Preamble
Mount Baker Vapor http://www.mtbakervapor.com/ are situated, I assume, somewhere near Mount Baker in Washington state, USA. The mountain itself is the second most thermally active volcano in the Cascade range, after Mount Saint Helens. "After Mount Rainier, Mount Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Baker
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| Mount Baker from Oak Bay, British Columbia, 1903, Photo: Charles Edward Clarke |
Seriously, if I were you, I'd get my orders into Mount Baker Vapor quick-smart. That mountain sounds like trouble!
From the Mount Baker Vapor website, "Mt Baker Vapor premium e juice is hand crafted right here in the United States. We use the finest quality ingredients. All of our e-liquid is diacetyl free and have a great amount of flavor. Since our nicotine juice is mixed fresh it is best to steep your nicotine juice before use since our e-cig liquid is made when you order them. 99% of the time your nicotine juice will ship within 24 hours." http://www.mtbakervapor.com/electronic-cigarette-nicotine-juice/
The company also offer a very useful guide to which of their juices have been known, by either themselves or their customers, to cause etching, discolouration or cracking of plastic tanks. Here's a link: http://www.mtbakervapor.net/e-juice-that-may-break-a-plastic-tank/
Mount Baker Vapor offer a selection of 295 flavours divided by the following categories: MBV Specialty flavours, Beverage, Candy, Fruit, Sweet, Tobacco, Menthol, Mint, Nut and Spice Flavours. Each of their liquids is available in bottle sizes of 15 ($4.99), 30 ($7.49), 50 ($10.99) and 236ml ($39.99) at nicotine strengths of 0, 6 (Light), 12 (Mild), 18 (Medium), 24 (Strong) and 36mg (Extra Strong) and PG/VG ratios of 100/0, 80/20, 65/35, 50/50, 20/80 and 0/100 with the additional option of a VG/Distilled H2O mixture at a ratio of 70/30. They also offer the option of extra flavouring shots (up to 5 extra shots at $0.25 per shot).
Mount Baker Vapor sent me four e-liquids for review, two of which are from the MBV Specialty/Signature range (Hawk Sauce (on-site reviews: 197 with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars) and Ocean Breeze (on-site reviews: 47 with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars)), one of which is from the Beverage range (Ecto Cooler (on-site product reviews: 256 with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars)) while the fourth is from the Sweet range (Moo Juice (on-site product reviews: 141 with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars).
The 30 and the 15ml bottles are slightly clouded, easily squeezed plastic with blue childproof screw-top caps. Attached to each of the bottles is a standard dropper. The labels include the following information: the company name and logo, the company website address, the name of the liquid, nicotine strength in mg, liquid contents in ml, the PG/VG ratio, the number of extra flavour shots, the date of manufacture, an ingredients list, a graphic of the US flag with the words "Made in USA", an advisory warning that these products are not to be used by persons under the age of 18, another warning to keep out of the reach of pets and children and that it may be harmful or fatal if swallowed and nutrition facts (Serving Size: 2 drops. Percentage per serving: calories (0), total fat (0), sodium (0), total carbohydrates (0), protein (0)) I suspect this latter is evidence of a sense of humour at Mount Baker Vapor. Below the nutrition facts is some writing which is so small that I can't read it.
Without further ado, the individual reviews:
These reviews were conducted using an Igo-L with a freshly wound coil of four wraps of 0.2 Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick. Between each review, the Igo-L and wick/coil is washed in hot water and dried before dry firing to burn away any residue of the prior juice. The mod is mechanical and is powered by an 18650 battery.
Hawk Sauce
The Mount Baker Vapor website describes Hawk Sauce as "a slightly sour berry and fruit mix with inspirations drawn from the Pacific North West." http://www.mtbakervapor.com/nicotine-juice/hawk-sauce-e-juice-baker-vapor/ I haven't had the pleasure of stepping onto American soil anywhere, let alone the Pacific North West, so I'm unable to assess the validity of this claim. I'll take their word for it.
The colour of the liquid is a clear, less saturated Mustard Yellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(color) and has the lubricity of a light household oil. The aroma of the liquid is approximately that of a tropical fruit juice I used to drink.
As I inhale, my mouth is flooded with a mild sweetness and sourness which is followed almost immediately by the cooling sensation of either Menthol or Koolada. There's a deeper, darker quality to the sweetness which I associate with the berries, which tips the flavour into associations with Autumn. I suspect there's a hint of pineapple in there which lends a citrus-like acidity to the mix, and the cooling agent, whether Menthol or Koolada, while restrained, certainly produces a chemesthetic effect throughout the mouth and towards the throat. Only on sustained inhalation does the cooling agent reach the back of the throat and mildly at that. On the exhalation, the potential of the berry flavour is fully realised and a certain sourness combined with the flavour of the cooling agent lingers in the mouth for the duration of the aftertaste.
I don't experience much of a throat hit, but this never bothers me as I'm mostly concerned with flavour. Vapour production is good, though tends towards the thinner end of the spectrum, which is to be expected from a juice with a PG/VG ratio of 80/20.
