Disclaimer: This E-liquid was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of conducting a review. This fact notwithstanding, I will, as best I'm able, provide an honest, accurate and unbiased assessment of this product. Pertinent portions of this review are quoted from my review of Drakes Vapes Chai Town. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/chai-town-by-drakes-vapes.html Quoted passages are in italics.
"Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron, because growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive. Initial attempts to cultivate vanilla outside Mexico and Central America proved futile because of the symbiotic relationship between the vanilla orchid and its natural pollinator, the local species of Melipona bee. Pollination is required to set the fruit from which the flavoring is derived. In 1837, Belgian botanist Charles François Antoine Morren discovered this fact and pioneered a method of artificially pollinating the plant. The method proved financially unworkable and was not deployed commercially. In 1841, Edmond Albius, a slave who lived on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, discovered at the age of twelve that the plant could be hand-pollinated. Hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant.
The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), simply translates as little pod. Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people cultivated the vine of the vanilla orchid, called tlilxochitl by the Aztecs, and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla
Now it's our great, good fortune to be (re)introduced to a trinity of vanillas in vaporous form by Drakes Vapes.
This is what the Vape Goddess website has to say about Drakes Vapes' Vanilla Trifecta, "A trifecta of vanillas and custards with a hint of magic. Made by Warlocks and Witches in a musky basement." http://www.vapegoddess.net/vanilla-trifecta/
Drakes Vapes is based in Newport Beach, California and was founded by Kevin Drake, professional musician https://soundcloud.com/kevindrake-1 and partner Meg Strouse, photographer, freelance journalist and founder of Vape Goddess. http://www.vapegoddess.net
Drakes Vapes offer a catalog of ten e-liquids: Alchemist ("A unique blend of fruits and absinthe..."), Chai Town ("smooth... creamy... spiced flavour"), Drakeula ("A refreshing mix of Blood Oranges, Black Cherries and Guava"), Echelon ("...pomegranate and sweet marshmallow..."), Figen Kanel ("...daring mix of fruits and cinnamons..."), Melon Fiasco ("...cantaloupe and watermelon..."), O-Face ("Sweet on the inside, sour on the outside; move over Lucille Ball, there's a new sassy Ginger in town"), Punky Bruiser ("Sweet and sassy...fruity tartness..."), Yolo! ("Lemonade with hints of Lavender...") and Vanilla Trifecta.
Each of the liquids is available in a 30ml bottle at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. All liquids are mixed to a 50:50 PG/VG ratio.
The Drakes Vapes range is available online from the Vape Goddess website http://www.vapegoddess.net, Elevated Vaping http://elevated-vaping.myshopify.com, Vapor Solutions http://www.vapor-solutions.com, Electronic Cigarettes Inc. http://www.electroniccigarettesinc.com, et. al. Search Google for a more comprehensive list of stores selling the Drakes Vapes line.
The bottle is an Iodine Blue, cylindrical glass with a black plastic, screw top cap. The cap isn't childproof, so care should be taken in the use and storage of this liquid. There's also no dropper insert attached, so a syringe, eye dropper or pipette, all of which are readily available from your local pharmacy or online, will need to be used for transferring the liquid to your preferred atomiser. The label includes the following information: the brand/company name, the name of the liquid, liquid contents specified by a pictogram which I struggle to decipher, nicotine strength in milligrams, a description of the flavour profile, a list of ingredients, a warning to keep out of the reach of children and pets and an advisory notice specifying that the liquid is not to be sold to minors.
Given that the bottle is a dark blue and the liquid within appears black, I've used an eye dropper to observe and identify the colour of the juice which is a clear, Peach Orange http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_orange#Peach A deep, sustained snift at the opened bottle reveals an aroma rich in vanilla that cools the nostrils towards the finish. There's a vaguely alcoholic quality about this cooling effect, though there's no corresponding odour. Brief inhalations of the aroma seems to add a certain egg yolk-like aspect to the fragrance which is very reminiscent of custard.
I've been vaping Vanilla Trifecta in a Killer on a GP Paps Lux and an Igo-L on a Poldiac. For the purpose of this review I'll be using the Killer which is built with a pre-made, low resistance coil/wick and is running on a GP Paps powered by an 18490 battery.
Drawing the vapour into and through my mouth floods my taste buds with a mildly sweetened and gently spiced flavour. There's a certain measure of warmth, not temperature-wise, to the flavour which is vaguely reminiscent of the warmth experienced in the stomach following a shot of whiskey. (Please don't misunderstand this as suggesting there's a whiskey-like warmth generated in the stomach by this liquid. It's merely an illustration to describe the quality of flavour.) It produces a sensation of comfort and the illusion of fortification against the wintry elements. As I chase the vapour into my lungs with a breath of fresh air, the flavour is declared in all it's glory. This is a luxurious, buttery vanilla that expands and mutates into an egg yolk-rich custard as I begin to exhale. Towards the end of the exhalation and through to the last moments of the aftertaste, the flavour shifts towards that of a sweet, vanilla ice cream. There are whispers of caramel throughout, though I suspect this to be the result of sugars within the liquid actually caramelising on the coil, rather than the addition of flavour additives.
Each time I pick up the device for a vape, the first inhalation passes without any throat hit whatsoever. With subsequent inhalations however, there is a distinctive rasp at the back of the throat which passes for a very satisfactory throat hit. Using the Killer, this liquid produces very generous plumes of vapour, which in a still room, builds successive, delicate veils which shift and undulate to relaxing effect.
If there was an equivalent of comfort food in vaporous form, Drakes Vapes' Vanilla Trifecta would be it. There's a gentle, unintrusive, though flavour-rich quality to this liquid that renders it a capable all-day-vape and as mentioned earlier, that elusive warmth seemingly produced by the flavour itself, provokes in me an association with the darker and colder months. Perfect fireside vaping.
