Vaping Diaries #225: Ahlusion Review X

For my tenth Ahlusion review, I’ve chosen a trio of coffee and tea e-liquids. These aren’t straight-up, run-of-the-mill coffee and tea juices. Two of them add complementary flavors to coffee, making for unique and complex vapes. The other is the most striking tea e-liquid I’ve ever tried. All three are high-quality juices that you should take a look at if you’re into coffee or tea flavors. Read on for more details on Ahlusion’s JG Blend, Masala Chai, and Boba Tea with Coffee.

JG Blend: Ahlusion makes some of the best tobacco e-liquids on the market. It also makes some great coffee e-liquids. With that in mind, I had high expectations for this coffee-tobacco blend…and my expectations were absolutely met. Like Ahlusion’s other non-aromatic juices, the tobacco in JG Blend is light, but flavorful. The coffee flavor is one of the best I’ve tried (keep in mind that I’m a huge coffee nerd). There are a lot of coffee-tobacco juices on the market and if you’re looking for one in the light to medium range, JG Blend is one of the best you can buy. Like many of my favorite Ahlusion e-liquids, it’s a flavorful mix that’s not overpowering and something I’ll definitely order again.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Masala Chai: “Adult” is a great word for this Ahlusion e-liquid. It doesn’t taste like an overly sweet chai latte that you’d order at Starbucks or Coffee Bean. This is an authentic and complex chai tea. I can’t stress that enough; the popularity of chai lattes at places like Starbucks has given people a “dessert” image of chai. Ahlusion’s Masala Chai is absolutely not a dessert vape.

Having said that, the flavor is remarkable, but divisive. I very much enjoyed its combination of earthiness, spiciness, and sweetness, but if you’re used to artificial or candied juices then Masala Chai might be too much for you. It’s definitely one of the most unique e-liquids I’ve tried, but it’s certainly not for everyone. It’s rich and complex, but doesn’t assault your tastebuds. Depending on your palette, you’ll either find this juice to be delicious or you’ll find it too foreign. At the very least, Masala Chai stands out from other tea e-liquids with a truly distinct flavor.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Boba Tea with Coffee: Raina and I reviewed Ahlusion’s plain Boba Tea early last year. Both of us enjoyed the e-liquid, but felt there was something missing. To my tastebuds, Boba Tea with Coffee is tastier than the plain version. The different flavors come together for a delicious dessert vape. You get the sweet and creamy milk tea complemented by a tasty and pleasantly bitter (slightly) coffee. I order milk tea with coffee at boba shops and this e-liquid does a good job of approximating that flavor, but is really delicious if you think of it as its own thing. While I enjoyed Ahlusion’s plain Boba Tea, adding coffee to the mix cuts down on the sweetness of boba (a bit much for what I enjoy) with some earthiness and bitterness. The complex combination of flavors totally worked for me and this is a juice that I will order again in the future.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG\

Ahlusion JG Blend, Masala Chai, Boba Tea Coffee

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of 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.

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 a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Vaping Diaries #211: Ahlusion Review IX

It’s Ahlusion review time, once again. This time around, I vaped a trio of juices from this outstanding e-liquid company. Two of them were naturally-extracted tobacco e-liquids rounded out by sweet flavors. The other featured extracted tea accompanied by vanilla. One of the juices floored me after a month of steeping, while I enjoyed the others, but didn’t love them as much as other Ahlusion juices I’ve had in the past. Here are my tasting notes on Shipwreck, Caramel Wild Wood, and Vanilla Black Tea.

