Newb reviews. Where was that beaten path?
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Oh yeah. Just lovely. Definitely going onto the 'reorder list' which I'll get to as I have more juices to compare.
Spelling, spelling, spelling. Yeesh. I'm an engineer. English is a second language here.
You would not believe how many words I look up in some of my reviews. (Sad thing is the boss is an amazing speller. As in 100% proofreading at scanning speed, including wrong words or duplicates. It's unreal.)
Spelling, spelling, spelling. Yeesh. I'm an engineer. English is a second language here.
You would not believe how many words I look up in some of my reviews. (Sad thing is the boss is an amazing speller. As in 100% proofreading at scanning speed, including wrong words or duplicates. It's unreal.)
Now this one took me a while. Probably because I was messing with equipment yesterday. Which is a little note on the side of this ejuice review as well.
Technicals: I really wanted to try something good in my new KFL+ clone. So this isn't quite still a newb review, however I found some interesting things. This juice fries very, very easily. Surprising for a semi-fruit, so be warned. I also can't do a lung inhale on a really heavy vapor with it. Only my VV3 would fire the coil in the KFL as well, even at 1.8 ohms. So a starting cautionary note, that your mileage will probably vary quite a bit with this in a regular clearomizer.
Ahlusion - Ole!
When I started vaping this, I was like, "What in the world? Flowers? Is that like orange blossom or something?" then I gave it some time. Vaped a little more, still pretty floral and is that some alcohol in there? Now remember, all of these are FOOB and fresh mixed. This is Ahlusion we're talking about. So it was ok, but it just kept scratching at the back of my through, making me cough. Eh, maybe it's the KFL. Never used one before.
Fast forward about 12 hours. It's been sitting in the tank overnight. Now it really starts to pick up. Still quite heavy on the fruit, but now I can taste the tang of the wine underneath it and complexity. There's a lot of nice orange in the middle, playing with the darker wine underneath and now the floral note is more of a grace note, keeping the fruits from being too sweet. That's better.
Oh, what's this? Another vape. Hmmm, now I'm getting more wine and less fruit. This is good. I'm liking this. Maybe there's a little apple, pineapple, somewhere in there. Still a little floral on the top, maybe this time it's hibiscus?! Well, that would make sense. Some beach, some where, flowers and fruit and wine. That's sangria. Maybe not the northern baja style I'm used to, but very nice. More like down the beach a ways, further south.
There it is. Cabo San Lucas. Land of sun and surf. Hibiscus flowers and a summer breeze. Tart/sweet orange, nice base with the wine underneath, a hint of flower and tropical on the top, and it all changes depending on the vape. A hard, fast draw and it's light and sweet, with Ahlusion's trademark carbonation feel. Slow and easy, the wine and orange shows through perfectly. Wonderful piece of work.
Hmmm, two ADV's from Ahlusion out of two. Again, now that it's had even a little chance to settle, it's so changeable I want just one more vape to find another set of flavors. Awwwwww, I ran out. Where did it all go?
It's that kind of vape and should improve tremendously with age. Very tasty and light, surprisingly light for a sangria, but flavorful enough to keep me coming back just one more time. Now if you're expecting a boxed cheap sangria with a Spanish style wine base, this isn't it. It's far lighter and fruitier, with significant floral notes. However, on a hot summer day, on the beach, with the sun and the sand, it's perfect.
Technicals: I really wanted to try something good in my new KFL+ clone. So this isn't quite still a newb review, however I found some interesting things. This juice fries very, very easily. Surprising for a semi-fruit, so be warned. I also can't do a lung inhale on a really heavy vapor with it. Only my VV3 would fire the coil in the KFL as well, even at 1.8 ohms. So a starting cautionary note, that your mileage will probably vary quite a bit with this in a regular clearomizer.
Ahlusion - Ole!
When I started vaping this, I was like, "What in the world? Flowers? Is that like orange blossom or something?" then I gave it some time. Vaped a little more, still pretty floral and is that some alcohol in there? Now remember, all of these are FOOB and fresh mixed. This is Ahlusion we're talking about. So it was ok, but it just kept scratching at the back of my through, making me cough. Eh, maybe it's the KFL. Never used one before.
Fast forward about 12 hours. It's been sitting in the tank overnight. Now it really starts to pick up. Still quite heavy on the fruit, but now I can taste the tang of the wine underneath it and complexity. There's a lot of nice orange in the middle, playing with the darker wine underneath and now the floral note is more of a grace note, keeping the fruits from being too sweet. That's better.
Oh, what's this? Another vape. Hmmm, now I'm getting more wine and less fruit. This is good. I'm liking this. Maybe there's a little apple, pineapple, somewhere in there. Still a little floral on the top, maybe this time it's hibiscus?! Well, that would make sense. Some beach, some where, flowers and fruit and wine. That's sangria. Maybe not the northern baja style I'm used to, but very nice. More like down the beach a ways, further south.
There it is. Cabo San Lucas. Land of sun and surf. Hibiscus flowers and a summer breeze. Tart/sweet orange, nice base with the wine underneath, a hint of flower and tropical on the top, and it all changes depending on the vape. A hard, fast draw and it's light and sweet, with Ahlusion's trademark carbonation feel. Slow and easy, the wine and orange shows through perfectly. Wonderful piece of work.
Hmmm, two ADV's from Ahlusion out of two. Again, now that it's had even a little chance to settle, it's so changeable I want just one more vape to find another set of flavors. Awwwwww, I ran out. Where did it all go?
It's that kind of vape and should improve tremendously with age. Very tasty and light, surprisingly light for a sangria, but flavorful enough to keep me coming back just one more time. Now if you're expecting a boxed cheap sangria with a Spanish style wine base, this isn't it. It's far lighter and fruitier, with significant floral notes. However, on a hot summer day, on the beach, with the sun and the sand, it's perfect.
You are in for quite a treat as you taste your way through the Ahlusion line-up! 
They're so good, I'm actually spacing them out. Give a little time between treats, especially since I am getting a pretty substantial collection going.
I mean my little holder has run out of room. Time to vape more!
Also, while I love the complex flavors, they do get to be a bit much one right after another. I find I enjoy the good stuff more when it's not all the time. There needs to be some blank space on the walls between the masterpieces.
I mean my little holder has run out of room. Time to vape more!
Also, while I love the complex flavors, they do get to be a bit much one right after another. I find I enjoy the good stuff more when it's not all the time. There needs to be some blank space on the walls between the masterpieces.
Ok, I'd been warned and knew better, but ...
Even in a glass tank with a steel drip tip, Blue Fairy does not go away. Now admittedly, it tastes delicious with Mojito, even the cheapie EC Blends Mojito I'm vaping, but lets just say I bought another protank today and some more heads.
My own recommendation is to keep it separate or at least with other anise/absinthe/mint vapes.
End PSA
Even in a glass tank with a steel drip tip, Blue Fairy does not go away. Now admittedly, it tastes delicious with Mojito, even the cheapie EC Blends Mojito I'm vaping, but lets just say I bought another protank today and some more heads.
My own recommendation is to keep it separate or at least with other anise/absinthe/mint vapes.
End PSA
It's on my 'to be ordered' list. Oh, I did see that, yes. But there were other things higher on the priority list from them.
This one was interesting, especially after Blue Fairy.
Technical: Well, Spinner died, VV3 has Fire and Ice in it, so I'm vaping this on my original Aspire BCD and an eGo from a $15 kit (with sample) from Virgin Vapor. Talk about newb setup. Didn't want to put it in my KFL and the tank I vaped the Blue Fairy in is busy getting drunk. (soaking in vodka) Tastes great, actually. This is one I'd recommend to someone walking out of the shop for the first time because it's so forgiving of equipment. Many of the more complex juices wouldn't stand up to this kind of treatment but it's right at home.
EC Blends - Anise in Black (Cherry with a touch of Vanilla)
According to the description this isn't a pure anise but rather a black licorice, and they hit it spot on. There's that sweet, chewy, almost nutty flavor underneath the anise, like really good black licorice nibs. The kind you get from overseas that make most kids go 'eeeewwww!'
Over the years, I've had a love hate relationship with black licorice. I do like it, but often enough if people know that, they give you the pure HFCS version that tastes like sugar coated burned tires or worse, the jelly bean variety. I'm not even going to try to describe that version beyond saying its a sugar coated variety of the first, at best.
This, however, is an excellent version of the kind of black licorice you might get at an old fashioned candy shop. The kind that still has all the candy in glass jars and you tell the person behind the counter how much you want them to scoop out. Now I'd been a little wary since I wasn't thrilled with the cherry I got from EC Blends but this stuff is really nice. Especially at $9/30 ml. Can't beat that with a stick.
This particular vape is a nice, warming, comforting reminder of country fairs and counting my pennies to see just how many pieces I could afford. It may well make it onto the rotation, as it's no where near as enthusiastic as the other anise based juices I usually vape. It's a much kinder, gentler vape with most of the sharp edges worn away by the cherry and vanilla. It has just enough bite left to remind you anise is not to be trifled with too much.
Technical: Well, Spinner died, VV3 has Fire and Ice in it, so I'm vaping this on my original Aspire BCD and an eGo from a $15 kit (with sample) from Virgin Vapor. Talk about newb setup. Didn't want to put it in my KFL and the tank I vaped the Blue Fairy in is busy getting drunk. (soaking in vodka) Tastes great, actually. This is one I'd recommend to someone walking out of the shop for the first time because it's so forgiving of equipment. Many of the more complex juices wouldn't stand up to this kind of treatment but it's right at home.
EC Blends - Anise in Black (Cherry with a touch of Vanilla)
According to the description this isn't a pure anise but rather a black licorice, and they hit it spot on. There's that sweet, chewy, almost nutty flavor underneath the anise, like really good black licorice nibs. The kind you get from overseas that make most kids go 'eeeewwww!'
Over the years, I've had a love hate relationship with black licorice. I do like it, but often enough if people know that, they give you the pure HFCS version that tastes like sugar coated burned tires or worse, the jelly bean variety. I'm not even going to try to describe that version beyond saying its a sugar coated variety of the first, at best.
This, however, is an excellent version of the kind of black licorice you might get at an old fashioned candy shop. The kind that still has all the candy in glass jars and you tell the person behind the counter how much you want them to scoop out. Now I'd been a little wary since I wasn't thrilled with the cherry I got from EC Blends but this stuff is really nice. Especially at $9/30 ml. Can't beat that with a stick.
This particular vape is a nice, warming, comforting reminder of country fairs and counting my pennies to see just how many pieces I could afford. It may well make it onto the rotation, as it's no where near as enthusiastic as the other anise based juices I usually vape. It's a much kinder, gentler vape with most of the sharp edges worn away by the cherry and vanilla. It has just enough bite left to remind you anise is not to be trifled with too much.
This is going to be a quickie and mostly an addendum to the above review on Blue Fairy
Technicals: Back to my VV3 with the original PT2/3 (using the head from a pt2 in a pt3) I used for the Blue Fairy review. Even in a glass tank, the flavor carries over. I bought another PT3. Whatever. At $10 I can get a new tank and I don't want to vape more than a mil and a half of any of these anyways. Love them though I might, more than a mil or so is about my limit at any one time.
That said, on to the review ...
Ahlusion - Lemon Fairy
This is Blue Fairy's little sister. The same base but with lemon added. And it's a very nice lemon, not to tart and not at all candy like. I'd been vaping this for a while, trying to figure out what was so very familiar about it. I mean yes, I liked the Blue Fairy, but this one is way lighter. I would say delicate, but the flavor isn't airy, just not in any way cloying.
So I'm sitting here, reading through the saloon, my mind wandering, then I hit on it. This is actually more like iced tea! Admittedly with a lot of anise/licorice overtones, but it has the same tartness of good unsweetened iced tea with lemon. Now my pt3 has a hard draw, far harder than I like, so if I really pull on it the anise comes wandering out and gets strong. But if I lighten up and draw a lot of air with it (as if I had adjustable air flow) the anise backs off and all the other flavors come to the fore, particularly the lemon and an almost tannic note, like black tea.
Lovely. I may at some point try another air flow valve and this would be perfect. As it is, well, not a big deal to dilute it down some. That's what ice does after all.
Another great vape and especially in the summer, something I'm going to keep on hand. It's a much more gentle vape than Blue Fairy and a nice contrast. I look forward to going back and forth between the lasses in my new anise tank very, very much.
Edit addendum: Where'd it go? I have vanishing juice! Wow. Never had that happen before. Must have a leak in the tank. You know, like those leaky beer bottles? Get a fresh beer and before you know it, it's vanished. Must be a leak. Bartender!
Good stuff, this one. Maybe it will become an ADV.
Technicals: Back to my VV3 with the original PT2/3 (using the head from a pt2 in a pt3) I used for the Blue Fairy review. Even in a glass tank, the flavor carries over. I bought another PT3. Whatever. At $10 I can get a new tank and I don't want to vape more than a mil and a half of any of these anyways. Love them though I might, more than a mil or so is about my limit at any one time.
That said, on to the review ...
Ahlusion - Lemon Fairy
This is Blue Fairy's little sister. The same base but with lemon added. And it's a very nice lemon, not to tart and not at all candy like. I'd been vaping this for a while, trying to figure out what was so very familiar about it. I mean yes, I liked the Blue Fairy, but this one is way lighter. I would say delicate, but the flavor isn't airy, just not in any way cloying.
So I'm sitting here, reading through the saloon, my mind wandering, then I hit on it. This is actually more like iced tea! Admittedly with a lot of anise/licorice overtones, but it has the same tartness of good unsweetened iced tea with lemon. Now my pt3 has a hard draw, far harder than I like, so if I really pull on it the anise comes wandering out and gets strong. But if I lighten up and draw a lot of air with it (as if I had adjustable air flow) the anise backs off and all the other flavors come to the fore, particularly the lemon and an almost tannic note, like black tea.
Lovely. I may at some point try another air flow valve and this would be perfect. As it is, well, not a big deal to dilute it down some. That's what ice does after all.
Another great vape and especially in the summer, something I'm going to keep on hand. It's a much more gentle vape than Blue Fairy and a nice contrast. I look forward to going back and forth between the lasses in my new anise tank very, very much.
Edit addendum: Where'd it go? I have vanishing juice! Wow. Never had that happen before. Must have a leak in the tank. You know, like those leaky beer bottles? Get a fresh beer and before you know it, it's vanished. Must be a leak. Bartender!
Good stuff, this one. Maybe it will become an ADV.
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Back to Virgin Vapor. Now I'd wanted to wait until I got my new Provari and put it in my KFL+ and ... couldn't wait. Got a cheap pt3 in the mail today (101vapes = amazing turnaround time) with a brand new coil and had to try it. It's been sitting there calling my name since last week!
Now what is it I'm talking about? This is a pre-release vape. Annette isn't quite done with it, but she said I could order it as a custom since I love florals so much. So you won't find it on the web site yet and the final might not be exactly what I'm vaping right now. (Do I have enough suspense yet?)
Technicals: pt3 on a vv3, not a big surprise there. Don't even try it on a PWM mod if you can taste the difference between PWM and DC. I did and it got pretty muddy, even more than a lot of vapes. Turned up the wattage a little and it got really good, but a little warm. This isn't really a vape that's best warm, but it's a nice change if it become your all day vape. Something to fiddle with. I'd love to have it on a dripper and I'll probably do that when I get one. I actually cranked it to max (11 W) and it's still smooth and amazing. No frying or nastiness. I think I'll leave it there for a while. But it's good at the bottom, too, nice and delicate and well, floral. (duh)
Side note: If you're suffering from vaper's tongue, this could be perfect. Almost all the flavor is in the sinuses. I'd say over 90%, so you wouldn't be missing much unless you had a cold.
So, still with me? Want to find out what this new vape from the Amazing Annette is?
Here we go ...
Virgin Vapor - Lavender
Lavender is a member of the mint family and has a long history of being used in food. Oddly enough, not in the original Herbes de Provence, for which it's most famously known in the US. (Hadn't known that. Learn something every day or you're not trying hard enough.) And like it's close relatives, it has a very fresh flavor. See Is Lavender a Type of Sage Plant? | eHow for a little more information.
But what does it taste like? Well, it tastes like it smells. That's why lavender is one of the primary notes in perfume making and has never been replaced in foods that use that particular note. Now it's not the sweet lavender found in cheap perfume. That stuff is nasty. If you've ever smelled fresh sagebrush on a cool morning in the desert or well, smelled some dried lavender blossoms, that's it. That almost dusty sage, floral, spicy, fresh flavor with almost a little sweet cedar smoke. Definitely a little cedar in there, a freshness on the finish that isn't quite mint, or sweet, or cedar, or even basil, but similar to all of them at once and still different.
This is the kind of vape to sit back while working on the computer or reading a book and enjoy. It's not a 'hey, I'm here, pay attention to me' kind of vape. It's a relaxing, fresh, easy going vape that doesn't stick it's nose in your face and demand all of your attention. Its the one purring in your ear, happy to be with you and be your friend.
And I think happy is actually the best description of the flavor of lavender. Not happy in the sense of needing one of those special white coats with the long sleeves or the tigger sense of bouncing all over the place, but rather the happiness of being with your best friend while enjoying other pursuits. You know they're there and you're happy to be with them, but there's no pressure to do anything more than enjoy the moment.
Now what is it I'm talking about? This is a pre-release vape. Annette isn't quite done with it, but she said I could order it as a custom since I love florals so much. So you won't find it on the web site yet and the final might not be exactly what I'm vaping right now. (Do I have enough suspense yet?)
Technicals: pt3 on a vv3, not a big surprise there. Don't even try it on a PWM mod if you can taste the difference between PWM and DC. I did and it got pretty muddy, even more than a lot of vapes. Turned up the wattage a little and it got really good, but a little warm. This isn't really a vape that's best warm, but it's a nice change if it become your all day vape. Something to fiddle with. I'd love to have it on a dripper and I'll probably do that when I get one. I actually cranked it to max (11 W) and it's still smooth and amazing. No frying or nastiness. I think I'll leave it there for a while. But it's good at the bottom, too, nice and delicate and well, floral. (duh)
Side note: If you're suffering from vaper's tongue, this could be perfect. Almost all the flavor is in the sinuses. I'd say over 90%, so you wouldn't be missing much unless you had a cold.
So, still with me? Want to find out what this new vape from the Amazing Annette is?
Here we go ...
Virgin Vapor - Lavender
Lavender is a member of the mint family and has a long history of being used in food. Oddly enough, not in the original Herbes de Provence, for which it's most famously known in the US. (Hadn't known that. Learn something every day or you're not trying hard enough.) And like it's close relatives, it has a very fresh flavor. See Is Lavender a Type of Sage Plant? | eHow for a little more information.
But what does it taste like? Well, it tastes like it smells. That's why lavender is one of the primary notes in perfume making and has never been replaced in foods that use that particular note. Now it's not the sweet lavender found in cheap perfume. That stuff is nasty. If you've ever smelled fresh sagebrush on a cool morning in the desert or well, smelled some dried lavender blossoms, that's it. That almost dusty sage, floral, spicy, fresh flavor with almost a little sweet cedar smoke. Definitely a little cedar in there, a freshness on the finish that isn't quite mint, or sweet, or cedar, or even basil, but similar to all of them at once and still different.
This is the kind of vape to sit back while working on the computer or reading a book and enjoy. It's not a 'hey, I'm here, pay attention to me' kind of vape. It's a relaxing, fresh, easy going vape that doesn't stick it's nose in your face and demand all of your attention. Its the one purring in your ear, happy to be with you and be your friend.
And I think happy is actually the best description of the flavor of lavender. Not happy in the sense of needing one of those special white coats with the long sleeves or the tigger sense of bouncing all over the place, but rather the happiness of being with your best friend while enjoying other pursuits. You know they're there and you're happy to be with them, but there's no pressure to do anything more than enjoy the moment.
Just found this thread this evening and I love your reviews! You take it to a whole new level! Thanks especially for the Djarum review. I just started vaping about 5 days ago and have been searching for that. Have read a # of reviews on other clove juices, but none seemed to be as good as the one you reviewed. I will definitely have to order that one. Thanks! I look forward to your future reviews.
Thanks especially for the Djarum review. I just started vaping about 5 days ago and have been searching for that. Have read a # of reviews on other clove juices, but none seemed to be as good as the one you reviewed. I will definitely have to order that one. Thanks! I look forward to your future reviews.
Thank you very much. I'm having a blast with this. For me it's fun to try to paint the entire picture of a particular juice.
Glad you're enjoying them. And even once I get through this initial "Must try everything phase!" I'll probably always have a regular supply of new things to try. That's one of the great joys of vaping for me.
So far, as a new vaper, I haven't had anything bad from a high end vendor. But then I was very, very careful in how I selected them. All of the high end vendors (>$0.50/ml at 30ml) were companies that extracted many of their own flavors or used extremely high quality flavorings, not standard commercial flavorings.
The reason I don't do a lot of lower end stuff is mostly because they're plenty cheap to experiment with and they have far simpler flavor profiles and flavors. Generally I've mostly commented on ones that stuck out or were blends.
Glad you're enjoying them. And even once I get through this initial "Must try everything phase!" I'll probably always have a regular supply of new things to try. That's one of the great joys of vaping for me.
So far, as a new vaper, I haven't had anything bad from a high end vendor. But then I was very, very careful in how I selected them. All of the high end vendors (>$0.50/ml at 30ml) were companies that extracted many of their own flavors or used extremely high quality flavorings, not standard commercial flavorings.
The reason I don't do a lot of lower end stuff is mostly because they're plenty cheap to experiment with and they have far simpler flavor profiles and flavors. Generally I've mostly commented on ones that stuck out or were blends.
Now this one rocked! I'd had this for almost a week as well and was waiting for the perfect opportunity. Well, someone was looking for something like this so ... oh yeah, if I mess something up, I'm not a professional reviewer. You can have my pay docked if you find errors. I'm sure there are some.
Hardware. Cheapie long 510 atty on my vv3 cranked to max, 11W. I wouldn't even try to vape this in a tank of any kind. That would be like putting a filter on a pipe. People do it, but eeewwww!!! Probably best on a mech with a really good dual coil RDA and subohm, but I don't even have a bad RDA yet. I might come back and report once I get one.
Ahlusion - Devil Dog!
For those of you who've smoked a pipe, I'll put the tl;dr version up front. This is the first few draws on a perfectly lit bowl of a good Balkin or English pipe tobacco. Light, smoky, leathery, maybe a little very, very dark molasses on the back of the tongue and a little pepper on the exhale, fantastic!
Now, for those of you who haven't smoked a pipe, here's a really, really quick and dirty intro. There are two main kinds of pipe tobacco, aromatics and English blends. Aromatics have flavoring (called casing) added to them. These can be cherry, vanilla, even licorice. The other kind, English, has very little or no casing and is rarely more than sugar or possibly PG. Now, aromatic tobacco flavors are very common in vaping. English (or Balkan, depnding) is extremely rare, particularly as it's hallmark, a kind of smoked tobacco called Latakia, is extremely difficult to get into a vape form.
Well, Ahlusion did it. They managed to get Latakia tobacco into an ejuice. Now I love Latakia tobacco. To me it tastes great. To some, it smells and tastes like burning dirty sweat socks. It has a very earthy, smokey, dark almost leathery taste to it. Many also find it very rich. Perique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is another tobacco, grown and cured in a very peculiar way and used in classic English blends, giving them a peppery bite that many (including myself) find quite tasty.
Cavendish and burley are other tobaccos used in English blends, but they are less critical to the typical characteristics of an English blend. They are used far more heavily in aromatics, especially in cherry or wine cavendish. Myself, I don't care for high cavendish blends as they taste somewhat sour to me. This is part of why I like the English blends.
So, back to ejuice. (Let me take another few vapes.) This is not a simple, straightforward blend, just as a good English pipe tobacco is (or should be) very complex. It's a little sweet, like very early in a bowl of English blend with maybe a little more of the Virginia or Kentucky tobaccos, but the Latakia and Perique come through beautifully. (as if anything could stop them) There's a lot of leather and smoke to this, probably from the Latakia with a nice clean, peppery bite from the Perique on the finish.
Just delightful. It doesn't have the heavy, almost overwhelming mouth feel and density of pipe smoke, but for a vape, this is probably about as close as it's possible to get in the medium. And for people who haven't smoked a pipe with English blends, it's probably a kick in the teeth. I'd love to subohm this! Actually, this one juice may just be enough to convince me to get a mech with a really good RDA.
It's that good. Now, like I said, if you're not a pipe smoker, it's going to be a shock. This isn't anything like a cigarette. Now it is possible to get cigarettes with real* Perique (certain American Spirit cigarettes) and even Latakia (Balkan Sobranie and a few others) but generally, no, you're not going to find these tobaccos wrapped in paper. If you like rich, earthy, smoky tastes without sweetener or tweaking, then you might want to give this one a try. If the strongest tasting tobacco you've ever tried is any standard American filtered cigarette, you will probably want to pass on this. It is strong for a vape and vaped the way it should be, in a dripper, it would be overwhelming to most people unfamiliar with the taste.
Those of use who do like such things will simply have to vape your share.
*Most so called perique is only in the style. It's nearly extinct in its native form with only a few barrels full a year being produced and much of it going into said cigarettes.
Hardware. Cheapie long 510 atty on my vv3 cranked to max, 11W. I wouldn't even try to vape this in a tank of any kind. That would be like putting a filter on a pipe. People do it, but eeewwww!!! Probably best on a mech with a really good dual coil RDA and subohm, but I don't even have a bad RDA yet. I might come back and report once I get one.
Ahlusion - Devil Dog!
For those of you who've smoked a pipe, I'll put the tl;dr version up front. This is the first few draws on a perfectly lit bowl of a good Balkin or English pipe tobacco. Light, smoky, leathery, maybe a little very, very dark molasses on the back of the tongue and a little pepper on the exhale, fantastic!
Now, for those of you who haven't smoked a pipe, here's a really, really quick and dirty intro. There are two main kinds of pipe tobacco, aromatics and English blends. Aromatics have flavoring (called casing) added to them. These can be cherry, vanilla, even licorice. The other kind, English, has very little or no casing and is rarely more than sugar or possibly PG. Now, aromatic tobacco flavors are very common in vaping. English (or Balkan, depnding) is extremely rare, particularly as it's hallmark, a kind of smoked tobacco called Latakia, is extremely difficult to get into a vape form.
Well, Ahlusion did it. They managed to get Latakia tobacco into an ejuice. Now I love Latakia tobacco. To me it tastes great. To some, it smells and tastes like burning dirty sweat socks. It has a very earthy, smokey, dark almost leathery taste to it. Many also find it very rich. Perique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is another tobacco, grown and cured in a very peculiar way and used in classic English blends, giving them a peppery bite that many (including myself) find quite tasty.
