eJuice Review 319: Caramel Macchiato (Coffee Connoiseur Range) by Royale
I’ve been wanting to check out some of the eliquids that my local Smokemarts have on offer for a while now, I just couldn’t bring myself to purchase any, as I’m hugely opposed to their pricing of their hardware. They have some interesting looking ranges with funky graphics and bottles, that would be hugely attractive to beginners wanting to get into vaping.
Thankfully, I’ve managed to keep my morals in tact and have been handed a bottle of one of their eliquids by a fellow vaper.
Today I’ll be reviewing “Caramel Macchiato”!
From the website:
This one is for those who like their caramel with a side of coffee. We’re talking intense sweet, syrupy caramel poured over a heavenly concoction of fresh milk, espresso and subtle notes of vanilla. Get your caffeine and sugar fix all in a single breath, with this ultra-smooth vape from Coffee Connoisseur.
The Review:
I’m going to be a little forward here, I really didn’t expect a lot from this juice, nor any of the other flavours in this range. So my expectations were pretty low to begin with.
Thankfully I’d set the expectations so low, otherwise I would have been even more disappointed!
This is also marketed as being caffeinated, I don’t know the in’s and out’s of caffeinated juices, but I am a little reserved on the fact that caffeine could effectively be delivered in this manner. Not to say that it can’t, but I think the effects would be negligible if at all. I’m no scientist thought, so I’ll leave that argument to the professionals!
What it should have been
This flavour should have been a lovely rendition of a Caramel Macchiato, a small glass of strong espresso coffee, splashed with a touch of creamy milk, and light undertones of sweet caramel.
What it actually is
It’s actually a pretty piss poor excuse for a coffee flavour, a weak, watered down grassy espresso with a distinct burnt coffee ground flavour, washed out with a weird milkiness that reminds me more of a milk powder than a splash of whole milk.
Individual Notes
The main note is the Coffee. While it’s not totally terrible, it does contain a strange grassy note that I can only put down to the concentrate used, or the percentage of it added to the mix. It also has a really strong coffee ground nuance. You know when you’re left with those small particles at the bottom of your short black, and you accidentally drink them? Yep that flavour.
It’s pretty weak, and feels watered down, if it were stronger it might help, but this feels like someone has watered down a weak short black way too much.
The caramel is not really noticeable. I think the coffee takes control and hides it somewhat, but I really can’t pick it out a lot. It is there but very subtle.
The milk. Granted, a macchiato is only supposed to have a splash of milk, but like the caramel, the milk is also barely noticeable. I expected it to be a little more dominant, but it just isn’t.
Inhale & Exhale
The inhale is Espresso. Its a watered down espresso, with hints of burnt grounds, and a strange grassy note to it. I do notice a little bit of caramel at this point, but it’s not noticeable to be able to pick out its profile very well.
The exhale sees the expresso get a little stronger, and also the caramel, but still not strong enough against the coffee to really notice it. At this point a little bit of creaminess creeps in to thicken things up a little bit. (this juice has quite a thin watery feel to it)
The milk/cream doesn’t give that usual full texture that you get with other liquids unfortunately. I have a feeling that the PG/VG ratio and the bad choice of coffee affect this a lot.
Final thoughts
I’m disappointed with this. It’s a wispy vape, thin, totally not satisfying and I’m left confused about whether I really should be vaping this at all. Not just for the bad attempt at mixing, but for my safety also. There are some really strange nuances here that just don’t give me a lot of confidence in this being anything but harmful for me to vape.
Between the bad flavour, the unexpected unusual notes, and that this juice is marketed as caffeinated, I decided pretty early on that I wasn’t going to put this in a tank, and most definately wasn’t going to be leaving it in my dripper for too long.
I may even have to give my RDA a full strip down and clean with vinegar or vodka to get rid of every trace of it.
So would I recommend this? I think it’s safe to say, that is a definite “No” from me, and for that matter, the 5 other vapers whom have tried this in my presence.
Where to Buy:
This juice as well as the Coffee Connoiseur range is available from most Smokemarts that sell vape gear. I’m not going to link to the Smokemart or their VapeSQ website as I don’t agree with their exhorbitant pricing for their vaping equipment. Anything that the Smokemarts offer can be obtained from reputable vape stores at usually less than half the cost.
Colour:
Dark Caramel Tint
Aroma:
Coffee
Coil and wick damage:
This will cause considerable wick and coil damage due to sweeteners and it’s coffee base. I cannot say exactly how much as I could not vape this juice for too long.
PG/VG Ratio:
50/50 PG/VG (Yes this is a pretty thin eliquid)
Texture:
Coffee grounds / light creaminess
Steeping:
If you must vape this, I’m guessing that a long steep might be of benefit.
Presentation:
I simply can’t fault the presentation of this range. They come in these really cool little rectangular glass bottles with a great glass dropper insert. The labels are professionally designed, and give you a good idea of what to expect, or at least what you ‘would’ expect the juice inside to be like. Great packaging here, if only the contents matched the wrapping.
Test rigs:
Hadaly RDA with single SS coil @ 0.2 ohms on a pico mod. (No way was I going to put this in one of my squonk bottles!)
Rating overview
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