Vaping Diaries #193: Cyber Liquids Anthony Garcia Interview

After meeting the Cyber Liquids crew at Vapetoberfest, it was great catching up with the company’s managing partner, Anthony Garcia at Vapers Exhibit. He told me about the company’s two new flavors — Elysian Fields and Vader. Going after the crowd that’s going gaga over Suicide Bunny’s hugely popular Mother’s Milk e-liquid, Elysian Fields is a milky blueberry blend. Vader is a sweet concoction that gives you the rich flavor of cookie dough, but without all the calories. (It may or may not be true that vaping Vader causes you to speak like James Earl Jones.)

Anthony also talks about Cyber Liquids’ new retail store in Tustin, California. He graciously tolerated my suggestion that Cyber Liquids’ theme song should be “Straight Outta Tustin.”

Cyber Liquids Vader

Vaping Diaries #191: Vape Panda Victoria You Interview

Following up on my hard-hitting interview with a real-life panda, here’s an interview with Vape Panda logistics manager Victoria You. She talks about how the company got started from a conversation at a Riverside vape shop, the completely sweet Vape Panda clothing line, and the new Bamboo Elixir line of e-liquid.

If you’re not familiar with Vape Panda clothing, the company makes vaping-related t-shirts, hoodies, and more. The threads feature the adorable Ohmie the Panda. If you don’t find these clothes irresistibly cute, then you have no heart. Vaping is cool. Pandas are cool. Vape Panda makes total sense, don’t you agree? Anyway, check out my chat with Victoria to learn more about the company and its clothes.

Vape Panda

Vaping Diaries #190: Vape Brewery CEO Ramon Pascua Interview

It was fun meeting Vape Brewery CEO Ramon Pascua at Vapers Exhibit. I tried some of his juices at Vape Star Koreatown and enjoyed them. Then I learned a little bit about him and his family on the company web site. As a Filipino-American vaper that has been transplanted from New York to Los Angeles, I empathize with Ramon. Anyway, it was cool learning about Vape Brewery, its juices, and the upcoming Private Stock line (oak-barrel aged) at the show. Check out the clip above and let me know if any Vape Brewery e-liquids tickle your fancy.

Vape Brewery menu

Vaping Diaries #189: What is Vapers Exhibit?

I’ve posted a bunch of interviews from the first Vapers Exhibit trade show in Ontario, California. Now it’s time to learn more about the show itself. I chatted with LNG Investments (the company Vapers Exhibit) CEO Lino Geaga to learn how the show got started. Originally, it was going to be a fairly standard vape meet that took place at a store. Things grew so quickly that LNG had to rent space at the Ontario Convention Center. One aspect of Vapers Exhibit that makes it stand out is that some proceeds from the show are donated to charity. In the case of the Ontario show, a donation to the American Cancer Society was made.

Coming up in June is Vapers Exhibit Las Vegas, which should be three times bigger than the Ontario show. Lino hopes to hit up different regions of America on a quarterly basis and eventually take the show to other countries. I pitched him on the idea of Vapers Exhibit Phuket. A vaping convention in Thailand would completely rule.

Anyway, check out the clip above to learn more about Vapers Exhibit and LNG’s plans for the show. And be sure to bug LNG on social media to make Vapers Exhibit Phuket a reality!

Vapers Exhibit Ontario flyer

Vaping Diaries #187: Cartel Mods Gino Litonjua Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

It’s always excellent catching up with Gino Litonjua from Cartel Mods. He’s a cool guy that makes some beautiful vaping products. Our last (filmed) chat was at ECC 2013 and it was one of my favorite clips from the show. At Vapers Exhibit, I chatted with Gino about some of Cartel Mods’ upcoming products. He talked about the limited edition Copper Cartel Mod, the 26650 Cartel Boss, the Stillare v2i atomizer, and the Stillare Plus (mode to match the boss). He also teased the Stillare v3, which is being prototyped now and will be out later this year. Watch the interview to learn details about these exciting vaping products from a great American mod and atomizer maker.

