Vaping Diaries Archives - Page 20 of 38

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.

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!

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.

Vaping Diaries #179: Tobh Mods Jay-Bo Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

The Tobh Atomizer is the hot atty in the business right now, so I was psyched to catch up with Tobh Mods owner Jay-Bo at Vapers Exhibit. It was fun learning about how the company got started, what the company name means, and his fascinating background. While I’m still trying to figure out how someone with a background in deaf education, a passion for linguistics, and professional barista skills made an incredible atomizer, it was fantastic meeting Jay-Bo and learning more about Tobh Mods.

Check out the interview above to learn more about Tobh Mods, the features of the Tobh Atomizer, and upcoming products.

Vaping Diaries #178: Five Pawns Mixology Review (Fifth Rank, Perpetual Check)

Back in Vaping Diaries #173, I reviewed three e-liquids from Five Pawns new Mixology Edition. Now it’s time to review the remaining two — Fifth Rank and Perpetual Check. If you’re not familiar with Mixology Edition, these juices were inspired by alcoholic beverages. Fifth Rank incorporates champagne flavor, while Perpetual Check has a taste that’s similar to black currant liquer. Both are quality juices with lots of complexity. I loved one of them, while the other didn’t work for me. Now let’s get to the tasting notes!

Fifth Rank: When I first vaped this juice, I had to stop and think about what I was experiencing. There are so many flavors going on and some of the notes are so distinct. This Mixology Edition mix is a melange of horehound, champagne, vanilla bean, sweat cream, almond, and lime. The horehound flavor really made this juice for me, with its combination of moderate mint and licorice-like bitterness. The other flavors complement the horehound marvelously for a fantastic mix.

While horehound was the most distinct flavor in Fifth Rank to me, two of my friends thought that the lime had the most presence. Since this juice has so many layers and we all have different tastebuds, it’s possible that people will have markedly different experiences with this e-liquid. As for me, Fifth Rank was one of my two favorites from Mixology Edition, along with the excellent Sixty-Four. Coincidentally, this juice probably has the second-most polarizing flavor next to Sixty-Four.

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

Perpetual Check: This Mixology Edition blend features black currant, lemon, fig, barley, and cinnamon stick. While I really enjoyed the black currant flavor and appreciated the complexity of this juice, this was easily my least favorite Mixology Edition e-liquid. It was also unusual to vape. For me, there was a wattage sweet spot with this juice where the black currant flavor was more pronounced. When the wattage got a little too high or a little too low, the cinnamon flavor became overpowering. This made vaping it on a mechanical mod an uneven experience, since output changes depending on the battery’s charge level. I preferred vaping this juice on a regulated mod with consistent output.

While a few of my friends liked this one a lot more than I did, some of them agreed that the cinnamon drowned out the other flavors. While this juice didn’t work out for me nearly as much as the other four Mixology Edition e-liquids, if you dig cinnamon and complexity then there’s a great chance that you’ll enjoy Perpetual Check.

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

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 #177: Girls Who Vape and Boobs

One of the most popular vaping-related Instagram feeds is “Girls Who Vape.” The account owner posts photos of attractive women vaping. Recently, a naughtier competitor — called “Vape and Boobs” (seriously) — launched. As you’ve probably figured out, the account owner posts photos of scantily clad women vaping. That Instagram feed has been getting a lot of buzz lately, because…you know, vape and boobs. While I fully admit that I enjoy checking out photos from “Girls Who Vape” and “Vape and Boobs,” these Instagram feeds have me thinking about gender roles in vaping.

In many ways, vaping is similar to other nerdy hobbies I enjoy (videogames, comic books, pro-wrestling). In those hobbies, women are sometimes placed on a pedestal and sometimes unfairly dismissed. On the (arguably) positive side, women that vape get the benefit of being “gamer girl hot.” If a young lady vapes or builds her own coils, vaping boys will find her exponentially more attractive. It’s the same deal as nerds encountering a woman that knows her comics and/or games — guys find it hot.

While I’ve seen guys at vape shops drool over gals that can make nice coils, I’ve also seen guys that are wary of female employees at vape shops. I asked several vape shop patrons if they would rather have a guy or a girl build their coils at a store. All of them said that they would pick the guy. There’s no sound logic behind it and many of the people I chatted with own up to that, but the assumption is that guys build better than girls. It’s like gamers automatically assuming that females are inferior videogame players or comic-book fanboys automatically assuming that a woman can’t possibly be familiar with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World.

I’ve seen female vapers get hooked up with free gear and liters of free juice. That’s totally cool. I’m all about female vapers taking advantage of being “vaper girl hot.” It’s not cool that some male vapers are dismissive of their female counterparts, automatically assuming that they know nothing about mechanical mods, can’t build decent coils, etc.

