Good lord, I've gone through hundreds of dollars the past month, between an M402, an Evo, a 510, EcoPure liquid, NuVape liquid, LiteCig liquid, and now, Johnson Creek.
I decided to get in on their sale at the last minute, and I'm definitely happy I did. First off, I ordered on the 15th and everything arrived today (the 21st). They had the order out the door on the 17th, so that's not too shabby in my estimation.
I'm going to assume that people reading this haven't ordered from JC before, so apologies if this contains really basic information.
Here's what I ordered (all 15ml):
Original / Reduced PG
French Vanilla / Reduced PG
Tennessee Cured / Reduced PG
Summer Peach / Reduced PG
One 3ml syringe
Here's what I received:
Original / Reduced PG
French Vanilla / Reduced PG
Tennessee Cured / Reduced PG
Summer Peach / Reduced PG
One 3ml syringe
Four glass droppers
Four 5ml plastic bottles
Every flavor arrived sealed in a bubble pack, which contained the juice with a child-proof cap, a glass dropper, and a plastic bottle. And all of that was wrapped in bubble wrap, which was then sent in a UPS bubble mailer.
The glass bottles have built-in dropper caps (which take a long time to get started, but work beautifully) and they have tiny air vents which are absolutely perfect for the syringe.
Of course, you can take the dropper cap out and replace it with the glass droppers, but they're not childproof and you have some potential for spilling if you're not careful with the bottle. The plastic bottles have dropper caps as well.
The syringe was... well... a hospital-grade BD syringe. Be careful with it, and leave it at home, unless you want people to think you're mainlining nicotine or worse 8-o
On to the flavors. Note: flavors were tested using well broken-in Evo atomizers that I've been prepping with EcoPure Fresh and recently cleaned.
Tennessee Cured 24mg (low PG)
Initial impression: "This smells awful!"
Flavor: A very nondescript "burnt" flavor with a surprisingly sweet vanilla taste. It totally caught me off guard at first, but after a few minutes, it was quite good.
I want to say it's like smoking vanilla pipe tobacco, but the flavor is much stronger than that. I'd say it's like smoking a generic cigarette that was laced with bits of vanilla bean.
Vapor: In a word: INCREDIBLE. Looking at my collection of PG and non-PG liquids, this was liquid #20 that I've tried, and nothing... NOTHING... has made my Evo produce vapor like this.
Throat hit: Again, absolutely incredible. Being a (formerly) heavy smoker and someone who will use my Evo with EcoPure Rich like a damn pacifier at night, this was probably the most satisfying experience I've had with any PV. For the first time since I started with PV's, I had to put it down, because I was getting a real buzz!
Verdict: If you're a past or present cigarette smoker who is looking for basically the same experience with some flavor, welcome home. If you don't like vanilla, stay far away from this one.
Original 24mg (low PG)
First impression: "Ugh, they screwed up and sent me two of the same thing."
Flavor: Surprisingly similar to Tennessee Cured, but not quite as "sharp". Vanilla undertones were definitely present, but not nearly as candy-sweet as in the Tennessee Cured. This one really is pretty close to vanilla pipe tobacco, but not the cheap stuff you'd get at WalMart.
Vapor: Like the Tennessee Cured, incredible vapor here. Nothing's lacking in this department.
Throat hit: Just like the Tennessee Cured, amazing. A little "scratchier" than the TC, but every bit as impressive.
Verdict: I want to say this is like a more subdued version of TC, but that's really not the case. The flavors blend together much more in Original, but the throat hit and flavor are much "richer" without being sweet or overpowering. This is most likely going to replace EcoPure Rich as my everyday walking around town liquid. If you're a cigarette smoker who would enjoy a more complex flavor than what's generally available, without going in to crazy fruit flavors, hands down, you need to try this.
Summer Peach 24mg (low PG)
First impression: "This smells like a real peach... and burnt rubber."
Flavor: Holy crap! It tastes like a real peach! With the exception of NuVape's melon flavor, this is the first liquid flavor that tastes just like the label says -- not a chemical approximation. Again, a very mild vanilla undertone is present.
