Tag: Vaping Diaries

Vaping Diaries #71: Want2Vape Signature Blends Review

The three Want2Vape Signature Blends I recently vaped — Louisville, London, and Paris — are among the richest, most flavorful, and most authentic tobacco e-liquids I’ve had. All three are made with naturally-extracted tobacco (NET) and I highly recommend them to vapers that are serious about tobacco flavor. For those that have only tried or are accustomed to juices made with synthetic tobacco, the Signature Blends will probably be intimidating — these e-liquids are far more striking and complex compared to what most vendors push as “tobacco.” As a fan of tobacco e-liquids, especially NET juices, I was dazzled by the true tobacco flavor these juices bring to the table.

As much as I enjoyed vaping Louisville, London, and Paris, these e-liquids come with a couple of caveats. First, they’re very harsh on equipment. They’re among the heaviest NETs I’ve had and they gunk up coils faster than the vast majority of juices I’ve vaped. Using them in a carto/tank is a waste of time, in my opinion; you’ll probably gunk up the cartomizer after vaping a milliliter or two. These juices are best for dripping, but a clearomizer will work well too (rinsing the clearo out after every fill and giving the coils a dry burn). While this might seem inconvenient to some people, I believe that the incredible tobacco flavors these juices deliver are worth it. Second, at $19 for a 30ml, these juices are slightly expensive. Ahlusion has e-liquids similar to two of the Signature Blend juices reviewed here and Mountain Oak Vapors has one; both companies are a bit cheaper than Want2Vape.

Vapers that love genuine tobacco flavor or those that complain about e-liquids not tasting like tobacco should give Want2Vape’s Signature Blends a shot. These are top-notch juices that deliver phenomenal tobacco flavor. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Louisville Blend: This juice is based on burley tobacco, which is one of my favorites. It’s the brightest of the three, serving up a rich tobacco taste with a slight sweetness. When I say sweetness, it’s all relative. My friend (and NET connoisseur) Jeremy said it best, “Louisville has practically no sweetness in comparison to most liquids, but in a W2V stash, it is one that has more brightness than the rest and that slight touch of sweet. Honestly, I don’t see most vapers being able to get that touch of sweet in Louisville, but it’s in there.” The sweet notes were especially pronounced when I vaped this juice in a Kanger T3 clearomizer. Since I’m a mark for burley, this juice was my favorite of the three.

London Blend: This blend is a mix of Virginia, Oriental, and Latakia tobacco that replicates the taste of English pipe tobacco. If you’re looking for a straight-up, no-nonsense tobacco taste without any sweetness then this is the juice for you. It’s bold and flavorful. According to my tastebuds, it’s the most complex juice of the three. It’s similar to Ahlusion’s Devil Dog! and Mountain Oak Vapor’s Apache, but in my opinion is far more approachable than the former (which puts hairs on your chest) and a bit more approchable than the latter.

Paris Blend: This juice was the most surprising of the bunch. There aren’t many e-liquids that deliver the taste of a cigarette, but this is one of them. Want2Vape compares the flavor to European cigarettes like Gauloises, but to me it tastes like the Du Maurier cigarettes that are popular in Canadia Canada. So yes, this is one of those rare juices that tastes like a cigarette, but a very specific cigarette taste. I was surprised and impressed by the flavor — definitely one of the most unique NETs I’ve tried. This juice also stands out for using an unusual 5/95 PG/VG ratio. This is a wonderful juice that makes me want to wear a beret and sleep with married women (that’s what French people do, no?).

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.

Louisville
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: March 1, 2013 5:58PM
Vaped: May 5-15, 2013

London
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: March 1, 2013 5:58PM
Vaped: May 5-15, 2013

Paris
5/95 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: March 1, 2013 5:58PM
Vaped: May 5-15, 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 #70: Five Pawns Tasting Room Tour

Last month I paid a visit to Five Pawns HQ in Irvine. In my interview with company president Rodney Jerabek, I learned about the company’s history and the story behind its fantastic e-liquids. In this video feature, Rodney and I talk about the Five Pawns tasting room. Blending high comfort and high style, this is one of coolest and classiest vaping lounges I’ve ever been to. The tasting room has super-cushy bar stools, a comfortable couch, art by Shepard Fairey, and some rare mechanical mods. Naturally, customers can sample and purchase Five Pawns e-liquid — including the barrel-aged Reserve Line — but they’ll also be able to try flavors that are in development. The company will use the tasting room for focus groups, allowing customers to try new flavors as they’re being fine tuned before they hit store shelves.

