the grumpy vaper
Postman
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
- Messages
- 352
Somewhere in the deepest depths of the Dorset countryside lies a business that almost every vaper, or user of e-cigarettes in the UK knows as a household name.
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just a cattle farm, the normal farm-like accoutrements are there; Animals… check. Farmhouse… check. Barnyard… check. Barn… check.
State of the art e-liquid mixing lab with HEPA filtration? Whoa, wait a moment!
If you indeed cast your eyes around the buildings you will find a state of the art e-liquid mixing lab with HEPA filtration. Check! This is Digbys Juices and it’s located one of the most perfect places you could possibly find to run a business like this.
“Well, it is smelly, there’s cows everywhere,” says Sam Cox owner of Digbys, “It’s lovely, good views, surroundings, everything’s nice.” And I can’t really disagree – Whitchurch Canonincorum in West Dorset is absolutely idyllic. A world away from frenetic urban life and the perfect place to focus on what is good in life, namely the juice in the bottle.
Over the last twelve months it is fair to say Digbys have become a British vaping superbrand – if you haven’t tried their e-liquid then you've probably at least heard of them, stocked in 56 vaping B&M stores in the UK and selling globally direct from their website, Digbys has become a very big player in a very short space of time.
In partnership with some slick branding, clever marketing and a shrewd business head, Sam Cox has a very successful business on his hands and I’ll let him do most of the talking in Friday’s Industry Insider video interview, however, just as a teaser I’ll give you this stat: In the space of twelve months Digbys have gone from zero to handcrafting, bottling and labelling around 7000 bottles of e-liquid a day! Sam is typically humble about these numbers, “This is respectable for a handmade juice operation… It’s more of a cottage industry.” That kind of industry is a little more than respectable, that’s an amazing growth and it’s something that we in the UK can be proud of.
Today, I’ll be reviewing five from the Digbys line of e-liquids with the rest to follow tomorrow. Can the e-liquid still impress following such expansion?
Sam very kindly sent me his e-liquids at a nicotine strength of 10mg. All the juices are 50VG/50PG unless specified.
Let’s get boots on the ground and vape!
The King:
Elvis Presley was right about this sandwich, surely one of the trashiest, artery clogging, life-destroying, amazingly delicious, tasty sandwiches of all time and one of his favourites. Sometimes referred to as an Elvis sandwich or simply the Elvis, it consists of a fried bread toasted sandwich with peanut butter, sliced or mashed banana, and sometimes bacon. Now, Digbys drop the bacon element and have really hit the mark with The King. It’s rich though, my God is it rich. A 60VG/40PG blend of banana, peanut and a dollop of cream, each of the flavours in this e-liquid is very true to the original sandwich. The King is ripe banana on the inhale, then on the exhale a very accurate peanut butter and some cream to smooth it all off with. While I’d love to vape this all day, a few toots down the line I feel full of very full of junk food and need to stop, so as an after dinner dessert vape it’s near perfect, but just too rich to stay with for long periods. Still, The King come with a high TGV recommendation.
Mum’s Custard:
This is one of my favourites from the Digbys line and was the e-liquid that really made me sit up and pay attention. At first you’d be forgiven for thinking Mum’s Custard is a little vanilla, but its complexities open up after a while vaping. It’s creamy and milky, but those flavours almost come across almost like a condensed milk and the brown sugar notes add a buttery taste and a richness missing from other custards. There’s just the right amount of vanilla in the mix to keep it custard and while there is added brown sugar it’s neither too sweet, nor sickly – the flavours are balanced very well indeed. This would be one of my favourite straight custards and an all dayer, if it weren’t for DMC (Deluxe Mum’s Custard) – which is a higher VG e-liquid that I’ll be reviewing tomorrow. As with all Digbys e-liquids I’ve tried, the throat hit at 10mg is good, but won’t leave you needing Strepsils. Vapour production is generous for a 50/50 blend.
Oriental Plunder:
And now for something a little more different and complex. My admiration for tobacco e-liquids has grown over the past few months with the rise of the new breed of tobacco fusions that have come to market. I reviewed B-Juice here to some acclaim and Oriental Plunder has again made me reassess my thoughts on tobacco e-liquids. It’s a fusion of American Tobaccos, crisp green and red apples mixed with some fresh ginger and while this initially sounded unappealing to me it provides a surprisingly pleasant vape. Again, it’s the well balanced flavours that make Oriental Plunder a success, each one is harmonious with the other, rather than opting for oral warfare – it’s clever stuff. The tobacco is reasonably low key on the inhale with a pleasant savoury nuttiness and gives way to a fantastic sweet, crisp apple and light ginger exhale. Gunpowder is complex, but also agreeably smooth and provides a good plume of vapour – while it’s not an ADV for me, I will go back to Oriental Plunder to have along with a glass of cider, or maybe the ideal partner - a small Calvados.
Gunpowder:
While not strictly in my zone for flavour (I’m not the biggest whore for anise e-liquids), I can still appreciate that the essences in the bottle are true and honest. Gunpowder is a 60VG/40PG balanced blend of anise, light citrus with a slight cooling effect. And again, it’s the meticulous attention to detail in that balance that makes this e-liquid stand out from similar others. Anise is the forefront flavour, but it’s not so in your face that it makes your mouth curl. It’s paired skilfully with subtle lemon and lime citrus on the exhale and yes, the cooling effect does work very well adding a lightness to the dark of the anise. Gunpowder reminds me of an Anisette with a twist on the rocks - I’m on a beach holiday at the beginning of March - Gunpowder will be a very refreshing vape to go with the copious amunts of booze and again provides a good amount of vapour.
