HHV disappointment: 4 flavors reviewed

[HighlanderNorth]

Ok, so I've been vaping for over 3 weeks now, and I have now ordered somewhere near 40 different e-liquids from a whole bunch of companies. I have found that I am fairly picky when it comes to e-liquids, but apparently thats not all that uncommon. Out of the flavors I've tried, most are either barely acceptable or undesirable. I'd say that maybe 30% are OK, and only a few are all day vape-able.

So Heather's Heavenly Vapes has been one of those companies I have been reading about since I began reading reviews, and it took me a little while to order from them, but last week I ordered 4 juices from them, all in 12mg/ml. They are 1. Gandalf, 2. Heavenly Tobacco, 3. Huntsman, 4. Dark Horse.... These are all supposedly tobacco flavored e-liquids.

So, the one juice I have read about from the beginning is Gandalf, and that was the main reason I ordered from HHV, to try gandalf, because its supposedly the bee's knees.... It my opinion it isnt the bees knees. Like the other 3 from HHV, it doesnt even remotely have a tobacco flavor to it. It tastes like a mocha coffee flavor. Its not terrible, but its not something I'd order again, and certainly doesnt have great throat hit. I wanted a tobacco flavor with maybe a top note of some other sweet flavor, well the top note is the only note here.

Next is Heavenly Tobacco: Again, it tastes nothing like tobacco. Its basically Gandalf light. Thats the best way I can describe it. Its a fairly weak flavor with very little throat hit. Its not quite as sweet as Gandalf, but thats because it tastes like Gandalf thats just diluted....

Next were the two that I thought would most likely be what I was looking for. Dark Horse and Huntsman. Huntsman and Dark Horse are advertised as "extracted tobaccos", which I assumed would mean that they should taste a LOT like tobacco. Well, once again, they didnt! Neither has a tobacco flavor at all in my opinion. They are both light flavors with low throat hit. They are different in flavor, but again, they dont taste like tobacco, which is what I expected them to taste like, and why I bought them. I cant put my finger on exactly what flavors are noticeable about these 2, but its what flavors are absent that makes it a deal breaker to me.

Now, I bought these last week, and I tried each flavor twice. The first time was the day they came in, and then after steeping for a few days I tried them again, with the same results. They are all 12mg/ml, and some may say thats the reason for light throat hit, but I got them in 70/30% Pg/Vg, and I have other 12mg juices that DO give great throat hit. They just have light flavors.

Now dont get me wrong here, these 4 flavors arent bad or terrible. The first 2 reviewed above have 'decent' flavor, its OK, but its not what I'd call "good" or great. Plus they dont taste like what they are advertised to taste like, and they are too light IMO. But as far as Huntsman and Dark Horse, I'd put them firmly at "blah". Not terrible like other juices I've tried, but not good either.

So this was yet another example of how everyone has a different opinion on flavor, as many other people love Gandalf! You cant necessarily go by other peoples' reviews....

 

[Kanlee]

I would have to agree with you on the Huntsmen and Darkhorse.The darkhorse I got a slight chocolate taste.I also tried two others.One Menthol ice which wasn't very icy and Hunters blend?.To me none of the tobacco's tasted like tobacco.I put them aside and tried later and still did not care for them.I also thought they were on the light side of taste,kind of like diluted.

 

[Bronze]

Ok, so I've been vaping for over 3 weeks now, and I have now ordered somewhere near 40 different e-liquids from a whole bunch of companies. I have found that I am fairly picky when it comes to e-liquids, but apparently thats not all that uncommon. Out of the flavors I've tried, most are either barely acceptable or undesirable. I'd say that maybe 30% are OK, and only a few are all day vape-able.

So Heather's Heavenly Vapes has been one of those companies I have been reading about since I began reading reviews, and it took me a little while to order from them, but last week I ordered 4 juices from them, all in 12mg/ml. They are 1. Gandalf, 2. Heavenly Tobacco, 3. Huntsman, 4. Dark Horse.... These are all supposedly tobacco flavored e-liquids.

So, the one juice I have read about from the beginning is Gandalf, and that was the main reason I ordered from HHV, to try gandalf, because its supposedly the bee's knees.... It my opinion it isnt the bees knees. Like the other 3 from HHV, it doesnt even remotely have a tobacco flavor to it. It tastes like a mocha coffee flavor. Its not terrible, but its not something I'd order again, and certainly doesnt have great throat hit. I wanted a tobacco flavor with maybe a top note of some other sweet flavor, well the top note is the only note here.

