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 T-Juice's Afro Dizziac. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/afro-dizziac-by-t-juice.html Quoted passages are in italics.
Earlier this month (7th August 2013) I posted a review of T-Juice's http://t-juice.com/ sampler tin, "Let There Be Juice: Volume 1". http://vapour-taster.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/let-there-be-juice-volume-1-by-t-juice.html One of the six liquids included in "Let There Be Juice: Volume 1" is Green Steam, the subject of this review.
Green Steam. I don't think I've previously come across these two words coupled in a single phrase. I wonder what flights of the imagination at T-Juice brought them together as the name of an e-liquid... I find it quite evocative. When I dwell on the words "green steam", my mind takes me to Geidi Prime, the Harkonnen home world in Frank Herbert's Dune series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel) I imagine you'd find green steam there. Or perhaps you'd find green steam in the imagined underground city of the crazed artilleryman, who accosts the narrator in Jeff Wayne's musical adaptation of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds. http://youtu.be/pby-TolpK6Y Or again, underground in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's Vril, The Power of the Coming Race http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vril, where the subterranean cities are lit by a mysterious green light without source. Any steam found there would be green by virtue of the light cast upon it.
The page for Green Steam, the e-liquid, on T-Juice's website displays an image of a seemingly thoughtful young man against what appears to be a slab of painted green concrete. http://t-juice.com/green-steam.html On the basis of what's represented in this image, I suspect my meanderings might be wide of the mark. Whatever the case, the name Green Steam takes me to distant regions of the imagination and I appreciate that.
T-Juice are a UK company based in Northwest London. Their catalogue consists of 26 E-liquids which range from deserts and fruits to menthols and tobaccos. They appear to take the creation of their juices very seriously; sourcing all their ingredients from the EU or US, acknowledging the art and science of flavour crafting, recognising the roles of each of the senses in the apprehension of flavoured vapour and allowing for the quality assurance provided by a panel of seasoned vapers.
T-juice describe Green Steam as "An “in your face” blue/ black berry vape which offers a very robust flavour backed by a good throat hit and great vapour production. Subtly mixed with fruits of the forest and selected flora makes this a well balanced all day vape." http://t-juice.com/green-steam.html
The bottle included in Let There Be Juice: Volume 1 contains 5ml of liquid. When bought as an individual bottle, Green Steam is available in a 10 (£5.95) or 30ml bottle (£15.95) at nicotine strengths of 0, 3, 8, 11, 16, 24 or 33mg with a PG/VG ratio of 80/20.
The 5ml bottle that T-Juice uses is a clear, easily squeezed plastic with a 1cm long needle type dropper and a red, childproof, screw top cap. The label includes the following information: the name of the juice in a theme appropriate font, the phrase "Premium UK E-Liquid", liquid content in ml, nicotine content in mg, an ingredients list, the address, website and phone number of the manufacturer, a batch number, a best used by date, storage advice, safety instructions ("Keep out of reach and sight of children") and warning symbols. The label also advises that the liquid may contain traces of nuts.
The colour of the liquid is a limpid, slightly desaturated Atomic Tangerine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Atomic_tangerine It appears quite aqueous and when a drop of the liquid is rubbed between my thumb and forefinger it's absorbed into my skin within a minute. (Leaving the skin silky smooth, don'tcha know!) The liquid is mildly lubricious. When held below my nose and inhaled to a sustained, shallow degree, the aroma of the bottled liquid is a marriage of blueberry and blackberry with a slight bias towards the blackberry, lifting it to the position of top note.
The sample sent to me for review is 16mg nicotine strength and I'm vaping it in an Igo-L on a mechanical mod running on an 18650 battery. I don't have the means to check the ohms of the coil but there's five wraps of 0.2 Kanthal wire (32 AWG) around three strands of 2mm Silica wick, which should give you an idea of what I'm working with.
As I begin to draw the vapour into and through my mouth, I experience a mild sweetness along the forward edge of my tongue and towards the back of my throat along the roof. There's the immediate recognition of the broad flavour of dark berries. As I finish inhaling, draw a small amount of fresh air to chase the vapour into my lungs and pause, the berry flavours unfold. While the blackberry dominates, there's the brief awareness of the gentler blueberry. When I begin to slowly exhale the flavours are intertwined and I notice a slightly tart element which is confirmed by an acidic tang on my tongue. The aftertaste is a pleasant mixture of the two berry flavours, blackberry primarily, with the addition of a subtle earthy aspect one would normally associate with umami flavours. There's also a very subtle metallic bite around the forward teeth and gums. There's no hint of artificiality about the flavour but rather than the taste of fresh fruit, I'd suggest it tastes like a compote of the berries with additional herbs which lends it a certain earthy quality.
Throat hit is significant; especially so, considering this is a 16mg liquid. This is somewhat amplified by the sensation of mounting pressure at the back of the throat as I inhale, which I often experience with sweetened e-liquids. Vapour production is as expected from an e-liquid with 80% PG, but bear in mind that PG delivers an enhanced flavour experience while VG is known to enhance vapour production but slightly dull and sweeten flavour. If my experience with T-Juice liquids is anything to go by, I'd suggest it's all about the flavour.
As T-Juice suggest, this is a robust vape. To you and me this means a full bodied, if not rich flavour experience. It could certainly be vaped all day, but you would need a sturdier throat than I currently possess. I would most likely vape this after a meal or late at night. In the meantime, I'm still trying to unravel the mystery of the name of this juice and working at reconciling it with the Autumnal associations of the particular berries whose flavours are at hand. Give us a clue, T-Juice!
