This is certainly not my first time vaping either Backwoods Brew or FreedomSmokeUSA e-liquid. I have had many of FSUSA's juices, and I am already familiar with the slam-dunk awesomeness of BWB's Applewood (I'll be revisiting applewood in this review). These 3 flavors, one from FSUSA (Kickin' Apple) and 2 from Backwoods Brew (Applewood and Honey Flue Nut), were not chosen on a whim, but took me a while to decide which ones to get. I'm getting picky, so my choices grow smaller and smaller with each juice purchase. Let's have a look at these juices.
FreedomSmokeUSA's Kickin' Apple. 18mg Nic, 50/50 PG/VG
The description states that this flavor is of a rich tobacco with a refreshing kick of apple. This, right here, is the only juice I've tried from FSUSA (so far) that has such an inaccuracy of a description and title. It doesn't "kick" at all, and the apple is so muted that it's hardly refreshing. The extremely faint apple taste I'm getting reminds me of a boiled apple that has been overcooked. No sharpness, no bite, just a flat, almost-not-there taste.
The tobacco flavor is also confusing. It's not what I'd expect from such a juice, and it's not exactly pleasing. With the weird apple undertone, it makes the tobacco taste almost too foody. This juice, in short, tastes like apple bread that was freezer burned.
This is where I normally rate the throat hit and vapor, but you know what? I'm so disappointed by the flavor that I don't pay attention to the vapor and the throat hit when I'm vaping it. Let's just say that if you want any sort of apple/tobacco mix from FSUSA, go with their Applewood, especially if you like a cooked apple flavor.
Backwoods Brew Applewood. 18mg, 70/30 VG/PG
Good ol' Backwoods Brew. His Applewood is amazing. This juice will always be in my top 5 favorites for the nice bite that the apple brings, and that earthy goodness of the smokey wood flavor. This flavor, right here, will keep me in business with Don for as long as he keeps making these juices. It's too bad he doesn't make them in larger bottles, BUT, that may be a good thing. Let me explain a little more about that:
I bought a 30mL bottle a few months ago from BWB, and before I was done with the bottle, the flavor had really died down. I don't mean that it steeped, I mean that the flavor had almost vanished. Maybe it was a mixing mistake and an isolated incident, but it still had me worried about the applewood's awesome flavor fading, so this time around I bought a smaller bottle, and blew through it in a couple weeks. This time, it REQUIRED some steep time. Upon arrival, I opened the bottle and put a few drops onto the coil of my 901 atty (connected to my 5v mod), and the flavor was a real turn-off. It tasted like cheap Dekang liquid. I put it down for a couple days, and that helped a lot. It was back to the flavor that I had fallen in love with months ago. I'll be buying a couple of 30mL bottles of it from him next week.
Throat hit, as before, is strong but not overpowering. Vapor isn't as thick as I'd like, but that's the nature of such a high level of PG in the liquid. The flavor, as before, is amazing, but this time it needed to sit for a couple days to shake that weird Dekang taste. Overall, it's an amazing juice.
Backwoods Brew Honey Flue Nut. 18mg, 70/30 PG/VG
This juice also needed to sit for a couple days. Again, a weird Dekang flavor overpowered the subtleties of this juice. After a couple days, I started to use this juice and let me tell you, this one is a winner.
This juice is not a particularly strong, straight-up tobacco or analog flavor, but more of a smooth, rich tobacco. The honey seems to layer the tobacco flavor perfectly, and is noticeable more on the exhale. If you've ever had a taste of honey from a Farmer's Market, in one of those small, straw-like clear tubes, then you know what this honey flavor is like. It's not a cheap-tasting honey, and it's subtle enough to not be the primary focus. It softens the tobacco on the inhale, and sweetens it on the exhale. The "nut" flavor is only noticeable on exhale, and seems to be a part of the honey. If Bees were to make honey from Brazil Nuts, that's the type of honey that would be identical to the Honey flavor in this juice. That was long-winded.
The only gripe I have with BWB's juices, at least with these 2, is the vapor production is pretty low and the liquid doesn't last very long in the atomizer. I go through BWB's liquids much faster than I go through FSUSA's liquid, likely due to the difference in PG/VG percentages.
Throat hit is subtle, but noticeable. Vapor, like the Applewood, isn't very high but it's not really weak. The flavor is amazing, and a perfect mix of boldness and sweetness.
