Desert Rose Double Apple Shisha

The reference flavour

If a hookah lounge in the Gulf has one flavour, it is this. Sweet red and green apple carried by aniseed, which is the element that makes it Double Apple rather than simply apple. Take the aniseed out and it tastes thin; leave it in and it is unmistakable.

Blonde leaf, medium strength

Blonde leaf is washed and lighter in tobacco character than dark leaf, which lets the flavour lead. At medium strength it has enough body to feel like a real session without the weight of a dark-leaf blend.

Packing it

Fluffy, not pressed. Sprinkle it into the bowl and level it just below the rim without compacting it — dense packing blocks airflow and produces harsh smoke. A phunnel bowl holds the molasses better than a traditional Egyptian clay bowl.

Heat

Two coals for a medium bowl, rotated every ten to fifteen minutes, or a heat management device. Double Apple turns bitter when scorched and the change is abrupt rather than gradual — if the flavour sharpens, move the coals immediately.

Storage

Sealed and cool. Molasses dries out once opened, and dry shisha burns rather than vaporises. Transfer an open pack to an airtight container if you smoke it slowly.

Related

The Herbal Apple 200g is the tobacco-free version; the Nimbus E-Shisha pods are the charcoal-free one.