Shipwreck: This is one of the most unique naturally-extracted tobacco juices I’ve tried, but it’s not among my favorites from Ahlusion. That said, it’s unique flavor is something I crave every now and then. Shipwreck features a light tobacco base accompanied by coconut and lime. In some ways, the tobacco and coconut combine for a richness that reminds me a bit of Five Pawns’ Castle Long. Of course Castle Long doesn’t feature tobacco, so they’re distinctly different juices. The lime rounds out the blend nicely, giving Shipwreck a citrus top note. The juice is lightly sweet (my personal preference) and the tobacco is, of course, great. Compared to the tobacco e-liquids I see at most retail shops, Shipwreck is a superior juice. Compared to the many outstanding tobacco juices Ahlusion offers, Shipwreck is really enjoyable, but not among my favorites.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Caramel Wild Wood: My favorite e-liquid in this Ahlusion review, Caramel Wild Wood features a medium tobacco base accompanied by a rich caramel flavor. Out of the mail, the caramel was too strong for me; it’s a great flavor that reminded me of Ahlusion’s Gold Member, but I wanted more tobacco out of the juice. After a month of steeping…wow. The tobacco becomes more prominent and the blend is outstanding. There are a lot of caramel tobacco e-liquids on the market, but few of them are in the same league as Caramel Wild Wood. The tobacco is fantastic — more distinct (to my palette) than Ahlusion’s House Blend and Tree River Blend tobaccos — and the caramel is marvelous. This is a juice that I will definitely order again in the future and only in big bottles. If you’re a tobacco fan with a sweet tooth then you’ll love Caramel Wild Wood.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Vanilla Black Tea: This Ahlusion juice is a mix of extracted black tea flavor and the company’s excellent vanilla. On paper, it seemed like a juice I would love. In real life, it’s something I merely liked. Initially, the vanilla was much stronger than what I was hoping for. After a month of steeping, the sweetness backed off and the tea was more pronounced, but still not as much as I’d like. The black tea flavor is excellent — rich and slightly bitter (in that pleasant way). I wanted much more of the black tea flavor out of this juice. Vanilla Black Tea is certainly a very good juice and much better than most of the tea e-liquids on the market, but the balance didn’t quite work for me. I would order this juice again, but make a request to go heavy on the black tea and light on the vanilla.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Ahlusion Caramel Wild Wood Review

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of 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.

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 a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Vaping Diaries #172: Ahlusion Review VIII

Here’s a review of three very different e-liquids from Ahlusion. Orient Whisper is a complex fruit blend that really stands out. Next is Ahlusion’s excellent take on cherry cola. Wrapping things up is Sahara Blend, one of the best juices I vaped in 2013. As with the other Ahlusion e-liquids I’ve had, the flavors are delicious, natural, and masterfully blended. Read on to see if these three excellent Ahlusion juices are right for you.

Orient Whisper: A lovely fruit mix with lychee as the highlight, Ahlusion Orient Whisper is moderately sweet, creamy, and a little bit tangy. There are many tropical fruit blends on the market, but this one stands out. Orient Whisper is a unique and complex fruit medley that’s full of natural flavors. It has a thickness about it that reminded me a bit of The Vape Tree’s Pinoy Punch, but with a different blend of fruits. As lychee is one of my favorite fruits in the world, I adored this juice.

Orient Whisper blends wonderfully after two weeks of steeping. Early on, the bright and sweet lychee stands out. After two months, it starts to fade, with the creamy and citrus notes becoming more pronounced. For me, it was best after two weeks and before eight.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Cherry Cola: Apparently cherries are a big deal in Michigan, where Ahlusion is based. It shows in the company’s Cherry Cola e-liquid. The cola and cherry flavors are very rich and authentic, with a slightly spicy bite. The blend tastes very much like a gourmet cherry cola, as opposed to generic Cherry Coke. While this is one of the sweetest Ahlusion juices I’ve had, the sweetness isn’t overpowering (a common e-liquid mistake). Objectively, this is one of the best cherry cola juices I’ve had. Subjectively, I prefer Clever Vape’s Brooklyn Pop, which has a much spicier kick. That said, I think that more vapers would prefer this juice.

