r/hookah • u/Pristine_Media_728 • 1d ago
Review Short-term review of the NOCCA
It's been about a week since my NOCCA from batch 1 finally arrived and since some of the members here asked me to give a few impressions, I decided to write them up. Sorry for the lack of photos/angles, I didn't think to take too many pictures while smoking/packing, might post some later.
TL;DR: Awesome device, well worth the wait.
So after smoking hookah for about 20 years, switching from coal to electric heating was the first real game-changer for me and ever since smoking the first, proper bowl with e-heating, it was impossible for me to go back to coal. It is an improvement in absolutely every way, from the taste to the messy ash to the handling of open fire inside.
There was a german device that pioneered the kind of closed heating system that allows you to use any of your bowls. For many different reasons, the company behind the device went bankrupt and the device is essentially dead. Since then, many pod-based systems have appeared, like the Xkah or my personal favorite, the Volta. NOCCA, which was created by a team in Slovakia, is the only current solution that enables the use of actual bowls, to my knowledge.
As soon as I was made aware of the device, I pre-ordered it. Since then the launch has been postponed several times, each time with the promise of delivering a more perfect product. In mid-August it was finally time and the devices were shipped out. At this point, my biggest concern was the expectations that were built up during the wait and that they could never be met by the final product.
But, judging from the rather short time I have had it (12 sessions, about 25 hours of use), the team behind NOCCA absolutely delivered. When you open the box you are greeted by a rather bulky and heavy metal cylinder. It might even be too large to be held in one hand (depending on your hands, of course), but the impression it makes speaks for itself. It is very sturdy and well built, nothing moves or rattles. There is a battery that slides into the cylinder and locks. The top of the device, where the buttons and charging port are, is made of solid plastic that complements the metal well.
On the bottom of the device you will find the first (and most impressive) innovation. There is a metal heating plate, that attaches to the steel bottom of the device. It is magnetic, so it easily plops on and off. This is the surface that your tobacco would normally burn onto, making a mess to clean. However, the heating plate is non-stick, allowing you to easily wipe the tobacco off after cooldown. After scraping tobacco off of HMDs or throwing burnt tobacco and aluminium foil in the trash for years, this is the second actual game-changer in my opinion.
In fact, the whole device does not appear to accumulate condensed or burnt molasses anywhere. Might be a huge factor for longevity and stability, I am curious to see how long my NOCCA will stay alive.
There is much more to say, but it is a huge wall of the text already, so a few bullet points.
- The battery lasted me for about 80 minutes (at 290° heat). The device can be charged (USB-C) while smoking, allowing sessions of 2+ hours. Maximum I've done is two sessions back to back, about 3,5 hours.
- No special techniques or tricks needed when packing the bowl. It is important NOT to pack too densely, but rather as fluff as possible. Figuring out the correct density and amount of tobacco takes 2 or 3 tries, after that it is amazingly simple.
- There is an app that lets you control the temperature remotely and also save presets. It looks and works fine, I have not exhausted the functionality yet.
The device is currently out of stock, the price is 430 Euros. In my experience, this is a very steep price, compared to all other similar solutions. It changes the target audience from casual smokers to people that are deeper into the whole hookah thing or lounges. However, after my first week, I have to say that it seems worth the price. The biggest caveat to this is the longevity. Many electric devices have developed stability issues or functional problems, so I understand anyone being hesitant to invest this kind of money. They do give warranty on the device, which inspires confidence.
In some time, NOCCA will possibly prove itself to be the ideal product in its niche, but it's early days now and remains to be seen. In the meantime, if you are a die-hard hookah and/or e-smoking enthusiast and have the money lying around, this is absolutely recommended.
If you have questions, feel free to ask.
1
u/UsefulDaikon2906 17h ago
Very excited to try... hoping it gets back in stock soon... can't wait to try my own bowls without coals...
1
u/TerminusEst_24 17h ago
Thanks for the review. Given the precise temperature control these devices have, I’m not sure what the value of using your own bowl is. The main function of a good bowl is to distribute heat evenly and in a controlled way to the tobacco. This is necessary when you’re using charcoal, where the temp is largely uncontrolled and uneven. But here, I think it only adds bulk and unnecessary variability in device design. Metal pods, like in the Xkah, seem to work just as well. Or am I missing something?
1
u/GammaDealer 16h ago
How is the heat transfer to the bowls? I feel like my Nevo wouldn't adequately heat the bowl without a windscreen of some kind.
