Vapour Taster: 2013

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Vanilla Trifecta by Drakes Vapes

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. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Drakes Vapes Chai Town. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/chai-town-by-drakes-vapes.html Quoted passages are in italics.

"Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron, because growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive. Initial attempts to cultivate vanilla outside Mexico and Central America proved futile because of the symbiotic relationship between the vanilla orchid and its natural pollinator, the local species of Melipona bee. Pollination is required to set the fruit from which the flavoring is derived. In 1837, Belgian botanist Charles François Antoine Morren discovered this fact and pioneered a method of artificially pollinating the plant. The method proved financially unworkable and was not deployed commercially. In 1841, Edmond Albius, a slave who lived on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, discovered at the age of twelve that the plant could be hand-pollinated. Hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant.

The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), simply translates as little pod. Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people cultivated the vine of the vanilla orchid, called tlilxochitl by the Aztecs, and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla

Now it's our great, good fortune to be (re)introduced to a trinity of vanillas in vaporous form by Drakes Vapes.

This is what the Vape Goddess website has to say about Drakes Vapes' Vanilla Trifecta, "A trifecta of vanillas and custards with a hint of magic. Made by Warlocks and Witches in a musky basement." http://www.vapegoddess.net/vanilla-trifecta/

Drakes Vapes is based in Newport Beach, California and was founded by Kevin Drake, professional musician https://soundcloud.com/kevindrake-1 and partner Meg Strouse, photographer, freelance journalist and founder of Vape Goddess. http://www.vapegoddess.net

Drakes Vapes offer a catalog of ten e-liquids: Alchemist ("A unique blend of fruits and absinthe..."), Chai Town ("smooth... creamy... spiced flavour"), Drakeula ("A refreshing mix of Blood Oranges, Black Cherries and Guava"), Echelon ("...pomegranate and sweet marshmallow..."), Figen Kanel ("...daring mix of fruits and cinnamons..."), Melon Fiasco ("...cantaloupe and watermelon..."), O-Face ("Sweet on the inside, sour on the outside; move over Lucille Ball, there's a new sassy Ginger in town"), Punky Bruiser ("Sweet and sassy...fruity tartness..."), Yolo! ("Lemonade with hints of Lavender...") and Vanilla Trifecta.

Each of the liquids is available in a 30ml bottle at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. All liquids are mixed to a 50:50 PG/VG ratio.

The Drakes Vapes range is available online from the Vape Goddess website http://www.vapegoddess.net, Elevated Vaping http://elevated-vaping.myshopify.com, Vapor Solutions http://www.vapor-solutions.com, Electronic Cigarettes Inc. http://www.electroniccigarettesinc.com, et. al. Search Google for a more comprehensive list of stores selling the Drakes Vapes line.

The bottle is an Iodine Blue, cylindrical glass with a black plastic, screw top cap. The cap isn't childproof, so care should be taken in the use and storage of this liquid. There's also no dropper insert attached, so a syringe, eye dropper or pipette, all of which are readily available from your local pharmacy or online, will need to be used for transferring the liquid to your preferred atomiser. The label includes the following information: the brand/company name, the name of the liquid, liquid contents specified by a pictogram which I struggle to decipher, nicotine strength in milligrams, a description of the flavour profile, a list of ingredients, a warning to keep out of the reach of children and pets and an advisory notice specifying that the liquid is not to be sold to minors.

Given that the bottle is a dark blue and the liquid within appears black, I've used an eye dropper to observe and identify the colour of the juice which is a clear, Peach Orange http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Peach A deep, sustained snift at the opened bottle reveals an aroma rich in vanilla that cools the nostrils towards the finish. There's a vaguely alcoholic quality about this cooling effect, though there's no corresponding odour. Brief inhalations of the aroma seems to add a certain egg yolk-like aspect to the fragrance which is very reminiscent of custard.

I've been vaping Vanilla Trifecta in a Killer on a GP Paps Lux and an Igo-L on a Poldiac. For the purpose of this review I'll be using the Killer which is built with a pre-made, low resistance coil/wick and is running on a GP Paps powered by an 18490 battery.

Drawing the vapour into and through my mouth floods my taste buds with a mildly sweetened and gently spiced flavour. There's a certain measure of warmth, not temperature-wise, to the flavour which is vaguely reminiscent of the warmth experienced in the stomach following a shot of whiskey. (Please don't misunderstand this as suggesting there's a whiskey-like warmth generated in the stomach by this liquid. It's merely an illustration to describe the quality of flavour.) It produces a sensation of comfort and the illusion of fortification against the wintry elements. As I chase the vapour into my lungs with a breath of fresh air, the flavour is declared in all it's glory. This is a luxurious, buttery vanilla that expands and mutates into an egg yolk-rich custard as I begin to exhale. Towards the end of the exhalation and through to the last moments of the aftertaste, the flavour shifts towards that of a sweet, vanilla ice cream. There are whispers of caramel throughout, though I suspect this to be the result of sugars within the liquid actually caramelising on the coil, rather than the addition of flavour additives.

Each time I pick up the device for a vape, the first inhalation passes without any throat hit whatsoever. With subsequent inhalations however, there is a distinctive rasp at the back of the throat which passes for a very satisfactory throat hit. Using the Killer, this liquid produces very generous plumes of vapour, which in a still room, builds successive, delicate veils which shift and undulate to relaxing effect.

If there was an equivalent of comfort food in vaporous form, Drakes Vapes' Vanilla Trifecta would be it. There's a gentle, unintrusive, though flavour-rich quality to this liquid that renders it a capable all-day-vape and as mentioned earlier, that elusive warmth seemingly produced by the flavour itself, provokes in me an association with the darker and colder months. Perfect fireside vaping.