Check out the video above to see and hear more about the Five Pawns tasting room.

Vaping Diaries #69: Ovale USA eVic Replacement Tubes Review

Ovale USA has released three replacement tubes for the popular eVic vaping device. The tubes are available in black, white, and glossy chrome. The tubes currently cost $11.99 and are a great way to spruce up your eVic.

The replacement tubes are made from the same material as the original tube, so they maintain the eVic’s thin-and-light feel. Some people love how light the eVic is, while others believe that the thin metal tube feels a bit cheap. Yes, there are third-party tubes made from stainless steel and aircraft aluminum, but they’re much more expensive than these tubes. For the price, I think these are a great way to give your eVic a different look.

All three colors look great. Personally, I like the white model best, closely followed by the black one. The black and white tubes have a matte finish that feels good in your hand and resists fingerprints. While the glossy chrome finish looks sweet, it’s a fingerprint magnet (totally expected). Those that are anal with their mods will probably spend a lot of time wiping prints off the glossy chrome tube.

Even though I wish my eVic had more heft (I was particularly envious of my friend Andrew’s stainless steel eVic tubes by Kir Fanis), I’m a fan of these Ovale USA replacement parts. They’re inexpensive and a nice way to change your eVic’s aesthetics. They’re especially nice for people that like accessorize or mix-and-match.

Vaping Diaries #68: American eLiquid Review

If you’re a vaper that enjoys 0mg nicotine juices or someone that’s looking to eventually reach 0mg then you should give American eLiquid a look. The company sells juices that are made in the USA, using American-sourced ingredients. One unique American eLiquid practice is that its 0mg juices cost less than ones with nicotine — $10 less than 36mg juices and $5 less than juices at lower nicotine levels. A company rep told me that this was a “job well done” reward for 0mg vapers.

I recently vaped three of the company’s juices: Pineapple, English Toffee, and X1. While none of them blew me away, I enjoyed two of the juices and was surprised by the uniqueness of the third. Read on for the breakdowns and steeping notes.

Pineapple: This is a simple and straightforward flavor that I enjoyed. When vaped in a carto/tank or clearomizer, it tastes like grocery store pineapple juice. When dripped directly into an atomizer, it tastes closer to a fresh pineapple, though not quite. Flavor strength and sweetness are moderate, making it suitable for all-day vaping.

English Toffee: This was my favorite of the three e-liquids. It has a moderate sweetness and decent complexity. The caramelized sugar is complemented nicely by a buttery savoriness. Candy heads might find the sweetness lacking, but to me, toffee isn’t supposed to be overly sweet the way that children’s candy tends to be. I believe the company got the sweetness level just right — sweet enough that you can taste it, but not so much that it overshadows the buttery richness.

X1: This is one of the most unique juices I’ve tried this year, but it’s also not for me. It’s a tobacco juice mixed with various sweet flavors and a noticeable kick of anise. There’s a bit of cocoa (not chocolate) that’s well done too. The end result, for my tastebuds anyway, is a funky RY4 laced with anise. While I enjoy small amounts of anise in e-liquid, X1 had too much for me. I’m glad I tried the juice and I recommend giving it a shot if you’re looking for something different, but it just wasn’t my thing.

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.

Pineapple
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: February 25, 2013 5:33PM
Vaped: April 28 – May 4, 2013

English Toffee
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: February 25, 2013 5:33PM
Vaped: April 28 – May 4, 2013

X1
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: February 25, 2013 5:33PM
Vaped: April 28 – May 4, 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 #67: Five Pawns President Interview

Here’s an interview I conducted with Five Pawns president and founder Rodney Jerabek. I first came across Five Pawns e-liquids at Vaping Ape LA and was immediately impressed. The company makes some really delicious juices that are unusually rich and complex. It was great spending time at Five Pawns HQ and learning more about the company. In the video above, Rodney talks about the company’s origins, what goes into a Five Pawns e-liquid, why the juice costs what it does, the wood-barrel steeped “Reserve” line, and more.

