Vaping Diaries #76: Fancee Juice Review

Recently, I vaped three sweet e-liquids from Fancee Juice — Peppered ChocoMint, Pina Clouda, and MeeseTracks. The company claims that these juices are “hand crafted here in Michigan with USA made ingredients.” The juices I tried had a nice, moderate sweetness that let individual flavors and richness shine. As someone that dislikes cloying, in-your-face sweetness, I really appreciated Fancee Juice’s approach. These e-liquids are more “gourmet dessert” than “candy.”

In addition to serving up quality juices, Fancee Juice’s packaging is another extraordinary aspect of the company. The 30ml bottles in my order came in glass, the bottles were covered in cardboard tubes that were tied with string, and the box was lined with an artificial hay-like material. The packaging protects the bottles nicely and gives the goods a classy touch. As far as combining top-notch protection and charming presentation, Alice in Vapeland is the only vendor I’ve used that uses packaging comparable to Fancee Juice.

All three juices vaped cleanly, making them suitable for carto/tank, clearomizer, and dripping atomizer users. While I enjoyed the flavor and sweetness level of these juices, people that want more sweetness can opt for extra flavor. These e-liquids cost $19.99 for a 30ml bottle, making them slightly more expensive than most online vendors, but I think the price is worth it for many vapers. The juices are flavorful, well made, and come in fantastic packaging. Now onto the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Peppered ChocoMint: This is a blend of chocolate and peppermint. I’ve had a lot of bad chocolate e-liquids since I’ve been vaping; it’s one of those flavors that many vendors botch. The chocolate in this juice is really good — definitely one of the better ones I’ve tried. Combined with the peppermint, you get a flavor similar to an Andes Candies chocolate or a York Peppermint Patty. The blend was right in my wheelhouse, with plenty of flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. While the flavor combination is simple and straightforward, it would have been easy to mess up the mixture. For what I like, Fancee Juice did a good job the balance.

Pina Clouda: Based on the popular cocktail, this juice was more of a “pineapple and cream” than a “pina colada” to me. It’s certainly a tasty e-liquid, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. The pineapple and cream flavors dominate, while a little bit of coconut is in the background. I didn’t taste any rum at all. I would have preferred a little bit more coconut flavor and a nice rum kick. That said, I think a lot of people would enjoy this one, but to me it tasted more like Dole Whip than a pina colada cocktail.

MeeseTracks: This was my favorite of the bunch. I really enjoyed the delicious, Nutella-like flavor of this juice. Again, I’ve had lots of gnarly chocolate e-liquids in the past, so I really appreciated Fancee Juice’s chocolate flavor. Combined with the hazelnut flavor, MeeseTracks made for a rich and savory vape, with just the right amount of sweetness. Similar to Peppered ChocoMint, it would have been really easy to use the ingredients in this juice to create an unbalanced flavor that assaults your tastebuds with sweetness. Instead, Fancee Juice served up an e-liquid that lets you taste and enjoy the different flavors in the mix.

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method starting December 27, 2012. When the e-liquids arrive, I leave them uncapped for five minutes. Previously, I left them uncapped for about two days. After the liquids are given a few minutes to oxidize, the caps are put back on. The bottles are shaken every day for at least two weeks before vaping.

Peppered ChocoMint
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Born On: March 2, 2013
Uncapped: March 9, 2013 5:33PM
Vaped: May 24-31, 2013

Pina Clouda
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Born On: March 2, 2013
Uncapped: March 9, 2013 5:33PM
Vaped: May 24-31, 2013

MeeseTracks
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Born On: March 2, 2013
Uncapped: March 9, 2013 5:33PM
Vaped: May 24-31, 2013

Review Process (Updated February 17, 2013)
RPad.TV e-liquid reviews focus on the flavor of the e-liquids, since throat hit and vapor production can be altered by the PG/VG ratio and nicotine level selected. Each juice is vaped over a period of days in an atomizer, a cartomizer/tank setup, and a clearomizer. The exception is naturally-extracted tobacco (NET) juice; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.

When Kobe Unfollowed Dwight on Twitter

There are many things that I love about social media. It’s awesome how it connects people. It’s great that it gives fans a way to interact with celebrities. It’s also amusing to see it used when friendships go sour. In the San Francisco Bay Area tech community, it was common for squabbling people to unfollow each other on Twitter or defriend each other on Facebook. It’s brilliant that professional athletes are doing the same thing.