Steeping this one is a little bit tricky. It’s really good fresh and great after two weeks. Early on, Ahlusion Cherry Cola has a fizzy sensation, similar to the one in the company’s W&A Sasparilla. It’s a very pleasant and unique thing, but it fades with time. My recommendation is to steep this juice for two weeks and finish it all before six. Carto/tank and clearomizer users should keep in mind that the scent and flavor of this juice tends to stick, particularly the scent. A thorough rinse and long alcohol soak will remove traces of the juice. Users of rebuildable atomizers will have an easier time, since they can just torch the flavor and scent remnants away.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Sahara Blend: This was my favorite new juice of 2013. It’s a fantastic blend of Turkish and Virginia tobaccos. While it does have some flavor that’s reminiscent of the numerous artificial Turkish tobacco e-liquids on the market, it has far more complexity than any of those juices. Sahara Blend is spicy, sweet, and dry all at the same time. It’s a truly wonderful mix that I can’t get enough of. I quickly vaped through my 60ml review both and have consumed nearly 200ml of this excellent juice.

Sahara Blend is good when fresh, but six weeks of steeping really beings out the complexity. It’s sweeter early on, while the dry and spicy flavors become more pronounced over time. I highly recommend waiting for the juice to develop a pinkish hue before vaping it. When it becomes pinkish, Sahara Blend is divine.

Ahlusion Review Sahara Blend

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of 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.

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 a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Vaping Diaries #165: Top 10 E-Liquids of 2013

Since the year is wrapping up, I thought it would be a great time to look back and think about the many juices I vaped in 2013. Below is a list of the top 10 e-liquids of 2013, but there are several things I’d like you to keep in mind. While most of the juices on the list are 2013 releases, there are some older releases that are simply new to my tastebuds. Obviously this list is completely subjective. The e-liquids I enjoy the most are made with naturally-extracted tobacco or are complex blends. Just because I’m enamored with these juices doesn’t mean that they’ll be instant hits for you. Lastly, I’d love to hear about your top 10 e-liquids of 2013 (or however many you’d like to post). Kindly take a moment and share your favorite juices of the year in the comments section. Now onto the list!

