No Flavor - Help!

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Hello hookah.org,

I've tried everything, and am turning to you for guidance. The first time I smoked my MYA QT (Social Smoke Baja Blue), I got tons of flavor. I was actually worried I would get sick of it because I bought 250g, and that the fruity scent would linger in my house forever. However, after that time, the flavor has been non-existent no matter what I do.

I've watched every YouTube video and read every forum post in existence, and yes, my hookah has been thoroughly cleaned, my hose is washable, I've tried less heat, more heat, less holes, more holes, room temp water in the base, etc. The most I can manage is an occasional faint inkling of what the flavor might be, if there is a strong one present. Otherwise, completely indiscernible.

Friends have also agreed that there is no flavor. It's certainly fun to blow smoke rings and bubbles, but the hookah experience is significantly diminished without flavor. The smoke is usually not harsh (my girlfriend is the coal mine canary of harshness - she'll cough at anything), just flavorless.

Can anyone help me out? There can't be more than a minute

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Sorry, posted early. Silly phone.

Overall, I cannot imagine what could be that much different between what I am doing and what I have seen others do. I use the original MYA bowl or a silicone funnel (Shisha Land), D-Hose, HD foil, and Coco Naras (windcover on and off). If you need any other information about my set up in order to help, please feel free to ask!

Thank you all, and happy smoking.

[DudeWhere'sMyHookah 2,530]

The only few things I can think of are:

 

• your purge ball could be letting air in, replace it or look into buying a new purge altogether.
• your grommets may not be tight enough (over time they saturate and make it hard to form a good connection try oxiclean on them)
• your stem itself could have a leak (check this by removing your purge, bowl, and water then hitting your hose while covering your purge and bowl port) if you hear any air then you will need to use JB weld to seal it properly.

The ONLY other things it could be is that your coals aren't fully cooked yet or you don't have enough tobacco in your bowl.

 

I had similar problems this week, everything was clean and sealed but no smoke would generate. I fixed it by replacing the purge ball and really going into the places where the grommets sit and making sure any moisture was gone then re-setting them.

 

Good luck man, and welcome to hookah.org/community aka THE forums!

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Thank you for your response! I do the leak test you described from time to time (no problems), and the hookah is also fairly new. I'll try a little more tobacco next time and see how that goes!

[JustinBoBustin 42]

If I may also ask, how finicky is hookah, in anyone's opinion? It seems people have very different ways of setting it up and it still works, but does it have to be just right?

Also, I experienced quite a lot of flavor the first time, but is that normal? Do your hookah sessions really taste good, more so than just slightly? I hear people able to describe discernible flavors in a mix, and I can't imagine doing that. I really wish I could figure it out.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Update: I was able to get some of the spicy taste from Social Smoke Mango Habanero tonight by pushing the heat, but zero mango or sweetness. From my experience, any more coals and it probably would have gotten harsh. Any advice?

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

First off, welcome to the forums!

 

Your photo yells a few things at me:

1. Your coals should always sit around the edge of the bowl.  Putting them in the center may get you a blast of flavor, but you're really only cooking the top of the tobacco.  Placing them on the edge of the bowl will heat the bowl itself, making a good, uniform smoke.  They should be just at the edge of the bowl, but not hanging off the side.  Hookah is supposed to be indirectly heated.  A coal in the center is fine if you are looking to use up some coals that are dead, which leads me to my next point.
2. The coals in your photo look dead.  Three coals isn't a bad idea, as long as you keep them, again, around the edge of the bowl.  You can get away with two if you have a wind cover.  A set of natural coals on a bowl like that should last 30-45 minutes before it is time to replace them.  If there is still some heat on the coals themselves, they should still be discarded, as those little nuggets don't put off enough heat to really do anything.  Sure, coals cost money, and it seems a waste to discard them when they've still got some orange on them, but you're just giving yourself a bad session if you're using dead coals.
3. When you poke holes in the foil, make sure you are poking all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.  A couple pokes should go straight through to the holes on the bottom of the bowl (I'm assuming you're using an Egyptian-style bowl like the ones that come with Myas).  The owner of Social Smoke once said he recommended approximately 30 holes in the foil.  More airflow is a good thing, and a few additional holes in your foil wouldn't hurt as well.

