The great clove roundup lots of cove juices reviewed and compared.
Like a lot of vapers who discovered e-cigs in the last couple of years, I came to vaping partially due to
the cigarette flavor ban. I was an avid clove cigarette (kretek) smoker for a decade or more before the ban,
and never really liked the 'little cigars' that came out in response to the ban. Something changed, and not for
the better in my opinion.
Also like a not of new vapers, I really wanted some flavors that were as similar as possible to my old favorite
kreteks. I am sure a fair number of people have found the same difficulties as I have. Searches turned up some
promising leads, and even some recipes if I wanted to mix my own.
Not too keen on mixing my own juice from scratch (I have kids and cats and didn't want straight nic hanging
around, even under lock and key) I decided to try every clove or kretek juice I could find.
A brief history of where I come from in the cigarette world might help place my opinions in context: I smoked
my first clove at 16 (am now 34) but only began in earnest when I went to college. That was during a heck of a
good time for kreteks in the US. I enjoyed many varieties of cloves for a number of years. I started with
Djarum King Sized which we all just called Kings. After about 2 years, in 1999 they stopped selling those.
During those first two years, I also tried and enjoyed Blacks and Internationals from Djarum
(Internationals were an unfiltered hand rolled kretek that came in a tin of 10) and the orange pack of
Djarum kreteks (which were a less sweet version of Internationals) and Djarum Specials. Concurrently, I also
rather enjoyed Sampoerna Extra and Sampoerna International. At some point during that timeframe, Djarum must
have won a legal battle with Sampoerna, because Sampy stopped making Internationals and offered Sampoerna
Classics which were packaged very similarly and were visually identical, but subtly different in smoking from
the previous Internationals. I tried and did NOT enjoy a brand called Jakarta (named after the Indonesian
capital) and was so-so on Gudang Guram. Over that time frame, I developed preferences for different varieties
for different occasions and purposes. Blacks were my every day smoke. Sampy Extras were great for an after
diner treat. Djarum Kings went well with Cherry Coke for long drives (thanks to my wife for pointing that out
to me) and Djarum Specials were excellent first thing in the morning. Sampy Internationals (and later, to a
sligtly lesser extent classics) were wonderful for cleansing the palatte between other smokes. Djarum
Internationals were best shared among friends, but were also excellent when drinking (they hit like a cruise
missle, and so they cut through well for when your senses were dulled) even if one was alone as a clove smoker
in that circumstance. Gudang Garam were nice if you wanted a hefty dosing of nicotine without the harshness
that came from the unfiltered internationals. Then, later cam Djarum Vanilla and Djarum Cherry. Kings
disappeared, as did Internationals. Vanillas usurped Blacks as my go-to every day smoke, they were smooth and
delicious, but still had a full, saturated feeling in smoking. I was never very fond of Cherries, but they
made a nice occasional treat.
For all of that, When the ban came, I was broken. I spent a lot of money pre-buying smokes before they
disappeared. Once, my brother in law imported a carton directly from Indonesia, and a small mom and pop grocer
nearby had a large supply. Eventually, however, it all ran dry, and I settled in on settling for the cigars.
I first found out about e-cigs when my sister in law mentioned that they had clove flavors that reportedly were
just like the old Djarums. I was disappointed in my first few forays into this realm. Searches here and
elsewhere turned up little hope that I would really find what I was after.
Then it hit me that I could actually help more than just myself if I were to try as many as I could! I could
actually write a review! This long winded wall of text is the result of my efforts. I hope anyone who bothers
to reads this far finds it helpful!
To test the flavors, I used the equipment I had on hand. Each flavor was steeped for a week in a cool, dark
place before use. Bottles were left open, drip caps removed, and shaken twice daily. All of the flavors were
ordered at 18 mg/ml nicotine. Each was loaded into a vivi nova that had been thoroughly cleaned and had a fresh
coil and wick assembly, to avoid cross contamination. Between flavors, I vaped a fruit or sweet non tobacco
flavor to cleanse my own palatte. I tested each after a minute of allowing the wick to soak, then put it down
and tested it again after at least an hour (often overnight). Before drawing any definite conclusions, I
finished the tank of each flavor. Below are my conclusions, in no particular order.
