The time has come! My order of Safari juice has arrived! Safari juice is a Toronto based company who sells high quality 30ML bottles of ejuice for $5.00 per bottle.
ABOUT ME:
I will be reviewing these flavors on an Eleaf TC 100W Mod and 2 different tanks (TFV4 w/ Quad Coils @ 90-100W and Target Vaporesso w/ Ni200 cCell Ceramic Coils @ TC 550-590F). I am PG sensitive (dry mouth, nausea, and headaches), so I don't usually go under 80% VG. I prefer a high wattage/high temperature warm vape either way, but it also helps me limit dry mouth on higher PG products. Let me preface this review with this... I prefer berry and candy for all day vapes. I am not a big fan of melon and bakery vapes (The Lion, Bushbaby, and Hippo will be interesting). To me though, first and foremost flavor is important. I'm an ex-smoker and tasty vapes keep me away from the stinkies. Who doesn't like to cloud chase a little though? I also like to practice tricking, so vapor production needs to be on par to keep those O's just right. I will be looking at both with this product.
Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. From the top!
SHIPPING - Rating N/A
My order finally made it to my house after about 3 weeks of waiting. This was due to two things.
1. The seller had to put a 2 week long delay on shipments due to the high demand and low supply of "The Lion" coupled with the redesign of the bottles. Since I got the sample pack and "The Lion" was included, I had to wait. HOWEVER, without missing a beat, Safari Juice offered me a code for a free bottle with my next order due to this inconvenience. I was assured that this was not common and orders typically ship out within the first 24 hours.
2.Thanks to the USPS and my shipment getting lost in Ohio for 5 days (which is no fault of the seller), It took a total of 7 days to make it to my house after putting in a support email and phone call to the Ohio post office.
So to do the math, shipping within 24 hours + First Class USPS 1-3 days = on average 3-5 days. I would say budget about a week for delivery just to be safe. I live in St. Louis, MO and my shipment departed from Savannah, GA.
PRESENTATION - Rating 10/10
The bottles arrived in a box about the size of a Softball. Inside the box they were sealed within a yellow ziplock bag and are 30ml LDPE Plastic Bottle w/ Childproof Caps. They are individually sealed (no leaks), filled equally, and the sticker art is very clean and professional. This met my expectations perfectly based on my research I've done of Safari Juice. Without any knowledge of the brand, at $5.00 a bottle it should exceed the expectations of most people.
PRODUCT REVIEW:
The Juice comes in 3mg and 6mg Nic and is a 75/25 VG/PG blend. Pre-Steeped. Each flavor smells incredible and as described with no alcohol burn. Let's break them down.
THE BUSHBABY - Personal Rating 7/10 Overall Rating 8/10
Raspberry & Honeydew
TFV4 Tank: Subtle cool melon breeze on the draw that builds up to a beautiful raspberry burst and decent throat hit on exhale.
Target Tank: Much smoother vape and the raspberry consistently blends in with the cool melon flavor from start to finish.
I'm not a big honeydew or raspberry fan personally when it comes to drinks or eating the actual fruit, but this blend just seems to work. I think what saves it for me is that the flavor of each is not overpowering. If you're looking for a huge flavor blast, this probably isn't for you.. Though the raspberry comes through a little more than the melon on the TFV4, if you're looking for something smooth and cool with a nice blend of these two fruits this should not disappoint, especially on ceramic coils.
Winner: Target. Ceramic coils win this one.
THE LION - Personal Rating 5/10 Description Rating 7/10
Lemon Pound Cake
TFV4 Tank: Faint hit of lemon with more of an emphasis on the cake. A bit of a scratchy throat hit.
Target Tank: About the same. Little less on the throat hit.
The aroma this produces is very nice. However, being more of a fan of berry vapes, this flavor is not quite my speed, but you can definitely taste the cake aspect with a mild hint of lemon icing. The cake portion is a bit buttery and the lemon flavor is mild and exactly what I would expect a grocery store sugary lemon icing to taste like.
Winner: Target. Ceramic coils win.
THE HIPPO - Personal Rating 6/10 Description Rating 7/10
Watermelon & Grapefruit
TFV4 Tank: Definitely taste the grapefruit with just a touch of watermelon if I'm really looking for it. I think the mixture of the two kind of downs out the watermelon but right at the end of the vape there's twinge of what I would describe as a cool fresh almost mint flavor.
Target Tank: On the ceramic coils the flavor is muted quite a bit. I feel like if you're going to appreciate this vape, hit it at a nigher wattage with nice airflow.
I dislike grapefruit with a passion. I have yet to eat one and not spit it right back out. With that in mind, the offset with the watermelon coupled with the fresh subtle mint flavor at the end makes this vape tolerable for me. Airflow and high wattage is where this vape shines as the flavor is just a little too muted and bland on a lower vape.
Winner: TFV4. Quad coils win.
THE CAMEL - Personal Rating 8/10 Description Rating 10/10
Vanilla - Cocoa Cigar
TFV4 Tank: Have you ever taken a dry puff off a Swisher Sweets? If you have and you like Swishers, this juice is on point. Nice little throat hit at the end to drive home that this is a bonafide tobacco vape.
Target Tank: Very even blend of vanilla and cocoa tobacco. It's like sticking your nose right into a bag of cocoa pipe tobacco. This is a very clean vape with little to no throat hit.
I absolutely love the scent of pipe tobacco. I actually smoked on a pipe for a while, but I did it in moderation. The only reason this one doesn't get a personal 10/10 is because this probably wouldn't be an all day vape for me (but it definitely could be if I was running on limited supply). This certainly qualifies as an every day vape though. Ex-smokers are probably going to like this one, especially if you're a fan of smoking a pipe or just like the fragrance of pipe tobacco. That touch of cocoa gives this vape a silky smooth after taste. Imagine sitting in a study by a fireplace with your favorite reading material. If you like how that sounds, you're going to love this vape.
Winner: Draw. Depending on the mood. This flavor is delicious all the way around. The determining factor would be the intensity you're looking for at the time.
THE ZEBRA - Personal Rating 9/10 Description Rating 9/10
Chocolate & Vanilla
TFV4 Tank: Fantastic aroma. Rich chocolaty flavor with a small hint of vanilla at 100 Watts.
Target Tank: Very smooth and even blend of Chocolate and Vanilla from start to finish.
The best chocolate vape I've had to date is the Met4 "Golden Ticket" Ejuice, which is a delicious thick Chocolate Milk Vape that runs about $22.00 a 30ML bottle. If you're familiar with that Ejuice and like it, you'll be happy to read that this is very similar. The difference between the two is a intensity of the flavor. The slight vanilla overtone of this Ejuice softens the often times overpowering chalky chocolate taste quite a bit. But there's no mistaking that this is meant to be a sweet dessert vape. This could easily be an all day vape for me as it's easy on the throat and not invasive what so ever.
Winner: Draw. Again depending on the mood. Smooth Desert vape that doesn't leave a filmy after taste. More chocolate flavor = TFV4 Quads, Even blend of Chocolate and Vanilla = Target Ceramics
THE ORYX - Personal Rating 7/10 Description Rating 8/10
Coffee & Caramel
TFV4 Tank: When I first hit this on this tank it tasted of dry freshly ground coffee beans. As it warmed up it started to get a bit of a roasted coffee bean flavor with a dab of caramel. Unfortunately, with this tank it walks a fine line between a roasted and burnt flavor.
Target Tank: Much smoother and easier on the taste buds and tends to taste a bit more like the drink it I think it was intended to be.
If you're not a coffee fan, you're not going to like this one. If you're a fan of coffee and have a refined palate for fancy high quality blends, you might not be a fan either. If you like your home brewed average cup of Joe, this might be right up your alley. I can't see this as an all day vape, but I can see kicking your day off with breakfast, a glass of whatever, and a few puffs of this. I would venture to bet that mixing a little bit of The Zebra or your favorite chocolate Ejuice into this could take this flavor to a whole new level. We might be on to something here.