I can only think of one other thing: are you mixing up the tobacco before you put it in the bowl?  The juices should thoroughly coat the tobacco - it should be wet.  If you're just pulling from the top of the tobacco, you're getting dryer tobacco.  The flavor is all in the juice.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Thank you! I read your post and really appreciate the advice. Here are my thoughts:

1. I have heard to keep the coals at the edge, but in my frustration tend to push them in as I try to achieve the allusive "blast of flavor" you mentioned, and...

2. I also move the coals in when they get smaller, but I've never really understood how one transitions into a new round of coals, so thanks for that - I will start to discard them earlier. I have a windcover, so two coals with, or three without, on a regular MYA bowl? That seems like it might be too hot, even. I've had some issues with harshness when I push the heat, and have considered that might be cause for the loss of flavor. Could something other than the number of coals (how I pack, hole punching, etc.) be more the cause of harshness? With the Shisha Land funnel (my preference), I've had wonderful clouds without harshness (still no flavor, though), but other times can't keep it in the sweet spot where it smokes well but doesn't make me cough. I had been using four Coco Naras for that and recently moved to three, which has both been too hot or failed to produce great smoke. My girlfriend (the harshness canary) wants to try two, but I cannot imagine that working for a bowl that size.

3. I've heard of poking all the way down, and did that with just the middle hole for the session in the photo. However, I've, perhaps incorrectly, equated more airflow with more fresh air (i.e. less smoke and flavor), and have been using less holes. I'll try more airflow and deep holes tonight. What would you suggest for a funnel?

Finally, I do stir up the tobacco thoroughly with an oyster fork before I pack it.

Thank you again for your help! Man, this forum is great.

[Astano Vidatu 21]

Thank you! I read your post and really appreciate the advice. Here are my thoughts:

1. I have heard to keep the coals at the edge, but in my frustration tend to push them in as I try to achieve the allusive "blast of flavor" you mentioned, and...

2. I also move the coals in when they get smaller, but I've never really understood how one transitions into a new round of coals, so thanks for that - I will start to discard them earlier. I have a windcover, so two coals with, or three without, on a regular MYA bowl? That seems like it might be too hot, even. I've had some issues with harshness when I push the heat, and have considered that might be cause for the loss of flavor. Could something other than the number of coals (how I pack, hole punching, etc.) be more the cause of harshness? With the Shisha Land funnel (my preference), I've had wonderful clouds without harshness (still no flavor, though), but other times can't keep it in the sweet spot where it smokes well but doesn't make me cough. I had been using four Coco Naras for that and recently moved to three, which has both been too hot or failed to produce great smoke. My girlfriend (the harshness canary) wants to try two, but I cannot imagine that working for a bowl that size.

3. I've heard of poking all the way down, and did that with just the middle hole for the session in the photo. However, I've, perhaps incorrectly, equated more airflow with more fresh air (i.e. less smoke and flavor), and have been using less holes. I'll try more airflow and deep holes tonight. What would you suggest for a funnel?

Finally, I do stir up the tobacco thoroughly with an oyster fork before I pack it.

Thank you again for your help! Man, this forum is great.

 

 

I am going to agree with Eightyfour, 

 

Depending on the shisha, you want to poke all the way down into your bowl to aerate it a bit more when you are poking your foil, from what I've been told, you want to do that especially with shisha like Tangiers and Nakhla that's thicker and more sticky. 

 

As far as your coals, you want to start off with perhaps 3 of them, and then gradually rotate them around the bowl to distribute the heat and as they start to die down move them towards the center gradually. When they are just under half gone, I would throw more coals on the burner to get them started and when they are done replace what's on the bowl, and again put them on the edge and rotate them around and move them inward slowly. 

 

I would personally use 3 coals to start it off, and once your heat dies down (like right before you are about to replace the coals) put the windcover on to get the heat back up a little. and when you place the new coals, remove the windcover since that will be way too much heat for already heated shisha. 

 

You may need to also experiment with more foil holes or different patterns , it may also be something simple like the type of foil you are using too, certain foil does really well and other foils do poorly. But a lot of people have good results with the hookahjohn flavorsaver, and the Kaloud Lotus for "flavor and smoke enhancers". Sometimes the bowl shape makes all the difference too, I prefer phunnels myself, but sometimes a vortex is nicer for certain things, and other times it's the phunnel or a Harmony Bowl. 

