"Turkish" Tobaccos: A Big Tent In The Desert

[Mr.Mann]

I received my Vapok order Saturday, dripped some of the 12mg Halo Turkish in my Octopus @8.4watts.
close but no Turkish/Oriental I've had before, not a bad flavor overall but I get the slightest hint of something like Cinnamon or maybe Cardamon. I loaded a T2 2.2Ohms @4 volts, got the same flavor note which tasted like Cardamon, I've had a Cardamon Tea vape and this is closer to that than Turkish.

I placed an order for 30ml of Smokeless Image brand Desert Joe and a couple of NicQuid brand Synthetics SI now carries, used my points to sweeten the deal so it wasn't a bad investment. I'll do a drip comparison with the DJ & Turkish, IIRC the Desert Joe was a good facsimile to a Turkish blend... for a Synthetic, I haven't had DJ since July 2012 so my recollection could be tainted by time.

Tainted by time and maybe device used.

I don't know what that "other" is in Halo's Turkish, but I am not fond of it. AT this point, I am thinking that Digital CIggz is going to be a reorder. That is one that keeps me interested. Different but not alien.

 

[MFToms59]

The last time I had Desert Joe, it was on an X2 3.7 Volt Battery, Basically an EGO-C with an 808D-1 connector, and a CE Tank. I do know the TH was pretty satisfying @24 mg & ~80/20 blend.

 

[MFToms59]

I received my SI Desert Joe yesterday and will do my head-to-head Flavor comparison with Halo Turkish tomorrow night. The SI juice is an 18mg nic strength while the Halo is @12mg, I do expect this will affect the overall flavor, just the TH of the juices.

 

[Jerms]

I received my SI Desert Joe yesterday and will do my head-to-head Flavor comparison with Halo Turkish tomorrow night. The SI juice is an 18mg nic strength while the Halo is @12mg, I do expect this will affect the overall flavor, just the TH of the juices.

Looking forward to seeing that, haven't had the SI.

What did you think of the RevolutionVapor's Turkish Blend? Just dripped it a few minutes ago. Oofta...... just.. just... no. I'll try it again in a few days, I hate to dismiss a juice on first vape. But for now............ no; this feels wrong.. impressively wrong.

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[RPadTV]

Received a small sample of Indigo Vapors' The Turk. I'm looking forward to this one. I've been really impressed with the Indigo arti-baccos I've tried, so my expectations are high.

 

[MFToms59]

O.k. I finished my Flavor comparison of SI Desert Joe & Halo Turkish, the Turkish @12mg is an Orange/Amber juice and Desert Joe @18mg is a Straw colored juice and they were both dripped on a disposable 3 ohm atomizer @4.65 Volts/ 7.2 watts.

Halo was first, I still get no Turkish or Oriental of any kind, still a Spice/ Cardamon Flavor, slightly dry and pleasant... for a Spice flavored vape.

A surprise with Desert Joe right off, a much lighter TH than the Halo, even with a stronger nic level, the flavor is light, dry and Oriental/Turkish, synthetic but pleasing to my palette. I'll be filling my T2 for further vape testing later today, I suspect a Steep for a couple of days will enhance the flavor.

 

[Bibliophile713]

The spicy note in Halo's Turkish tastes a bit clove-y to me. I'll have to check out the Digital Ciggz version.

 

[Scott_Simpson]

I've been reading this thread with interest, because I love the taste of Turkish! So far, my absolute favorite is Gamel from AVE ... it needs to steep, like almost all tobaccos, but once it hits its stride it is smooth, flavorful, and satisfying like no other Turkish I've tried. I've also liked Turkish Delight from Juicy Vapor, and the Plume Room's Toasted Turkish, but I always go back to Gamel. There's always a tank full in my daily vapes.

Now, here's my question: I'm into DIY, and while I've got several non-Turkish mixtures that I really like, I've never been able to find a Turkish flavoring that even comes close to the Gamel experience. Any suggestions?

