Some First Impressions: Fun With Sampler Packs

[Bob Chill]

If you want pipe tobacco try quick nic juice for sure. buy a sampler. Grandpa's night cap and ouR whY qu4tro are pure pipe bliss and the only thing missing is a match and combustion. I also like godznilla and wild cherry point. Complex and satisfying for sure. Nothing cloying or sweet with their NETs.

 

[Sed Contra]

#19 Dragon King "Strawberry" - This is from a local shop called Legend Vapor (legendvapor.com). I bought this to compare with the great strawberry taste that I got from the Johnson Creek Merango. This is an 80% PG to 20% VG ratio, whereas the Johnson Creek is 100% VG; obviously the vapor production from Johnson Creek is way better, but the Dragon King Strawberry has sufficient vapor production and throat hit. I did not expect it to taste or vape better than the Johnson Creek, and it doesn't. However, for the money, I'll be buying this locally instead. My all day vape is a "family" of fruity flavors that I can play with, so I want a higher volume of this on hand for regular use. It works great.

 

[ephemerata]

I was actually thinking about the honey one, myself. I will proceed with caution! I'm really looking for a very aromatic pipe tobacco kinda vape - not a cigarette type flavor. It seems like, mostly later in the evening, I want a pipe vape to relax with. With real pipe tobacco, I'm fan of cherry, honey, and vanilla. Maple sounds like something that I'd try, but I'm not sure that peach is what I'm looking for!

Please tell me you ordered the Captain Jack and the Voodoo in your Halo order! They might be right up your alley. Captain Jack tastes fairly close to a pipe tobacco. It smelled like opening a fresh bag of tobacco with that warm, raisiny flavor. Once it warms up in my clearomizer, this beautiful honeyed tobacco taste comes through. Voodoo has notes of cherry and plum overlaying a tobacco flavor. All of their flavors to me veer toward being slightly perfumey and very full-bodied with good vapor production, and it makes them incredibly satisfying. Unfortunately, sometimes I also get some weird undertones, but they're very satisfying to me as someone who liked pipes and cigarettes. You might also enjoy the Turkish and the Longhorn. If you're into raisiny tobaccos, you may want to take a look at Sludge by Heather's Heavenly Vapes. I can't wait to order that one.

 

[Sed Contra]

Please tell me you ordered the Captain Jack and the Voodoo in your Halo order!

I did not order Captain Jack, but I did order Voodoo; my review is on page 2. I like it quite a bit, and it is one of the two that I will be ordering in a 30ml bottle, along with Tribeca. One of my next orders will be Smooth Criminal from Ahlusion, and maybe one of their aromatics.

 

[Sed Contra]

A couple of notes:

* The coffee juices from Virgin Vapor don't work well in my little V2 clearo...the juice is too thick. The Halo juices work great in it, though.

* The more I vape on the coffee flavors from Virgin Vapor, the more I'm coming to appreciate the THICK vapor production.

* I'm still not digging the "velvet" flavor in the Organic Kona Velvet Milkshake.

* Though I like the taste of the Organic Coffee Monkey juice, it's worth noting that the banana flavor really does linger in the tank or drip atomizer.

* The "Solstice" juice from Johnson Creek still has a strong perfume/alcohol type smell to it...I'm afraid to even try it again.

 

[Sed Contra]

#20 Mt. Baker Vapor "Watermelon" - I got this in 1.2% nicotine and 20% PG / 80% VG with 0 extra flavor shots. Wow. I might get an extra flavor shot or two next time (and there WILL be a next time!), but it's watermelon, so I didn't expect a strong flavor. Throat hit is light, which is what I want, and it's suffices. The vapor production is really impressive. I'll definitely stick with 80% VG on this. I might also note that this is the absolute clearest juice that I've ever seen. As to flavor, it seems to me that it's somewhere between a natural watermelon flavor and a Jolly Rancher type flavor. It's great. Nothing earth shattering, but solid and a GREAT deal. I'm thinking of ordering another 30ml bottle (or bigger) very soon, possibly in .6% nicotine for something to chain vape without going overboard on nicotine. Good stuff!

#21 Mt. Baker Vapor "Plum" - When it comes to reviewing Mt. Baker juices, there won't ever be just one review because of how they throw in a free 15ml bottle on orders that are at least $15 (after discounts & before shipping). I used ECFTEN and got 10% off for being a member of this forum. Okay, well...I didn't request plum, not would I have. I do not think that I'll be loading up a tank of this anytime soon - if ever. However, I can see it having its place as a flavor additive, maybe to make something else a little bit more complex. Anyway, it came in 1.2% nicotine and 80% PG / 20% VG. I wish that the numbers were reversed, but it was free. That there was more throat hit and less vapor makes sense with the PG/VG ratio, and the flavor tastes kinda like plums or raisins. I'm not a plum flavor expert. I can see this adding dimension to bakery type flavored juices or even a few drops in a tobacco flavor. I probably won't order this, but for free, I have something to do some experiments with that I wouldn't have otherwise.

 

[Sed Contra]

#22 Mt. Baker Vapor "Whipped Cream" - .6% nicotine, 20% PG / 80% VG, 3 extra flavor shots. Very nice. I'm really impressed with this. It actually tastes like whipped cream. Light throat hit, but nice vapor production - what I would have expected from .6% nic at 20/80. I've never tried it before, but since I bought it with mixing in mind, 3 extra flavor shots made sense to me, and I am not disappointed with the flavor. I recommend it.

#23 Mt. Baker Vapor "Snack Candy Bar" - This was the freebie. It came in 1.2% (which is my normal strength), and it came in the usual standard Mt. Baker ratio of 80% PG / 20% VG. The throat hit is surprisingly good, and the vapor production is sufficient. The flavor...well...I've never vaped anything with chocolate before, so I'm a little at a loss, but I can see this being a good flavor when I really need to change things up. I wouldn't give this a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It tastes like a candy bar.