CONCLUSION:
As predicted the melon juices are my least favorite. If I had to choose one, I would go with The Bushbaby because the raspberries balance the honeydew nicely. As for the chocolate vapes, The Zebra is the clear winner. I would have to say my least favorite of all six would be The Lion as it's just a little too buttery for my palate. Overall, the flavor of these juices is a little more subtle than I typically vape. I will attribute some of that to the higher PG. I think offering an option for more flavor shots and/or mixing flavors could be beneficial for the company and the consumer. I would LOVE to see a berry or a candy vape (other than chocolate) work its way into the lineup eventually. I would also like to see a zero nic option as I am trying to ween away from the nicotine.
For you PG sensitive people, keep a bottle of water close. as this blend will start to dry you out and mute after about 5 hits. No headaches, no nausea. That's a big plus. The vapor production is nice, but it the clouds are heavy and do trickle off at the end a little faster than I'm use to (higher VG products). That coupled with the nicotine, I would not recommend Ejuice for tricking. I would however, highly encourage everyone to kick your Safari Juice experience off with a sample pack. I truly believe there's a flavor for most people in this bunch, you just have to find out what works for you. It's a small price to pay for potentially finding something you can vape all day at $5.00 a bottle.
TL;DR
Would you consider this a premium E-Juice?
You can tell that a lot of care has gone into the presentation and mixture of this Ejuice. Do I like every single one of them? No. Are there some that I like more than a reputable premium $20.00 bottle of Ejuice i've had in the past? Without a doubt.
Is this juice worth $5.00 a bottle?
Absolutely. If you're a budget vaper, buck up and try out a sample pack. You may not like every single flavor, but you're bound to like at least 1 of the 6, then going forward just pick up 120ML of your favorite juice at the cost of a 30ML of a standard premium bottle.
I believe feedback is the only way to really improve products in the future. This company is still in its infancy and I truly believe they care about their product and will listen to what we have to say to be more accommodating. If you're interested, I would suggest getting in on the ground level, provide feedback and help grow this into something you love.
ABOUT ME:
I will be reviewing these flavors on an Eleaf TC 100W Mod and 2 different tanks (TFV4 w/ Quad Coils @ 90-100W and Target Vaporesso w/ Ni200 cCell Ceramic Coils @ TC 550-590F). I am PG sensitive (dry mouth, nausea, and headaches), so I don't usually go under 80% VG. I prefer a high wattage/high temperature warm vape either way, but it also helps me limit dry mouth on higher PG products. Let me preface this review with this... I prefer berry and candy for all day vapes. I am not a big fan of melon and bakery vapes (The Lion, Bushbaby, and Hippo will be interesting). To me though, first and foremost flavor is important. I'm an ex-smoker and tasty vapes keep me away from the stinkies. Who doesn't like to cloud chase a little though? I also like to practice tricking, so vapor production needs to be on par to keep those O's just right. I will be looking at both with this product.
Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. From the top!
SHIPPING - Rating N/A
My order finally made it to my house after about 3 weeks of waiting. This was due to two things.
1. The seller had to put a 2 week long delay on shipments due to the high demand and low supply of "The Lion" coupled with the redesign of the bottles. Since I got the sample pack and "The Lion" was included, I had to wait. HOWEVER, without missing a beat, Safari Juice offered me a code for a free bottle with my next order due to this inconvenience. I was assured that this was not common and orders typically ship out within the first 24 hours.
2.Thanks to the USPS and my shipment getting lost in Ohio for 5 days (which is no fault of the seller), It took a total of 7 days to make it to my house after putting in a support email and phone call to the Ohio post office.
So to do the math, shipping within 24 hours + First Class USPS 1-3 days = on average 3-5 days. I would say budget about a week for delivery just to be safe. I live in St. Louis, MO and my shipment departed from Savannah, GA.
