This is strictly a comparison of nearly fresh out of the bottle (FOOB) Crème Brulee (CB) and Custards Last Stand (CLS) at near-zero (NZ) and 6 mg of nicotine. I am only giving Clark my opinion of the two versions because he was curious to get a little feedback comparing the liquids fresh at the two nic levels. I was not compensated in any way, and all liquid was purchased prior to the request. I dont think he expected me to post this in the forums, but I dont think hell mind.
I will say this when I first tried the NZ liquids, they were about 18 days old from mixing and I did not enjoy them much, but they have improved quite a bit after another week or so. Since they have a higher VG ratio, they probably need a significant amount of longer steep than the other nic levels.
Crème Brulee (from Left to Right):
Nz mg Bottled 4/16/14 (mixed on or around 4/1/14)
6 mg Bottled 4/23/14 (mixed on or around 3/17/14)
6 mg Bottled 3/16/14
6 mg Bottled 2/13/14
Equipment: Reo Grand (new contacts), RM2 @ 0.8 ohms, boiled organic cotton
Crème Brulee: 4/1/14 NZ vs 3/17/14 6mg
The NZ is slightly more viscous, but not as thick as I would expect considering it is MaxVG. Clouds are comparable. I dont think the NZ produces a significantly noticeable amount more than the 50/50 PG/VG mix of the 6mg, which is a little surprising, but maybe the flavor boost has something to do with it. Im not a cloud chaser so no disappointment for me.
Obviously, the throat hit (TH) is quite different. The TH of the NZ is nearly non-existent, while the 6mg is right where I like it. vapable non-stop for hours without a sore throat.
The flavor also has quite a bit of distinction between the two versions, but there are some things to keep in mind. If I remember correctly, Clark said that the 6mg CB was mixed around 3/17, while the NZ was mixed on 4/1. Thats a full two weeks of extra steep time for the 6mg. Also, with the NZ being in MaxVG, it will typically take even longer to steep. That being said, the flavor is definitely more pronounced in the 6mg. It is definitely creamier, and I want to say that it is even a little sweeter but I cant really decide. I think the uncertainty is because I find the flavor in the NZ to be a little less natural and complete as the 6mg. As of now, I definitely prefer the 6mg, but it may be different a couple months from now.
Custards Last Stand (from Left to Right):
Nz mg Bottled 4/16/14 (mixed on or around 4/1/14)
6 mg Bottled 4/23/14 (mixed on or around 4/1/14)
6 mg Bottled 3/16/14
6 mg Bottled 2/24/14
6 mg Bottled 2/6/14
Equipment: Reo Grand (new contacts), RM2 @ 0.8 ohms, boiled organic cotton
Custards Last Stand: 4/1/14 NZ vs 4/1/14 6mg
Same equipment, same set up, new wicks. This is a more level playing field between the two versions, as long as I have the dates right. The NZ seems even more viscous in CLS than in CB, but again, not much difference in the amount of clouds between the NZ and the 6mg CLS.
The TH in the fresh 6mg CLS is stronger than the 6mg CB, but still not much from the NZ.
Even at the same mix date, the 6mg has a much bolder, fuller flavor. But the difference here is that the NZ version seems to be creamier. I still think the 6mg has a more natural and complete flavor than the NZ counterpart.
Conclusion
For both CB and CLS, I found a significant difference in TH and flavor between the NZ and 6mg versions of the same liquid when sampling fresh. My initial assumption is that I will always prefer the 6mg version to the NZ, but if I ever need to cut nic out of my life completely, hopefully the NZ versions will steep well enough to the point where I wont notice much of a difference, if at all.
I will say this when I first tried the NZ liquids, they were about 18 days old from mixing and I did not enjoy them much, but they have improved quite a bit after another week or so. Since they have a higher VG ratio, they probably need a significant amount of longer steep than the other nic levels.
Crème Brulee (from Left to Right):
Nz mg Bottled 4/16/14 (mixed on or around 4/1/14)
6 mg Bottled 4/23/14 (mixed on or around 3/17/14)
6 mg Bottled 3/16/14
6 mg Bottled 2/13/14
Equipment: Reo Grand (new contacts), RM2 @ 0.8 ohms, boiled organic cotton
Crème Brulee: 4/1/14 NZ vs 3/17/14 6mg
The NZ is slightly more viscous, but not as thick as I would expect considering it is MaxVG. Clouds are comparable. I dont think the NZ produces a significantly noticeable amount more than the 50/50 PG/VG mix of the 6mg, which is a little surprising, but maybe the flavor boost has something to do with it. Im not a cloud chaser so no disappointment for me.
Obviously, the throat hit (TH) is quite different. The TH of the NZ is nearly non-existent, while the 6mg is right where I like it. vapable non-stop for hours without a sore throat.
The flavor also has quite a bit of distinction between the two versions, but there are some things to keep in mind. If I remember correctly, Clark said that the 6mg CB was mixed around 3/17, while the NZ was mixed on 4/1. Thats a full two weeks of extra steep time for the 6mg. Also, with the NZ being in MaxVG, it will typically take even longer to steep. That being said, the flavor is definitely more pronounced in the 6mg. It is definitely creamier, and I want to say that it is even a little sweeter but I cant really decide. I think the uncertainty is because I find the flavor in the NZ to be a little less natural and complete as the 6mg. As of now, I definitely prefer the 6mg, but it may be different a couple months from now.
Custards Last Stand (from Left to Right):
Nz mg Bottled 4/16/14 (mixed on or around 4/1/14)
6 mg Bottled 4/23/14 (mixed on or around 4/1/14)
6 mg Bottled 3/16/14
6 mg Bottled 2/24/14
6 mg Bottled 2/6/14
Equipment: Reo Grand (new contacts), RM2 @ 0.8 ohms, boiled organic cotton
Custards Last Stand: 4/1/14 NZ vs 4/1/14 6mg
Same equipment, same set up, new wicks. This is a more level playing field between the two versions, as long as I have the dates right. The NZ seems even more viscous in CLS than in CB, but again, not much difference in the amount of clouds between the NZ and the 6mg CLS.
The TH in the fresh 6mg CLS is stronger than the 6mg CB, but still not much from the NZ.
Even at the same mix date, the 6mg has a much bolder, fuller flavor. But the difference here is that the NZ version seems to be creamier. I still think the 6mg has a more natural and complete flavor than the NZ counterpart.
Conclusion
For both CB and CLS, I found a significant difference in TH and flavor between the NZ and 6mg versions of the same liquid when sampling fresh. My initial assumption is that I will always prefer the 6mg version to the NZ, but if I ever need to cut nic out of my life completely, hopefully the NZ versions will steep well enough to the point where I wont notice much of a difference, if at all.
