Note: I am an independent reviewer, with no connection at all to this or any other purveyor of vaping equipment or juice.
I received my order of Vermillion River Poker Blend on Wednesday, and based on my positive experience with http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-liquid-reviews/373305-vermillion-river-kentucky-premium-blend.html that came in the same shipment, I wanted to try it fresh out of the bottle as well.
Packaging
Vermillion River Juices come in smoke-colored glass bottles with glass drippers, which are nice to hold, give a solid impression of integrity and permanence, and are easier to use than drip bottles. The bottles bear an attractive, nickel-colored label that wraps about 3/4 around the bottle, which will allow you to easily see the juice level as it descends below the top of the label. It lists the ingredients, the size, the nicotine level, and bears a small circular sticker indicating the flavor. While it indicates that the bottle contains “Premium E-Juice,” it does not indicate the PG/VG blend, nor could I find that information on the Vermillion River website. The label does not indicate the date that the juice was mixed.
General information
I ordered the 30ml bottle (1 fl. oz.) with 20mg of nicotine per ml. From what I can tell vaping the juice, it seems likely to be 80/20 or 70/30 PG/VG blend. I tested it using a fresh Smok 1.5 ohm XL dual coil cartomizer atop my eGo-V VV battery.
The juice is 3 days old (calculated from the receipt of the bottle, delivered via 1st Class USPS mail), and it had never had the cap removed.
This is a tobacco flavor. Vermillion River offers very little information on its composition. Their web site describes it as follows: "A Classic Natural Tobacco blend designed to make Poker night, or anytime, a little more enjoyable. A whole new traditional line of tobaccos from VR."
This juice retails for US$16.95 for 30ml, which seems to be the standard price for 30ml at Vermillion River. I was able to use a 10% ECF coupon to bring this down to US$15.26, but this is definitely not priced in the range of a value juice. I ordered it on Friday, January 18, 2013, and received it via 1st class USPS mail (for US$3.75) on Wednesday, January 23.
Overall impressions
In the bottle, the juice smells like apricot and vanilla. At all voltages, Poker Blend presents an above average throat hit and very good lung hit, similar to the resistance you feel pulling the smoke from a strong cigarette into your lungs.
Like Vermillion River’s Kentucky Premium Blend, this put out a good deal of vapor at every wattage, and my wife (who neither smokes nor vapes) said that the vapor smelled very good.
Evaluations of flavor at specific power settings
6 watts (3 volts): Poker Blend provides a full tobacco impact from the start, hitting you up front with a dry, slightly salty tobacco imbued with leather that carries a noticeable trace of acidity. This is rounded out by apricot and a hint of tea. The tea fades, replaced by a dark vanilla that joins the apricot and endures to the finish. This is not the Bourbon vanilla flavor that we’re accustomed to tasting in RY4, but the richer, darker, and more robust flavor of Mexican vanilla, which compliments the tobacco nicely as it builds from its initial impact into a warm, leathery, toasted climax, where it is joined in the finish by a faint taste of wet hay and hints of black pepper. The vanilla lingers on the pallet beyond the finish, accumulating over several vapes to create a candied impression, which is definite but not cloying. The balance of flavors seems precarious: very nicely timed, but unusually matched, and perhaps a bit too novel. At this wattage, the mouth feel is full and creamy.
6.8 watts (3.2 volts): The increased power intensifies the tobacco impact, accenting the leathery texture and promoting the Poker Blend’s saltiness. The faint acidity is still present, but less easy to detect in the company of the heightened leatheriness of the tobacco. The tea flavor follows closely on the initial tobacco hit, but the apricot is nowhere to be found. The strong Mexican vanilla of the 6 watt vape is transformed into a subtle undertone, allowing the tobacco flavor to stand more on its own. The finish still consists of leathery, toasted tobacco, but is less warm. Notes of wet hay and black pepper still accompany the tobacco at the last stages of exhaling, creating a dryer finish. The vanilla no longer lingers on the pallet, and is replaced by the persistence of the black pepper. The overall impact is a bit simpler than 6 watts, but the balance is superior. The mouthfeel is dryer and earthy.
7.2 watts (3.4 volts): Poker Blend begins to take on cigar characteristics at 7.2 watts, as it becomes quite earthy and the tobacco dominates throughout. The initial impact is strong, toasted tobacco with leather and pepper in the foreground combined with a hint of nutmeg and tea in the background. The saltiness hits midway as the pepper increases and a faint glimmer of molasses enters the finish, disappearing as the pepper continues to linger after the vape. Balance is very good. The mouth feel is full-on earthy, with a tinge in heated gravel.