#24 Mt. Baker Vapor "Pomegranate" - First, the "Snack Candy Bar" was the freebie in this order, but I had requested Pomegranate in 1.2% 20% Pg / 80% VG in the "comments" section. When I opened the package and saw an extra free bottle, I was thoroughly impressed. Mt. Baker has the BEST shipping time of anyone, and to send two 15 ml bottles for free, well...they are earning more business, to be sure. Okay, so for the review: throat hit is fairly light, but I don't want fruity flavors to hit like a freight train. The vapor production is excellent. As to flavor, it's a bit weak. This has 0 extra flavor shots, so I wouldn't expect it to be very strong, but the flavor...lemme try it again...I don't know how to describe it. It's pleasant. It's reminding me more of pomegranate seeds (which I like) than straight pomegranate juice. My only criticism is that I've never tasted a real pomegranate taste this light, so maybe extra flavor shots would fix that.

 

[Sed Contra]

#25 Mt. Baker Vapor "Watermelon" - Well, I've already reviewed watermelon, but I order a 50 ml bottle at .6% this time with 3 extra flavor shots. Previously I had said that watermelon is the absolute clearest juice that I've ever seen, and this bottle is even clearer. Adding three extra flavor shots definitely makes a difference, too. I like the extra flavor shots a lot! I wanted to have a bottle of .6% around for various reasons, and this bottle is a winner. Throat hit = 0...there is absolutely no throat hit to speak of and I'm hitting this on a RDA. Vapor is good with 80% VG. Flavor is excellent with 3 extra flavor shots.

 

[Sed Contra]

#26 Ms. T's Bakery "Banana-Doodle" - Wow! This is awesome. The banana flavor does not taste fake, and it's not overpowering. There's some sort of cinnamon and brown sugar thing going on here that's really, really nice. It seems extremely well balanced in terms of the flavor. Vapor is excellent. Throat hit is average. I got it in 1.8% nicotine strength. Not only will I be ordering "Banana-Doodle" again, but I will also be ordering "SnickerDoodle Cookie," which I think will taste very similar to this except no banana. Definitely a top notch vape!

 

[Sed Contra]

I might be writing these reviews just for my own sake at this point, but it's nice to sit down and think about these purchases so that I can make increasingly wiser choices as I proceed as a vaper!

#27 Heather's Heavenly Vapes "Legend" - First of all, I've read the hype about "Gandalf/Legend," and I can't say that it didn't have an influence on my decision to buy it. This is my first NET juice, too. By the way, convinced that this would be a good buy, there is a place for breaking rule: I went straight for the 50ml size. Vapor - GREAT. Throat Hit - GREAT. Flavor - Needs to Steep. I'm not getting much flavor, really. It is satisfying like a cigarette, if you know what I mean, but I'm not getting any particular flavor from this. It smells good. My wife said that it smells great, too, which is a bonus. I get the impression that it needs some serious steep time - not because there's a bad flavor, but because the flavor needs to develop. The most surprising thing about Gandalf/Legend, to me, is how it is both smooth and almost scratchy (in a good way) simultaneously. The quality of the throat hit, perhaps, is what I'm talking about. It's really, really satisfying. I bought this as another bottle for when I need/want that satisfying cigarette experience, so 50ml should last a long time for me.

Edit: Maybe what's most surprising about the EXCELLENT throat hit is that I ordered this in 100% VG.

 

[Mike Sheda]

There's nothing better than talking to yourself... sometimes you need an expert opinion!

 

[Sed Contra]

There's nothing better than talking to yourself... sometimes you need an expert opinion!

In my expert opinion, Legend/Gandalf is going in a fresh Protank II!

I also just filled up a new iClear 16 with Halo's Tribeca, too.

These two, plus Boba's Bounty (which I keep in a cartomizer), are my three choices (at the moment) for when I just need a satisfying "cigarette" type experience. I don't have those cravings too often, but when I do, it's totally worth it to have high quality stuff ready to go.

 

[Sed Contra]

So, this was my initial review of "Vanda" from Johnson Creek.

#9 Johnson Creek Red Oak "Vanda" - This is the vanilla tobacco flavor. Almost immediately, my wife said, "It smells like cookies." I'm glad that it smells like cookies to her instead of cigarettes, but I was hoping for a pipe tobacco with hints of creamy vanilla - not Nilla wafers! It is smooth, though, and I like the vapor production.

It has been about two weeks now, so here's my 2-week review:

Well, I opened the cap and the ejuice looked rather...milky...I'm not sure how better to describe it. The smell was good. I dripped three drops into my atomizer, took a couple of priming puffs, and then proceeded to blow a huge plume into my wife's face - something that I could never have done when smoking. I just realized that she said nearly the exact same thing that she did the first time: "It smells like sugar cookies." Now, it's most likely the vanilla that she smells - not cookie dough or sugar. It's DEFINITELY better tasting now.

This is the description from Johnson Creek:

A heavy, creamy base that results in a devilishly delicious vanilla custard that can give any dessert a run for its money. This PG-Free Smoke Juice brings smooth & sweet to a whole new level. Vanda starts off with a nice heavy kick and smooths out over a long, delicious exhale producing clouds of sweet smelling vapor. Perfect for after dinner, a late night treat and even an all-day vape.

I'm definitely getting the CUSTARD flavor now, but that wasn't there before. I might just have to buy another bottle of this! I also need to try adding a few drops of this with other juices. I am so glad that I let this steep and tried it again. It was good the first time, but now it's much, much better.