the grumpy vaper
Postman
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
- Messages
- 352
It’s a funny old thing the e-liquid market.
At one end of the spectrum you have manufacturers who want to provide simple flavours for the more simple minded among us. I don’t mean that as an insult, but some of us only really want to try what we already know we like, and don’t really wish to be informed, or educated by our vape juice.
So, we have e-liquids that pander somewhat to our childhoods; Lovehearts, Coca Cola Bottles and Penny Chews of all different types are out there. No fuss fruits that do what they say on the label, but don’t really offer much more than that in the long run. Run of the mill custards that taste sweet, but are resolutely one dimensional.
So, what do you do if you’re craving something a little off the beaten track? What if you’re exhausted and jaded by the usual suspects?
Van Dyke Vapes seem to think they have the answer. Today’s e-liquids are all quite unusual, but also have a feeling a familiarity and I think that’s a difficult balancing act to achieve. Yes, there’s an apple pie, but it’s an apple pie with a twist. Dragon Punch is your fruit cocktail, but travels to South East Asia for some of it’s influence. Black Ninja is reminiscent of a Black Jack sweet, but goes the extra mile to be individual and rise above the rabble.
I hope Van Dyke Vapes carry on in this way with anything they add to their line in the future, because they show commitment and originality and that should be celebrated – even if a couple of these e-liquids aren’t really for me long term. VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
Jamie from Van Dyke Vapes kindly sent his range of four e-liquids to review at a nicotine strength of 12mg and ratios of 50VG/50PG.
Let’s load up the old vape stick and see what we think…
Ivory Pippin:
Having spent some time with Ivory Pippin some of it’s more clever subtleties have been revealed to me. Ivory Pippin is described as, “A vanilla custard, with brambly apple, a biscuit pie base with a hint of almond liqueur”, and this description is pretty much nails it. Primarily, I was struck with the bakery note as the leading flavour, initially I couldn’t really detect much in the way of apple at all, but this has been revealed when moving away from the Nautilus and getting stuck in for real with my Magama and the Atlantis. The fruitiness of the apple is there, but as a background note. The bakery aspect is absolutely incredible, you can almost feel the pastry crumbling in your mouth – such is the clever deception. Moving up the wattages the delicious creaminess of this liquid is revealed alongside the nuttiness of the almond liqueur. For those of you out there that might be worried about the flavour of alcohol coming through – don’t worry, it doesn’t at all. With this in mind it’s as suitable to vape during the day as it is at night after dinner. It’s less Amaretto, more Amaritti (the Italian biscuit) and gives another layer of nutty enhancement. Vapour production is good for a 50/50 blend, but the throat hit doesn’t wallop rather than caress with its smoothness. Ivory Pippin is a bloody good, adult dessert e-liquid, full of complex, low subtle notes that I find very rewarding indeed. This juice is also a perfect accompaniment to the season, it’s a warming and comforting confection that helps put you in the spirit of things.
Dragon Punch:
This is a fruit based e-liquid, but having said that Dragon Punch isn’t easy to describe and I like that about it. Again, it’s complex, but in a wildly different and exotic way. Dragon Punch is a blend of, “Peach and pomegranate… and has a sprinkling of dragon fruit.” Now, if you’ve never had dragon fruit, it’s a South East Asian member of the cactus family and as lurid looking as a Pollock painting which has somehow mated with Giger’s Xenomorph egg. I’ve had it a couple of times on my travels and found it to be a something I wouldn’t really go back to – it’s soapy qualities aren’t something I care for, but in Dragon Punch it really works as a background note, rather than being centre stage. The pomegranate is what dominates for me, with peach tingling away on the exhale. It’s the refreshing qualities of this e-liquid that I really admire with a very well balanced sweetness. The dragon fruit’s soapiness and florality is there, but it’s subtle use is key to keeping you interested. Vapour is again voluminous, but not overbearing and again the throat hit won’t be for you if you demand a big kick. While Dragon Punch will never be an all-dayer for me, it’s great in partnership with a glass of white, or if you fancy something a little unusual, but still fruitily familiar.
Buttered Nips:
The “Nips” in the name apparently do not refer to the tingling, sexy bits on our bodies, but the nip on the tongue you get from the cooling effect of the menthol. Menthol and I don’t get along very well at all and while it’s not as dominant as it is in some e-liquids, it’s still very much there and as such, is not for me. “A butterscotch based juice, with a cooling menthol on the exhale and a touch of champagne”, is how Buttered Nips is described and while it has the sweetness of butterscotch it has none of the, um, buttery, almost burnt depth. Try as I might, I can’t find any champagne in this e-liquid either, in any device I’ve had it in. I guess that would be a very tough flavour to juggle, alongside menthol and butterscotch and let’s be honest here, champagne is not something you would normally associate with very sweet flavours. Buttered Nips is just slightly too sweet for me and the menthol is just a bit too much. Sweet menthol lovers out there may find something stunning in this juice, for me it falls flat as two day old champagne. I applaud Van Dyke Vapes for trying to do something different and very original, but it’s not going to change your mind if you can’t shake the association. Vapour production is again excellent and you get more of a menthol throat hit if that is what you crave.