Cavendish and burley are other tobaccos used in English blends, but they are less critical to the typical characteristics of an English blend. They are used far more heavily in aromatics, especially in cherry or wine cavendish. Myself, I don't care for high cavendish blends as they taste somewhat sour to me. This is part of why I like the English blends.
So, back to ejuice. (Let me take another few vapes.) This is not a simple, straightforward blend, just as a good English pipe tobacco is (or should be) very complex. It's a little sweet, like very early in a bowl of English blend with maybe a little more of the Virginia or Kentucky tobaccos, but the Latakia and Perique come through beautifully. (as if anything could stop them) There's a lot of leather and smoke to this, probably from the Latakia with a nice clean, peppery bite from the Perique on the finish.
Just delightful. It doesn't have the heavy, almost overwhelming mouth feel and density of pipe smoke, but for a vape, this is probably about as close as it's possible to get in the medium. And for people who haven't smoked a pipe with English blends, it's probably a kick in the teeth. I'd love to subohm this! Actually, this one juice may just be enough to convince me to get a mech with a really good RDA.
It's that good. Now, like I said, if you're not a pipe smoker, it's going to be a shock. This isn't anything like a cigarette. Now it is possible to get cigarettes with real* Perique (certain American Spirit cigarettes) and even Latakia (Balkan Sobranie and a few others) but generally, no, you're not going to find these tobaccos wrapped in paper. If you like rich, earthy, smoky tastes without sweetener or tweaking, then you might want to give this one a try. If the strongest tasting tobacco you've ever tried is any standard American filtered cigarette, you will probably want to pass on this. It is strong for a vape and vaped the way it should be, in a dripper, it would be overwhelming to most people unfamiliar with the taste.
Those of use who do like such things will simply have to vape your share.
*Most so called perique is only in the style. It's nearly extinct in its native form with only a few barrels full a year being produced and much of it going into said cigarettes.
I don't think I've ever seen a review as detailed as yours. I've been doing a lot of research on different vendors and reviews of their flavors, but nobody gives such an indepth review as you and it's still hard to make a decision based solely on their review. You most definitely paint a full picture and I can imagine the taste with your descriptions, which makes it so much easier to decide on whether to put it on my "to purchase list".
I bought a couple of from my local shop, madvapes, which is also online and have been vaping those the last few days. I have also ordered a couple from Nicoticket and should have those tomorrow. My nephew is also mailing me some juice that he has made. I don't want to buy any of the bigger size bottles until I know for sure that I am going to like them, but once I find the ones that I want to vape again then I will definitely invest in the larger sizes.
Thank you again. It means a lot to me. I think it's a combination of the fact that I've lived with or been married to professional chefs my entire adult life and one of my hobbies has been writing fiction, off and on over the years. Not for publication, but just because I enjoy it.
So glad it shows in these reviews and I really appreciate the feedback. I know when I was buying my first juices, the one thing I wanted was, "More, more, more!" Not just the relative information, since I didn't have any, but the actual flavors. Some of the things I've vaped have really startled me, like the two Ahlushion's fairies. I'd expected them to be much, much stronger. Others surprised me the other way, like Virgin's florals. They're way strong, in a good way, but have a lot of flavor.
That's the kind of information I wanted to know, especially on simple, basic equipment. I'll probably always keep to that for my reviews, because I think it makes for a fair playing field. Most vapers don't have RBAs and build their own coils. They have little eGos or the vv3 and factory built heads/coils/wicks/cartos in simple tanks. When I stray, like with Devil Dogs! I do so with very cheap, factory built equipment. I paid a whole whopping $5.95 for that atty from Kidney Puncher.
Doesn't do a beginner a whole lot of good to know such and so juice tastes awesome, but only with a $70 RDA with quad coils, ekocotton wicking, way subohm with a 30W mod. That's crazy. I think a juice should taste good on factory stock equipment. Might be better on hand built stuff, but it shouldn't depend on it.
So glad it shows in these reviews and I really appreciate the feedback. I know when I was buying my first juices, the one thing I wanted was, "More, more, more!" Not just the relative information, since I didn't have any, but the actual flavors. Some of the things I've vaped have really startled me, like the two Ahlushion's fairies. I'd expected them to be much, much stronger. Others surprised me the other way, like Virgin's florals. They're way strong, in a good way, but have a lot of flavor.
That's the kind of information I wanted to know, especially on simple, basic equipment. I'll probably always keep to that for my reviews, because I think it makes for a fair playing field. Most vapers don't have RBAs and build their own coils. They have little eGos or the vv3 and factory built heads/coils/wicks/cartos in simple tanks. When I stray, like with Devil Dogs! I do so with very cheap, factory built equipment. I paid a whole whopping $5.95 for that atty from Kidney Puncher.
Doesn't do a beginner a whole lot of good to know such and so juice tastes awesome, but only with a $70 RDA with quad coils, ekocotton wicking, way subohm with a 30W mod. That's crazy. I think a juice should taste good on factory stock equipment. Might be better on hand built stuff, but it shouldn't depend on it.
This is a double, since I have to tell y'all about these! Both are very far off the beaten path and they're fantastic.
Both in mini-protank, nothing fancy. And again, vv3. Both on 9.5-10W. 11W gets a tiny bit caramelized, anything less and they get a bit weak. Tried the mint on my cheapie and it just wasn't as good. Still good, but not as good. They're both going to be pretty quick. I don't want to stop vaping them!
Alice in Vapeland - Cheshire Catnip
Note catnip is also known as catmint, and I'll use the two interchangeably. Now I don't know if the vape on this will get a cat high (the original sure will!) as I don't have a cat around at this time, but I sure want to roll around in it. Nice huge vapor. This is the stuff the caterpillar was talkin' about!
This mint, and it's definitely a mint, not a menthol or a candy, is not sweet. It's has an almost milky, grassy cast to it with a little musty bitterness underneath. There is a little alfalfa in there as well, the smell of a whole field of it that's just been watered. Imagine taking that smell and folding it very carefully, like some surrealistic oragami, into the mint and milky taste of fog, if fog had a flavor.
Yeah, I think surreal is probably the best description. This isn't a cat without a smile, its a smile without a cat.
Frontier Vapor - Hop Harvest Citra/Cascade April 2014 Reissue
Oh that's good!
Number one ... Don't smell the bottle, just don't. I did and nearly didn't vape this stuff. That said, on with the vaping.
For those of you who weren't aware of it, hops are very closely related to .....(missing link here). In the same family, as a matter of fact. And this vape is not shy about the relationship. There's a definite Herb to this one, with a nice bitter-citrus shine and a delicate sweetness, probably from the PG. I did get this at 6mg instead of my usual 12mg, as recommended, and I'm glad I did. Because I'm going to be vaping this one a LOT.
