eJuice Review 327: Cola Shades (Summer Holidays) by Dinner Lady

Ok folks, I’m up to the second flavour from the Dinner Lady (Summer Holiday) range, and this one is something that I’ve been looking forward to trying.

It’s not simple mixing a nice cola, its a complex flavour and very easy to go either way, making it too weak, or on the other end of the spectrum, completely over flavoured.

Let’s see what Dinner Lady have done with theirs!

Today I’ll be reviewing “Cola Shades” from the Summer Holidays range.
(This eliquid was supplied by the vendor)

Flavour Description:

Deliciously authentic cola with a twist of lemon served on the rocks. Guaranteed to quench your vaping thirst.

The Review:

I knew exactly what this one was going to be from the get go.
It is syrupy sweet, yep this one has a bunch of sweetener added. As well as a tonne of cooling agent. But we all know that, I’m sure by now you all know of Dinner Lady’s affinity for sweeteners and cooling agents, so that doesn’t come as a surprise.

What did give me a bit of a surprise was the lemon. What a great way to brighten a cola and give it a little bit of a tangy finish!

“Cola Shades” is a thick syrupy cola on the inhale, smoothing out with a bright lemon and an icy cold chill on the exhale.

Individual Notes

The Cola is a cola syrup, theres no denying that one, and in their defense, I honestly dont think I’ve actually had a cola that didn’t resemble a cola syrup in one way or the other. I pick up a little bit of a vanilla note in the cola also.

The lemon is a great addition, brightening the cola and adding some complexity and a little tang. Its more of a lemon juice than lemon zest, and is meant to be a complimentary addition rather than a main note.

Inhale & Exhale

The inhale here is a sweet cola syrup, not quite as sticky and thick as you might expect but a cola syrup all the same. I’ve read some describing it as a Pepsi Max, but I don’t get that at all.

The cola is a low to mid-range note, dominating both the inhale and the exhale, it really is the main flavour.

At the turn of the inhale I pick up a slightly harsh chemical taste, not soapy, but something I have experienced before with other colas. It is more of an over flavoured nuance. Either way, it is only brief and not really noticeable before I pick up on the lemon making its way into the mix.

The lemon adds a little bit of tang, fizz, and a sharp note in contrast to the cola, it brightens it a little, also pulling the cola out of it’s syrup, making it a little cleaner tasting.

At this point I notice the cooling agent kicking in, it’s an icy cold breeze not dissimilar to “Black Orange Crush” but a little less potent. It does still give you a bit of a kick in the throat though, and you’ll find yourself holding off on the next vape to let your mouth warm up again!

Final thoughts

This one is a really tasty cola, not too over the top on flavour. It does have a bunch of sweetener, so your wicks and coils aren’t going to be lasting too long with this one, but then again, it is a cola after all. Colas are known for being wick killers!

The cooling agent does a good job of limiting that stickiness you get from a cola syrup, so it’s a little brighter than many. All in all a nice job. If you’re after a sweet cola with a real chill, this one is for you!

Where to Buy:

You can find the Dinner Lady Summer Holidays range in most vape stores across Australia, I won’t link to them all.
Dinner Lady do have their own website, even though you cannot purchase their juices directly, they have a tonne of information available there. Go take a look! (http://vapedinnerlady.com)

Colour:

Clear

Aroma:

Cola / Lemon

Coil and wick damage:

This juice will gunk your coils due to the sweeteners added. You’ve been warned!

PG/VG Ratio:

70% VG / 30% PG

Texture:

Light, sweet and fruity with a cooling finish.

Steeping:

No steeping necessary with this one, but it may benefit from a short steep.

Presentation:

The Dinner Lady Summer Holidays range all come in 60ml Glass bottles with eyedropper tips on child proof caps. They also come in tamper evident seals. Each flavour has a different coloured bottle, which is some type of powder coating. ( It does scrape off if you try. Ive been doing this so that I can see how much is left in the bottle.)
Being an eyedropper, you get the usual leaking around the rim and consequent liquid finding its way down to the base of the bottle unless you wipe it every time.

The labels are very nice looking, giving off a homey feel, with the Dinner Lady and Summer Holidays logos as well as any other information you might need.

Test rigs:

Haku with slam cap running a single 0.18 AK coil from “Bombers Coils” on a mech 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.