8.1 watts (3.6 volts): At 8.1 watts, cigar tones take over. I’m inclined to say that this wattage provides the basis for the name “Poker Blend,” because it embodies the feeling of a good cigar that you’d save for a night with the guys wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. The tobacco is strong, starts early, and holds steady through the finish subordinating all other flavors. The tobacco remains leathery and slightly acidic; its primary undertones are pepper, smoke, and ash. The constants remain: tea and salt early on, lasting until late in the vape, while black pepper enters midway, continues through the finish, and lingers slightly after the vape. Balance is excellent. Mouth feel is yet more earthy: ash and gravel.
8.6 watts (3.7 watts): The complexity that Poker Blend so remarkably preserved through its travel up the wattage scaled collapses at 8.6 watts. Cigar is still the dominant theme, but it becomes an undifferentiated conglomerate of earlier flavors. Pepper, smoke, ash, tea, and salt are all in evidence. Surprisingly, wet hey makes a dim reappearance at the finish, but seems out of place in this mixture of flavors. Mouth feel is strong ash and gravel.
Conclusion
After spending hours working on the flavors manifested at 6 watts, I was shocked by how different Poker Blend tastes at 6, 6.8, 7.2, and 8.1 watts. This wasn’t just a matter of tracing variations, but an exercise in charting out entirely new flavor profiles. This is literally like several juices in one.
Since the wattages present such a wide range of sophisticated flavor combinations, it is likely that equipment could have a major impact as well, so your mileage may vary more than usual. My personal preference is 7.2 watts, with 6 watts as a backup because of its intensity and novelty. Nevertheless, it is quite easy to see how many would prefer the flavors of 6.8 or 8.1 watts.
This is a spectacular juice, which I’ll definitely be adding to my regular rotation. I’ve never tasted a juice whose range of sophisticated flavor profiles reaches across such a large span of the wattage scale. I don’t consider it suitable for an all-day vape, because the flavors are fairly intense. Also, it seems to wreak havoc on equipment, with my freshly opened, dual coil cartomizer showing signs of fatigue by the end of my evaluation (this was not a problem with the Kentucky Premium Blend). Nevertheless, its myriad flavors have created a scratch that I’ll be itching on a regular basis with this very tasty juice.
Score: 10/10
Parting note
A special thanks and shout out to the folks in the Natural Tobaccos thread, whose discussions lead me to this juice and helped me clarify my descriptions.
I received my order of Vermillion River Poker Blend on Wednesday, and based on my positive experience with http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-liquid-reviews/373305-vermillion-river-kentucky-premium-blend.html that came in the same shipment, I wanted to try it fresh out of the bottle as well.
Packaging
Vermillion River Juices come in smoke-colored glass bottles with glass drippers, which are nice to hold, give a solid impression of integrity and permanence, and are easier to use than drip bottles. The bottles bear an attractive, nickel-colored label that wraps about 3/4 around the bottle, which will allow you to easily see the juice level as it descends below the top of the label. It lists the ingredients, the size, the nicotine level, and bears a small circular sticker indicating the flavor. While it indicates that the bottle contains “Premium E-Juice,” it does not indicate the PG/VG blend, nor could I find that information on the Vermillion River website. The label does not indicate the date that the juice was mixed.
General information
I ordered the 30ml bottle (1 fl. oz.) with 20mg of nicotine per ml. From what I can tell vaping the juice, it seems likely to be 80/20 or 70/30 PG/VG blend. I tested it using a fresh Smok 1.5 ohm XL dual coil cartomizer atop my eGo-V VV battery.
The juice is 3 days old (calculated from the receipt of the bottle, delivered via 1st Class USPS mail), and it had never had the cap removed.
This is a tobacco flavor. Vermillion River offers very little information on its composition. Their web site describes it as follows: "A Classic Natural Tobacco blend designed to make Poker night, or anytime, a little more enjoyable. A whole new traditional line of tobaccos from VR."
This juice retails for US$16.95 for 30ml, which seems to be the standard price for 30ml at Vermillion River. I was able to use a 10% ECF coupon to bring this down to US$15.26, but this is definitely not priced in the range of a value juice. I ordered it on Friday, January 18, 2013, and received it via 1st class USPS mail (for US$3.75) on Wednesday, January 23.
Overall impressions
In the bottle, the juice smells like apricot and vanilla. At all voltages, Poker Blend presents an above average throat hit and very good lung hit, similar to the resistance you feel pulling the smoke from a strong cigarette into your lungs.
Like Vermillion River’s Kentucky Premium Blend, this put out a good deal of vapor at every wattage, and my wife (who neither smokes nor vapes) said that the vapor smelled very good.
