the grumpy vaper
Postman
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
- Messages
- 352
TGV is back in the house!
Following a disastrous holiday in Egypt where I spent half the time in bed with one of the worst bouts of flu I have had in years, then bringing it home with me and infecting MrsTGV and TGVJnr, I'm now back to full strength with a mammoth e-liquid review and it's a rather special one at that.
I interviewed Chris Dunford of Dunfords Eliquids a while back now and you can read that here. A jolly nice chap he is too, so I was looking forward to trying out his range of e-liquids. I had to wait a while though as he was still working on Dugong, which is reviewed first exclusively here on TGV below and will be available to buy very soon,
Chris was good enough to send me his full range of juices at a strength of 12mg and a ratio of 50VG/50PG - many thanks for getting them over to me.
Let's go animal crackers then, fill up the tank, stoke the dripper and vape on...
Short Horn:
Custards, custards everywhere - almost ubiquitous! If you'd have told me five years ago that one of the most replicated flavours in e-liquids and one of my standard all-dayers would have been custard, then I would have probably laughed in your face and run a mile from you - you mad man! Well, the joke would have been on me and here we are with another custard. So, what does Short Horn do to distance itself from the creamy crowd? Well, not a whole lot. Short Horn is along the Digbys Mum's Custard line of taste, rather than the too sweet, in my opinion, GVC (Grants Vanilla Custard) end of the spectrum. I mention Mum's Custard because Short Horn is virtually a replica, but just lacks a little flavour in comparison. That's not to say Short Horn is bad, but it isn't quite up there with the best of them. It's creamy - natch and has a little brown sugar on the exhale, but needs a bit more punch, maybe a little vanilla to distance itself from the custardy battle. Vapour production is excellent for a 50VG/50PG blend, the throat hit is along smoother lines, rather providing a meaty kick. All in all, it's a decent flavour, but I don't see Short Horn as the cream of the crop.
French Bulldog:
This one gives a bit more growl and should keep raspberry lovers out there very happy indeed. French Bulldog has a very true and fresh raspberry mouthful of flavour on the inhale with a subtle creamy custard partnering up very nicely. On the exhale the flavour of rich cake comes through as a delicious undertone, but it's not so rich you feel like you can't keep vaping the stuff - in fact, it's very moreish indeed and could probably become an all-dayer for many of you dessert fiends out there. French Bulldog provides huge amounts of cloud coverage considering the ratio and gives a decent throat hit too. It's one of the best raspberry desserts I've tried and comes with a high TGV recommendation.
Clownfish:
Clownfish takes a turn away from desserts to give you something a little more refreshing and less complex. This e-liquid is pretty much a straight up tangerine flavour with a little orange to cut through the sweetness which adds a bit more acidity. Clownfish is a great palate cleanser, however, the description also states that there are "subtle hints of cream and a subtle fizz on the exhale" - both are possibly a little too subtle as I have experienced neither cream, nor fizz. Fizzy cream can never be a good thing though, right? As it is though, Clownfish is a good, honest citrus flavour that won't bust the block, but will give you a good tangy e-liquid. Again, vapour is bountiful and there's a decent throat hit too.
Silverback:
Authentic banana and chocolate flavoured e-liquids can be tough to find. Banana flavours can often come across as unnatural and sometimes rather chemical, or maybe taste like those godawful chewy sweets you had when you were a kid. Chocolate seems to be another that's difficult to nail well. Silverback takes both these elements and flips a finger to other lesser e-liquids out there and does it with aplomb. The banana comes across well-ripened and sweet and the chocolate is of the more bitter variety and balances out the sweetness very well. The brown sugar adds another more caramelised layer on the exhale. The description on Dunfords Eliquids website says there are also hints of vanilla - while the hints are very subtle, the flavour comes through more when subohming on a dripper, it's virtually undetectable in a standard clearomizer tank. Silverback is an all-round great vape for those after a real banana and chocolate flavour. Vape clouds are again brilliant for the ratio, the throat hit is again smoother rather than punchy. Silverback is good stuff then and recommended.
