This is a review of The Steam Co.'s Gentleman's Reserve as compared to 5 Pawns CLR. Posting this up separately (and slightly edited) since it's kind of buried in The Steam Co. thread.
Okay, here we go:
Gentleman's Reserve, 6mg, brewed 12/28, dripping in a single-microcoil Forge clone with a fresh boiled organic cotton wick.
Color: This is much lighter in color than CLR, almost clear with a tinge of yellow compared to CLR's medium-dark clear amber.
Viscosity: It's hard to tell because CLR is in a glass bottle and GR is in a plastic dropper with a very small tip, but I think the GR is little less viscous. My bottle of CLR is 2/3 empty though and it gets opened frequently because I drip, so age could have something to do with it.
Smell: They're close! If anything, I'd say the GR out of the bottle has stronger coconut and barrel/whiskey notes than the CLR. The CLR smells a little smoother and more vanilla-y, but not by much. I had to sniff the coffee canister in between sniffing the blends.
vape: Here we go! On the first couple of hits, it doesn't have that really rich whiskey flavor that CLR has. The notes kind of disappear into the background (this could be because of the fresh wick). The throat hit is there but more peppery. Several more hits in this is good, but it lacks the "punch" that CLR has, where it really whammies you with the flavor. With GR it's there but I have to look for it a little more. A few more hits and it's settling down and the whiskey is coming out to play a little more (which is my favorite part).
Okay, an hour later I can say I really like this. I closed down the air hole a bit on my dripper for more flavor and it's really popping now; if someone told me this was CLR, I would believe them. I have transferred the remainder of the bottle to a glass bottle and put it in the ultrasonic cleaner to see if that improves it even more, but it doesn't really need it and could be vaped right from the bottle. At the price I got it for ($15/30ml after a coupon code) this could become an ADV for me, and I'm notoriously fickle.
Verdict: I think if you weren't already spoiled by CLR this is a very standout product, especially at the price point. This is going to be the star in my rotation.
Also, excellent, excellent service from The Steam Co. Thumbs up for service too! I will definitely order from them again.
Okay, here we go:
Gentleman's Reserve, 6mg, brewed 12/28, dripping in a single-microcoil Forge clone with a fresh boiled organic cotton wick.
Color: This is much lighter in color than CLR, almost clear with a tinge of yellow compared to CLR's medium-dark clear amber.
Viscosity: It's hard to tell because CLR is in a glass bottle and GR is in a plastic dropper with a very small tip, but I think the GR is little less viscous. My bottle of CLR is 2/3 empty though and it gets opened frequently because I drip, so age could have something to do with it.
Smell: They're close! If anything, I'd say the GR out of the bottle has stronger coconut and barrel/whiskey notes than the CLR. The CLR smells a little smoother and more vanilla-y, but not by much. I had to sniff the coffee canister in between sniffing the blends.
vape: Here we go! On the first couple of hits, it doesn't have that really rich whiskey flavor that CLR has. The notes kind of disappear into the background (this could be because of the fresh wick). The throat hit is there but more peppery. Several more hits in this is good, but it lacks the "punch" that CLR has, where it really whammies you with the flavor. With GR it's there but I have to look for it a little more. A few more hits and it's settling down and the whiskey is coming out to play a little more (which is my favorite part).
Okay, an hour later I can say I really like this. I closed down the air hole a bit on my dripper for more flavor and it's really popping now; if someone told me this was CLR, I would believe them. I have transferred the remainder of the bottle to a glass bottle and put it in the ultrasonic cleaner to see if that improves it even more, but it doesn't really need it and could be vaped right from the bottle. At the price I got it for ($15/30ml after a coupon code) this could become an ADV for me, and I'm notoriously fickle.
Verdict: I think if you weren't already spoiled by CLR this is a very standout product, especially at the price point. This is going to be the star in my rotation.
Also, excellent, excellent service from The Steam Co. Thumbs up for service too! I will definitely order from them again.
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I think I'll skip the High Five, it doesn't sound like my kind of vape.