Evaluations of flavor at specific power settings
6 watts (3 volts): Poker Blend provides a full tobacco impact from the start, hitting you up front with a dry, slightly salty tobacco imbued with leather that carries a noticeable trace of acidity. This is rounded out by apricot and a hint of tea. The tea fades, replaced by a dark vanilla that joins the apricot and endures to the finish. This is not the Bourbon vanilla flavor that we’re accustomed to tasting in RY4, but the richer, darker, and more robust flavor of Mexican vanilla, which compliments the tobacco nicely as it builds from its initial impact into a warm, leathery, toasted climax, where it is joined in the finish by a faint taste of wet hay and hints of black pepper. The vanilla lingers on the pallet beyond the finish, accumulating over several vapes to create a candied impression, which is definite but not cloying. The balance of flavors seems precarious: very nicely timed, but unusually matched, and perhaps a bit too novel. At this wattage, the mouth feel is full and creamy.
6.8 watts (3.2 volts): The increased power intensifies the tobacco impact, accenting the leathery texture and promoting the Poker Blend’s saltiness. The faint acidity is still present, but less easy to detect in the company of the heightened leatheriness of the tobacco. The tea flavor follows closely on the initial tobacco hit, but the apricot is nowhere to be found. The strong Mexican vanilla of the 6 watt vape is transformed into a subtle undertone, allowing the tobacco flavor to stand more on its own. The finish still consists of leathery, toasted tobacco, but is less warm. Notes of wet hay and black pepper still accompany the tobacco at the last stages of exhaling, creating a dryer finish. The vanilla no longer lingers on the pallet, and is replaced by the persistence of the black pepper. The overall impact is a bit simpler than 6 watts, but the balance is superior. The mouthfeel is dryer and earthy.
7.2 watts (3.4 volts): Poker Blend begins to take on cigar characteristics at 7.2 watts, as it becomes quite earthy and the tobacco dominates throughout. The initial impact is strong, toasted tobacco with leather and pepper in the foreground combined with a hint of nutmeg and tea in the background. The saltiness hits midway as the pepper increases and a faint glimmer of molasses enters the finish, disappearing as the pepper continues to linger after the vape. Balance is very good. The mouth feel is full-on earthy, with a tinge in heated gravel.
8.1 watts (3.6 volts): At 8.1 watts, cigar tones take over. I’m inclined to say that this wattage provides the basis for the name “Poker Blend,” because it embodies the feeling of a good cigar that you’d save for a night with the guys wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. The tobacco is strong, starts early, and holds steady through the finish subordinating all other flavors. The tobacco remains leathery and slightly acidic; its primary undertones are pepper, smoke, and ash. The constants remain: tea and salt early on, lasting until late in the vape, while black pepper enters midway, continues through the finish, and lingers slightly after the vape. Balance is excellent. Mouth feel is yet more earthy: ash and gravel.
8.6 watts (3.7 watts): The complexity that Poker Blend so remarkably preserved through its travel up the wattage scaled collapses at 8.6 watts. Cigar is still the dominant theme, but it becomes an undifferentiated conglomerate of earlier flavors. Pepper, smoke, ash, tea, and salt are all in evidence. Surprisingly, wet hey makes a dim reappearance at the finish, but seems out of place in this mixture of flavors. Mouth feel is strong ash and gravel.
Conclusion
After spending hours working on the flavors manifested at 6 watts, I was shocked by how different Poker Blend tastes at 6, 6.8, 7.2, and 8.1 watts. This wasn’t just a matter of tracing variations, but an exercise in charting out entirely new flavor profiles. This is literally like several juices in one.
Since the wattages present such a wide range of sophisticated flavor combinations, it is likely that equipment could have a major impact as well, so your mileage may vary more than usual. My personal preference is 7.2 watts, with 6 watts as a backup because of its intensity and novelty. Nevertheless, it is quite easy to see how many would prefer the flavors of 6.8 or 8.1 watts.
This is a spectacular juice, which I’ll definitely be adding to my regular rotation. I’ve never tasted a juice whose range of sophisticated flavor profiles reaches across such a large span of the wattage scale. I don’t consider it suitable for an all-day vape, because the flavors are fairly intense. Also, it seems to wreak havoc on equipment, with my freshly opened, dual coil cartomizer showing signs of fatigue by the end of my evaluation (this was not a problem with the Kentucky Premium Blend). Nevertheless, its myriad flavors have created a scratch that I’ll be itching on a regular basis with this very tasty juice.
Score: 10/10
Parting note
A special thanks and shout out to the folks in the Natural Tobaccos thread, whose discussions lead me to this juice and helped me clarify my descriptions.
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