Yolo! By Drakes Vapes

From my review of another vendor's lemonade e-liquid, quoted here as equally applicable:

"Lemonade takes a number of different forms and means different things to different people, depending on where they are in the world. I'm led to believe that in the United States, Lemonade is a beverage whose ingredients consist of water, lemon juice and sugar. In Australia and the United Kingdom (the locales with which I'm familiar), Lemonade is a carbonated drink sold in cans, whose flavour in my opinion, bears little resemblance to lemon. In these countries, the beverage known as Lemonade in the US is called "homemade lemonade". I personally prefer the uncarbonated variety.

The taste of (Drakes Vapes' Yolo!) conjures for me the images and sensations of hot Saturday afternoons. The smell of freshly cut grass and the distant sounds of children playing under a sprinkler. My parents sitting sweatily in front of the rotary fan watching the tennis. Some of us drinking coke; the rest of us drinking homemade lemonade. I can still hear the ice cubes tinkling in the glasses as we each shift in our torpid discomfort and the feel of the condensation on the outside of the glass dripping onto my t-shirt.

I remember a hot summer evening when I was in my early twenties... a storm was approaching, but it always seemed to feel hotter right before the storm struck and I was miserable. I was sitting next to an open window, watching Werner Herzog's, Aguirre: The Wrath of God and drinking homemade lemonade. As the film's climax approached, the storm hit and I remember the relief of the cool breeze that the cold front brought with it.

A simple pleasure; Lemonade, but it's these small, simple pleasures in life that attach to meaningful memories and make us the people we are. This is what (Drakes Vapes' Yolo!) does for me." http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/pink-lemonade-by-midas-vape.html

This is what the Vape Goddess website has to say about Drakes Vapes' Yolo!, "You Only Live Once..... right!? Well, in that case, live a little and tickle your taste buds with Drake's unique twist on a classic. Lemonade with hints of Lavender, YOLO will leave you wanting more and wondering what the @#$% you just vaped. Enter a zen-like state of relaxation and satisfaction that you can't get from your average vape." http://www.vapegoddess.net/yolo/

Drakes Vapes offer a catalog of ten e-liquids: Alchemist ("A unique blend of fruits and absinthe..."), Chai Town ("smooth... creamy... spiced flavour"), Drakeula ("A refreshing mix of Blood Oranges, Black Cherries and Guava"), Echelon ("...pomegranate and sweet marshmallow..."), Figen Kanel ("...daring mix of fruits and cinnamons..."), Melon Fiasco ("...cantaloupe and watermelon..."), O-Face ("Sweet on the inside, sour on the outside; move over Lucille Ball, there's a new sassy Ginger in town"), Punky Bruiser ("Sweet and sassy...fruity tartness..."), Vanilla Trifecta ("A trifecta of vanillas and custards with a hint of magic") and Yolo!

Each of the liquids is available in a 30ml bottle at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. All liquids are mixed to a 50:50 PG/VG ratio.

Given that the bottle is a dark blue and the liquid within appears black, I've used an eye dropper to observe and identify the colour of the juice. It's a perfectly limpid Ivory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_(color) The opened bottle releases the unequivocal aroma of fresh lemon.

Having tried Yolo! In an Igo-L and a Quasar I've decided to use an AC9 (Genesis style rebuildable atomiser) for this review as it appears to best lay bare all that this juice has to offer. I'm vaping Yolo! in an AC9 with a glass tank on a Nemesis running on a freshly charged 18350 battery. There's 3/4 wraps of 0.32mm (28AWG) Kanthal wire around oxidised stainless steel 325 mesh and the atomiser is reading 0.9ohms on the Provari.

I fire the device and draw the vapour into my mouth and as I do so I experience a fine grained tingling on the tip and upper, forward edge of my tongue which I recognise as the chemesthetic reaction of acidity on my palate. I experience the broad flavour of lemon and an accompanying sweetness as I inhale and then as I follow through with a breath of fresh air I sense the gentle fragrance of lavender at the back of my throat. When I exhale, the lavender subsides and the primary flavour of lemon re-asserts itself through to the last lingering moments of the aftertaste. Although the lavender is most noticeable at that point when I breath in a small amount of fresh air to follow the vapour into my lungs, there is a mildly floral quality to the flavour of this vape that softens the acidity of the lemon from beginning to end. I know that the term "floral" is often used in a derogatory sense when describing e-liquids but in this instance when the floral aspect is intentional, the use of the word is entirely appropriate; it's an inspired choice of flavours, resulting in a flavour pairing that leaves me awed by the palate that devised it. Furthermore, the balance of sourness and sweetness has been perfectly adjudged, rendering an exquisitely refreshing representation of homemade lemonade.

I'm finding that there's no throat hit but exhaling sometimes produces a mildly sharp spike of acidity at the back of the throat. Vapour production is suitably substantial; the combination of 50% Vegetable Glycerin and the genesis style atomiser produces very worthy clouds indeed.

On the whole, Yolo! is a gentle creature; the lemon flavour, though acidic, isn't overly sour and the lavender, while mixed quite sparingly, blossoms intensely at various stages in the vape and manages to soften the whole experience in a thoroughly agreeable manner. The degree to which this juice is sweetened is, to my palate, just right and while I don't experience any throat hit (I'm not a big fan of throat hit anyway...) the vapour production is sensational. Highly recommended.

NB. Due to the citrus Ph. levels in Yolo! it's strongly advised that you don't use this juice in plastic tanks. Etching, cracking and frosting have been known to occur with citrus juices in plastic tanks. Stick to stainless steel or glass to preserve your investment. AC9 owners: your PMMA tank is vulnerable to this juice. I hope you read my review closely enough to discern I was using a glass tank. http://shop.vapinaze.com/collections/frontpage/products/glass-steel-tank-for-the-ac9

Sunday, 15 December 2013

Melon Fiasco by Drakes Vapes

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. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Drakes Vapes Chai Town. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/chai-town-by-drakes-vapes.html Quoted passages are in italics.

