Nicobine

It has come to my attention that a doppelganger named “Brad Kroenig” has been masquerading as Don Gourmand in certain circles. Appearing almost everywhere with an alarming frequency, he can be easily recognised by his strikingly handsome visage and of course his astonishing resemblance to me.

He is so convincing, that he recently managed to fool a good friend and close confidante of mine at a soiree that I had been unable to attend due to my pressing charity work with some poor, starving, homeless, orphaned baby koala bears.

See below for pictorial proof of his shady shenanigans.

As if this was not bad enough, it turns out that this ridiculously good looking Lagerfeld muse and gourmand impersonator has an e liquid company known as Nicobine. May the flea´s of a thousand camels infest his armpits for all of eternity!

Needless to say at great personal cost I managed to obtain samples and I now intend to slate my evil twin´s … sorry… review this enterprising young gentleman´s juice.

Nicobine is made in a FDA registered organic certified facility in the USA and so does not contain nasty chemicals. They are currently undergoing the process of certifying all their flavours.

Damn you Bradley Aethelberta Kroenig, I was really hoping to encounter some easily dismissable Diketone laden, swamp swill or some Acetoin riddled, PG heavy, throat killing, bathtub blend.

Round one to the waffle haired wunderkind : (

The e liquid is really made from 100% organic VG and added flavourings?

Yes, I know… I know… but I checked, more than once and it´s all true.

How?

Well by using a special homogenisation process and a team of secretive but hard working scientists.

FYI – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogenization_%28chemistry%29

So… no PG… all VG and not a midichlorian in sight!

Round two to my intelligent impostor : (

How much nicotine in nicobine?

Yes, yes I see what he did there…

Nicotine levels range from 18mg to 0mg/ml, so as much as you need, or as little as you like…

You could lament and bemoan the absence of 24mg and above, but I have a feeling that Brad and the team are thinking ahead here and anticipating restrictive legislation, presently.

Damn his eyes, round three on possible technicalities to the male model : (

Let us start with the Classic…

Classic what now?

Flavour… it´s a dry tobacco with hints of Virginia and some Turkish providing just the right rasp, but to me it has a hint of Black tobacco and perhaps some Chocolatey notes, this would make a good transitional flavour when ditching the smokes or just to have a dry tobacco in your rotation.

Caution: Drink plenty of water with this one, it´s dry… dryer than a drought in the desert.

Next up we have something a little more interesting, a Hazelnut Roast with notes of Coffee, Vanilla and Coconut. I could only taste the Hazelnut initially and then Coconut on the exhale, it is strangely similar to vamp vape from T- juice.

Menthol tobacco – a perennial favourite, featuring sinus clearing satisfaction with that classic tobacco base note, sadly to my utter disgust… it works.

Icy menthol Very similar to the menthol, personally (and it´s a minor quibble), I would have preferred more ice.

Breakfast blend – Light, playful, almost perfumed, citrus fruits, over a slightly creamy cereal base, not something I would normally vape, but again I am forced to admit it´s perfectly vapeable.

Citrus – It has a lovely mixed light citrus top (Orange, Tangerine and Lime) and a base note from the classic flavour. Less classic base notes and more citrus here… please.

There is a very different feeling to these juices, not only in the packaging, their website or the difference in presentation when compared to other more established… brands.

As much as many others wish to slate them and their younger, better looking version of Don Gourmand, I feel that we are witnessing a new approach to the giving up smoking / starting to vape demographic, based on how they perceive legislation will affect vaping in the near future?

“Simply the best e liquid available” is boldly printed on their labels and after sampling their initial offering, I look forward to trying the new, more complex flavours that they plan to roll out this summer.

Nicobine´s approach to the market is quite unique and it still remains to be seen, if they can earn their tag line of “Ultimate Satisfaction.”

See http://www.nicobine.com for more information and the next time you see Brad Kroenig… tell him Don Gourmand would like a quiet word.

All liquids vaped at 6mg/ml (except 0mg/ml Citrus) in a 1.7ohm rayon wicked magma firing between 17 and 27v on a cana.

A bard in the garden – a tobevaping Thanksgiving tale

It was late on Thanksgiving when the 18 wheeler finally rolled to a stop in Emerald city, Oregon.“That’s it son”, drawled my driver, companion and fellow vaper since Anchorage, “I gotta’ meet my girl and her kin for eats and I ain’t sure if I can bring you too”.
After several thousand miles of some of the worst roads on the continent, I was ready for a real bed and a meal that did not involve beans or franks so I shook the Truckers hand and gave him my last bottle of Van Dykes Black Ninja as a thank you on Thanksgiving.
I then spent the rest of the evening trudging from hotel to motel around town, sadly everywhere was closed and as my trusty Magma drained dry, night closed in and I began to worry.
My worries were drowned out by a man loudly singing Tales of Brave Ulysses in the garden of one of those gothic gingerbread houses that you see all over small town America. With nothing to lose, I joined him in song and as we finished he popped his head over the hedge and invited me inside,” Come fellow bard, you look cold and hungry and there are plenty of leftovers.”
After a hearty meal, the bards wife brought over a tray of clinking bottles and what looked like a mod made from an old locomotives steam whistle, “Do you vape?” asked the lovely lady, entranced by her beauty, I simply produced my trusty old Cana to roars of delighted laughter from my hosts. “These are all herbal e lixirs made with 100% natural flavours by a master herbalist”, said the Bard and named after myself and some of our friends he said enveloping the master herbalist in a big hug.
(All 50/50 PG/VG, 4mg/ml, e lixirs were vaped using Japanese cotton in a Magma at 1.7 ohms on a Cana firing 15 watts.)
First up came a liquid they called Fire and Powder – Cinnamon covered blood orange with hints of clove and vanilla in the background. The clove is softened by the vanilla but it comes forward the more you vape. It’s a soft seductive e lixir as good as POETS torte de arnica! Sublime : )
Then came An Honest Puck – Mandarin (more peel than fruit) gently enfolded in mint with vanilla and helichrysum. The citrus and mint are mild top notes with the vanilla mellowing out the slight bitterness of the curry plant (helichrysum). I also got hints of wheatgrass on the exhale. This is a vape that would go very well with a Pimms, a ban the bomb protest or even a meeting of the local coven of beekeepers.
Next was A Night in Messina – Lavender and vanilla embrace like lovers in a Klimt painting. This tastes like the best artisan gelato in the world, made by mad culinary scientists snorting Bunsen vapor. Unique or if not, only comparable to Thenancara’s Benedicte on the WTF scale. Another unforgettable vape : )
Followed by Kate’s Bliss – Chamomile / camomile / manzanilla with vanilla and rose, sadly the chamomile overpowers the vanilla and the rose floats just above them both. Again this is another vape that would go well with herbal tea, tie dying your volkswagen camper van or a flower filled summer of love. Personally I would prefer less chamomile and more rose and vanilla.
Finally we tried Tale of Fallen Kings – Earl grey, anise, vanilla, rooibos with allspice. Another mild vape that skilfully blends all of the aforementioned ingredients, without emphasis on any one in particular. A slight nose tickle here, but not enough to make you sneeze. This one is like a good herbal tea, for morning vaping in my humble opinion.
We finished the evening off with a large jar of barrel aged moonshine that tasted even better than Pappy Van Winkles finest and I slept like a log on mogadon. A special evening spent with good people and great vaping to boot, it was the best Thanksgiving ever.
For more information on herbal elixirs, please visit http://www.tobevaping.com and enjoy 100% natural ingredients from savoury to sweet, there is something for all palates and rumour has it that they intend to release new flavours very shortly.