Here you go Heros: A first look at the HoboNargile.  More information WILL arrive in your in box early next week, with a HoboNargile arriving shortly their after (at least for those of you who have a quick trigger finger).  This is really going to be a sweet deal and a big thank you to all of you Heros living the dream hard.  Happy December.

We reviewed a couple of Starbuzz hookah tobacco flavors over at the Happy Hour, and that got us thinking a lot about flavor mixes.

You could always buy a pre-mixed flavor, something that Hookah Freak has pretty much made their business, or, as we recommend, you could go off on your own and try to discover something great.

There are two reasons to make hookah tobacco flavor mixes:

1) Experiment to find a flavor that you really like;

2) To save on expensive tobacco or to use tasteless or gross tobacco from the back of the cabinet.

We’ll tackle that second, more objective one, in this post.  Everyone has bought a hookah tobacco that didn’t live up to expectations, or in the case of most mint flavors, simply were too powerful for a single sitting.  The trick to mixing shisha flavors that are simply un-enjoyable to smoke by themselves is to find a good pairing.

First, we’ll discuss the mint flavors.  Pure mint goes great with most flavors, but you are better off going with powerful fruit and nut tobacco rather than weaker, more subtle flavors.  In addition, don’t pack the bowls evenly: Use no more that 25% mint in any mix, with most mixes being closer to 10%.  If you are stuck with a mint that you can’t get rid of, try one of these mixes:

• 95% Tangiers Cocoa and 5% Mint: For a great alternative to Fumari Choco-Mint
• 90% Starbuzz Wildberry and 10% Mint: For a great light a sweet mix.
• 95% Layalina Watermelon and 5% Mint: For a sweet melon mojito flavor.

Everyone has had those times when a flavor just doesn’t have any punch, or it just will not go the distance.  If that’s the case, use the tobacco to fill up the bowl to conserve on your higher end hookah tobacco stores for those light session, where you wont be smoking all night.  This works great with a phunnel bowl.  For this kind of mix, use 25% to 50% crappy tobacco with the rest being your premium tobacco.  The flavor wont be quite as strong, but few will notice in the short run.

Got any hookah tips?  Send them to hobohero@hobohookah.com.

If you are talking “places to smoke hookah” than you have to talk about Egypt.  This is the place that has truly embraced the hookah culture to a point that it could rival any bar hop or coffee shop following here in the States.

Hookah is everywhere in Egypt, and particularly Cairo.  If you want to live like a Cairene, than you will have to embrace hookah. 

There are what I would call three main groups of hookah bars in Cairo:

• Tourist bars, that serve good hookah with beer.
• Upscale cafe’s that serve excellent hookah with fruit juice and food.
• Local joints, which serve up double apple and zhargoule with little cups of delicious, sugary tea.

Depending on the night, anyone of these locals is an excellent spot to hit.  If you want a good tourist bar (or rather a place to get a beer and a hookah), definitely hit Hotel Odeon, in Tahrir Square.  This place is frequented by expats (more so than tourists) as well as upper class Egyptians.  It sports a great roof deck, central location, and $2 Stellas (the local brew in Egypt).

If you are looking for a place sans beer and plus some great fruit juice and food options, hit Tornado’s, in Midan Aswan.  This place has the best shisha I have ever smoked.  We recommend the Cappuccino “Tornado” hookah, which comes with a coffee filled vase and two heads of cappuccino tobacco.  There is a 20EGP minimum, so be prepared to kick it there for a while.

Finally, if you have been in Cairo for a bit and have built up a solid network of cool Egyptian dudes, ask them about some of the traditional cafes.  They are all over the place, I use to go to one called Almas up in Nasr City.  But be aware: These places are for the real men of Cairo, and only serve Zhargoule (traditional, heavy hitting tobacco) and sometimes Double Apple Nakhla.  If that doesn’t sounds like a good night to you, stick with the places on the main drag.

And, for the extra point: There is only one hookah cafe you must hit if you are in Egypt, and that is the historic and famous Fishawy’s in Khan al-Khalil.  This crowded cafe is older than the mosques across the street and is located in the midst of a famous market.  Its a great place to wonder around and pick out your hookah prize and then kick-it to some Egyptian music, sweet tea and meticulously served hookah.

We have more on hookah in Cairo over at the Hobocan’s Happy Hour.  Shoot us your Cairo tips, if you’ve been.

As the summer takes a turn toward Fall, we took one last trip to the Gardens of Queens, namely the beer gardens thereof.  Instead of the much loved Bohemian Beer Hall, we tried the new garden on the street, Studio Square.

