Disclaimer: This E-liquid was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of conducting a review. This fact notwithstanding, I will, as best I'm able, provide an honest, accurate and unbiased assessment of this product.
This is the third e-liquid by The Standard that I've had the pleasure of tasting and writing about. It was kindly provided to me for the purpose of review by Vape Revolution http://shop.vaperev.com/ who are based in Cerritos, California.
The Standard offer a range of five e-liquids: Curious Jorge ("Banana, banana, banana and then some more banana") http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/curious-jorge-by-standard.html, Cell Block Four ("Creme Brûlée cake with hints of citrus") http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/cell-block-four-by-standard.html, Irie Nights ("Jamaican rum and brown sugar party"), Dead Man's Party ("Blueberry Lemonade Thingamajig") and Frankenvape (Kiwi Marshmallow and lots of goodness), each of which is available in nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24mg, comes in a 30 ml bottle and retails at $22.00.
The bottles used by The Standard are a thick, clear, cuboid glass with black, plastic screw top caps. They don't come with a dripper, so you'll need to use a syringe, eye dropper or pipette, all of which are inexpensive and readily available online or from your local pharmacy. The caps aren't childproof, so care will need to be taken if children are around.
The artwork and design of everything from The Standard is exceptional. As an artist, I really appreciate it when some care and attention to detail is given to the design of the packaging and presentation of a product. The label on my bottle of Frankenvape features a two tone image of Frankenstein (Boris Karloff in the 1931 version of the film, "Frankenstein") overlaid on a black and white, wood grain texture. The label also contains the following information: the name of the e-liquid, the brand name, nicotine strength in mg, a URL for The Standard website and a warning that the liquid contains nicotine and should be kept away from children.
The colour of the liquid is a crystal clear, Pumpkin Orange with viscosity somewhere between cooking oil and water, which I would attribute to the (unspecified) VG content. The aroma from the opened bottle begins as a sweetened tropical fruit punch which resolves into, and ends with a dominating kiwi fruit note. Subsequent whiffs begin and end with the aroma of kiwi fruit.
When I'm writing a review I prefer to drip feed my atomizer. So as usual, I'm using an Igo-L on a mechanical mod with an 18650 battery, an hour or two shy of a fresh charge. The sample I'm vaping is 12mg nicotine strength. Now that we've begun to talk about flavour, I want to suggest that Frankenvape doesn't taste at all like kiwi fruit or marshmallow. The liquid smells like kiwi fruit and the vapour has a mouthfeel that approximates the creamy, almost spongy texture of marshmallow, but for me it tastes like neither of those foods. As I draw the vapour into my mouth prior to inhaling, I taste a densely saturated, syrupy sweetness with hints of tropical fruit that follows into the aftertaste that lingers momentarily before I exhale. As I cast my mind across the breadth of the spectrum of tropical fruits though, I find it very difficult to pinpoint which fruits I'm actually tasting. Flavour is apprehended primarily during and after exhalation; with one exhalation I think I might be tasting blueberry. With the next, I'm tasting banana, and then again I think I'm tasting grape. The taste of Frankenvape mutates, slipping and sliding elusively from my grasp. I'm sorry I can't be more specific than suggesting it tastes somewhat like a tropical fruit, or a combination of tropical fruits, but whatever the case, the flavour is potent and it's delicious. There's also the merest whisper of fizziness at the back of the throat and on the tip of the tongue immediately following the exhalation, which suggests to me the use of vodka as a thinning agent for the VG. The aftertaste is vaguely reminiscent of the type of aftertaste you get when you've eaten a packet of Gummi Bears.
I find the throat hit to be quite mild but there's a satisfying pressure that builds at the back of the throat on the inhalation, with a light raspiness on the exhalation. Vapour production is excellent.
The Standard have delivered another exceptional liquid in Frankenvape. Everything, from the design of the label to the shape and material of the bottle, to the aroma of the liquid and the elusive but undeniably exquisite flavour of the vapour... it all suggests a very finely tuned mind and palate at work, producing this stuff. I encourage you to try it for yourself and if you can taste kiwi fruit or marshmallow, I'd love to hear from you.