 

It's a lot of trial and error and experimentation that all changes depending on the coals and shisha, you may just have a bad batch of coals or shisha that aren't handling the heat as well as they should either. 

 

Best of Luck !

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

I know this is horrible advice, but after a while, you'll just know when to put more coals on.  For me, when I notice the smoke output is starting to get reduced, I throw on another round of coals.  Some people do it by time (put new coals on the burner every 30 minutes or so), but I'm not that disciplined.  You can move them in to the center then.

 

Two coals on a Mya bowl shouldn't burn anything.  Three on a smaller Mya bowl may, even without a wind cover, but I can use three coals on an Alien Mini phunnel without problems.  On my medium Social Smoke HEMI bowls (a little larger than the small Mya bowls), three coals seems to be the sweet spot.  It's all about heat management and knowing your bowls though - some can handle and hold heat better than others.  I've never been a fan of Mya bowls for that very reason - they're kind of thin, so they don't trap heat in as well, but also prevents burning.

 

Four Nara's is just a bad idea.  That's too much heat unless you've got a Harmony and are smoking steam stones.

 

I might would suggest, if you're using Coco Nara's, to try out some other brands.  I'm a big fan of Titaniums, and have had good luck with Chronics as well.  Nara's have gone down in quality over the years - they're often uneven, broken, etc. now.  Titaniums are like the Coco Naras of 5 years ago.

 

I go to a lounge nearby that does 2 square coals on a large Egyptian bowl for AF tobacco.  I find it a touch weak, but the flavor's just fine.  I also find that my friends like that, whereas I think it's under heated.

 

As far as holes in the foil - use your own judgment on that.  More airflow is not a bad thing - more oxygen hitting the coals and stoking the heat = more smoke.  Trapping it under foil with tiny holes doesn't ignite it as well.  Seems counter-intuitive, sure, but that's how it works.  Too much airflow is also a bad thing, as the heat will just escape.  Experiment with patterns on your foil, and certainly poke all the way down.

 

On a phunnel (I'm not familiar with the Shisha Land bowl), you still want to poke all the way down.  Most of us around here prefer phunnels - it traps in more juice, gives you longer sessions, aren't as finicky as a vortex, and don't drip liquid down the stem.  They don't work as well for something like Nakhla though.

 

Hope that helps.  If you have any more questions, please, don't hesitate to let us know.  That's what this forum is about anyway - helping out everyone in a friendly way.

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

Haha, Astano - you basically said the exact thing I said in different words.

[Astano Vidatu 21]

we must have been reading and posting at the same time, 

 

I agree with you about the coconara though. It's been very inconsistent lately, they go out quickly or burn too hot etc, I end up just losing shisha that way. 

 

I did pick up a box of Titaniums  recently, and am thinking I got a bad box though, I have never had my coals "glow" from top to bottom like you always see in the pictures, all nice and pretty. So at first I thought I was not leaving them on my burner long enough, so I decided to give them a few more min, to the point that they were ashing up a lot, but there were still black areas. I've tried just plopping them on the burner and leaving them as is, and even flipping them over half way through, same thing either way.  But.. that being said, it's still a better experience than the coconara lately. So can't complain TOO much. 

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Thank you, Astano and EightyFour! As a beginner, it honestly helps to read everything twice.

What you both mentioned sounds very reasonable, so I will give it a shot tonight. EightyFour, I actually believe I have the SS Hemi Bowl you mentioned, so I'll use that with three coals. Surprisingly enough, my next box of coals waiting in the cabinet are Titaniums, so looking forward to that! They were actually sent to me by mistake with an order in December - a true Christmas miracle. Funny you mentioned those two things, since I really don't have much variety in hookah supplies.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Update: A slight overpack with Romman Sweet Start in a Social Smoke Hemi bowl. Larger holes poked all the way down, three coals on the outside rim, and a windcover created a better smoke than I am used to! Slight flavor, and more substance to the smoke. I think the tobacco might be a bit old, if that matters (was in the old Romman packaging). I definitely consider this an improvement!