There are a few things that make Five Pawns’ offerings unique. Let’s start with the e-liquids themselves. They’re made with natural ingredients, including some that are sourced locally. Many e-liquids use one, two, or three flavors in addition to the standard ingredients of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerol, and nicotine. Five Pawns juices contain up to 11 ingredients. This makes for some of the most distinct, complex, and flavorful juices I’ve tried.

Most e-liquid vendors have dozens of flavors available and it’s extremely rare for an e-liquid company to do many different types of flavors well. Off the top of my head, the only juice maker that excels in so many different areas is Ahlusion. Jerabek compared Five Pawns’ approach to In-N-Out Burger, a (glorious) fast food chain that offers a simple menu with everything on the menu done really well. To kick things off, he wanted the company to offer five juices that are all done really well.

Similar to fine wines and scotches, Five Pawns e-liquids are made in small batches. Typically, each batch results in 160 30ml bottles of juice. The bottles have the mixing date, lot number, and bottle number printed on them. The juices are pre-steeped so they’re good to go when you buy them in a store or receive them in the mail.

Jerabek’s background is in design, which is obvious from the company’s packaging. Five Pawns e-liquids come in clear glass bottles with some of the best labels I’ve seen. The bottles are placed in handsome cardboard tubes that remind me of liquor or perfume boxes. It makes for a high-end experience, similar to how Apple packaging enhances the experience of a great product.

Some vaping enthusiasts had sticker shock when they saw that Five Pawns’ online prices were $27.50 for a 30ml bottle. Jerabek was very honest about the pricing. First, he noted that he doesn’t want to compete with his retail partners; the prices available on the Five Pawns web site are the same that you’ll find in stores. He’s also positioning Five Pawns as a high-end e-liquid company, which is completely understandable considering the top-notch ingredients and packaging. With all of that in mind, $27.50 is a reasonable price for these great juices. I’ve seen mediocre and less-than-mediocre e-liquids sell for $25 for 30ml at retail — stuff that wasn’t 1/10 as good as Five Pawns juices.

As a Southern California resident, I’m jazzed that Irvine-based Five Pawns is off to a great start. The company makes some fantastic juices and the people I’ve met from there are super-cool. I also love the company’s artisanal approach to making e-liquids. I’m a fan of companies that excel while being different and I believe that Five Pawns fits that description. Stay tuned for a Five Pawns juice review and a video feature on the company’s awesome tasting room.

(Also, please excuse my horrible voice in the video. I’m even more nasally than usual. Ha! I was horribly congested that day. Actually, I still am…. Hmmmm, I need to fix this before E3 2013. Oy.)

Vaping Diaries #66: A Visit to Planet Vape (Glendora)

During my road trip with Envision Vapor Rob, I hit up a new vape shop called Planet Vape. The store has been opened for a few weeks and had its grand opening this past weekend. In addition to a very cool “parlor” (or parlour, if you’re British) feel, I was impressed by Planet Vape’s hardware selection. Check out the photo gallery below and read on for more details on this excellent store.

The lounge area is comfortable and classy. The tasting area uses cushy bar stools, there’s a corner section with three comfortable couches, and center section with a high table adorned with a chess board. If chess isn’t your thing, there are a pair of televisions for you to enjoy. The TVs were playing ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption while I was there, making it tough to leave (Tony Kornheiser rules!). The shop has a water cooler and teas for your to rehydrate with. Most vape shops I’ve been to offer water. It’s very classy of Planet Vape to go beyond plain old H2O.

Like most vape shops, Planet Vape has standard eGo-style e-cigs for people to buy. Generally speaking, these are the most profitable products for stores and the easiest to sell to new vapers. What floored me was the excellent selection of high-end mechanical mods available — very unusual for a new vape shop. The store has mods from the Philippines (Sentinel, Nzonic, TItan), Finland (Electric Angel), Thailand (Siam Mods Cube), and more. Also unusual for a new shop is the rebuildable atomizer selection; the Los Angeles shops that have opened in 2013 are still getting ready for the wick-and-wire crowd, while Planet Vape has had RBAs and RBA supplies from the get go.

