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 NamberJuice's Moot's Juice. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/moots-juice-by-namberjuice.html Quoted passages are in italics.
Every conceivable human endeavour and interest has some sort of association, society, organisation, group, league, guild, order, union, auxiliary, fraternity, federation, company, brotherhood, sisterhood, set, circle, clique, chapter, church, synagogue, mosque, sangha, workshop, conference, seminar or meet where those of a like mind can get together and talk about whatever it is that takes their fancy.
We're social creatures. We want to be with others of a like mind, we want to be liked and sometimes we're content with being disliked. Whatever the case, we often need the friction, good or bad, of social intercourse to establish and ratify identity. ...and to keep us distracted from that final mystery that awaits every last one of us. Reasons to be cheerful. http://youtu.be/qcjh1a9Yoao
The subject of this review, Cartomator Crush was born of the relationship of two people, who shared a table with friends at a vaping mega-meet, VapeBash 2013, where hundreds of people got together to share their love of all things vaping. The people at VapeBash 2013 were a small group of people representative of a wider community who interact via Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+ and other Internet based social networks. Smaller groups are meeting in bars, coffee shops and restaurants the world over, to discuss their mods, their juices and every other aspect of this revolutionary alternative to smoking cigarettes.
This is what NamberJuice http://namberjuice.com/ say on their website about the genesis of this juice: "Namber Juice and Vaperfexion have been friends for a long time and to celebrate their friendship we made "Cartomator Crush" as a VapeBash 2013 juice..." http://namberjuice.com/namber-originals/all-flavors/cartomator-crush.html
NamberJuice is a relatively new company set up by pillars of the vaping world, Nick "GrimmGreen" Green and Amber "VapeBabe" Johnson, both YouTube celebrities, reviewers, commentators and all-round nice people. GrimmGreen has been talking about all things vaping since 2009 and from then till now has had approximately three and a half million views of his videos. Here's a link to GrimmGreen's blog: http://www.grimmgreen.com/ and here's a link to his YouTube channel: http://m.youtube.com/user/GrimmGreen VapeBabe has been posting videos to YouTube since 2010 and has also amassed a sizeable following. She also maintains a blog dedicated to seeking out and discussing all things vaping for the female market. In her own words, "...we (women) are out here, we have money, and we are more than willing to throw it at (vendors) if they invest in our interests!" http://www.thevapebabe.com/post/11008147355/hey-everyone-just-getting-this-site-up-and Here's a link to her Youtube channel: http://m.youtube.com/user/TheVapeBabe and a link to her blog: http://www.thevapebabe.com/
NamberJuice currently have a catalog of twenty one flavours, divided into two ranges; Namber Originals and Namesakes, with a third range, Tumbleweed Tobacco coming soon. Their liquids range from confectionary and desserts through to beverages and tobaccos. Each of their liquids are available in a 15ml bottle ($10.00) at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg
Cartomator Crush, from the Namber Originals range is described as a "strawberry pink champagne flavor" http://namberjuice.com/namber-originals/all-flavors/cartomator-crush.html There are five customer reviews for Cartomator Crush, as of the writing of this review, with an average rating of 4.8/5 stars.
The bottle is a semi-opaque, easily squeezed plastic with an attached plastic dropper insert. The black plastic screw top cap is childproof. When it arrived, the bottle was sealed from head to toe in a seemingly vacuum sealed plastic and I had to use a steak knife to remove it! The design on the label is striking with it's geometric design in red, white and black. The label includes the following information: the name of the liquid, the phrase "The all original" preceding the brand name, the phrase "Quality E-Liquid", nicotine contents in mg, liquid contents in ml, a batch (lot) number, a "born on" date, an ingredients list, a warning that the liquid may contain concentrated flavours and nicotine, a declaration that the liquid contains artificial flavouring, an advisory notice to keep out of reach of children and pets and the NamberJuice address.
The liquid is a clear Lemon Yellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_yellow#Lemon and has the consistency of a light undiluted syrup. Giving the bottle a vigorous shake suspends diminutive bubbles of air throughout the liquid, which defy gravity and the viscosity of the liquid at a very slow pace. A drop of the liquid rubbed between the tips of my thumb and forefinger feels initially very lubricious but is completely absorbed into my skin within a minute and a half. The aroma rising from the opened bottle, held below my nose and discerned with a sustained, shallow inhalation is of a sweet strawberry syrup. Knowing that this is a strawberry and pink champagne liquid, I searched for the aroma of champagne but without success. No matter; the proof is in the tasting.
Over the last three days I've vaped Cartomator Crush in a Killer/Big Boaby Tank and the Igo-L. I'm reviewing Cartomator Crush with an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on a freshly charged 18650 battery. I don't have the means to check the ohms of the coil, but if it helps you to know, there's a four/five coil of 0.2mm (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick.
I fire the device and draw a sweetened vapour into my mouth. Progressive heating of the coil intensifies the sensation of sweetness and there's a fine grained tingling sensation on the tip of my tongue which I attribute to the possible presence of vodka. With subsequent inhalations this tingling resolves into a slightly acidic tang. The taste sensation is immediately apparent as being that of berry. Intellectually I know it's strawberry, but at the level of pure sensation, the taste buds and retronasal apprehension of aroma identify the flavour as a light berry. Alongside this is a trace of sourness, which I'd suggest is the broad introduction of champagne to the palate. As I finish inhaling the vapour and chase it into my lungs, before holding the breath for a moment or two, the gentle flavour of strawberry arrives in conscious awareness. When the breath turns and I begin to exhale, the flavours of the berry and the secondary hint of champagne are raised up and intensified. There's a very light dryness to the flavoured vapour as it's exhaled; not unlike the sensation in the mouth following a mouthful of Sauvignon Blanc. The aftertaste is a very light, refreshing savour of the aforementioned flavours.
Throat hit, when vaped in the Killer/Big Boaby Tank can be significant, though it's often accompanied by a burnt taste. I'd suggest this is the fault of the hardware rather than the juice itself. The Igo-L however, renders a lighter throat hit but a more forceful mounting of pressure at the back of the throat. Vapour production, when vaped in the Killer is substantial, while the vapour generated by the Igo-L is rather light.
I love the idea of a juice mixed specifically to celebrate an event, as was Cartomator Crush for VapeBash2013. It bespeaks a love and dedication of not just the juice itself but a deep appreciation of the community for whom it's intended. I applaud this and I'd like to extend my thanks to Namberjuice for making it available, after the fact, to the wider vaping community. Obviously, this is a predominantly strawberry flavoured vape, but there are subtleties and nuances of flavour and mouthfeel that raise it above the everyday strawberry liquid. Cartomator Crush is a treat and you owe it to yourself to spend some unhurried, considered time with it.
