Hookah Review : Unbranded Egyptian

Upon going to our local tobacco shop for a resupply this week, we happened upon a new selection of hookahs. The only identifying factor is a tag on the hose that says "made in Egypt." So join us now in reviewing this unbranded, mysterious Egyptian hookah!

Starting off with the base, we believe it's handmade, as there are a few "faults" and a sticker that says something in Arabic. (We really have no idea what this says, as we don't speak Arabic, but hoping it says something akin to: "hand-made in Egypt.") Beautiful bands of gold surround a very clear glass base with a cross hatched pattern on the bottom. Heavy, sturdy, however it is very similar to most standard glass KM hookah bases, despite the few imperfections. Which personally we enjoy, since they don't hinder the experience at all and give the base character.

The stem is tall, aluminum and brass, silver and painted gold with hints of gunmetal and a stainless downstem. Single hose and valve, which are standard if not a little ornamental. The mix of metals compliments the gold on the base quite nicely. Not too heavy, as it is aluminum mostly ( we think ) however the overall quality is that of one made of such materials. It's longevity remains to be seen.

The tray is very large, which we like. A few convex patterns adds a little something special to this aluminum basin. The silver colour and style fit well with the rest of the hookah and it's extra-large size makes for a nice ash catcher.

The bowl that came with it was a standard Egyptian clay bowl, obviously hand-made. However we're smoking it with our Kaloud Vitria bowl and Kaloud Lotus. In addition to these we also are using a large diffuser.

The overall quality is pretty standard for similar Egyptian hookahs, and for about the price you'd expect. We only dropped $100 on it. Now let's get into the good bits.

Using Titanium Flats coconut coals and Social Smoke's Grapefruit Chill we set to work breaking this beautiful hookah in. After toying with the water height to get it perfect and waiting on the coals to cook, I have to say he smokes like a dream. Super smooth inhalations, large fluffy clouds and a nice long smoke to round out the experience. If I'm honest, it's not bad for what it is. It's pretty standard, in fact. It is exactly what you'd expect to get from a 40" unbranded Egyptian hookah. The upside is, it smokes really well, the downside is it only has a port for one hose. So smoking by yourself or with one other person is fine but wouldn't recommend for social smoking or parties. Definitely worth it, at least on our end, but hey, we were also craving a new hookah.

I'd recommend you try it for yourself, but as it's unbranded I can only offer you the closest alternative. After a little research I've concluded that this Khalil Mamoon Medium Tri-Metal One Hose hookah will be your closest match.

Overall Ratings :

Genevieve -- 3/5 stars. It's good, not great. Pretty standard, and also not the worst. Would recommend for someone just getting into hookah and wanting a good smoke. Michael -- 3.5/5 stars. Nothing special but it's at least to our standard of decent hookahs. Worth a smoke for sure.