing shisha flavors of your choice, and cleaning up afterward. Tons of flavors of tobacco to choose from! Let your guests sit back and enjoy cappuccino, banana strawberry, pina colada, or cola shisha. And that's just the beginning! Enhance the social experience of a party or event by letting people gather around a beautiful water pipe (or eight) with party lights. More info on www.hookah-catering.com - also check us out for unbeatable deals on hookahs, shisha, charcoal, and accessories! Got questions? Call the business line at (804)991-5550, we'll be more than happy to assist you. We are licensed with the Commonwealth of Virginia and not affected by the tobacco ban due to Hookah Catering, LLC being a mobile service.
Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS

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!

Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS

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.



Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS

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.

Share this post :

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on StumbleUpon Share on Delicious Share on Reddit

Share on Digg Share on simpy Share on Technorati Share on furl Subscribe to Feeds RSS