So yeah, browsing photos on the “Girls Who Vape” and “Vape and Boobs” Instagram feeds lead to this column. Ha! Anyway, if you have any stories about female vapers getting props or getting dissed, please share your experiences in the comments section.

Vaping Diaries #176: Vaping Utopia Ronald Cachero Interview

Vaping Utopia is a relatively new e-liquid company that has been getting a lot of buzz. The company is off to an exciting start, with its Shangri La flavor getting strong reviews. Vaping Utopia makes natural-tasting juices that are made in the USA. Its e-liquids don’t contain any preservatives and additives. The flavoring components it uses were made with inhalation in mind, as opposed to many food flavorings used in e-liquids that are made for digestion. The juices come in square glass bottles that feature designs from local artists. The artwork on the “white label” series comes together to form ~~Voltron~~ a continuous image.

I recently caught up with Vaping Utopia executive director Ronald Cachero to learn how the company got started, learn more about its juice making philosophy, get descriptions of the company’s four initial flavors, and to see what’s coming next. Full disclosure: I know Ron from the excellent CaliVapers forum and our mutual buddy Marie Alvarez.

Check out the interview above to learn what Vaping Utopia is all about and stay tuned for a review on these juices in a future Vaping Diaries. Special thanks to Vaping Ape LA for letting us hang out and film there.

[Marie Alvarez b-roll photos by https://www.facebook.com/bgatebphoto]

Vaping Diaries #175: West Coast Vapers Review

West Coast Vapers is a Santa Fe Springs, California vape shop that has its own line of juices. The company names each of its e-liquids after different West Coast cities. I recently took a tour of three West Coast Vapers cities — Chico, Monterey Park, and Rolling Hills. While none of the juices blew me away, none of them were bad. Although none of these e-liquids dazzled me, some of them could be right for you. Read on for the full details.

Chico: This Northern California town is known for its major party college, where many students major in hangover recovery and minimization. As for the juice, it’s a mint-chocolate mix, similar to an Andes Candies and York Peppermint patties. Overall, I found the flavor nondescript. Many vendors have this type of flavor and the ones that stand out have a lovely creaminess (Ahlusion, Five Pawns, etc.). The West Coast Vapers version was lacking in this department. The creaminess here was tepid, making the juice a bit bland for me.

Juics Specs: 6mg nicotine

Monterey Park: Nearly half the residents of this Los Angeles County town are of Chinese decent. Some of the best dim sum I’ve had in SoCal has been in Monterey Park. As for the juice, it’s a mix of mango and guava. I enjoyed the bittersweet guava taste West Coast Vapers used in this juice, as guava one of my favorite fruits. Mango is also one of my favorite fruits, but the flavor here was rather ordinary. Several SoCal vape shops have excellent mango e-liquids from the likes of Bamskillicious and Vape Chemist. Compared to those juices, the mango here was pedestrian. I wish this juice had a better mango flavor to accompany the interesting guava note.

Juice Specs: 0mg nicotine

Rolling Hills: This Los Angeles County town is known for an abundance of rich people and a lack of traffic lights (rich people don’t need them). As for the juice, it’s a pleasant raspberry lemonade. Out of the three West Coast Vapers juices I tried, this was my favorite. A lot of lemonade e-liquids are too sweet for me, so I enjoyed the moderate sweetness of this juice. The raspberry and lemonade have a tiny bit of tanginess on top of the sweetness.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine

Vaping Diaries #174: Biowick Cotton Wick Review

In 2013, cotton became the wick material of choice for many vapers. Some people made the switch for its clean and neutral flavor, while others claim that cotton generates more vapor. Whatever the case, to get the best results out of cotton, it needs to be boiled and dried in a clean environment. Sterile cotton is available from pharmacies, but some find the loose gauze or cotton balls tricky to work with. Biowick (available from Vapor Hub) is pretreated and pre-threaded organic cotton that offers the benefits of the en vogue material in a convenient package.

Biowick is 100-percent organic cotton that’s unbleached and uncoated. Since it’s pretreated, you don’t need to boil and dry it before using it. This is great for people that are new to cotton wicks, as well as vapers that want a quick-and-easy solution. Unlike cotton balls and cotton gauze, Biowick comes in a convenient 3mm thread. There are some concerns with nonorganic cotton that’s use with sterile cotton materials, since various chemicals are used to grow the raw product and treat the final product. With BioWick, you don’t have to worry about any of that.

I set up two dripping atomizers and The Russian with Biowick. The material is really easy to work with and the flavor is very clean. For comparison, I set up a dripper with CVS sterile cotton that’s used by several local vape shops. Biowick’s flavor was a little bit cleaner, according to my tastebuds, while the CVS cotton had a slight aftertaste. Of course everyone has different tastebuds, so your mileage may vary.

Like other forms of cotton wick, Biowick can’t be dry burned (it’ll just…uh burn-burn). For vapers that constantly change flavors, it’s not the best choice since you can’t completely get rid of the previous flavor before switching to a new one. That’s not a knock on Biowick at all — all cotton wicking materials is like that.

