Long, long ago, there was a time when I loved to smoke Starbuzz brand shisha (not to hate on Starbuzz fans). However, those days have long gone. Many of the flavors are overpowering. The tobacco is prone to burning due to lack of glycerin and moisture in general. Also from what I’ve heard, Starbuzz sprays perfume into their cans of shisha, often advertising misleading scents to the inexperienced buyer. Many of the flavors are hit and miss. There are those that are pretty good, and those that are absolutely terrible. One is inclined to stick with what he or she knows, and is discouraged from experimentation.
Enter Fumari, a diamond in the rough, a rose among thorns, and my personal favorite flavor, Ambrosia. In Greek mythology, Ambrosia is the nectar of the Gods, which grants immortality to any mortal who can get his hands on it. This, my fellow smokers, is an extremely bold name for a flavor of shisha.
I first learned about Fumari online, while on my quest for milky white clouds without the harshness. I also learned that Fumari was a local brand, mixed and packaged here in beautiful, sunny San Diego. I visited the Fumari lounge and feasted my eyes and nose on a myriad of sample flavors. Ambrosia instantly caught my eye, and it was the first Fumari brand shisha I have smoked.
As cliche as this may sound, it was love at first puff. Lovely, milky-white clouds of smoke that can cover your friend’s face, and an absolutely decadent (but nowhere near overpowering) melon and cantaloupe flavor on the palate. Truth be told, I did not even know what flavor I was smoking until I visited the Fumari website. I was shocked to learn what flavor I was smoking, as I am not very fond of melon. Fumari shisha, as you may have read in my buddy Kyle’s shisha review, is very moist and chock-full of molasses, glycerin (the reagent that creates the smoke), and flavor. Sure, you can buy glycerin at your local supermarket in the baking section and drown your shisha in it for heavy smoke (trust me, I’ve done it), but the flavor becomes extremely soapy and disgusting, as glycerin is a component of soap. But Fumari provides massive clouds of thick smoke and light but pronounced flavors that are not overpowering even if they DO linger on your palate. There are not many flavors of Fumari I have smoked that I thought was less than great, and absolutely none that I thought were terrible.
For those who are looking for the perfect bowl of hookah: the thickest clouds you will ever see and great flavor, your search ends here! With the combination of a Sahara Vortex bowl, the right packing technique, the right hole-punching pattern, a frozen hookah stem, an ice-filled base, ice hoses, and a diffuser, you WILL be smoking the best hookah in your life. This I can say with confidence, because all of the people from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Dubai who I have ever smoked out, have told me this. (Those who wish to learn or challenge my hookah setup technique, feel free to let me know in the comments section.)
But there you have it folks, Ambrosia, my number one favorite shisha ever, and if I may be so bold, the shisha of the Gods.
Mr. Aficionado 
I strongly disagree with putting ice in the base and using ice hoses. Overly cold (in fact, even moderately cold) setups numb the taste of the tobacco but admittedly is actually one of the few instances in which Fumari’s overly sweet Ambrosia is actually palatable.
Also, don’t take what Arabs say about the quality of your set-up as meaning much. Its not as if every living in Saudi knows nargile like the back of their hands: like most other people, they just smoke whatever is cheaply available at their local cafe. Once you go to the Middle East you’ll quickly realize people don’t really know the difference between nargiles (khalil mamoon may be pretty popular in the West, but it doesn’t get particular recognition among many Egyptians). They smoke almost exclusively Bahrain (which is pretty awful) and AF (arguably pretty good)
How I think you can improve your setup:
(1) Get a crown classic bowl. My vortex and phunnels haven’t seen any use since I bought my crown.
(2) Scrap the gimmicky ice stuff. Use a room-temp water and namoor or similar hose without the weird ice attachments. Diffusers neither take away nor add to the quality of the smoke.
(3) Try some of Fumari’s other stuff or, better yet, get some Tangiers tobacco.
First of all, thank you for your very informative and knowledgeable input.
What you say is true. Not all Saudi Arabians are experienced hookah smokers. However, I had neglected to mention that my acquaintances have all smoked for over twenty years, in Saudi, Dubai, Kuwait, Egypt, etc. My logic is simply that they can’t have smoked for that long and not know anything about hookah. I have never had such experienced friends who have smoked for over twenty years, so frankly, their opinion means a lot to me, as does yours.
I have tried most of Fumari’s other shisha and have never felt that any of them were horrendous. I have tried Tangiers as well, but as it is 15% nicotine by mass, as opposed to the usual 0.05%, I find it to be unpalatable and a tad bit too dry (I smoke for the flavor and smoke output, not so much for the headrush). Perhaps with the purchase of a phunnel bowl or a crown clasic bowl I might change my mind. But each to their own. As for the ice hoses, coldness, and the diffuser, I believe that all are necessary in my humble opinion for these reasons.
1. I use a large Sahara Vortex bowl poking only three rings of holes. I also use three Coco Nara coals, which cover exactly half of these holes up (I have found that too much air flow leads to loss of heat and keeps the coals from burning red on the bottom). So as you can imagine, without the coldness, my hookah smoke would be incredibly thick and heavy, though it is hardly ever harsh. The coolness helps counteract the fact that I am using three coals closely put together and makes the heavy smoke palatable by cooling it down considerably. On a small setup, with only one or two coals, you are correct: all that ice would be overkill and would infringe upon the flavor and quality of the session.
2. As for the diffuser, again you are correct. It does not change the volume of the smoke, as you have suggested, but I find that it adds to the quality of the hookah session as a whole by breaking up the air bubbles and making the draw smoother. I have a mid-sized 23-inch Mya hookah, so I find this to be a very helpful attachment that keeps the hookah from making annoying rattling noises.
Your opinions and setup suggestions are very informative! Please, tell me about the Crown Classic bowl setup that you use.
I think my compatriot Josh has covered many of the bases that I’d have liked to address, so my response will be short. First, thank you for the comment! Josh and I have a considerable amount of smoking experience between us, but it’s always great to see feedback from a stranger. I have to agree with Josh that Tangiers is inferior to Fumari. We’ve both smoked a considerable amount of both, so our decision is not unfounded, though as always, to each their own.
Lastly from me, I have to disagree that the “ice stuff” is gimmicky. When smoking for an hour plus (we’ve been known to smoke 2-3 bowls worth of tobacco back to back), cooling the smoke down makes the entire experience more enjoyable. Warm smoke tastes worse to me over time. Also, the diffuser doesn’t affect the smoke, it affects the water tension in the bowl. Having a quieter hookah is just a personal pleasure, and I feel it makes the draw a little easier. This is a topic I brought up in one of my cigar reviews, but a hard draw will, over time, fatigue your mouth. It’s easy to think that it will have no impact, but over an hour, the difference is noticeable.
Thanks for the information shared about hookah flavours. Many hookah smokers who do not smoke very often, do not know much about hookah flavours to choose. So sometimes they feel being cheated.
Fumari is a great brand, and Ambrosia is a great flavor. I personally enjoy it quite often.