Conclusion
FSUSA didn't deliver great results with the Kickin' Apple, and I doubt that I will ever buy that flavor again. BWB's Applewood is still amazing, and the Honey Flue Nut is a perfect tobacco.
FreedomSmokeUSA's Kickin' Apple. 18mg Nic, 50/50 PG/VG
The description states that this flavor is of a rich tobacco with a refreshing kick of apple. This, right here, is the only juice I've tried from FSUSA (so far) that has such an inaccuracy of a description and title. It doesn't "kick" at all, and the apple is so muted that it's hardly refreshing. The extremely faint apple taste I'm getting reminds me of a boiled apple that has been overcooked. No sharpness, no bite, just a flat, almost-not-there taste.
The tobacco flavor is also confusing. It's not what I'd expect from such a juice, and it's not exactly pleasing. With the weird apple undertone, it makes the tobacco taste almost too foody. This juice, in short, tastes like apple bread that was freezer burned.
This is where I normally rate the throat hit and vapor, but you know what? I'm so disappointed by the flavor that I don't pay attention to the vapor and the throat hit when I'm vaping it. Let's just say that if you want any sort of apple/tobacco mix from FSUSA, go with their Applewood, especially if you like a cooked apple flavor.
Backwoods Brew Applewood. 18mg, 70/30 VG/PG
Good ol' Backwoods Brew. His Applewood is amazing. This juice will always be in my top 5 favorites for the nice bite that the apple brings, and that earthy goodness of the smokey wood flavor. This flavor, right here, will keep me in business with Don for as long as he keeps making these juices. It's too bad he doesn't make them in larger bottles, BUT, that may be a good thing. Let me explain a little more about that:
I bought a 30mL bottle a few months ago from BWB, and before I was done with the bottle, the flavor had really died down. I don't mean that it steeped, I mean that the flavor had almost vanished. Maybe it was a mixing mistake and an isolated incident, but it still had me worried about the applewood's awesome flavor fading, so this time around I bought a smaller bottle, and blew through it in a couple weeks. This time, it REQUIRED some steep time. Upon arrival, I opened the bottle and put a few drops onto the coil of my 901 atty (connected to my 5v mod), and the flavor was a real turn-off. It tasted like cheap Dekang liquid. I put it down for a couple days, and that helped a lot. It was back to the flavor that I had fallen in love with months ago. I'll be buying a couple of 30mL bottles of it from him next week.
Throat hit, as before, is strong but not overpowering. Vapor isn't as thick as I'd like, but that's the nature of such a high level of PG in the liquid. The flavor, as before, is amazing, but this time it needed to sit for a couple days to shake that weird Dekang taste. Overall, it's an amazing juice.
Backwoods Brew Honey Flue Nut. 18mg, 70/30 PG/VG
This juice also needed to sit for a couple days. Again, a weird Dekang flavor overpowered the subtleties of this juice. After a couple days, I started to use this juice and let me tell you, this one is a winner.
This juice is not a particularly strong, straight-up tobacco or analog flavor, but more of a smooth, rich tobacco. The honey seems to layer the tobacco flavor perfectly, and is noticeable more on the exhale. If you've ever had a taste of honey from a Farmer's Market, in one of those small, straw-like clear tubes, then you know what this honey flavor is like. It's not a cheap-tasting honey, and it's subtle enough to not be the primary focus. It softens the tobacco on the inhale, and sweetens it on the exhale. The "nut" flavor is only noticeable on exhale, and seems to be a part of the honey. If Bees were to make honey from Brazil Nuts, that's the type of honey that would be identical to the Honey flavor in this juice. That was long-winded.
The only gripe I have with BWB's juices, at least with these 2, is the vapor production is pretty low and the liquid doesn't last very long in the atomizer. I go through BWB's liquids much faster than I go through FSUSA's liquid, likely due to the difference in PG/VG percentages.
Throat hit is subtle, but noticeable. Vapor, like the Applewood, isn't very high but it's not really weak. The flavor is amazing, and a perfect mix of boldness and sweetness.
Conclusion
FSUSA didn't deliver great results with the Kickin' Apple, and I doubt that I will ever buy that flavor again. BWB's Applewood is still amazing, and the Honey Flue Nut is a perfect tobacco.