  1. Sahara Blend (Ahlusion) — This a brilliant mix of Turkish and Virginia tobaccos. What I love about this juice is that there’s so much going on. It’s sweet, spicy, and dry all at the same time. While I’ve had Turkish blends that have similar qualities to this juice, none of them can match Sahara Blend’s complexity. The excellent flavor and complexity have it first on my top 10 e-liquids of 2013 list. After vaping my review bottle (review will be filmed soon!), I’ve ordered a few 60ml refills. That’s how much I enjoy this one.
  2. Honey Cured (Ahlusion) — This juice is a masterful blend of bold tobacco and bright honey sweetness. As with the other Ahlusion aromatics, the tobacco is authentic and stronger than what most companies offer. The honey sweetness is strong and true, and perfectly complemented by the flavorful tobacco. I’m always amazed by the stellar balance Ahlusion achieves with so many of its juices. This is a sterling example of that. Full review here.
  3. Gambit (Five Pawns) — There are a ton of apple pie e-liquids on the market, but this is the most remarkable one that I’ve vaped. The complexity is off the charts. You can taste the apple, vanilla, crust, and cream. I haven’t had an apple pie juice this good and it would take an extraordinary blend to top it — Gambit (the Five Pawns juice, not the pansy Cajun Marvel superhero) is just amazing stuff. Full review here.
  4. Castle Long Reserve (Five Pawns) — A limited-edition release, I was lucky enough to get two bottles of the first batch of this juice. It’s stellar. Like Gambit, the complexity is amazing. You can make out the coconut, toasted almond, and vanilla flavors, as well as a touch of oak. I’ve heard from several friends that the second release of this juice is a tad different and not quite as good. That means that I’ll savor every last drop of the original Castle Long Reserve that I have left. Full review here.
  5. Lychee (Bamskilicious) — This juice was given a shout-out by Ricky from Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors during our Vapetoberfest 2013 interview. I bought a 10ml at a local shop to try it out…and have probably picked up around 200ml since then. As an Asian-American, I’ve consumed a lot of lychee (both canned and fresh). It’s one of my favorite fruits in the world and this juice replicates the flavor of canned lychee perfectly. In fact, I’m vaping some in my Russian atomizer as I type this.
  6. Gold Member (Ahlusion) — It took a month of steeping for it to become great, but this dessert juice ended up being exactly what I wanted. A few years ago, salted caramel desserts were the rage in Los Angeles. This juice lets me enjoy that outstanding flavor without the calories. That’s a complete win! Full review here.
  7. Banyan Tree (The Vape Tree) — This company was started by a fine gentlemen that I met on ECF. Initially, this was my second-favorite juice of his, but now I like it best. The flavor is unique and complex — a rich bakery-type vape complemented nicely by tobacco. The sweetness of the multiple dessert flavors is wonderfully cut by the earthiness of the tobacco. Full review here.
  8. Americano Ciambella (P.O.E.T.) — Another complex vape, I was intrigued by this juice’s description when I chatted with POET CEO Randy Freer at ECC 2013. Maple is the dominant flavor, and it’s complemented by coffee and subtle tobacco notes. Randy described it as his morning drive — eating a maple bar, drinking a cup of coffee, and smoking a cigarette on the way to work. While I rarely drive, the combination, complexity, and wonderfully subtle background notes made this one a winner for me.
  9. Grant’s Vanilla Custard — To be completely honest, I didn’t want to love this juice. Through no fault of the creator, it’s ridiculously overhyped. Some of the reasons are that it’s difficult to obtain and opportunistic people flip bottles of it for double the cost (or more). While I abhor the “flipper” aspect of this juice (again, not the creator’s fault), I’ve come to really enjoy this excellent custard e-liquid. It’s sweet and rich, with the perfect amount of eggy flavor (for me). While I maintain that it’s overhyped, there’s a reason why this is the vanilla custard juice that all other vanilla custard juices are compared to. And yeah, I’ve gone through 100ml of this stuff and have 200ml steeping.
  10. Pinoy Punch (The Vape Tree) — This one got me attention with its awesome name and kept it with its use of mangosteen. Another one of my favorite fruits, mangosteen is awesome and rarely found in e-liquids. This blend also uses other tropical fruits and has a thick texture that I really enjoyed. But, it’s the mangosteen that made this one of my top 10 e-liquids of 2013. Full review here.

Now it’s your turn! Kindly share your top 10 e-liquids of 2013 in the comments section when you have a chance. I’d love to see your picks. I’m hoping to see some juices I’ve never heard of or haven’t considered. Perhaps I’ll review some of your picks in 2014. Fire away (please)! If you’re interested in my vaping gear picks, then check out my top 10 vaping devices of 2013 list.

Vaping Diaries #164: Ahlusion Review VII

Here’s a review of three juices from my favorite e-liquid company, Ahlusion. This time around, I cover a trio of juices that will appeal to vapers with a sweet tooth and to tobacco lovers. Gold Member is a relatively new addition to Ahlusion’s lineup, giving the company a salted-caramel offering. Vecchio Blend is a delicious vanilla tobacco. Last, it Gold Rising, which is a curious juice with an unusual quality that some vapers will love and some vapers will hate.

Gold Member: Out of the mailbox, this salted caramel e-liquid was just okay for me. When fresh, it has a “toasty” quality that I didn’t care for. It spoiled the overall balance of the juice, but with some steeping…man oh man, this became another Ahlusion juice that I love. The toasty quality fell into the background after about a month of steeping, allowing me to enjoy a rich caramel that’s wonderfully complemented by saltiness. Salted caramel desserts were the rage in Los Angeles in 2011-2012 and this juice allows me to enjoy that flavor without the calories. I especially enjoyed this juice using a sub-ohm setup in an Aqua atomizer; the dual coils made Gold Member a delicious hot dessert treat.