PRESENTATION - Rating 10/10
The bottles arrived in a box about the size of a Softball. Inside the box they were sealed within a yellow ziplock bag and are 30ml LDPE Plastic Bottle w/ Childproof Caps. They are individually sealed (no leaks), filled equally, and the sticker art is very clean and professional. This met my expectations perfectly based on my research I've done of Safari Juice. Without any knowledge of the brand, at $5.00 a bottle it should exceed the expectations of most people.
PRODUCT REVIEW:
The Juice comes in 3mg and 6mg Nic and is a 75/25 VG/PG blend. Pre-Steeped. Each flavor smells incredible and as described with no alcohol burn. Let's break them down.
THE BUSHBABY - Personal Rating 7/10 Overall Rating 8/10
Raspberry & Honeydew
TFV4 Tank: Subtle cool melon breeze on the draw that builds up to a beautiful raspberry burst and decent throat hit on exhale.
Target Tank: Much smoother vape and the raspberry consistently blends in with the cool melon flavor from start to finish.
I'm not a big honeydew or raspberry fan personally when it comes to drinks or eating the actual fruit, but this blend just seems to work. I think what saves it for me is that the flavor of each is not overpowering. If you're looking for a huge flavor blast, this probably isn't for you.. Though the raspberry comes through a little more than the melon on the TFV4, if you're looking for something smooth and cool with a nice blend of these two fruits this should not disappoint, especially on ceramic coils.
Winner: Target. Ceramic coils win this one.
THE LION - Personal Rating 5/10 Description Rating 7/10
Lemon Pound Cake
TFV4 Tank: Faint hit of lemon with more of an emphasis on the cake. A bit of a scratchy throat hit.
Target Tank: About the same. Little less on the throat hit.
The aroma this produces is very nice. However, being more of a fan of berry vapes, this flavor is not quite my speed, but you can definitely taste the cake aspect with a mild hint of lemon icing. The cake portion is a bit buttery and the lemon flavor is mild and exactly what I would expect a grocery store sugary lemon icing to taste like.
Winner: Target. Ceramic coils win.
THE HIPPO - Personal Rating 6/10 Description Rating 7/10
Watermelon & Grapefruit
TFV4 Tank: Definitely taste the grapefruit with just a touch of watermelon if I'm really looking for it. I think the mixture of the two kind of downs out the watermelon but right at the end of the vape there's twinge of what I would describe as a cool fresh almost mint flavor.
Target Tank: On the ceramic coils the flavor is muted quite a bit. I feel like if you're going to appreciate this vape, hit it at a nigher wattage with nice airflow.
I dislike grapefruit with a passion. I have yet to eat one and not spit it right back out. With that in mind, the offset with the watermelon coupled with the fresh subtle mint flavor at the end makes this vape tolerable for me. Airflow and high wattage is where this vape shines as the flavor is just a little too muted and bland on a lower vape.
Winner: TFV4. Quad coils win.
THE CAMEL - Personal Rating 8/10 Description Rating 10/10
Vanilla - Cocoa Cigar
TFV4 Tank: Have you ever taken a dry puff off a Swisher Sweets? If you have and you like Swishers, this juice is on point. Nice little throat hit at the end to drive home that this is a bonafide tobacco vape.
Target Tank: Very even blend of vanilla and cocoa tobacco. It's like sticking your nose right into a bag of cocoa pipe tobacco. This is a very clean vape with little to no throat hit.
I absolutely love the scent of pipe tobacco. I actually smoked on a pipe for a while, but I did it in moderation. The only reason this one doesn't get a personal 10/10 is because this probably wouldn't be an all day vape for me (but it definitely could be if I was running on limited supply). This certainly qualifies as an every day vape though. Ex-smokers are probably going to like this one, especially if you're a fan of smoking a pipe or just like the fragrance of pipe tobacco. That touch of cocoa gives this vape a silky smooth after taste. Imagine sitting in a study by a fireplace with your favorite reading material. If you like how that sounds, you're going to love this vape.
Winner: Draw. Depending on the mood. This flavor is delicious all the way around. The determining factor would be the intensity you're looking for at the time.
