Another new Southern California company in the highly competitive field of vaping e-liquids, Lavish Elixir has launched with a trio of fruit-and-cream juices. At Vape Nights 2014, I caught up with Lavish Elixir owner Eddie Latorre to learn more about the company, the three initial e-liquids, and what’s coming next.
Eddie’s three launch flavors are Jet Setter, Swanky, and Pristine. Jet Setter is a combination of strawberry, mango, guava, and cream. Swanky is a blend of kiwi, watermelon, peach, and cream. Lastly, Pristine is a mix of dragon fruit, guava, papaya, and cream. For fans of layered fruit vapes, the Lavish Elixir launch flavors seem like compelling blends. Eddie seemed particularly proud of Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #290: Lavish Elixir Eddie Latorre Interview (Vape Nights)”
A few weeks ago, I meet Bizarre Juice Supply founders Ally Piddock and Jack Gallagher at The Vape Source’s one-year anniversary party. They’re friends with my excellent pals Ronald and Mel, so I had a feeling they’d be cool. While they’re definitely fun people, what’s more interesting to you guys and gals are the vaping e-liquids they make.
Bizarre Juice Supply e-liquids stand out for several reasons. The most obvious aspect of the company’s goods is the bottles they come in. They’re made from frosted glass and shaped like skulls. That’s frickin’ awesome! More importantly Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #289: Bizarre Juice Supply Interview”
I first met the All Good Vape crew last year at an LA Vapers Club meet. After a quick taste of the company’s vaping e-liquids, I was smitten by several of its juices. All Good Vape e-liquids are complex and layered, using multiple ingredients to achieve unique flavors. After going back and forth with the owners, I was finally able to nab a video interview with All Good Vape at Vape Nights 2014.
In the clip above, All Good Vape owner Steven Arthur talks about the company’s background. He launched the company with the aid of friends in the bakery and chemistry fields. While several e-liquid companies were formed by people with culinary backgrounds, there aren’t many with people that have chemistry backgrounds. That edge is one of the reasons why All Good Vape e-liquids stand out. Steven also talks about three of the company’s popular flavors — Bewitched, Lucky Rabbits Food, and Tobacco Road — as well as the upcoming Lucky Devil juice.
As a fan of All Good Vape e-liquids, please check out my Vape Nights 2014 interview to learn more about this great company and its unique products. Also, a brief confession — prior to filming this video, I was drinking whiskey on camera with a man that calls himself “Vaping Jesus,” so I had a healthy buzz going on.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended Inhale Vape’s grand opening and met Logan Ellis from Arsenal Vape Co. A few of my friends were raving about his e-liquids and I was excited to learn more about the company. Arsenal Vape Co. was started by two Marines that are into vaping. The company strives to make high-quality juices that stand out in a highly competitive market. Naturally, the company name and its juice names reflect the founders’ Marine background. (Thank you for your service!)
Logan was kind enough to drop by Vape Star Los Angeles to tell me about his company and e-liquids. The three Arsenal Vape Co. launch flavors are Malibu Breeze, Tropic Thunder, and Warrior’s Breakfast. Check out the interview above to learn about these three flavors and to hear hints of what’s coming next.
As a bonus, here’s a cute story about Warrior’s Breakfast. Prior to learning about the founders’ military background, Vape Star Minjee totally cracked me up with her comments about this cinnamon/waffle mix. She said, “It tastes like waffles. Warriors don’t eat frickin’ waffles!” During the interview, Logan explained what a “warrior’s breakfast” was in the context of Marine training. So in addition to learning all about Arsenal Vape Co., you’ll be able to dazzle your friends with your knowledge of warrior’s breakfast. Win.
I’m a big fan of Diamond Liquids on several levels. First and foremost, the company makes a number of delicious e-liquids that I enjoy. I appreciate that Diamond Liquids is very particular about the sweeteners it uses and which ones it doesn’t. Lastly, it’s fantastic how supportive the company is with the local vape community. There are usually multiple vape events every weekend in Southern California and you’ll almost always see someone from Diamond Liquids in attendance, supporting local vape shops and vape companies.
In the interview above, Diamond Liquids owner and mixologist Britten Allen talks about how the company got started, his approach to making e-liquids, some of the flavors currently available, future flavors, and his upcoming mechanical mod. Lately, I’ve been enjoying the company’s Eruption, Lucky Mother Custard, and Razzi flavors. Eruption has a delicious mango flavor that I really enjoy (despite being bored with most fruit e-liquids). As a fan of Bailey’s Irish Cream, Lucky Mother Custard is right up my alley. Lastly, Razzi is a wonderful raspberry cheesecake juice that’s probably my favorite in the Diamond Liquids lineup. All of the juices are high-VG for optimal vapor production, but they also vape quite well in rebuildable tanks like my trusty Russian.
Check out my chat with Britten above to learn more about Diamond Liquids and to hear how Lucky Mother Custard got its name.
One of the newest companies in the ultra-competitive world of vaping e-liquids is Jiu Jit Juice. Inspired by mixed martial arts and crafted by a jiu jitsu practitioner, this line of juices has launched with a trio of dessert e-liquids.
The “white belt” line of Jit Jit Juice flavors features a high-VG base and a unique combination of flavors. Armbar is a layered combination of coconut and custard. Triangle is a strawberry, waffle, and cream combination that has one of the best and most distinct strawberry flavors I’ve tried. My personal favorite of Jiu Jit Juice’s launch flavors is Mata Leao, a salted caramel pudding that’s simply delightful. What I enjoy about all of these e-liquids is that they’re flavorful and layered, without being in your face. While these juices aren’t for everyone, they fit nicely into my vaping wheelhouse.