[dd0723 1,970]

Hi justinBoBustin, 

 

First of all welcome to the forums and I apologize that I'm a bit late to this discussion. I'm very knowledgeable about social smoke because that's what I smoke the most and my favorite brand in the whole wide world. 

 

Before I jump into this let me ask you a question. How do you store your social smoke shisha? 

 

The reason I ask is because I've noticed that nobody has mentioned this but they wouldn't know if they don't smoke it as much as I do. Social Smoke WILL loose it's flavor really fast if you don't store it properly. if you take the shisha out of plastic bag and just dump it in a container it will definitely loose the flavor much faster than if it was in a sealed plastic bag AND in the container. 

My cinnamon and clove flavor shisha lost it's flavor strength in a month after opening it and just dumping it in the container. 

 

I've found that I the flavors last longer if I use containers that air-seal the container with a bit of pressure. Check out the picture of the containers I use in the picture below.

 

Try storing the shisha in at least a ziploc bag and then put then in a plastic container that can seal like tupperware of something like that. 

 

 

My other point is about the coals. I noticed in the first picture you posted that you had that single finger coal on your bowl. If you use those, then use two of them on each end of the bowl with the wind cover and you will get great smoke. Check out the picture below of the way I did it. 

 

 

I hope this helps a little bit and let us know how its working out for you. 

 

 

 

 

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

Update: A slight overpack with Romman Sweet Start in a Social Smoke Hemi bowl. Larger holes poked all the way down, three coals on the outside rim, and a windcover created a better smoke than I am used to! Slight flavor, and more substance to the smoke. I think the tobacco might be a bit old, if that matters (was in the old Romman packaging). I definitely consider this an improvement!ImageUploadedByHookah.org1427663559.043146.jpg

 

I'm a big fan of the Social Smoke Hemi's.  They're nice and thick, so they contain heat really, really well.  They kind of suck to clean, as there's always stuff gunking up on the inside of them, but that's not a huge deal.

 

Romman is one of those brands that's kind of hit or miss.  It's Nammor's tobacco (Romman is Nammor spelled backwards), and the only place it's sold is through hookah-shisha.  I've gotten some sample packages (probably tried 3 or 4 flavlors) and I've found that it's just not very flavorful.  Good smoke output, decent session, but, if someone else packed a bowl of Romman and didn't tell me what it was, I would personally have a hard time figuring it out.

 

DD's comment about air-tight packaging is a huge point too.  In my opinion, Social Smoke's containers are some of the worst on the market, second only to AF's containers (which they are now replacing with lids that actually stay on now!!! egad!).  Certain tobaccos (like Tangiers and Nakhla) lend well to having some air circulation, but for the most part, most modern tobaccos, if not sealed, will not be as strong.  All the essences and flavors just evaporate into the air.  Starbuzz did this right - their metal containers are almost impossible to get the lid off of sometimes.  But it keeps that flavor sealed in.  If you're pouring your tobacco out into the container, try putting some wax paper over top of the container before putting on the lid, and it will certainly help.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

dd, it's great to hear from you because I'm a fan of Social Smoke as well! A little biased because it was the first brand I used with my hookah, but the flavor was great that first time, it's not that sticky (easy to pack), and no dyes or preservatives is big for me. Great company, too.

I'm very intrigued by what you mentioned about flavor loss, because that original can of Baja Blue doesn't even smell like much anymore, and when I first got it the scent was very powerful. I originally had it wrapped up in the bag it came in inside the plastic can, then moved it into the type of glass container pictured below. After that, and having a little trouble with flavor, I heard from Social Smoke themselves that they recommend keeping it in the plastic can it comes in, so I switched to that only.

Combined with EightyFour's comment about Romman not being that flavorful, perhaps we are onto something! If I prepare the bowl how I did yesterday with something more fresh and distinct, maybe I will get some flavor. Even with Sweet Start, a faint scent lingered in the room for a little bit after smoking, which has not happened with any session since my first.

I was able to pick up some Nakhla Mizo Guava over the weekend, so I will try that out this evening. Thanks again to everyone for the advice! I really appreciate it.

