Chris 'majorvapes' SissonHere’s a look at an inspiring set of liquids crafted by one of Canada’s most talented vaping individuals. The man is Maxime Dube and the line is called Hope. Not only is Max an extremely talented mixologist as some of you may know him from his infamous Thick Oil liquid line but he’s also world renowned for the incredible hardware he produces aka DeathWish Modz. Not only is he ubiquitous in the industry but he’s even starred in a documentary called The Movement. He’s a man of the ages and an inspiration to all he meets. Here are my honest thoughts on Hope by Maxime Dube.
Bottles/Packaging:
The juices come in fogged 30ml glass bottles with dropper tops. The labels are all very clean and minimalistic with each one bearing a different colour depending on the flavour. The set comes in a 50/50 ratio and the samples I got were all 25mg. I personally appreciate how understated the bottles are and think the design matches the theme of the set perfectly. Here’s a shot of the bottles I got.
Setup:
Salt:
Testing was done in a Berserker MTL RDA and a Galaxies MTL RDA with simple 30g kanthal builds, about 6/7 wraps on a 2.5mm coming out to about 1.8ohms and running between 10-15w. RDAs were washed and rinsed in between flavours. Some were also tested in a variety of pods including a Coilart Mino, Tesla AT and a Smoant Karat.
Remember taste is subjective and results will vary! Click the titles for links to the products!!
Mint
Site description: Blended to perfection, this minty concoction will feel just like a breeze of fresh air.
My thoughts: With Hope’s Mint right up front I get a very bright green spearmint but at the same time it’s somewhat creamy with perhaps just a bit of a peppermint in there as well. It’s a very clean and fresh flavour, almost sharp with the minty menthol it bears and like the description suggests leaves you with the feeling of a breeze of fresh air. In a lot of ways it’s similar to a white Tic Tac or a minty breath mint with it’s fairly strong hit of spearmint and cooling menthol. Just all around super refreshing this one will definitely be for fans of strong mint flavours.
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 9/10
Uniqueness: 5/10
Overall quality: 9/10
Berries
Site description: A blissfully balanced mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Perfect for the sweet tooth!
My thoughts: Berries is probably the sweetest flavour of the bunch. It’s a punchy mix of tart raspberry, sweet strawberry and just a touch of blueberry. For me it leans more towards a red berry blend with the blueberry just vaguely coming through. A bit tart from the raspberry and a bit sweet from the strawberry this mix of summertime berries just pops with flavour. One thing they recommend is mixing the Berries with Creme or with Mint for a little extra oomph. I’ve personally been enjoying it on it’s own but the mix with Creme was also quite tasty. A punchy flavour that should appeal to most fans of fruity or berry blends.
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 7/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall quality: 9/10
Creme
Site description: This blend of the finest creams and vanilla will give you a comforting vape experience.
My thoughts: Creme by Hope is probably my favorite from the set. It’s an incredible mix of vanilla and cream that’s extremely approachable and exactly the sort of thing I gravitate to. I will admit it’s a mild flavour and at times it’s so incredibly light I can barely taste it but that’s how I tend to like them, fleeting and always keeping me wanting more. With Creme I found the device I used it in really played a role and I actually preferred it in an RTA with a build of my own as the pods I ran it through hardly did it justice. I also tried this flavour in some pre-filled STLTH pods and it was fantastic however like I experienced with my own pod devices it could sometimes taste weak or even burnt which is why I preferred it in an RTA. This one will definitely appeal to the custard and vanilla lovers out there!!
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 8/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall quality: 9/10
Mild
Site description: Smooth and round, this blond tobacco is the perfect all day vape.
My thoughts: Now here is where things start to get really interesting. I’m a huge fan of tobacco flavours but I can honestly say I’ve never tasted anything like the tobacco flavours in this line. The first one I tried was Hope’s Mild which is based on a blond tobacco however what I get from it is so much more. It’s very light and smooth with a lightly sweet dry tobacco, like the tobacco you’d find in most Canadian blend cigarettes. It’s very approachable and comforting for a tobacco flavour and would probably be ideal for a light smoker making the switch. However there’s something about it that reminds me of cologne. I know it sounds odd but it actually works really well with the flavour and kind of reminds me of the smell of an old dapper gentleman. Like it has a rather manly taste to it that I find hard to describe. It’s not like a perfume or anything, more like the lingering essence of a mans cologne. I know it sounds odd but boy does it work!!
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 6/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
Overall quality: 9/10
Hope Bold
Site description: Closer to an american tobacco or a cigar, this will please everyone that loves a full-bodied tobacco.
My thoughts: With Bold from Hope I found I get a similar experience to Mild but it’s also not quite as Bold as I’d expect after trying Mild. Yes it’s a darker, sweeter tobacco like a pipe or cigar tobacco but it too is blended with something that reminds me of cologne or in the case of Bold a little more like perfume. The tobacco and the ‘perfume’ for lack of a better word share equal space, like as much as I taste the tobacco I also get that hit of perfume from it as well. It’s very different from what I get out of Mild but it follows a similar vein. For me however it’s almost too much in Bold and I kind of wish that perfumey note was toned down just a bit so I could enjoy more of that rich dark tobacco. Still a beautifully crafted flavour that rich tobacco lovers will likely appreciate.
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 6/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall quality: 9/10
Final thoughts:
One thing about the Hope line is they run incredibly clean. In fact they were crafted “to reflect a better and cleaner future for e liquid” and use only the best ingredients available on the market with no extra additives or sweeteners. With none of the extra junk it means they tend to last a long time in my pod devices. I pretty much enjoyed the entire line which was crafted to be able to offer a little something for everyone so chances are you’ll be able to find at least one among them that works for you. So huge thanks to Maxime, you sir are an inspiration!!!