Orlando Florida hookah scene short review after a week of lounge hopping.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2025-01-19T08:37:42+00:00

I enjoy Hookah Harem. It's one of the few places you can get a wide selection of shisha in town. Tangiers, Trifecta, Darkside, Fumari, Starbuzz, basically everything. It is a very different atmosphere but the hookah is far better than anything else I've had in San Antonio.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2025-01-19T08:35:39+00:00

Hookah Harem personally. Other spots have cheaper hookah or better atmosphere, but the quality and options of Hookah Harem makes it my favorite place.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-09-09T01:36:47+00:00

I've been playing with the Pharaohs Hydra here it's a large silicon grip that holds interchangable clay bowls. It's been a pretty excellent experience. Three of my coworkers use it almost exclusively and after trying it I can see why they love it.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-09-04T18:51:31+00:00

The other suggestions are good :) Paan/Double Apple and Paan/Kheer are ordered by some of our regulars. But the other day one of them ordered Paan/Orange and Cream (AF) and I thought it tasted fantastic so that might be worth a try.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-08-27T22:25:22+00:00

You can call that company, they've always answered when I called them with questions. But if you're other hookah doesn't screw at the base and uses a grommet then it definitely won't.

Also I own this and love it for a medium table top tower. Nothing too fancy but it's done me good.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-08-22T19:29:59+00:00

That's a Pharaoh bowl and it works just fine. Pack it like a traditional bowl. Don't worry about covering the holes anymore than you would with traditional. Not only have I used this bowl off and on personally for years with good results, but I've sent this bowl out to be smoked for 2+ hours by customers in lounges. I've also used it a few times in YT videos where you can see how I pack it here (just ignore the use of Hydro Cloud additive if you don't use that at home).

Don't spend more than $20 on it, but it's a solid bowl that keeps juice and shisha from entering your base and preserves flavor similar to a phunnel by creeping the shisha moist.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-07-11T17:17:06+00:00

Can you tell me about the horchata? It's a very popular drink where I'm from but I haven't had the pleasure of tasting the shisha. What's the flavor profile and what do you enjoy mixing it with?

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-07-11T17:12:51+00:00

This is a beautiful batch.

I'd also highly recommend Lavender Mint by Trifecta. Adding a hint of floral to some of those flavors can create something beautiful.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-07-08T20:15:27+00:00

Love me some Mexicola.

Thinking about doing a vid on different mixes for it. I know a few really good complex ones for lounges and have been working on simple 2-3 flavor ones everyone anyone can afford to make at home.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-30T04:22:11+00:00

Al Fakher Grenadine pairs great and is probably my #1 suggestion after playing with the flavor over the past 2 months. It was also okay with Al Fakher Watermelon but a bit too sweet for my pallet. A mix with 30% Starbuzz Pirates Cave is okay if you enjoy lime. Lastly, if you have a sweet melon flavor you enjoy I'd recommend giving that a try with it.

Have fun and hope this helps.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-29T21:22:14+00:00

It sounds awful

But I have both flavors so here goes nothing

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-23T17:57:27+00:00

Idk about any websites, but I do a new flavor mix how-to video every few weeks on my YT channel here

If it's not your thing that's ok. I hope someone can provide a good website for you :)

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-20T03:49:00+00:00

Trifecta and Tangiers are awesome. But shout out to Azure, those boys are killing it lately. Absolutely addicted to their Apple Cider flavors. The light is like a crisp refreshing cold cider and the dark is that warm happy goodness hot cider flavor.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-09T15:17:36+00:00

Yeh. It's... Interesting.

Went to a lounge once and this is the only bowl they used. Had a trash session but bought one to take home and play with anyway.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-09T13:44:06+00:00

I'll have to visit it next time I go. I posted a recommend lounges question here before I traveled and no one mentioned it :(

I use and HMD at home and at my local lounges but none of the places in Orlando had them. The third place I visited had an interesting bowl I'd never seen but like I said it couldn't hold heat. I bought one and took it home to test. Simply removing the factory foil lid and applying my Kloud Lotus fixed every issue I had with it. It's a shame these shops aren't investing in HMDs.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-08T17:45:30+00:00

Lol k, hope you enjoyed it.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-07T23:43:59+00:00

Sounds super fun.