Dekang Black Clove
Don't bother! This isn't anything like a kretek or even just clove. It's more like someone decided
that if they slathered enough barbeque sauce on a moldy tobacco leaf, they could call it clove if they
roasted it long enough first. Yuk!
MyFreedomSmokes DJ Clove Black
Not as bad as Dekang. Tobacco with a bit of clove. Not a great tobacco, but not bad. Djarum light
crossed with jakartas. Not a particularly good flavor, all things considered. Decent flavor penetration and
flavor density. Good throat hit. Just wish it tasted better. I never did like Jakartas.
MyFreedomSmokes Djarum Vanilla
Damn close! I was ecstatic when I first tried this one. Sooooo reminiscent of the real deal. There's
a little something missing. That something is the tongue numbness that comes from the eugenol. Either this
flavor could benefit from actually using some eugenol, or there's just not enough there. The taste is right,
the flavor density is good, and the TH is satisfying. It's just missing that bit
MyFreedomSmokes Djarum Cherry
Similar to the vanilla, this one has the right flavor profile, but no numbing effect. I was never
very partial to this flavor, but they have a pretty accurate representation of it.
Vermont Vapor clove
This one is promising, but not quite there. The flavor is pretty good, but the density and
penetration of flavor is pretty light. Interestingly, this is the only one that had a burning taste.
Not like a burning wick I think there's something in the flavor profile to suggest combustion (more like
smoking a kretek in that regard). The tobacco vs flavoring blend is a little out of balance, with more tobacco
than I really like in my kretek flavors (more akin to a Nat Sherman Touch of clove than a full blown kretek).
Ares E-cig, "Black clove"
YUM! Not quite right, but DAMN close. Simpler in profile than the old cigs, but sweet and spicy,
with the eugenol numbnes, as well as good flavor. This one has good flavor density, a little one dimensional
though. Solid TH. One of the best. Certainly best in class for tingle / numbing effect by a fair margin.
Velvet Vapors, "Indonesian Clove"
TASTY! Sweeter than others - more king like. somewhat muted flavor, but the flavor is very good.
Less tongue numb, and less power overall, but yummy. I would have to say that this one has the yummiest
flavor overall, but with less flavor density than some of the others. I would really love it if it weren't
so muted.
Johnson Creek Marcado
Too much toasted nut flavor. Aside from that, it's good. It's a complex, tasty clove and cinnamon
tobacco not unlike a djarum, but it has a hazelnut kind of presence that it very much dominant, and needs to not be. After sitting in the nova overnight, this mellows out a bit, and balances into the flavor profile, helping improve accuracy and yum factor. Thin juice wicks well, but might flood some devices. Solid TH, but less saturated in the throat. Good flavor density, but alas, missing that tingly / numbing sensation.
Tasty Vapor Kretek
Honey, maple, and more Honey. With some cinnamon and clove mulled in, like a weakly mulled mead.
Not accurate, but tasty on its own merit. After sitting in the nova overnight, the mapley-ness blooms into
a black licorice/anise kind of thing. This helps balance out the sweetness, making this rather good.
Accuracy suffers if you're looking for a kretek flavored juice, but this is quite yummy in its own right.
Aroma E Juice DJ Black Clove
Might as well have bought this from myfreedomsmokes. Same Jakarta esque flavor. Not my favorite, by
a long shot.
Revolver Red Dragon Clove
While this one does feature a hint of the same jakarta ish flavor I hate in the aroma and myfreedom
juices, it's not so overpowering. Much more balanced, with tangy and spicy flavors that those two lack.
A solid 6 on the 1-10 scale. Spicier than most, with a stronger and more saturated TH.
Revolver Colve Black
Nothing at all like the Dekang juice by the same name. This one is a clove and tobacco blend.