As many of you know, Dwight Howard left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets. Shortly after the news broke, Laker legend Kobe Bryant unfollowed Howard on Twitter. That’s frickin’ awesome! It’s such a nerdy way to make a statement. I love it!!! There are many ways to read into the situation. Some are dismissing it as pettiness on Bryant’s part. Others believe that it’s a way for one of the most insanely competitive players in the NBA to tell another player that he doesn’t matter anymore.

What’s your take on Kobe Bryant unfollowing Dwight Howard on Twitter?

Awesome iOS Games For Free!

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of the App Store, a number of excellent apps are free for a limited time. The freebies include some incredible games for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. BadlandInfinity Blade II, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EPTiny WingsTiny Wings HD, and Where’s My Water can be had for a grand total of $0.00. Go download them now!

Notable non-gaming freebies include Barefoot World Atlas and Traktor DJ.

If you come across any other fine iOS freebies, kindly post them in the comments section.

Jay-Z Disses Scott Boras on Magna Carta Holy Grail

Rappers insulting other rappers is a hip-hop staple. The “dis track” has been used to emasculate rivals, create controversy, and increase record sales. Normally, the insults are between rival hip-hop artists or crews. Jay-Z is the first artist that I know of that has used one of his tracks to insult a sports agent. As many of you know, Jay-Z recently created Roc Nation Sports and has started representing athletes. His clients include Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the song “Crown” from his upcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay-Z has a line for renowned super agent Scott Boras:

Scott Boras, you over baby.
Robinson Cano, you coming with me.

Yeah, it’s not the hardest hitting dis ever recorded, but it funny that Jay-Z went after Boras in a track…though I’m not sure it was necessary. Jay-Z already stole Cano from Boras as a client. Did he really need to rub it in or reinforce the point? Furthermore, Boras has a long list of clients and is responsible for some of the richest contracts in sports. I don’t think he’ll be hurting for business any time soon. All he has to do is point to the ridiculous contracts he’s gotten for Alex Rodriguez and new clients will sign.

Anyway, I hope this becomes a trend. Hip-hop artists dissing suits is funny. I heard the Nelly has beef with one of his accountants. Hopefully a dis track is in order.

Source

Vaping Diaries #75: Vapor Stands Pie Slice Review

A couple of months ago, I wrote about Vapor Stands, a new Californian company that makes handmade e-cigarette holders. For the last few weeks, I’ve been using the company’s Pie Slice stand. This is a custom job that can be made with your choice of cherrywood, oak, or walnut. It can hold up to six vaping devices, with holes cut for your specific mods. The Pie Slice covered in this review uses all three woods and has holes for five mods.

After the wood is cut, it’s sanded to a super-smooth finish. After that, it’s coated with three layers of polyurethane for glossiness, protection, and durability. The looks are gorgeous and the craftsmanship is fantastic. The Pie Slice looks great in an office, the living room, and anywhere else you vape. When people visit my office, it’s often the first thing that catches their eye. It’s an attractive piece of woodwork.

Four of the five holes on this particular Pie Slice were cut for fairly standard-sized mods. The other hole was cut specifically for an Alt Smoke Silver Bullet, which is larger than normal. Vapor Stands cut the holes perfectly and even contacted a few of the manufacturers to verify the proper size. The bottom of the holes are covered with felt, so that the mods have a soft base to sit on.

The Vapor Stands Pie Slice is a great American vaping product. It’s a gorgeous stand that’s extremely well made and backed by great customer service. $55 is a reasonable price for a custom handmade stand that’s crafted in the USA. If you appreciate woodwork and want a handsome stand for your vaping devices then I highly recommend this product.

Links: Vapor Stands Official Site

Motorola X Advertisement Boasts Assembled in the USA

While most of the products we buy are made in China, there has been a shift to make (or at least assemble) more goods in America. Apple’s Mac Pro (Texas), Nissan’s Leaf electric car (Tennessee), and a few Lenovo computers (North Carolina) are some of the products that are now being assembled in the USA. You can add Google’s Motorola X phone to the list. The company is on a media blitz that capitalizes on the Fourth of July holiday and proudly states that the Motorola X is, “Designed by you. Assembled in the USA.” Check out the spot below and share your feelings on the Motorola X and other products that are made in America.

In the past, I’ve mentioned that I’d love to buy more made-in-the-USA products. I’m hoping (probably naively) that the Motorola X ends up being an awesome product that’s made in the USA. I’d love to rock a phone like that. How about you?

ESPN Switching to Facebook Comments: Do You Care?