On a side note, while I became a big fan of this juice after a month of steeping, I’m still weirded out by having the salted caramel taste in my mouth without the salty sensation on my tongue. It confuses my simple brain.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Vecchio Blend: This non-aromatic tobacco e-liquid takes a light tobacco (and I mean light by Ahlusion’s standards) and mixes it with a lovely vanilla bean flavor. I enjoyed this juice fresh, but absolutely adored it after a month of steeping. When fresh, the vanilla is a bit more pronounced. After some steeping, the blend was perfect for me. The fantastic and authentic vanilla bean flavor is pleasantly sweet without dominating the light and authentic tobacco. One of my favorite qualities of several Ahlusion juices is how the flavors blend together perfectly. Vecchio Blend (after steeping) is another great example of this.

Out of the three juices in this review, Vecchio Blend was my favorite. I quickly went through my 30ml review bottle and have ordered a 60ml bottle since then. This is a fantastic vanilla tobacco e-liquid and I highly recommend it.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Gold Rising: Curious is the word that best describes this honey-tobacco juice. The description lists it as Ahlusion’s take on the original RY4. I’ve had some of the original RY4 out of the creator’s freezer and this juice doesn’t taste anything like that. Some have speculated that this is, perhaps, a take on the original Ruyan 4, since it has some qualities similar to Chinese tobacco e-liquids. Just be warned that this doesn’t taste like a typical Asian or Western RY4 juice.

What it does taste like is a solid honey tobacco. The sweetness of the honey and bite of the tobacco come together nicely. Also in the mix is a pungent quality that’s very much a love or hate thing. People that enjoy this juice will dig the funkiness of the flavor, while people that hate it will be thinking about urine. (Actually, I know a guy that enjoys this juice and still equates it with urine. Hi Jerms!)

Personally, I liked this juice but didn’t love it. Most of the time I enjoyed it enough, but there were times when it made me think, “This is…strange.” For a honey tobacco, I greatly preferred Ahlusion’s Honey Cured over Gold Member. Since Honey Cured is an aromatic, the tobacco is much stronger and for me the honey-tobacco blend is tastier.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Ahlusion Vecchio Blend

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of 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.

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 a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Vaping Diaries #89: Ahlusion Review VI

Ahlusion’s aromatic e-liquids are some of the best tobacco juices you can buy. Made with naturally-extracted tobacco, these e-liquids are fantastic for vapers looking for authentic and complex tobacco flavors. In the past, I’ve covered Ahlusion’s Blue Grass Burley, Devil Dog!, Vurley, and Honey Cured aromatics. This time around I vaped Cocoa Blend, Maple Burley, and Sweet Georgia Peach.

These flavored aromatics behaved similarly. The striking tobacco hits your first and is complemented wonderfully by the secondary flavor. These juices are heavy and not recommended for carto/tanks (the coils will gunk up fast). Dripping gives you more of the tobacco flavor (my personal preference), while vaping in a Kanger T3 clearomizer brought out the sweetness of the complementary flavor. Keep in mind that when using a clearomizer, you’ll have to rinse and dry-burn the coils more frequently. Unlike many made-to-order e-liquids, the aromatic line doesn’t require steeping and is ready to go right from the mailbox.

As with my previous Ahlusion orders, these juices were immaculately packed. As far as protection goes, the company does the best packing job I’ve seen. As for the e-liquids themselves — they’re fantastic! The tobacco flavor is superb and the complementary flavor blends in marvelously. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Cocoa Blend: This juice took me by surprise, due to my own ignorance. I’ve had a lot of bad chocolate e-liquids, but this one uses cocoa, not chocolate. My friend Andrew let me try some of his Cocoa Blend and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The cocoa has a nice bittersweet flavor that works brilliantly with the Virginia and burley tobaccos used in this juice. The outstanding tobacco blend’s earthy tones are highlighted by the bittersweet cocoa. The flavors mix together perfectly for a deep and authentic tobacco vape with a lovely bittersweet touch.

