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.
Preamble
Every profession, trade or discipline appears to have a fundamental practice that serves as a test that separates the wannabes from the truly accomplished practitioners. As an artist, I can give you the example of how I might test a student of the art of drawing. I sit the student down in front of something simple, something mundane like a teacup on a saucer and hand them a pencil or a ball point pen and some paper. I'd ask them to draw that teacup and saucer and give them an hour to do so. An experienced artist can discern immediately if that student knows what they're doing. Even if the student doesn't know what they're doing, the experienced artist can see whether or not the student has potential. I imagine it would be the same in every discipline.
I'd like to suggest that RY4 (or Ruyan 4) is that test for juice mixers. RY4 is a staple flavour in the e-liquid world; a great many juice companies offer their own versions of this composite of flavours and while many of them are, at best, average (acceptably vapable) some are remarkably accomplished. So good that they paint vistas in your mind's eye, dance like Fred Astaire and murmur Shakespearean sonnets under their breath, all while making the journey past your lips, along the length of your tongue, down to your lungs and back out again.
RY4 is traditionally the combination of tobacco, caramel and vanilla notes. It's the infinite variations possible in the mixing of these three primary flavours that distinguish the good from the bad. Obviously other factors come into play: how full-bodied is the flavour, how sweet is the overall taste, what other ingredients are introduced into the mix to contribute secondary and tertiary notes? What does the vapour feel like as it enters your mouth and lungs and then finally leaves your body? So many considerations and many of them will contribute minor variations in the overall experience of vaping any given liquid that may mean the difference between a good juice and a great juice. Read the fourth paragraph of this review for an account of my own experiment with RY4: http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/ry4-by-midas-vape.html Also, see here for further information on the history of RY4: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-liquid-reviews/162984-dekang-ry4-11mg-chasing-dragon.html
Finally, taste, as we all know is subjective. What may taste amazing to me, may be godawful to you. Nevertheless, while taste is subjective, quality isn't. It doesn't necessarily take an experienced palate to discern quality, but it helps. Quality in an e-liquid is determined by the choice of raw ingredients and the mixture of those ingredients but also the packaging, the labelling, the graphic design, the price point and customer service. Each of these elements add a measure of pleasure to the vaping experience for the end-user. It's attention to detail that determines the quality of anything men and women turn their hands and minds to, whether it be an e-liquid or otherwise.
The Review
Indigo RY is Indigo Vapor's http://www.indigovapor.com/ interpretation of this staple of e-liquid flavours.
Indigo Vapor is based in Mishawaka, Indiana in the United States and was begun by a gentleman called Tony, who, like most of us, turned to vaping to aid him in his effort to quit cigarettes. His experience with e-cigs was so successful that he formed Indigo Vapor to help others in their efforts to obtain a healthier alternative to smoking. Of course, in certain territories we're not allowed to claim that e-cigarettes are a cessation aid, so the Indigo Vapor website is careful to make the requisite disclaimers. http://www.indigovapor.com/aboutus.asp
Indigo Vapor offer a range of forty-nine liquids divided into the following categories: tobacco, fruit, ice, indulge and reserve. Each liquid is offered in bottle sizes of 15 ($9.49), 30 ($17.95), 60 ($32.95) and 120ml ($61.95) at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. Neither on the website nor on the bottles does the subject of PG/VG ratios ever get mentioned. For further information on their e-liquids, Indigo Vapor published this on their blog: http://indigovaporcraftingourejuice.blogspot.co.uk/
Each liquid is sold in a glass bottle which, to date has always signified (to me) the presence of a quality liquid. I'm encouraged. The bottle has a black, plastic, screw-top cap with an Integrated dropper. On arrival, the cap was sealed in a tamper evident plastic. There are two labels; one on the front and one on the back. The front label includes the following information: the brand/company name, the company's website address, the words "Handcrafted" and "American made" and the motto, "Experience the Indigo Difference". The rear label includes the following information: the name of the liquid, the date of manufacture (hand written) the liquid contents in ml, the nicotine strength in mg (hand written), the company's website address, warnings that "This product contains Nicotine" and "Keep out of the reach of pets and children" and an ingredients list (Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Nicotine and FEMA/GRAS approved flavorings).
To my eye, the colour of the liquid appear to be a Princeton Orange. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Princeton_orange Having been allowed to sit and breath on the deck of the Igo-L for approximately half an hour, the aroma of the liquid has a distinctive base note of vanilla with intermittent flashes of caramel and a somewhat liqueur-like top note. The liquid appears quite viscous, suggesting a generous percentage of VG in the mix. When rubbed between my thumb and forefinger, a drop of the liquid is initially quite lubricious but is quickly absorbed into my skin and becomes slightly sticky.
The Igo-L is the atomiser of choice for my reviews. It's mounted on a mechanical mod powered by an 18650 battery. The wick and coil are new with five wraps of 0.2 Kanthal wire (32 AWG) around three strands of 2mm Silica wick. As I fire the device and draw the vapour into my mouth I notice firstly, the texture, which is velvety, dense and warm. I experience a slight sweetness but this is overshadowed by the broad umami taste sensation along the roof and towards the back of my mouth. When I stop inhaling vapour, take a short breath of fresh air and hold for a moment, the flavours reveal themselves. One after the other, I become aware of Vanilla, Caramel and a light tobacco. With subsequent inhalations I'm more aware of the caramel, while the vanilla is reinforced and achieves primacy on the exhalation. Tobacco notes appear throughout the cycle of inhalation, hold, exhalation and aftertaste. As mentioned, this appears to be a light tobacco and serves to lend a grounding, umami element to the sweeter notes of vanilla and caramel. The aftertaste is dominated by the flavour of caramel with an awareness of vanilla that comes and goes. The dominant note throughout is most certainly vanilla, with caramel and tobacco notes lending secondary support. There's a warmth about the flavour of Indigo RY which suggests to me there might be further flavourants in the recipe, the identities of which will undoubtedly never leave the Indigo Vapor lab. Whatever the case, this adds a welcome further dimension to the vape.
I don't experience a great deal of chemesthetic reaction in vaping this juice. Throat hit is almost absent but there is a mild mounting of pressure at the back of the throat which never becomes uncomfortable. Vapour production is excellent, so while Indigo Vapor are quiet about the PG/VG ratio, I suspect, as I mentioned earlier, there's a generous percentage of VG in the mix.
Indigo RY is an adaptation of the RY4 formula that is quite different to any of the others that I've tried. Vanilla is the star of this show, but it's interesting to experience the layered approach this juice takes to delivering each of the broad notes represented by the triad of primary flavours. Vanilla lends sweetness and creaminess, caramel lends sweetness and the subtlest hint of saltiness while the tobacco lends the umami notes, with each of the flavours presenting themselves to conscious awareness at different stages in the vape. I'm thoroughly enjoying this juice and if it sounds like something that would interest you, then I urge you to give it a try. You'll be richly rewarded.
