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. Portions of this review have been quoted from my review of Hurricane Vapor's Peaches and Irish Cream. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/peaches-and-irish-cream-by-hurricane.html Quoted passages are in italics.
Cuban Coffee is "an espresso shot... sweetened with Demerara sugar as it's being brewed." "The heat from the coffee-making process will hydrolyze some of the sucrose, thereby creating a sweeter and different tasting result than adding sugar at the end." As the name suggests it "originated in Cuba after espresso machines were first imported there from Italy." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_espresso
Hurricane Vapor http://www.hurricanevapor.com/ produce a line of E-liquids called Storm Juice which includes a catalogue of twelve flavours encompassing the following categories: "cool and icy", "dark and rich", "mild and velvety" and "sweet and delicious". The flavours include Sunshine Cured Tobacco, Toasted Amber Tobacco, Belgian Simmered Tobacco, Cuban Coffee, Chocolate Frost Bite, Vice City Ice, Berry Jello Shots, Miami Lemon Drop, Peaches and Irish Cream, Florida Orange Creamsicle, Galletta Dulce, Papaya Milkshake and Sunset Cavendish. They're also preparing to roll out the following flavours: Winter Cured Tobacco, October-Bomb, Red Chile Guava or Guava Frosada (testing both versions), Cortadito, Vanilla-Sky Tobacco and Beach Breeze Tobacco.
Each E-liquid is available in a 15 ($9.99) and 30ml ($17.99) bottle at nicotine strengths of 0 (0% ("Just Juice")), 6 (0.6% ("Very Light")), 12 (1.2% ("Light")), 18 (1.8% ("Medium")), 24 (2.4% ("Full")) and 36mg (3.6% ("Extra")) with PG/VG ratios of 50/50 ("Smooth Inhale") and 70/30 ("Firm Inhale"). Note that, as of the writing of this review some of their liquids are listed at reduced prices. Whether or not these are permanent reductions I couldn't say.
The 15ml bottle is a clear cuboid glass. The bottle was shipped to me with a black, non-childproof, screw top cap with a plastic bag containing a second screw top cap but with an integrated dropper. The bottle was also shipped with a tamper evident plastic seal around the cap.
The label includes the following information: the company name, the brand name, the name of the liquid, liquid contents in ml, nicotine strength in percentage (in this case, listed as 1.8%, medium), an ingredients list, a warning to keep out of the reach of children, an age warning, the words "Do not drink" and the instruction to "Shake well".
The colour of the liquid is extremely dark, almost black, but held up to the light looks like actual coffee. The aroma of the liquid is a mostly unsweetened coffee with a whisper of chocolate. The occasional intermittent whiff renders a hint of Demerara sugar.
I'm vaping Cuban coffee in an Igo-L on a mechanical mod powered by an 18650 battery a few hours shy of the charger. As I fire the device and draw the vapour into my mouth a wash of very sweet vapour washes along the length of my tongue. As I inhale this vapour into my lungs mixed with the fresh air of a finishing, inward breath the very slightly bitter flavour of coffee emerges. As I exhale the bitterness is replaced by the exceedingly sweet flavour of demarara sugar and coffee combined. If, on the other hand I draw the vapour directly into my lungs I experience a nondescript sweetness throughout my mouth. It's not until I finish inhaling the vapour and hold my breath for a split second does the flavour of espresso unfurl. Then, as I exhale, the flavours of coffee and sugar marry and are amplified until they settle into the aftertaste and slowly fade. I prefer the former approach to vaping this e-liquid, that is, drawing the vapour into the mouth before inhaling the collected vapour mixed with fresh air. The flavours reveal themselves sequentially and can be appreciated each for their individual qualities, before mixing on the inhalation to provide the full Cuban Coffee experience. The sugar flavour is very particularly that of Demerara sugar rather than any sort of generalised sweetness or sugary flavour. There's an earthy, almost caramel quality which Demerara has that I love so much that it's the only sugar we use in our home. So I know the flavour well.
This liquid has a throat hit that kicks like a mule and vapour production is substantial.
It never ceases to amaze me the extraordinary application of flavour in vaporous form. When done right it's just pure magic. If you like coffee then I suggest you buy yourself a bottle of Hurricane Vapor's Cuban Coffee. It's THAT good.
