Hello all, and welcome to Mr. Aficianado! I’m proud to be writing the first of many smoking reviews for our new site. First up on the docket is a brand of shisha (or hookah tobacco) I’ve come to love called Fumari. I’ve smoke plenty of shisha. Actually, a LOT of shisha. The prime brand that comes to everyone’s mind is always Starbuzz. While I do love Starbuzz (you can’t skip out on the classics), I was introduced to Fumari several months ago and it has really changed my hookah experience. Fumari comes in attractive, black, satinized baggies (as opposed to Starbuzz’s well known tins), which are resealable. I prefer the bags to the old Starbuzz tins for a few reasons. First, they simply take up less space. Doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but when you’ve got 3+ flavors at a time like myself, those tins start to add up. Second, the resealable nature of the Fumari bags seems to keep the tobacco fresher, longer. The first thing that strikes me when opening the bag is the overwhelming aroma. Fumari’s flavors are tantalizing, and I often have to resist the urge to lick my fingers when preparing a fresh bowl of Fumari. Apple mint, true to it’s name, smells very strongly of apple (Granny Smiths come to mind, though not as sour). The mint is very light, and actually balances the apple quite well. I had been worried the mint would simply overpower the apple flavor, but this would prove not to be the case later.

My first drag on the hookah was simply divine. The thing I’ve really come to love about Fumari is that their flavors are very distinctive, but light. One of the problems I often have with Starbuzz is that, though their flavors might be quite tasty, often they are very strong. This strength tends to make me feel sick after too long; an hour long bowl is perfectly fine, but smoking a 250g tin of one flavor can get old before you’ve used it all. I’ve yet to have such a problem with Fumari, and I am consistently sorry to see each empty bag in the trash can. As I was saying, the apple is very light on the palate, consistent with a green apple without the sour bite. The mint serves mostly to cool down the back of my throat rather than alter the flavor, helping to keep each puff smooth and cold (I often say there isn’t much worse than warm hookah smoke). It seems to me that Fumari shisha is juicier than most brands and the added juices not only help to provide thick smoke, but it also keeps the tobacco moist, preventing burning (and subsequently harsh smoke). If  I had my way, I’d smoke nothing but Fumari from here on out. Their flavors consistently beat out my favorites from other reputable shisha companies, and often you can find good deals online for them. The Fumari lounge itself is located in San Diego, and I hope to go sometime soon.