Red Kastle Olivewood Natural Lump Coals

[Shifty]

Red Kastle Olive Wood Hookah Charcoals:

Alrighty then, so I purchased a kilo bag of this to see what all the hype is about with Natural Wood Coals.

This is the package that it came in, Just a normal bag nothing fancy, ziplock top, gritty and dirty but thats to be expected.



Size: 9/10
Inside the bag are many chunks in various shapes and sizes. Some are short and thin, some are long and thick, some are actually good and cylindrical. The only problem this poses is unpredictability for heat management. Now I understand this is the gamble you take with natural wood that is unprocessed, but its worth pointing out here.


Lighting : 8/10

These things scared the hell out of me while lighting them. It was like I was igniting a piece of wood with bugs in it. It snapped, it popped, it flared all around. I was using the standard blowtorch to get the job done, and it took about 4 minutes of constant heat to get things started up, followed by sitting the coal next to a fan for 2-3 minutes to heat it. Once it was lit, and I crap you not, it sounded like someone had a bowl of Rice Krispys in my room. This stuff is snapping and popping every second. So much so that I am deciding to use a windcover on it, just in case an ember decides to pop off and land on the carpet.





Taste: 10/10

Well, I will give it to people who say that natural coal is the way to go. This stuff has no taste or smell to it as I am using it. None, cant smell a thing, not to mention, cant taste anything except the shisha cooking. Excellent, that's what I'm aiming for.

Functionality: 9/10

The ash on the coal as it burns is white and flakes off in layers. The wood piece is continuing to snap as it sits there, but I have removed the windscreen to try and trust it. With the pieces being random in size, it is going to be harder to judge the time each piece will burn. This particular chunk I lighted and have been using so far for 20 minutes, the only change it has made is it is completely white now covered with ash. I have yet to knock any off because it is still hot and I am still getting good clouds....Ok I just ashed the piece by tapping it against the charcoal tray. It stayed in its lump and only shed a small layer of itself.







Price: 8/10

This is a kilo bag however due to the randomness of the pieces, you aren't going to get as many as you would if they were stackable or more uniform in size. But again, this is a "Natural" coal so I can't fault it too bady, but at 10 dollars it is a little more pricey then some other naturals out there. Not too bad though.

Overall : 9.55/10

Since this is my first experience with a natural, I am actually quite pleased with them. I was very skeptical reading plenty of cons for this type of coal, but also many good things as well. I would recommend these to people if they have the tools to take advantage of it. If you don't have a torch or stove top you may want to pass these up though. All in all, a great way if you have the time.

Hope this was helpful. Shifty, Out.

PS. The chunk I used has lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes