It's time to talk about
Alice in Vapeland!!!!
Be warned; I ordered the "Taste of Everything" sample pack, which means I have sixteen flavors to review. This might get long.
Price: $0.58/mL when buying a 30mL bottle. It's at the higher end of the 'middle' of the price range I've encountered, but well worth it. Between the service, the packaging, and the flavors - oh my lord, the FLAVORS - it's worth it. I would pay Five Pawns' prices for this liquid without blinking. Thumbs up.
Service: Thumbs up. AiV has their 'portal openings' for 24 hours a week, and then takes 3-5 business days to prepare, package and ship. I have no issue with this whatsoever; we've seen a couple of companies fold recently because they underestimated demand while overestimating their ability to keep up. This model works for AiV, it keeps the workload manageable, and it still gets the liquid to the doorstep at a pace commensurate with other notable quality vendors. Communication was immediate and proactive.
Packaging: Two thumbs up. AiV has a very clear sense of whimsy on their website, in their naming and description of the liquids and in their packaging. Glass bottles come with a 'charm' (and dropper tip), the labels are attractive and professional. The box came with an Alice-themed playing card and a personalized note; "Our dear <Fenway>, Thank you for being a part of the Wonder in this World..." Look - I know it's printed on a computer, I know Alice herself didn't draw the picture just for me....I don't care. It's a nice touch.
Now...on to the flavors. All liquids were 11mg nic, AiV's "ideal" high-VG mix. Tested in HH.357's at 2.0 ohms on a Vamo V5 at 4.0 volts.
Black & White Cookie: A vanilla cake cookie with black & white frosting. I get the chocolate and vanilla frosting notes on top of the cake. Cake on the inhale, frosting comes on the exhale. A really nice job recreating one of my more cherished childhood memories. If you didn't grow up enjoying Grandma's Black & White cookies on special occasions, two things: One, I'm sorry and two, try this liquid. It's exactly the flavor profile you'd get from homemade B&W cookies. Two thumbs up.
Punkin Tumble: Described as a pumpkin cake, and they hit it dead-on. Surprisingly sweet. I get the pumpkin and cake notes, blended nicely, with a layer of sweetness; probably a butter-cream frosting style. I prefer a cream cheese frosting for this style, so for preference alone it gets one thumb up instead of two. It is very good, but it's not 'perfect for me' good. Thumbs up but likely won't be in the rotation because I'm a picky jerk with my flavors.
Orange Makes Me Creamsicle: Yep. They even managed to capture the orange flavor you get from a creamsicle; it's not quite natural orange, it's not quite orange candy, it's just the orange you get in a creamsicle. Not 'chemical' or harsh from artificial sweetener, just nostalgic. I'm surprised by how much I like this one, as I've been avoiding the creamsicle liquids. Two thumbs up.
April Moon: Described as apricot, blueberry, and a hint of 'the moon.' A perfect 50/50 blend of apricot and blueberry on the inhale, something creamy-ish on the exhale. This combo shouldn't work. It makes no sense. It isn't found in Snapple, or Kombucha, or Whole Foods, or any of that. It works. Two thumbs up.
Afternoon Tea: Described as a black tea with a 'dab' of cream. I get a very light black tea, with creamy notes on the exhale. Was expecting a bit of a bolder tea, but this works juuuuuuust fine. It's an excellent warm morning vape, not so overpoweringly 'dark' as to evoke cool fall/winter mornings with a steaming cup. Thumbs up.
'Twas Brillig: Described as a blackberry crumble. The blackberry is very predominant up front; a perfectly ripe, sweet without acidity blackberry. Not getting much crumble, but the blackberry is so damn good I don't care. The crumble is there, but ever so lightly. A good balance without trying to overshadow the best part (the perfect blackberry). Thumbs up.
Lemon Loves Cake: A perfect lemon cake. Lemon up front, immediately smoothed out by a fluffy cake note. Icing on the exhale; this is like a lemon bundt cake with a light glaze rather than a fully frosted cake. This would be a fantastic addition to a morning coffee routine for a change of pace. Two thumbs up.
A Quiet Morning: Described as a passionfruit green tea. I get a very dominant passionfruit up front, green tea lurking in the background. By way of contrast with Ahlusion's tea flavors, this is green tea heavily infused with passionfruit, like an Arizona. Is one better than the other? Personal preference. I say yes; this feels too heavy-handed for my taste when it comes to green teas. Thumbs sideways; the passionfruit is still nice, I would just like a subtler mix.
Mystic Mandalime: A mandarin orange/lime blend. I get the orange waaaay up front, with the lime coming at the very end, almost at the aftertaste level. Sweet and tart all at once. It tastes like it is ready to have a healthy shot of rum or, even better, gin added with a garnish as I plunk down in a lawn chair and wave goodbye to the next two hours. Two thumbs up.
White Rabbit: Advertised as 'curiously indescribable.' I get.....caramel....maybe a touch of rum, like a rum cake? It's absolutely delicious. Some sort of spicy note lurking deep in there. I want to get a bottle and taste it twice a day until I nail it down, but I think knowing might make it less precious. I suspect that was the goal, and it's been achieved. Two thumbs up.
Zombie Apocalypse: The name makes me think 'blood orange,' but AiV took it in a completely different direction. Flavors like this are why I work out. It's just perfect. A light strawberry cupcake with a sweet but shy frosting; the pastry chef knew the strawberry cake was the star of this show. This begs to be enjoyed in the evening with a shot of perfect espresso. Two thumbs up.
Crunkberry: Advertised as Cap'n Crunch cereal with berries added. I get mixed berries with a sweet cereal, milk on the end of the exhale to smooth everything out. More like a home-made mix of cereals or cereal with dried fruit added than adding fresh fruit to Cap'n Crunch, which actually plays in its favor. Makes me feel like a kid again, eating my sugar-frosted sugar bombs and loving the ability to metabolize 4000 calories on the bus ride to school. Two thumbs up.
Fifteen Foot Falls: A very complex description - marshmallow, coconut, graham and tobacco. I'm getting the marshmallow and graham, a light hint of coconut primarily on the exhale, and finally the tobacco, as if you ate a bite of a chocolate-less s'more then puffed on a very light cigar. Makes me want to take a pull from a flask filled especially for this camping trip. Would be absolutely divine in the fall. Thumbs up.
Frost Blossom: Described as an orange that's been frosted over. Wow. Was expecting a menthol flavor added to the orange. Failing that, was expecting mint. It's neither; it's.......*shrug* FROST. It's like eating an orange while standing in a restaurant walk-in freezer. The cold concentrates the citrus and sugars, sort of like the orange version of an ice wine. I LOVE this. Two thumbs up and definite inclusion in the rotation.
Mangri-La and
Cherry Blossom Tea were tasted previously; those reviews can be found a page or so back. Two thumbs up to both of those flavors as well.
Overall, AiV gets a resounding two thumbs up. Any flavors that weren't for me were just that; exceptionally well made but not for me as a matter of very individual taste.
You and me both!