I happen to like peaches and vanilla, so this was great. A complete 180 from the barf-worthy NuVape fruit flavors I've tried (including NuVape's 24mg non-PG Peach flavor).
Vapor: This is a toughie. Coming from the first two, Summer Peach leaves something to be desired. In the grand scheme of things, it's certainly good, but nothing to get excited about. If you like to fog up the room, this isn't for you.
Throat hit: Despite the lower amount of vapor, the throat hit is almost as good as the other two flavors. It's a bit lighter... but given the flavor, I wouldn't want it to be any heavier. But I've got to say, the effect is still there. You still get the "fullness" that you'd normally expect from a cigarette, and that wonderful, wonderful buzz is present.
Verdict: The only fruit-flavored liquid I've tried that not only has a natural fruit taste, but tastes good. I don't see this as something I'd want every day, but it's absolutely going to get used often. If you really enjoy peaches, and enjoy (or don't mind) a hint of vanilla, this is nothing short of exquisite.
French Vanilla 24mg (low PG)
I gotta say, I'm getting vanillaed out here, so I haven't tried this one yet. I'll update the post when I do.
Closing thoughts
Despite some of the complaints about Johnson Creek, my order was quite smooth. I haven't tried their old recipes, so I can't do the "New Coke" comparisons. Keep in mind though, I live in Michigan and they're shipping from Wisconsin, so I'm not overly impressed or disappointed with the transit time.
Getting the accessories with the bottles seemed like a bonus to me. Admittedly, they don't tell you exactly what comes with a bottle of liquid, so my expectations weren't very high to begin with. It doesn't change the fact that getting the glass dropper, childproof cap, and travel bottle seems like an excellent value, given the price.
Really, the only gripe I have is that the seal on the childproof caps also pulls on the childproof part. Half of my bottles were easily opened, and one of them had lost a couple of drops. Not a huge deal at all, unless you're letting your toddlers open your packages for you, but being somewhat paranoid about handling nicotine liquid, I didn't like that some of the liquid was on the bottle.
Overall, I'd recommend JC to anyone who is or was a heavy full-flavor smoker. The service was fine, their prices are reasonable (especially with their sale!), and the quality of their products so far is outstanding.
I decided to get in on their sale at the last minute, and I'm definitely happy I did. First off, I ordered on the 15th and everything arrived today (the 21st). They had the order out the door on the 17th, so that's not too shabby in my estimation.
I'm going to assume that people reading this haven't ordered from JC before, so apologies if this contains really basic information.
Here's what I ordered (all 15ml):
Original / Reduced PG
French Vanilla / Reduced PG
Tennessee Cured / Reduced PG
Summer Peach / Reduced PG
One 3ml syringe
Here's what I received:
Original / Reduced PG
French Vanilla / Reduced PG
Tennessee Cured / Reduced PG
Summer Peach / Reduced PG
One 3ml syringe
Four glass droppers
Four 5ml plastic bottles
Every flavor arrived sealed in a bubble pack, which contained the juice with a child-proof cap, a glass dropper, and a plastic bottle. And all of that was wrapped in bubble wrap, which was then sent in a UPS bubble mailer.
The glass bottles have built-in dropper caps (which take a long time to get started, but work beautifully) and they have tiny air vents which are absolutely perfect for the syringe.
Of course, you can take the dropper cap out and replace it with the glass droppers, but they're not childproof and you have some potential for spilling if you're not careful with the bottle. The plastic bottles have dropper caps as well.
The syringe was... well... a hospital-grade BD syringe. Be careful with it, and leave it at home, unless you want people to think you're mainlining nicotine or worse 8-o
On to the flavors. Note: flavors were tested using well broken-in Evo atomizers that I've been prepping with EcoPure Fresh and recently cleaned.
Tennessee Cured 24mg (low PG)
Initial impression: "This smells awful!"
Flavor: A very nondescript "burnt" flavor with a surprisingly sweet vanilla taste. It totally caught me off guard at first, but after a few minutes, it was quite good.
I want to say it's like smoking vanilla pipe tobacco, but the flavor is much stronger than that. I'd say it's like smoking a generic cigarette that was laced with bits of vanilla bean.