Ocean Breeze
The MBV website describes Ocean Breeze as a "complex... tropical based vape". http://www.mtbakervapor.com/nicotine-juice/ocean-breeze-e-juice-baker-vapor/
The colour of the liquid is a clear Mellow Yellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_yellow#Mellow_yellow and has a similar lubricity to that of Hawk Sauce. The aroma of the liquid is dominated by coconut with a secondary end-note of pineapple.
With the first firing of the device and the drawing of the vapour into my mouth, I taste sunshine and I hear waves crashing in the distance and the gentle sizzle of these same waves rolling onto the sand at my feet. I feel the breeze that stirs the palm fronds that shade me. Ocean Breeze is tropical paradise in a bottle. As I inhale there's a smooth, almost creamy wash of coconut through my mouth. As I prolong the inhalation I become aware of the faintest glimmer of cooling agent, again Menthol or Koolada (I don't know which) towards the back of my throat, in addition to a citrus-like acidic tang on my tongue. As I finish inhaling, draw in some fresh air and hold the breath for a split second, the flavour of banana manifests which is amplified in intensity through to the aftertaste. Although I'm not particularly aware of it through the cycle of inhalation, hold and exhalation, there's a suggestion of pineapple in the aftertaste along with a residual acidic tang on my tongue. The cooling agent is so finely balanced in the mix that, though I'm aware of it, it's never intrusive and simply adds a gentle chemesthetic touch that I really appreciate. My mouth is left slightly drier in vaping Ocean Breeze, but this is a small price to pay for the pleasure this juice delivers. What I also appreciate is the staggered delivery of flavour to my conscious awareness. This is a finely crafted and very refreshing juice.
Throat hit is negligible while vapour production is on a par with Hawk Sauce. Entirely satisfactory.
Ecto-Cooler
Ecto-Cooler was originally a neon green orange/tangerine flavoured drink designed as a product tie-in in 1986, to coincide with the release and lifespan of the Ghostbusters animated series, The Real Ghostbusters. The drink was so popular that it outlived The Real Ghostbusters by a decade. http://www.foodiggity.com/a-dose-of-ephemera-ecto-cooler/
The colour of the liquid is a less saturated yellow with a slightly green tint and is approximated most closely by Straw Yellow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_(color) The viscosity and lubricity is the same as the two previously reviewed juices. The aroma of the liquid is a mixture of tangerine predominantly, and orange. Somewhat artificial, but this is not entirely unexpected. This is after all, an e-juice based on a drink which was undoubtedly a cocktail of artificial flavours and colourings.
"Who ya gonna call?"
From beginning to end, this juice is tangerine. On the inhalation, there's a very sweet and somewhat acidic wash along the length of my tongue. There's the recognition of a citrus flavour of some type, but it isn't until I finish inhaling and pause momentarily before exhaling, that the flavour of tangerine is fully apprehended. I'm not experiencing any increase in intensity of flavour as I exhale. The tangerine obviously persists into and through the aftertaste, but the chemesthetic reaction of the citrus tang on my tongue overwhelms the experience of flavour at this stage of the vape. This is a potent flavour, even at zero extra flavour shots, so I'd advise you to exercise restraint when ordering this juice.
A longer, deeper inhalation provokes a mild throat hit at 18mg, otherwise I'd say it was negligible. Vapour production is again, on a par with the rest of the juices in this review.
Mount Baker Vapor warn that Ecto-cooler has been known to damage plastic tanks.
Moo Juice
The Mount Baker Vapor page for Moo Juice features an image of a strawberry splashing into a pool of white liquid, which I believe we can assume is milk. That, in a nutshell is what we have with Moo Juice. http://www.mtbakervapor.com/nicotine-juice/moo-juice-e-juice-baker-vapor/
The colour of the liquid is a clear Atomic Tangerine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Atomic_tangerine and has a viscosity and lubricity similar to the other liquids in this review. The aroma of the liquid is of a strawberry syrup.
As I first inhale, a smooth, dense, almost creamy and very sweet vapour passes along the length of my tongue, through my mouth and hits the back of my throat with a modicum of force. As I finish inhaling and draw some fresh air into my lungs and hold momentarily, a flavour approximating strawberry unfurls, which is joined by the taste of sweetened cream as I exhale. I use the word "approximating" because the strawberry flavour isn't that of fresh strawberries, but is more akin to a strawberry flavoured syrup. The overall impression is of a strawberry milkshake or a milk drink I used to have as a child, called Quik (by Nestlé). The flavour is full-bodied even without extra flavour shots.
Moo Juice has a significant throat hit. It's strong enough that I had to moderate the duration of my inhalations. Vapour production seemed very much on a par with the other juices in this review.
The balance of flavour and cooling agents (where applicable) in these juices from Mount Baker Vapor reveal an experienced and talented palate. They demonstrate a knowledge of sequential and layered delivery of flavour to the senses and conscious awareness. Mount Baker Vapor offer an extraordinary range of e-liquids and if even a fraction of them are as good as the four I've reviewed here, then you would have enough liquids to keep you satisfied for quite some time. Be quick though; that mountain's a volcano.