When I quit smoking and first began vaping, a watermelon e-liquid, a rebadged Chinese product was the second flavour I tried. It was OK; it tasted like a watermelon candy, but this was enough to set me on the road seeking an authentic, summer or tropical fruit flavoured vape. Something refreshing, mouth cleansing and evocative of balmy summer evenings. I've tried a number of these by various vendors and some are more convincing than others. It's my great pleasure, now, to put Drakes Vapes Melon Fiasco in the vapour-taster spotlight.

This is what the Vape Goddess website has to say about Melon Fiasco, "If a Cantaloupe loving a Watermelon is wrong, we don't want to be right. Beaming with juicy flavor, consider this hot mess a success for your palate and your new trusty wingman." http://www.vapegoddess.net/melon-fiasco/

Drakes Vapes offer a catalog of ten e-liquids: Alchemist ("A unique blend of fruits and absinthe..."), Chai Town ("smooth... creamy... spiced flavour"), Drakeula ("A refreshing mix of Blood Oranges, Black Cherries and Guava"), Echelon ("...pomegranate and sweet marshmallow..."), Figen Kanel ("...daring mix of fruits and cinnamons..."), O-Face ("Sweet on the inside, sour on the outside; move over Lucille Ball, there's a new sassy Ginger in town"), Punky Bruiser ("Sweet and sassy...fruity tartness..."), Vanilla Trifecta ("A trifecta of vanillas and custards with a hint of magic"), Yolo! ("Lemonade with hints of Lavender...") and Melon Fiasco.

Each of the liquids is available in a 30ml bottle at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. All liquids are mixed to a 50:50 PG/VG ratio.

Given that the bottle is a dark blue and the liquid within appears black, I've used an eye dropper to observe and identify the colour of the juice. It's a clear Ivory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_(color) The expressure of aroma from the opened bottle is strongly reminiscent of melon flavoured, gelatinous candy, which I suspect can be attributed to the amount of sweetener used.

I'm vaping Melon Fiasco in an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on an 18650 battery. There's five wraps of 0.2 (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick and the atomiser is reading 2.5ohms on the Provari.

Firing the device and drawing the vapour into and through my mouth sees an intensely sweet wash along the length of my tongue. From the outset, I'm aware (at the level of pure sensation) that I'm tasting melon, but at this stage I'm not conscious of what type of melon it is. As I inhale a small amount of fresh air to follow the vapour into my lungs, the flavour of cantaloupe leaps forcefully into conscious awareness, followed by the slightly lesser presence of watermelon. As I exhale, the two flavours marry and exert a sweet fusion of Cucurbitaceaen influence on my taste buds. The aftertaste is refreshing and mouth cleansing. There's no trace of artificiality or candy-like approximation about the flavour and to my taste buds, Melon Fiasco almost tastes like the actual fruits; a smidgeon of sourness and slightly less sweetness would render the illusion complete. Obviously, when talking about taste we're in subjective territory, so my latter comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

If I inhale directly into my lungs, there's a mounting of pressure at the back of my throat, which, beyond a certain point becomes uncomfortable. If however, I draw the vapour into my mouth and inhale the mouthful, there's a significant throat hit. Vapour production is substantial with great volumes of the stuff cascading into the room around me and forming veils and drifting curlicues.

Melon Fiasco is a no-nonsense adaptation of two of summer's finest fruits. Watermelon seems a common enough option within the wider e-liquid market, but watermelon and cantaloupe combined into a robustly flavoured, throat hitting, vaporously generous e-liquid that is (without a doubt) supremely evocative of balmy summer evenings is a much rarer thing.

Chai Town by Drakes Vapes

"Masala chai is a flavoured tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. Originating in South Asia, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses. Although traditionally prepared by decoction, retail versions include tea bags for infusion, instant powdered mixtures, and concentrates. In many places, there is a misconception that "chai" in itself is made with cardamom, ginger, and the other common spices. However, chai is simply the Hindi word for tea and can be prepared black, with milk, without sugar, etc." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai

Here's a recipe for "Chai Tea": http://www.chai-tea.org/rec/rec101.html

This is what the Vape Goddess website has to say about Drakes Vapes' Chai Town, "Forget the overly spicy alternatives, Chai Town is a smooth and creamy vape. Providing a sensory overload with flavors bursting out of every seam, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which flavors go into one bottle of Chai Town. For those looking for a smooth yet spiced flavor that won't bore your taste buds, you've found your go-to vape." http://www.vapegoddess.net/chai-town/

Like the vast majority of us, Drake adopted vaping as a means to replace his cigarette addiction with something a lot safer. He quit smoking at his young daughter's request. Like a number of his peers he found the available e-liquids (at that time) unsatisfactory and set about mixing his own. He was so enamoured of the results that he vaped bottle after bottle of his DIY efforts and proceeded to share the fruits of his labours with his friends. Suitably impressed, they encouraged him to make his juices available to the wider public. This he did and thus was born Drakes Vapes.

Drakes Vapes offer a catalog of ten e-liquids: Alchemist ("A unique blend of fruits and absinthe..."), Drakeula ("A refreshing mix of Blood Oranges, Black Cherries and Guava"), Echelon ("...pomegranate and sweet marshmallow..."), Figen Kanel ("...daring mix of fruits and cinnamons..."), Melon Fiasco ("...cantaloupe and watermelon..."), O-Face ("Sweet on the inside, sour on the outside; move over Lucille Ball, there's a new sassy Ginger in town"), Punky Bruiser ("Sweet and sassy...fruity tartness..."), Vanilla Trifecta ("A trifecta of vanillas and custards with a hint of magic"), Yolo! ("Lemonade with hints of Lavender...") and Chai Town.

Each of the liquids is available in a 30ml bottle at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. All liquids are mixed to a 50:50 PG/VG ratio.