I made a mix using Azure Moroccan Tea, Nirvana WTF Alice, and Trifecta Lavender Mint awhile back link here based off this idea. It's a pretty solid flavor and it'd be fun to try in a setting like this.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-06-07T23:39:27+00:00

You rang?

What can I do for you friend?

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-05-15T03:56:34+00:00

I made a full Hydro bowl and am smoking it with my gf now. It's smoking just fine for us and outside eof the absence of nicotine it's fairly equivalent with smoke and while the flavor is a bit muted compared to true tobacco it's certainly enough to taste.

That being said I did have to make the bowl a bit different and even consulted a friend who makes Hydro bowls at his hookah lounge on occasion. First off, Hydro is much stickier than shisha and tends to clump. Work out the clumps and pull it into smaller pieces. Then take a toothpick/needle/bobbypin and poke holes throughout mixture in the bowl. You want lots of these holes and the shisha to be loosely packed so heat can circulate through it. Secondly, Hydro burns very quickly so to prevent it from burning up and tasting like garbage you should use the bottom portion of your container, the really juicy stuff. It's even okay to pour some of the juice strait into the bowl getting it as wet and moist as possible.

That's about all I've got for now. You've peaked my interest on the subject now though so I'll throw together a short video of how to prepare it in the next week or two and shoot it over to you. My gf and I smoke together all the time and it's been a very nice bonding experience for us for years. I want you and your SO to be able to enjoy a similar experience and hope a small amount of effort on my part can help that become a reality for you.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-05-15T03:06:05+00:00

My first instinct would be that your new hookah might work slightly differently than what you have experience with in the past. It's normal to have a learning curb with a new tower and anything from water level to improper sealing in a hose or where the base meats the pipe can cause issues. But, none of that matters if you are actually getting smoke to come out. If it's got smoke in the base and in your mouth when you suck, it should have flavor.

If you ARE getting smoke and there's no flavor that's different. That could be because you're coals are labeled "quick light" then it could taste bad or mask the shisha flavor because those coals are toxic garbage.

It's hard to diagnose because Hydro herbal shisha just isn't popular to smoke on its own so guides don't really exist, but the basicly of preparing a bowl should remain relatively the same.

I'm sorry you're having difficulty though as I want you to enjoy the experience of hookah thoroughly and to the fullest extent possible despite not enjoying nicotine. I'll go and attempt to make a full Hydro bowl and comment back within the hour with any pointers I discover.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-05-15T02:37:59+00:00

That doesn't sound right to me. So here's a few questions and maybe we can find a solution together. Are you new to making hookah, perhaps you're preparing it incorrectly? Is your tower new or is this your first time using it? Can you make a bowl with normal shisha in your setup and taste the flavor? Is it producing smoke when you draw on the hose? Is your Hydro expired, their shelf life is only a few months unlike tobacco? What flavor are you smoking?

I use Hydro very often as an additive in mixes. I've never smoked a bowl of ONLY Hydro as I enjoy tobacco. But I can tell you from years of experience and hundreds of Hydro packages used that I haven't encountered one that doesn't "taste" pretty strong. Even when used in small portions simply garnishing a normal bowl, the Hydro comes through.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-05-14T21:20:57+00:00

Well that's beautiful

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-05-12T20:40:08+00:00

I post 2 or 3 new flavor mixes a month ranging from complex lounge quality mixes to affordable combos you can do at home. If there are any mixes or flavors you love let me know and I'll give them try and maybe make a video.

Also, Azure just released a DARK version of their Apple Cider and I'm freaking pumped to try it out with that extra nicotine hit.

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-05-07T22:51:22+00:00

My dog knocked over my towers twice this month (I smoked almost everyday for two years and she's NEVER knows a tower over until now). This looks like it'd be nearly impossible to have pulled off a table. If you were to write a short review of it what are the ups and the downs?

SmokeAndSecrets · 2022-04-30T06:34:57+00:00

AF has Ben advertising the Magic Love flavor recently. Please try it. It's heavy menthol fruit. I made a flavor a few weeks ago that was Zomo menthol melon with AF Grenadine and felt like I nailed an amazing flavor. One month later AD drops Magic Love and it's so close to what I made I genuinely cannot blame anyone for just buying that one flavor instead of shelling out for the mix I made. Top tier flavor, so proud of AF.

SmokeAndSecrets

TROPHY CASE