The Almaz Tasting: Three Heats, Three Journeys

A regular shisha is one bowl, one flavour, one long conversation. The Almaz Tasting is something else: a short journey in three stages, built by one of our masters at your table. It is the signature of the lounge, and the best way to understand what a shisha can do when someone really takes care of it.

How it works

The tasting is three heats over roughly ninety minutes. A heat is one stage of the session: the master prepares the bowl, brings the coals to a steady glow, and lets the flavour open. When it has given its best, the next heat begins, and the profile moves on.

You do not have to manage anything. The master watches the heat, changes the coals, and explains what is coming next. You smoke, talk, and notice how the taste changes.

The three journeys

Each tasting follows one journey, chosen at the start:

• SEVER, fresh and mineral. Cool, clean and bright. The journey for people who like a crisp, light smoke.
• ZAKAT, fruity and gourmand. Ripe, sweet and rounded. The most generous of the three, and an easy choice for a group.
• NOCH, bold, woody and spiced. Deep, warm and lingering. A late-night journey, for people who already know they like intensity.

The names are Russian: sever is the north, zakat the sunset, noch the night, a nod to the Slavic side of the house.

Standard or Premium

The tasting comes in two versions:

• Almaz Tasting, Standard: 500K.
• Almaz Tasting, Premium: 700K.

Both follow the same three-heat ritual; Premium is the upgraded version, and the master will explain the difference for the journey you choose. If this is your first tasting, Standard is a good place to start; if you already smoke Premium, stay there.

How to get the most from it

1. Come early enough to give it ninety minutes. It is not a tasting to rush before a taxi.
2. Choose one journey for the table. Three heats are meant to be shared and discussed.
3. Tell the master what you like. A sentence is enough: “fresh”, “sweet”, “strong”. They adapt the details.
4. Eat lightly around it. Mezze, hummus or a Greek salad work better than a full steak during the session.

Who it is for

Couples who want something to do together that is not another cocktail. Groups celebrating something. People who have smoked shisha for years and want to see a master work. And anyone curious about the difference between a bowl that is made and a bowl that is looked after.

The lounge is open 24 hours a day, so the tasting is available at any hour. Shisha is served to guests aged 18 and over. Read more about the lounge and our masters, or book a table and ask for the tasting when you arrive.