Given that the bottle is a dark blue and the liquid within appears black, I've used an eye dropper to observe and identify the colour of the juice. The liquid is a clear, light Carrot Orange http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_orange#Carrot_orange Opening the bottle some fifteen to twenty centimetres (6 - 8 inches) from my nose releases a potent aroma. Holding the bottle below my nose enables me to fine tune my perceptions. At first I detect cloves and nutmeg with a finishing trace of cinnamon. As I further investigate the aroma, I wonder if my senses are deceiving me, as I begin to sense caramelised banana. I close the bottle and rest for a moment before trying again; a volatile top note of nutmeg dissipates quickly and gives way to clove. Again there's the subtle trace of cinnamon finishing the inhalation. Brief, shallow inhalations appear to draw out a hint of ginger. I wonder if what I interpret as banana, might in fact be Ethyl Alcohol which is often used as a medium for organic flavours.

For the last week I've been vaping Chai Town in an Igo-L, a Killer and a Quasar. For the purpose of this review I'll be using the Killer which is built with a pre-made, low resistance coil/wick and is running on a GP Paps LUX powered by an 18490 battery.

As I fire the device and begin to draw the vapour into my mouth, I sense a medial sweetness washing throughout as well as a fine grained "sizzle" on the tip of my tongue. There's the broad apprehension of spices which lean towards those commonly found in Chai Tea; nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. As I chase the vapour into my lungs with a breath of fresh air and pause for several moments, the flavours of cardamom and nutmeg are fully realised alongside a whisper of ginger. These persist through the exhalation with the addition of a slightly fruity aspect and a sweet creaminess which lends body to the flavour. The aftertaste is where all the flavours come together and as they linger, there's a very pleasant, sweet, mild spiciness that is very redolent of South Asian cuisine.

I don't experience a throat hit, nor any sort of mounting of pressure at the back of the throat, but as should be expected from a juice that's 50% Vegetable Glycerin, the vapour production is very generous; especially so when vaped in the Quasar.

Apart from the name of the juice, it's not actually described by Drakes Vapes as being a Chai flavoured e-liquid; it's characterised as being a "smooth... creamy... spiced flavour". Neither I nor two other Chai drinkers felt that Chai Town tasted particularly like Chai. This pedantry aside, Chai Town is, in it's own right, a delicious vape and quite unlike anything else I've had the pleasure of tasting. It is indeed smooth, creamy and saturated with spiced flavours which are unsurprisingly, evocative of South Asia. Very highly recommended!

Thursday, 5 December 2013

Dragon Jazz by Toasty Juice

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. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Toasty Juice's Sub-Zero. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/sub-zero-by-toasty-juice.html Quoted passages are in italics.

Preamble

"And for the first time in hundreds of years the night came alive with the music of dragons"

-George R.R. Martin

The following lyrics are from the song "Black Dragon" by Swedish band, Dissection. It's not Jazz, but it is nevertheless, a powerful invocation of what might be called "Dragon energy". The dragon or winged serpent is a spiritual concept common to many and various ancient (and not so ancient) cultures and is understood nowadays as a metaphor for Kundalini energy. Please understand that the lyrics presented here should not be read literally. These are spiritual concepts couched in the language of mythology and actually refer to the liberation of the human psyche from bondage. (We, in the western world, have a narrow view and understanding of the representation of good and evil. In many other cultures, it's recognised that what may appear evil, is in fact good and that what may appear good, may in fact, be evil.) Enlightenment, or happiness, peace and understanding independent of circumstances, is the goal.

Tohu Tehom Theli Than Leviathan Tanin'iver Taninsam!

We invoke thee, Black Dragon of Chaos

We evoke thee, O mighty dragon force

Awaken now from your aeonic slumber -- rise up from the abyss

Dragon of forgotten lore - let your Chaos rule forever more

Lotan - Raise your seven heads and let the ancient ones rule again

Apep - Dragon of devouring darkness, supreme ruler of emptiness

Open up your black diamond eyes and rejoice as Ra's creation dies

Jormungand - Lord of the poisonous sea, fulfill the twilight prophecy

Unleash your hatred upon all life and kill this world in the final strife

Tiamat - Queen of the formless deep - The Eleventh seal is now broken

Hark to your children's invocations and awaken from your dreadful sleep

Tohu Tehom Theli Than Leviathan Tanin'iver Taninsam!

Leviathan - Tortuous one, by your Wrathful Chaos our war will be won

Bring forth your darkness, grant us your grace and enlighten us in your wicked ways

Typhon - Lord of dark desires, purify us with your smokeless fires

Make us at one with thyself and walk the earth once again

Tohu Tehom Theli Than Leviathan Tanin'iver Taninsam!

Dissection, Black Dragon

http://youtu.be/MC2bDJOah2I

I consider it quite fitting that the dragon depicted on the label of Toasty Juice's Dragon Jazz is a black silhouette.

The Review

Toasty Juice is a fledgling operation, owned and operated by Assad Nasralla, based in New Jersey, USA which operates a Facebook page through which he can be contacted. Search for Toasty Juice or (be)friend and message Assad himself to order his liquids.

Toasty Juice offer a range of three distinct liquids; Sub-Zero ("Sweet minty Absinthe with... layers of flavor)", Green Machine ("A Kiwi/Peach Absinthe with citrus undertones") and Dragon Jazz ("A dragon fruit cocktail Absinthe with a Jazzy exhale"). Each liquid is available in a 30ml bottle (US$20.00) at nicotine strengths of 6, 12 and 18mg.

