Chris 'majorvapes' SissonHere’s a look at a set of liquids from Bluffs Brewing Co. out of Scarborough, Ontario. They’re a fairly new company that’s been making juice for the past couple of years in both the retail and wholesale space. They’ve been popping up quite a bit on Reddit and recently I was able to get my hands on a set for review. One of their selling points is they’re made without the use of any heavy sweeteners which I know many folks appreciate. Here are my honest thoughts on Bluffs Brewing Co.
Bottles/Packaging:
The juices come in clear 60ml authentic Chubby Gorilla bottles with the name Bluffs Brewing Co. scrawled across the top. The labels depict some actual bluffs using real graphics but I’m not familiar with the scene they show or which particular bluffs they would be. Each flavour varies a bit by colour with the name of the flavour and a description of it just below center on the labels which is something I always appreciate. The juices come in a 70vg blend and the set I got was in 3mg.
Setup:
Testing was done mostly in a Hadaly clone with a three core alien(3×28/36ni80) build from the Canadian Coil makers SaddleHorse Blues, 4/5 wraps on a 2.5mm coming out to 0.28 ohms and running between 35-45w. Using Puff cotton, rda rinsed and rewicked in between. Click here for a shot of a fresh build.
Remember taste is subjective and results will vary! Click the titles for links to the products!!
Pirate’s Bay:
Site description: This twist on tradition will leave you feeling tropical. Creamy pineapple whipped in a cheesecake with graham crust.
My thoughts: The first one I tried from the set, Pirate’s Bay by bluffs is an interesting mix of pineapple and warm cheesecake. The pineapple hits you first and is the more dominant flavour in the blend. It’s that classic pineapple flavour we’ve tasted in other things that’s somewhere between the real thing and a pineapple gummy candy. In this mix it doesn’t come off as too artificial or too candy like which is probably a good thing for Pirate’s Bay.
The other main element to this flavour is the cheesecake. Another familiar flavour that tends to get used quite a lot however it’s the first time that I can remember tasting these two together and I have to admit they work pretty well as a team. The cheesecake is fairly mild but it gives the flavour a nice thick creaminess without tasting too cheesy. I also get a nice bit of the graham crust which I find often gets overwhelmed or lost in the mix of other flavours. For me it comes off as a nice rich pineapple cheesecake with a golden graham crust, satisfying and delicious!!
Presentation: 7.5/10
Flavour Accuracy: 8.5/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
Overall experience: 8.5/10
Island Punch:
Site description: Escape to your happy Island Paradise with this tropical blend of exotic fruits.
My thoughts: I’m going to start by saying there’s a lot going on in Island Punch. According to the label Island Punch is a tropical mix of passion fruit, orange, mango and guava. It does taste like a tropical fruit punch but not at all like the classic red punch taste most of us would imagine. For me the orange and mango are the most prominent notes in the mix with the guava and passion fruit acting as supporting roles. The orange and mango sort of flip flop but I think the orange tends to get the most attention. It’s a nice rounded orange, not to citrus heavy but also not too sweet. The mango works really well with it adding more of a tropical ‘orange’ taste to the mix.
As I mentioned the passion fruit and guava are there but don’t really shine on their own. I tend to get a bit of a sour taste from the guava and an almost botanical kind of taste from the passion fruit. While it doesn’t quite taste of perfume it does get a slight powdery taste which I’m guessing comes from the passion fruit. I should also mention this one has a bit of throat hit which isn’t uncommon with mango or orange flavours but it might make the difference between it being an ADV or not. Definitely a different take on a tropical punch!
Presentation: 7.5/10
Flavour Accuracy: 7/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall experience: 6.5/10
Aurora:
Site description: This flavour shines bright like an Aurora should. Banana Coconut Cream Pie in a Graham Crust
My thoughts: Aurora is a mix of classic coconut cream pie with a touch of banana. For me it’s definitely more coconut cream than it is banana as the banana seems an extremely light addition in this one. The main element would be the coconut which is nested in a fairly light cream with just the subtlest hints of banana poking through on occasion. I actually wonder if there is any cream in the mix or if they’re just using a banana cream to fill it out and give the pie it’s creaminess. I did find the more I vaped it the more banana would come out but it still remained a rather mild addition.
