Tiki Juice by Halo

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 Halo's Belgian Cocolate.  http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/belgian-cocoa-by-halo.html Quoted passages are in italics.

Māori ''tiki''

In Māori folklore, Tiki was the first man. Or woman. The word "tiki" refers to wooden sculptures or totems, roughly humanoid in form, which marked the boundaries of sacred or otherwise significant locations. Māori religion is interesting in that, depending on the region, the first human was considered a man or a woman. Not necessarily always a man. Some legends have Tiki as a creator entity creating the first man by mixing his blood with clay, while Tāne, the creator god creates the first woman. Other legends have Tiki, like the Greek Narcissus, lonely and craving company, seeing his own reflection in a pond. Diving into the pond to be united with this companion, the reflection broke up and left Tiki disappointed. He fell asleep and upon waking saw the reflection again. He covered the pond with soil and out of this arose the first woman. Generally, Tiki is strongly associated with the procreative act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki

Tiki Juice by Halo http://www.halocigs.com/ is a spiced tobacco flavoured e-liquid with elements of tropical sweetness with the not insignificant addition of Menthol.

Halo are based in the United States and use all American ingredients in their e-liquids. They maintain rigorous standards in quality control and ensure consistency of flavour and nicotine content from bottle to bottle. "Attention to detail in taste and “throat hit” are the top factors which drive Halo smoke juice." (e-liquid) http://www.halocigs.com/why-halo/american-made-smoke-juice.html

Halo offer a range of twenty two juices, divided into the following categories: premium, tobacco, menthol and gourmet. Each juice is available in bottle sizes of 7 ($5.99) and 30ml ($19.99) with nicotine strengths of 0 ("No Nicotine"), 6 ("Low Nicotine"), 12 ("Medium Nicotine"), 18 ("High Nicotine") and 24mg ("XHigh Nicotine").

The 7ml bottle I have in front of me is a clear, easily squeezed plastic with a dropper insert attached. The white plastic screw-top cap is childproof. The label includes the following information: the company name, the name of the liquid, liquid contents in ml, nicotine strength in mg, a batch number, a best used by date, an ingredients list, and cautionary notes that the liquid contains nicotine, should be kept out of the reach of children and pets and that it should not be drunk.

The colour of the liquid is a limpid Spanish Orange http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Spanish_orange. The consistency of the liquid is quite aqueous and is only slightly lubricious. When rubbing a drop of the liquid between my thumb and forefinger the liquid feels mostly slippery but with a somewhat sticky aspect. It's absorbed into my skin within a minute and I feel a slight tingling in my fingertips, which I imagine to be the effect of the nicotine. Obviously, the PG leaves my skin feeling silky smooth. :) The aroma of the bottled liquid is, to my nose, reminiscent of some sort of sweetly spiced pastry. I'd attribute this to the spiced tobacco. (See below.) The aroma finishes with a subtle trace of Menthol.

The Halo website describes Tiki Juice thus, "Based on a Tahitian Tobacco profile, Tiki Juice E-liquid is a hybrid tobacco e-liquid blend that offers excellent vapor and throat hit. Built on a spiced tobacco base with sweet tropical top notes, this unique flavor e-liquid also has a hint of our proprietary menthol base. Tiki Juice E-liquid offers a unique tropical flavor that splits the difference between 'tobacco' and 'dessert' flavors." http://www.halocigs.com/tiki-juice-eliquid.html There are 38 customer reviews for this liquid (as of the date of writing this review) with an average rating of 4.5 stars out of the maximum of 5 stars.

I'm vaping Tiki Juice in the Igo-L on a mechanical mod running on a freshly charged 18650 battery. I don't have the means to check the ohms of the coil. There's four wraps of 0.2 Kanthal wire (32 AWG) around three strands of 2mm Silica wick though, so that should give you some idea of what I'm working with.

As I first fire the device and draw the vapour into my mouth, I'm immediately aware of the chemesthetic reaction of Menthol on my tongue, and then, as I inhale, at the back of my throat. It's not quite as subtle as I was expecting given the use of the word "hint" (of Menthol) in the Halo blurb describing this juice. It's certainly not an unleashed Menthol, but nor is it subtle. Accompanying the cooling effect of the Menthol is a wash of fruity sweetness along the length of my tongue. When I finish inhaling vapour and follow through with a shallow intake of air, the flavour of fruit crystallises and reveals a spiced plumminess which is strongly reminiscent of the type of spiced fruit you see in Christmas fruit mince pies. Below this is the light, smooth tobacco which serves as a foundation and a type of flavour binding agent which ties together and anchors all the seemingly disparate elements of the top notes. This medley is amplified slightly during the exhalation until it reaches the aftertaste where the Menthol continues to dominate, while the spiced fruit settles quietly around the tongue, teeth and gums. The tobacco, while certainly present is only noticeable if I seek it out. 

The Menthol of course, provides the lion's share of chemesthetic sensation but there is a mild throat hit. Vapour production is very generous with voluminous plumes successively weaving veils in the room around me.

Whether by happy accident or meticulous fine tuning, Tiki Juice is obviously the creation of an accomplished palate.  The combination of spiced tobacco with tropical fruit is genius. While on paper the idea of adding Menthol seems odd, it works surprisingly well. To my palate and mind this is a marriage of Summer and Winter, tobacco and dessert that everyone should try at least once. I've never tasted anything like it and therefore gets my unequivocal seal of approval.