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

So you know, Nak will be a slight bit buzzier than Social Smoke/Romman, and will not output as much smoke.  But most of us lsove Nakhla around here because their flavors rock.  If you like mints and want a really icy flavor, Mizo Mint is the way to go, or tone it down with some Strawberry.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Tried the Nakhla Mizo Guava, and I think I made a few mistakes that I didn't with the Romman the other day. I rushed the coals a bit, which I could tell because they kept getting black spots (not just on the bottom), and took longer than usual to burn out. Also, is it safe to say that if little wisps of smoke come out the top of the bowl, it's too hot? I might have packed it too high, and also couldn't seem to find the bottom holes when poking - I only made it through the center, and one more after I started because I didn't think one would be enough. When I cleaned out the bowl, I noticed the Nakhla was far from cooked through, whereas the Romman was black and crispy throughout.

I did notice the buzziness that EightyFour mentioned (not a bad thing for me), but even that was faint, which probably confirms I wasn't cooking it right. I will try again sometime this week. The flavor and smell were there, faintly, but I don't think this was a fair trial.

Thanks again to everyone for your time and advice!

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

Nakhla isn't a super strong tobacco, but for modern tobaccos, it's strong.  It doesn't touch Othmani or Tangiers in terms of nicotine.  Nakhla is a little dryer than other tobaccos though, so it doesn't tend to last quite as long as a super-saturated Starbuzz, but it shouldn't be that much less.  You probably did rush the coals a tad - they shouldn't ever go black all over.  I tend to leave them on one side until everything but the top in the center is orange, but some people really feel you should flip them and make sure they're completely orange first.  You be your own judge and experiment with what works for you.

 

I get that whispy smoke off the bowl from time to time too - if there is some, that's ok.  If it's a steady stream, it's probably too hot.  But let your taste buds decide though.  If you think it tastes fine and it's not making you cough, you're probably ok.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

I see! I didn't cough the whole session, so it probably wasn't too hot, then. My guess is that missing the holes at the bottom and the tobacco touching the foil prevented it from cooking through.

Also, the coals being difficult to manage. I actually use the technique you mentioned for when to flip coals, but for some reason felt that flipping when the orange was halfway up would be sufficient. It wasn't. Funny enough, when I was a true beginner, it would take me until the coals were lit to get everything else set up. Now that I'm faster, and the coals aren't, my timing is all off!

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Planning to try Nakhla Mizo Guava again tonight; probably in the larger Social Smoke hemi bowl. Does anyone have specific tips for packing or heat management that I should consider for that tobacco? I know it is different than modern tobacco (although it is Mizo), but I have been treating it more or less the same.

[dd0723 1,970]

Planning to try Nakhla Mizo Guava again tonight; probably in the larger Social Smoke hemi bowl. Does anyone have specific tips for packing or heat management that I should consider for that tobacco? I know it is different than modern tobacco (although it is Mizo), but I have been treating it more or less the same.

 

 

Doug is right on point about everything he wrote. We tend to take Doug's advice very seriously because he's just, well, a serious guy when it comes to this awesome hobby....

 

Anyway, with Nakhla I've done 3 rounds of coals when done right and manage to keep the flavor. If you use a toothpick to make your holes on the foil for Nakhla using the Social Smoke hemi bowl, then from the top go at a bit of an angle when you push it all the way down other wise the curve will push the toothpick forward and you'll end up with a long line instead of a hole. Trust me I've done it enough times LOL. 

 

If you have a metal poker hanging from your tongs, you can use that to go in from the bottom of the bowl and push just enough through the tobacco to mark the foil, then take your toothpick and from the top make the holes where the poker made the imprint. That way your holes are not going to be the size of the poker itself which I find to be too large. 

 

With the hemi you can use 3 coals because Nakhla is a bit more heat resilient that other tobacco, but start with just two only to make sure you get the desired smoke output and heat, specially if you use a wind cover. my rule of thumb is two coals with wind cover and three without. 

The Social Smoke hemi bowl is really awesome and I use it with dryer tobacco like Nahkla or Jewels. 

 

Happy Smoking and let us know how your next session went. 

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

Certainly start with two instead of three.  I've had Mizo mint in the past with three coals, and sometimes it's great, but if it's a little dryer (such as after having it for a while), 3 turns into mint insanity bordering onto burnt territory.

[JustinBoBustin 42]

Smoked Mizo Guava yesterday, and got some real flavor! Huzzah! I heard from YouTube reviewers that the Nakhla Guava is more of a spice flavor than fruity, and I definitely got that. It wasn't powerful or obvious by any means, but it was there.

