This week’s flavor of the week, sponsored by The Egyptian Cafe, is a mysterious blend called Rorschach.  It’s a mix of raspberry, peach, and rose flavors that is honestly a challenge to describe.  It isn’t listed specifically on the menu at The Egyptian, but it’s a creation of Erika (a staff member there), and is a favorite among some regulars.  Just ask her for it, or ask for a mix of the three flavors, and you’ll be good to go.  Here’s our take at Rorschach: Continue reading →

This week, we’ve taken a recommendation from Egyptian Cafe’s owner, Maisa, to try what she claims is “the best flavor of all.” Go figure that it’s the self-named Maisa’s Grape! We all agreed that the mix offers a prominent grape flavor, along with a mild buzz – a very good beginner mix! Here’s our take on The Egyptian Cafe’s Flavor of the Week, Maisa’s Grape:
Continue reading →

It was Valentine’s day when I last walked into the Egyptian Cafe to pick up our new flavor of the week. Having nobody around to share the evening with, I thought it would be tragically ironic to give the Egyptian’s “Passion Kiss” a shot. It’s a sweet blend with light, fruity flavors, but the buzz behind it packs quite a punch. All around, it’s a fine choice for both beginners and veterans! Here’s our shot at the Egyptian Cafe’s “Passion Kiss”: Continue reading →

This week, we take a turn from After School and Irish Cream, to head down a fruitier path.  Our flavor of the week, sponsored by the Egyptian Cafe is a flavor packed blend called Strawberry Explosion.  It boasts a strong strawberry scent and flavor, but has just enough mint mixed in to provide a refreshing sensation.  If you’re in the mood for something that packs a fruity punch, this is it!  Here’s Purdookah’s take on the mix: Continue reading →

This week’s FOTW, sponsored by the Egyptian Cafe is *DRUMROLL*

IRISH CREAM!

Last week, our faithful readers (all 8 of you) will recall that we covered the Egyptian’s After School Special, which despite being chocolate and mint shishas, had a strong coffee flavor.  Well, call it a lucky guess, fate, or someone mumbling when we picked up the shisha this week, but we’re pretty sure that this Irish Cream is exactly what’s been added into the After School Special that makes it so darn yummy.  While the Irish Cream itself doesn’t taste like coffee, it certainly will *remind* you of coffee, as the two flavors go hand-in-hand so often.  Here’s Purdookah’s look at the flavor: Continue reading →

Our first Flavor of the Week, sponsored by the Egyptian Cafe, is a savory combination of chocolate and mint (with milk in the base) known as The After School Special.  The mix was created some time ago by a friend of Purdookah.com (hi, Adam!), and was quickly integrated into the Egyptian’s menu.  Here’s our take on what After School has to offer. Continue reading →

Setup

Sam’s Hookah, Vortex bowl, and three sets of 2 Chronic Hookah Charcoals.

Overview

As with all of the Tangiers Lucid line, “It’s Like That One Breakfast Cereal” is washed and an easy smoke, but requires a bit more heat to start.  Both the smell and taste are reminiscent of Fruit Loops and a bowl will put off a good level of smoke.  Tangiers might be a little heavy for those new to hookah, so we recommend it for the veterans. Continue reading →

Setup

Mike’s setup, Vortex bowl, and two Chronic Instant Light coals.

Overview

JM’s Mint flavor is a refreshingly strong flavor of shisha, much like most mint flavors.  Surprisingly smooth despite being dry, JM’s mint works in a mix with any light shisha or as a standalone flavor.  As a strong flavor, JM’s can take over a mix so throwing something like milk in the base can make a big difference.

Mike’s Take

When I took my first pull of JM’s Mint, I didn’t know what to expect.  What I got was an extremely smooth smoke that left a nice aftertaste in my mouth and throat for some time after the bowl was gone.  The flavor stayed strong throughout the life of the bowl and never really got harsh.  The smoke was extremely thick and full, though it died down a bit as time went on.

Blair’s Take

JM’s Mint can be described in one word, refreshing. Whether you smell it or smoke it, the shisha just gives off a cool flavor. Even after smoking it, your mouth and throat will still hold the after taste. I felt like I had been chewing gum. It smoked pretty well, but surprisingly, it didn’t give much of a buzz despite having the larger amount of nicotine. The flavor was pretty strong and I didn’t really notice it fading. I am a big fan of mixing multiple flavors, but I think you just leave this one by itself. It has a chilled flavor and will put you in that exact mood as well.

