Tried these coals for the first time today, and they produce awesome clean smoke! I have used quick-lights in the past, and with a light from the stove these last much longer and give a much better tasting smoke none of that chemical aftertaste - Also as for the CO warnings, I have a digital CO detector that I am blowing directly into and it is reading zero! Not sure what they other guys are doing differently, but no danger here -
I have used many different coals, and the Exoticas are definitely my favorite - They light easily on a stove unless you have a glasstop stove - - - And now that they come prescored you dont have to cut them, just break them at the score - The scored size seems a bit big, but really its the perfect size for a normal sized bowl - No taste if you light it thoroughly - The trick is not to mess with it too much; use the ash around the coal as a insulation to prevent your bowl from burning to hot - All in all, great natural coals -
I have been using Exotica forever! I love that it doesn't make a mess when heated up - No chemical smell and especially because it last a very long long time!
I've tried them all - Quicks and naturals - I use to use coconuts till I tried these and haven't been back - Burn great, easy to separate into individual coals, and no coal taste whatsoever - I got all my hookah smoking buddies hooked on them too - Will not disappoint - A++
This charcoal is the best which I ve ever used - No smell, long lasting and clean - -
I smoke A LOT of hookah, as do probably all of you do - And these are by far my favorite coals I have ever used - In summary, I like this style of coal natural but not a branch of a tree, and burn better than coconutsplus square+precut=awesome - They ash some as do all naturals but are well worth it -
Hate this product, hard to cut.
Been using these for several weeks now and I love them.
These coals are okay, They ASH A LOT and quickly too. There is an odor that i smell from it, but its not noticeable when smoking. Smokin Marv comment is true. My detector also showed a steady 35ppm in the room and if i blow directly towards it spike to 75pmm. That is atleast 7x more CO then you would get cooking over a stove. I don't smoke that as much as Marv, so it never hit a steady 60ppm. I will assume if i ever use more then 1pc it will go that high. As for easier way to breaking them. I break at the score, then make my own score on the top and bottom. I take a wrench to hold down one side and just push down over under a towel to not spread the mess. The scoring well help make a cleaner/even break. It will get a negative feedback just for the substantial CO, but if you are left with only Exoticas, open a window or smoke it outdoors with a windscreen cause it ashes alot In the mean time, i will stick to coco naras.
I read the Smoking Marv, and God, no one would play with those informations, so I decided not to buy these Exotica coals. I never used them before, and after that review, I'll probably never buy them. I am fine with coconara coals and there is no reason to choose another coal.
Aight i Tested This little thing about Smokin Mervs CO. I got a hand held CO detector to try this out it must be something he was doing because i didnt get jack diddly with the Exotica coals OR the Coco Naras. IF your using foil that might be the case because my test was with a screen. I don't like using foil so if Marv did use foil it might be that. So if some one wants to make a test of it then go right ahead. But my experience with these coals is always a good one. Honestly Coco Naras or Exotica are good.
Let me start by saying that I smoke hookah pretty much all day when I am home. I use only these coals and I have never had any CO poisoning symptoms. Here is what I like about them. 1. No taste. 2. Longest lasting coals I have ever used. 3. They seem to burn cooler than other coals so it wont burn your shisha as easily. 4. The square shape keeps them on your bowl and off your carpet. What I don't like. 1. Not pre-cut. Now the pre-cut thing is not that big a deal. I simply take a butter knife, cut a groove in it and break off a piece of coal on the corner of my counter. Overall I would rate this an excellent product.
I used the coals for a while. I ordered a box recently and they came in the new packaging, with the girl on it. I thought that was lame, but I figured it's just a box. What I care about are the coals. But the coals aren't as good as the used to be. They are softer and don't last nearly as long. And apparently they are adding filler to the coals. When you cut one and look at the side, you'll see various sizes of white chunks in them. The filler I don't really care about but the fact that they don't last as long as they used to really irks me. A friend gave me some Coco Naras, and needless to say Coco Naras are now my go to coals.
ive smoked these coals several times, and every time the smoke was great and the shisha flavor was totally unchanged. HOWEVER the testimonial of "Smokin Marv" unhinges me. i looked up carbon monoxide on wikipedia: "Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, but extremely toxic: it combines with hemoglobin in the blood to produce carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO), which is ineffective for delivering oxygen to the body tissues (a condition known as anoxemia). Concentrations as low as 667 ppm can cause up to 50% of the body's hemoglobin to convert to HbCO. In the United States, OSHA limits long-term workplace exposure levels to 50 ppm. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning can resemble the flu, including headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, lethargy and a feeling of weakness. Infants may be irritable and feed poorly. Neurological signs include confusion, disorientation, visual disturbance, syncope and seizures." Dont get me wrong, i LOVE the way these coals smoke. But if theyre putting of as much CO as smoking marv was observing, prolonged exposure is well over OHSA standards, which i find worrisome. All im saying is this: be aware of the potential danger. smoke these coals in a ventilated place, and keep an eye out for the listed symptoms of CO poisoning.
Look down at what "smokin' Marv" said on December 23, 2008... these sound like good coals but they apparently produce quite a bit of carbon monoxide... be safe and go with Coco Nara's, they have no taste, if you have a stove they light right up, they are pre cut, and they last for a very long time (I have smoked for about 1 and 1/4 hours on one coal)
