e-Liquid Review: Caribbean Cubata from Dutch Courage
If you’ve not been watching, over the next week or so I will be taking a look at a really interesting eliquid range. This juice line, is primarily made up of flavours with an alcohol or mixer profile, and they’re quite unusual ones at that!
Dutch Courage is a brand designed under Vapoureyes, the idea by one of their staffers, who worked side by side with one of their chief mixologists to produce this very fine e-liquid line.
Today I’ll be reviewing “Caribbean Cubata” from Dutch Courage.
(This eliquid was supplied by the vendor for review.)
Flavour Description
[From the website]
How do you make a proper Caribbean Cubata? Simply grab the smoothest rum you can find, squeeze in some zesty lime juice, add some bitters and a little bit of sweetness for a moreish mixer!
The Review
I knew this would be a favourite for me, I love my rum, and tend to mix unusual things with it, so to come across this cubata blend, was definitely a highlight. It’s light enough to be an all day vape, but punches the cleanest flavour out, making it not only refreshing, but something you’ll enjoy coming back to, over and over.
While the description says Rum/Lime/Bitters, this flavour actually tricks your brain into thinking you’re tooting on a lovely cola mix, light and zesty, but full textured and sweet to boot!
“This is an expertly blended mixer combo. Clean and zesty lime, and bitters poured over a sweet rum make this an all day vape!”
Individual Notes
Sweet Rum is at the heart of this. I can’t really argue with the description, it mentions a “smooth rum”, to me this is exactly that, with a light vanilla backnote. So a smooth spiced rum, fits nicely. It’s not overly strong, and while it is one of the main flavours, it doesn’t dominate and allows the other flavours to blend with it.
The lime in this is really important. Without it, it wouldn’t have the same zing, that heightened citrus feel, that so very perfectly, contrasts against the sweet rum and vanilla. It really does cut through those, but also does not cut them out completely.
Bitters. I probably wouldn’t have picked this if it weren’t in the description. I’m not even sure how they did this, I know of no flavour concentrate that would produce the classic “bitters” flavour. Having said that, this is likely a mix of fruits to mimic “bitters”. I do note some mandarin, and lemon in there just quietly.
Inhale & Exhale
Straight away, sweet rum washes over your tongue, lightly but completely, setting the stage for the rest of the vape. It’s the base, and it carries through the entire way, so this was important to hit the tastebuds straight away.
I notice this rum is not only sweet, it’s quite robust without being overbearing, and also has a light vanilla note to it. Perhaps that’s what gives it the body, but it’s a great start!
As I inhale, the lime begins to work it’s way into the blend. Slowly at first, but as you progress right up to the peak of the inhale, you’ll notice the lime really sink it’s teeth in with a little citric sourness, and really pull that vanilla rum apart, almost forcing it to blend, and in doing so, there is a lovely contrast between the two.
As you begin to exhale, a sweetness follows through, combining both the sour lime and sweet rum, and lifting it even higher, with a much fruitier feel. I notice notes of mandarin, and lemon wash through, really giving this flavour a run of complexity and flicking through a few different profiles all at once.
It’s here you might see the resemblence to a cola, you’ll also likely get a taller tropical fruit profile too, and even still, a slightly bitter note from the citrus and bitters.
The end of the exhale, sees all of these combine into a mash of profiles, all the while the flavour remains really clean and precise, as a light menthol rolls through cooling things down, to prepare you for the next vape.
Final thoughts
I really could have rambled on a lot more about this flavour, it’s a lovely profile, light and fruity, bitter yet sweet, sharp yet full bodied. It’s several profiles rolled into one, all peaking at different points in the vape. I really don’t know how they managed it, but as a bonus, you also get hints of cola as an effect of some of these profiles blending.
If I were to design an all day vape for myself, this is likely what I’d come up with, except Dutch Courage have done it better 😉
If you’re looking for something that has a tonne of flavour, some interesting play on flavour notes, but light enough to vape all day, you’ve got to get your hands on this one.
Bravo guys, this one is fantastic!
Where to Buy:
This flavour and the rest of the Dutch Courage range can be purchased from the Vapoureyes Online Store, the Vape Traders website for wholesale, as well as any of their many stockists around the country.
Colour:
Light Honey Tint
Aroma:
Sweet Rum and Lime
Coil and wick damage:
This flavour will gunk your coil and darken your wicks, but you’ll get a good 4-5 days out of vaping it before that happens.
PG/VG Ratio:
70VG/30PG
Texture:
Bold, and bittersweet with bright citrus
Steeping:
Its probably a good idea to let this steep for a little while. A long steep isn’t necessary.
Presentation:
Very nice branding from VE here. I received tinted 60ml Chubby Gorilla bottles with tamper proof and child-proof caps. The dispenser is your usual needle type so you can easily fill your favourite tank.
The labelling is lovely, with the juice range name front and centre, in an old school emblem logo. Marble background as well as surrounding geometric colour coded lines help separate the labels by flavour/colour combination.
All of your usual information is here, bottle size, ingredients, warnings, barcode, “formulated by JuiceBX in Australia”. The one thing I don’t see on here is the PG/VG ratio. But according to their website, it is 70/30.
Fantastic labels!
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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