Cartel Mods Copper

Vaping Diaries #186: RPadTV vs. the Vape Panda (Vapers Exhibit)

There are times when you’re conducting an interview and you can’t help but think, “Damn. This is gold!” That was precisely the case at Vapers Exhibit when I interviewed the Vape Panda from Vape Panda. As I was editing this piece, one word kept ringing in my head — journalism. It reminded of that scene from Coach Carter, when Samuel Jackson is pensively standing in the center of a gymnasium with one foot on a basketball. You can’t help but think of one word while watching that scene — acting.

Anyway, this hard-hitting interview with the Vape Panda covers all sorts of topics — the political situation in the Ukraine, the missing Malaysian airplane, solar panel incentives in California, March Madness, and more. Check out the interview and be prepared to have some heavy knowledge dropped on you. Stay tuned for another Vape Panda interview about the company, its sweet apparel, and new juices.

Vape Panda

Vaping Diaries #185: Epic Juice Sammie Saing Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

When I chatted with Epic Juice CEO Arthur Han at ECC 2013, he mentioned that the company had some tobacco e-liquids in the works. The new flavors have arrived. First up is Yosi, which is Epic Juice’s take on the popular RY4 blend (tobacco, caramel, and vanilla as invented by Janty). As a huge mark for RY4s and a fan of Epic Juice, I’m looking forward to vaping this e-liquid. The other new flavor is Fraho, which is a blend of tobacco and crisp apple. I also dig Apple-baccos, so I’m looking forward to this one as well.

Looking at the big picture, I’m excited to see another Southern California e-liquid company tackling tobacco juices — especially a company as established and respected as Epic Juice. The SoCal market is dominated by fruit e-liquids, with creamy juices becoming the rage in 2014. Tobacco juices get a bad rap in SoCal vape shops, partially because some shop owners are ignorant regarding good tobacco e-liquids and partially because not a lot of local companies make this type of juice. Hopefully with juice makers like Epic Juice, SoCal will become a region that’s known for making great tobacco e-liquids.

Anyway, please check out the clip above and listen to Epic Juice sales director Sammy Saing talk about Yosi and Fraho.

Epic Juice Yosi

Vaping Diaries #182: 2Puffs Interview (Munstro Mod and More)

Many vapers love 2Puffs pyrex tanks and drip tips. The company is still cranking out those products, but is taking its game to the next level with the Munstro. This mechanical mod comes with three tubes that use three different metals, a tritone drip tip, and a wood stand. At Vapers Exhibit, I caught up with 2Puffs partners Arnel Ang and Charles Tan. The two gave me details on the Munstro, shared some company history, revealed what was behind the 2Puffs name, and told me how a Johnnie Walker Black drinking sessions lead to the name of the Munstro mod.

2Puffs Munstro Mod

Vaping Diaries #181: Naughty by Vapor Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

I never thought that I would post an article or video that combined vaping with adult film stars, but Naughty by Vapor took care of that! I’ve been wanting to meet the company for some time, as it’s a Filipino-American crew that has some cleverly named and delicious e-liquids. While the Naughty by Vapor Classic Line has a lot of fans, the new Luxury Line is getting a ton of buzz. The new juices are named after and inspired by actresses in adult films — genius!

In the interview above, CEO Ryan Palma and chief strategist Peter Castaneda talk about how the company got started, the concept behind the Naughty by Vapor brand, and the flavors in the Classic Line. Adult actresses Chloe Amour and Daisy Marie talk about their flavors in the Luxury Line.

This was the most difficult interview for me at Vapers Exhibit. It was really hard to concentrate with Chloe and Daisy around (though it was certainly an enjoyable challenge). Ha!

Naughty by Vapor

Vaping Diaries #180: Trabuco Vapors Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

As a huge fan of naturally-extracted tobacco e-liquids and a resident of Southern California, I was excited to meet the Trabuco Vapors crew at Vapers Exhibit. In SoCal, the majority of the e-liquid companies focus on fruit and dessert flavors. As a tobacco guy, I was pleased to hear about a SoCal juice maker that focuses on naturally-extracted tobacco juices.

At Vapers Exhibit, I chatted with Trabuco Vapors co-owner Robert Fairrington and juice master general Chas Trowbridge. The two talk about Trabuco Vapors’ origins, the company’s juices, the tobacco extraction method behind the juices, the company’s sweet mod holders, and more.

Trabuco Vapors