specs: The three 10ml bottles of Hangsen Premium Tobacco I purchased from CaterpillarVapes contain liquids that are essentially colorless, almost transparent (with a slight translucence that I hesitate to call cloudy, because that might put off some people, and theres nothing at all wrong with the appearance of the juices) at 18mg nic strength in a 50/50 PG/VG base blend. The liquids have no scent. The labels do not list the base blend, but they do include the nic strength and the expiration date (two years from manufacture), which was, for my particular bottles, July, 2014, making these juices about six months old at the time of purchase. I think theyve had enough steeping time, LOL. Testing was done using 2.4 ohm Ultimate CE2 clearomizers powered by a Kicked Bolt set to 9 watts RMS. I also atty-dripped them using a 1.8 ohm IKV i06 to double-check.
Hangsen is touting its new Premium line of tobacco liquids as being produced with natural extract tobacco flavorings. By that, I presume they mean either Tobacco Absolute or Tobacco Extract, since Hangsen is now selling these concentrates. TA and TE are not the kind of extracts weve come to call NETs---made by soaking macerated tobacco in PG or VG, which gradually becomes infused with the flavor from the tobacco and is subsequently filtered to make an extract that is mildly concentrated. No, TA and TE are super-super-concentrates, but they are produced from real tobacco rather than being synthesized in a flavor lab.
Hangsens Premium Line currently has four offerings:
HS Delight, HS Impulse, HS Storm, and
HS Mentholated. I didnt buy the menthol because Im not a menthol guy. The other three all share similar tobacco flavor, with Delight being the light version, Impulse average, and Storm heavier-duty. I guess Hangsen has resorted to the marketing model used by cigarette manufacturers: Ultra-Light, Light, and Regular.
What matters, of course, is not so much the way the flavorings are marketed, nor even what particular kinds of extracts are used, but---finally---how good the resulting juices taste. So, how good are they? Well, lets just say straight off that Smooth Criminal and Burley Blue Grass have nothing to worry about. And I do mean
nothing.
On the whole, Im very disappointed with these juices. Ive made better liquids with Tobacco Absolute and Tobacco Extract in my own DIY efforts, and Im no great shakes as an artisan juicemaker.
The flavor profile of all three of these juices is extremely mild, staying right in the center of the bell curve. Hangsen has played this far too safe. These juices dont suffer from the presence of bad flavors; theyre marred instead by the absence of good flavors. Rather than tasting weird or off-kilter, they are unmemorable and have little impact. While closer to the taste of real tobacco than the bulk of juices made using synthetic tobacco flavorings, the flavor that does come through in all three Hangsen Premium tobacco blends lacks character. Even HS Storm, supposedly the most intense of the three blends, is nondescript and undistinguished. By attempting to offend no one, Hangsen has also failed to please anyone. Well, maybe thats too harsh. What I can say for sure is that theyve failed to please me.
What my brain tells me when I vape these juices is that theyre unfinished, like skeletons with no flesh. This is structure without content, as if Noah had built an Ark, but then no animals showed up to board the boat. These liquids are mere empty vessels. Juice makers often commit the mistake of using too much TA or TE. Hangsen has erred in the opposite way by using too little. But simply adding more extract wouldnt solve the problem. What is needed is other additional flavors.
As bases for other flavorings, Hangsen Premium Tobacco Blends have some potential. Bakery flavors (such as vanilla, maple, or cinnamon), candy flavors (caramel or butterscotch), and some fruit flavors (peach, pear, or banana, although not apple, orange, or strawberry) might be well-supported by these liquids. For instance, any of these three juices might work nicely as the tobacco element for a classic RY4. In other words, they might come in handy for DIY or Frankenjuicing.
By themselves, however, theyre downright boring. Perhaps if I had vaped only Dekang synthetic tobacco juices, Hangsen Premium tobaccos might offer a refreshing change in the direction of authenticity. Given the abundant and rapidly-increasing number of truly wonderful, amazingly yummy tobacco blends now available in the marketplace from many artisan juice vendors, Hangsen Premiums pale in comparison. Maybe Hangsen will do well with these juices in the Chinese market, but, for readers of this thread, theyre a complete waste of time.
VaporBreak is an online Chinese vendor that offers most of the Hangsen eliquid line at remarkably low prices---$1.00 for 10ml, $2.60 for 30ml, and $4.20 for 50ml. Even with shipping from China, 150ml of Hangsen liquid can be had for less than $18 total. That may be a fantastic deal for some of the other Hangsen flavors, but not for these three Premium tobacco blends, simply because I dont consider any of them worth buying, no matter how cheaply. Sorry to be so blunt, but thats how little regard I have for these juices. Ill include a link, however, just in case:
VaporBreak (china) Hangsen E-Liquid
I guess I will just stick with Moondrop.