In the interview above, Jiu Jit Juice CEO Phillip Chu talks about his company and launch flavors, as well as upcoming Jiu Jit Juice lines. Future e-liquids will feature different PG/VG ratios and various themes. I’m particularly excited for the “brown belt” series, which will focus on tobacco-based flavors. Be sure to check out the clip above to learn about this exciting, up-and-coming juice company…as well as to hear an open challenge to another jiu jitsu practitioner in the vaping business.
Another person on my list of “people I really want to interview, but haven’t been able to schedule” was Craft Vapes co-owner David Alston. Luckily, we were able to connect at Vape Nights 2014. I first met David at a vape meet in December 2013. I was immediately taken with his flavors, which are very different than what most e-liquid companies in Southern California make. As 2014 rolled on, Craft Vapes gained a reputation as being one of the most unique and inventive juice companies in the region.
In the interview above, David talks about how Craft Vapes got started and his approach to making e-liquids. With an independent spirit and an appreciate for craft beers, the company owners use a simple approach of trying to make juice that they think is good. David discussed three of his recent releases. Creme Anglaise was initially released in Europe and made as a request to a local distributor; the juice made its American debut at Vape Nights 2014. Leprechaun (not made with actual leprechauns — I checked) is a mint-cookie dessert vape. Last is Black Forest, which is a shockingly good e-liquid approximation of black forest cake.
While David couldn’t share specifics on what Craft Vapes is working on in 2015, he did say that there are several juices in the works and that the company will turn its attention back to the American market. Check out my chat with David to learn more about this excellent e-liquid company.
My favorite part of Vape Nights 2014 was that it afforded me the opportunity to catch up with people that I’ve been wanting to get on camera for a long time, but for various reasons wasn’t able to. At the top of my list was Joshua Tongco, owner of The Great J’s and Bootlegger’s Brew. Launched in October 2013, The Great J’s has quickly become a very popular e-liquid company in the Southern California region. Many vapers I know rave about the Atta Boy and Bees Knees flavors. Joshua’s newest line is Bootlegger’s Brew, which focuses on creamy dessert blends.
Although The Great J’s is fairly well known in SoCal, its national exposure is still growing. Joshua leans on Instagram and word of mouth for marketing. While his juice might not have the reach that several SoCal e-liquid companies enjoy, vapers that I’ve met that have tried The Great J’s love it. Hopefully this interview helps connect The Great J’s with vapers around the country that enjoy the flavor profiles the line offers.
In the interview above, Joshua talks about starting The Great J’s and launching at Vapetoberfest 2013. He also talks about a few flavors in The Great J’s and Bootlegger’s Brew lines. Check out my chat with Joshua to learn about his juices and to watch me bust out a Chris Kattan joke.
I randomly met Chillum Vapor co-founder Abhi Chatterjee when I was hanging out at The Vape Source in Koreatown. He mentioned that he was working on a mechanical mod and a few months later the Tantra Mod has arrived. At Vape Nights 2014, I caught up with Abhi to learn more about his high-performance made-in-the-USA mech. Objectively, the Tantra Mod is impressive with its unique features and fantastic performance (Abhi claims a 0.19 voltage drop on a 0.2-ohm coil). Subjectively, it hits nearly everything I look for in a mechanical mod; I’m partial to vaping products that are made in America, I’m a big fan of naval brass as a mod material, and I like designs that manage to be elegant yet distinct.
In the Vape Nights 2014 interview above, Abhi talks about Chillum Vapor’s background, designing the Tantra Mod, the unique wafer spring that helps give it great performance, and the new stainless steel model. It was neat to learn the meanings behind the words chillum and tantra in relation to the company. While many people think of tantra in sexual terms, the word has a definition that absolutely fits a vaping company. Abhi also talks about the Volcanic Tip, a novel drip tip that borrows from ridged swords for better vaping.
On a note that has nothing to do with anything, I was particularly proud to have slipped a Taylor Swift joke into the interview. That’s one less thing on my 2014 checklist.
Anyway, check out the clip above to learn more about this excellent and distinct American mod from Chillum Vapor.
My Vape Nights 2014 interview with Baker White CEO Danny Baker is one of the more informative vaping interviews I’ve filmed. Danny covered a wide range of topics, including the company’s extremely unique Odin by Baker White high VG line, e-liquid manufacturing safety, and the controversial diacetyl ingredient found in many vaping juices.
Baker White stresses safety; it was one of the first e-liquid companies to use a forced-air clean-room and one of the few with a facility that meets the pharmaceutical-grade ISO-6 standard. E-liquid safety is a big issue for me, as I’ve encountered many vapers (and even several juice makers) that don’t understand the importance of having something you inhale made in a clean environment. I was shocked to learn that some popular SoCal juices are made in stores, homes, and back rooms — places where contaminants can easily enter e-liquid. It was great hearing Danny address the issue of e-liquid manufacturing safety and I hope it helps educate some vapers.
As for the Odin line, it’s one of the most fascinating group of juices I’ve encountered. Odin by Baker White is a series of high-VG e-liquids made with advanced vapers in mind. While many high-VG juices are geared towards cloud chasers, Odin is a compelling choice for flavor fiends as well. These juices were made so that you get distinctly different flavors depending on the wattage you vape them. The same Odin juice at 10 watts will taste quite different at 30 watts. While it’s true that all juices change flavor depending on temperature, Odin was designed to push this property to new levels.
Lastly, Danny touched on diacetyl. Found in many custard flavors, this ingredient is known to cause popcorn lung. Unfortunately for vapers, there has been some dishonesty about the ingredient and Danny talks about that in the interview.
As a longtime verbal entertainer, it’s always my goal to inform and entertain. As far as the vaping section of RPadTV goes, I believe this is the most informative piece I’ve put together and I’m really happy with it. Please, please, please check it out when you have a chance.
