Kona coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. It's grown "on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kona_coffee "Like fine vintage wines, 100% Kona coffee is distinguished from commercial blends by the tremendous extra care taken throughout every step of the process. The end result is a coffee that carries the unique stamp of the Kona region - delicate yet flavorful and with a rich aroma - a product that is famous among coffee drinking societies throughout the world. This excellent quality has made Kona coffee one of the most highly valued coffees in the world." http://www.kona-coffee-council.com/Default.aspx?pageId=692163
Obviously a Kona Coffee milkshake would be a very fine thing indeed. Add to this a splash of rum and you've elevated the Kona Coffee Milkshake to an exquisite level. This is essentially what Virgin Vapor have done in vaporous form.
Virgin Vapor http://www.virginvapor.com/ describe Organic Kona Velvet Milkshake as "sweet, creamy and buttery with notes of caramel and rum all balanced out by a nice strong shot of Kona espresso!" http://www.virginvapor.com/products/organic-kona-velvet-milkshake There are sixty five customer reviews for this juice with an average rating of 5/5 stars. This is also Virgin Vapor's top seller and it was awarded third place in the ECF http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ Juice of the Year Award for 2011. I'm not surprised; read on, dear cater-cousin.
Virgin Vapor is an award winning, small company based in the United States, run by Annette Rogers and her team. While there may be others who do the same, Virgin Vapor is the first company I've come across who offer 100% organically flavoured e-liquids. They offer two ranges; Virgin Vapor Line, within which the flavour essences are suspended in an ethyl alcohol base (Ethanol?); and the Absolute Virgin Line which offers an ethyl alcohol free alternative. Virgin Vapor are keen to point out that the ingredients for their liquids are sourced for the most part, from within the US. The flavourings for the Absolute Virgin Line are sourced from the EU. The nicotine used in all their liquids is sourced from hand picked tobacco leaves grown in North Carolina. Furthermore, none of their liquids contain "artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners or any other additives." http://www.virginvapor.com/pages/frequently-asked-questions
The Virgin Vapor Line is a range of eighty eight e-juices with flavours ranging through tobaccos, desserts, fruits, beverages and confectionary to the more exotic floral offerings. The Absolute Virgin Line offers forty liquids with a similar to, though obviously less extensive spectrum of flavours than the Virgin Vapor Line.
Virgin Vapor e-liquids are available in 1/4 ounce (7.39ml)($6.99), 1/2 ounce (14.78ml)($11.50) and 1 ounce (29.57ml)($19.99) bottles at nicotine strengths of 0 (zero), 5 (Extra Low), 8 (Low), 12 (Medium), 18 (High) and 24mg (Extra High) with PG/VG ratios of 0/100 or 50/50.
The bottle is brown glass. This gets the Vapour-Taster seal of approval: brown glass stops UV light from degrading the nicotine content. The black plastic, screw top cap has an inbuilt glass dropper with a pointed tip which makes it easier to direct the flow of liquid into any device with a narrow opening (cartomisers, The Killer, etc). Owners of devices with smaller filling ports like certain cartomiser tanks, or the Kayfun, for example, will need to use a syringe. The label includes the following information: the name of the liquid, the name of the company, nicotine strength, PG/VG ratio, batch number, the company's website address, a notice of age requirement and an admonition to keep out of the reach of children.
The liquid is clear and in terms of colour, slightly darker than Persimmon Orange. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variations_of_orange#Persimmon In the bottle, the liquid appears less viscous than I'd expect given the 50% VG content. This may be due to the Ethyl alcohol within which the organic flavour is suspended. Miniscule bubbles diffused throughout the juice by a swift, vigorous shake of the bottle rise to the top at a moderate pace, lending further evidence to the medial viscosity of the liquid. Rubbing a drop of the liquid between the tips of my thumb and forefinger causes absorption into my skin within two and a half minutes; it begins very lubricious but breaks down to a slightly tacky solution before being completely drawn into my epidermis. Smooth skin, lightly tingling.
I'm been vaping Organic Kona Velvet Milkshake in a Killer/Big Boaby on a GP Paps Lux running on an 18350 battery and an Igo-L on a Poldiac running on an 18650 battery. For the purpose of this review I'll be using the Killer/Big Boaby on the GP Paps Lux. I don't have the means to determine the ohms of the coil but it may help you to know that the store bought, pre-made coil is labelled "low resistance".
As I fire the device and draw the vaporised liquid into my mouth I taste a dense sweetness alongside a milder bitterness and a milder still sourness. I immediately recognise the flavours of coffee, Demerara sugar and rum. There's a fine grained tingling on the tip of my tongue that increases in intensity with subsequent inhalations. Having inhaled the vapour and chased it into my lungs with a modest breath of fresh air, I hold my breath momentarily; at this point I discern the coffee to a fuller degree with a suggestion of silky vanilla and cream. As I begin to exhale these flavours are sustained with the not so subtle savour of rum rejoining them towards the finish. The aftertaste is a curious combination of coffee enriched with the Demerara sugar and the earthy, slightly sour rum. Alongside the flavour of the rum is a sensation of warmth about my mouth which (I've found (in the far distant past)) is generally a characteristic of the actual presence of alcohol in the gustatory system. Subsequent inhalations seem to amplify the rum flavour throughout the duration of the vaping cycle. The composite flavour of this liquid is wholly authentic; there's no suggestion of artificiality about it at all.
There's a muscular throat hit when the vapour is drawn into the mouth, before being inhaled and vapour production is considerably abundant.
It's no wonder that Organic Kona Velvet Milkshake is Virgin Vapor's top seller and that it took third place in a juice award: it's a full bodied, rich, complex vape that would reward the attentive vaper. The casual vapor who just wants a tasty vape won't miss out though. It's quite simply delicious. It's quite possible that it may be a little on the rich side for it to be an all day vape (for me anyway), but it's inimitability will keep it in my Killer until the very last drop. The rum renders this an absolutely adult oriented flavour and so those with a penchant for alcoholic beverages, those who enjoy desserts with alcoholic content or those with an adventurous palate will most likely enjoy this liquid very much.
