Welcome to the first series of blog entries where I delve into all things Hookah!  Starting out with a great brand that offers terrific community support.  Zomo recently came out with a brand new line of their world flavors  and we’ll be using the next couple blog entries to go around the world with Zomo and experience all they have to offer.  

I’m a big fan of all things Asian… Sushi, Dim Sum, Udon, Pho, Soup Dumplings, Thai Ice Tea, Green Tea, Anime, Classic Japanese Tattoos, Anime, Kung Fu Movies, Japanese and Chinese Architecture, Japanese inspired fiction (L5R is a big one), etc.  The Anthony Bourdain episode where he explored Tokyo nightlife and food was an incredible time for me and introduced me to the band Merging Moon.  Because of this I couldn’t wait to jump into the Dragon Wall flavor by Zomo.  

To start with, I used the new dragon wall packed into a vitria bowl with a lotus + hmd and 2 cocourth cubes on a Union Hookah with Union Hose.  I used a fluff pack, and replaced the 2 cubes about an hour into the session. Solid flavor and cloud production from 5 minutes in to about 1.45 hours. Great mix of mint in the flavor with had a nice tingle and cooling affect to the smooth oriental fruit mix. The oriental fruit has a pleasant  familiar pear and citrus flavor with a hint of something more exotic.  The session starts primarily with fruit notes, and the mint slowly builds during the session leading to a nice tingly mint feeling around the 30 minute mark.  One of the best things about the new line compared to the old line is how well it handles heat.  It heats up really quickly, but never scorches (even when I left the lid on the HMD a little too long.  I will know over the next few months if this or is my favorite, but this definitely blows the old amazon away which was my previous favorite Zomo World line flavor . Will pick up a bigger container on my next order. 

Thoughts on food and drink pairings:  On the alcohol side of things the flavor would blend perfectly with a sweet mai tai which has some complementary fruit flavors.  Due to the fruitiness and mint of the flavor it definitely pairs more with snack foods than a full meal.  I liked enjoying some radish slices with sesame dressing, but it would go nicely with some fruit as well.  Water is always good to stay hydrated and the let the flavor breath.

Let me know what you think, how your experiences are, and what you’d like to see more of in the future!  Smoke On!!!  

-Chris Cettina!