eJuice Review 305: Yakuza by The Cartel Co

A little while ago, I reviewed my first of The Cartel Co’s collection, and was suitably impressed. That was a creamy dessert vape.
Today, I have the second of their range and it’s a totally different flavour profile. Rather than being a thick and creamy dessert, this one is a little more fruity. Lets see how we go!
Today I’ll be reviewing “Yakuza”!

This juice was supplied by the vendor.

From the website:

You’ve heard the rumors, the elusive Y^KUZ^ are deadly. Each member is a force on its own, but combined, they create an entity that can’t be beaten. Ignore the stigma. Sometimes, combining power players works. This killer melon blend, with a light creamy note, creates the perfect smoothie. Get a taste of the real Y^KUZ^.

• Inhale: melon, honeydew
• Exhale: milk smoothie
• VG/PG: 70/30

The Review:

Typically melon vapes (rockmelon/canteloupe) are usually not my favourites. I’m also not overly excited about rockmelons/cantelopes in salads or as a fruit in general. I find that they just have a texture that doesn’t agree with me, and find the flavour to be a little too earthy for my liking.

Having said that, I do really like “Yakuza” and can totally appreciate what they were aiming for. “Yakuza” is a fresh, full flavoured sweet melon and honeydew mix, with a lightweight cream adding some more texture and dimension.

Individual Notes

Thankfully, Honeydew is the primary flavour here. It is sweet, and full flavoured. It’s also juicy and refreshing, giving the palate a nice freshen up.
It is the taller note, the lighter note, the main impact of flavour, how it is all of these things I do not know, as Honeydew is typically quite a light flavour.

The Canteloupe or Rockmelon is more of a background note layered into this juice. It provides the backbone and low tone with an earthy feel. It is still sweet, actually just as sweet as the Honeydew, however, it is dialed back, which works, as it really does compliment the Honeydew really well. (even if I don’t like the fruit).

Inhale & Exhale

On the inhale the honeydew hits me first with a tiny backnote of canteloupe. The honeydew is unmistakeable, it’s signature flavour really does resonate throughout the the vape. While the honeydew is dominating the inhale, the canteloupe pokes its nose through a little just to let you know that it is there, acting as a background or base note, earthy and sweet.

The exhale sees everything intensify, the honeydew gets stronger, as does the canteloupe in even measures. The layering doesn’t change here, the flavour levels of both are constant throughout the inhale and exhale.
About halfway through the exhale, you’ll notice a little creaminess appearing, which thickens the texture up a little. It’s a sweet cream, and quite lightweight, not weighing things down a lot, keeping this flavour juicy and fruity rather than turning it into a dessert.

At the end of the exhale, a lovely mix of sweet fruit and very light cream drive the vape home, leaving you with a sweet yet not overly so, aftertaste on the tongue.

Final thoughts

I’m guessing that this is a fairly polarising flavour, (some will love it some will hate it), which is pretty much dependant on whether you like melons. Honeydew can be one of those vapes that you can easily grow tired of too, but despite this, I have enjoyed it very much, so much so that I’ve found myself with none left in the bottle after 2 days!

Not bad for someone whom isn’t all that keen on melon flavours!

Nice work Cartel Co!

Where to Buy:

You can pick this flavour up directly from the Cartel Co website ( http://thecartelco.com.au ) also from their stockists, Vapesters (https://vapesters.com.au) and also Vape Vault (https://www.vapevault.com.au) and The Vape Dungeon ( https://the-vape-dungeon.com )

Colour:

Light Honey Tint

Aroma:

Melon / Honeydew

Coil and wick damage:

Minimal wick or coil damage

PG/VG Ratio:

70/30

Texture:

Full flavoured, and textured fruity lower notes

Steeping:

A steep is not necessary, but there is some cream in here, so it’s probably a good idea.

Presentation:

Great presentation here from The Cartel Co. I received a 60ml Singler in a smokey grey unicorn bottle with child-proof cap and needle tip for easy filling.
The white labels are emblazoned with the cartel co logo, juice name as well as other important information such as, flavour profile, ingredients, bottle size,and warnings.

Test rigs:

Haku Cruiser RDA with single SS coil @ 0.2 ohms on a bottom feed mod.
OBS Engine RTA on Revenger mod @ 80w

Shane Presser

Shane Presser has been vaping since 2013, and has extensive experience with advanced equipment, coil builds and DIY mixing. He is the man behind VapersGarage, and also more recently Aussie Vape Stores, a resource to help vapers find their nearest Vape Shops, and eLiquid Vendors.