As can be expected in Queens, New York: They loved the HoboHookah.  We transported that baby in its soccer ball hookah bag and thrust it upon a narrow-mouth Nalgene.  The only looks we got came with a firm, approving nod.

With hookah bars in New York shutting down left and right or jacking shisha bowl prices through the roof its nice to know there are some public spaces that like the smell of flavored tobacco in the open air.  We definitely recommend a visit and make sure to bring your hookah to meet some new people.

We have another Hobocans Happy Hour on tap.  This time a tired, surly Trent and Mike take on a difficult bowl of Nakhla and phunnel.  Check it out so that you don’t make the same mistake we did.

Part of the inspiration for the HoboHookah was no doubt the ability to smoke on the beach.  There just isn’t a better place to smoke on earth, than water meets sand.

If you have ever tried to rock a regular hookah on the beach, it can be difficult.  Having a large hookah, is not ideal.  Something with a good center of gravity works well.  Also, bury the hookah a little in sand if its acting tippy.

The most important factor is to build a crown around the bowl or bring a wind guard.  Beaches always got that wind going on, and it will heat up the coals and destroy your hookah session.  HoboHero Beware.

Finally, glass is a bad idea on the beach.  Although no one wants to see their Egyo baby get smashed, and will do all to avoid it, things happen on the beach.  Volley Ball happens.  Frisbee happens.  Your hookah getting trampled has happened.  Bring a HoboHookah with a plastic vase (or nalgene) or get an acrylic hookah.

We got more hookah on the beach coverage up over at the Hobocans.com, Enjoy the Dream in these Dog Days!  

Funny thing: One of the key accessories we want to bring to the next hookah that is Hobo is a diffuser.  And when I say Nikon’s post over at Hookah Forum I knew immediately we were on the right track.  Check out this video, grab a straw and try it out.  Once we release our diffuser, the upgrade will be seamless.

Also, on the internets, long time Hobo extrodinaire, Mal B, broke down what sometimes is the cost of Living the Dream on her blog:

"Box of Coals: $22
FedEx Shipment: $64.61
Bolivia Taxes: $38.85
Lighting up the shisha at Valle de la Luna: Priceless"

Lesson learned Heros: Always pack more coals, especially when traveling to a place called the Valley of the Moon.

And finally: It is that time of the week for another Hobocans Happy Hour.  This time we interview a couple HoboHookah Veterans, who can be credited with making the Atlanta – Montreal run with a sustained lit hookah the whole way.  Enjoy.

About 45 seconds in our equipment failed, but we kept to our “unscripted” roots and VersaKyle spruced in some hero edits to smooth it out. Finally, with all these ins and outs, let’s just say this one got a little saucier than planned.

Related Article:

• What’s in your vase?

We sought to find out…

Related Phunnel Bowl and Shisha Links:

• tangiers tobacco
• phunnel bowl
• how to pack the phunnel bowl

Who says that golf courses are just for cigar chomping? Awhile back, we had a little Hookah Golfing test run on our buddies putting green in DC. This time, we took the HoboHookah up to Split Rock Public Golf Course in the Bronx, New York to try out a little hookah golfing.

It was a beautiful day to be alive up there: All of us, rank amateurs with well expired licenses to golf, set out for a quick 18. Split Rock itself is a forgiving course with wide open fairways and not too many tricky dog legs to navigate. So we packed up the beer, and the hookah and here is what we learned:

Lesson 1: Wait to setup the hookah until hole two or three. Any grounds staff up on the course wont give two shits you have a hookah, as long as you are orderly and friendly.

Lesson 2: Be orderly and friendly to the grounds staff.

Lesson 3: Choose a bottle that will fit in a standard cup-holder: Like a SIG bottle or a 1-litre soda bottle. We had a 1.5 litre Poland Spring bottle: It was a little big, but we crammed the plastic into the holder and it served us well.

Lesson 4: Make sure to hold the hookah when in transit. We encountered our fair share of hidden curbs while trying to find our shots in the rough, and the hookah took a dump. Whammy.

Lesson 5: Make sure your cart has a wind screen. Some carts, especially on public courses, are pretty banged up and some are missing their screens. The wind screen will keep the temperature down on the coal and will make sure your hookah session last longer, and ultimately, taste better.

Lesson 6: Make sure to build a healthy screen, or crown, around the bowl of your hookah with aluminum foil, ala Hobo style. This will keep the wind down while on the move and also make sure the coal doesn’t jump ship between holes.

Lesson 7: No taking a big pull when a compatriot is about to tee-off. That’s just Hookah Golfing etiquette.

Overall: Hookah Golfing is a nice twist on the old tradition of stogies on a clear summer day. We’ll definitely have our Hobo along on any future outings to share the dream with old friends, new friends and the grounds staff.