CoCo Nara Charcoals Review

I have been smoking Exotica coals for such a long time, and I was suggested to try Coco Nara Coals by my friend, and I love them! Coco Nara is charcoal made from coconut shells so it is 100% natural.  It is sad that it burns 3X longer than other coals, but in my opinion it last as long as Exotica.  But the thing I love this most is that it doesn't leave a mess after it burns out, unlike Exotica coals (leaves less than 5% ashes!). Also, the coals come in square pieces so you don't have to break them.

There are two types of shape for Coco Nara, flat and cube.  I have tried both, and I find that the flat ones are actually better because I usually use 3-4 coals of the cube coals to get the thick smoke, but for the flat ones I only use 2-3coals.  It could be different for other people but that's what I found out while smoking.

Some reviews say that Coco Nara is safer smoke comparing to Exotica because it doesn't contain CO2, but I haven been smoking Exotica for awhile, and doesn't fine that it's a problem at all.  I think it depends on the person.  But I am definitely going for Coco Nara charcoals now that I have tried them, because they are easier to handle and cleaner to use.

Find out more about Coco Nara coals, please visit www.coco-nara.us or contact order@coco-nara.us

Hookah For Starters

When I first started smoking shisha, I was suggested to buy small-medium hookah because it is good for traveling, which means it is light weight and you can smoke any where. The first one that I bought was called Mini Mya Hookah.  The Bowl is acrylic base so it is easy to carry around (and if you accidentally drop it, it won't break!).  The hose that comes with it is a Mya Wood Handle Hookah Hose, I really like it because it doesn't have a metal tip, and the hole is bigger so it is good to get a lot of smoke (some people prefer metal tip because it is good for cleaning).  It is very cheap (I got it in a clearance section for free because I bought a lot of shisha tobacco, but the price is around $54) comparing the the large size hookahs, which are at least $100.

Small/Medium/Large size?
I personally think medium size hookah is good enough because if it's too small you can't really put a lot of tobacco, and the tobacco burns out really fast (also, the ash tray doesn't really hold ashes so it falls when you brush off).  Big hookahs are good but it can sometime be too heavy to carry around. 

Glass base/ Acrylic base?

Either one is fine, I like it both because the acrylic base is not as heavy as the glass base. Since I am a very clumsy person, I drop my shisha (accidentally, ofcus) many times and it doesn't break. Most people/restaurant use glass base hookahs, they look better and have many cool designs!  They are a lot cleaner than acrylic ones.

Here is the picture of the Mini Mya Hookah.

If you love smoking shisha, you can finally decide on getting better ones.  There are many options available and many cool designed hookahs.

Shisha Tobacco Brands Reviews

Starbuzz: Starbuzz is by far the best brand I have tried. The tobacco is very juicy and a lot of the flavor are strong and unique.  Starbuzz has many variety so it is good for people who wants to try I recommend Blue Mist, X on the beach, Tangerine Dream+Pink, Code 69, and Melon Blue.  For this brand, I don't really like Pumpkin Pie, Capuccino, Peach and Cream, Bubble Gum (for bubble gum, Al Fakher is way better), and Chocolate Mint.  I don't think those flavor gives a good smell when you smoke it. Mango, Honey Berry, Margarita, and Banana alright but they don't have a unique smell unlike those mentioned above. Margarita smells like lemon instead.  Overall the Starbuzz tobacco is the best I have tried even though the price might be high, but if you are lucky you can get it around $16 for 250g. Usually it is ranged around $19-$21 for that same amount. **Click HERE to see more about Starbuzz recommendation**

 

Al Fakher: This brand is also good, but it doesn't have as many variation comparing to Starbuzz.  If you are just looking for good quality tobacco with an ok price, this is a good choice (the price is about $12 for 250g bucket).  The tobacco itself is very juicy, and some of the flavors are even better than Starbuzz, for example: Bubble Gum, Strawberry, and Grape.  Cherry is alright, and you can find similar smell of cherry in other brands.  Bubble Gum taste like real bubble gum comparing to Starbuzz ones, Strawberry has more tasty smell (like strawberry syrup), and Grape smells like those grape gummy bear jelly.  I have also tried Chocolate, but I don't like it that much (Personally, I don't like chocolate flavor tobacco of any brands).

 

Romman: A lot of people say that it is a very good brand, I have tried some but the only flavor I like is Pina Colada (it has a light coconut smell).  Many of reviews say Ivory coast (it's a mix of pineapple and grape fruit) is good but I didn't really like it that much.  Peach is alright, it has sour taste in it but personally I think other brands make better peach flavor.  Good Time is alright, but it's more like fruit mix flavor.  I got a sample of Cherry flavor, which is ok but I think it is similar to any other brands.  Overall it is alright, I have not tried everything yet but these are the flavors I have tried smoking and the quality of the shisha is pretty good, but the taste is not as good as I expected.

