Review: 5 eLiquids from Mount Baker Vapor

If you've been Vaping for more than a few months, you've probably heard someone refer to MBV, MtBakerVapor or Mount Baker Vapor.

I've heard the name repeatedly, but I've also heard it in reference to flavors I'd never go anywhere near.  Those of you who follow me, know that I keep away from peaches and mangoes and anything "perfumey" smelling....

But after getting batch after batch of junk eLiquid, I've found myself willing to branch out just a little bit further...  After getting a batch of pure garbage from China, I'm hoping that an order for another American made product will finally help me find that elusive PERFECT VAPE!

Here are my rating criteria for judging eLiquids:

• Taste - Does it taste like what it says it's supposed to taste like?
• Lingering Flavor - Does the flavor have PRESENCE & does it last?
• Vapor Production - Does it make lots of Vapor?
• Throat Hit - Is the throat hit too weak, too strong, or just right?

Testing Notes: One of the things I see all too often, is that "Flavor is subjective".  NO, your individual tastes may be subjective, but flavor is flavor.  I've never had a steak that tasted like chicken.  I've never had an orange that tasted like a banana.  I've never had a cup of coffee that tasted like Hawaiian Punch.  If you ever see me give an eLiquid a bad review, it's because they TASTE BAD and not because I don't like a particular flavor.  I don't care for the flavor of peaches and mangoes, so you won't see me review anything that contains those. Understand? For more information on this topic please read THIS Blog post...

Ok, with that out of the way, here are some first impressions....

+1 Nice big sticker on the padded envelope requesting that your postal carrier handle with care!  All of my previous eLiquid purchases just came in a plain or padded envelope.  So that's a good start.

+1 Next, all 5 bottles wrapped together in a nice "sticky resealable" package, not just plopped into a padded envelope like I usually get from other eLiquid makers.

+1 A nice, well written letter from the owner of the company, including a copy of my receipt AND business cards with the owners name and contact information.  Classy, I like it!

So that's just some first impressions about MBV's attention to detail.  Now we get to dive into the most important part of this review: What do their eLiquids taste like!  Because all the customer service in the universe won't make Junk eJuice taste good!  ¿entendido? huwag mo maintindihan? capisce? מבין? vous comprenez? 你明白吗？verstehst du? Got it? Good!

All eLiquids in this review are *supposed to be* 50-50 PG/VG with 12mg nicotine.

I'm going to review them by "color" order, from lightest to darkest...

I'll be using my Kanger Protank unless there are issues with the eLiquid...

I'll be using my Sigelei Mechanical Mod #19 unless there are issues with the eLiquid....

Surprise Grape - MBV doesn't describe this one.  I utilized their reviews for this eLiquid in order to place my order.  There were multiple people who said that it tasted better with 1 additional flavor shot, so that's how I ordered mine.  I'm really big on FLAVOR, so you can't go wrong with only 1 extra shot.  I've been trying to Vape this for about a half hour now and I'm not happy.  First of all, I've been doing this long enough to be able to identify 50-50 PG/VG from 100% PG or 100% VG.  I can't yet determine the intermediary percentages, but I know when I've got a 50/50 and this ain't it!  While it's not a "mediciney" flavor like the eVo eLiquid I tried the other day, it has that same burnt smell on exhale that the AVE Watermelon Overload has.  My guess is that this was made with their standard blend of 80%PG / 20%VG.  You may not be able to tell the difference, BUT I CAN.  It tastes gross and the extra shot of flavor didn't help.  It smells nice in the bottle, but the Vapor production is awful and the throat hit feels like it's a high percentage of PG.  I gave it the good old college try, I can't take any more.  The high percentage of PG is killing my throat.  I'll throw it into my steeping box, but light colored eJuices rarely improve with time.  Truth be told, it really smelled kinda nice in the bottle.

Razzleberry - So MBV describes this one as "Its a berry explosion!".  Aside from the missing apostrophe, the eJuice smells absolutely delicious in the bottle.  Again, I don't believe that the PG/VG ratio is correct, but the flavor is much better.  However, I think I may have messed this one up by listening to the reviewers.  I ordered this with 2 flavor shots and I'm not positive, but I'm wondering if that's why I'm getting an "unnatural" flavor with this one.  I wouldn't think I would, 2 flavor shots isn't usually enough to throw a flavor too far out of whack, but I'm not familiar enough with their eLiquids and I'm not willing to plunk down 100's of sawbucks to get it right. It's not awful, but I'd probably be able to Vape it in an emergency.  Throat hit was much higher than expected for a 12mg 50/50 mix, which leads me to believe that this is either not a 50/50 or it's an 18mg mix.  It'll go into the Vape box and if it comes out tasting better, I'll let you know...  Again, lighter colored eLiquids rarely improve with steeping.

Hawk Sauce - The name of this eLiquid BEGS some explanation.  I can appreciate the need to be creative or inventive with eLiquid names, but to name your product with something that's "part animal" and part "sauce" gives you some strange ideas.  I showed the bottle to my daughter and asked her to read it and tell me what she though of and she said, "I dunno, hot sauce?"  Exactly...  Anyway, MBV describes this one as "A Slightly Sour Berry and Fruit Mix".  First of all, I think that the PG/VG ratio is better on this one.  As far as flavor goes, I can NOT confirm what they say it tastes like.  I taste the clear presence of Menthol (which is not supposed to be here according to the description) and possibly some grape type flavoring.  Throat hit is way more severe than a 12mg should provide and Vapor production was nice.  I might be able to Vape this, but honestly, when the FLAVOR doesn't match the DESCRIPTION, I get turned off.  I have a suspicion that whoever mixed ALL OF THESE is either not following the recipes or they're not using clean tools or they're just winging it.  Regardless, so far I don't have anything that MEETS or EXCEEDS my expectations, which I must admit are quite low.