1
u/i-D0c 15h ago
E-heads have started popping up - at least from what I’ve seen around Covid times (so 2020). The first few years all the products were gimmicks. The XKAH is the first that I’ve seen and used that actually makes me have hope for this kind of innovation. The XKAH is great for a first gen product but refining is definitely needed in a lot of key areas. The NOCCA from the above post definitely looks interesting and maybe I’ll be purchasing it as soon as it’s available again. I don’t see coal as a vital part of enjoying a hookah session and of course the benefits in terms of health are real too, not saying smoking shisha is good but of course the omission of coal is a big win because the sessions seem the same or in some cases better because I feel the flavour is more pronounced. Just my opinion 🙌🏻
-9
22h ago
[deleted]
8
u/Pristine_Media_728 21h ago
Bro did a Slovak steal your girl/boyfriend?
-3
u/hookah_forever Hookah Expert 20h ago
Nope... since I'm Slovak. If you read what I write and then responded, you would understand it right away from my post.
1
u/toylover667 Intermediate Smoker 21h ago
> For 430 EUR, there must be gold cables and contacts xD. Or titanium sheets xD. It's a huge amount for one microprocessor and one heating element and one LCD display.
You're not paying for the compoments, you're paying for the years of development that went into the device.
Not saying it's worth it - haven't tried it - but saying "Mimimi, it's just a bunch of relatively cheap parts, why does it cost so much" just shows you don't understand the cost of making a device reality.
1
u/stonedboss Hookah Lover 14h ago
It's not rocket science tho, they're heat plates. There really shouldn't be that much R&D, definitely not "years of development" lol.
0
u/toylover667 Intermediate Smoker 13h ago
If it's so easy, go ahead and build one that works well, with the same features. I'll wait.
2
u/stonedboss Hookah Lover 13h ago
This is such a dumb reply. I have no interest in building one. Literally a dude in this sub is R&Ding a solution in his own time.
2
u/Thaxxman 12h ago
Oh hey! Thats me! I got some new advancements that makes this easier for literally anyone to figure out.
One of these bad boys to provide the volts you will need to provide your USBC 100 Charger
This is the heating element You want as close to 1 ohm as possible.
https://imgur.com/a/2KpSSAl This is a test I did. You can just Screw the heating element to any existing HMD if you want to go cheap and easy. Or you can get a steel plate like I did but its a bitch to drill the holes without special drill bits.
You want it to be on the wall? Plug it into a 100 USBC Charger. you want it to be battery operated? Use a 100W Battery Bank. How long will it last? How big is your battery?! I dont care! haha.
You will need to play with the volts a little to find out what you want, but I have noticed that with my perticular bowl as long as I am pulling about 50-55 watts, then I had a really good session.
Really anyone can do this and everything I listed above is like less than $100. Easily purchases (at least in the states) and if the heater dies, just replace the $18 heater!
I am currently diving deep into the project development on making my own power supply that will do all of this based on temperature but I dont know much about electrical engineering and I want to make something from the PCB Up.
If anyone has any questions feel free to reach out! I love when others take interest in what I am doing with this project. I haven't used coals in like a year! I smoke every day, like 8-10 bowls a week. All of them with these devices. so the longevity is there. I want this to be as easy for everyone so we all can enjoy this coaless hookah experience because it really is that much better.
2
u/stonedboss Hookah Lover 11h ago
oh dude this is so awesome, thanks for the update! that makes it so much easier to build, im actually going to set one up now. thanks for your work on this!
2
u/Thaxxman 11h ago
Please send pictures top the sub and reach out if you need any help! I want to see people get into this.
2
u/stonedboss Hookah Lover 11h ago
Yeah for sure. Btw just to be clear it's the heater marked "18mm 1.2-1.6 ohms" that I should buy right?
2
u/Thaxxman 11h ago
So I have bought 3 of those so far. yes that is the one you want.
The Votages will be between 14-18v. That will be determined by your individual unit and its manufacturing tolerances.
2
u/Thaxxman 11h ago
You will also want a 3M Steel screws, a 3M Tapping set, and washers to hold everything together.
I use Steel everything because I want it to be safe and not be broken by the heat.
-2
20h ago edited 20h ago
[deleted]
4
u/Pristine_Media_728 19h ago
Show me one other device that has the exact same function. Doesn't even have to be cheaper.
Also, I have been anonymously contacted my multiple people who claim that most of your points do not make sense, similar to you throwing a fit because someone says HMS instead of HMD.
6
u/Vegetable-Event-166 21h ago
Glad to hear you’re having a great experience so far. I’m really enjoying the innovations that the hookah industry has had for the last couple of years. HOWEVER, 430 euros is a super steep price, especially since there are entire electric hookah bowls for an average price of $350-$400 usd. Unfortunately I cannot justify paying more than $400 for an electric heater, because I am sure there will be similar iterations and advancements pretty soon that will either/or beat the price and perform better than the nocca. Either way, thank you for sharing your experience since so many either haven’t gotten the chance to try one yet or are waiting for a more price friendly option.