E-liquid choices include juices from Black Label, Uncle Junk’s, Naughty by Vapor, Villain Vapor, and more. The overall selection is strong, but as a fan of NET (naturally extracted tobacco) e-liquids, the tobacco choices are thin.

For a vape shop that just opened, I was very impressed by Planet Vape. The staff is friendly, the vibe is comfortable and fun, the hardware selection is killer, and the juice choices are solid. It’s definitely a place that I want to hit up again. Hmmmm, I’m going to give Rob a call to see if we can find an excuse to head to Planet Vape. Ha!

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Vaping Diaries #65: Envision Vapor and Five Pawns

Sorry, I’ve been MIA. I’ve been on the road for the last few days for what amounted to a vaping expedition. Wednesday, my friend Rob popped in from San Diego. He recently started a new business called Envision Vapor. The company offers beautiful glass vaping tips that are competitively priced. Rob and I ventured out to Glendora to check out Planet Vape, a recently opened vape shop with a classy “parlor” vibe. After that, we hit up three Los Angeles vape shops (Viper Vapor, The Vapor-Mart, and Vaping Ape LA). I introduced him to store owners and he generated interest in his tips. While Rob is certainly a dashing fellow, Envision Tips sell themselves. I’m stoked that his new business is off to a successful start. Stay tuned for a full review on these tips in June.

It was lots of fun hanging with Rob. As vaping enthusiasts, we spent a huge chunk of time chatting about mods, atomizers, e-liquids, and more. Both of us are huge marks for Ahlusion e-liquids and we both know a bunch of Ahlusion fanatics. Several of them were mentioned throughout the day, making it feel like they were on the road trip with us. All of us started vaping in order to quit smoking, found a company that makes fantastic e-liquids, and connected because of those two things. It’s cool that those commonalities led to two people enjoying a 10-hour road trip together during their first real-world meeting.

Yesterday, my buddy Paul and I drove to Irvine to visit Five Pawns. This is a relatively new e-liquid company that makes some truly excellent juices. Some vapers have given the company heat for its pricing. After chatting with the company president and learning about the business model, I believe that the controversy is unwarranted. Five Pawns isn’t about competing with the numerous vendors that sell e-liquid online. The focus is on retail, which is why the company’s online prices ($27.50 for a 30ml bottle) seem high. It doesn’t want to undercut its retail partners, so its online prices are the same as what you find in stores. Compared to online prices, $27.50 is definitely high, but it’s inline with brick-and-mortar prices. I’ve seen 30ml juice sell for $20 to $25 in stores. Considering that Five Pawns e-liquids use premium ingredients and packaging, $27.50 is a reasonable retail price.

Five Pawns has an awesome tasting room at its Irvine headquarters. It hasn’t officially opened yet, but the grand opening will be in a few weeks. Obviously you can try the five e-liquids Five Pawns currently offers, but you can also try the “Reserve” line, which is currently being steeped in barrels. I got to try some while I was down there and it was absolutely delicious. The tasting room will also be used for flavors that the company developers. In that respect, it reminded me of visiting a vineyard that lets you sample wines that aren’t available in stores. The room has a great layout, full of comfy chairs, great bar space, and signed Shepard Fairey prints. It’s a super-cool space and I hope to make it back down for the grand opening.

Oh yeah, I filmed a few spots on Five Pawns while I was down there. Stay tuned for an interview with the company president, as well as a video feature on the tasting room.

Vaping Diaries #64: A Visit to Viper Vapor Los Angeles

Yesterday, I dropped by the newest vape shop in Los Angeles — Viper Vapor LA. Located in Koreatown, the store has been opened for a few weeks and is off to a promising start.

Mod choices include the venerable ProVape ProVari, the Joyetech eVic, and the Kamry K100, as well as various eGo models for those looking for “standard” e-cigs. The sexy and sturdy Vape Affinity glass tanks are available for carto/tank fans. The store will be adding additional hardware, including rebuildable atomizers, in the near future.

The store’s e-liquid choices include juices from Black Label Vape, Illusion, Caterpillar, and White Rhino. The store will stock Pink Spot Vapor juices in the near future. Similar to my experiences with the other LA vape shops that have opened in 2013, there was a lack of good tobbaco e-liquids. The Vapor-Mart has a pair of naturally-extracted tobacco juices, while Vaping Ape LA and Viper Vapor LA have none.

