Shisha Guide

  1. Basic tobacco information:
  2. Type of Tobacco:
  3. What makes Shisha tobacco different from cigar, cigarette, or pipe tobacco?
  4. What makes one brand of tobacco different than another?:
  5. How to choose a tobacco:
  6. How to enhance your tobaccos flavors, techniques and suggestions from the pros:


 Al Amir Shisha Tobacco


Al Fakher Premium Tobacco

Al Waha Traditional Tobacco


Havana Premium Tobacco


Layalina Premium Tobacco


Nakhla Traditional Tobacco

Soex Herbal Shisha
 


StarBuzz Premium Hookah Tobacco

Basic tobacco information:

Shisha tobacco is a mixture of light leaf tobacco, molasses, vegetarian glycerin, and flavors. The tobacco of choice for Shisha manufacturing is Virginia tobacco known for its light flavor, color and aroma. The tobacco is infused with glycerin to maintain its moisture and fermented in molasses to create a base tobacco. Food grade flavors and colorings are then added to create a unique smoking experience.

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Type of Tobacco:

Most companies differentiate between a premium and a traditional tobacco, although the classification of premium or traditional tobacco is subjective and varies from company to company. The differentiation between the two tobaccos types are usually based on strength of flavor, longevity, smoothness, & overall quality of smoke. In addition, many premium tobaccos are offered in unique and exotic flavors not commonly found in traditional tobaccos.

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What makes Shisha tobacco different from cigar, cigarette, or pipe tobacco?:

The process of manufacturing Shisha tobacco changes the properties of the tobacco itself. Unlike Cigar, cigarette, or pipe tobacco, the dampness of Shisha tobacco allows it to steam when heated rather than actually burn. This steaming of the tobacco allows for an incredibly smooth smoke unlike anything else in the world.

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What makes one brand of tobacco different than another?:

Not all Shisha tobacco is created equal. There is in fact a good deal of variance in the characteristics of the different brands. These differences are caused by variations in the manufacturing process, usage of ingredients, as well as the quality of the tobacco and ingredients.

  1. Al Amir: A relatively new tobacco that has become very popular very quickly. It is known for being a very sweet tobacco, mildly flavored, and produces thick smooth clouds of smoke and available many unique flavors.

  2. Al Fakher and Golden Al Fakher: Both known for thick, smooth, and flavorful smoke, that last a long time. They are among the most popular brands of tobacco in the world.

  3. Al Waha: A very common and widely known tobacco. This low end tobacco usually has more flavor than Nakhla and is usually preferred to Nakhla by beginner or non-regular tobacco smokers.

  4. Havana: A relatively new tobacco to the American market but has actually been around for many years. Very closely resembling Al Fakher. This excellent tobacco is very similar if not better in some ways to Al Fakher however offered in more flavors and quickly becoming a hugely popular tobacco. In addition, it is available in many flavors and sizes.

  5. Layalina: A relatively new tobacco to the American market and to the Social Smoke Product line. This excellent tobacco is very similar to Al Fakher & Havana in terms of quality and flavor however it offered in more flavors and specifically more unique flavors than either brand offers.

  6. Nakhla: Practically founded the flavored tobacco industry. Known for a very strong smoke, many times strong enough to give a smoker a head ache

  7. StarBuzz: One of the newest tobaccos on the market. StarBuzz sets the bar for quality tobaccos higher than ever before. This tobacco is known for extremely smooth clouds of thick white smoke and flavors both unique and strong. Quickly becoming one of the most popular tobaccos in America and becoming more and more prominent in lounges where customers demand the best shisha experience possible.

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How to choose a tobacco:

The only sure fire way of knowing what hookah tobacco you will like is to try it. All the different tobaccos have certain traits or characteristics that are generally the same across their flavor range. A brand like Havana is an overall excellent tobacco that is very smooth and flavorful. If you have tried a certain Havana flavor and enjoyed it, chances are that you will enjoy most of the other Havana flavors. If you have not tried a certain tobacco yet, we recommend choosing a few 50 gram sample packs when available to try its general quality and flavor. If the brand does not produce sample packs, buying a 250 gram jar of your favorite flavor is a good alternative. Depending on your experience, you can then decide whether or not to try more flavors of the same brand or possibly a different tobacco. Social Smoke recommends trying Al Amir, Havana & StarBuzz tobaccos to all of our customers for some of the best quality hookah smoke in the world. Also visiting online forums like www.hookahforum.com helps to hear what others are saying about various tobaccos.

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How to enhance your tobaccos flavors, techniques and suggestions from the pros:

In order to get the most from any Shisha tobacco properly setting up and caring for your hookah is a must. We recommend preparing the tobacco bowl so that the tobacco is placed in it in a manner in which it prevents the tobacco from becoming stuck to the foil or screen. The tobacco should not be packed down where airflow through the tobacco and bowl is restricted. We often use two sheets of hookah foil to help reduce the chance of overheating the tobacco. In addition, we recommend washing your hookah thoroughly after each smoke or at least in between switching flavor or brands.

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