I'm really surprised at the French Pipe and Black & Mild. After all the enthusiasm, I expected these to be better. Someone said it well once, that everybody's "tobacco" flavors are what they name the ones that don't taste like anything familiar. I don't think any "tobacco" vape even vaguely tastes like tobacco (and it's probably just as well). Some of the FA tobaccos capture the top notes very well, though not the base. Most of us got exposed to the (clever) Dekang notion of "tobacco", and the VZ Virginia Flue Cured lightly hints at that. The Honey Flue Cured is a wonderful true original, just touching some tobacco top notes.
As a long time former pipe and cuban cigar smoker I expected a bit of realistic "cavendish" in the French Pipe, at least like the Seedman Captain Black. But it initially just strikes me as a sweetly scented something. After a few days it tastes a little better, fatter and more aromatic, though nothing like a pipe tobacco. Eyes closed, the Black & Mild initially hits me as entirely chocolate. After a few days it tastes fatter, like a chocolatey something, but neither pipe nor cigar. Neither's a keeper. Is there a true cigar smoker here who can comment on the cigar flavors, like the Cigar and the Cohiba?
As to pricing, I purchased a good number of these VZ flavors at first, and sadly most of them aren't for me, and weren't cheap. Some are better than others. The fruits seem cloyingly sweet and "Chinese technicolor". The Mandarin is very nice in spite of that, tastes like their Orange with a touch more rind. Has anybody else compared these two?
So as to the new pricing, I think that's very smart. Without the new pricing I'd be done. This way I can still purchase one or two occasionally to try. Thanks, VZ.
Fernand,
I started vaping to quit smoking cigarettes - again. An unintended side effect has been an almost complete cessation of cigar smoking
Since mid-December, I've smoked 7 cigars. Prior to that, I smoked an average of 8 or 9 a week for years. It's really odd: I just haven't had the urge. I have a bureau-sized humidor that held, until recently, over 1200 sticks. About half were domestic market and half were Cuban. 2 months into vaping, when it became clear I wasn't going back, I started selling them off and am now down to about 75 that I may or may not smoke. All of this makes me reassess why I was doing it in the first place but this is all a digression.
I consider myself to be a serious cigar smoker and I've been waiting for VZ to restock Cohiba and Cigar for what seems like weeks. As soon as they're in stock I'll be buying both and I'll happily share my thoughts. I agree with you completely about now tobacco-flavored ejuice tasting anything like a cigarette or a cigar and I'm under no illusion that Cigar or Cohiba will be any different. To a certain extent, I'm glad: I don't want to vape the same nasty flavor as a cigarette, but that's just me.
Having said that, I do vape mostly "tobacco" juices. For whatever reason, I find them more satisfying even while I'm frustrated with them. I've been searching for a tobacco flavor that I can build on - one with a deep, rich base or bottom note, and a full or broad "mid-range" for lack of a better word. To speak cigar for a moment, I want something like a Punch Punch, a Partagas 8-9-8, or a Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro - not in taste but rather richness, strength, and (to use a wine aficionado's term) "mouthfeel". If I can find that I don't particularly care what the top notes are as I intend to use it as a blending base.
In my search, I've acquired over 150 flavorings including approximately 40 tobaccos from VZ, Flavour Art, TPA, Flavor West, and Ecig Express, Capellas and LorAnns. As far as tobaccos go, I found FA (with a very few exceptions) and all of FW to be poor. TPA's (some, anyway) are better but not by much. I've mixed 2 different strains of Tobacco Absolute, and have tried Seedman's commercial and found some elements to like with them as well but nothing to love. I now have almost 30 VZ flavors including over a dozen VZ tobaccos and, in my opinion, VZ's tobaccos beat the rest of them with a stick - it isn't even close. I haven't loved any of them yet but let's say I have a very strong like for several (Virginia Flue Cured, Honey Flue Cured, Real Cig, Blended Tobacco, Wensten). So - here's hoping that Cigar and Cohiba have the elements the rest don't quite possess.
As to your question regarding Mandarin vs. Orange, I agree with you again. I think the Orange is good and I taste orange when I vape it but I taste
AN orange when I vape the Mandarin. It's a little deeper, a little juicier, and more authentic.
Sorry to the non-cigar folks. I didn't intend for this to be such a long post.
- Tim
way too delicate/ full/thick and complex at the same time, I think any tobacco will either taste like a very cheap imitation, capture some of the notes at best (despite not being close to the full taste), or just something completely different.
