Disclaimer: These E-liquids were provided to me free of charge for the purpose of conducting reviews. This fact notwithstanding, I will, as best I'm able, provide an honest, accurate and unbiased assessment of this product.
Preamble
Manabush is, obviously, Manabush's signature series of E-liquids. It comes in three variations; Prairie Dawn, High Noon and Sunset Canyon. The Manabush liquids are a tobacco and maple syrup blend, with varying "level(s) of the sweet maple top notes... creating 3 very different effects." Manabush point out "that the Maple flavour in Manabush (is) more akin to a dark unprocessed Canadian Maple rather than a sweet pancake syrup maple." http://www.manabush.com/
Manabush is a central figure in Menominee oral traditions. The Menominee have always had a reputation for being a peaceful, friendly and welcoming people. Their territory as a Nation encompassed much of present day Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. The name "Menominee" is a westernised adaptation of the name "Manoominii" which was given to these people by another group called the Ojibwe. The Menominee call themselves Mamaceqtaw, which means "the people".
Manabush, like Loki (Scandinavia), Hermes (Greece), Mercury (Rome) and Lugh (Ireland) played the role of the trickster god. He took the alternate forms of a human being and a white rabbit. Although he was responsible for some arguably heinous behaviour it was always in service to humanity. He stole fire and brought it to his grandmother. He killed a giant and brought tobacco to his people and he diluted Maple syrup so that his people would have to work hard to extract it from the trees and thus not become overweight. http://www.native-languages.org/nanabozho.htm
A quick note to the Menominee, Ojibwe and associated Nations: if I've misrepresented you or your oral traditions in any way, please get in contact with me and I'll alter the text to reflect the truth.
Manabush the company, run by a gentleman called Wenebojo is situated in the UK. Besides the Manabush signature liquids, they also offer Nokomis (sweet tobacco) (named after the legendary Manabush's grandmother) and are preparing to roll out Nokomis Maple Blend, Nokomis Gingerbread, Coyote Coconut and Powwow Sauce.
Manabush and Nokomis are available from EjuiceBOX http://ejuicebox.co.uk/manabush-tobacco-and-maple-e-liquid.html, Leisure Liquids http://www.leisureliquids.com/manabush.html, and the Planet of the Vapes Marketplace http://marketplace.planetofthevapes.co.uk/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=manabush. Each juice is available in 10ml bottles (£4.99) at nicotine strengths of 15 and 18mg. The Manabush website says that with the next batch (date?) available nicotine strengths will be 12 and 18mg.
The bottle is an easily squeezed, clear plastic with a white, childproof screw-top cap. Attached to the bottle is a 1cm plastic, needle type dripper. The label includes the following information: the brand name, the name of the liquid, liquid contents in ml, nicotine strength in mg, PG/VG ratio, toxicity graphics, the company website address, storage and first aid instructions, an advisory notice that the liquid may contain traces of nuts, a warning that the liquid may be dangerous if released into the environment and a tactile warning triangle which complies with EU laws regarding the storage of toxic substances. Although the labels on the bottles in front of me contain no age warnings, Wenebojo assures me that these will be added to the labels with the next batch to go out into the market.
The labels completely surround the diameter of the bottles, so it's difficult for me to accurately determine the colour of the liquids. However, from what I can see, they appear to be a dark brown. The Manabush website states that there are no added colouring agents in their liquids. http://www.manabush.com/Manabush-News.html The predominant aroma of each of the liquids in the Manabush signature range is maple syrup.
The Reviews
The reviewing hardware of choice is the Igo-L on a mechanical mod running on an 18650 battery. The Igo-L is washed and dried thoroughly before being dry burned to remove any trace of the preceding liquid.
Prairie Dawn
The Manabush website describes Prairie Dawn as being "lighter on the sweetness than the others, pronouncing the tobacco undertones...". As I inhale I taste a a very mild sweetness amidst a predominant warm, smooth, savoury sensation. The flavour begins to blossom as I finish inhaling the vapour and follow it with a short, shallow breath of fresh air. At this point I begin to taste the umami notes of the tobacco which are dark and earthy, without being so deep they overwhelm. The flavour of maple emerges also and while it is sweet, it is just enough to take the edge off the accompanying tobacco flavour. As mentioned previously the maple isn't the dessert syrup type; it has a slightly darker, earthier quality about it which marries extremely well with the umami tobacco notes. As I exhale, the maple grows slightly in intensity and is joined by a certain ashiness that's not at all as unpleasant as it might seem. The aftertaste is much as one would expect with a co-mingling of each of the aforementioned flavours.
I'm not experiencing any form of throat hit. Vapour production is very good.
High Noon
Having dripped "High Noon" into the atomiser and begun to vape it, I immediately notice a heavier, sweeter complexion. This is a sturdier vape than Prairie Dawn in every way. This is not to say that it's better, just that the tobacco and maple notes are more pronounced. As I inhale, the primary sensation is of sweetness. The smooth brothy notes of the tobacco are still there but they don't come into their own until that point when the breath begins to turn and the exhalation occurs. The slight ashiness that I tasted in Prairie Dawn is gone in High Noon. In its place however, is a throat hit that catches at the back of the throat as I finish inhaling vapour and draw in a small amount of fresh air. The deep sweetness of the maple syrup marries even better with the seemingly darker tobacco notes in High Noon and is the predominant flavour in the aftertaste.
Throat hit is good and vapour production, again, is very good.
Sunset Canyon
The degree of difference between High Noon and Sunset Canyon is less than the degree of difference between Prairie Dawn and High Noon. With Sunset Canyon, I was expecting High Noon on steroids. While this isn't quite the case, Sunset Canyon is certainly a more muscular vape than its midday sibling. The maple syrup flavour is certainly more predominant and makes it's presence felt from the beginning of the inhalation to the last lingering moments of the aftertaste. That said, the savoury notes of the tobacco predominate during the inhalation.
Again, throat hit is good with an added rasp at the back of the throat during the exhalation. The vapour produced seems to have increased in volume and opacity.
With all three variations of Manabush the flavours are very good approximations of the real thing. The tobacco tastes like actual tobacco and the maple syrup tastes like actual maple syrup. There's no taint of artificiality about it.
Each of the variations are appropriately named; Prairie Dawn is a light vape (without any lack of flavour) and would serve well as an early morning pick-me-up. Both High Noon and Sunset Canyon would serve equally as well as each other as all-day vapes. Sunset Canyon has a slight edge on High Noon in the sweetness stakes and so might serve better as an after-dinner vape.
Besides being a talented juice mixer, Wenebojo obviously has an eye for marketing. Everything from the flavours of his liquids to the branding, the labelling and the design of the website speaks to a unified theme. Manabush is worth spending your money on and I suggest you keep an eye on this company tomorrow and the day after tomorrow (figuratively speaking). I believe they have good things in store for us.