 

[Mr.Mann]

I've been reading this thread with interest, because I love the taste of Turkish! So far, my absolute favorite is Gamel from AVE ... it needs to steep, like almost all tobaccos, but once it hits its stride it is smooth, flavorful, and satisfying like no other Turkish I've tried. I've also liked Turkish Delight from Juicy Vapor, and the Plume Room's Toasted Turkish, but I always go back to Gamel. There's always a tank full in my daily vapes.

Now, here's my question: I'm into DIY, and while I've got several non-Turkish mixtures that I really like, I've never been able to find a Turkish flavoring that even comes close to the Gamel experience. Any suggestions?

You may have to look in India. I say that because I think Ben is tapped into a similar supplier as Vapor Station. VS gets their liquids from India. They both (AVE and VS) run out of a liquid and sometimes take forever to re-stock it, and I swear that the base of one of VS's tobaccos is the closest I've tasted to Gamel (Dover). Now, some may not think so (the liquids are totally different, except for that one element that makes Gamel what it is), but I am pretty keen on certain elements in tobacco liquids (if I have had them before). But to answer your question, I have never had that element ANYWHERE else.

My one guess would be Inawera Flavors. Maybe check them out. That is a wild stab in the dark though. Very wild.

 

[MFToms59]

The spicy note in Halo's Turkish tastes a bit clove-y to me. I'll have to check out the Digital Ciggz version.

After reading your post, I broke out my DIY NES(pice) I extracted from whole Cloves for a comparison drip. A few drips of each was all I needed, Halo did not have a Clove note finish like the straight Clove though it was similar, to me it was closer to a Cardamon. I Guess I'd have to do a DIY NES Cardamon juice to absolutely confirm it.

I loaded my T2 with the Desert Joe earlier, decent flavor and light TH @18mg, definitely needs a week or two to mature but it's still decent from the mailbox.

 

[Mr.Mann]

After reading your post, I broke out my DIY NES(pice) I extracted from whole Cloves for a comparison drip. A few drips of each was all I needed, Halo did not have a Clove note finish like the straight Clove though it was similar, to me it was closer to a Cardamon. I Guess I'd have to do a DIY NES Cardamon juice to absolutely confirm it.

I loaded my T2 with the Desert Joe earlier, decent flavor and light TH @18mg, definitely needs a week or two to mature but it's still decent from the mailbox.

I am going off of memory here, but I am leaning toward cardamom. Either which way, I don't particularly care for it with a "Turkish" feel. I think Cardamom would work better for a Marlboro taste.

 

[billherbst]

Hangsen Turkish Blend is a synthetic tobacco that has been pleasing me greatly. I mix it as DIY using Hangsen Essence Turkish Blend Flavoring (at 9%), but it's also available as a retail juice. As DIY, it's almost perfectly clear, which is sort of cool, since relatively few tobacco juices are colorless transparencies. Hangsen is leaning in that direction more and more, in both retail tobaccos and DIY flavorings, and some of FlavourArt's synthetic tobacco concentrates are also clear. Right after mixing, Hangsen Essence Turkish has a surprising sweetness, but that fades with a couple days of steeping, and the tobacco flavor emerges to take center-stage. I like the taste both ways, fresh or steeped---it's a silky smooth tobacco, and so good that it has dethroned the former king of the hill, Aroma Turkish, into second place, at least for me.

Link: Hangsen Essence Turkish Blended flavoring from EcigExpress.

Link: Hangsen Turkish Blend retail eliquid from TopVapor, a Chinese site. $5.50 for 30mls with free shipping. [The link is to the page offering Hangsen Turkish in 24mg nic; lower nic levels---0, 11, and 18mg---are available on different pages for the same hard-to-beat low price.]

I tried the new formulation of Dekang Desert (formerly called "Desert Ship" as a reference to Camel), but I much prefer the Hangsen Turkish. And, of course, there's DK-TAB (Turkish-American Blend) from Dekang and other sources, but that has the nutty element the Chinese love so much (Dr. Vapenstein's older reviews call it "mystery nut," which is an apt description). I actually sort of like DK-TAB, but I much prefer straight Turkish. I also tried the Flavors Express Turkish, which is a Chinese synthetic line of alcohol-based super-concentrates for DIY, but that one didn't measure up to Hangsen's.