Amenities include a comfy sofa, a pair of tables, and several chairs. A water cooler — a must for any vape shop — is on the way and free WiFi will be available soon. The environment is fun and relaxed, while the owners are friendly, young entrepreneurs. I dig the vibe there and will definitely spend more time at the shop in the future (full disclosure: it’s a few blocks from where I live, so it’s the easiest vape shop for me to hit up).

The Los Angeles vape scene is thriving and I’m jazzed that another vape shop has opened this year. I’m excited to see how Viper Vapor LA will differentiate itself from the competition (one super-exciting idea was thrown around yesterday) and I hope that the store grows into another vaping success story.

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Vaping Diaries #63: Getting to Know Vapor Stands

One of my favorite things about vaping is that it has created numerous opportunities for American entrepreneurs. Some of my favorite companies in the business, like Ahlusion and Valley View Vapes, have enjoyed great success in a relatively short amount of time thanks to the burgeoning popularity of vaping. Of course it helps that both companies offer great products and back them with fantastic customer service. During my interview with Brian from The Vapor-Mart, I came across Vapor Stands. This relatively new company offers gorgeous handmade e-cig holders and has been enjoying success through Etsy and Facebook. I’ve been chatting with Vapor Stands co-founder Tim Mullicane to learn more about the company and hear its American success story.

Diana, my girlfriend, wanted to quit smoking and I knew that it would be difficult for her if I kept smoking. Between us we had over 50 years of combined smoking experience, so it was more than time to quit. We went to our local vapor store and 45 minutes later we were smoke free. Shortly after coming home with our e-cigs, we realized the lack of c-cig holders or stands on the market. We took my hobby of woodworking and built a simple little stand out of scrap oak firewood. A few design modifications later, we have the Vapor Stand Set.

Vapor Stands offers finely crafted products made from cherry, oak, and walnut woods. The majority of its products are designed to hold eGo-style e-cigs and accessories, but the company also does custom work for vapers with larger mods. Whether you’re looking for a simple desk stand, something that helps you keep your vaping device upright in your car, or a holder for a variety of mods,  there should be a Vapor Stands product that meets your needs. Check out the photo gallery below to see the different designs and woods Vapor Stands uses.

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In addition to helping people quit smoking, it’s completely awesome that vaping has created business opportunities for people like Vapor Stands Tim and Diana — opportunities that allow people to combine their passions and skills. For example, Ahlusion Wlad is a culinary genius that attended a prestigious school, and it shows in his juices. Similarly, Vapor Stands Tim is a skilled woodworker and his craftsmanship shows in his products. My knowledge of wood is limited to guitars and baseball bats (and splinters), so I asked Tim for some information on how he works with the different woods used in Vapor Stands products.

We hand craft our products from kiln-dried hardwoods including oak, walnut, and cherry. The Oak Stands have an aggressive grain pattern and turn out a beautiful blonde when finished. The Walnut Stands have a multi-color grain when finished and are a rich dark chocolate. The Cherry Stands have a very open grain full of pattern and finish into an almost salmon color. All of our Vapor Stand products have three coats of polyurethane for a high gloss finish and durability. All Vapor Stands are hand crafted in my wood shop.

As you can tell from the photos above and the clips in my interview with The Vapor-Mart, these are gorgeous e-cig holders. However, seeing them in person and feeling the heft of the wood gives you a deeper appreciation for these handmade products. Vapor Stands is popping up in more and more vape shops all the time, so if you need to see one before buying, then check with your local store or bug your local store owner about stocking these products. As for me, I have my eye on the Pie Slice Holder, but with larger holes for my big mods (big boy mods?). I plan on filming a video review on a Vapor Stands e-cig holder in the near future, so stay tuned.

Vaping Diaries #62: iTaste VV 3.0 and iTaste 134 Details, Photos

Here are some details and photos of the upcoming Innokin iTaste VV 3.0, as well as the iTaste 134. Last month, I met with Innokin deputy manager Haoran “George” Xia and he told me about the new devices. The third-generation iTaste VV has a number of improvements over its predecessor:

  • Variable-voltage and variable-wattage performance
  • Resistance (ohms) checker
  • Improved threading system

Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #62: iTaste VV 3.0 and iTaste 134 Details, Photos”