A pretty slow start with two coals and a windcover, so I moved to three once they got a bit smaller. Is there value to adding heat slowly? I've heard cooking the top layer too quickly can diminish flavor, but when the heat is low it just seems like very little is happening. The smoke quality wasn't great at first, but definitely improved as the session went on.

I poked the holes with a paper clip instead of a toothpick to get them a bit smaller. In the future, I would sharpen it to avoid some of the bigger, irregular holes you can see in the photos, or maybe use a smaller one. How does the hole poking look for the bowl? Should they be bigger, smaller, more, fewer?

I also put less water in the base than I normally do. Does that affect flavor or smoke quality in any noticeable way? I usually use a diffuser which allows me to fill the base almost twice as much without water getting in the hose, but recently have been doing less water without the diffuser.

Overall, it was a successful smoke, although I'm sure there is more I could do. The tobacco was pretty much cooked through when I emptied the bowl, but almost the whole wad was stuck to the foil, which was weird and probably not good. If anyone has tips for my next session, please feel free to offer them! I'm feeling confident now that I've experienced some degree of smell and taste with my hookah.

Also, if anyone has a suggestion for an in-your-face sweet and obvious flavor, please let me know! I think it may help in determining if I am getting everything right, rather that fiddling with a flavor that might be more subtle anyway. Shops around me are fairly well-stocked in AF, as well as more expensive brands like Fumari, Haze, Fantasia, and Starbuzz. The place where I got the Nakhla Mizo Guava only had that, one Nakhla Double Apple, and one Nakhla Mint because "people around here don't like it."

Thanks again to everyone for their advice, and bearing with me! I really appreciate it, and am very grateful for this forum.

Happy smoking!

[TheEightyFour 1,199]

The holes look fine.  I sometimes poke my holes with a Fumari poker, sometimes with a toothpick, and sometimes with the (ridiculously) blunt end of my poker.  There's not a lot of difference, other than larger holes equates to more ash getting in the bowl.  Some people have a problem with that, but personally I don't.

 

As far as adding heat slowly, that's a great practice to do to figure out heat management well.  I usually pop them on and go for it, but I know how my setup works, and it just takes practice.  It's better to add heat slowly until you find out a good mix of how many coals, placement, when/if you should put on the windcover, etc, instead of adding too much heat and you have to stop for a few minutes to let things simmer down.

 

Concerning water level, the general rule is 1-1 1/2" above the bottom of the downstem.  However, I've found that really varies based on the size base you're using, the type of hookah you're using, if you're using a diffuser or not (which pushes the output down a little lower anyway).  In my KMs, I usually put the water about a 1/2" above the bottom of the stem, dead center on, or just slightly above, where the traditional "KM bell" is.  If you put it too low though, it's problematic, and your smoke will be hot.  If you put it too high, the drag will be more difficult but less smoke will stay stagnant in the chamber.  If the level works well for you, then stick with it.

 

I used to be kind of "meh" on diffusers, but I put them on my KMs now 100% of the time.  The quieter session wins in a lot of ways for me, but ultimately the flavors seem a little more "bright," though some people think it does nothing to the flavor.  If you like it, keep with it.  But try it sometimes without too.

 

As far as really bright flavors, a lot of the fruity flavors in AF's line will meet what you're wanting.  AF Mint is good too.  I've been a big fan of AF Orange here recently as well, though it's a touch more subdued than, say, their Strawberry.  Nakhla has some amazing flavors, but, because they aren't sopping wet, they can be a little subdued.  Nakhla's better bought online anyway - the prices are cheaper than most stores have, unless you can find an Arabic market that also sells shisha tobacco.  They'll usually have at least a large selection of their traditional flavors.  I'm not a huge fan of Starbuzz or Haze personally - something about their flavors I don't love - but I've had great flavors in both.  Fantasia has a strange flavor profile to me too - I'll crave it every so often, have a bowl, then go "hmph."  Fumari is a home run 100% of the time, but... damn, it's expensive.  I've yet to have a bad pack of Fumari, except for one of Orange Cream, but that was just because it was old.  Fumari's Ambrosia is, in my opinion, something every hookah smoker should try.