The colour of the liquid is a clear Imperial Red http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_red#Imperial_red A brief, vigorous shake of the bottle diffuses tiny bubbles of air throughout the liquid which rise to the top at a snail's pace, indicating a high Vegetable Glycerin content. As the Dragon Jazz bottle (and it's stablemates, Sub-Zero and The Green Machine) has (have) been steeping, completely sealed (!), these last few weeks, the room has filled with the aroma of anise. Opening the bottle, holding it below my nose and taking slow, sustained nasal inhalations, with the purpose of identifying aroma, I detect the volatile top note of the anise with a lesser, middle note of somewhat exotic, fruity sweetness. I use the word "exotic" because I recognise the aroma as being of a fruity character, but it's not a fruit that I'm gustatorially familiar with. (Did I just abuse a word?)

I'm vaping Dragon Jazz in an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on a freshly charged 18650 battery. There's five wraps of 0.2 (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick and the atomiser is reading 2.3ohms on the Provari.

I must confess I've never eaten a Dragon Fruit, but that won't hinder me from describing my experience of Dragon Jazz at the level of pure sensation. I fire the device and wait a moment before putting the drip tip to my lips and begin drawing the vapour into and through my mouth. My immediate perception is of an intense sweetness, followed closely and then dominated by the characteristic, earthy flavour of anise. The longer I draw, the more pronounced becomes the anise flavour and what begins as a fine grained tingling along the length of my tongue, manifests more resolutely as a numbing sensation. Having taken my fill of vapour, I follow through with a breath of fresh air to chase the denser volume into my lungs and as I do so I become aware of a sweet, mildly flavoured fruitiness at the back of my throat and along the insides of my cheeks. Dragon Fruit is said to be a mild, if not bland fruit, so I don't expect to be overwhelmed by the flavour, and yet it's assertive enough in this instance that I'm quite aware of it. The fruity flavour predominates as I exhale but immediately I finish exhaling, the anise reappears and assumes primacy through to the last lingering moments of the aftertaste. At some point during the aftertaste, I become aware of a trace of bitterness throughout my mouth accompanied by a metallic tang around my forward teeth and gums

Given that this is a 12mg liquid, I don't expect any sort of significant throat hit but the chemesthetic reaction provoked by the anise is a very worthy substitute. Vapour production is excellent.

I approached Dragon Jazz with a measure of curiosity; Dragon Fruit was an entirely unknown quantity to me. Whether or not this is a faithful representation of the flavour of the fruit is immaterial, because this is after all, primarily an Absinthe vape. However, as far as I'm concerned, it works exceedingly well. The balance of fruit against the anise is finely balanced with the interplay of sweetness, earthiness and bitterness adjudged perfectly. Very tasty indeed.

Monday, 2 December 2013

The Green Machine by Toasty Juice

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. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Toasty Juice's Sub-Zero. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/sub-zero-by-toasty-juice.html Quoted passages are in italics.

The Green Machine. I'm reminded of heavy factory machinery which is traditionally painted in a particular hue called "Safety Green" which protects the metal of the machinery from rust and because of its distinctive, vivid colour, workers know to be careful wherever they see the green (nice theory). I once read (forgive me, I don't have a reference or link) that this particular colour was also meant to keep workers calm and cheerful, which is probably a requisite if wages are less than fair and working conditions are less than safe.

The Green Machine is Toasty Juice's second offering in their Absinthe Triad. Interestingly, Absinthe was also known as "la fée verte" (the green fairy) so my imagination is sent into overdrive, playing with the associations and ideas that can be derived from the marriage of green fairies with green machines.

The colour of the liquid is a slightly opaque, darker antifreeze green. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antifreeze_in_the_radiator.jpg A brief, vigorous shake of the bottle diffuses tiny bubbles of air throughout the liquid which rise to the top at a snail's pace, indicating a high Vegetable Glycerin content. As the Green Machine bottle (and it's stablemates, Sub-Zero and Dragon Jazz) has (have) been steeping, completely sealed (!), these last few weeks, the room has filled with the aroma of anise. Opening the bottle below my nose and taking shallow, sustained nasal inhalations, with the intent of analysing the fragrance of the liquid, I'm assaulted by the potency of the anise and I'm aware of a certain fruity undercurrent, though positively identifying these as either Kiwi Fruit or Peach would be an act of imagination, rather than perception.

I'm vaping The Green Machine in an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on a freshly charged 18650 battery. There's five wraps of 0.2 (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick and the atomiser is reading 2.3ohms on the Provari.

I fire the device and take a slow, deep inhalation of vapour. The first sensation I experience is a mild sweetness along the forward edge of my tongue, followed closely by that distinctive, earthy flavour and mild numbing quality of the anise. The flavour is broad until I take a breath of fresh air to chase the vapour into my lungs, at which point the anise is fully realised and is joined by the subtler fruit flavours. With each inhalation and exhalation the fruit seems to vary between the Kiwi Fruit and the peach. I never seem to be aware of both these flavours simultaneously. Towards the end of the exhalation and into the first moments of the aftertaste, I'm aware of a very mild, lemony influence, but I don't think I'd recognise it if I didn't know it was there. The aftertaste is dominated by the anise but there is a certain residual freshness about my mouth which is very appealing. There's also a metallic tang around my lower teeth and gums.

Throat hit is almost entirely absent which is to be expected from a 12mg juice. Vapour production is excellent with dense volumes of white vapour issuing into the room around me.

The Green Machine is an undeniably Absinthe flavoured liquid, but the addition of the various fruit accents tip the overall flavour into a somewhat refreshing, summery vape. Intriguing name, vivid green colour, full bodied flavour, anaesthesia, voluminous vapour... What's not to like?

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

Sub-Zero by Toasty Juice

We, that is, you and I probably take the idea, numeral and digit, Zero (0) for granted; we use it everyday and don't give a second thought to the fact that it's a relatively modern invention. As recently as 1740 BC, the so-called "ancient" Egyptians acknowledged the notion of zero and made use of a hieroglyph to denote the digit in their accounting records. The Egyptians appear to have been prolific and almost obsessive about documenting every aspect of their lives.