Starting July 17, 2013, ESPN.com will switching all of its articles to Facebook’s commenting system. The site previously used Facebook comments for some of its stories and an in-house system for the majority of its articles. With the new system, readers will be required to have a Facebook account if they want to comment on a story. I know that most of you RPadholics are sports fans and that most of you are on Facebook, so I’m curious to hear what you think about the change. I also know that at least one dear RPadholic (*cough* 1ceman *cough*) is a sports fan that’s averse to social media services. I wonder if this will be a problem (for him).

As for me, I’m looking forward to the change. While there are some great conversations to be had on ESPN.com, there are also a ton of idiots posting hateful and racist comments. One of the reasons web sites like Facebook’s commenting system is that there’s less anonymity; most people use their “real” Facebook account to post comments on web sites that use Facebook comments. Of course there are some people that set up fake Facebook identities so that they can post stupid comments on web sites that use Facebook’s commenting system…but I suppose if it means that much to them then they should get something for their efforts. *shrug*

Anyway, how do you feel about ESPN.com’s full-on switch to the Facebook commenting system? Is it a good move or a bad move? Are you more or less likely to comment on an ESPN.com article now that it uses Facebook comments?

Vaping Diaries #74: Best Vaping E-Liquids of 2013 (Thus Far)

Since half the year is over, I wanted to use this column to talk about some of the best e-liquids I’ve tried in 2013. While most of these juices aren’t new, they were all new to me. Most of them have been reviewed in previous Vaping Diaries columns, while a few of them will be reviewed in the near future. Given my love for NET (naturally extracted tobacco) e-liquids, it wasn’t surprising that most of my favorites used real tobacco. However, a few synthetics and one dessert flavor made the list. Janty’s DK RY4 is considered by many to be the original RY4 and I’ve yet to taste a synthetic RY4 that’s as good. Five Pawns’ Gambit is ridiculously complex. As for the rest, here’s my list:

  1. Peachy Criminal (Ahlusion) — A mild but complex tobacco accompanied by Ahlusion’s delicious, natural peach flavor
  2. Honey Cured (Ahlusion) — A striking blend of strong, authentic tobacco and a bright honey sweetness
  3. Vurley (Ahlusion) — A delicious burley tobacco complemented perfectly by sweet vanilla
  4. Gambit (Five Pawns) — Easily the most complex dessert vape I’ve ever had
  5. Louisville (Want2Vape) — A delicious burley tobacco with a slight, slight touch of sweetness
  6. Patriot (Goodejuice) — Burley boldness, distinct perique, and sweet cavendish make up this delightful tobacco blend
  7. GJ4 (Goodejuice) — The classic RY4 formula with an authentic tobacco “oomph”
  8. DK RY4 (Janty) — Often copied, but never duplicated, this is the best synthetic RY4 I’ve ever had
  9. Full Virginia Flake (Mountain Oak Vapors) — A NET RY4 that emphasizes sweetness, but with authentic tobacco in the background
  10. Organic RY4 (Orb Vapor) — An atypical RY4 that’s given a nice twist through hazelnut and French vanilla flavorings

Coffee Talk #594: Your Favorite Game of 2013 (Thus Far)

Half of 2013 is over and I want to hear about your favorite game of the year (thus far). Were you enthralled by BioShock Infinite? Were you captivated by Lara Croft’s return in Tomb Raider? Perhaps Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch brought you a slice of gaming heaven. I know that some of you are down on The Last of Us, but it has been getting rave reviews, so maybe the game is working for some of you? Please talk about the best game you’ve played this year in the comments section.

As for my choice…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, how The Rock satisfies his women, the Dwight Howard Greg Oden sweepstakes, or 4th of July sales like the excellent Bastion for iOS currently costing 99 cents, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Half of 2013 is over and I want to hear about your favorite game of the year (thus far). Were you enthralled by BioShock Infinite? Were you captivated by Lara Croft’s return in Tomb Raider? Perhaps Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch brought you a slice of gaming heaven. I know that some of you are down on The Last of Us, but it has been getting rave reviews, so maybe the game is working for some of you? Please talk about the best game you’ve played this year in the comments section.

As for my choice, it’s an oldie but a goodie. Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for OS X was old-school RPG bliss for me. The original is one of my all-time favorites (played through the frickin’ thing 18 times) and it was nice to experience it again with updated elements. The enhanced version of the game brought improved graphics, new characters, and gameplay improvements from the sequel (class kits!) to the mix. It was everything I loved from the first time around, with a few bells and whistled that improved the overall experience. I’ve played through the BGEE multiple times with multiple characters. So yeah, I kind of loved it and it was easily the most satisfying gaming experience I’ve had in 2013 (thus far).

Now it’s your turn! Kindly talk about your game of the (half) year in the comments section!