eLiquid Review 494: Alphonso from CrackerJack eLiquids
I have a really cool range up for review this week. CrackerJack have been around for a little while and I’ve been sitting on them for quite some time too, not being able to get to them due to a large list of e-liquids to review.
I’ve finally gotten to them, and I think it’s safe to say that they’ve been worth the wait!
If you’re unfamiliar with CrackerJack eLiquids, they are the brain child of Melbourne based colourful character, Mike Galbraith, who has been on the vape scene for quite a long time now, is an avid builder and is very passionate about his vaping.
Mixed and blended by one of the industries heavy weights, in a super clean eliquid facility, these flavours were designed to not be too sweet, and aimed at more of the adult flavour palate.
Today, I’ll be reviewing “Alphonso” from CrackerJack Eliquid.
(This eliquid was supplied by the vendor for review.)
Flavour Description
[From the website]
“Juicy mangos and refreshing lime, mixed to be the perfect summer flavour. Best enjoyed while sunbathing on your private beach.”
The Review
Have you ever had one of those flavours, where you were a little dubious about whether the flavours would work well together? You know the one where you finally try it and it just blows you away and you kick yourself for not thinking of the combination first?
That is this profile. I thought to myself, “Limes and Mangos, no way that would work. Surely it’s just going to be a terrible mash of fruits which I’ll end up just getting a subtle sweetness from”. Yep, I’m completely wrong on this one, because it’s really very good.
“Alphonso” is a soft, ripe mango flesh, a little warm, with it’s robust unique sticky flavour, filling your mouth, until like a flash, a sharp, and tangy yet fresh Key Lime shines through and breaks up the rounded nature of the mango contrasting with it, but blending with it all at the same time to create this unique sweet flavour.
Individual Notes
The mango in this is quite a sweet mango flesh, it doesn’t really present with much of a skin note at all, just pure sweet, and syrupy mango flesh.
The lime in this is fantastic, a sharp citrusy, key lime, very much a Bickfords lime juice, full flavoured, and syrupy yet bright and tart.
I do believe there is a little cream here. It’s not easy to pick, but it dulls the mango a little and also helps create that perfect storm of rounded fleshy fruit that the lime can really cut through. Most likely just a dash of sweet cream or marshmallow.
Inhale & Exhale
On the inhale you’ll notice the full bodied, sweet mango straight away. It’s slightly syrupy, very much a juicy mango flesh, with low tones and a very robust profile. It intensifies through the inhale all the while a barely noticeable cream feeds itself through providing some additional body and fullness. This cream is more of a additive than a full flavour all it’s own as it rounds out the mango. Toward the peak of the inhale, a very sweet lime cordial flavour washes into the mango. It’s a bittersweet flavour that neither clashes nor overrides the mango, don’t be fooled though this is just the beginning!
At the height of the inhale and continuing through the exhale, that lime, sharpens, introducing a much tarter, citrus that doesn’t overbear, but cuts straight through the sweet mango, creating quite a unique effect and flavour combination. Sweet and Sour, Bitter and Tart, it strengthens, against the mango, rising until it just about dominates, but then as quickly as it arrives, it backs off a little, evening out and tying fantastically well, back into the mango and cream, to produce this contrasting profile that simply works. A profile reminiscent of mandarins in icecream or lime smoothies, lemon and sugar pancakes, ying and yang, sweet and sour.
Final thoughts
I’ve enjoyed this flavour very much, it’s not often you come across a flavour combination that you just haven’t tried before, and that impact of citrus against the sweet mango is a fantastic combination of contrast.
I really like how the mango hovers around your mouth with that full bodied roundness and then it gets cut down by the sharp and tart lime with all of it’s citrus fury, it’s a fantastic transition and flavour effect.
Top all of that off with the fact that only the best flavourings have been used here (You can just tell) and you’ve got a winner.
I wanted to say that, I would have liked to have seen more of the mango, but I fear this would then lose that ever important Lime hit that makes it such a flavour punch. So, not only a great flavour, made with the best ingredients, a very memorable flavour combination and no negatives from this reviewer!
Great work on this one!
Where to Buy:
You can contact CrackerJack eLiquids through the CrackerJack Website, facebook page, and purchase this flavour as well as their others directly from their various stockists around Australia.
Here are a few stores that stock them:
– Victory Vape
– Vape4Life
– Vapour Eyes
Colour:
Completely Clear
Aroma:
Lime / Mango
Coil and wick damage:
Minimal damage to wicks or coils
PG/VG Ratio:
MAX VG
Texture:
Sweet and sharp Lime with juicy mango
Steeping:
No steep necessary, but it won’t hurt.
Presentation:
Lovely presentation here, the bottles and labels together give off a very premium look. I received clear 60ml chubby gorilla bottles with child-proof sealed cap and needle tip dispenser.
These labels are very professional too, with the parchment background, shielded logo design and background pattern. On them you’ll find the company logo, juice name, flavour description, bottle size, VG/PG ratio, nicotine strength (0mg), warnings, ingredients, poison information, best before, and the CrackerJack website url.
Full marks for the warnings and label information, great work.
Test rigs:
Original Haku Cruiser running a single 0.17 framed staple coil on a mech mod.
Augvape Intake RTA with a 0.2ohm Stainless coil running @ approx 50-80 watts.
Rating overview
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