I just had an eye-opening chat with EcigExpress. Their line of tobacco flavors is packaged as Tobacco Express on their site. The Tobacco Express line contains many yummy-looking flavors. I ordered the DJ RUM flavor (like the Djarum cigarette), but after the order shipped, I saw the flavor was "from China." That was shock #1. I personally don't trust my lungs to China, but hoped that at least they were using a supplier that is verified as diacetyl and diketone free. While I wouldn't buy a flavor from China again, I might vape the one I already ordered, if it did not contain these chems.
So I started a support chat on their website to ask if the Tobacco Express flavors that come from China are diacetyl and diketone-free. Here is a copy of that chat:
ecigExpress Customer Service: Hello [...]. I am happy to help you with this. No, these flavors may contain diketone and diacetyl is [sic] very small amounts.
ME: ALL Tobacco Express flavors?
ecigExpress Customer Service: We do not have any detailed testing information relating to diketone and diacetyl on these products, so unfortunately, even if some or most are diketone and diacetyl free, we could not say for sure.
ME: Thanks for your honesty, but why is there no warning on these flavors like on other pages that contain these chems?
ecigExpress Customer Service: Well, since we have not done specific testing we do not know for sure. The flavors that we know for sure have diketone and diacetyl will be marked with the red triangle.
ME: Seems vapers would like to know "there MAY be diketones or diacytal present in this flavor as no testing is available" I would not have purchased the flavor, had I known. I only noticed it was from China after it shipped. I would encourage ecigexpress to find US-sourced flavors with reliable testing as our health might very well depend on this.
ecigExpress Customer Service: We have requested the information from the manufacturer. We are still waiting for it to come in ut [sic] we will hopefully have it soon. Thanks for the input I will pass this on for sure.
ME: Great to know you have requested the info. Will this info be made available on the site once received? I'll watch for it, if so.
ecigExpress Customer Service: Yes, for sure.
ME: Is the Tobacco Express "Full FlavorTobacco" flavoring which is from US, diketone & diacetyl free?
ecigExpress Customer Service: I am not sure.
ME: Again, I truly appreciate your honesty but the answers I am getting are disappointing. EcigX is held in high regard. Thank you for your time.
ecigExpress Customer Service: You are welcome.
ME: Bye -------- END CHAT
When I Googled "Tobacco Express +diacetyl or diketones" the previous night I got a lot of cached pages mentioning Tobacco Express flavors like VA Tobacco and Black & Mile that had language in the link blurb (which were links to the ecigexpress flavor page) that looked like it indicated the flavor contained diacetyl or diketones... however link blurbs can be misleading as they can contain language from different paragraphs and parts of a page... but when I clicked on the links, there was no such language on the pages. That makes it appear as if there was likely language like that at some point that was later removed... maybe b/c ECX was only assuming the flavors contained these chems, or for all I know the flavors were sourced from a different place at the time the pages were cached.
But to not even know if their current US supplier [for the Full Flavor Tobacco flavoring] is diketone and diacetyl free? At this stage of the game??
I am not a 'sky is falling' person, but do want to avoid known risks when possible. I expected more out of ecigexpress. When they clearly mark flavors that they know contain diacetyl or diketones as having them, the average shopper will assume flavors without the warning are diacetyl and diketone free. Like on TFA's site.
I placed my first order with ECX last week, but it might be my last. My opinion of them has plummeted (though I do applaud their honesty)... but I can't help but draw the conclusion that the company ethos places customers' welfare a great distance behind profit. While that's probably true and expected of most commerce, the vaping community kind of expects more from fellow vapers that start companies to serve the vaping community.
I hope they will make efforts to find good US suppliers that provide proof the liquid they are selling meets current preferred standards, showing they DO value their customers' and aren't only interested in profit to the exclusion of all else. B/c both can be done. They don't have to be mutually exclusive. All JMO.