Next is Heavenly Tobacco: Again, it tastes nothing like tobacco. Its basically Gandalf light. Thats the best way I can describe it. Its a fairly weak flavor with very little throat hit. Its not quite as sweet as Gandalf, but thats because it tastes like Gandalf thats just diluted....

Next were the two that I thought would most likely be what I was looking for. Dark Horse and Huntsman. Huntsman and Dark Horse are advertised as "extracted tobaccos", which I assumed would mean that they should taste a LOT like tobacco. Well, once again, they didnt! Neither has a tobacco flavor at all in my opinion. They are both light flavors with low throat hit. They are different in flavor, but again, they dont taste like tobacco, which is what I expected them to taste like, and why I bought them. I cant put my finger on exactly what flavors are noticeable about these 2, but its what flavors are absent that makes it a deal breaker to me.

Now, I bought these last week, and I tried each flavor twice. The first time was the day they came in, and then after steeping for a few days I tried them again, with the same results. They are all 12mg/ml, and some may say thats the reason for light throat hit, but I got them in 70/30% Pg/Vg, and I have other 12mg juices that DO give great throat hit. They just have light flavors.

Now dont get me wrong here, these 4 flavors arent bad or terrible. The first 2 reviewed above have 'decent' flavor, its OK, but its not what I'd call "good" or great. Plus they dont taste like what they are advertised to taste like, and they are too light IMO. But as far as Huntsman and Dark Horse, I'd put them firmly at "blah". Not terrible like other juices I've tried, but not good either.

So this was yet another example of how everyone has a different opinion on flavor, as many other people love Gandalf! You cant necessarily go by other peoples' reviews....

Gandalf is an acquired taste that rewards generously if you catch the rave. Try tuning into the natural tobacco thread. Also, look over the W2V site for some real humdinger tobaccos that will rock your world (Goodejuice too). I haven't ever tried W2V but it is common knowledge that is where you go to get socked if you like tobacco. Goodejuice I tried and there is no question that will rock your world. Can't make up my mind if I like them or not, but they are true NET and they get to the point!

 

[ogredog]

I agree hn.

This was my take. Still feel the same.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-8flavors-1st-impression-whole-afternoon.html

 

[gthompson]

"Tobacco" doesn't mean "tastes like a cigarette". *shrug*

Not to be argumentative, it's your review, and I realize taste is subjective, but Heavenly Tobacco is an RY4 (caramel, vanilla, a little nutty tobacco flavor), whereas Gandalf is an extracted pipe tobacco (no caramel or vanilla or nuts). Most people say they taste some combination of chocolate/coffee/cocoa/black tea in Gandalf. Heavenly Tobacco and Gandalf aren't even remotely similar in taste.

 

[Hulamoon]

Tastes are well, you know the rest... For myself, Huntsman is a very very smoky, woodsy, earthy vape. And while the taste is crystal clean, I wouldn't have called it "light" Just goes to show! My HHV's are steeped for a good couple of weeks, simply because I ordered so many so close together, I can't possibly get through them all in time. PS - and only as a general aside, I always give mine a good ol' shake before filling the cart. I also like to do a few inhales while on the battery to get some heat on those molecules; then I come back to the cart a couple days later to a nice rich flavor. If you're finding Huntsman mild hn, I would humbly suggest the Vapenstein line from Want2Vape.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

"Tobacco" doesn't mean "tastes like a cigarette". *shrug*

Not to be argumentative, it's your review, and I realize taste is subjective, but Heavenly Tobacco is an RY4 (caramel, vanilla, a little nutty tobacco flavor), whereas Gandalf is an extracted pipe tobacco (no caramel or vanilla or nuts). Most people say they taste some combination of chocolate/coffee/cocoa/black tea in Gandalf. Heavenly Tobacco and Gandalf aren't even remotely similar in taste.

**Shrug** Exactly where in my review did I say I thought it should taste like a cigarette? There are more uses for tobacco than just cigarettes. Whats I repeatedly said was none of these juices taste like tobacco. I stand by that 110%! They have the top note flavors, but not the base tobacco flavor that is advertised to be there. See: Any Halo tobacco flavor e-liquid. These almost all have a base tobacco flavor to them, unlike the 4 I reviewed above. Also Totally Wicked's tobacco e-liquid has a strong tobacco flavor.(needs to steep though)

AS far as Heavenly tobacco, you must have gotten a different batch than me, because mine had about 50% of the same flavor that Gandalf did, only more diluted.