The one downside to Biowick is its price — currently $9.95 for 10ft at Vapor Hub. Compare that to the popular Spinrite Sugar’n Cream Yarn, which costs $14 for 14oz. Again, what you’re getting with Biowick is convenience. Sugar’n Cream Yarn should be boiled with distilled water and dried in a clean environment. Biowick is ready to go out of the bag. Sterile cotton gauze and sterile cotton balls are also very cheap, but Biowick is already threaded, making it easier for some vapers to work with. There’s also the chemical concern I mentioned earlier.

For vapers that are already on the cotton train and have no problem taking the time to properly treat it, Biowick doesn’t make much sense. The same goes for vapers that are comfortable making wicks from sterile cotton gauze or cotton balls. For people that want to experiment with cotton wicks, Biowick is a convenient way to give it a go. It can also be a good choice for vapers that enjoy cotton wicks, but don’t want to fuss around with boiling it. While quality untreated cotton is available for a much lower price, the premium cost of Biowick can be worth it to some vapers.

Vaping Diaries #173: Five Pawns Mixology Review (Castle Long, Lucena, Sixty-Four)

Five Pawns Mixology line is comprised of a quintet of e-liquids inspired by alcoholic beverages. Similar to many of the Five Pawns juices I tried last year, several of the Mixology e-liquids are complex and unique. One of them is among the most distinct e-liquids I’ve ever tried. Five Pawns has a fervent fan base and the Mixology line broadens the company’s reach by introducing new flavors. Mixology also takes Five Panws to the next level by serving up some wonderfully complex juice. While these Five Pawns Mixology juices aren’t for everyone (and really, no juice is for everyone), they’re so unique that they’re worth trying, at the very least.

To kick off my review of Five Pawns Mixology, I’ve been vaping Castle Long, Lucena, and Sixty-Four for the last 15 days. There have been early reviews of these e-liquids that were based on store samplings. Personally, I don’t think that reviews based off of five minutes of vaping are particularly useful. I’ve vaped several milliliters of these juices using a variety of equipment. That annoyance aside, let’s get to the tasting notes on these three Five Pawns Mixology juices.

Castle Long: Based on the successful Castle Long Reserve, this juice blends coconut, almond, vanilla, brown sugar, and bourbon flavors. Castle Long Reserve is a marvelous e-liquid that was one of my favorites of 2013. Unlike the “Reserve” edition, this juice is not steeped in an oak barrel. The result is a brighter, sharper, and sweeter flavor.

While I’m a fan of the outstanding mix of flavors, I still prefer Castle Long Reserve over Castle Long — at least in a relatively fresh state. The steeping really helps the flavors come together and the oak adds an additional layer of complexity. After a few months of steeping, I imagine that Castle Long will mellow out and become similar to Castle Long Reserve. On the practical side, Castle Long is $10 cheaper than Castle Long Reserve, which will appeal to many vapers. While it doesn’t have the fanfare of the previous release, Castle Long is a tasty and complex juice that’s a fine addition to the Five Pawns Mixology line.

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

Lucena: This is a flavorful blend of white peach and spiced rum, topped with hazelnut. The peach flavor is delicious and natural, while the spiced rum gives it a kick. For my tastebuds, the hazelnut was slight and hard to pick up when vaping with a clearomizer.

Out of the three Five Pawns Mixology juices in this review, this one was the least impressive to the friends I shared it with. All of them enjoyed it, but found it less distinct than the other two. The general sentiment was that Lucena tastes like a spicy peach cobbler; that was Five Pawns’ intent, but the flavor wasn’t as unique as the others. Personally, I really enjoyed Lucena, but would have preferred a different balance. I’m always down to vape a tasty peach e-liquid and the peach flavor in this juice is great. However, I would have preferred a stronger rum kick…which is probably a result of all the rum I’ve consumed over the years.

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

Sixty-Four: Easily one of the most unique juices I’ve ever tried, Sixty-Four was inspired by the popular mojito beverage. The flavors in this juice include grapefruit liqueur, cognac, cucumber, mint, lemon, and dill. The blend is unique and the complexity is striking. Sixty-Four has a slight citrus sweetness that’s accompanied by a pleasantly bitter tone.

Since the flavor is so unique, some of my friends loved Sixty-Four and some of them couldn’t stand it. The cucumber and dill flavors are really distinct. While I can see how it was inspired by the mojito, it reminded me more of fancy flavored water that’s served in spas. In Southern California, the market is dominated by fruity and candied flavors. Sixty-Four is a breath of fresh air that stands out and is one of the most “adult” juices I’ve ever tried. While it’s probably the most divisive juice in the Five Pawns Mixology line, I found it to be delicious in a way that’s atypical for e-liquids.

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