If you're looking for something Smoky, rich, with a touch of bitter and herbal, it's perfect. I mean it tastes like smoke, not that nasty scratchy dry hit stuff, but the real thing. If you're looking for something to replace analogs and don't like menthol, put this at the top of your list. There's nothing like it out there. Just amazing.
Ok, and for hop-heads, yes, it's hops. For IPA fans, from what I've heard, it's wonderful as well. I'm not so much; more into sweeter, creamier styles so I can't help you much there.
And now I have the munchies!
Edit: Grrrr, wouldn't even let me post the link. Come on, we're talking wikipedia here!
Both in mini-protank, nothing fancy. And again, vv3. Both on 9.5-10W. 11W gets a tiny bit caramelized, anything less and they get a bit weak. Tried the mint on my cheapie and it just wasn't as good. Still good, but not as good. They're both going to be pretty quick. I don't want to stop vaping them!
Alice in Vapeland - Cheshire Catnip
Note catnip is also known as catmint, and I'll use the two interchangeably. Now I don't know if the vape on this will get a cat high (the original sure will!) as I don't have a cat around at this time, but I sure want to roll around in it. Nice huge vapor. This is the stuff the caterpillar was talkin' about!
This mint, and it's definitely a mint, not a menthol or a candy, is not sweet. It's has an almost milky, grassy cast to it with a little musty bitterness underneath. There is a little alfalfa in there as well, the smell of a whole field of it that's just been watered. Imagine taking that smell and folding it very carefully, like some surrealistic oragami, into the mint and milky taste of fog, if fog had a flavor.
Yeah, I think surreal is probably the best description. This isn't a cat without a smile, its a smile without a cat.
Frontier Vapor - Hop Harvest Citra/Cascade April 2014 Reissue
Oh that's good!
Number one ... Don't smell the bottle, just don't. I did and nearly didn't vape this stuff. That said, on with the vaping.
For those of you who weren't aware of it, hops are very closely related to .....(missing link here). In the same family, as a matter of fact. And this vape is not shy about the relationship. There's a definite Herb to this one, with a nice bitter-citrus shine and a delicate sweetness, probably from the PG. I did get this at 6mg instead of my usual 12mg, as recommended, and I'm glad I did. Because I'm going to be vaping this one a LOT.
If you're looking for something Smoky, rich, with a touch of bitter and herbal, it's perfect. I mean it tastes like smoke, not that nasty scratchy dry hit stuff, but the real thing. If you're looking for something to replace analogs and don't like menthol, put this at the top of your list. There's nothing like it out there. Just amazing.
Ok, and for hop-heads, yes, it's hops. For IPA fans, from what I've heard, it's wonderful as well. I'm not so much; more into sweeter, creamier styles so I can't help you much there.
And now I have the munchies!
Edit: Grrrr, wouldn't even let me post the link. Come on, we're talking wikipedia here!
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Well, to continue with the story. There have been a few I've tried in the middle and I'll get back to them, eventually. Or not.
Technicals. This one seems to do just fine on the higher end (10 W) of my vv3 and would probably be really good warm, although most of what I vape isn't. It seems to be pretty forgiving and I wouldn't hesitate to put it in any kind of tank, although probably the smaller ones as most dessert/bakery vapes get to me after a while. And this is a rich one, so, there is that. I'd love to taste it on a big subohm RDA though. I bet it would be amazing. However, it's still fantastic and very dense on a stock pt3, 2.2 ohm. (This is one of my few double coils, but that still doesn't help all that much with the little tiny coils and silica wick.)
Alice in Vapeland - 'Twas Brilling
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
And yes, it is dark and delicious and would be deadly to any diet if it weren't a vape. It's full of alliteration and whimsy, while still hiding nestled among the thorns.
Normally I'm not a huge fan of fruit/dessert/bakery vapes. Probably because so many of them taste like candy or soda. Not really my thing. 'Twas Brillig on the other hand is dark and luscious, with plenty of sweet, but a bit of tart. And unlike most berries, this doesn't have that saccharine overtone found so often in berry candy. Or the other extreme, where it's so tart the thing isn't ripe yet. No, this is at that stage where it's perfectly ripe and juicy.
And boy is this one juicy. I keep listening to make sure I'm actually vaping not simply drawing ejuice into my mouth. The vape is that rich and intense. (Remember, this is a stock protank 3 we're talking about, NOT an RBA/RDA) Wonderful, rich, deep blackberry, like the big hand picked ones you get from a cordon bleu pastry chef's kitchen.
At the finish, like so many of Alice in Vapeland's flavors, there's that little kick of creamy buttery goodness, just enough to finish it off. The way the crust on any dessert should be. Not overpowering, but framing the fruit, giving it just a little sweet and a little butter to show off the goodness.
Oh, this is magnificent. If I had to pick one dessert vape and never try another, I'd put my money on this one already. It matches Alice in Vapeland's style, with that slightly buttery taste, perfectly. Heck, if I wanted to convince someone to try vaping, this is the juice I'd pick. Definitely going on the 'Keep in stock at all times' list. Not an all day vape, it's way too rich, but definitely something to have for that frabjous day when the jabberwock has been slain and the mome raths outgrabe.
Technicals. This one seems to do just fine on the higher end (10 W) of my vv3 and would probably be really good warm, although most of what I vape isn't. It seems to be pretty forgiving and I wouldn't hesitate to put it in any kind of tank, although probably the smaller ones as most dessert/bakery vapes get to me after a while. And this is a rich one, so, there is that. I'd love to taste it on a big subohm RDA though. I bet it would be amazing. However, it's still fantastic and very dense on a stock pt3, 2.2 ohm. (This is one of my few double coils, but that still doesn't help all that much with the little tiny coils and silica wick.)
Alice in Vapeland - 'Twas Brilling
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
And yes, it is dark and delicious and would be deadly to any diet if it weren't a vape. It's full of alliteration and whimsy, while still hiding nestled among the thorns.
Normally I'm not a huge fan of fruit/dessert/bakery vapes. Probably because so many of them taste like candy or soda. Not really my thing. 'Twas Brillig on the other hand is dark and luscious, with plenty of sweet, but a bit of tart. And unlike most berries, this doesn't have that saccharine overtone found so often in berry candy. Or the other extreme, where it's so tart the thing isn't ripe yet. No, this is at that stage where it's perfectly ripe and juicy.
And boy is this one juicy. I keep listening to make sure I'm actually vaping not simply drawing ejuice into my mouth. The vape is that rich and intense. (Remember, this is a stock protank 3 we're talking about, NOT an RBA/RDA) Wonderful, rich, deep blackberry, like the big hand picked ones you get from a cordon bleu pastry chef's kitchen.
At the finish, like so many of Alice in Vapeland's flavors, there's that little kick of creamy buttery goodness, just enough to finish it off. The way the crust on any dessert should be. Not overpowering, but framing the fruit, giving it just a little sweet and a little butter to show off the goodness.
