Sampling ejuice at B&M

[quirkybeeper]

I looked this up and didn't find any answers so I'm assuming this is an odd question!

I've been vaping only since May, and it's more recreation for me...I don't want to fiddle with mods and rebuilds and all that, I just want to fill my tank with some juice and vape. Simple.

Here's my issue/question...what is the best way to sample new juice at a store, festival, convention, etc.? For example, I went to a convention a couple weeks ago and tried a lot of juices, but I couldn't really pick up the flavors that well. I was wondering if there's some magical trick to get the true flavor when sampling liquids in a store or at an event, or if just is what it is.

TIA for any tips!

 

[ukeman]

Hmm good question imo because I don't live near a B&M nor have I been to a convention but I did visit a couple stores in Honolulu and tried some flavors.
So not qualified to say what is best or most popular way to do it but i think some stores may allow you to try on their gear; they just give you a clean d/t to test it.
They usually use gear that is "good" enough to taste the flavors. I guess I'd have to ask what you used that didn't seem to do it for you?

I have been vaping for about 4 years and first of all I did it because smoking was ruining my lungs... and just vaping nic did it for me.

Then as it became a hobby; different gear, different juices, I became particular in what device and what atomizer... I have be blessed to afford whatever gear I want and so I use what I consider to be the best gear available for flavor and vapor satisfaction.
Some atomizers today are designed and setup for more vapor; dual coils big air... I find that there is a trade-off with flavor the more vapor you get... i.e. .2 ohms and huge air holes.

I prefer single coil, .5 to 1 ohms and air source posts under the coil for best flavor and decent vapor.

If you did use a decent device and decent atomizer and it still didn't give enough flavor, it could be because the atomizer wasn't the greatest, OR it could be that you are expecting juice to taste better than "what it is".
IMO the "better" juices that are being made today are so much better than 4 years ago... and should satisfy anyone.

 

[coalyard]

We use an EGO battery topped with H2 tanks for our sample station. If I have a frequent good customer in the shop, I keep my SCAR dripper ready to provide samples.

That said, it's easy to overwhelm yourself when sampling juices. I usually try only a few at a time. A sip or two of water between helps too.

 

[dinningroomhobo]

We use ego's with ce4 tanks but like coalyard, I keep my dripper handy for those that wish to try it.

 

[Misk]

I experience this too. Stuff tastes muted on the in store setup. I usually just hope for the best when I get home with my new juice on my dripper. It has worked for me so far. I have heard there are a few stores that will let you sample with a dripper. Although I do understand why a lot of stores don't want to do this it would be nice if more did.

 

[bazooka_joe]

at our store we use either carto or evod tanks. but if you have dripper, we either let you drip on yours or use our drippers.

not all juices are made to work in all types of tanks, drippers, gennies, etc.

i still find that dripping will give me the best taste. i find all the premade coil tank systems to be muted no matter what

 

[abn75]

The one local b&m I use here has different set ups to sample on. They try to get as close to what you use as they can. Lots of different tanks and batteries. They will also at times let you try it off of one of mods.

 

[WeirdWillie]

I know what you mean, most B&M tend to like to use under powered ego's and tanks with less than stellar performance (like drawing a thick shake threw a coffee steering straw). for that reason I carry a dripper and extra cotton with me keeping in mind I'm a flavor chaser not a cloud blowing clown, typically I build my kayfuns around 1.5 to1.8 ohms and vape between 15&17 watts, for me is the sweet spot for throat, vapor production, and flavor.
But I do like to take a juice its paces at various power settings, I've found that there are many juices even well known supposed high end juices that will break down and taste like vaporized azz as the power goes up.
I've found an awesome juice at a local B&M Spring Vapor called Brad's Punch that takes on different fruity flavors as power goes up or down and changes from vape to vape anything from juicy fruit gum to like cotton candy to almost jolly rancher flavors it is such a cool juice to vape threw a wide range of power settings without breaking down.(wish I could get the recipe it)
That being said I think allot of the juice manufacturers and B&M stores but not all, have fallen behind some when it comes to juices and higher wattage devices, it would be nice to see some kind of a chart something that says it has been tested threw out a certain wattage/voltage range or an optimal vaping range keeping in mind the plethora of higher wattage devices that are on the market today.

 

[dbrandt01]

Our shop uses the little ego twists unless you have your own dripper then you can change the cotton which sometimes they provide for you. For me, on a dripper, I do just a mouth to lung hits, not straight lung like I usually do. I agree with the sip of water part above even waiting 2-3 minutes between them and talk about the flavor so it can leave your mouth.

 

[geekmedic]

Great question. My local B&M use ego CE4 tanks and I don't know when they have been cleaned, coil changed at all. I have an old bridge-less 510 carto that I am going to take with me next time and ask if I can get a few drops off of their refill bottles. The one shop has a very knowledgeable kid behind the counter and I can actually have a conversation with him regarding different setups.

 

[Kahnighit]

Generally I only hit B&M stores if I'm having an equipment emergency (less likely now that I have ample backup coils and a dripper) or an instant gratification need for a new flavor. As mentioned the setups are usually less than ideal. Often the store forces you to ask for each individual flavor you're trying to sample which becomes progressively more irritating if more than just yourself is sampling. Also the flavor sampled may not accurately represent the flavor straight out of the bottle. Nic content and how long the sample carto/clearo whatever has been sitting out steeping could have augmented the flavor. Then there's the price. Often for the price of one bottle at a B&M I could get either two equivalent bottles online or an entire sampler pack.

Out of the 3 B&M stores relatively close to me, I suspect only one will still be here in a year provided they're not money laundering fronts. While I understand there's more overhead in operating one; if your business model is dependent upon 30-100% markup your business is not going to be sustainable. They may get the initial sale but these businesses are probably very dependent upon return traffic for juice and accessories. That huge markup is a contempt bomb with the trigger attached to the internet. As soon as the customer realizes they've been gouged they're lost forever.

The one store I suspect will be around offers custom mixing of juices where they have a windowed lab, the employee in there is wearing lab garb and mixes your flavors and nic to order while still keeping reasonable prices. All of their flavors are also easily accessible on the counter with multiple binders detailing the flavors for reference.

 

[j0sh]

A local B&M won me over by having better prices than most "reputable" online vendors (which seem few and far between.) That being said, their tasting setups tend be similar or identical to what I actually own and it still always tastes better in my own gear.

 

[quirkybeeper]

Thanks for all the info! I'm not all that into mods and fancy stuff like dripping (well, it would be awesome but I think rebuilding would become tedious and is a bit advanced for me right now). It may be silly, but I found that when tasting a new flavor, exhaling through my nose once at least helps me kinda get more of an idea of the flavor. The title of my post said B&M but I guess thay was a little inaccurate...the places that I've tried juice and had issues were at a local small-town outdoor festival where a local vendor had a booth, and another at a convention. I think there may have just been way too much stimuli (noise, crowds, ambient smells, etc.) that affected my ability to taste them very well. So it's been a little hit-or-miss, and I've ended up tweaking some of the juices at home with menthol for a bit of extra flavor.

Now I did find a local vendor that mixes their own juice and I find the prices to be reasonable, $9 for 15 or 20ml, and they are good flavors. The owner is really nice too, and she's really good with offering suggestions and patient when I want to go back and try the same flavor like 5 times!

Right now my setup is a Kanger EVOD with a 650mah battery, which is fine with me, though I'm looking into rewicking with cotton and getting a VV battery. So...I'm totally sure that I could try any one of my juices on a different setup and get so much more flavor! I'm just not technically savvy enough to muss with it right now lol