-----

My next purchase of pipe tobacco (from pipesandcigars.com) for home-brewed extraction will include an ounce of Peter Stokkebye Bulk Turkish Pipe Tobacco. Customer reviews all give this tobacco very high marks, describing it as more like a premium cigarette than a typical pipe tobacco. I'm very curious to see how a Turkish NET will taste. A hybrid of Stokkebye Turkish NET mixed 1:1 with Hangsen synthetic Turkish might be the bee's knees!

 

[Mr.Mann]

Hangsen Turkish Blend is a synthetic tobacco that has been pleasing me greatly. I mix it as DIY using Hangsen Essence Turkish Blend Flavoring (at 9%), but it's also available as a retail juice. As DIY, it's almost perfectly clear, which is sort of cool, since relatively few tobacco juices are colorless transparencies. Hangsen is leaning in that direction more and more, in both retail tobaccos and DIY flavorings, and some of FlavourArt's synthetic tobacco concentrates are also clear. Right after mixing, Hangsen Essence Turkish has a surprising sweetness, but that fades with a couple days of steeping, and the tobacco flavor emerges to take center-stage. I like the taste both ways, fresh or steeped---it's a silky smooth tobacco, and so good that it has dethroned the former king of the hill, Aroma Turkish, into second place, at least for me.

Link: Hangsen Essence Turkish Blended flavoring from EcigExpress.

Link: Hangsen Turkish Blend retail eliquid from TopVapor, a Chinese site. $5.50 for 30mls with free shipping. [The link is to the page offering Hangsen Turkish in 24mg nic; lower nic levels---0, 11, and 18mg---are available on different pages for the same hard-to-beat low price.]

I tried the new formulation of Dekang Desert (formerly called "Desert Ship" as a reference to Camel), but I much prefer the Hangsen Turkish. And, of course, there's DK-TAB (Turkish-American Blend) from Dekang and other sources, but that has the nutty element the Chinese love so much (Dr. Vapenstein's older reviews call it "mystery nut," which is an apt description). I actually sort of like DK-TAB, but I much prefer straight Turkish. I also tried the Flavors Express Turkish, which is a Chinese synthetic line of alcohol-based super-concentrates for DIY, but that one didn't measure up to Hangsen's.

-----

My next purchase of pipe tobacco (from pipesandcigars.com) for home-brewed extraction will include an ounce of Peter Stokkebye Bulk Turkish Pipe Tobacco. Customer reviews all give this tobacco very high marks, describing it as more like a premium cigarette than a typical pipe tobacco. I'm very curious to see how a Turkish NET will taste. A hybrid of Stokkebye Turkish NET mixed 1:1 with Hangsen synthetic Turkish might be the bee's knees!

It's funny you should say that Hangsen Turkish dethroned Aroma as I am almost convinced that Aroma's Sahara, fomrerly their Turkish, is made with Hangsen Camel. I am not certain obviously, but the two paired side-by-side sure seem quite similar.

 

[billherbst]

It's funny you should say that Hangsen Turkish dethroned Aroma as I am almost convinced that Aroma's Sahara, fomrerly their Turkish, is made with Hangsen Camel. I am not certain obviously, but the two paired side-by-side sure seem quite similar.

I've had many of the synthetic tobacco juices by various manufacturers that attempt (in their ersatz way) to "replicate" the taste of Camel cigarettes---Camel, Gamel, Kamel, Desert, Desert Ship, etc. None of them ever rang my bell. Every Turkish synthetic I've had (and I've had a bunch) pleased me more---or displeased me less---than any of the Camels.

I've not had Hangsen's Camel, or maybe I have if you're right about Aroma's Turkish/Sahara being made from that Hangsen flavoring. In any event, Hangsen's Turkish Blend remains my current fave. Not that Aroma's Turkish/Sahara isn't good---it is---but Hangsen's Turkish is the pick of the litter.