Update 9/6/2013: I check once in a while to see if the eLiquids that have an incomplete or just plain wrong description are fixed.  As of today, I can confirm that MBV has revised their description.  The description I gave above was EXACTLY what their website read at the time of this review back in June 2013.  Their current description reads, "A Slightly Sour Berry, hint of menthol and Fruit Mix with Inspirations Drawn from the Pacific North West."  Unless they've also changed their recipe, and in light of the fact that the description now includes the menthol component, I would still contend that the description does not match the flavor.  Combine this with a much more severe than 12mg throat hit and we still have a loser for this review.  Being consistent is key!

Thug Juice - Again, here's another one that BEGS explanation.  I either don't get the joke or the name of this eJuice is purposefully ambiguous.  MBV describes this one as "Grape, Watermelon, a bit of sweetner and some menthol".  Aside from the typo in their description, I love Grape, Watermelon & Sweetener, so I can't wait to find out what they taste like together along with some menthol!  WOW!  That's some SERIOUS MENTHOL!  Again, based on the reviews on the MBV website, I ordered this with 2 flavor shots.  I can't discern exactly what fruit flavor is in the background, but it's somewhat present.  The Vapor production is ridiculous and the throat hit seems to be right on the money, considering that it's 12mg with Menthol.  It's good.  I wish the fruit element was in front of the menthol, but it's nice.  I wouldn't order it again, but I'm thrilled to have gotten at least ONE eLiquid that tastes the way it's ADVERTISED.  One last note on this.  I went back to this one again after I wrote my original thoughts and I smell a distinct amount of BANANA in the air, after I've exhaled.  This has me wondering much the same about its creation, just as the Hawk Sauce does.

Almond Delight (bonus) - This was a bonus eJuice, as I didn't order it.  It does NOT appear on the MBV website, so I can't even find out what's in it.  The bottle says that it's 12mg nicotine and an 80%PG/20%VG mix.  Obviously it's supposed to have an almond flavor, but beyond that, I'm going to have to use my senses to figure it out!  This one is dark, so depending on how it tastes, I may need to let it steep for a week and then re-review it, if I think it's worth it.  Smelling the eLiquid in the bottle, I get a nice almond and coconut smell.  Also, perhaps a light vanilla and a light caramel scent as well.  Upon Vaping it, I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt what their 80/20 mix feels/tastes like.  The first 2 in this review are clearly 80/20 and not the 50/50 that I ordered.  The throat hit is very harsh, but worse than that is the flavor.  I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like, but for my money I'm glad this was free, because the taste is foul!  It's gross, I'm done.

So what did we learn in this review?  Nothing we didn't already know.

I have a theory, so work with me here....

1. The flavors in ALL of these eLiquids from ALL of the makers is based on no solid recipe.

2. If there is a recipe, the people mixing these eLiquids DO NOT FOLLOW the recipes

3. The makers tested their eLiquids on devices that experienced Vapers DON'T USE

4. Something else

I love food and good flavors.  As a matter of fact, I'm still Vaping on the Almond Delight, just in case I'm writing it off too soon (I haven't)...  As I mentioned in my AVE eLiquids review, I'm planning on making my own eLiquid (if my lab equipment ever gets here).  Fact is, I've never done it before.  Can I?  Sure, what's stopping me?  If 100's of eLiquid makers can make what I've coined as "Junk eJuice", then how much worse can mine be?  Truth is, I really don't want to.  I'd much rather just buy it.  But what can I do?  I'm not really enjoying any of the eLiquids that I have, aside from Boba's Bounty.  And that I get tired of after a week.

So the $64,000 question is, do I recommend Mount Baker Vapor for eLiquid?  No.  How can I, based on what they sent me???  I believe that their growth is part and parcel the problem.  Remember the issues with ECBlend?  ECBlend is now claiming over 400 flavors!  I think these "smallish" companies are trying WAY TOO HARD and just can't keep up, because they're not hiring capable and competent individuals.  I don't know that for sure, it's just speculation.

As always, if you find an eLiquid that you like, buy it and use it.  Anything that keeps you away from Analogs is ok by me!  But if your taste buds are dead from 20-30 years of smoking cigarettes, perhaps you'd do just as well with something way less expensive like Hangsen or Dekang?  Seriously, if you can get 100ml of eLiquid for $9, that's a steal if you can't tell the difference.

Update 9/6/2013: There are some people out there who would deny me the freedom to post unbiased, uncompensated & unadulteratedly honest reviews.  I'm never rude, stick mostly to the facts and do my best to keep them entertaining.  However, if my opinions don't fit within their narrow scope of the universe, they would attempt to discredit me, in order to dissuade me from doing what I'm doing.  Know this:  I will not cease, I will not stop.  If you don't like my reviews, please move along.  There are tens of thousands that have found my reviews helpful and if this sites growth is any indication and God willing, there will be plenty more.  It is because of that, that this thread is no longer open for comments.

If you appreciate what I'm doing here, you know what to do....

Like it, Tweet it, Share it, +1 it, tell your dog about it, etc...  ;)