Vapor: In a word: INCREDIBLE. Looking at my collection of PG and non-PG liquids, this was liquid #20 that I've tried, and nothing... NOTHING... has made my Evo produce vapor like this.
Throat hit: Again, absolutely incredible. Being a (formerly) heavy smoker and someone who will use my Evo with EcoPure Rich like a damn pacifier at night, this was probably the most satisfying experience I've had with any PV. For the first time since I started with PV's, I had to put it down, because I was getting a real buzz!
Verdict: If you're a past or present cigarette smoker who is looking for basically the same experience with some flavor, welcome home. If you don't like vanilla, stay far away from this one.
Original 24mg (low PG)
First impression: "Ugh, they screwed up and sent me two of the same thing."
Flavor: Surprisingly similar to Tennessee Cured, but not quite as "sharp". Vanilla undertones were definitely present, but not nearly as candy-sweet as in the Tennessee Cured. This one really is pretty close to vanilla pipe tobacco, but not the cheap stuff you'd get at WalMart.
Vapor: Like the Tennessee Cured, incredible vapor here. Nothing's lacking in this department.
Throat hit: Just like the Tennessee Cured, amazing. A little "scratchier" than the TC, but every bit as impressive.
Verdict: I want to say this is like a more subdued version of TC, but that's really not the case. The flavors blend together much more in Original, but the throat hit and flavor are much "richer" without being sweet or overpowering. This is most likely going to replace EcoPure Rich as my everyday walking around town liquid. If you're a cigarette smoker who would enjoy a more complex flavor than what's generally available, without going in to crazy fruit flavors, hands down, you need to try this.
Summer Peach 24mg (low PG)
First impression: "This smells like a real peach... and burnt rubber."
Flavor: Holy crap! It tastes like a real peach! With the exception of NuVape's melon flavor, this is the first liquid flavor that tastes just like the label says -- not a chemical approximation. Again, a very mild vanilla undertone is present.
I happen to like peaches and vanilla, so this was great. A complete 180 from the barf-worthy NuVape fruit flavors I've tried (including NuVape's 24mg non-PG Peach flavor).
Vapor: This is a toughie. Coming from the first two, Summer Peach leaves something to be desired. In the grand scheme of things, it's certainly good, but nothing to get excited about. If you like to fog up the room, this isn't for you.
Throat hit: Despite the lower amount of vapor, the throat hit is almost as good as the other two flavors. It's a bit lighter... but given the flavor, I wouldn't want it to be any heavier. But I've got to say, the effect is still there. You still get the "fullness" that you'd normally expect from a cigarette, and that wonderful, wonderful buzz is present.
Verdict: The only fruit-flavored liquid I've tried that not only has a natural fruit taste, but tastes good. I don't see this as something I'd want every day, but it's absolutely going to get used often. If you really enjoy peaches, and enjoy (or don't mind) a hint of vanilla, this is nothing short of exquisite.
French Vanilla 24mg (low PG)
I gotta say, I'm getting vanillaed out here, so I haven't tried this one yet. I'll update the post when I do.
Closing thoughts
Despite some of the complaints about Johnson Creek, my order was quite smooth. I haven't tried their old recipes, so I can't do the "New Coke" comparisons. Keep in mind though, I live in Michigan and they're shipping from Wisconsin, so I'm not overly impressed or disappointed with the transit time.
Getting the accessories with the bottles seemed like a bonus to me. Admittedly, they don't tell you exactly what comes with a bottle of liquid, so my expectations weren't very high to begin with. It doesn't change the fact that getting the glass dropper, childproof cap, and travel bottle seems like an excellent value, given the price.
Really, the only gripe I have is that the seal on the childproof caps also pulls on the childproof part. Half of my bottles were easily opened, and one of them had lost a couple of drops. Not a huge deal at all, unless you're letting your toddlers open your packages for you, but being somewhat paranoid about handling nicotine liquid, I didn't like that some of the liquid was on the bottle.
Overall, I'd recommend JC to anyone who is or was a heavy full-flavor smoker. The service was fine, their prices are reasonable (especially with their sale!), and the quality of their products so far is outstanding.
