Today I had the pleasure of getting my order from French e-liquid maker Vincent dans les vapes in the mail. I've ordered their "tabac 1975" (tobacco 1975, whatever the date means), apple and "menthe fraiche" (fresh mint) flavors, all in 100% VG.
But first things first. About Vincent dans les vapes (VDLV): this is a very serious manufacturer that works with university labs and professional tasters to create juices with natural flavors. From what I could gather on French-speaking vaping forums, they are highly regarded in France and abroad. For the anecdote, the name "Vincent dans les vapes" is a wordplay in French meaning both "Vincent in vapors" and "Vincent knocked unconscious" - different...
Most unusually, VDLV lets you choose the ratio of PG, VG and nicotine you want in all of their juices. This is quite unique! That's the main reason why I ordered from them: I wanted 100% VG liquids with 12 mg/ml nicotine and nothing else. VDLV let me order exactly that, in the flavors I wanted.
About customer experience: before ordering, I called them on the phone to find out whether there would be any problem shipping to Belgium. The lady I got on the horn was very nice and helpful. So I went ahead, created an account on their website, and ordered the liquids I wanted.
Immediately I got an email confirming my account creation, but unfortunately with the password I had supplied in clear-text in the email, which isn't so hot in this online world of ubiquitous data-mining and surveillance. I'm sure they mean well, supplying you with your own password for safe-keeping, but it's just not very clever at all.
Then, I got an email telling me my order was confirmed, then another the next day telling me my juices were being prepared, and yet another the day after telling me they had been shipped. I like that, it's neat that they inform you on what's going on with your order.
It arrived today in a bubble-wrap envelope, and it contained a hand-written personalized Happy New Year card, as well as an extra bottle of Virginia tobacco-flavored juice in 12 mg/ml and 100% VG as a surprise gift. Wow, very nice touch! They sure know how to get repeat customers.
Now, for the liquids:
Before going any further with the review of the liquids, bear in mind that I've ordered 100% VG. If you've ever tried 100% VG, you know the base liquid has this faint sweet rancid butter taste that taints every flavor mixed to it. I'm mentioning this because, obviously, the tastes VDLV has put together won't be the same with and without PG in the juice.
In fact, I'm surprised they let people change the formula of their liquids at will: suppose someone orders a liquid that tastes great with a 50/50 base and tastes like crap with a 0/100 base, and that someone then goes on the internet and tells everybody how crap the liquid they bought is? Now VDLV has a dissatisfied customer and a bad review posted online. So I reckon it's quite brave of them to let you compose your own liquid.
This said then, I knew there was a good chance the liquids I ordered wouldn't taste as great as others have reported on French-speaking vaping forum. So again, what I'm reviewing here really is *my* choice of 100% VG liquids with VDLV's flavors added to them, and one should not generalize to other base liquid ratios with the same flavors.
- 100% VG Tobacco 1975: it's worth mentioning that it's a flavor made out of real tobacco. It's not very strong, and in fact juuust powerful enough to blend with the taste of the VG and make something convincing. To be honest, the first vapes you take with it in a fresh clearo taste of nothing else but VG. But keep at it, play with the voltage, shake the clearo, give the wick time to soak up the liquid (it's very thick), and after a while, the tobacco-ish flavor comes out. It's not quite powerful enough to overpower the taste of VG, but after a few hours getting used to it, I've come to like it the way it is. It's a bit of an acquired taste. In any case, like all tobacco-flavored liquids I've tried, it doesn't really taste of tobacco anyway. Nothing new here
- 100% VG Apple: No. Sorry no. Doesn't work at all with the VG. The apple flavor is very weak, so when you vape it, you get a fleeting hint of something applesy, and then slap-bam the VG comes back with a vengeance, mixes with whatever apple flavor lingers on your taste buds and creates something gross. Even if you let your brain get used to it, it doesn't get any better. I should mention that the general consensus on VDLC's apple taste is that it's one of the finest apple flavors available on the market, and it's highly rated by almost everybody. But it just doesn't mix well with pure VG *AT ALL*. If you're into 100% VG, give the apple flavor a miss. Although, to be fair, I've tasted other apple-flavored liquid, and they're all quite weak and hard to get right. The best I've tasted so far comes from LiXXs Liquids in Germany, and even that loses its novelty value on your tongue in a hurry after 5 vapes.
- 100% VG Fresh mint: HOLY MINT FLAVOR BATMAN! This juice is GREAT! It taste more of real mint than menthol, it's flavorful and it's refreshing. The sweetness of the VG complements it perfectly too: when you vape on high, the burning hot sweet menthol blend assaults your tongue delightfully (but not aggressively like pure menthol juices), then the thick deep mint takes over and gives you a real mouthful. Then when you exhale, you suddenly find yourself engulfed in a thick cloud of vapor that carried on smelling of mint, even after having been to your lungs and back out! I'm not fond of the smoking chimney effect myself, but if you are, it's something to behold and to sniff out. VDLV's fresh mint in 100% VG is my new all-day vape for sure!
I haven't tried the complimentary bottle of 100% VG Virginia-flavored bottle juice VDLV has sent me yet, but I must say I'm not holding my breath: I've tasted other Virginia juices from other manufacturers, and they all tasted like crap. Either I don't like the taste itself, or none of the manufacturers I've tried get it right, or - like always - tobacco flavors just aren't very convincing for vaping. And with the taste of pure VG on top of it, well... we'll see. I'll try it tomorrow and report on it in this thread.
