So I pulled the trigger and bought the sampler pack from lazarus vintage. It includes a 15 ml bottle of each of the seven flavors from the 7 wonders line. They also offer the same deal on the 7 kings line. I'd seen some reviews that said they compared to my beloved 5 pawns. $60 seemed like an amazing price for 7 15 ml bottles of 5 pawns quality juice. When I checked out, the shipping was $10. A bit steep, but I found that anything over $50 and they only offer priority shipping. there is no free shipping if you buy enough. It took them 5 days to ship it. 2 more days for the mail, so it took 1 week for my order. Now, on to the juice. I will start by saying that im very impressed.
lighthouse- This is described as being an apple pie and spice flavor. I was really looking forward to this because gambit is my favorite juice. This juice is not gambit. The apple flavor is very understated and a bit sour. A caramel comes through and it is pretty good. after a few days I decided to enjoy it for what it is. Not gambit, but something different. Sweeter. Enjoyable.
stardust- This juice is described as having an orange flavor. I was really looking forward to this. Ive never really found an orange I like. They either have a bite that I dont like or they cover it with a cream that makes it taste like a dreamcicle. This juice pulls off something Ive never had before. The full Orange flavor is there without being overbearing. They dont cover it up with anything, and the finish leaves you thinking you just took a sip of orange juice. Better than Queenside. Wonderful.
compass- This is described as being a white wine flavor. I can certainly see how they get that. It is a grape flavor, but they have done something to it to give a wine effect. Most grape flavors have a candy sweetness to them. This one has that sweetness toned down...and something else. It gives it that brightness of a pinot gricio. I really enjoy it. Id love to see what this would be like if they put it in an oak barrel for a while. Maybe you could get a chardonnay.
Trinity Reserve- This one is supposed to be bourbon and toasted almond. That screams castle long to me. I found this flavor boring. I get the toasted nuts, but I found it one dimensional and lacking the complexity of the famed 5 pawns flagship. It wasnt bad, but if you say bourbon and nuts, your going to be compared and you better bring it!
No.1- This is described as being like a french pastry. It sure does deliver. This is not your average bakery flavor. Very deep and creamy with a taste that sweetens on finish. It truly does taste like a french pastry. I think of a macaroon, with the slightest berry on exhale if you look for it. This ones a winner.
Journey- Cognac and buttermilk is how this is described. This is a wonderful flavor. The cognac is barely there, just to keep you thinking. There is a slight saltiness under this flavor. The buttermilk flavor is captured really well, but its creamyness is a bit muted as to not overpower. It kind of has a buttered popcorn to it. This was perhaps my favorite.
Nebula- I have saved this for last because, well, I dont like mint vapes. That being said, I can pallet this one. It is described as mint and swiss chocolate and thats what it is. Ive never tasted a juice that tries to do this flavor combination and do it so well. the mint always overpowers this chocolate to me. This one has a perfect mix of both, so instead of the york peppermint patty I always seem to get, I get a full andes candy here. If thats your thing, youll probably like this.
Overall I am pretty impressed with this company. You can certainly tell that they are striving to put out a product that is of superior quality. All the juice has a proprietary pg/vg ratio and they are all high vg.
No dates are on the bottles I received. This may be because I ordered the 15 Ml bottles. The 15ml are only available in the sampler sets. So, are they 5 pawns quality? Id say yes. This is some of the best stuff ive ever had. I wouldnt say they are trying to compete with them either. Some of there flavors go the same route, but none of them try to copy. I will be a customer of this company. when all this juice is gone, you can expect a write up on their 7 kings line.
lighthouse- This is described as being an apple pie and spice flavor. I was really looking forward to this because gambit is my favorite juice. This juice is not gambit. The apple flavor is very understated and a bit sour. A caramel comes through and it is pretty good. after a few days I decided to enjoy it for what it is. Not gambit, but something different. Sweeter. Enjoyable.
stardust- This juice is described as having an orange flavor. I was really looking forward to this. Ive never really found an orange I like. They either have a bite that I dont like or they cover it with a cream that makes it taste like a dreamcicle. This juice pulls off something Ive never had before. The full Orange flavor is there without being overbearing. They dont cover it up with anything, and the finish leaves you thinking you just took a sip of orange juice. Better than Queenside. Wonderful.
compass- This is described as being a white wine flavor. I can certainly see how they get that. It is a grape flavor, but they have done something to it to give a wine effect. Most grape flavors have a candy sweetness to them. This one has that sweetness toned down...and something else. It gives it that brightness of a pinot gricio. I really enjoy it. Id love to see what this would be like if they put it in an oak barrel for a while. Maybe you could get a chardonnay.
Trinity Reserve- This one is supposed to be bourbon and toasted almond. That screams castle long to me. I found this flavor boring. I get the toasted nuts, but I found it one dimensional and lacking the complexity of the famed 5 pawns flagship. It wasnt bad, but if you say bourbon and nuts, your going to be compared and you better bring it!
No.1- This is described as being like a french pastry. It sure does deliver. This is not your average bakery flavor. Very deep and creamy with a taste that sweetens on finish. It truly does taste like a french pastry. I think of a macaroon, with the slightest berry on exhale if you look for it. This ones a winner.
Journey- Cognac and buttermilk is how this is described. This is a wonderful flavor. The cognac is barely there, just to keep you thinking. There is a slight saltiness under this flavor. The buttermilk flavor is captured really well, but its creamyness is a bit muted as to not overpower. It kind of has a buttered popcorn to it. This was perhaps my favorite.
Nebula- I have saved this for last because, well, I dont like mint vapes. That being said, I can pallet this one. It is described as mint and swiss chocolate and thats what it is. Ive never tasted a juice that tries to do this flavor combination and do it so well. the mint always overpowers this chocolate to me. This one has a perfect mix of both, so instead of the york peppermint patty I always seem to get, I get a full andes candy here. If thats your thing, youll probably like this.
Overall I am pretty impressed with this company. You can certainly tell that they are striving to put out a product that is of superior quality. All the juice has a proprietary pg/vg ratio and they are all high vg.
No dates are on the bottles I received. This may be because I ordered the 15 Ml bottles. The 15ml are only available in the sampler sets. So, are they 5 pawns quality? Id say yes. This is some of the best stuff ive ever had. I wouldnt say they are trying to compete with them either. Some of there flavors go the same route, but none of them try to copy. I will be a customer of this company. when all this juice is gone, you can expect a write up on their 7 kings line.