Final thoughts and pics of stuff, here.
At one end of the spectrum you have manufacturers who want to provide simple flavours for the more simple minded among us. I don’t mean that as an insult, but some of us only really want to try what we already know we like, and don’t really wish to be informed, or educated by our vape juice.
So, we have e-liquids that pander somewhat to our childhoods; Lovehearts, Coca Cola Bottles and Penny Chews of all different types are out there. No fuss fruits that do what they say on the label, but don’t really offer much more than that in the long run. Run of the mill custards that taste sweet, but are resolutely one dimensional.
So, what do you do if you’re craving something a little off the beaten track? What if you’re exhausted and jaded by the usual suspects?
Van Dyke Vapes seem to think they have the answer. Today’s e-liquids are all quite unusual, but also have a feeling a familiarity and I think that’s a difficult balancing act to achieve. Yes, there’s an apple pie, but it’s an apple pie with a twist. Dragon Punch is your fruit cocktail, but travels to South East Asia for some of it’s influence. Black Ninja is reminiscent of a Black Jack sweet, but goes the extra mile to be individual and rise above the rabble.
I hope Van Dyke Vapes carry on in this way with anything they add to their line in the future, because they show commitment and originality and that should be celebrated – even if a couple of these e-liquids aren’t really for me long term. VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
Jamie from Van Dyke Vapes kindly sent his range of four e-liquids to review at a nicotine strength of 12mg and ratios of 50VG/50PG.
Let’s load up the old vape stick and see what we think…
Ivory Pippin:
Having spent some time with Ivory Pippin some of it’s more clever subtleties have been revealed to me. Ivory Pippin is described as, “A vanilla custard, with brambly apple, a biscuit pie base with a hint of almond liqueur”, and this description is pretty much nails it. Primarily, I was struck with the bakery note as the leading flavour, initially I couldn’t really detect much in the way of apple at all, but this has been revealed when moving away from the Nautilus and getting stuck in for real with my Magama and the Atlantis. The fruitiness of the apple is there, but as a background note. The bakery aspect is absolutely incredible, you can almost feel the pastry crumbling in your mouth – such is the clever deception. Moving up the wattages the delicious creaminess of this liquid is revealed alongside the nuttiness of the almond liqueur. For those of you out there that might be worried about the flavour of alcohol coming through – don’t worry, it doesn’t at all. With this in mind it’s as suitable to vape during the day as it is at night after dinner. It’s less Amaretto, more Amaritti (the Italian biscuit) and gives another layer of nutty enhancement. Vapour production is good for a 50/50 blend, but the throat hit doesn’t wallop rather than caress with its smoothness. Ivory Pippin is a bloody good, adult dessert e-liquid, full of complex, low subtle notes that I find very rewarding indeed. This juice is also a perfect accompaniment to the season, it’s a warming and comforting confection that helps put you in the spirit of things.
Dragon Punch:
This is a fruit based e-liquid, but having said that Dragon Punch isn’t easy to describe and I like that about it. Again, it’s complex, but in a wildly different and exotic way. Dragon Punch is a blend of, “Peach and pomegranate… and has a sprinkling of dragon fruit.” Now, if you’ve never had dragon fruit, it’s a South East Asian member of the cactus family and as lurid looking as a Pollock painting which has somehow mated with Giger’s Xenomorph egg. I’ve had it a couple of times on my travels and found it to be a something I wouldn’t really go back to – it’s soapy qualities aren’t something I care for, but in Dragon Punch it really works as a background note, rather than being centre stage. The pomegranate is what dominates for me, with peach tingling away on the exhale. It’s the refreshing qualities of this e-liquid that I really admire with a very well balanced sweetness. The dragon fruit’s soapiness and florality is there, but it’s subtle use is key to keeping you interested. Vapour is again voluminous, but not overbearing and again the throat hit won’t be for you if you demand a big kick. While Dragon Punch will never be an all-dayer for me, it’s great in partnership with a glass of white, or if you fancy something a little unusual, but still fruitily familiar.
Buttered Nips:
The “Nips” in the name apparently do not refer to the tingling, sexy bits on our bodies, but the nip on the tongue you get from the cooling effect of the menthol. Menthol and I don’t get along very well at all and while it’s not as dominant as it is in some e-liquids, it’s still very much there and as such, is not for me. “A butterscotch based juice, with a cooling menthol on the exhale and a touch of champagne”, is how Buttered Nips is described and while it has the sweetness of butterscotch it has none of the, um, buttery, almost burnt depth. Try as I might, I can’t find any champagne in this e-liquid either, in any device I’ve had it in. I guess that would be a very tough flavour to juggle, alongside menthol and butterscotch and let’s be honest here, champagne is not something you would normally associate with very sweet flavours. Buttered Nips is just slightly too sweet for me and the menthol is just a bit too much. Sweet menthol lovers out there may find something stunning in this juice, for me it falls flat as two day old champagne. I applaud Van Dyke Vapes for trying to do something different and very original, but it’s not going to change your mind if you can’t shake the association. Vapour production is again excellent and you get more of a menthol throat hit if that is what you crave.
Final thoughts and pics of stuff, here.