Sam’s Take

You know those 5 Gum commercials with people getting blasted in the face by hurricane force winds and enough snow and ice to make Siberians pee themselves for warmth? JM’s Mint isn’t quite that apocalyptic, but it’s definitely that refreshing. JM’s does have 0.5% nicotine (compared to 0.05% in most shisha), so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It cooled the throat/mouth like most mint flavors but it seemed to need a bit more heat to get it going. The buzz wasn’t out of this world, but it did make for nice white clouds once it started smoking. In the future, I’d like to mix this with a bit of Al Fakhar’s Chocolate, and throw some milk in the base: A favorite called “After School” at the local Egyptian Cafe!

Setup

Mike’s setup, Vortex bowl, and two Chronic Instant Light coals.

Overview

Tangiers Brambleberry, like all Tangiers shisha, is a pretty heavy flavor. It does not mix well with much besides Tangiers, and you can’t just use any old bowl to pack it in. With all that said, the flavor is nice, and the smoke is thick. There’s plenty to like about Tangiers shisha, we just wouldn’t recommend it to someone who’s brand new at packing or enjoying hookah.

Mike’s Take

Tangiers shisha is a tricky animal. Improperly packed, it tastes awful, and it’s near-impossible to use a traditional bowl to hold it. I think we got it right with Brambleberry. It smoked extremely well, tasted pretty good (although I experienced a couple of harsh pulls late in the life of the bowl), and lasted a long time. I’m not exactly sure what a brambleberry is, but this shisha reminded me of a raspberry flavor. The smoke seemed sort of yellow to me, which was a little odd, but it was really thick and easy to do tricks with.

Blair’s Take

When I first smelled the Brambleberry it gave off cough syrup scent, though it didn’t taste like it. It had a nice taste that was very present at the beginning, unlike most shishas though, the flavor didn’t dissipate it just became more subtle. Well into this smoking session I could still detect the flavor. This hookah was also billowing smoke right off the bat. I’m not sure if that had to do with this specific shisha or the new coals we used. With it’s strong flavor, I’d like to attempt a fruit medley. Maybe lessen the Brambleberry and add some berry, strawberry, mango, etc.

Sam’s Take

Having never personally packed a bowl of Tangiers before, I honestly didn’t know what to expect out of Brambleberry. The shisha out of the box smells like grandma’s cough medicine, or even a Smith Brother’s cough drop (no relation that I’m aware of!). The flavor was a nice blend of dark fruits like blueberry and even cherry. What really sold it to me was how quickly and well it smoked, in addition to its longevity. Nice, thick clouds and I bet we could have even used a third set coals. I would equate Tangiers to a diesel engine: you’ll need a bit more heat to get it going, but once do, it’s set for a while.

Setup

Mike’s setup with small, standard bowl (8-10g).  Two small Three Kings quick light coals.

Overview

Al-Fakher’s Lemon Mint makes for a refreshing, almost therapeutic smoke. It of course has a strong lemon flavor and is cooled down by the mint. Whether smoked straight, mixed with other flavors, or with something besides a base full of water, Lemon Mint is a good choice for anyone who enjoys mint shishas or those with citrus and light fruit flavors.

Mike’s Take

I’m a big fan of Al Fakher shisha, so I was probably a little bit predisposed to liking Lemon-Mint, but I enjoyed this flavor from the start. The lemon wasn’t very strong until about the third pass around the circle, but when it kicked in, it was smooth and only made smoother by the coolness of the mint. The shisha ran out a little fast for my preference, and the smoke was a little thin, but the flavor was really quite good and makes up, at least partially, for the lack of smoke time.

Blair’s Take

We normally mix a few shishas, but this lemon mint was pretty good by itself. The flavor was pretty tasty, but did take a while to kick in and faded quickly. The bowl was packed lightly, but it did smoke pretty well. Although, it wasn’t the longest lasting bowl I’ve smoked through. I feel like it would mix really well with multiple flavors, possibly something fruity such as berry or something sweet like chocolate.

Sam’s Take

I’ve never met an AF flavor I didn’t like, and Lemon-Mint is no exception. I’m not going to lie: when I took a whiff of it in the box, it smelled like a mix of pine-sol, car air freshener, and cat litter. Don’t hate. It’s still a great smoke. There weren’t any tremendous clouds, but it had the obvious lemon flavor and a great cooling effect (as with most mint shishas). I feel like the base could use a few squirts of lemon juice and mint leaves for added flavor, but straight water was still up to par. For the more daring, I’d say brew some strong iced tea for the base, or even a shot of peppermint schnapps.