Shisha Review: Starbuzz Tangerine Dream

Starbuzz hookah shisha remains one of my favorite shisha brands for a few simple reasons: Not only is the tobacco they sell consistently packed with flavor, but the product itself is usually easy to handle and contains a minimal amount of twigs (the un-smoke able sticks sometimes found in a tin of hookah tobacco).

Today I exposed my palate to a new flavor, Tangerine Dream, and it simply blew me away. Personally, I’m a sucker for sweeter shisha flavors – Blue Mist, Melon Berry, etc. – for their stronger taste and seemingly longer retention thereof, and Tangerine Dream was no different. Just smelling the shisha itself reminded me of what I imagine a sugary slice of tangerine would taste like. That’s one more thing I really enjoy about Starbuzz hookah tobacco – their flavors are, generally speaking, very exact in what they’re supposed to be mimicking.

I loaded a bowl of the stuff into my Dragon Hookah and stacked two natural coals on top. I like to use natural coals over insta-lites whenever possible for their extended, more even burn. But insta-lites are great for when you’re on the go. The first few puffs were light in smoke as the shisha began to burn, but then the full flavor of Tangerine Dream revealed itself.

The flavor of this shisha was actually very comparable to the way it smelled, which is something I rarely find. Although it wasn’t as powerful, the taste in my mouth was almost exclusively of tangerines. For the first 45 minute session this shisha burned evenly and consistently, never getting too harsh or losing flavor (until the coals eventually died).  Even after loading a second round of coals onto the bowl, Tangerine Dream still tasted remarkably like it had previously.

For a flavor such as this, I suspect the manufacturer was aimed at producing a great mixing flavor. That is, Starbuzz Tangerine Dream would most certainly smoke great with other flavors, fruity ones in particular. That being said, smoking Tangerine Dream by itself was in no way a disappointment, and performs well in its own capacity. I would highly recommend this flavor to smokers looking to try either something new, or discover a great mixer to improve existing flavor favorites.

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