The Shisha Series – Miami

This is my first post on Shisha, so what is this bong-like instrument that is often met with suspicious glances by those not in the know, I’ll tell you all about it. Shisha, also known as Hookah, Nargile or a Waterpipe, is used to smoke tobacco. Coals placed at the top heat the tobacco, the smoke is then drawn through the mouth pipe which is cooled and filtered through the water at the base and into your lungs. They are an age-old tradition. 

 [some old hookah pipes]

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This pipe smokes a type of tobacco called maassel, which is essentially tobacco mixed with molasses, it’s syrupy in texture and is flavoured as various things such as orange, mint, strawberry, etc. 

Now the real talk – people think you get high smoking shisha, not true. A first time smoker may feel light headed, but my guess is that they feel that way because they are inhaling a lung-full of smoke, one after the other…basically over-eager smoking. 

The reason I love shisha is that I can sit there and talk with whoever I’m with; it creates a relaxing atmosphere and allows the conversation to flow. Essentially it is a social habit, unlike in a bar where you’ll find it hard to speak with the noise, it allows you to meet people. I have had some of the most interesting conversations with friends and strangers alike when sitting back in a shisha lounge.

So shisha in Miami, they predominantly call it Hookah out there, and my word is it big! Nearly on every street I found a lounge. On my first night in Miami, I stumbled into a store which had shisha, cigars and cigarettes for sale, I sat down and ordered a guava flavoured shisha with my friend and we sat down to smoke. It was a very chilled out place, playing a western movie, and pretty soon we began conversing with a North African man that had been in Miami for a few years now, and some people visiting Miami from another part of the US. 

The next day we found Esno…

[esno set-up of shisha]

The waiter recommended a flavour, bubble gum. Which would mean it’s the second time that I had ever had this flavour (1^st time was in Kingston upon Thames, and I will review my London places soon!), the shisha came out in a brilliant little cage set up, I liked the presentation. That was the best as it tasted rank, and I’ll never go back to Esno again….yes I said it! the waiter set the top too tight, so the smoke didn't flow, burnt the tobacco with incorrectly placed charcoal.

So we moved down 20 yards down the street from the worst experience of shisha that I have ever had, to D’vine lounge. I had read about D’vine lounge before I even landed in Miami and it had a lot to live up to with all its positive reviews. First of all, the hostess outside greeted us and sat us down. The waiter took the order from the large selection on offer, there were flavours such as pomegranate, papaya, mint and then there was the mixtures such as mojito, mountain fresh, the passion…these were like tobacco cocktails!

[mountain fresh of D'vine, mint leaves in Red Bull)

I ordered Mountain Fresh, the waiter advised that the base was red bull with mint leaves, and the tobacco was a mixture of citrus fruits. It is the best thing I have ever had, and has now become a hands down favourite, and I know there are some blends which you simply cannot recreate at home. The blends available in D’vine are simply unique, I tried The Boss, which no one told me what was in the tobacco mixture, this was a secret as the competitors could not get hold of some of the flavours available in-house. Even the hostess couldn’t even obtain the information when I told her this in a conversation. The base was made up of mango juice and apple juice, I got this out of the alchemist who worked behind the bar and had been busy creating Hookah-Magic every time I went to D’vine.

Aside from the shisha, D’vine serves food and drinks, I never tried the food, but the level of service is the best that I have ever had. The staff regularly checked if everything was ok, rotated the charcoal frequently, and acknowledged that we had become regulars in my short stay in Miami. In fact…I’ll shamelessly advertise D’vine right now, make your way to their website!

 

[D'vine lounge, watermelon base, pineapple head]

Go visit if you can, you will not be disappointed… Miami gave me the best and the worst experience of Shisha I have ever had. But D’vine is the benchmark everyone should aspire to be…simply amazing and a well-deserved 10 out of 10.