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.