The "ancient" Greeks, being the extraordinary philosophers that they were, had difficulty with the notion of "nothing being something" "which, by the Medieval period, lead to religious and philosophical arguments about the nature and existence of zero and the vacuum". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero

"Subzero literally means "beneath zero." As such, it is usually used for negative numbers; the most common usage refers to negative temperature." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-zero

Sub-Zero is also the name of an Absinthe based e-liquid by Toasty Juice.

gentleman /jenˈtl-mən/ noun (pl genˈtlemen)

A man of good birth or high social standing

A man of refined manners

A man of good feeling and instincts, courteous and honourable

A well-to-do man of no occupation

A polite term used for man in general

A man who without a title bears a coat of arms (historical)

More generally, any man above the rank of yeoman, including members of the nobility (historical)

A personal attendant (Shakespeare)

Occasionally, you come across a man or woman who displays courtesy, honour, refined manners and a disposition towards goodness. In my correspondence with Assad Nasralla, owner and operator of Toasty Juice, I've found him to be an example of all these worthy attributes. He may or may not be well-to-do, of high social standing or above the rank of yeoman, but he's a (super) nice guy that cares about his juices and who really wants you to enjoy them as much as he does. A gentleman. Of course, everyone needs to make a living, so he doesn't give his liquids away for free, but I do get the impression that Assad is intensely and passionately interested in crafting and refining the experience of vaping his e-liquids and less so about busying himself with the acquisition of filthy lucre and the building of an empire. (Then again, who amongst us wouldn't want a healthy bank balance and an empire?) Assad Nasralla is an artisan as well as a gentleman.

Toasty Juice offer a range of three distinct liquids; Sub-Zero ("Sweet minty Absinthe with... layers of flavor"), Green Machine ("A Kiwi/Peach Absinthe with citrus undertones") and Dragon Jazz ("A dragon fruit cocktail Absinthe with a Jazzy exhale"). Each liquid is available in a 30ml bottle (US$20.00) at nicotine strengths of 6, 12 and 18mg.

The bottle is a reasonably robust, clear glass with a black, plastic, screw top cap and an inbuilt eye dropper with a pointed tip for easy access to your preferred atomiser. The label features the charming hand-drawn artwork of Andrew Hsu (Andrew Hsulamander on Facebook) and includes the name of the liquid and nicotine strength as a percentage. In the case of the review sample, the nicotine strength is 1.2%, which might otherwise be listed as 12mg. I would not be giving due diligence to this process if I didn't remark that the bottle is not childproof, and that the artwork on the label is very possibly, visually appealing to children. Please use and store this e-liquid out of the sight and reach of children.

The colour of Sub-Zero is extraordinary. It seems to have altered over time (steeping for 4 weeks or so); shifting from a tertiary blue-green to it's current state of a somewhat cloudy, saturated and darkened Robin Egg Blue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_egg_blue There are small yellow bubbles of what look to be essential oil suspended in the liquid, which a vigorous shake of the bottle seems to disperse. This same vigorous shake of the bottle disperses minuscule bubbles of air throughout the liquid, which rise to the top at a very leisurely pace, suggesting a high Vegetable Glycerin content. As the Sub-Zero bottle (and it's stablemates, Green Machine and Dragon Jazz) has (have) been steeping, completely sealed (!), these last few weeks, the room has filled with the aroma of anise. When I open the bottle and hold it below my nose the aroma of sweetened anise is potent with a whisper of mint lurking low in the scent.

I'm vaping Sub-Zero in an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on a freshly charged 18650 battery. There's five wraps of 0.2 (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick and the atomiser is reading 2.3ohms on the Provari. The wick is well and truly saturated with the liquid, following three or four days of successive use.

This is an interesting juice, because flavour aside, both anise and mint provoke chemesthetic reactions in the gustatory system. Let's explore.

Upon commencing inhalation, the first sensation I'm aware of is a cooling of the forward edge of the tongue. Following this is an awareness of a mild sweetness and a sensation that I've not encountered in vaping an e-liquid before. It feels like my tongue is being "gripped" or shrink wrapped in a film of brittle plastic; it's very odd but not at all unpleasant. As I continue to inhale the flavour of anise begins to manifest alongside the cooling agency of the mint. Successive inhalations cause an intensification of the perception of anise, with a bias towards an earthy and almost salty character, rather than the sweetness one might expect and a progressive, but mild numbing of the tongue. Exhaling reintroduces the minty aspect of this liquid with a cooling sensation at the back of the throat, while the anise continues to dominate flavourwise. The aftertaste and "after-sensation" is a melding of the anise and mint and a slow subsiding of the anaesthesia about the tongue. Accompanying this is a sensation that mimics the coating of the roof of the mouth with a fine grained furriness which I would suggest is also a chemesthetic reaction to the anise.

Given that this is a 12mg liquid, I find that throat hit is, for the most part, absent. In it's place is the symphony of chemesthetic reactions taking place throughout the gustatory system. Vapour production is excellent, with a profuse amount of the stuff pouring from my mouth and nose as I exhale.

To obtain the very best that Sub-Zero has to offer in terms of flavour and anaesthesia, I'd recommend flooding your system with it (be careful you don't overdose on nicotine). Progressive inhalation cycles appear to build the flavour to a veritable crescendo which unfurls nuances of flavour and sensation that aren't immediately apparent when you begin to vape it. The flavour is, of course, full bodied. Sub-zero is a very worthy debut liquid from Toasty Juice and as a variation on the Absinthe family of flavours it works exceedingly well.

Monday, 18 November 2013

Melon Head by Mr. Good Vape

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. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Mr. Good Vape's Karma Cream. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/karma-cream-by-mr-good-vape.html Quoted passages are in italics.

Western culture is rich with associations of fruit and vegetables with the human head. Two examples that spring to mind are the paintings of Giussepe Arcimboldo (1526 or 1527 – July 11, 1593) and PumpkinHead, the horror film (1988) directed by Special Effects maestro Stan Winston.