Scores, pics and more here >>>>
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just a cattle farm, the normal farm-like accoutrements are there; Animals… check. Farmhouse… check. Barnyard… check. Barn… check.
State of the art e-liquid mixing lab with HEPA filtration? Whoa, wait a moment!
If you indeed cast your eyes around the buildings you will find a state of the art e-liquid mixing lab with HEPA filtration. Check! This is Digbys Juices and it’s located one of the most perfect places you could possibly find to run a business like this.
“Well, it is smelly, there’s cows everywhere,” says Sam Cox owner of Digbys, “It’s lovely, good views, surroundings, everything’s nice.” And I can’t really disagree – Whitchurch Canonincorum in West Dorset is absolutely idyllic. A world away from frenetic urban life and the perfect place to focus on what is good in life, namely the juice in the bottle.
Over the last twelve months it is fair to say Digbys have become a British vaping superbrand – if you haven’t tried their e-liquid then you've probably at least heard of them, stocked in 56 vaping B&M stores in the UK and selling globally direct from their website, Digbys has become a very big player in a very short space of time.
In partnership with some slick branding, clever marketing and a shrewd business head, Sam Cox has a very successful business on his hands and I’ll let him do most of the talking in Friday’s Industry Insider video interview, however, just as a teaser I’ll give you this stat: In the space of twelve months Digbys have gone from zero to handcrafting, bottling and labelling around 7000 bottles of e-liquid a day! Sam is typically humble about these numbers, “This is respectable for a handmade juice operation… It’s more of a cottage industry.” That kind of industry is a little more than respectable, that’s an amazing growth and it’s something that we in the UK can be proud of.
Today, I’ll be reviewing five from the Digbys line of e-liquids with the rest to follow tomorrow. Can the e-liquid still impress following such expansion?
Sam very kindly sent me his e-liquids at a nicotine strength of 10mg. All the juices are 50VG/50PG unless specified.
Let’s get boots on the ground and vape!
The King:
Elvis Presley was right about this sandwich, surely one of the trashiest, artery clogging, life-destroying, amazingly delicious, tasty sandwiches of all time and one of his favourites. Sometimes referred to as an Elvis sandwich or simply the Elvis, it consists of a fried bread toasted sandwich with peanut butter, sliced or mashed banana, and sometimes bacon. Now, Digbys drop the bacon element and have really hit the mark with The King. It’s rich though, my God is it rich. A 60VG/40PG blend of banana, peanut and a dollop of cream, each of the flavours in this e-liquid is very true to the original sandwich. The King is ripe banana on the inhale, then on the exhale a very accurate peanut butter and some cream to smooth it all off with. While I’d love to vape this all day, a few toots down the line I feel full of very full of junk food and need to stop, so as an after dinner dessert vape it’s near perfect, but just too rich to stay with for long periods. Still, The King come with a high TGV recommendation.
Mum’s Custard:
This is one of my favourites from the Digbys line and was the e-liquid that really made me sit up and pay attention. At first you’d be forgiven for thinking Mum’s Custard is a little vanilla, but its complexities open up after a while vaping. It’s creamy and milky, but those flavours almost come across almost like a condensed milk and the brown sugar notes add a buttery taste and a richness missing from other custards. There’s just the right amount of vanilla in the mix to keep it custard and while there is added brown sugar it’s neither too sweet, nor sickly – the flavours are balanced very well indeed. This would be one of my favourite straight custards and an all dayer, if it weren’t for DMC (Deluxe Mum’s Custard) – which is a higher VG e-liquid that I’ll be reviewing tomorrow. As with all Digbys e-liquids I’ve tried, the throat hit at 10mg is good, but won’t leave you needing Strepsils. Vapour production is generous for a 50/50 blend.
Oriental Plunder:
And now for something a little more different and complex. My admiration for tobacco e-liquids has grown over the past few months with the rise of the new breed of tobacco fusions that have come to market. I reviewed B-Juice here to some acclaim and Oriental Plunder has again made me reassess my thoughts on tobacco e-liquids. It’s a fusion of American Tobaccos, crisp green and red apples mixed with some fresh ginger and while this initially sounded unappealing to me it provides a surprisingly pleasant vape. Again, it’s the well balanced flavours that make Oriental Plunder a success, each one is harmonious with the other, rather than opting for oral warfare – it’s clever stuff. The tobacco is reasonably low key on the inhale with a pleasant savoury nuttiness and gives way to a fantastic sweet, crisp apple and light ginger exhale. Gunpowder is complex, but also agreeably smooth and provides a good plume of vapour – while it’s not an ADV for me, I will go back to Oriental Plunder to have along with a glass of cider, or maybe the ideal partner - a small Calvados.
Gunpowder:
While not strictly in my zone for flavour (I’m not the biggest whore for anise e-liquids), I can still appreciate that the essences in the bottle are true and honest. Gunpowder is a 60VG/40PG balanced blend of anise, light citrus with a slight cooling effect. And again, it’s the meticulous attention to detail in that balance that makes this e-liquid stand out from similar others. Anise is the forefront flavour, but it’s not so in your face that it makes your mouth curl. It’s paired skilfully with subtle lemon and lime citrus on the exhale and yes, the cooling effect does work very well adding a lightness to the dark of the anise. Gunpowder reminds me of an Anisette with a twist on the rocks - I’m on a beach holiday at the beginning of March - Gunpowder will be a very refreshing vape to go with the copious amunts of booze and again provides a good amount of vapour.
Scores, pics and more here >>>>
