the grumpy vaper
Postman
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
- Messages
- 352
Vapeswag is the North East e-liquid baby of Jamie Hepburn. He makes great e-liquids which along with Strawberry Fields give the strong impression that there’s quite the artisan scene blossoming up there. It also seems Jamie is a tiny bit obsessed with Star Wars. His logo and branding are dripping with references, so if only for that reason, I know I’ll get along with him.
He’s really comes across as a jolly nice chap while we’ve been in contact. In this interview, we’ll discuss Vapeswag, as well as his new venture into wooden DNA30 and 40 box mods – Xilo (which is trivia hounds will know is Greek for “wood”). We’ll also discuss incredibly important matters, such as that new Star Wars trailer released earlier today and something about cheese.
He’s a busy bloke, so without further ado, over to you Jamie…
TGV: Hey Jamie! Many thanks for taking the time out to spend some time with The Grumpy Vaper. How are you today?
Jamie: Hello Damon, I’m knackered. Son number two is just over a week old and already quality sleep is a distant memory!
TGV: So, give me an introduction to Vape Swag, what are you all about?
Jamie: Vapeswag is my line of premium e-iquids and it’s changing all of the time. I used to sell other things in terms of vaping supplies but the juice has always been my bread and butter and that’s where I focus my attention now. Trying to make the best e-liquid possible.
TGV: How did you get started in the world of vape?
Jamie: I have to thank my good friend, Simon (Mr Strawberry Fields) Sawyers for the introduction so to speak. I watched him struggle for a year or so with cigalikes and wasn’t at all convinced until I decided to give it a go, when the best thing since sliced bread emerged (variable voltage) and paid the equivalent of about a weeks worth of fags for an adjustable voltage starter kit from China. I had a nightmare with it but struggled on and then upgraded to a Vamo V2 and carto tanks and vaped 24mg Dekang USA mix for a good while. They did the trick in terms of switching from smoking to vaping and then once the bug bites it’s a slippery slope towards shinyitis!
TGV: Can you tell me about your business ethos?
Jamie: It’s basically to make quality e-liquids, to look after my customers, to buy locally wherever possible and to continually strive to do the best that I can. I’d like to be able to work less for more money but wouldn’t we all? It was a big step to give up a full time job to follow my dream and I have made lots of mistakes but loving what you do regardless of money is important, as is balancing the time between family and work. Vapeswag has been a part time venture (with full time hours!) around looking after my eldest son, Leighton who is almost five.
TGV: Could you take us through how you develop your e-liquid line and the flavours? How do you come up with ideas your flavours?
Jamie: I started off mixing thinking that I’ve got to be able to make something better than the stuff i was vaping. Cheap imported chemically tasting shite. It really is trial and error. I started off trying to please everybody and offering to source and mix any flavour at any nicotine strength with any PG/VG ratio. Not a lot of people were doing this at the time and it became a huge and costly chore to custom-make someone something, and then have to wait and let them give me feedback on what I’d produced. I decided to streamline my juices into a combination of my bestsellers, what I vape and what people want. I currently do 10 juices (1 tobacco, 1 mint, 4 fruit and 4 dessert flavours) I think I have a good mix of juices and something to suit all tastes.
TGV: How do you know when a flavour is perfect, when it’s time to stop research and development?
Jamie: They’re never perfect and i’m never completely happy. They’re all at the stage where I am reasonably happy with them, but I enjoy trying to improve things and I’ve recently started doing variations of a few of my juices, A v2 if you like. There’s also the problem that some people do think they’re perfect so I can’t change something too much if people like it and it’s selling! Taste really is subjective.
TGV: Does the food you love influence the e-liquids you make in any way? Maybe you have some childhood food memories?
Jamie: I honestly don’t think too much about similarities between what i eat and what I vape. There isn’t that connection for me. I like a bacon sarnie and a Sunday dinner but i wouldn’t fancy vaping them. I lean towards dessert type vapes and do have a sweet tooth but also enjoy tobaco flavours and fruits as a change or a mint/menthol to cleanse the palate.
TGV: Any secrets you can share with potential juice mixologists out there?
Jamie: Don’t do it. It’s not as easy as it appears. Anyone can make juice but making good juice is an art. Buy mine instead! No seriously, trial and error, get good feedback from people you trust. Research and listen. Love what you do and make sure your customer service is outstanding!
TGV: So, that new Star Wars trailer, eh?
Jamie: Yeah just a tad excited. Can’t wait to take my boy to see it. He’s already as Star Wars daft as his Dad!
TGV: I know. It’s gotta be better than the prequels. It better be better than the prequels. If it’s not better than the sequels then I’ll punch myself in the soul.
Jamie: It has to be and surely there can’t be anything to rival the stupidity of Jar-Jar Fucking Binks.
TGV: In JJ we trust. He’s been waiting for this his whole life and has had a couple of dress rehearsals. Admittedly, one of them dreadful.
So, to the Dark Side, what in the industry gets you Grumpy?
Jamie: Not a lot to be honest. On the whole the vaping community are a close knit bunch and the majority of us vapers are sound. I tire of the endless arguments of Authentic Vs Clones and all of the associated shite that that brings but each to their own and if we’re not smoking that’ll do me. If the powers that be attempt to stop our right to vape then that would be my main concern.