Maple Burley: I was expecting something different from this e-liquid. I thought it would be more like Vurley, which has a deep burley tobacco taste and a brightly sweet vanilla flavor. With Maple Burley, the tobacco is the dominant flavor, while a natural maple sugar flavor is in the background. I’m a big fan of Ahlusion’s maple sugar flavor; it’s sweet, but not in that artificial maple-syrup way. Although the mix wasn’t what I expected, this ended being my favorite of the three. Burley is one of my favorite tobaccos (for e-liquids) and the maple sugar flavor is delicious.

Sweet Georgia Peach: A few of my vaping friends are totally high on this juice and it’s easy to understand why. As expected from an Ahlusion aromatic, the tobacco flavor is phenomenal. What’s really interesting is the peach flavor. Most peach e-liquids use a flavor that’s similar to a Peach Gummi candy or a natural, fresh peach. Ahlusion’s peach is distinct; it’s natural, but more like a dried peach than a fresh peach. It works incredibly well with the tobacco flavor. This juice is an amazing approximation of peach pipe tobacco. It’s wonderfully executed, with a perfect blend of striking tobacco and a unique (and yummy) peach flavor.

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.

Cocoa Blend
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: May 31, 2013 6:32PM
Vaped: June 24-July 16, 2013

Maple Burley
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: May 31, 2013 6:32PM
Vaped: June 25-July 16, 2013

Sweet Georgia Peach
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: May 31, 2013 6:32PM
Vaped: June 23-July 16, 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.

Vaping Diaries #73: Ahlusion Review V

Here’s a review of three dessert juices from one of my favorite e-liquid companies in the world, Ahlusion. In addition to making some of the best tobacco, fruit, beverage, and dessert e-liquids I’ve tried, Ahlusion’s customer service and packaging are top notch. While I really appreciate those aspects of the company, it all comes down to the juice and these three range from very good to great.

The flavors reviewed this time around are Pralines and Cream, Rick’s Request (rice pudding), and Maple Dream. All three are clean vapes that work fine with any juice delivery system. Two of them are very sweet, while one is moderately sweet. In general, I dislike overly sweet juices, unless they have complexity. These three juices definitely fit that bill. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Pralines and Cream: This is a really sweet juice based on the classic New Orleans praline recipe of pecans, sugar, and cream. At the time I ordered this juice, an almond option was available for those that prefer French pralines. I found the juice to be very sweet, but some of my friends thought it wasn’t quite sweet enough for a true NOLA pralines taste. I really enjoyed the blend of nuttiness, creaminess, and sweetness in this juice. While it wasn’t one of the best Ahlusion juices I’ve had, it was very good and much better than most juices out there. Unfortunately, this juice has been taken off the menu. I’m hoping that Ahlusion brings it back with an even better formula.

Rick’s Request: This is a rice pudding e-liquid that was named after an Ahlusion customer. It’s a very rich and creamy juice that’s probably the most polarizing of the three in this review. Some of my friends loved it, while some thought it was too perfumey or had a taste reminiscent of potpourri. I really enjoyed this one. It didn’t quite taste like rice pudding to me — more like several elements of rice pudding. It’s a delicious blend of cream, cinnamon, and a moderately sweet raisin flavor. It’s definitely one of the more unique juices I’ve tried this year. One thing to keep in mind is that Rick’s Request should get a long steep. The smell started to change at the five-week mark and my dripping tests showed that the flavor started to bloom (for me) shortly after that. Some people I know let this juice steep for four months before enjoying it.

Maple Dream: Unsurprisingly, this was my favorite juice of the bunch. I’ve enjoyed Ahlusion’s maple flavoring in Maple House Blend and I’m currently enjoying it in Maple Burley. This is a sweet and bright juice, with a nice, creamy undertone. When a lot of people hear maple, they think of maple syrup. That’s not what you’re getting here. This is a natural and flavorful maple sugar flavor. For me, this wasn’t quite as sweet as Pralines and Cream, but sweeter than Rick’s Request. As I’m partial to Ahlusion’s unique maple flavor, I found this juice to be delicious.

