I won these samples a couple of days ago in a silly competition held by the chaps at
www.chefsvapour.co.uk/ and I think it's only polite to reciprocate with a little review
All samples were tested at 4.9v in a 2.8 Ohm thingummybob.
I'm calling this "first impressions" because my comments come with a couple of caveats. First, the juices dropped through the letterbox earlier today, I have no idea how long they have been steeping and there's a fair chance that they will taste different in two or three or four weeks' time.
Secondly, I'm wary of passing judgment on a juice until I've tried at least a full carto. The way a juice tastes will depend on the time of day, what I've just eaten, what I've just had to drink, the phase of the moon and who knows what else... More importantly, it takes time for me to get to know a juice and appreciate its qualities. This is particularly true if the juice has subtleties - and if it doesn't have subtleties I'm unlikely to waste a carto on it in the first place.
You can probably tell that I haven't done this before
. Am I waffling ???
So to the juices... In the order in which I tried them...
Strawberry vapettoIf you look at the Chefs' description of this, you will see a little picture of a strawberry ice cream cone. If you spend as much time as I do window-shopping for juices, you will recognise this strawberry ice cream cone as exactly the same strawberry ice cream cone which is used by another vendor to illustrate his strawberry ice cream cone juice. Be that as it may, I had never tried anybody's strawberry ice cream cone juice before, so I have nothing to compare it with.
Here's what it tastes like:
It doesn't taste of strawberries, or of ice cream, or of cone - it tastes like a strawberry ice cream cone. Which is nice
If anything, the dominant flavour is the wafer, which I like. A nice nutty, wafery wafer. Mmm... that's quite yummy... Hang on, I think I'll have some more.
Right, next up:
Lemon coconut cream cakeFirst, I get lemon. Then I get fizz. Huh? Lemon fizz cake? ??? Nah, must just be me. There's definitely cake. Maybe the lemon is a bit artificial? Oh, here comes more cake! Now, where's the coconut? Here, coconutty, coconutty! Nope. Must be shy.
Maybe it's a ninja coconut
It'll come and get me when I least expect it
But... There is some subtlety to this one. I shall not underestimate subtlety. When the site opens, I think I'll buy some of this, bung it in a Boge and give it time to win me over.
Did I mention that
www.chefsvapour.co.uk/ isn't open for business yet? Due to open in a couple of weeks, I think.
Spotted dick and custardWe really need to wait for
Super-Shiny to review this. I shall just say that it really does taste of dick.
Lew's brewSubtle. Coffee? Yeah, coffee. And something else. I'm not entirely sure what, but it isn't anything nasty. I've tried coffee juices before and, whilst they have been nice, they have all been trying too hard to be coffee; they have all shouted "look at me, I'm coffee, I'm made of beans, I came out of one of those big shiny machines, no really, I did!"
This one doesn't grab you by the throat, or any other part of the anatomy, and scream at you. Nor does it hide behind the sofa and pray that you'll go away soon and leave it alone. It has a quiet, self assured demeanour which isn't entirely unattractive.
SummaryIf you've stuck with me this far, you really ought to find something better to do with your time
. If you're none the wiser as to what any of these juices taste like (apart from the strawberry ice cream cone one, which I think I have made clear tastes of cone, cream, ice and strawberry), then I can only apologise. No doubt you will recalibrate your expectations for the next time you embark upon reading something I have written.
The most useful thing I can say is that when the site opens, I shall be buying more of these and some of their other juices and giving them the full Boge treatment. First impressions are positive and I shall be happy to go on a second date with any of them
It'll come and get me when I least expect it 
. If you're none the wiser as to what any of these juices taste like (apart from the strawberry ice cream cone one, which I think I have made clear tastes of cone, cream, ice and strawberry), then I can only apologise. No doubt you will recalibrate your expectations for the next time you embark upon reading something I have written.