After my earlier post, I whipped up another small DIY batch using the Tobacco Express Turkish super-concentrate. My existing 30ml DIY bottle of that was made back in the days when I too often erred on the side of using too much flavoring. Since the Tobacco Express flavorings are alcohol-based super-concentrates, more than 4% is overkill. In my earlier DIY days, I didn't include the mix percentage on the P-touch labels I make (now I always do), but I'm sure it was more than 4%---that liquid was medium caramel-colored, a dead giveaway that I over-flavored it. So, on this new 6ml bottle, I used 3.5%. DIY made from super-concentrates definitely needs to steep for at least a couple days for the flavors to merge/emerge, but even fresh it tastes better than the older version. Not as good as my 9% mix of Hangsen Turkish, but in the ball park.

Then I diluted my old DIY bottle of TE Turkish. Poured 15ms of it down the drain (this stuff is dirt cheap) and added 15mls of VG . to reduce the flavoring by half and cut the nic from 24mg to 12mg. I'm experimenting with 12mg nic right now to see if too much nicotine might be causing the occasional vape cough I've been experiencing---I hope it's the nic rather than the copious amounts of NETs I vape---if the particulates in NETs gunk up coils, do they also gunk up our lungs??? Long term, that's a pretty important question. Anyway, after dilution, I added a touch of TPA Honey flavoring to the old-but-now-altered version, just enough to give it a very slight sweetness with a honey aura. Made that old bottle of juice much better.

 

[MFToms59]

After a week's steep my Desert Joe's Straw color has gotten ~2 shades darker, the TH @18mg in the T2 @4 volts on the light side. Flavor-wise it's a dry Oriental on the inhale and exhale, not bold or overly flavored, pretty enjoyable in the morning or afternoon. The mildness makes this easy to vape for extended sessions, not in the class of Sahara Blend or Hump Back, it does hold its own as a Synthetic Tobacco type juice.

 

[billherbst]

Here's the list of Turkish Tobacco juices and DIY flavorings that I've bought and vaped, with personal rankings and comments:

Juices
A- Aroma Turkish Blend --- both with and without WTA; now called Sahara; very smooth; expensive, though
B+ Liqua Turkish Tobacco --- a worthy contender from Italy; very flavorful with a pleasing bite (get this cheap from FastTech)
B+ HealthCabin Turkish Tobacco --- just under Aroma and Hangsen for smoothness
B Dekang Turkish Tobacco --- considerably more rough-and-tumble than Aroma; not as spicy as DK's Desert (Camel)
B GoodEJuice Wild Turkey (NET) --- the only naturally-extracted Turkish tobacco in the retail marketplace; misleading name
B Halo Turkish Tobacco --- pretty good; has none of the Halo "purity" tone of which I am so not fond
B- Dekang DK-TAB --- probably Dekang's best-selling synthetic tobacco juice; has that Chinese mystery nut thing
C- ThePlumeRoom Toasted Turkish Twist --- I didn't love the "Twist" part, whatever it is

DIY Flavorings
A Hangsen Turkish Blended Concentrate --- my current favorite of the entire list; smooth, tasty, with a bit of sweetness at 8%
B+ Totally-Wicked Turkish Tobacco Flavoring --- tasty and subtle with a little bite mixed at 8% in a VG base
B EcigExpress/Tobacco Express Turkish Super-Concentrate --- not bad, tastes best mixed very lean at about 3%; very economical
C+ TFA/TPA DK-TAB Type Flavoring --- not an accurate Dekang replicant; OK, but tobacco flavorings are not where TPA shines (Linda's non-tobacco flavorings are much better)

 

[Jerms]

Very nice Bill, but I'm confused of why you state the Wild Turkey is the only retail Turkish NET? QuickNicJuice has Humpback, Ahlusion has Sahara (Virginia and Turkish), and Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco has Turkish in their single varietal section (just recently released).

Did you forget or not know of those or is there a reason you don't consider any of them Turkish NETs?

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[billherbst]

Did you forget or not know of those or is there a reason you don't consider any of them Turkish NETs?

Oh, QnJ Humpback and Ahlusion Sahara are Turkish NETs, all right, but they're in that nether world of Camel replicants, which is usually not the same flavor profile as a straight Turkish blend. What I should have written is that GeJ Wild Turkey is the only "pure" Turkish NET. Or, better yet, I should have written nothing except that Wild Turkey is an NET.