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.

Pralines & Cream
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: May 16-23, 2013

Rick’s Request
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: May 16-23, 2013

Maple Dream
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: May 16-23, 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.

Vaping Diaries #58: Cafe Ahlusion Opens This Week

Ahlusion is one of my favorite e-liquid vendors in the vaping business and I’m thrilled that the company is opening its cafe this week. In addition to being able to hang out and enjoy some of the best e-liquids around, you’ll be able to enjoy beverages made with the same ingredients as the juices. For example, the company has a sasparilla beverage based on its unique and delicious W&A Sasparilla e-liquid. The site also states, “Don’t be surprised to find some of our actual flavors on our site also avialable in coffee, tea, smoothie or juice form.”

As an added bonus, you’ll be able to watch some RPadTV Vaping Diaries video reviews starring Raina Lee and me. I’m sure that customers will enjoy staring at the super-cute Raina and I’m also sure that I’ll scare some customers away. Ha! Seriously though, I feel honored that Ahlusion’s Wlad and Alley are playing my videos at Cafe Ahlusion. Check out the two photos in the article featuring my reviews. Hopefully I’ll make it out to Swartz Creek, MI some time in 2013, enjoy Cafe Ahlusion, and interview Wlad. It sounds like a brilliant trip — exquisite e-liquids, a cool cafe, and chatting with a true master of vaping juices.

Vaping Diaries #57: Ahlusion Review IV

Ah, another Ahlusion review. These are always fun to do because the company is so good. My excellent friend Glenda was over this week and tried some of the Ahlusion goods I had. She had a moment that reminded me of one of Alan Rickman’s lines in Bottle Shock; she got quiet after vaping them and said, “All these Ahlusion juices…are…so good!”  Anyway, back to the review. This time around I vaped the company’s Boba Tea with Lychee, Honey Cured, and Peachy Criminal. Two of the e-liquids were outstanding — easily two of the best I’ve had in 2013. The other was good, but not what I was expecting. Here are the breakdowns and steeping notes.

Boba Tea with Lychee: Raina and I covered plain Boba Tea in January and enjoyed it. I had high hopes for this juice, since I often order boba with lychee in real life. As far as the lychee flavor goes, it’s spot on — very clean and flavorful. Unfortunately, there’s too much of it. It drowns out the milk tea flavor associated with boba. The milky sweetness that I like in plain Boba Tea is overpowered by the lychee, making this juice more like Lychee with Boba Tea than Boba Tea with Lychee. While this juice was definitely well made, the flavor wasn’t quite what I wanted or expected.

The good news is that Ahlusion has changed the formula from when I ordered the juice. The company says that it should be more balanced out now. Considering that the majority of my Ahlusion experiences have been fantastic, I’m willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt and will revisit the flavor in a future review.

Honey Cured: This juice is part of Ahlusion’s phenomenal aromatic line of tobacco e-liquids, which includes two of my favorite tobacco e-liquids: Blue Grass Burley and Vurley. Like those two fine juices, I absolutely love this one, but it’s a little bit different than its sisters. For people intimidated by the aromatic line, this is a great starter juice since it’s not as bold as the others. It’s still way more flavorful than the majority of tobacco e-liquids on the market, but the somewhat lighter tobacco combined with the sweet honey taste makes it more approachable than the other aromatics I’ve enjoyed.

As for the honey flavor itself, its very sweet and natural-tasting. Normally, I don’t enjoy e-liquids that are too sweet, but this one is amazingly well balanced. The strength and complexity of the tobacco combines with the bright honey sweetness perfectly. I’m often amazed by how masterful Ahlusion is with blending flavors. Honey Cured is another example of why the company is better than the vast majority of its competitors. Like the other aromatic juices, this one isn’t ideal for carto/tanks; it tastes great in a clearomizer and tastes divine in a dripping atomizer.