TGV: About the Authentic Vs Clones thang; how would you feel if one of your Xilo mods was cloned?
The rest of the interview is, here.
He’s really comes across as a jolly nice chap while we’ve been in contact. In this interview, we’ll discuss Vapeswag, as well as his new venture into wooden DNA30 and 40 box mods – Xilo (which is trivia hounds will know is Greek for “wood”). We’ll also discuss incredibly important matters, such as that new Star Wars trailer released earlier today and something about cheese.
He’s a busy bloke, so without further ado, over to you Jamie…
TGV: Hey Jamie! Many thanks for taking the time out to spend some time with The Grumpy Vaper. How are you today?
Jamie: Hello Damon, I’m knackered. Son number two is just over a week old and already quality sleep is a distant memory!
TGV: So, give me an introduction to Vape Swag, what are you all about?
Jamie: Vapeswag is my line of premium e-iquids and it’s changing all of the time. I used to sell other things in terms of vaping supplies but the juice has always been my bread and butter and that’s where I focus my attention now. Trying to make the best e-liquid possible.
TGV: How did you get started in the world of vape?
Jamie: I have to thank my good friend, Simon (Mr Strawberry Fields) Sawyers for the introduction so to speak. I watched him struggle for a year or so with cigalikes and wasn’t at all convinced until I decided to give it a go, when the best thing since sliced bread emerged (variable voltage) and paid the equivalent of about a weeks worth of fags for an adjustable voltage starter kit from China. I had a nightmare with it but struggled on and then upgraded to a Vamo V2 and carto tanks and vaped 24mg Dekang USA mix for a good while. They did the trick in terms of switching from smoking to vaping and then once the bug bites it’s a slippery slope towards shinyitis!
TGV: Can you tell me about your business ethos?
Jamie: It’s basically to make quality e-liquids, to look after my customers, to buy locally wherever possible and to continually strive to do the best that I can. I’d like to be able to work less for more money but wouldn’t we all? It was a big step to give up a full time job to follow my dream and I have made lots of mistakes but loving what you do regardless of money is important, as is balancing the time between family and work. Vapeswag has been a part time venture (with full time hours!) around looking after my eldest son, Leighton who is almost five.
TGV: Could you take us through how you develop your e-liquid line and the flavours? How do you come up with ideas your flavours?
Jamie: I started off mixing thinking that I’ve got to be able to make something better than the stuff i was vaping. Cheap imported chemically tasting shite. It really is trial and error. I started off trying to please everybody and offering to source and mix any flavour at any nicotine strength with any PG/VG ratio. Not a lot of people were doing this at the time and it became a huge and costly chore to custom-make someone something, and then have to wait and let them give me feedback on what I’d produced. I decided to streamline my juices into a combination of my bestsellers, what I vape and what people want. I currently do 10 juices (1 tobacco, 1 mint, 4 fruit and 4 dessert flavours) I think I have a good mix of juices and something to suit all tastes.
TGV: How do you know when a flavour is perfect, when it’s time to stop research and development?
Jamie: They’re never perfect and i’m never completely happy. They’re all at the stage where I am reasonably happy with them, but I enjoy trying to improve things and I’ve recently started doing variations of a few of my juices, A v2 if you like. There’s also the problem that some people do think they’re perfect so I can’t change something too much if people like it and it’s selling! Taste really is subjective.
TGV: Does the food you love influence the e-liquids you make in any way? Maybe you have some childhood food memories?
Jamie: I honestly don’t think too much about similarities between what i eat and what I vape. There isn’t that connection for me. I like a bacon sarnie and a Sunday dinner but i wouldn’t fancy vaping them. I lean towards dessert type vapes and do have a sweet tooth but also enjoy tobaco flavours and fruits as a change or a mint/menthol to cleanse the palate.
TGV: Any secrets you can share with potential juice mixologists out there?
Jamie: Don’t do it. It’s not as easy as it appears. Anyone can make juice but making good juice is an art. Buy mine instead! No seriously, trial and error, get good feedback from people you trust. Research and listen. Love what you do and make sure your customer service is outstanding!
TGV: So, that new Star Wars trailer, eh?
Jamie: Yeah just a tad excited. Can’t wait to take my boy to see it. He’s already as Star Wars daft as his Dad!
TGV: I know. It’s gotta be better than the prequels. It better be better than the prequels. If it’s not better than the sequels then I’ll punch myself in the soul.
Jamie: It has to be and surely there can’t be anything to rival the stupidity of Jar-Jar Fucking Binks.
TGV: In JJ we trust. He’s been waiting for this his whole life and has had a couple of dress rehearsals. Admittedly, one of them dreadful.
So, to the Dark Side, what in the industry gets you Grumpy?
Jamie: Not a lot to be honest. On the whole the vaping community are a close knit bunch and the majority of us vapers are sound. I tire of the endless arguments of Authentic Vs Clones and all of the associated shite that that brings but each to their own and if we’re not smoking that’ll do me. If the powers that be attempt to stop our right to vape then that would be my main concern.
TGV: About the Authentic Vs Clones thang; how would you feel if one of your Xilo mods was cloned?
The rest of the interview is, here.
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