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 have been quoted from my review of The Standard's Dead Man's Party. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/dead-man-party-by-standard.html Quoted passages are in Italics.
The word Irie is an acronym for the Rastafarian pledge, "I respect I eternally", which is an elegant way of saying "I'm at peace with you, me and the world around us". (How beautiful! I can't tell you how I crave that state of being.) Have you ever noticed that it's the last moments of the day, before rolling over and going to sleep, when your guard is down, emotionally and mentally, that your worries and fears assault you? The night stirs in us primal sensations below the level of emotion; not so irrational fears that have moved men and women alike to seek a safe haven, since time immemorial, to see them safely through to the light of morning. To me the phrase, and name of the liquid being reviewed in this instance, is a reference to a night without worries and fears; a night where a gaze into the black sky dotted with far away suns brings a sense of peace and contentment. Or perhaps, it's the sound of nothing beyond the wind through nearby trees... an occasional dog barking in the distance. For you it might be the knowledge that your family slumbers quietly and safely behind locked doors, surrounded and comforted by the effects and events of their day to day lives, whether they be photographs, a child's box of treasures or the simple presence of each other... small things, unpretentious things that bring pleasure, joy and peace.
Ah, gentle night. Irie Nights. I wonder if the taste of Jamaican Rum and sugar will ease me into a calm, serene night.
Irie Nights ("Jamaican rum and brown sugar party") is one of six e-liquids in The Standard range. The others are Cell Block Four (Créme Brûlée with hints of citrus) http://vapour-taster.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/cell-block-four-by-standard.html, Curious Jorge (Banana banana banana and then some more Banana!!") http://vapour-taster.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/curious-jorge-by-standard.html, Frankenvape ("Kiwi Marshmallow and lots of goodness") http://vapour-taster.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/frankenvape-by-standard.html, Dead Man's Party ("Blueberry Lemonade Thingamajig") http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/dead-man-party-by-standard.html and G35 ("A mix of coconut, pineapple and mango with a hint of menthol!!"). Each of the juices are available with nicotine contents of 0, 6, 12 and 18mg.
The Standard Range is available from a seemingly vast number of brick and mortar stores throughout the United States as well as a number of online stores, including but not limited to Elevated Vaping http://elevated-vaping.myshopify.com, My Vapor.Gasm http://www.shopmvg.com, Vape Revolution http://shop.vaperev.com, Aqueous Vapor http://aqueousvapor.com and LiteCigUSA http://www.litecigusa.net/default.asp. (There are too many stores to list here. Google is your friend)
It's said that a good meal begins by pleasing the eyes; the same could be said of vaping. "The artwork and design of everything from The Standard is exceptional. As an artist, I really appreciate it when some care and attention to detail is given to the design of the packaging and presentation of a product." http://vapour-taster.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/frankenvape-by-standard.html Each of the juices are elegantly bottled in a thick, cuboid, glass bottle with a label that wraps around two and a quarter of the sides. The label includes the following information: the brand name, the name of the liquid, nicotine strength in mg, the brand website address and a warning that the liquid contains nicotine and should be kept away from children. The black screw top cap is not childproof so extra care should be taken in storing and using this e-liquid away from children and pets. There's no attached dropper either, so you'll need a syringe or eye dropper, (both of which are readily available at pharmacies or online) to transfer the liquid into your favourite device. Although it's not explicitly stated on the label, the bottle contains 30ml of fluid.
The colour of the liquid is a clear, vibrant Canary Yellow (Process Yellow) http://colors.findthedata.org/q/561/10859/What-are-the-CMYK-values-of-Canary-Yellow Briefly, vigorously shaking the bottle disperses tiny bubbles of air throughout the liquid which defy gravity and the seemingly substantial viscosity of the juice at a very sluggish pace which suggests a high Vegetable Glycerin content. The liquid feels very lubricious to the touch, yet a drop of it rubbed between the tips of my thumb and forefinger is completely absorbed into my skin within a minute and a half.
For the purpose of this review I'm using an Igo-L on a Provari running on an 18650 battery. The coil has five wraps of 0.2mm (32AWG) Kanthal wire around three strands of 2mm Silica wick. The atomiser is reading 2.3 ohms and I've set voltage output to 4.6.
I fire the device and draw the warm vapour into my mouth and immediately sense a sweet and slightly sour composition. If I inhale directly into my lungs the sweetness is accentuated and the sourness drops away altogether. The longer I inhale the more defined the flavour becomes; at this early stage of the process, the flavour of Demerara sugar begins to stir and enter conscious awareness. As I finish inhaling and draw in a breath of fresh air, as is my custom, the flavour and sweetness of unprocessed sugar blossoms and peaks in intensity. When the breath begins to turn the flavour of sugar subsides slightly as the mildly sour, tropically piquant flavour of rum moves to dominate the gustatory senses. The flavour of rum continues to dominate through to the aftertaste, where it, in turn relaxes, allowing the flavour of sugar to re-emerge, settling into the hollows of my cheeks and under my tongue.
Throat hit is significant, especially when the vapour is drawn into and fills the mouth before inhaling. As it enters the mouth the vapour is silky smooth and when exhaled is quite substantial, filling the room ahead of me with thick veils of lazy curlicues.
Irie Nights is such a pleasure to vape. The rum and sugar flavours are carefully balanced and the rum is not so strong that it overwhelms at any stage. There's no sense that you're tasting anything other than what is claimed for this liquid; in other words, there's no taint of artificiality about it. It surprises me how many e-liquids make for suitable summertime evening vaping. Irie Nights is an essential liquid for those times when you're sitting on the balcony/patio/terrace/veranda enjoying the sights, sounds and sensations of a balmy night. Or dreaming of them. Whether or not Irie Nights leaves you feeling at peace with yourself and the world around you is uncertain, but it would certainly contribute to that precious state if you were fortunate enough to "be in that place".
