All Ahlusion juices I have tried so far are a bit unusual - in a good way. These folks have a signature way of putting flavors together and creating something quite distinguished and uniquely harmonious.
This juice, however, is a bit more unusual than most, and I would almost say not for the faint of heart.
This is definitely not a usual sweet dessert.
The description from the web site goes thusly: "A perfect blend of our natural cocoa's and orange flavors. A decadent and guilty pleasure, without the calories. Enjoy an authentic, rich Cocoa flavor with Caramelized Orange flavors anywhere."
The essence of orange is definitely there. There are many possible takes on orange - this one is a strong high, sharp note with a hint of bitterness, as if a bit of pith is included in the preparation. I have never tasted caramelized orange, so I can't testify to the authenticity of the flavor, however.
Rather than cocoa, I taste dark chocolate - *very* dark. I hasten to say that this is definitely *not* that burnt-disaster taste that unfortunately often shows up in e-juice chocolate preparations. This taste carries the true essence of good quality almost-unsweetened high cocoa content chocolate.
The overall effect is unusual in that it carries a strong bitter "undertaste" both on the inhale and exhale: on the inhale the dark chocolate flavor sort of embraces your tongue with a bitter note just kissing the back of your throat and the orange tickling your nose, while on the exhale the flavor is predominantly orange, with chocolate undertone and a bitter chocolate aftertaste.
The bitterness, however, is not at all unpleasant, though, perhaps, not something that everyone would like. It interacts well with both primary flavors and adds a piquant twist to the overall effect.
This juice is best at lower power, where the flavors combine in a softer way. At higher power (for me this was SR Stardust at highter than 3.5 V on eGo Twist), the flavors seemed to separate and become much sharper, with the bitterness more pronounced and less pleasant - but, of course, this is just personal opinion.
I would also highly recommend sweetener. I ordered it sweetened, but I think next time I'll ask for extra sweetener.
Would I buy this juice again? Yes. But, for me, this is not a gulp-it-down-can't-stop type flavor. Rather it's an accent, a special treat, a flavor I enjoy while listening to jazz or classical music with a cup of good sweet tea. And it's not everyone's cup of tea, I'm sure. If you don't enjoy good quality very dark chocolate, you probably won't like it.
I steeped this juice for one week. I intend to let at least some of it steep longer and see if the flavor undergoes more changes. As with most Ahlusion liquids, right out of the mailbox it was on the weaker side and the flavor was decidedly muted. However, the flavor developed and became quite strong in three days.
Ratings*:
Overall Impression:
- While not for everyone, I find this liquid compelling, even though it is not at all an ADV. It gets credit for courage to venture into a fascinating territory. Though not everyone would like it, I would nevertheless recommend it as an experiment to challenge - and perhaps exquisitely please - your taste buds, and maybe expand your flavor profile.
The usual disclaimer: I enjoyed it, you might not. And you might taste something significantly different.
______________________________________________________________________
*I test my e-liquids by dripping into a SR atty on a ProVari at 4.2 V, followed by a SR Stardust either on the eGo Twist (or the ProVari) at voltages ranging from 3.3 to however high it will go without burning the particular e-liquid. Usually, for this setup, no higher than 4.5 V.
When evaluating e-luquids, I do not particularly focus on how much each particular component flavor replicates food, or tobacco, etc. Rather, I focus on the overall effect, and how well the e-liquid represents the idea, the "spirit" of its inspiration through its own medium. For instance, a coffee in a mug will never be identical to the coffee in your cartomizer, so the question is not whether the coffee in your cartomizer is the same as the coffee in your mug, but rather whether or not the coffee in your cartomizer represents the idea of "coffee-ness" well, and whether or not it makes a good, enjoyable vape as a vape.
I rate my juices on the scale from 0 to 5:
This juice, however, is a bit more unusual than most, and I would almost say not for the faint of heart.
This is definitely not a usual sweet dessert.The description from the web site goes thusly: "A perfect blend of our natural cocoa's and orange flavors. A decadent and guilty pleasure, without the calories. Enjoy an authentic, rich Cocoa flavor with Caramelized Orange flavors anywhere."
The essence of orange is definitely there. There are many possible takes on orange - this one is a strong high, sharp note with a hint of bitterness, as if a bit of pith is included in the preparation. I have never tasted caramelized orange, so I can't testify to the authenticity of the flavor, however.
Rather than cocoa, I taste dark chocolate - *very* dark. I hasten to say that this is definitely *not* that burnt-disaster taste that unfortunately often shows up in e-juice chocolate preparations. This taste carries the true essence of good quality almost-unsweetened high cocoa content chocolate.