Grizzly Bear:
Dunfords Eliquids don't do a tobacco juice, but Grizzly Bear is the closest in the line to something similar. It's a complex mix of earthy, woody, nutty flavours - first up comes a thick maple syrup, which is followed by a bitter, very dark chocolate. Just when you think you have a handle on individual ingredients they all coalesce and form a flavour very close to a tobacco e-liquid. The nuttiness apparently comes from pecans, but I'd be hard pressed to say Grizzly Bear tasted clearly of them, it's more a hickory, smokey, roasted undertone then. I'm almost sure I can taste a little bourbon in there too. Grizzly Bear isn't an e-liquid I could vape all day - but it is very unique, I've never quite had a juice like it before and here I am nearing the end of the bottle and I'm still undecided whether I like it or not! Vapour is again heavy and Grizzly Bear has a big throat hit. If you're a fan of thick, heavy, dark e-liquids then Grizzly Bear may well bite and not let go.
Narwhal:
I like to be surprised from time to time and Narwhal has done just that. If you're a regular reader, then you'll know I'm not the biggest fan of menthol e-liquids - the flavour association reminds me of suffering from a particularly bad cold and chewing on Lockets, or other available decongestants. Narwhal isn't your straight up menthol though. While menthol is the upfront dominant flavour it never threatens to turn your face inside out, it's rather more restrained here and combines with a very classy grape flavour on the inhale, while on the exhale a refreshing watermelon comes into play. Narwhal comes across as a cool mixed fruit sorbet then and it's one of the most pleasant menthol fusions I've vaped on for a good while. I'll say it again, vapour production is huge considering the 50/50 blend - all Dunfords Eliquids are more like high VG blends regarding vapour volume. The throat hit is cooling and soothing. Whaddaya know, a good menthol!
More hot action, pics and scores here >>>>
Following a disastrous holiday in Egypt where I spent half the time in bed with one of the worst bouts of flu I have had in years, then bringing it home with me and infecting MrsTGV and TGVJnr, I'm now back to full strength with a mammoth e-liquid review and it's a rather special one at that.
I interviewed Chris Dunford of Dunfords Eliquids a while back now and you can read that here. A jolly nice chap he is too, so I was looking forward to trying out his range of e-liquids. I had to wait a while though as he was still working on Dugong, which is reviewed first exclusively here on TGV below and will be available to buy very soon,
Chris was good enough to send me his full range of juices at a strength of 12mg and a ratio of 50VG/50PG - many thanks for getting them over to me.
Let's go animal crackers then, fill up the tank, stoke the dripper and vape on...
Short Horn:
Custards, custards everywhere - almost ubiquitous! If you'd have told me five years ago that one of the most replicated flavours in e-liquids and one of my standard all-dayers would have been custard, then I would have probably laughed in your face and run a mile from you - you mad man! Well, the joke would have been on me and here we are with another custard. So, what does Short Horn do to distance itself from the creamy crowd? Well, not a whole lot. Short Horn is along the Digbys Mum's Custard line of taste, rather than the too sweet, in my opinion, GVC (Grants Vanilla Custard) end of the spectrum. I mention Mum's Custard because Short Horn is virtually a replica, but just lacks a little flavour in comparison. That's not to say Short Horn is bad, but it isn't quite up there with the best of them. It's creamy - natch and has a little brown sugar on the exhale, but needs a bit more punch, maybe a little vanilla to distance itself from the custardy battle. Vapour production is excellent for a 50VG/50PG blend, the throat hit is along smoother lines, rather providing a meaty kick. All in all, it's a decent flavour, but I don't see Short Horn as the cream of the crop.