In any case, I'll certainly order from VDLV again. It's a great company, I want to try other flavors from them, and I need me more of that stupendous mint flavor anyway. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
But first things first. About Vincent dans les vapes (VDLV): this is a very serious manufacturer that works with university labs and professional tasters to create juices with natural flavors. From what I could gather on French-speaking vaping forums, they are highly regarded in France and abroad. For the anecdote, the name "Vincent dans les vapes" is a wordplay in French meaning both "Vincent in vapors" and "Vincent knocked unconscious" - different...
Most unusually, VDLV lets you choose the ratio of PG, VG and nicotine you want in all of their juices. This is quite unique! That's the main reason why I ordered from them: I wanted 100% VG liquids with 12 mg/ml nicotine and nothing else. VDLV let me order exactly that, in the flavors I wanted.
About customer experience: before ordering, I called them on the phone to find out whether there would be any problem shipping to Belgium. The lady I got on the horn was very nice and helpful. So I went ahead, created an account on their website, and ordered the liquids I wanted.
Immediately I got an email confirming my account creation, but unfortunately with the password I had supplied in clear-text in the email, which isn't so hot in this online world of ubiquitous data-mining and surveillance. I'm sure they mean well, supplying you with your own password for safe-keeping, but it's just not very clever at all.
Then, I got an email telling me my order was confirmed, then another the next day telling me my juices were being prepared, and yet another the day after telling me they had been shipped. I like that, it's neat that they inform you on what's going on with your order.
It arrived today in a bubble-wrap envelope, and it contained a hand-written personalized Happy New Year card, as well as an extra bottle of Virginia tobacco-flavored juice in 12 mg/ml and 100% VG as a surprise gift. Wow, very nice touch! They sure know how to get repeat customers.
Now, for the liquids:
Before going any further with the review of the liquids, bear in mind that I've ordered 100% VG. If you've ever tried 100% VG, you know the base liquid has this faint sweet rancid butter taste that taints every flavor mixed to it. I'm mentioning this because, obviously, the tastes VDLV has put together won't be the same with and without PG in the juice.
In fact, I'm surprised they let people change the formula of their liquids at will: suppose someone orders a liquid that tastes great with a 50/50 base and tastes like crap with a 0/100 base, and that someone then goes on the internet and tells everybody how crap the liquid they bought is? Now VDLV has a dissatisfied customer and a bad review posted online. So I reckon it's quite brave of them to let you compose your own liquid.
This said then, I knew there was a good chance the liquids I ordered wouldn't taste as great as others have reported on French-speaking vaping forum. So again, what I'm reviewing here really is *my* choice of 100% VG liquids with VDLV's flavors added to them, and one should not generalize to other base liquid ratios with the same flavors.
- 100% VG Tobacco 1975: it's worth mentioning that it's a flavor made out of real tobacco. It's not very strong, and in fact juuust powerful enough to blend with the taste of the VG and make something convincing. To be honest, the first vapes you take with it in a fresh clearo taste of nothing else but VG. But keep at it, play with the voltage, shake the clearo, give the wick time to soak up the liquid (it's very thick), and after a while, the tobacco-ish flavor comes out. It's not quite powerful enough to overpower the taste of VG, but after a few hours getting used to it, I've come to like it the way it is. It's a bit of an acquired taste. In any case, like all tobacco-flavored liquids I've tried, it doesn't really taste of tobacco anyway. Nothing new here
- 100% VG Apple: No. Sorry no. Doesn't work at all with the VG. The apple flavor is very weak, so when you vape it, you get a fleeting hint of something applesy, and then slap-bam the VG comes back with a vengeance, mixes with whatever apple flavor lingers on your taste buds and creates something gross. Even if you let your brain get used to it, it doesn't get any better. I should mention that the general consensus on VDLC's apple taste is that it's one of the finest apple flavors available on the market, and it's highly rated by almost everybody. But it just doesn't mix well with pure VG *AT ALL*. If you're into 100% VG, give the apple flavor a miss. Although, to be fair, I've tasted other apple-flavored liquid, and they're all quite weak and hard to get right. The best I've tasted so far comes from LiXXs Liquids in Germany, and even that loses its novelty value on your tongue in a hurry after 5 vapes.
- 100% VG Fresh mint: HOLY MINT FLAVOR BATMAN! This juice is GREAT! It taste more of real mint than menthol, it's flavorful and it's refreshing. The sweetness of the VG complements it perfectly too: when you vape on high, the burning hot sweet menthol blend assaults your tongue delightfully (but not aggressively like pure menthol juices), then the thick deep mint takes over and gives you a real mouthful. Then when you exhale, you suddenly find yourself engulfed in a thick cloud of vapor that carried on smelling of mint, even after having been to your lungs and back out! I'm not fond of the smoking chimney effect myself, but if you are, it's something to behold and to sniff out. VDLV's fresh mint in 100% VG is my new all-day vape for sure!
I haven't tried the complimentary bottle of 100% VG Virginia-flavored bottle juice VDLV has sent me yet, but I must say I'm not holding my breath: I've tasted other Virginia juices from other manufacturers, and they all tasted like crap. Either I don't like the taste itself, or none of the manufacturers I've tried get it right, or - like always - tobacco flavors just aren't very convincing for vaping. And with the taste of pure VG on top of it, well... we'll see. I'll try it tomorrow and report on it in this thread.
In any case, I'll certainly order from VDLV again. It's a great company, I want to try other flavors from them, and I need me more of that stupendous mint flavor anyway. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
