Catalina by Shoreline Vapes

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 Shoreline Vapes' Boardwalk. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/boardwalk-by-shoreline-vapes.html Quoted passages are in italics.

Wood and Wagner

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend of 1981, Robert Wagner and his wife, actress Natalie Wood (Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko) were vacationing on their motor yacht, Splendour, moored near the settlement of Two Harbors at the North West end of Santa Catalina Island. With them were Christopher Walken and ship's captain Dennis Davern. At 8am on November 29, authorities found Wood's body a mile away from the ship. Nobody admitted to seeing her enter the water and despite the coroner's finding that she had drowned, she had multiple bruises on her body and arms and she had, previous to dying, imbibed a cocktail of alcohol, painkillers and motion sickness pills. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Wood

"Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island is 22 miles (35 km) long and 8 miles (13 km) across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles, California... Part of the Channel Islands of California archipelago, Santa Catalina lies within Los Angeles County." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Catalina_Island,_California

Catalina is also a tangy, tomato based salad dressing, a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, a gay porn production house and an e-liquid by Shoreline Vapes.

The Vape Goddess website describes Catalina as "a tropical infusion of fruits". http://www.vapegoddess.net/catalina/

Shoreline Vapes was founded by Orange County resident, Will Giddings, who worked with Kevin Drake and Meg Strouse at Drake's Vapes and Vape Goddess before launching his own label. 

Shoreline Vapes currently offer a range of four juices. These are: Boardwalk ("A nostalgic fruity cotton candy blend"), Big Sur ("A fresh and enticing play on Strawberry Banana Yogurt Parfait"), Rincon ("A decadent swirl of homemade baked chocolate chip cookies and mint") and Catalina. Each liquid is available in a 30ml bottle with nicotine contents of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg at US$15.00 per bottle. All liquids are mixed with a PG/VG ratio of 50/50.

The Shoreline Vapes range is available from Vape Goddess http://www.vapegoddess.net You might also find Shoreline Vapes at a Brick and Mortar store near you. 

The bottle is a clear glass cylinder with a tapering neck towards the black plastic, non-childproof, screw-top cap. The label features a screen print (vector) style graphic and includes the following information: the brand/company name, the name of the juice, a two word description of the juice ("Tropical Infusion"), nicotine strength in mg, an ingredients list, a warning to keep away from children and pets and an advisory notice specifying "no sale to minors".

The liquid is a Pumpkin Orange. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Pumpkin The aroma issuing from the opened bottle is a saturated tropical fruitiness. It's remarkably like the fragrance associated with a cordial, candy or syrup but because it's devoid of any hint of artificiality it's highly suggestive of actual fruit. Subsequent whiffs suggest the rich acidity of oranges and mango with subtle traces of pineapple and kiwi fruit.

I've been vaping Catalina in an Igo-L atop my Provari running on an 18650 battery. I've built a single micro-coil with seven wraps of 28AWG (0.32mm) Kanthal wire around a sterilised cotton wick which reads 1.4ohms on the Provari. I've set voltage output to 3.8.

Firing the device and drawing the vapour into my mouth results in an immediate sensation of fine grained tingling or fizziness on the tip and forward edge of my tongue. Accompanying this is the awareness of a moderately intense, broadly sensed fruity flavour which tends toward the Rutaceae (Citrus) family.  When I finish drawing vapour into my mouth, I chase it into my lungs with a breath of air. As I do this, the flavour unfurls and is revealed as a combination of Orange (or tangerine) and Mango with a whisper of Pineapple and perhaps, a trace of Kiwi Fruit. There's a slightly creamy quality to the vape which, within the context of these particular fruits, is suggestive of coconut. If there is coconut in the mix then it's a very small amount and beyond the merest suggestion of flavour lends the aforementioned creaminess to the quality of the vapour as it's experienced in the mouth. When I exhale, Orange/Tangerine nudges forward into consciousness as the primary flavour until it fades with a pleasant acidic tang during the aftertaste.

Throat hit is substantial at 18mg and vapour production is suitably impressive, especially on a new wick or when the wick has almost given up the last of its liquid.

Catalina is a successful blend of mango and orange/tangerine with hints of complimentary fruit flavours rendering it a refreshing mouthful of vapour. Apart from the flavours which are, in themselves, balanced nicely, the addition of sweetness and acidity is perfectly adjudged and contribute beautifully to what is a delicious vape.

Boardwalk by Shoreline Vapes

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.

