Portola by Trabuco Vapors - Review

Dustmight;12788035 said:

Over the weekend I was gifted a sample of Portola by Trabuco Vapors Portola | Trabuco Vapors from the one and only Mr. Mann. I've abstained from tobacco vapes for a full 48 hours (which is damn hard to do) in order to dedicate a fresh palate to the tasting of this juice.

For ya'll not familiar with Trabuco, they are a NET liquid vendor that create their tobacco extractions in Irish Whiskey. I believe there is one selection in which the maceration medium is Rum, but I'm 100% on that. Additionally these are high VG juices seemingly designed presumably for the Cali vape crowd. Thus far this is the only selection I've tried, so I can't draw any comparisons from one to another.

The nose on the bottle scent is strong. A faint "boozy" top note followed by a coca-cake like base. Jostling the bottle around a bit, you would never suspect this to be a high VG juice. Me thinks the Whiskey flavor suspension dilutes the VG down considerably when mixed. And judging by the intensity of the smell, it's a healthy % of flavoring.

Dripping into a 510 atty the inhale reveals a very similar flavor profile as the bottle notes, only much smoother and rounded out at the edges. The flavor of the whiskey, not the "alcohol" per say, is much more noticeable and there's a musky tone occupying the middle ground. This must be the tobacco component, which also confirms to me that this is an ol' fashioned maceration, and not a new fangled smart science Co2 extract. It's dirty. But not in a bad way. It's almost like the flavor evidence of the human involvement in the process…if that makes any sense. Much like the way a home brewed stout differs from a can of *shudders* Guinness. The exhale meanders between the whiskey flavor and the semi-sweet notes which never become overpowering, but do keep me guessing as to what they are exactly. Cocoa? Vanilla Bean?

The most burning (see what I did there) question is however, where is the tobacco?

The answer, is in the room note. If this company doesn't make it in the e-liquid business, they certainly have a future in aroma-therapy. I couldn't tell you what tobacco variety is in this concoction, but there is a smokey element, accompanied by a woodsy funk (think wet leaves on a fall day) and a hint of vanilla that hangs heavily in the room.

If they can figure out how to bring more of that room experience back into the vape, this could be an exemplary NET juice on all counts.
Even though taste and smell are inextricably linked, the experience is heavily weighted toward the olfactory. Perhaps an extended steep might do the trick, but for now I would categorize this as a G-damn good savory, boozy dessert vape.

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