Re-read my OP. I think you missed a couple important points. At the end I said that everyone has different opinions on these liquids, and many people dont like what other people do like. I didnt criticize you for liking HHV liquids.

Also, I didnt say these were "bad". I think Gandalf is a pretty good flavor, its just not the tobacco flavor I thought it would be, and I really dont like a very sweet, chocolatey, coffee type flavor for an all day vape. I have other desert flavors I actually really like, BUT not every day!

 

[Got-Ta-Go]

If you search on posts that I've made in the past, you'll find that I also stated that HHV juices had little flavor.

But, I was wrong; I've stated such publicly since my initial "no taste" statements.

If I can make a suggestion, take all the juices you got from HHV and put them away. Pull them out a couple of weeks or 1 month from now and try them then. Then come back and give us your taste reactions.

BTW, Dark Horse and Huntsman are in my daily vape rotation. Gandalf every other day.

(Oh, and for what it is worth- in my experience, the juices I liked at the 3 weeks of vaping stage, 95% of them I can't stand now!). I do pretty much nothing but "tobacco" flavors from day 1 to now.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

Tastes are well, you know the rest... For myself, Huntsman is a very very smoky, woodsy, earthy vape. And while the taste is crystal clean, I wouldn't have called it "light" Just goes to show! My HHV's are steeped for a good couple of weeks, simply because I ordered so many so close together, I can't possibly get through them all in time. PS - and only as a general aside, I always give mine a good ol' shake before filling the cart. I also like to do a few inhales while on the battery to get some heat on those molecules; then I come back to the cart a couple days later to a nice rich flavor. If you're finding Huntsman mild hn, I would humbly suggest the Vapenstein line from Want2Vape.

When I say they are on the light side as tobacco flavors, I am comparing them to other, more genuine tobacco flavors I've tried like Halo and others, which are BOLD. I had to suck hard on the atty to get a decent hit and throat hit was still average at best. I was using my VV for this review on a brand new, low resistance atomizer, with the VV set at 3.7V. At the same sitting, I tried other juices on the same set-up, and the Plume Room Newport gave great throat hits! It is also at 12mg/ml too.

Maybe I just got a "light" batch, who knows.....

 

[new kid]

I agree. IMO, tobacco vapes need to step, sometimes for weeks to a month for the flavors to come out. Gandalf was that way for me. Still won't mean you will like it. I have come to let all my juices steep for 1-2 weeks before I even try them.

If you search on posts that I've made in the past, you'll find that I also stated that HHV juices had little flavor.

But, I was wrong; I've stated such publicly since my initial "no taste" statements.

If I can make a suggestion, take all the juices you got from HHV and put them away. Pull them out a couple of weeks or 1 month from now and try them then. Then come back and give us your taste reactions.

BTW, Dark Horse and Huntsman are in my daily vape rotation. Gandalf every other day.

 

[nilavap]

Anyone searching for authentic tobacco flavored juice may be interested in checking out Backwoods Brew...just my

 

[HighlanderNorth]

If you search on posts that I've made in the past, you'll find that I also stated that HHV juices had little flavor.

But, I was wrong; I've stated such publicly since my initial "no taste" statements.

If I can make a suggestion, take all the juices you got from HHV and put them away. Pull them out a couple of weeks or 1 month from now and try them then. Then come back and give us your taste reactions.

BTW, Dark Horse and Huntsman are in my daily vape rotation. Gandalf every other day.

(Oh, and for what it is worth- in my experience, the juices I liked at the 3 weeks of vaping stage, 95% of them I can't stand now!). I do pretty much nothing but "tobacco" flavors from day 1 to now.

As I have experienced better tasting juices, some of the earlier juices I started out with(like the Totally Wicked's Titan menthol tobacco) no longer taste good to me at all! The reason is, I have now found "better" flavors that make the earlier ones bland by comparison. Aside from that, the other reason I have moved away from earlier vapes is that I now like a stronger flavor and stronger throat hit, and although I still really like the flavor of my second ever all day vape(PeachBerry), its just too light to satisfy now.


So these HHV juices might take as much as 3 weeks to a month to steep? Its funny how some flavors can steep fully in just 2 days and be as good as they are going to get, yet others take a week-10 days. But I didnt realize some would take even longer.

 

[gthompson]

Re-read my OP. I think you missed a couple important points. At the end I said that everyone has different opinions on these liquids, and many people dont like what other people do like. I didnt criticize you for liking HHV liquids.