Arcimboldo "was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books – that is, he painted representations of these objects on the canvas arranged in such a way that the whole collection of objects formed a recognizable likeness of the portrait subject." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo

Arcimboldo's Rudolf II as Vertumnus

PumpkinHead relates the tale of "a group of city kids (who) go into the country to relax. While there, one of them is involved in a biking accident that takes the life of the son of the local storekeeper. In a fit of rage, the storekeeper has a witch unleash an unstoppable demon called "Pumpkinhead" to kill the group. When he realizes he's gone too far, the storekeeper attempts to save the kids, but is continually afflicted by visions of peoples' deaths through the eyes of the monster." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095925/

Running the term "Melon Head" through Google, turned up this little nugget about deranged, feral children with enlarged heads: http://www.damnedct.com/the-melon-heads/

The Mr. Good Vape website page for Melon Head has this to say about the e-liquid: "If you're not a Melon Head yet, you certainly will be after trying Mr. Good Vapes Melon Head! The delightful combination of Cantaloupe, Mango, and Papaya open up a relaxed and cerebral joyfulness. This is definitely an all day or all month type of Vape. If your looking to bring your Vaping experience to the next level, try Melon Head today!" https://www.mrgoodvape.com/shop/our-juices/melon-head/

Mr. Good Vape (The Godfather of Vaping) is based in Southern California and is the brainchild and joint venture of business partners and long-time friends, Gary Riddle and Chris Davis. Mr. Good Vape was set up to be a fun, approachable company with an emphasis on "sweet fruit and candy like flavors. Similar to Jelly Belly Candy company or Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream company." https://www.mrgoodvape.com/about-us/

Mr. Good Vape e-liquids are available from their own online store https://www.mrgoodvape.com, Vape Revolution http://shop.vaperev.com and fifty brick and mortar stores scattered throughout the US (with one in Kuala Lumpur, another in Ireland and another opening soon in England). https://www.mrgoodvape.com/contact/ Amusingly, each outlet is characterised as an Under Boss, Soldier or Capo, furthering the Godfather theme of the company.

The company offers a selection of eleven flavoured e-liquids. These are Bahama Mama ("Banana, Pineapple, Coconut Candy Colada and Cream"), Sweet Lovin ("...strawberries, watermelon and bubblegum..."), Karma Cream ("...juicy peaches, vanilla bean ice cream and two types of creams..."), Dreamsicle ("...(a) vape that mimics the old ice cream 50/50 bars. Loaded with Tangerines and Bavarian Cream and more..."), Melon Head ("...Cantaloupe, Mango, and Papaya..."), Moon Sugar ("...warm and bready with tones of Butterscotch and some graham cracker pie crust..."), Sunshine Daydream ("...Pineapple, Banana, Orange and two other excellent extracts. People say it tastes like Juicy Fruit Gum!"), Pistachio Man ("...Chocolate Mint Pistachio with an undertone of french vanilla ice cream and a slight hint of dark burley Tobacco imported from Italy..."), Heaven's Candy ("...Apple Candy, Sweet Plums and two types of sugary grapes with a hint of cotton candy..."), Sundae Fundae ("...Caramel Candy, Brown Sugar, French Vanilla, Butter Pecan, Cookies and Cream drizzled in butterscotch.") and Dabble Dooyah ("warm, Dutch, apple pie melted into two types of exotic, slow churned vanillas with a dabble doo of cinnamon drizzled in caramel").

The PG/VG ratio in each juice in the range differs from the next. For example, Sweet Lovin is a 50/50 liquid while Melon Head is an 80/20 (VG/PG) liquid. Check the juice you're interested in for it's specific PG/VG ratio. Each juice is available in a 15 (US$12.00) or 30ml (US$20.00) bottle at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg.

The (15ml) bottles used by Mr. Good Vape are a clear glass with a black, plastic, screw top cap with an inbuilt eye dropper which makes transferring the liquid from the bottle to your favourite device very easy. Every label in the range features the cartoon portrait of the "Godfather of Vaping". Information on the label includes the following: the company name, the name of the liquid, nicotine strength in mg, a "born on" date, an ingredients list, a warning that the contents of the bottle may contain traces of nuts and an admonition to "keep out of reach of children and pets". Every bottle arrives with a tamper evident plastic film around the cap and neck of the bottle.

The colour of the liquid is a clear Royal Yellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_yellow#Royal_yellow As an 80% Vegetable glycerin liquid it's quite thick, having a viscosity approaching that of a household oil or a light syrup. As expected, tiny bubbles dispersed throughout the liquid by a brief, vigorous shake of the bottle, rise to the top at a very slow pace; a few millimetres per second. I break the tamper evident seal, open the bottle and hold it below my nose and take sustained, shallow nasal inhalations, focusing on the aroma. The top note, volatile and brief is some form of fruit candy or candied fruit, which fades to a more subtle and elusive suggestion of tropical fruits.

I'm vaping Melon Head in an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on an 18650 battery. There's five wraps of 0.2 (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick and the atomiser is reading 2.3ohms on the Provari. Whether or not it has any bearing on my appreciation of the liquid, I should declare that I'm suffering insomnia and it's 5:00am as I begin to taste and write about the flavour.

I take a few primer puffs and at the level of pure sensation, I'm immediately aware of a tropical fruit flavour profile. As I proceed to inhale, there's a mild sweetness followed closely by a milder acidic tartness that washes throughout my mouth. It's not until I finish inhaling vapour and take a brief breath of fresh air that the intensity and interplay of the various fruit flavours emerge. The vapour is saturated with flavour and I'm aware of the different fruits as a medley that nevertheless, offers up the identities of the individual flavours as I seek them out. Exhaling amplifies the flavour and subsequent exhalations seems to variously favour one flavour over the others. The aftertaste renders a refreshing, mouth cleansing sensation reminiscent of that provided by the drinking of fresh tropical juice. There's an accompanying metallic tang around my forward teeth and gums, which, as ever, is somewhat pleasant and a welcome aspect of the vape cycle and experience.

