Preamble
The El Toro range by House of Liquid enjoys a loyal following, and with good reason. Their e-liquids are carefully and thoughtfully realised reproductions of various exotic tobacco flavours and offer a near perfect adaptation of the smoking experience. Georgio, the man behind El Toro sources tobacco leaves from various parts of the world and steeps them in Propylene Glycol to leach out the essence and flavour of the leaves before further steeping the flavour-saturated PG in wooden barrels. As a result of this steeping process, a certain amount of natural nicotine and tobacco alkaloids are reputedly imparted to the liquid. As far as I'm aware, House of Liquid don't claim this for their liquids. The key word was "reputedly".
My attention was initially drawn to the work of Georgio because I was seeking out manufacturers (mixers, cooks, alchemists?) of E-liquids who were exploring and traversing the frontiers of flavour creation and delivery via inhaled vapour. I first mentioned House of Liquid in my post, The Science of Flavour http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-science-of-flavour.html as being of note because they're the purveyors of e-liquids steeped in wooden barrels previously used for the maturing of alcoholic beverages. This is the type of dedication and attention to detail that excites the artist in me and motivates me to write a review like this; that celebrates the artisans, the craftsmen/women who know their subject inside and out, go the extra mile and share the fruits of their labours with the rest of us.
Another reason I'm favourably disposed towards House of Liquid is that they source their tobacco leaves from producers who decline to use pesticides or child labour.
The Review
The subject of this review, Guevara Reserve, a limited edition liquid (only 300 bottles were produced and first made available from the 1st March 2013) was kindly sent to me to sample and review by House of Liquid, http://www.houseofliquid.com/ the co-distributors of the El Toro range.Guevara Reserve is available in a 60ml bottle in nicotine strengths of 10 or 20mg and costs €39.00. The website stipulates that an order of this liquid must be made as a standalone purchase.
The bottle is a dark brown, almost black plastic with a black childproof screw top cap. The label features an elegant sepia toned photograph of a Metaxa barrel with a cork-capped corkscrew. The label also contains the following information: the name of the liquid, the quantity of liquid in ml, nicotine strength in mg, an ingredients list, a toxicity warning, first aid information (in English, Greek and French), a best used by date, warning symbols and a tactile triangle sticker which complies with EU law concerning the sale and storage of toxic substances. The bottle doesn't come with a dripper, so you'll need to use an eye dropper, syringe or pipette to decant to another bottle or fill your device.
The House of Liquid has this to say about the barrel used for steeping Guevara Reserve; "Old authentic french Limousine oak barrel used for decades for the storage of Metaxa brandy and recently emptied. The old wood has distinctive brandy aromas noticeable even from a small distance. A small masterpiece of durability that seems (as) alive today as it was the day that (it) was made!"
The aroma from the opened bottle is fairly mild but it has the unmistakeable, dominant note of tobacco with a supporting tincture of brandy. As I decanted the liquid into a 30ml bottle with a dripper attached I saw the colour for the first time, which reinforced the idea I'd been building in my mind of what this e-liquid was and what it promised. From the first glimpse of the bottle as I took delivery of it, to the reading of the House of Liquid marketing and the smelling of its aroma all suggested that this was going to be something special; something to be savoured and enjoyed in brief, measured moments. The colour is a clear, dark, mid saturated brown; it has the appearance of a naturally coloured liquid. Held up to the light, the colour transforms into a vibrant amber. The liquid isn't particularly viscous which suggests that it's low in VG content.
The juice has been steeping with the cap on, in my bookcase for 31 days. I'm vaping it in an Igo-L on a mechanical mod with an 18650 battery. As I inhale, a warm, silky smooth wash courses into my mouth and across my tongue. The vapour is thick with umami; brothy with just a suggestion of sweetness. The longer I draw the hotter the coil gets and the sweetness amplifies. I stop drawing and inhale the vapour mixed with fresh air into my lungs and hold my breath for a second or two. At this point, and subsequently as I exhale, my mouth fills with the flavours of a certain woodiness with subtle traces of ash, closely followed by the blossoming of the brandy notes. The flavour provokes a torrent of imagery: bruised roses, a creaking galleon on a calm sea, a well-worn chesterfield chair and ancient manuscripts lying in disarray on a mahogany desk.
The aftertaste is dominated by the brandy and the very slight, not unpleasant flavour of ash. The sample I'm using is only 10mg nicotine strength, so the throat hit is mild. Vapour production is excellent with dense, opaque clouds lasting a good 10 to 20 seconds after I've exhaled.
If I haven't already made myself clear, you should know that I consider this an exceptional e-liquid. House of Liquid have fine tuned the art and science of e-liquid production to an exquisite degree. Vaping it provokes my imagination and my emotions in a way that is very rare and I suspect that this is why they have such a loyal following.