And I'm certainly not criticizing you for NOT liking HHV. I apologize if it sounded that way. Tastes are indeed subjective, but Heavenly Tobacco and Gandalf are almost polar opposites, and that's all I was saying. You must have indeed gotten a different batch.

 

[Hulamoon]

Yeppers! Sounds like you are a serious tobacco guy and nuthin' wrong with that at all. you're DEFINITELY on the right track with The Plume Room and I would definitely suggest Want2Vape as a place to check out a couple small bottles to see if they might put a grin on your face. I haven't tried them myself yet, but they are definitely on my "next order" sheet - which is incidentally about a mile long already. lol. Put the HHV away for a while and let me know if you get as far as a retry in a month..Otherwise, the classies are a good place to swap or sell.

When I say they are on the light side as tobacco flavors, I am comparing them to other, more genuine tobacco flavors I've tried like Halo and others, which are BOLD. I had to suck hard on the atty to get a decent hit and throat hit was still average at best. I was using my VV for this review on a brand new, low resistance atomizer, with the VV set at 3.7V. At the same sitting, I tried other juices on the same set-up, and the Plume Room Newport gave great throat hits! It is also at 12mg/ml too.

Maybe I just got a "light" batch, who knows.....

 

[Bronze]

And I'm certainly not criticizing you for NOT liking HHV. I apologize if it sounded that way. Tastes are indeed subjective, but Heavenly Tobacco and Gandalf are almost polar opposites, and that's all I was saying. You must have indeed gotten a different batch.

I'm not doubting Highlander's opinion, but I agree...I see zero similarities between Heavenly and Gandalf. Now, Pirate's Booty and Gandalf...now that one has many similarities.

 

[Bronze]

Yeppers! Sounds like you are a serious tobacco guy and nuthin' wrong with that at all. you're DEFINITELY on the right track with The Plume Room and I would definitely suggest Want2Vape as a place to check out a couple small bottles to see if they might put a grin on your face. I haven't tried them myself yet, but they are definitely on my "next order" sheet - which is incidentally about a mile long already. lol. Put the HHV away for a while and let me know if you get as far as a retry in a month..Otherwise, the classies are a good place to swap or sell.

Hulamoon, someone needs to put you on a juice moratorium. Pay for my plane ticket to Hawaiii, set me up a beach bar somewhere, and I'll be your monitor.

 

[gthompson]

Yup.

And I can see where Halo's tobacco "flavors" might not need the same steeping time as an extracted tobacco would.

But I've hijacked this thread enough.

 

[Got-Ta-Go]

You must have got some messed up taste buds! Pirates Booty is closer to Dragon's Fire.

Nothing even close between Pirates and Gandalf (wait, maybe my taste buds are messed up).

I do highly agree that Heavenly is a polar opposite of Gandalf.

My final comment is, I didn't even care much for Gandalf at first. But after a month of rest time, it was totally different.

I'm not doubting Highlander's opinion, but I agree...I see zero similarities between Heavenly and Gandalf. Now, Pirate's Booty and Gandalf...now that one has many similarities.

 

[lasttango]

3 weeks in... yeah... tough to find a vape that actually resembles a cigarette... try vapor station's tampa... that's the surest to please according to many in the community.

Haven't tried Gandalf... but I do gather it's from the fresh leaf steeped family... and not typically something new vapers like... took me a full year to start enjoying W2V and Vaperite tobaccos...

 

[HighlanderNorth]

Yeppers! Sounds like you are a serious tobacco guy and nuthin' wrong with that at all. you're DEFINITELY on the right track with The Plume Room and I would definitely suggest Want2Vape as a place to check out a couple small bottles to see if they might put a grin on your face. I haven't tried them myself yet, but they are definitely on my "next order" sheet - which is incidentally about a mile long already. lol. Put the HHV away for a while and let me know if you get as far as a retry in a month..Otherwise, the classies are a good place to swap or sell.

Yeah, my list is way too long. I have to put a stop to buying for a while for 2 reasons. 1. I have bought over 40 juices in 3 weeks! 2. Of those 40, only about maybe 30% are even remotely acceptable, and only about 4 could be all day vapes as of now. But part of it is that although I like about 10-12 of the flavors I've bought, just like with food, there are flavors that I dont want to taste all day long! I like Tiramisu and Baklava, but I dont want to eat it 24/7..... So its kinda hard to find flavors that you actually do want to taste 24/7....