El Nakhla: This brand is not as expensive comparing to other brands, but the tobacco is very dry and doesn't give you unique smell.  I have tried grape, orange, strawberry, banana, mango, melon, coffee, cola, coconut, cherry, vanilla, and mint.  Flavors I would recommend for this brand is orange, cherry, and mint.  Actually those flavors are pretty much the same as other brands, and I don't think you can find any better.  If you are gonna mix mint in your shisha, this brand is very good, because it's dry and has a very strong mint so you don't have to put a lot of it and over fill your hookah bowl in order to make it refreshing.  I wouldn't recommend Coconut, Coffee, and Cola because they don't give a very tasty smell for smoking.  But if you are looking for an affordable shisha tobacco, this is one of the option. (The price is about $10 for 250g. box)

 

**I will be trying on Social Smoke shisha tobacco brand soon, so will post up a review on that as soon as I do^^.**

 

**Click HERE to find out more about where I buy my shisha!**

Other Good Natural Hookah Charcoals

These days I have been switching to try other brands, because Exotica is not available in the market in Korea and it's too bothersome to order online sometimes.  These are some brands I have tried, and I think they are a good substitute for Exotica.



Arab Coal:

I got this from Thailand (@Huay-Kwang Night Market) because Exotica is not available in the market in Korea.  This one is called Arab Coal, it is a product of Thailand so it's not available just any where but you can actually get more information on the sites (Here!).  It is very cheap comparing to other coals and very long lasting (similar quality to Exotica). This brand comes in thin rectangular bars, and very easy to break.  It has 3 different type of coal types (single, double, non-coated charcoal)  It's about $5 (150 Thailand Baht), so it is good for a substitute. (call to check again about the price)

Torch Coal

It is said to be a Japanese style coal. Each box contains 20 bars, and each bar can be broken up to 3 pieces.  It is available in the market comparing to Arab Coal (In Korea, I found at the foreign market in Itaewon 이태원). I don't know the official site for this type of coals but I think you can search online to find out more about it. 

Exotica Coals Review

Exotica coals are made in Holland, were imported in the US. This brand produced long lasting coals, you can smoke for an hour long.  It comes in rectangular shaped block (no rolling around the bowl), and is very easy to break (each block can be broken to 3 pieces).  It's the brand I use all the time to smoke. (I have a vdo about Exotica reviews from hookahpro.com below this page). There are four different types of coals available for this brand:

Exotica (Square Finger Style) Hookah Coals:

This is a regular exotica coals, they are not pre-cut but are easy to break.  2 blocks are enough for you to smoke for an hour or so. It has no chemical smell and doesn't leave a mess (no breakage when heated). Each box comes in 1 kilogram (around $8).

Exotica Gold (pre-cut) Hookah Coals:

This is the same as Exotica (Square Finger Style) Hookah Coals, except that it comes in 36 pieces (smaller box) and it's already cut so you don't have to break it.  The price is the same as the Square Finger Style, but smaller box, so I don't prefer getting this one unless you are too lazy to break coals every time you're gonna smoke.

Exotica Natural Hookah Coals (12 pieces) NEW:

This is a 5 years anniversary edition, it comes in sample sized 12 pieces box, which contains (3 fingers scored by 4).  I haven't tried it yet, but I think it is pretty much the same as ones mentioned above.  It comes in a chocolate bars-like box (about $1 for a box). I think it could be good for those who doesn't want to get big pack of coals, but just want to try out the brand.

 

Exotica Easy-Lite Hookah Charcoals:

This is a quick light coal type, which takes less time for you to heat up.  I have never used it because I prefer natural coals more than quick light ones even though it takes more time heating the coals up.  There are varied reviews on this type of coals, some say that it burn out too quickly and some say that it is alright.  Each box contains 96 pieces in a box, the coals come in silvery small square shape .  Personally, I think you can find other options that are similar to these. Each box is about $9, so it would be better to get the natural light ones even though it takes some time to heat, but they have better quality and long lasting.

More about other good coals in the next blog! Link --> Other Good Coals Reviews

My Top Must Have: Al Fakher Shisha Tobacco Reviews

 My Top Must Have: Al Fakher Shisha Tobacco Reviews:

Al Fakher is another good shisha tobacco brand, it is not as expensive comparing to Starbuzz or Romman (it's about $12 for 250g). It comes in a plastic bucket, which is easy to store (you don't have to find another container unless you want to, unlike Nakhla, which comes in a paper box and it sometimes leak when it is not packaged well). The lid is sometime hard to close tightly.  The tobacco itself is very juicy comparing to Starbuzz, so it sometime leaks through the sealed bag but it gives a very good taste.  And here are flavors I recommend:

Strawberry: It gives a very smooth and sweet flavor of strawberry syrup.  The taste is not too fruity but gives a light and well blended strawberry, which is nice because it is not too strong.  I have also tried to Golden Strawberry, it is no different than the normal strawberry one, except that it comes in better container so if you're just looking to smoke strawberry tobacco, it is better to get the normal one.

