As we opened this 250 gram box of Al Fakher Gold Eskandranai Apple Shisha, we saw the nice plasic resealable tub. The flavour (as they spell it) was strong and extremely pleasant. We lit two natural olive wood coal fingers, giving the Al Fakher the necessary heat to give an excellent smoke.

The session began with fluffy white smoke which was pleasing to all people in the room. The shisha is very moist giving it a high heat tolerance, which prevents it from becoming harsh at high coal temperatures. The rich smoke and robust flavor makes this shisha stand out. Al Fakher has continued to amaze us with its top-quality products and outstanding flavor. The Al Fakher Gold Line, while expensive, is a must have for any Hookah connesiur.

Pros:

• Thick, Flavorful Smoke
• Moist heat-resistant shisha
• Conveniant plastic case
• Delicious flavor

Con:

• Expensive, truely the creme-de-la-creme

5 out of 5 Rings

The Smoke came after only a few pulls. The smoke was very nice for the price of this shisha, very white and puffy, but some greyish smoke seemed to mix with the white and pollute it. (Perhaps it was the light.) The smoke was pretty good overall, but it was not entirely smooth. It tickled a little going down, and made my tongue tingle. A very distinct mango taste was present, but it was slightly smokey, I checked the coals and bowl but it was set up properly. Layalina is an unwashed shisha, so it is expected not to be silky smooth like washed shisha. The smoke lasted a good hour and fifteen minutes, but it lost its flavor around the hour mark, the smokey flavor becomes more apparent as it cooks.  A pretty good buzz.

Overall this shisha was decent and definatly something I might keep a 50g pack of handy. But, its semi-smokey flavor and off colored smoke bring it down a little. The tongue tingling was a refreshing attribute that made my mouth feel clean. Overall I give this shisha a 3 out of 5 Rings, its definatly worth a try and perhaps even keeping in stock.

Pros:

• Clean Tingle
• Accurate Taste

Cons:

• Little harsh/tickly
• Lots of stems
• Smokey flavor

3 out of 5 Rings

Nakhla - Mixed Fruit

The packaging of this shisha was pretty good for its low price, as an unwashed shisha I expected less. Once the box is open a nicely sealed metallic lined packaging with a nice little design on it was a surprise. The shisha was quite moist, but the smell didn’t really smell like fruit, just something sweet. The quality of the tobacco itself was on the low side, it was unevenly cut and there were many stems. As I lit the coal I didn’t expect too much from it.

As it turns out I miss judged this shisha at first, the flavor was quite decent. It was more like a smokey fruit punch than mixed fruit, but it was nothing like a high quality shisha. Though the flavor of the shisha was pleasent and quite strong, it was not very distinct. I could taste smoke in the background of the flavor unlike Romman Shisha. The smoke was pretty harsh on a shisha standpoint, as shisha is known for its vivid flavor and silky smoothness. The smoke quality was alright, but it was more of a grey than white like the smoke found in higher quality shisha. Clouds hung in the air for a decent amount of time, but I was dissapointed in the smoke. There was a good buzz, as it is an unwashed shisha. It burned pretty quickly, but for the price you can buy alot more of it. Overall I would give this shisha 2 rings out of 5 rings, as it is a cheaper, lower quality shisha.

Pros:

• Nice Packaging
• Price
• Good Buzz

Cons:

• Discolored Smoke
• Burns Fast
• Low Quality (Stems, Uneven Cut, Poor Flavor)

2 Rings out of 5 Rings

 Nakhl Mixed Fruit

This dark colored shisha is extremely moist. After unwrapping the outer plastic layer we were greeted with a small, cellophane wrapped and very wet mass of coconut smelling shisha. We packed it into a bowl and began to smoke.

The flavor of the smoke was clearly coconut. However, it had an odd, overpowering sweetness which made this shisha less pleasant than it could have been. This shisha lasted quite long due to the fact that it is so moist, and it also retained its flavor throuought the bowl. The smell of the smoke was pleasant aswell, but once again, due to the pungant smell of the shisha, the scent is hard to bear for extended periods of time.

The flavor of this shisha reminded me of the coconut flavored dum dums (lollypops). It was very, very, sweet tasting. I think that this flavor would go really well with a Sex on the Beach flavored shisha, pineapple flavored shisha, or possibly a lime or lemon flavored shisha.

Pros:

• Very sweet scent.
• Full coconut flavor
• Moist, long lasting, molasses.

Cons:

• Poorly wrapped shisha meant leakage.
• Super-strong scent was a little too intense for me.
• The flavor was too strong and candy-like.

Overall I give this Shisha a 3 out of 5 rings. Its real knock down was due to its overly sweet flavor and scent.

(3 out of 5 Rings)

The idea behind a diffuser is to separate the smoke in the water to provide better filtration. The most common diffuser available and the one that we decided to review is the Heba Diffuser. It consists of 2 actual plastic diffusers and 2 gasket to connect to your stem. They can be used together or separately. For my first test I was using a MYA Acrylic hookah which did not have a large enough opening in the top of the base to accommodate both pieces of the diffuser, so I just used the smaller piece. This worked extremely well. It took the hookah from large bubbles to tiny ones with just one part of the diffuser. I later used the bigger one on a different hookah with the same results. A great benefit is that it quiets the bubbling sound a bunch, so it is great for smoking while listening to music or watching TV. It also gives a more smooth and even pull and from the hit. I have no way of testing the actual smoke filtration through the water, but based on the increased surface area of the smoke, I would assume that it cools and filters more efficiently.

Pros:

• Quieter smoking hookah
• Smoother pulling hookah
• Two diffusers in one package

Cons:

• Doesn’t fit hookahs with “balls” at the end of shaft”
• Plastic Becomes Discolored after a while
• Takes away that beautiful hookah sound

Overall I would recommend this accessory. I feel that it offers a nice ambiance while smoking the hookah due to the decreased noise. Just remember its on there or you will think you forgot to fill the base.

The scent of this cherry flavored shisha is quite pleasant, reminisce of sour cherry candy. After unwrapping this shisha, we noted it had a unique dark red and quite sticky color. This shisha is sure to make your hands red, so be sure to use the tongs when packing the bowl, however, the color does wash off with warm water and soap. After lighting the coal and setting it upon the bowl we began to draw.The shisha took a little while to light, due to its thick molasses, however, after half a minute the shisha was at full smoking capacity. The flavor of the smoke is equally as strong as the scent, however, it loses some of its sourness in the process. It comes out of the hose tasting much sweeter than it smells. The smoke is quite flavorful and fun to play with.

Next time I smoke this flavor I am going to attempt to put a mixture of cherry coke and water 1 part coke to 2 parts water, this should be interesting to see. I would also try mixing this with coke flavored shisha, to get an authentic cherry coke flavor.

I give this shisha a 2.5 out of 5 smoke rings.

Pros:

• Sour scent was very pleasing.
• The smoke flavor was fun to play with.
• Pleasant smelling smoke.

Cons:

• Very sticky and red shisha.
• Artificial candy flavor, not too authentic.
• Loses sour taste when lit.

Overall I give this Shisha a 2.5 out of 5 rings. Its real knock down was due to its artificial flavor and because it lost its pleasant sour flavor when it was lit.

(2.5 out of 5 Rings)

Get this El Nakhla Cherry shisha now!