The overall effect is unusual in that it carries a strong bitter "undertaste" both on the inhale and exhale: on the inhale the dark chocolate flavor sort of embraces your tongue with a bitter note just kissing the back of your throat and the orange tickling your nose, while on the exhale the flavor is predominantly orange, with chocolate undertone and a bitter chocolate aftertaste.
The bitterness, however, is not at all unpleasant, though, perhaps, not something that everyone would like. It interacts well with both primary flavors and adds a piquant twist to the overall effect.
This juice is best at lower power, where the flavors combine in a softer way. At higher power (for me this was SR Stardust at highter than 3.5 V on eGo Twist), the flavors seemed to separate and become much sharper, with the bitterness more pronounced and less pleasant - but, of course, this is just personal opinion.
I would also highly recommend sweetener. I ordered it sweetened, but I think next time I'll ask for extra sweetener.
Would I buy this juice again? Yes. But, for me, this is not a gulp-it-down-can't-stop type flavor. Rather it's an accent, a special treat, a flavor I enjoy while listening to jazz or classical music with a cup of good sweet tea. And it's not everyone's cup of tea, I'm sure. If you don't enjoy good quality very dark chocolate, you probably won't like it.
I steeped this juice for one week. I intend to let at least some of it steep longer and see if the flavor undergoes more changes. As with most Ahlusion liquids, right out of the mailbox it was on the weaker side and the flavor was decidedly muted. However, the flavor developed and became quite strong in three days.
Ratings*:
Flavor quality: - balanced and well-executed at lower power, but falls apart somewhat and becomes too bitter at higher power.
Flavor pleasantness: - an excellent and sofisticated occasional treat for some, but probably not acceptable to others.
Flavor strength: - perfect.
TH: - noticeable enough to be satisfying, but not strong.
Vapor production: - average for this mixture of PG/VG (70/30).
- balanced and well-executed at lower power, but falls apart somewhat and becomes too bitter at higher power.Flavor pleasantness:
- an excellent and sofisticated occasional treat for some, but probably not acceptable to others.Flavor strength:
- perfect.TH:
- noticeable enough to be satisfying, but not strong.Vapor production:
- average for this mixture of PG/VG (70/30).
Overall Impression:
- While not for everyone, I find this liquid compelling, even though it is not at all an ADV. It gets credit for courage to venture into a fascinating territory. Though not everyone would like it, I would nevertheless recommend it as an experiment to challenge - and perhaps exquisitely please - your taste buds, and maybe expand your flavor profile.The usual disclaimer: I enjoyed it, you might not. And you might taste something significantly different.
______________________________________________________________________
*I test my e-liquids by dripping into a SR atty on a ProVari at 4.2 V, followed by a SR Stardust either on the eGo Twist (or the ProVari) at voltages ranging from 3.3 to however high it will go without burning the particular e-liquid. Usually, for this setup, no higher than 4.5 V.
When evaluating e-luquids, I do not particularly focus on how much each particular component flavor replicates food, or tobacco, etc. Rather, I focus on the overall effect, and how well the e-liquid represents the idea, the "spirit" of its inspiration through its own medium. For instance, a coffee in a mug will never be identical to the coffee in your cartomizer, so the question is not whether the coffee in your cartomizer is the same as the coffee in your mug, but rather whether or not the coffee in your cartomizer represents the idea of "coffee-ness" well, and whether or not it makes a good, enjoyable vape as a vape.
I rate my juices on the scale from 0 to 5:
Flavor is rated on:
-Quality (how well it reflects what the artisan is trying to achieve according to the description, how well the components play together, as well as the overall sophistication this is somewhat subjective, but not too, imho): 0 chemical and perfumey flavor to the point of being unvapeable; 5 natural, true, nuanced taste with all appropriate notes.
-Pleasantness (entirely subjective): 0 I have to rinse out my mouth; 5 addictive, can vape forever.
-Strength: 0 no perceptible taste; 3 perfect, with all nuances clearly visible; 5 so strong that the taste is distorted.
-TH is rated on simple strength: 0 none; 5 - choke-and-cough.
-Vapor production is rated on simple strength.
-Quality (how well it reflects what the artisan is trying to achieve according to the description, how well the components play together, as well as the overall sophistication this is somewhat subjective, but not too, imho): 0 chemical and perfumey flavor to the point of being unvapeable; 5 natural, true, nuanced taste with all appropriate notes.
-Pleasantness (entirely subjective): 0 I have to rinse out my mouth; 5 addictive, can vape forever.
-Strength: 0 no perceptible taste; 3 perfect, with all nuances clearly visible; 5 so strong that the taste is distorted.
-TH is rated on simple strength: 0 none; 5 - choke-and-cough.
-Vapor production is rated on simple strength.