 

Grape: It taste like those grape jelly, doesn't really gives a real grape smell but some reviews say it smells like white grape or wine.  It gives a very good smell, like a warm fruit tone, and it's too strong.  Same as strawberry, I don't recommend putting extra money in to buying Golden Grape unless you want better packaging.

 Bubble Gum: It gives a very sweet bubble gum-like smell, personally I think it is better than Starbuzz's bubble gum because it smells like real bubble gum.  Many girls I know like this flavor because it gives a very warm, sweet, and tasty smell.

I have tried Cherry, Banana, Mint, Chocolate, and Apple but I think you can find other brands that smell similar to those.  Mint isn't as strong comparing to Nakhla's mint, so you might have to put a lot more in to get a refreshing taste (which isn't good sometime because you are gonna over fill your shisha bowl with mint instead of the main tobacco smell you want).

About Hookah Charcoal

There are two types of hookah charcoals: Quick Light Hookah Coal & Natural Hookah Coal.  Personally, I prefer Natural Hookah Coal, because it last a very long time and gives you thicker smoke, unlike Quick Light Hookah Coal.


Quick Light Hookah Coals usually come in circle, they die out in like 20mins max and they don't give you thick smoke unless you put three on your hookah (some brands like Exotica, Chronic Hookah, Silver Flint, etc. came out with square ones).  If you don't like to wait for a long time for the coals to burn, quick light hookah coals are a good option, but again, you won't get thick smoke.

Natural Hookah Coals are a very good if you like to have a good long session of shisha, because you can smoke for a very long time and gives you thicker smoke. The only bad part is that it takes time for the coals to burn.  Most natural hookah coals come in square shape, except for some (like Romman Natural Lemonwood coals that come in broken pieces). I've always used a brand called Exotica, it is said to be a world leading and fastest growing charcoal brand. Exotica coals don't have any chemical taste, so you will get a pure flavored tobacco smell when you smoke.  However, some reviews say that CO or Carbon Monoxide, but majority say this brand very good.  Many reviews say that Coco Nara Natural Coals are the best coal. This brand is 100% made by coconut shells, many reviews say that it is long lasting and doesn't get too harsh.  I haven't tried this brand yet, but I will definitely order some when I get a chance.

**Click HERE to find out more about Exotica Coals**

Top Starbuzz Shisha Tabacco Reviews

Top must have Starbuzz shisha:

Starbuzz is a very good brand for shisha tobacco made from the states; however, the price is pretty high comparing to other brands (if you're in the states you can probably find place that sells for about $16, but if you get from websites it's about $20). The tobacco itself is very juicy, so you will get a very good flavor (Although not as juicy as Al Fakher), but it has more variety. Here are top six shisha flavor I like the most.

Blue mist: some reviews say that the smell is pretty similar to Citrus mist, but I really like this one.  It smells like blueberry mix.  It is a very good flavor to start with for those who are not sure what to get. It is a good mix with mint shisha.

Code 69: I really like this flavor, it reminds me of Gobstopper candy that my uncle who came back from the states bought it for me when I was young. My bf said it smells like Cherry lifesaver candy.  For those of you who has never tried those candies, this shisha tobacco smells like a sweet n' sour candy (I would say it is like a mix of cola, lemon, and something like sweet candy).

Marlett: Is also a very good flavor to have. It's gotten a really good rating in the shisha website I always order from. It is very unique, comparing to Blue mist; however not as strong comparing to X on the beach. Personally, I think it smells like bubble gum (not bubble gum shisha flavor but real bubble gum).

 

X on the beach: was one of the first shisha tobacco that I got, and I loved so much. The smell is very unique and strong.

Tangerine Dream+Pink: These two are a very good combination, because Pink alone is too strong (however, Tangerine alone is good, but could be too plain).

Melon Blue: It's a new flavor that just came out around Dec-Jan, my bf bought this flavor for me to try and it's pretty good.  Personally, I think it is better than Sweet Melon. It smells like Sweet melon+blue berry. Sweet Melon itself is pretty strong, but this Melon Blue gives a light taste so it's not too melony.  If you're looking for a light taste of melon, it is a very good choice. I like to mix mint with it so it gives you a refreshing flavor.

*Mint: is a good combination with many flavors (most girls that I know like to mix mint in their shisha) I prefer low price ones such as Nakhla, since you don't really need to have a quality taste of mint, but this brand has a pretty strong mint flavor so if you're gonna mix it with anything make sure you don't put too much. Mint by itself won't give you any other taste and it's too minty so I don't recommend if you are gonna smoke it alone.