I've found that throat hit is absent in vaping Melon Head. However, there is a quite aggressive mounting of pressure at the back of the throat as I inhale. Vapour production appears to vary depending on my inhalation technique; inhaling straight into my lungs produces suitably substantial clouds of vapour, while drawing into my mouth and then inhaling produces a very minimal volume of vapour.

The flavour of Melon Head very closely approximates the boiled confectionery of yesteryear (the type that you had to suck rather than chew). Think along the lines of a sweet and slightly sour, sugary, crystalline candy with a light dusting of very finely ground sugar and you're well on your way to imagining how this e-liquid tastes. This is a relatively complex liquid with a fine balance between each of the fruit flavours and the lightly acidic tone perfectly offsets the predominantly sweet character, lending Melon Head a very attractive dimension which is found all too rarely in fruit oriented juices.

Sunday, 10 November 2013

Pistachio Man! by Mr. Good Vape

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. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Mr. Good Vape's Karma Cream. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/karma-cream-by-mr-good-vape.html Quoted passages are in italics.

Imagine for a moment that you walk the same route each day to wherever it is you go. You've been walking that route for months, if not years. One very fine day, you notice a couple of pistachio shells on the sidewalk, but you think nothing of it. It's just litter. The next day, you see more pistachio shells in the same spot. The next day, even more shells. It's not just litter anymore, because you've begun to wonder who's been dropping them. The pistachio shells keep appearing for a couple of days and now you've begun looking for patterns in their appearance. A few more days go by and the shells seem to appear along the same stretch of your route, and you recognise that there may indeed be a pattern... and that this pattern is a trail which has been building and crystallising over time. The next day, you follow this spatio-temporal trail and it leads from the corner store near your home, two blocks down and one across, through the small park with a statue of Ghandi in it, across the road and down an alley, as far as you can see into the gloom. Imagining the worst but mustering the courage nonetheless, you tentatively creep down the alley, being careful to take the centre-most line. You begin to hear muttering... as you approach what seems to be a small courtyard filled with sodden cardboard and rusted soda cans, you lean ever so slightly around the corner towards the direction of the muttering. There in the corner, is a young man, cleanly shaven, wearing what looks to be an expensive suit, sitting on an upturned milk crate with rats and pigeons and a couple of foxes arrayed around him. He's sharing his meal of pistachios with this abject, urban menagerie. There, before you, is Pistachio Man.

The Mr. Good Vape website page for Pistachio Man! has this to say about the e-liquid: "Another Connoisseur's blend by the Godfather of Vaping, Mr. Good Vape. It is a delightful combination of Chocolate Mint Pistachio with an undertone of french vanilla ice cream and a slight hint of dark burley Tobacco imported from Italy. This blend is perfect any time, day or night and will have you longing for each and every draw you take. Pistachio Man is Mr. Good Vape's right hand man and is (as) solid a character as the family has ever known, he is sure to leave a lasting impression from the second you first get a chance to meet him." https://www.mrgoodvape.com/shop/our-juices/pistachio-man/

The tone of the liquid is dark. The colour is a clear, Burnt Umber (brown). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_umber_(color)#Burnt_umber Given that this is a PG60%/VG40% liquid, it's somewhat more aqueous than recent Mr. Good Vape e-liquids I've reviewed. Giving the bottle a brief, vigorous shake disperses tiny bubbles of air throughout the liquid, which rise to the top of the bottle, defying gravity and the viscosity of the juice, at a moderate rate. With the bottle opened below my nose the liquid releases an aroma with an earthy, nutty top note below which resides a middle note that closely approximates that of chocolate chip ice-cream. I'm also sensing an abiding trace of alcohol. Ethyl Alcohol perhaps? (Often used as a suspension for organic flavour compounds.)

I'm vaping Pistachio Man! in an Igo-L on a Provari running on an 18650 battery. There's five wraps of 0.2 (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick, the atomiser is reading 2.3ohms and I've set voltage output to 4.2.

Firing the device and inhaling, my mouth fills with what I imagine to be a rich, plummy flavour. There's a medial sweetness about the vapour that builds in intensity, ever so slightly, the longer I inhale. At the point when I've inhaled as much vapour as I can and chase it into my lungs with a short breath of fresh air, the flavour that I imagined to be fruity in character, transforms and adopts the distinctive quality of cocoa. Alongside this, but sitting lower in the overall mix are the flavours of mint and the gentle creaminess of vanilla. Exhaling seems to subdue the flavour of cocoa slightly while the mint moves to the fore in conscious awareness. The pistachio and tobacco are ever-present but I never find them intrusive or overwhelming; they sit politely at the feet of the accompanying flavours and serve to lend an earthy dimension to what otherwise might be a conventional (but no less delicious) dessert vape. The aftertaste is a gentle medley of the primary flavours of mint and cocoa, with the latter predominating slightly. Although the Mr. Good Vape website describes the flavour in this juice as chocolate, I'd like to suggest it more closely approximates the drier, less buttery-rich cocoa.

In vaping Pistachio Man!, I don't experience a crisp, solid throat hit. With sweetened e-liquids I usually experience a certain escalation of pressure at the back of my throat as I inhale. This is very much the case, in this instance. Vapour production is very generous with opaque volumes of the stuff pouring from my mouth into the room around me.

Did you catch the words muttered by Pistachio Man as he fed his companions?

"Yum, yum... Oh, yum, yum... Yes indeed, yum, yum..."

Pages

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Sunday, 15 December 2013

Thursday, 5 December 2013

Monday, 2 December 2013

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

Monday, 18 November 2013

Sunday, 10 November 2013