There's something horribly life affirming about "the beach" and the culture that's accreted around this particular geographic locale. Despite having lived in seaside resort towns, I've never been particularly involved in the fun, sun worshipping, surf-centric culture that's been informed by the natural environment and humanity's engagement with it.

"Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing which began to flourish and evolve in the early 20th century, with popularity spiking greatly during the 1950s and 1960s, principally in Hawaii, Australia, and California. It continues to progress and spread throughout the world. It has at times affected popular fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_culture

The boardwalk, that liminal territory between the street and the sand is a particular space where the cultures of the surf and the street intermingle in a free, hedonistic celebration of life. The wealthy amongst us congregate along the coast and build obscene abodes with ready access to the restaurants and bars of the boardwalk. Nevertheless, clever town planning renders the boardwalk a socio-economic and politically free zone where every man, woman and child is welcome to indulge in the sights and sounds of the beach while maintaining the comfort and facility of the street.

Boardwalk by Shoreline Vapes is a premium e-liquid which partakes of all that the idea of "the boardwalk" is and offers it to you in vaporous form.

The Vape Goddess website describes Boardwalk as "a nostalgic fruity cotton candy blend". http://www.vapegoddess.net/boardwalk/

Shoreline Vapes was founded by Orange County resident, Will Giddings, who worked with Kevin Drake and Meg Strouse at Drake's Vapes and Vape Goddess before launching his own label. 

Shoreline Vapes currently offer a range of four juices. These are: Catalina ("A tropical infusion of fruits"), Big Sur ("A fresh and enticing play on Strawberry Banana Yogurt Parfait"), Rincon ("A decadent swirl of homemade baked chocolate chip cookies and mint") and Boardwalk. Each liquid is available in a 30ml bottle with nicotine contents of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg at US$15.00 per bottle. All liquids are mixed with a PG/VG ratio of 50/50.

The Shoreline Vapes range is available from Vape Goddess http://www.vapegoddess.net You might also find Shoreline Vapes at a Brick and Mortar store near you. 

The bottle is a clear glass cylinder with a tapering neck towards the black plastic, non-childproof, screw-top cap. The label features a screen print (vector) style graphic and includes the following information: the brand/company name, the name of the juice, a two word description of the juice ("Nostalgic Candy"), nicotine strength in mg, an ingredients list, a warning to keep away from children and pets and an advisory notice specifying "no sale to minors".

The liquid is a vibrant Persimmon Orange. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Persimmon Uncapping the bottle below my nose releases an aroma of sweetened fruit syrup which at times is very reminiscent of strawberry but for the most part smells (to me) like a melange of tropical fruits and berries.

I've been vaping Boardwalk in an Igo-L atop my Provari running on an 18650 battery. I've built a single micro-coil with seven wraps of 28AWG (0.32mm) Kanthal wire around a sterilised cotton wick which reads 1.4ohms on the Provari. I've set voltage output to 3.8.

As I fire the device the liquid crackles and pops. Always very satisfying. Drawing the vapour into my mouth and along the length of my tongue triggers a recognition of the saturated flavour of sugar with a more subtle and undefined fruitiness suffused throughout. With subsequent inhalations and the progressive heating of the coil, the fruitiness is amplified and I perceive it as stronger than the flavour of sugar. Having drawn as much vapour into my mouth as I can, I chase the volume into my lungs with a sharp intake of fresh air. As I do this, the sugary flavour resolves into that unmistakeable flavour of cotton candy/fairy floss which is so beloved of children around the world (and remembered fondly by those of us who mourn the passing of our youth). As the breath turns and I begin to exhale the flavour of cotton candy is rejoined by that fruity element which continues to evade definition. With subsequent exhalations though, I sometimes imagine the flavour to be that of strawberry or a tropical composite of fruits. The aftertaste is a very pleasant, fading, sugary fruitiness with a subtle metallic tang around my forward teeth and gums. There's no unpleasant chemical flavour at any stage in the vape.

I don't necessarily experience a throat hit as such but the sensation of mounting pressure at the back of my throat as I inhale is substantial. Vapour production is very generous with voluminous amounts of dense white vapour billowing from my mouth and nose as I exhale.

Boardwalk is, as Shoreline Vapes suggests, a walk done memory lane. It speaks to that worry-free, unbridled, exuberant liberation triggered by a sense of ready expectation and the flights of imagination experienced around the seaside and all that goes with it. Boardwalk's flavour is dense and authentic, while vapour production is outstanding. I imagine throat hit will depend on your preferred nicotine strength, your setup and your inhalation technique. If you enjoy fruity/candy flavoured juices you will love Boardwalk.