Oh, this is magnificent. If I had to pick one dessert vape and never try another, I'd put my money on this one already. It matches Alice in Vapeland's style, with that slightly buttery taste, perfectly. Heck, if I wanted to convince someone to try vaping, this is the juice I'd pick. Definitely going on the 'Keep in stock at all times' list. Not an all day vape, it's way too rich, but definitely something to have for that frabjous day when the jabberwock has been slain and the mome raths outgrabe.
Ok, back to more flowers. So far, there's one company that can do flowers for me. Haven't had one that wasn't awesome, and I thought about that for a bit. Why is it they do flowers so well?
Maybe because the way they build their juices lend themselves to flowers and floral vapes. But why is that?
Because it's their niche. After almost a month, I've rather figured out most juice companies have their own specialties. Virgin with floral and extracts. Ahlusion with the ideal of a flavor, especially Devil Dog! and their Fairies. Aroma and analogs (I just ordered their G.I. Joe). And so on. Even MBV and ECB, with their standard flavors from paradigmatic bases. Frontier Vapor and hops.
tl;dr Successful juice companies figure out what their clientele want and deliver.
So on to the last of the VV in my collection of samplers. Bottom line on these. Not generally ADVs, but juices I wouldn't do without. When I'm in the mood for one, that's what I want. There's nothing like them and from what I've tried so far, no one even comes close on these. The collection so far is jasmine, violet, rose and lavender. NONE of them have any significant perfume or alcohol, at least if you're eaten the real thing. They suit VV's style perfectly.
Technicals: Nothing really to note here. A vv3 with a pt3 (pt2 head) at 9 watts. Nothing fancy, as usual. Might be a bit much with more substantial equipment, but certainly doesn't need it.
Virgin Vapor - Bed of Roses
If you've ever had rose candy or rose flavored water, you'll recognize this. Otherwise, you're in for a real shock. Most people smell roses and think sweet, sugary, very perfume and almost sickly cloying. It isn't. This is the slightly spicy, almost peppery flavor of an honest to goodness rose petal.
Most people don't have the experience of eating flowers. I don't know why. They taste really good. In my opinion, the edible flowers are far better in a salad than a vase. And roses are one of the best. There's an almost musky taste to them which offsets the spice very nicely, giving a base to what could be far too sweet. And oddly enough, real roses, like this vape, are actually not sweet.
There's a sweet note on the top, but it's in no way saccharine or even similar to the sweet of sugar or honey. It's more a lightness, such as if you could bend sunlight on the dew in a spiderweb into a taste. All good floral flavors (vapes) have that kind of surreal behavior, as if you're tasting something normally visible or tactile. Lavender tastes like a light purple. Rose, well, tastes like a classic cabbage rose from centuries ago, before they bred the fragrance and luxuriousness out of roses.
It's a full, rich, effervescent and glistening vape, with light sparkling through a crystal of flavor.
All of the florals, and VV does them impeccably, are a glimpse into that world of the surreal in the sense of Magritte and Dali. If you enjoy their art, then I'd say these are worth a try. They're not for everyone, being so different from most people's reality, but if you like the different, the surreal, they unusual, Virgin's floral line is nothing like any other vape.
And I think the bottom line is because florals vape very, very well. They don't need translation and stand on their own, because of the heavy reliance on how we 'taste' things, particularly the role of the sinuses. Many juices are trying to reproduce flavors people are used to eating. The florals, because most people don't eat flowers, don't have that bar. They are spectacular examples of vapes that have no major culinary basis.
Candy and salads have traditionally used flowers, off and on through the centuries, but for the first time, in vaping, they can take center stage alone. Finally we're seeing the ingenue without her retinue. If you're trying to find something different, something that hasn't been done by every juice company out there, I'd say give one of VV's florals a try. You might not like them, but they're most definitely not another cough syrup cherry or sweet tobacco clone.
Maybe because the way they build their juices lend themselves to flowers and floral vapes. But why is that?
Because it's their niche. After almost a month, I've rather figured out most juice companies have their own specialties. Virgin with floral and extracts. Ahlusion with the ideal of a flavor, especially Devil Dog! and their Fairies. Aroma and analogs (I just ordered their G.I. Joe). And so on. Even MBV and ECB, with their standard flavors from paradigmatic bases. Frontier Vapor and hops.
tl;dr Successful juice companies figure out what their clientele want and deliver.
So on to the last of the VV in my collection of samplers. Bottom line on these. Not generally ADVs, but juices I wouldn't do without. When I'm in the mood for one, that's what I want. There's nothing like them and from what I've tried so far, no one even comes close on these. The collection so far is jasmine, violet, rose and lavender. NONE of them have any significant perfume or alcohol, at least if you're eaten the real thing. They suit VV's style perfectly.
Technicals: Nothing really to note here. A vv3 with a pt3 (pt2 head) at 9 watts. Nothing fancy, as usual. Might be a bit much with more substantial equipment, but certainly doesn't need it.
Virgin Vapor - Bed of Roses
If you've ever had rose candy or rose flavored water, you'll recognize this. Otherwise, you're in for a real shock. Most people smell roses and think sweet, sugary, very perfume and almost sickly cloying. It isn't. This is the slightly spicy, almost peppery flavor of an honest to goodness rose petal.
Most people don't have the experience of eating flowers. I don't know why. They taste really good. In my opinion, the edible flowers are far better in a salad than a vase. And roses are one of the best. There's an almost musky taste to them which offsets the spice very nicely, giving a base to what could be far too sweet. And oddly enough, real roses, like this vape, are actually not sweet.
There's a sweet note on the top, but it's in no way saccharine or even similar to the sweet of sugar or honey. It's more a lightness, such as if you could bend sunlight on the dew in a spiderweb into a taste. All good floral flavors (vapes) have that kind of surreal behavior, as if you're tasting something normally visible or tactile. Lavender tastes like a light purple. Rose, well, tastes like a classic cabbage rose from centuries ago, before they bred the fragrance and luxuriousness out of roses.
It's a full, rich, effervescent and glistening vape, with light sparkling through a crystal of flavor.
All of the florals, and VV does them impeccably, are a glimpse into that world of the surreal in the sense of Magritte and Dali. If you enjoy their art, then I'd say these are worth a try. They're not for everyone, being so different from most people's reality, but if you like the different, the surreal, they unusual, Virgin's floral line is nothing like any other vape.
And I think the bottom line is because florals vape very, very well. They don't need translation and stand on their own, because of the heavy reliance on how we 'taste' things, particularly the role of the sinuses. Many juices are trying to reproduce flavors people are used to eating. The florals, because most people don't eat flowers, don't have that bar. They are spectacular examples of vapes that have no major culinary basis.
