Tangier's Kiwi - Fun times *cough*

Well, after searching the HF, I finally got the instructions straight form the horse's mouth (as per say, not calling Tang/Eric a horse) on how to smoke the lovely Tangier shisha properly. There is a fine art to shisha smoking in the first place, but certain shishas require more tweaking than normal to enjoy. Tangiers is one of them - it's an unwashed tobacco, made here in the USA, strong and full of nicotine. It's not a "walk in the park" type of shisha - it makes Nakhla look like candy.

But, it tastes great and gives one hell of a buzz... if you can smoke it.

I sorta can, I get several good minutes of enjoyment before it just becomes too much for my non-smoker body. I get a head rush, my chest will hurt, my throat burns and if I keep pushing it, I start coughing. If I back off at the "headrush" stage and basically "sip" at the smoke, I can nurse it out for 30-45 more mins. I NEVER have smoked a bowl of Tangier's more than a hour, many times never more than 30min. Trance - he doesn't like it at all (and he's the BIG ciggy smoker). He never gets clouds, complains it burns and just generally doesn't like it. :P

But, if you can handle it, I do recommend atleast trying it once or twice. It never hurts to try new things - several companies sell smaller 100g packs to try (instead of poping $12.95 for 250g). Plus, it's almost a given you need to get a Tangier's (or MNHookah) Phunnel to fully enjoy the smoke. It can be done in a standard bowl, but I almost ALWAYS burnt the stuff. But try, you might get it to work great, one never knows :)

Here's the link to Tangier's Home site: www.tangiers.us

And here's the "intro version" of smoking it:

1) Open package, empty into clean container. Squeeze as much juice out of plastic as possible.
2) Let it sit open at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours if you want.
3) Stir it up - mix juice back into shisha.
4) Pack bowl - lay tobacco in bowl WITHOUT "fluffing" it. Take it straight out of the bowl and lay it in the bowl. DON'T pack it too tightly, but fill the bowl. Don't skimp on the amount, too little won't give you a good smoke.

5) Cover with foil/screen. If using foil - put MANY (like as many as the foil can hold and still be 1 piece) holes in the foil. Don't make then too small or too large.

6) Flip over bowl and blow thru the bottom. This makes sure there is good airflow.
7) Assemble hookah - use 1 33m 3-Kings (broken in half or 3rd) or 3-4 Silver tabs. Make sure to rotate the coals often.

8) Enjoy.

If takes time to learn how to pack and smoke Tangier's right - if you get it right the first time, great! If not, give a second or third go. Many people have trouble with it, but if you keep trying you should be able to achieve a very good smoke. Worse come worse, visit the site and get the contact number (should also be on the package) and drop them a call - they should be able to assist you.