THE ZEBRA - Personal Rating 9/10 Description Rating 9/10
Chocolate & Vanilla
TFV4 Tank: Fantastic aroma. Rich chocolaty flavor with a small hint of vanilla at 100 Watts.
Target Tank: Very smooth and even blend of Chocolate and Vanilla from start to finish.
The best chocolate vape I've had to date is the Met4 "Golden Ticket" Ejuice, which is a delicious thick Chocolate Milk Vape that runs about $22.00 a 30ML bottle. If you're familiar with that Ejuice and like it, you'll be happy to read that this is very similar. The difference between the two is a intensity of the flavor. The slight vanilla overtone of this Ejuice softens the often times overpowering chalky chocolate taste quite a bit. But there's no mistaking that this is meant to be a sweet dessert vape. This could easily be an all day vape for me as it's easy on the throat and not invasive what so ever.
Winner: Draw. Again depending on the mood. Smooth Desert vape that doesn't leave a filmy after taste. More chocolate flavor = TFV4 Quads, Even blend of Chocolate and Vanilla = Target Ceramics
THE ORYX - Personal Rating 7/10 Description Rating 8/10
Coffee & Caramel
TFV4 Tank: When I first hit this on this tank it tasted of dry freshly ground coffee beans. As it warmed up it started to get a bit of a roasted coffee bean flavor with a dab of caramel. Unfortunately, with this tank it walks a fine line between a roasted and burnt flavor.
Target Tank: Much smoother and easier on the taste buds and tends to taste a bit more like the drink it I think it was intended to be.
If you're not a coffee fan, you're not going to like this one. If you're a fan of coffee and have a refined palate for fancy high quality blends, you might not be a fan either. If you like your home brewed average cup of Joe, this might be right up your alley. I can't see this as an all day vape, but I can see kicking your day off with breakfast, a glass of whatever, and a few puffs of this. I would venture to bet that mixing a little bit of The Zebra or your favorite chocolate Ejuice into this could take this flavor to a whole new level. We might be on to something here.
CONCLUSION:
As predicted the melon juices are my least favorite. If I had to choose one, I would go with The Bushbaby because the raspberries balance the honeydew nicely. As for the chocolate vapes, The Zebra is the clear winner. I would have to say my least favorite of all six would be The Lion as it's just a little too buttery for my palate. Overall, the flavor of these juices is a little more subtle than I typically vape. I will attribute some of that to the higher PG. I think offering an option for more flavor shots and/or mixing flavors could be beneficial for the company and the consumer. I would LOVE to see a berry or a candy vape (other than chocolate) work its way into the lineup eventually. I would also like to see a zero nic option as I am trying to ween away from the nicotine.
For you PG sensitive people, keep a bottle of water close. as this blend will start to dry you out and mute after about 5 hits. No headaches, no nausea. That's a big plus. The vapor production is nice, but it the clouds are heavy and do trickle off at the end a little faster than I'm use to (higher VG products). That coupled with the nicotine, I would not recommend Ejuice for tricking. I would however, highly encourage everyone to kick your Safari Juice experience off with a sample pack. I truly believe there's a flavor for most people in this bunch, you just have to find out what works for you. It's a small price to pay for potentially finding something you can vape all day at $5.00 a bottle.
TL;DR
Would you consider this a premium E-Juice?
You can tell that a lot of care has gone into the presentation and mixture of this Ejuice. Do I like every single one of them? No. Are there some that I like more than a reputable premium $20.00 bottle of Ejuice i've had in the past? Without a doubt.
Is this juice worth $5.00 a bottle?
Absolutely. If you're a budget vaper, buck up and try out a sample pack. You may not like every single flavor, but you're bound to like at least 1 of the 6, then going forward just pick up 120ML of your favorite juice at the cost of a 30ML of a standard premium bottle.
I believe feedback is the only way to really improve products in the future. This company is still in its infancy and I truly believe they care about their product and will listen to what we have to say to be more accommodating. If you're interested, I would suggest getting in on the ground level, provide feedback and help grow this into something you love.