Candy and salads have traditionally used flowers, off and on through the centuries, but for the first time, in vaping, they can take center stage alone. Finally we're seeing the ingenue without her retinue. If you're trying to find something different, something that hasn't been done by every juice company out there, I'd say give one of VV's florals a try. You might not like them, but they're most definitely not another cough syrup cherry or sweet tobacco clone.
Ok, I'm back, and I have a few new rules for myself. To make it onto this list a juice has to ...
1) Not be easily reproducible by DIY. In other words it must use custom extractions or be more than one or two flavors from an easily accessible source for DIY. There are a lot of good juices out there that are very easy to copy and your copy might even be better than the original because it's tuned to your taste.
2) Be worth the added cost over DIY. There has to be enough difference between what can be made easily and what can be bought. This is a much higher hurdle for a $30/30 juice compared to a $15/30ml juice and will be judged accordingly.
3) There were a few misses, at least for me, I mentioned earlier. Now, no, just the ones that meet criteria 1 and 2 above.
I will be keeping the criteria it must also be as good on beginner, stock equipment. No RBA, RDA, only juices.
Now, I was at Vapercon West and want to talk about a lot of juice. Wow. I have a whole stash now to try. Many of them are quite common flavors, and probably won't make it on this list. Since if it's just another Flavor West or TFA diluted, I think you can find them as easily as I can.
So, there was one major winner so far that will definitely be going in the 'must keep on hand' collection.
Technical. First tried this in a Kayfun at 1.2 ohms with a box mod. Very rich, too rich for my poor pocketbook. So I threw it into the iClear 30 I got with my new MVP2. It holds up surprisingly well. Part of why it made the list. 2.0 ohms, 7.0 watts on an MVP2. It does fry easily, so be careful with it. Not surprising for a heavy citrus/mint. And as a citrus, it is a definite tank buster. I wouldn't even try this one with a plastic drip tip. Metal/glass only. This is actually the strongest citrus I've vaped.
Drake's Vapes - Yolo!
Ok, ok, another lemonade flavor. Whatever. I mean I do like lemonade, but Drake did something a little different with this one. A lot of times people will put a little mint in lemonade, lighten it up a bit and offset a little of the tart/sweet thing. Give it a little depth. And Drake hit it out of the park on this one using lavender of all flavors.
Now this is actually not something I would have thought of, but it does make sense. Which is what I was thinking when I first tried it and wow, it works really well. It's a good, tart, juicy lemonade but instead of sugar (or worse some artificial sweetener type flavor) the lavender takes the pucker right out of it.
It's like the lavender steps in right at the last moment and does a total c___ block on the obnoxious part of almost every other extreme citrus ejuice or beverage I've ever had. I'm goin' along, inhale, oh, lemon, nice, yeah, there's a little sweet, but it's nice and tart and right when it turns into "I've got your tongue!" the lavender with its peculiar sage/mint/sweet cedar causes a total "Hey, look, a squirrel!" to the lemons. It even has that lemon oil note, without tasting like pledge, because of the interference of the lavender.
It's really amazing. Now I like sour, a lot. Not Warheads sour, because it's too much. Just like habaneros are too much. And I don't like sweet, because it's cloying and I can not get that taste out of my mouth, especially now that I'm drinking very little soda. But this is like being able to eat lemons but as soon as it gets painful, there's a kick of lavender to turn it into something mystical. Like those magic berry tablets that change flavors of other foods. Or the way artichokes make everything taste sweet.
I don't know if its something peculiar to lavender, but whatever it is, Drake balanced it perfectly. That's why this one gets two thumbs up and a permanent place in the juice collection. Because every time I think I have it figured out, it changes, dancing on that razor edge of tart lemons and not sweet lavender.
1) Not be easily reproducible by DIY. In other words it must use custom extractions or be more than one or two flavors from an easily accessible source for DIY. There are a lot of good juices out there that are very easy to copy and your copy might even be better than the original because it's tuned to your taste.
2) Be worth the added cost over DIY. There has to be enough difference between what can be made easily and what can be bought. This is a much higher hurdle for a $30/30 juice compared to a $15/30ml juice and will be judged accordingly.
3) There were a few misses, at least for me, I mentioned earlier. Now, no, just the ones that meet criteria 1 and 2 above.
I will be keeping the criteria it must also be as good on beginner, stock equipment. No RBA, RDA, only juices.
Now, I was at Vapercon West and want to talk about a lot of juice. Wow. I have a whole stash now to try. Many of them are quite common flavors, and probably won't make it on this list. Since if it's just another Flavor West or TFA diluted, I think you can find them as easily as I can.
So, there was one major winner so far that will definitely be going in the 'must keep on hand' collection.
Technical. First tried this in a Kayfun at 1.2 ohms with a box mod. Very rich, too rich for my poor pocketbook. So I threw it into the iClear 30 I got with my new MVP2. It holds up surprisingly well. Part of why it made the list. 2.0 ohms, 7.0 watts on an MVP2. It does fry easily, so be careful with it. Not surprising for a heavy citrus/mint. And as a citrus, it is a definite tank buster. I wouldn't even try this one with a plastic drip tip. Metal/glass only. This is actually the strongest citrus I've vaped.
Drake's Vapes - Yolo!
Ok, ok, another lemonade flavor. Whatever. I mean I do like lemonade, but Drake did something a little different with this one. A lot of times people will put a little mint in lemonade, lighten it up a bit and offset a little of the tart/sweet thing. Give it a little depth. And Drake hit it out of the park on this one using lavender of all flavors.
Now this is actually not something I would have thought of, but it does make sense. Which is what I was thinking when I first tried it and wow, it works really well. It's a good, tart, juicy lemonade but instead of sugar (or worse some artificial sweetener type flavor) the lavender takes the pucker right out of it.
It's like the lavender steps in right at the last moment and does a total c___ block on the obnoxious part of almost every other extreme citrus ejuice or beverage I've ever had. I'm goin' along, inhale, oh, lemon, nice, yeah, there's a little sweet, but it's nice and tart and right when it turns into "I've got your tongue!" the lavender with its peculiar sage/mint/sweet cedar causes a total "Hey, look, a squirrel!" to the lemons. It even has that lemon oil note, without tasting like pledge, because of the interference of the lavender.
It's really amazing. Now I like sour, a lot. Not Warheads sour, because it's too much. Just like habaneros are too much. And I don't like sweet, because it's cloying and I can not get that taste out of my mouth, especially now that I'm drinking very little soda. But this is like being able to eat lemons but as soon as it gets painful, there's a kick of lavender to turn it into something mystical. Like those magic berry tablets that change flavors of other foods. Or the way artichokes make everything taste sweet.
I don't know if its something peculiar to lavender, but whatever it is, Drake balanced it perfectly. That's why this one gets two thumbs up and a permanent place in the juice collection. Because every time I think I have it figured out, it changes, dancing on that razor edge of tart lemons and not sweet lavender.
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