Sweeter than most, it's somewhat reminiscent of a Sampoerna Extra, but lacks complexity. Mixed with their
Red Dragon, the Revolver juices make for a very realistic flavor profile.
ECBlend Kretek Blend
Given ECBland's vast flexibility of options, I tried several iterations of this. I tried it just as
it comes, with extra flavor, double extra flavor, and all three with add extra clove option. The difference
from one iteration to the next is not as great as I though it would be. With the add extra clove option,
there's enough eugenol to have a satisfying (but not best in its class) tongue numbing impact. The flavor
profile is a little on the simple side, a decent and smooth tobacco paired with an accurate amount of clove.
Could be better, but not bad. Solid TH, but flavor density (even with double extra flavor and add clove)
suffers. Could use extra time to steep (of course, they tell you that up front).
ECBlend Writers Den
Not a kretek flavor per se, this is a complex blend of bourbon, clove, and tobacco. I find that mixed
50/50 with their Kretek Blend I get the complexity I was after in an all day every day vape with a realistic
reproduction of the general Kretek experience somewhere between an old Sampoerna International and Djarum
Black. It doesn't hit as hard as I would like, nor is there quite the eugenol tingle I would wish for, but
it's hard to beat this mix in any single juice, and impossible to get better for this price.
If I were to mix any of the above juices in an attempt to creat a Dream Clove juice that was exactly
what I was after, I would start with a mix something like this:
20% ecblend Writers Den
20% vermont vapor clove
30% Ares Black Clove
30% Revolver Red Dragon Clove
This, I think would provide a complex sweet and spicy flavor profile of tobacco, clove, and spices, with a
solid, saturated TH, good numbing effect, and a hint of combustion in the flavor. For my old Vanilla Favorite,
I would probably mix 70% Djarum Vanilla from MyFreedomSmokes with 20% Ares Black Clove and 10% Vermont Vapor
Clove.
Thanks for reading all, and please remember that taste is subjective, and my experiences with these might
differ from your own. I hope, however, that the descriptions above will help any looking for a good Kretek
flavored juice make informed decisions on where to start!
Like a lot of vapers who discovered e-cigs in the last couple of years, I came to vaping partially due to
the cigarette flavor ban. I was an avid clove cigarette (kretek) smoker for a decade or more before the ban,
and never really liked the 'little cigars' that came out in response to the ban. Something changed, and not for
the better in my opinion.
Also like a not of new vapers, I really wanted some flavors that were as similar as possible to my old favorite
kreteks. I am sure a fair number of people have found the same difficulties as I have. Searches turned up some
promising leads, and even some recipes if I wanted to mix my own.
Not too keen on mixing my own juice from scratch (I have kids and cats and didn't want straight nic hanging
around, even under lock and key) I decided to try every clove or kretek juice I could find.
A brief history of where I come from in the cigarette world might help place my opinions in context: I smoked
my first clove at 16 (am now 34) but only began in earnest when I went to college. That was during a heck of a
good time for kreteks in the US. I enjoyed many varieties of cloves for a number of years. I started with
Djarum King Sized which we all just called Kings. After about 2 years, in 1999 they stopped selling those.
During those first two years, I also tried and enjoyed Blacks and Internationals from Djarum
(Internationals were an unfiltered hand rolled kretek that came in a tin of 10) and the orange pack of
Djarum kreteks (which were a less sweet version of Internationals) and Djarum Specials. Concurrently, I also
rather enjoyed Sampoerna Extra and Sampoerna International. At some point during that timeframe, Djarum must
have won a legal battle with Sampoerna, because Sampy stopped making Internationals and offered Sampoerna
Classics which were packaged very similarly and were visually identical, but subtly different in smoking from
the previous Internationals. I tried and did NOT enjoy a brand called Jakarta (named after the Indonesian
capital) and was so-so on Gudang Guram. Over that time frame, I developed preferences for different varieties
for different occasions and purposes. Blacks were my every day smoke. Sampy Extras were great for an after
diner treat. Djarum Kings went well with Cherry Coke for long drives (thanks to my wife for pointing that out
to me) and Djarum Specials were excellent first thing in the morning. Sampy Internationals (and later, to a
sligtly lesser extent classics) were wonderful for cleansing the palatte between other smokes. Djarum
Internationals were best shared among friends, but were also excellent when drinking (they hit like a cruise
missle, and so they cut through well for when your senses were dulled) even if one was alone as a clove smoker
in that circumstance. Gudang Garam were nice if you wanted a hefty dosing of nicotine without the harshness
that came from the unfiltered internationals. Then, later cam Djarum Vanilla and Djarum Cherry. Kings
disappeared, as did Internationals. Vanillas usurped Blacks as my go-to every day smoke, they were smooth and
delicious, but still had a full, saturated feeling in smoking. I was never very fond of Cherries, but they
made a nice occasional treat.
