Why does everyone love hookahs? Because they are not boring! You will not find such a variety of flavors in any menu: if you want to enjoy sweet berries or inhale the aroma of Arctic freshness — it is easy to create! The most interesting thing is that hookah mixology is an endless field for experiments!
A brief guide: tastes and types of hookah tobacco
Categories of tastes
- Fresh flavors -these include all citrus flavors, peppermint and lemon mint, menthol, eucalyptus and others.
- Sour- citrus fruits, sour berries, cola.
- Sweeta-fruit and berry flavors.
- Dessert-pastries, chocolate, cream, pies.
- Spicy flavors-cinnamon, ginger, anise, cardamom, coffee, as well as ready-made tobacco mixes, sometimes very original. For example, aroma of Indian incense or a combination of Arab spices.
- Gastronomic-bacon, cheese, beef, salmon.
- Other-tastes that are difficult to classify into one category. For example, taste of RedBull, lemonade and other drinks. Also unusual floral tobacco — rose, jasmine, lavender.
In order to create a favorite mix, you should rely on these categories to choose the components that you will need.
There are several types of hookah tobacco mixology:
- Combination mixology: do not combine the incongruous. Chocolate with salmon will not be very tasty.
- Gastronomy: this approach is based on the idea of making a taste based on some dish or drink that is familiar to you in everyday life.
- Associative mixology is a mixology based on a verbal query. For example, what is the taste of “Happiness from a new car”?
Summarizing, we note that mixology is needed only to answer the simplest question “What to pack in a bowl?”. Don't be afraid, try different combinations
Basic rules of mixology
Mixology is not just a summand + summand = sum, it is a set of certain rules. By mixing equal shares of suitable (in your opinion) tobacco, you can get a completely unpredictable result. Which may not please you at all.
A good, delicious mix is based on three components:
- Dominant taste – tobacco is the basis;
- Additional taste – tobacco-aftertaste;
- Tint taste — tobacco-note.
Formulaic approach
This approach is most often used: it implies a simple determination of the percentage of tobacco. This method is the best for beginners hookah, because it minimizes the possibility of error.
The formula is as follows:
- The amount of the base flavor is 50-70%;
- The amount of additional taste – 20-40%:
- The amount of tint taste – no more than 20%.
Note: the dominant taste is determined not by the amount of tobacco, but by the intensity of the tobacco taste. Sometimes even a very small amount of tobacco can set the tone for the whole mix.
Hookah tobacco is the basis
This is the basic flavor that will prevail in the mix. Choosing this taste, take into account that all subsequent decisions should be based on the dominant taste: shade it, complement it, emphasize it.
A mix may have several bases, but using equally strong and vibrant flavors is a mistake.
Additional taste
This taste is also strong enough, but not expressive enough to use it in solo. Speaking of expressiveness, we do not mean intensity, but rather depth of taste: for example, spicy mixes should not be made on the basis of cinnamon or ginger, these mixtures are better used just as additional flavors.
Shade taste
This is the taste, which adds a barely noticeable aroma to the mixture, which helps to reveal the basic and additional taste. The mix in which additional notes are revealed in the aftertaste is considered particularly successful.
The main thing when creating a hookah mix is not to be afraid! And then everything will come with your experience. There are no three flavors that cannot be combined. The question is how to find the proportion.
There are several ways to mix tobacco in a bowl. We have already written about them here.
- Mixed type: gives a more uniform taste
- Layers type: allows different tastes to unfold gradually
- Sectors type: makes the mix more multifaceted.
Some classic flavor combinations
- Watermelon + strawberry + mint
- Strawberry + Vanilla
- Double Apple + Cherry + Mint
- Orange + chocolate
- Watermelon + Melon + Mint
- Pineapple + Pomegranate
- Blueberry + Strawberry + Mint
- Melon + Peach + Grapes