Getting your own line of products for your hookah store seems to be all the rage right now and I’m damn happy about it. New products hitting the market means that the old dogs need to stay on their toes. Some of them will step up their game and stay competitive. Others will try to discourage you from trying new things. I’m all about trying new things and will only discourage you if I’ve tried it first and it sucks. One of those new things is Coco-Ultimate Coconut Charcoal from UltimateHookah.com. These coals were generously donated by Neiman from Ultimate Hookah so I could review them with the understanding that they would be reviewed fairly. He expected nothing less.
Coconut charcoal is my charcoal of choice but it’s a little expensive by my standards. As you folks are aware, I love Coconara coals and they are the standard by which I measure other coals that I try. These new coals are about the same size as Coconaras but slightly smaller. Without comparing them side by side you would never know. I thought this would translate into a shorter burn time but they were equal when used side by side.
Charcoal dust on your fingers. You are going to get a little on your fingers when handling these coals. Nobody is going to think you just came out of a shift at a Chilean coal mine but I wouldn’t suggest wearing your new powder blue tuxedo to this party. Or any party. Powder blue is a terrible color for a tuxedo.
The biggest issue I have had with these coals (possibly the only real issue) is that they smell when lighting. it’s kind of a campfire smell and fairl natural. Some of my friends actually enjoy the flavor. I like the smell of a campfire but everything I’ve learned about fire has told me to keep campfires out of the kitchen. They aren’t so bad that I suggest lighting them outside but they will put off a smell. It’s somewhat similar to the last batch of Chronic Hookah Coals I dealt with before I gave up on them. Maybe a little better than that. Not the quick light CH coals. Those should be lit outside and never in an enclosed are.
These coals add no flavor to the session and only at one point have I ever had a slightly coal like flavor when I slipped up on my rotation. Pretty standard for a good quality coconut charcoal. I would be more surprised if there was a distinct taste in any of the 30 or so coals I have used out of the box.
Like I said earlier the burn was comparable to other high quality coconut charcoals but the heat was similar as well. Two of these on my Crown Hookahs Crown Classic V2 is perfect and one can work for a ‘short’ session of only about 45 minutes before the heat is too low to smoke properly. I would suggest two of these on a standard Egyptian bowl.
The weirdest thing about these coals is the rust colored ash. I’m trying to find more information on these and will happily update you folks when I figure the reason out but the ash from these things is almost jack-o-lantern orange. Maybe this was a tie in with their new pumpkin pie flavor? No. That’s a silly idea and i am ashamed that I came up with it. More likely it’s a matter of the binder they use. Perhaps it’s a rice starch rather than corn, which is more commonly used in coconut coals.
The price point is currently awesome. 108 pieces for about 9 bucks before shipping. They also have a 3 pack deal that’s an ever better deal. At 24 bucks for 3 boxes you’re getting each one for 8 dollars.
And now the bad news…. That’s a temporary price. Ultimate Hookah is offering these coals for such a cheap price as an introductory rate. After that’s over they are going to jump up to the same price as Coconaras, which I think is over priced for these coals. If these stayed at the current price they would be one of the best deals on the market. Kanara Coconut Charcoals just vanished from the market so there is a gap in the field of good decent coconut charcoal at a low price. These could take that spot! When they go up to their final price I see no reason to not spend the same money and get Coconaras.
All in all I think these are great coals and if I needed charcoal at the moment I would jump on a 3 pack deal and get some great coals for a cheap price. At the current price these are the coals to buy and I suggest doing so if you need coals. If these go up to their projected price I don’t think I’ll be buying them again any time soon. Coconaras smell less and offer the same performance with less concern over what is in the recipe list so they are still top dog in my book.