For all of that, When the ban came, I was broken. I spent a lot of money pre-buying smokes before they
disappeared. Once, my brother in law imported a carton directly from Indonesia, and a small mom and pop grocer
nearby had a large supply. Eventually, however, it all ran dry, and I settled in on settling for the cigars.
I first found out about e-cigs when my sister in law mentioned that they had clove flavors that reportedly were
just like the old Djarums. I was disappointed in my first few forays into this realm. Searches here and
elsewhere turned up little hope that I would really find what I was after.
Then it hit me that I could actually help more than just myself if I were to try as many as I could! I could
actually write a review! This long winded wall of text is the result of my efforts. I hope anyone who bothers
to reads this far finds it helpful!
To test the flavors, I used the equipment I had on hand. Each flavor was steeped for a week in a cool, dark
place before use. Bottles were left open, drip caps removed, and shaken twice daily. All of the flavors were
ordered at 18 mg/ml nicotine. Each was loaded into a vivi nova that had been thoroughly cleaned and had a fresh
coil and wick assembly, to avoid cross contamination. Between flavors, I vaped a fruit or sweet non tobacco
flavor to cleanse my own palatte. I tested each after a minute of allowing the wick to soak, then put it down
and tested it again after at least an hour (often overnight). Before drawing any definite conclusions, I
finished the tank of each flavor. Below are my conclusions, in no particular order.
Dekang Black Clove
Don't bother! This isn't anything like a kretek or even just clove. It's more like someone decided
that if they slathered enough barbeque sauce on a moldy tobacco leaf, they could call it clove if they
roasted it long enough first. Yuk!
MyFreedomSmokes DJ Clove Black
Not as bad as Dekang. Tobacco with a bit of clove. Not a great tobacco, but not bad. Djarum light
crossed with jakartas. Not a particularly good flavor, all things considered. Decent flavor penetration and
flavor density. Good throat hit. Just wish it tasted better. I never did like Jakartas.
MyFreedomSmokes Djarum Vanilla
Damn close! I was ecstatic when I first tried this one. Sooooo reminiscent of the real deal. There's
a little something missing. That something is the tongue numbness that comes from the eugenol. Either this
flavor could benefit from actually using some eugenol, or there's just not enough there. The taste is right,
the flavor density is good, and the TH is satisfying. It's just missing that bit
MyFreedomSmokes Djarum Cherry
Similar to the vanilla, this one has the right flavor profile, but no numbing effect. I was never
very partial to this flavor, but they have a pretty accurate representation of it.
Vermont Vapor clove
This one is promising, but not quite there. The flavor is pretty good, but the density and
penetration of flavor is pretty light. Interestingly, this is the only one that had a burning taste.
Not like a burning wick I think there's something in the flavor profile to suggest combustion (more like
smoking a kretek in that regard). The tobacco vs flavoring blend is a little out of balance, with more tobacco
than I really like in my kretek flavors (more akin to a Nat Sherman Touch of clove than a full blown kretek).
Ares E-cig, "Black clove"
YUM! Not quite right, but DAMN close. Simpler in profile than the old cigs, but sweet and spicy,
with the eugenol numbnes, as well as good flavor. This one has good flavor density, a little one dimensional
though. Solid TH. One of the best. Certainly best in class for tingle / numbing effect by a fair margin.