On a side note, I spilled some of this juice on my sleeve and a cute girl in an elevator thought it was “hot” cologne. This is the first e-liquid I’ve vaped that lead to a coffee date. Bonus! (Also, hi Kyung!)

Peachy Criminal: I love peach. I love tobacco. Ergo peach-tobacco e-liquids should be a homerun for me. As I learned with HHV’s Georgia Peach Tobacco, that’s not necessarily the case. Fortunately, this juice surprised me and exceeded my expectations. Some people feel that this juice has too much going on, but I completely disagree. I loved the blend of Smooth Criminal’s nutty and sweet tobacco combined with a fantastic peach flavoring. It comes together brilliantly. Whereas HHV’s juice tasted like the flavors were fighting for supremacy, the flavors in this e-liquid complemented each other marvelously, resulting in a blissful vape.

One caveat with this juice is that you should give it a long steep. For me, the juice started to “bloom” five weeks in and really started to change after two months. Some people like to steep their Smooth Criminal for as long as four months. In my experience, five weeks is good, but two months is better.

While I loved Honey Cured (as I thought I would), I’m going with Peachy Criminal as my favorite of this batch. I’ve had other full-bodied tobacco e-liquids that I’ve enjoyed as much or more than Honey Cured, but I’ve never had a better peach tobacco than Peachy Criminal.

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.

Boba Tea with Lychee
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 1, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: April 4-10, 2013

Honey Cured
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: April 5-10, 2013

Peachy Criminal
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 1, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: April 5-10, 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.

Vaping Diaries #40: Ahlusion Review III

Here’s a review of three fantastic e-liquids from Ahlusion: Vurley, Wipeout Honeydew with Breeze, and Maple House Blend. Like the other Ahlusion juices I’ve reviewed, these are three high-quality e-liquids. The review also includes a shot of the stellar packaging job the company does with its products. I thought one of the flavors was very good, while two were outstanding. Here are the breakdowns and steeping notes:

Vurley: This is a relatively new release in Ahlusion’s aromatic line. I was excited to try this flavor because Blue Grass Burley is currently my favorite tobacco-flavored e-liquid. While Vurley is definitely a superior e-liquid, it was a little bit different from what I was expecting. Like BGB, the tobacco flavor is rich and extremely flavorful. I was expecting just a hint of vanilla, but Vurley delivers a really rich and sweet vanilla flavor. The flavors blend together perfectly. I was expecting BGB’s hot sister, but Vurley ended up being BGB’s hot cousin. This is a phenomenal juice, but I like BGB just a tiny bit more.

Wipeout Honeydew with Breeze: Like the other fruit flavors I’ve tried from Ahlusion, Wipeout delivers a natural taste that’s spot-on. The honeydew sweetness is fantastic — as good as the Organic Honeydew from Orb Vapor that I enjoyed, but a little bit different. Perhaps it was because of the “Breeze” menthol I added to the mix. Originally, I was going to order a stronger level of menthol, but Wlad from Ahlusion suggested Breeze (the lowest level). I’m happy that I went with his suggestion. The menthol is definitely noticeable and complements the honeydew nicely, without overpowering it. It was tough picking a favorite in this bunch, but because I like BGB slightly more than Vurley, I’m going with Wipeout Honeydew as my choice.

Maple House Blend: This is a good choice for people that find Ahlusion’s aromatic line overwhelming. The tobacco is there, but the flavor is mild compared to the aromatics. The maple flavor adds a nice, natural sweetness. This isn’t Aunt Jemima’s maple syrup, but more like a natural maple candy. I was getting a lot of sweetness on the inhale and more tobacco on the exhale. While I enjoyed vaping this juice and thought it was very good, I didn’t like it as much as the other two.

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method. 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.

Vurley
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 1, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: February 10-16, 2013

Maple House Blend
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 1, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: February 10-16, 2013

Wipeout Honeydew (w/breeze)
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 27, 2012 3:13PM
Recapped: November 29, 2012 4:13PM
Vaped: February 10-16, 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) juices; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.