French Bulldog:
This one gives a bit more growl and should keep raspberry lovers out there very happy indeed. French Bulldog has a very true and fresh raspberry mouthful of flavour on the inhale with a subtle creamy custard partnering up very nicely. On the exhale the flavour of rich cake comes through as a delicious undertone, but it's not so rich you feel like you can't keep vaping the stuff - in fact, it's very moreish indeed and could probably become an all-dayer for many of you dessert fiends out there. French Bulldog provides huge amounts of cloud coverage considering the ratio and gives a decent throat hit too. It's one of the best raspberry desserts I've tried and comes with a high TGV recommendation.
Clownfish:
Clownfish takes a turn away from desserts to give you something a little more refreshing and less complex. This e-liquid is pretty much a straight up tangerine flavour with a little orange to cut through the sweetness which adds a bit more acidity. Clownfish is a great palate cleanser, however, the description also states that there are "subtle hints of cream and a subtle fizz on the exhale" - both are possibly a little too subtle as I have experienced neither cream, nor fizz. Fizzy cream can never be a good thing though, right? As it is though, Clownfish is a good, honest citrus flavour that won't bust the block, but will give you a good tangy e-liquid. Again, vapour is bountiful and there's a decent throat hit too.
Silverback:
Authentic banana and chocolate flavoured e-liquids can be tough to find. Banana flavours can often come across as unnatural and sometimes rather chemical, or maybe taste like those godawful chewy sweets you had when you were a kid. Chocolate seems to be another that's difficult to nail well. Silverback takes both these elements and flips a finger to other lesser e-liquids out there and does it with aplomb. The banana comes across well-ripened and sweet and the chocolate is of the more bitter variety and balances out the sweetness very well. The brown sugar adds another more caramelised layer on the exhale. The description on Dunfords Eliquids website says there are also hints of vanilla - while the hints are very subtle, the flavour comes through more when subohming on a dripper, it's virtually undetectable in a standard clearomizer tank. Silverback is an all-round great vape for those after a real banana and chocolate flavour. Vape clouds are again brilliant for the ratio, the throat hit is again smoother rather than punchy. Silverback is good stuff then and recommended.
Grizzly Bear:
Dunfords Eliquids don't do a tobacco juice, but Grizzly Bear is the closest in the line to something similar. It's a complex mix of earthy, woody, nutty flavours - first up comes a thick maple syrup, which is followed by a bitter, very dark chocolate. Just when you think you have a handle on individual ingredients they all coalesce and form a flavour very close to a tobacco e-liquid. The nuttiness apparently comes from pecans, but I'd be hard pressed to say Grizzly Bear tasted clearly of them, it's more a hickory, smokey, roasted undertone then. I'm almost sure I can taste a little bourbon in there too. Grizzly Bear isn't an e-liquid I could vape all day - but it is very unique, I've never quite had a juice like it before and here I am nearing the end of the bottle and I'm still undecided whether I like it or not! Vapour is again heavy and Grizzly Bear has a big throat hit. If you're a fan of thick, heavy, dark e-liquids then Grizzly Bear may well bite and not let go.
Narwhal:
I like to be surprised from time to time and Narwhal has done just that. If you're a regular reader, then you'll know I'm not the biggest fan of menthol e-liquids - the flavour association reminds me of suffering from a particularly bad cold and chewing on Lockets, or other available decongestants. Narwhal isn't your straight up menthol though. While menthol is the upfront dominant flavour it never threatens to turn your face inside out, it's rather more restrained here and combines with a very classy grape flavour on the inhale, while on the exhale a refreshing watermelon comes into play. Narwhal comes across as a cool mixed fruit sorbet then and it's one of the most pleasant menthol fusions I've vaped on for a good while. I'll say it again, vapour production is huge considering the 50/50 blend - all Dunfords Eliquids are more like high VG blends regarding vapour volume. The throat hit is cooling and soothing. Whaddaya know, a good menthol!
More hot action, pics and scores here >>>>
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