Velvet Vapors, "Indonesian Clove"
TASTY! Sweeter than others - more king like. somewhat muted flavor, but the flavor is very good.
Less tongue numb, and less power overall, but yummy. I would have to say that this one has the yummiest
flavor overall, but with less flavor density than some of the others. I would really love it if it weren't
so muted.
Johnson Creek Marcado
Too much toasted nut flavor. Aside from that, it's good. It's a complex, tasty clove and cinnamon
tobacco not unlike a djarum, but it has a hazelnut kind of presence that it very much dominant, and needs to not be. After sitting in the nova overnight, this mellows out a bit, and balances into the flavor profile, helping improve accuracy and yum factor. Thin juice wicks well, but might flood some devices. Solid TH, but less saturated in the throat. Good flavor density, but alas, missing that tingly / numbing sensation.
Tasty Vapor Kretek
Honey, maple, and more Honey. With some cinnamon and clove mulled in, like a weakly mulled mead.
Not accurate, but tasty on its own merit. After sitting in the nova overnight, the mapley-ness blooms into
a black licorice/anise kind of thing. This helps balance out the sweetness, making this rather good.
Accuracy suffers if you're looking for a kretek flavored juice, but this is quite yummy in its own right.
Aroma E Juice DJ Black Clove
Might as well have bought this from myfreedomsmokes. Same Jakarta esque flavor. Not my favorite, by
a long shot.
Revolver Red Dragon Clove
While this one does feature a hint of the same jakarta ish flavor I hate in the aroma and myfreedom
juices, it's not so overpowering. Much more balanced, with tangy and spicy flavors that those two lack.
A solid 6 on the 1-10 scale. Spicier than most, with a stronger and more saturated TH.
Revolver Colve Black
Nothing at all like the Dekang juice by the same name. This one is a clove and tobacco blend.
Sweeter than most, it's somewhat reminiscent of a Sampoerna Extra, but lacks complexity. Mixed with their
Red Dragon, the Revolver juices make for a very realistic flavor profile.
ECBlend Kretek Blend
Given ECBland's vast flexibility of options, I tried several iterations of this. I tried it just as
it comes, with extra flavor, double extra flavor, and all three with add extra clove option. The difference
from one iteration to the next is not as great as I though it would be. With the add extra clove option,
there's enough eugenol to have a satisfying (but not best in its class) tongue numbing impact. The flavor
profile is a little on the simple side, a decent and smooth tobacco paired with an accurate amount of clove.
Could be better, but not bad. Solid TH, but flavor density (even with double extra flavor and add clove)
suffers. Could use extra time to steep (of course, they tell you that up front).
ECBlend Writers Den
Not a kretek flavor per se, this is a complex blend of bourbon, clove, and tobacco. I find that mixed
50/50 with their Kretek Blend I get the complexity I was after in an all day every day vape with a realistic
reproduction of the general Kretek experience somewhere between an old Sampoerna International and Djarum
Black. It doesn't hit as hard as I would like, nor is there quite the eugenol tingle I would wish for, but
it's hard to beat this mix in any single juice, and impossible to get better for this price.
If I were to mix any of the above juices in an attempt to creat a Dream Clove juice that was exactly
what I was after, I would start with a mix something like this:
20% ecblend Writers Den
20% vermont vapor clove
30% Ares Black Clove
30% Revolver Red Dragon Clove
This, I think would provide a complex sweet and spicy flavor profile of tobacco, clove, and spices, with a
solid, saturated TH, good numbing effect, and a hint of combustion in the flavor. For my old Vanilla Favorite,
I would probably mix 70% Djarum Vanilla from MyFreedomSmokes with 20% Ares Black Clove and 10% Vermont Vapor
Clove.
Thanks for reading all, and please remember that taste is subjective, and my experiences with these might
differ from your own. I hope, however, that the descriptions above will help any looking for a good Kretek
flavored juice make informed decisions on where to start!