This confusion is vexing to me. Besides DK-TAB, Dekang offers both Desert and Turkish Tobacco, and none of those juices tastes the same. In the past, my conclusion was that Camels (the cigarette, not the ejuice) must contain flavoring elements that deviate from a straight Turkish blend. (I never smoked either Camels or Turkish cigarettes, so I have no personal experience to draw on in this). What other reason could Dekang have for concocting different flavors, all of which are supposed to be Turkish?

Both Humpback and Sahara are clearly references to Camel's animal "mascot." Same with Desert and Desert Ship. So, are those two NETs different flavor profiles than straight Turkish or from GeJ Wild Turkey? I don't know, since I've had neither of them. I don't even know if Aroma Sahara is the same juice that was formerly called Aroma Turkish, or if Aroma altered the recipe to make their former Turkish juice more "Camel-like."

If either you or MrM can clear up this confusion, please do. I don't really care whether we lump all the Camel and Turkish juices together or keep them separate, but clarification would please me. Heck, maybe it's all just marketing weirdness and has nothing to do with flavor at all.

 

[Mr.Mann]

Heck, maybe it's all just marketing weirdness and has nothing to do with flavor at all.

This would be my bet. Just like AeJ went from a Turkish to a Sahara with the same liquid, but I swear their Turkish/Sahara is made with Hangsen Camel. I think the vendors themselves don't know, but I generally think of Camel-esque liquids as more flavored and smoother around the edges with "Turkish" being more approximations of a tobacco feel. Unless the vendor states otherwise, like specifying tobaccos used, I take all of it with a grain of sand. LOL

 

[Jerms]

Oh, QnJ Humpback and Ahlusion Sahara are Turkish NETs, all right, but they're in that nether world of Camel replicants, which is usually not the same flavor profile as a straight Turkish blend. What I should have written is that GeJ Wild Turkey is the only "pure" Turkish NET. Or, better yet, I should have written nothing except that Wild Turkey is an NET.

This confusion is vexing to me. Besides DK-TAB, Dekang offers both Desert and Turkish Tobacco, and none of those juices tastes the same. In the past, my conclusion was that Camels (the cigarette, not the ejuice) must contain flavoring elements that deviate from a straight Turkish blend. (I never smoked either Camels or Turkish cigarettes, so I have no personal experience to draw on in this). What other reason could Dekang have for concocting different flavors, all of which are supposed to be Turkish?

Both Humpback and Sahara are clearly references to Camel's animal "mascot." Same with Desert and Desert Ship. So, are those two NETs different flavor profiles than straight Turkish or from GeJ Wild Turkey? I don't know, since I've had neither of them. I don't even know if Aroma Sahara is the same juice that was formerly called Aroma Turkish, or if Aroma altered the recipe to make their former Turkish juice more "Camel-like."

If either you or MrM can clear up this confusion, please do. I don't really care whether we lump all the Camel and Turkish juices together or keep them separate, but clarification would please me. Heck, maybe it's all just marketing weirdness and has nothing to do with flavor at all.

Sahara from Ahl is definately more of a Camel type vape, containing Turkish and Virginia like a Camel cig, and also made with synthetic tobacco flavoring alongside the extracted tobacco.

Humpback is just named that because it's what QnJ chose as the winner in the name the new NETs contest. My pick of Humpday, sadly for me, didn't win; but the bottle I got before it was officially named said "Turkish" on it since it is just a straight Turkish extraction. I went to a Camel reference, as did the winner, more to reference the widely known fact that Camel cigs contain Turkish tobacco, not that the juice specifically reminded me of a Camel. I'm not sure how it compares to GeJ Wild Turkey since I haven't had that one, but it is a straight Turkish extract (according to the site).

NETcom's Sun-Cured Turkish is also a straight Turkish extract, made from quality Turkish pipe tobacco. Clay has a fairly long description of it on his site, and recommends blending it with his Flue-Cured Virginia and Air-Cured Burley single varietals is someone wants a more Camel cigarette experience.

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