As most enthusiasts know, there are a lot of different bowls companies out there. And with each bowl company, there are many different types or styles of bowls to choose from. Today, we're going to be taking a look at Alpaca Bowl company, specifically. Alpaca is a USA based bowl company with a lot of history behind it. And, like most bowl companies, they have a a few different styles of bowls to choose from. Each comes with different pros and cons, and they're good for different types of tobacco. We're going to be doing a deep dive, and telling you what each bowl is good for, and what it's not good for.
The Predator
The Alpaca Predator is one of Alpaca's most popular bowls. It's one of the most iconic bowls in the hookah enthusiast circle, and has been for a while. It's well known for it's classic funnel design and shallow capacity, but what really sets it apart is the spire bridge. This is meant to completely nullify foil drag, and ensure that you'll have optimal airflow, despite your worst foiling jobs. This, as a result, means that it does not work for traditional HMD's, however it does fit (and work exceptionally well with) the Provost. You can expect the Predator bowl to hold about 20-25g of tobacco, and this makes it great for sessions with things that like a fluff pack, like Al Fakher, semi-dense pack, like Trifecta, and it can even work with dense Tangiers packs (although this isn't the best choice for Tangiers).
The Apache
The Apache bowl is another signature Alpaca bowl. It's well known for it's pseudo funnel design - meaning that it's designed with a raised spire, but instead of a single hole, it has many smaller holes. This helps to add some restriction to your session, meaning that your draw will be a little tighter than it would be with a normal funnel bowl. A lot of people like this, as it means that you'll get a little bit more flavor than you would with a super open draw. The bowl is also pretty shallow, and similar in width to the Predator bowl. This means that it's great for the Provost, and while it can work with other, more traditional, HMD's, it's not a perfect fit. Due to the shallower nature of this bowl, it's a great choice for things that take a dense pack, like Tangiers, and it works well with things like Trifecta, that take a semi dense pack. I wouldn't recommend this bowl for things that take a fluff pack, like Al Fakher, however. This bowl has had a few different sizes, ranging from small to large. Most of what I'm talking about here applies to the small and medium bowls more specifically, whereas the larger variation is practically the opposite - great for fluff pack brands, not as good for dense pack brands. It's also worth noting that Alpaca makes the medium and large (or regular sized) Apache bowls in regular circulation, whereas the small variation is something that comes in limited releases. The Apache large will hold about 30g of tobacco, the medium about 25g, and the small roughly 20g.
The Rook
The Rook bowl is the most traditional of the bowls that Alpaca offers, as it's a traditional funnel bowl. The biggest variation on this bowl is the rooked spire, which helps to provide extra airflow and help prevent foil drag. This bowl, as of late, also comes in a much more shallow variety, making it great for dark leaf brands that take a semi-dense to dense pack, however in it's most traditional format, this bowl excels at fluff pack brands, as it's a very deep and wide bowl. The traditional rook, while it fits traditional HMD's, isn't a great fit for the Provost.
In addition to the standard Rook, Alpaca also has the mini Rook bowl - which is exactly as it sounds, a smaller rook bowl. The mini rook is smaller in diameter, while still maintaining the same relative depth of the rook bowl. This makes it a perfect fit for the Provost, and means that it's a lot more viable for dark leaf tobaccos, such as Tangiers.
The standard Rook bowl will hold about 30-35g of tobacco, while the mini Rook will hold about 15-20g of tobacco.
The Symphony
Where the Predator is a deep bowl with a spire bridge, the Symphony is a wide and shallow bowl with a spire bridge. This means that it will share a lot of the same qualities as the predator bowl - you won't have any issues with foil drag, and your airflow is guaranteed. However, in contrast to the deep nature of the Predator, the Symphony's wide nature means that it will be better suited for dark leaf tobaccos that take a dense pack, like Tangiers, or brands that take a semi-dense pack, like Trifecta.The real downside to this bowl is that because it's wider, it doesn't fit the Provost as well as the Predator bowl does. And due to the spire bridge, it also means that it doesn't fit traditional HMD's either. This bowl isn't Alpaca's most popular by any stretch of the imagination, however I don't think that makes it a bad bowl either. The Symphony holds about 18-20g of tobacco, depending on what you pack.
The Suri Bowl
The Alpaca Suri bowl is a slight variation on the already popular Predator bowl. While it shares the exact same dimensions - meaning it's a deeper and narrower bowl that will fit the provost well - it simply doesn't have a spire bridge. Other than that, all of the same properties that apply to the Predator, apply here. Great for dark leaf tobaccos that take a semi dense pack, and brands that take a fluff pack. It fits the provost well, and because it doesn't have the spire bridge, it means that this bowl can fit traditional HMD's, unlike the Predator. So if you don't feel like you need a spire bridge, or if you want the ability to use traditional HMD's, you should pick this bowl over the Predator. Like the Predator, you can expect the Suri bowl to hold about 25g of tobacco.
The LeRook and LiPache
The LeRook and Lipache bowls are two variations on bowls that we've already talked about - the Rook and Apache bowls. These two bowls feature an HMD lip on the edge of the bowl, meaning that not only will they be a perfect fit for traditional HMD's, it also means that they'll be locked into place, so you don't have to worry about the HMD falling off at any point in your session. These bowls, like the Apache and Rook, come in a shallow and deep design, and the same properties of those bowls will apply to these bowls as well.
The Egy
Based on the famous Egyptian style bowl, the Alpaca Egy is a new take on the classic design. Like most Egyptian style bowls, it has holes scattered throughout the bottom of the bowl. However, instead of having a flat bottom to the bowl, it has a dome like spire, helping to decrease the amount of tobacco that the bowl holds. All in all, it's not supremely different from an Egyptian bowl, it's more of an homage to the classic bowl that brought hookah to where it's at today. This bowl did find it's way out of circulation for a while, however over the last month or so, Alpaca has started to bring it back. These bowls will come in one general size (being made from hand means that the bowls will differ slightly from bowl to bowl), and they're perfect for anything that works well in a standard Egyptian bowl - things like Pure, Al Fakher, Nakhla, Haze, and so on and so forth, whereas it won't be as great for things like Tangiers, or Trifecta Dark. The Egy bowl will hold about 30g of tobacco, varying based on what you're packing.
Alpaca Bowl?
Alpaca is a titan of the industry, and a good example of what the industry standard should be , and for good reason. They make some of the best bowls, with some of the most practical designs on the market. What do you think? Do any of these bowls sound like they would go well in your collection? Are there any that sound like they would work well for you? Let us know in the comments down below! As always, thank you guys so much for reading, and happy smokes!