I should also say I really don’t get the graham crust in this one or much else from it to be honest mostly just the somewhat creamy coconut. I do however get a slight dryness from it which is most likely due to the lack of added sweetener but it doesn’t actually lack sweetness or flavour. This one ends up being fairly simple but I’d imagine fans of creamy coconut flavours would appreciate this one.
Presentation: 7.5/10
Flavour Accuracy: 7/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall experience: 7/10
High Seas:
Site description: Set sail for a mouth-watering adventure with High Seas. This Salted Caramel Banana Sundae is sure to have your taste-buds thanking you and begging for more.
My thoughts: This one is probably the richest and sweetest of the set. With High Seas I get a rich deep salted caramel upfront that has a really dark sweetness to it like brown sugar or caramel with a rather light note of creamy banana on the tail end. It’s actually pretty incredible how sweet this one is knowing it doesn’t have any sweetener added. With salted caramel flavours I find the salt is always a difficult taste to convey but in High Seas I definitely get a buttery somewhat salty taste from the caramel.
Much like Aurora the banana is a subtle addition barely making it’s presence known but still contributing to the overall result. I’m not really sure if it’s a straight banana or some sort of banana cream but I’m guessing it’s mostly there to give it a bit more body but again without really taking the spotlight off that rich salted caramel. I mostly pick it up on the tail end but it’s so mild I can’t even tell if it’s a natural banana or candy banana. I don’t really get much of an ice cream taste from this one despite the description suggesting it’s a sundae but there is a touch of creaminess to it but most likely on account of that banana. A nice rich flavour I’m sure many dessert lovers will adore.
Presentation: 7.5/10
Flavour Accuracy: 8/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall experience: 8.5/10
Lake O’:
Site description: Like cresting waves, the flavours in this juice are surprising. Crisp Apple, Succulent Watermelon, and Fresh Strawberries. A sweet and fruity all day vape.
My thoughts: Lake O’ is one of the simpler flavours from the set. It’s described as a mix of apple, watermelon and strawberry but for me I mainly just get the watermelon. I do kind of get an apple punch sort of vibe from it but I can’t really distinguish much of the apple on it’s own. Same kind of goes for the strawberry, I hardly taste it but I can smell it and I pick up the essence of it on the tail end.
Much like Aurora it too has a slight dryness to it which I associate with it’s lack of added sweetener but the flavour still comes across as sweet and gives me an almost watermelon bubble gum kind of vibe from time to time. My guess is the strawberry is mainly being used for sweetness but like I said it doesn’t really stand out on it’s own just adds to the flavour itself. While not the most complex flavour from the set it still gets points for tasting fresh and clean.
Presentation: 7.5/10
Flavour Accuracy: 7/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall experience: 7/10
Lighthouse:
Site description: Get whisked back to the days of home cooking with this Tangy Lemon and Pastry Shell treat.
My thoughts: My favorite from the line but then again I’m a bit of a pushover for these lemon tart type flavours. With Lighthouse by bluffs I’m treated to a nice light lemon curd in a delicate buttery pastry shell. I actually get more pastry from it than I do from a lot of others like it which I really appreciate as so many of them tend to just taste of lemon curd and not much else. It’s a nice light buttery crust which goes perfect with this sort of flavour adding some much needed richness while still keeping things nice and light.
The lemon curd is bright but not sharp or biting in anyway and the whole thing has a nice creaminess to it. I’m pretty sure I get a touch of meringue in the mix as well as there is a light sweetness to it that I quite enjoy. Though I’ll admit it’s not the most unique flavour out there it’s not one that’s easily done and with Lighthouse I feel Bluffs did a fantastic job of balancing this one out just right. Any fans of lemon or lemon tart type flavours will do well to check this one out!!
Presentation: 7.5/10
Flavour Accuracy: 9/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Final thoughts:
I’ve got to hand it to Bluffs Brewing Co. they put together a really nice set of flavours and with the fact that they don’t use any heavy sweeteners it says a lot about what they are able to accomplish. Not only that but I’m told they are ISO 7 clean room certified and all of their liquids are produced by Cold Turkey Labs in Burlington, ON so I’ve got absolutely no questions about quality. For me, nearly the entire set was well conceived and well constructed offering something for nearly everyone out there and I wouldn’t have any trouble recommending folks go and check them out!
