Chris 'majorvapes' SissonIf you follow my reviews you’ve probably heard me gush say it before, True Northern makes some of the most incredible, unique and well executed flavours this industry has ever seen. They use uncommon elements like botanicals and florals to produce the most elegant and elaborate flavours imaginable. Flavours that not only taste incredible but evoke actual feelings and experiences. I tried one of their flavours that mimicked the smell and experience of a Northern Ontario forest that was so moving I actually wrote a poem about it. So when my main man Milan from TN reached out about some fresh reviews I was more than excited to hear from him. His latest line however takes an interesting turn. It’s something I’ve seen a few companies do in recent times, a line based on simple flavours. I mean not everyone has the complex palate needed to taste five kinds of vanilla in a custard flavour so simple flavours are often appreciated. Anyone who’s ever attempted to mix an e-liquid probably knows a simple flavour can often be the trickiest to accomplish but knowing True Northerns ability to do what no others can do I was intrigued to say the least. The line is called Jūst which I believe is pronounced ‘Joost’ and these are my honest thoughts on it.
Bottles/Packaging:
The juices arrived in clear 60ml authentic Chubby Gorilla bottles, safely shrink wrapped and packed in a sturdy box. The labels all sport backgrounds made of the fruit that their flavours contain, images of fresh strawberries, ripe raspberries and slices of grapefruit make them bright and colourful. The Jūst logo sits directly up top with the name of the flavour below. The logo changes colour to compliment each bottle. All of the usual good stuff we like to see and they look to be compliant with the latest regs. The juices are all 80vg blends and the set I got was in 3mg but with salt nicotine so you get the quick acting benefits of salt nicotine but in a smooth subohm format.
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. Here’s a shot of a fresh build:
Remember taste is subjective and results will vary! Click the titles for links to the products!!
Strawberry
Site description:
Finally, a truly realistic fruit strawberry that needs to be tried for you to believe.
This fleshed out flavour starts with the taste of the seeds and strawberry skin on the inhale and then finishes with the core of the fruit on the exhale.
My thoughts: Strawberry is not an easy flavour to do nor is it really an easy flavour to taste as I’ve heard many folks report that they just can’t seem to taste it. I’ve never had that issue myself and can usually enjoy a decent strawberry or strawberry and cream flavour despite the market being completely flooded with them. With Strawberry as soon as I pop the cap I smell a sweet syrupy strawberry that reminds me of Strawberry Quik Nesquik syrup or perhaps Strawberry Shortcake the character not the dessert. Tasting it however is much more subdued and I find it’s not nearly as sweet as it smells. It’s a very soft and warm flavour but oddly enough I may have met my match as I find the flavour has a bit of a blank spot. I taste a light strawberry top note and then nothing, like a big blank spot on my tongue. Weird I know but apparently I’m not alone. The strawberry I do get is not sweet or tangy and tastes more like the unripe white tops or the core of the berries like the description mentions as opposed to the juicy ripe red parts. So I suppose it does taste like a strawberry just not the sweet ripe one I was expecting.
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 7/10
Uniqueness: 5/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Raspberry
Site description:
A very realistic raspberry flavour that tastes exactly like a freshly made puree.
Dark notes of freshly picked raspberries are instantly recognizable.
My thoughts: Here’s another one that didn’t exactly win me over. Raspberry is another difficult flavour to pull off and don’t even get me started on blue raspberry flavours which seem to be thoroughly saturating the market these days with their often sickly overly sweet artificial flavours. For me red raspberry flavours can often have a powdery or very candy like taste which isn’t very conducive to an authentic flavour experience. With this one I get a gentle red raspberry taste that’s a bit like candy and a bit like the real thing but definitely leans more towards an artificial sort of raspberry as opposed to a fresh picked berry from the bush. Compared to the others in the set it’s not quite as realistic a flavour and for me it comes in somewhere between a chewy candy like Big Feet or a raspberry Koolaid. It too has a soft feel and isn’t very sweet even though it does kind of remind me of candy. It seems to lack the body to taste like a jam but also the tart freshness of the real thing. It’s pleasant enough and fans of a simple raspberry will probably appreciate it but for me it just needs a little bit more of a real taste.
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 7/10
Uniqueness: 5/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Peach
Site description:
A bonafide crowd favourite that is a must try for everyone.
Realistic peach taste with all the sweet notes from the core to the fuzz.
My thoughts: Now here is where things start to get really interesting. With Peach I start to get a much more realistic flavour compared to the previous two. It’s a ripe juicy peach with plenty of body to it, like I can almost taste the fuzzy skin of the peach and the fleshy fruit within. I feel like there’s also more to this one giving it more of a realistic fruit flavour, something like apricot or nectarine, something that helps fill it out but doesn’t take over. Definitely not getting any kind of fuzzy peach candy from it or anything like that. It smells a lot like the old peach drink from Tims before they switched to bottles but tastes significantly more natural, almost more like one of those nectar drinks, thick with real fruit. I find it has a really dense mid note and it comes off warm and juicy. It very much reminds me of biting in to a fresh warm juicy peach plucked fresh from the tree. Now I’m starting to have feelings…
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 10/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Mango
Site description:
Imagine biting into a freshly cut mango and getting all the sweet pulpy notes of the fruit.
The goal of this E-liquid was to evoke a full-bodied mango taste that is balanced and layered.
My thoughts: TN already makes an incredible mango flavour but apparently since it’s launch Mango has been stealing all the spotlight and I can kind of see why. Much like Peach it’s a thick sweet, slightly sour realistic mango flavour that hits you right in the corners of the mouth. It has a tiny bit of bite to it like I’m actually eating a mango and the acid or whatever it is makes it almost spicy. It’s not burn your mouth acidic or anything but it definitely has character. Much like peach the flavour is dense, thick even, almost like a natural mango juice you get freshed squeezed on the resort. It also leaves a really nice lingering taste of mango in my mouth that I really dig. If you like the taste of fresh sliced mango or mango juice you’re going to love this one!!!
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 10/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Lemon
Site description:
Natural tasting more akin to refreshing lemonade than a true sour lemon or candy flavour.
My thoughts: Lemon is another hard flavour to do. It has to be balanced just right or it will come off tasting like a bottle of lemon Pledge or be too sharp to even vape it. I’ve had my fair share of both good and bad and Lemon I must say fits right in with the good. It’s a nice soft warm lemon flavour that reminds me of the lemon curd from a fresh baked Lemon Meringue Pie just without the crust or the meringue. Ok so being a touch on the warm side it also reminds me a bit of Neocitran but not in a bad way, I actually like the stuff. It’s lightly sweet like a lemon drop candy or a powdered lemonade drink but slightly more realistic. It’s not super zesty but it does have a nice citrus kick to it yet it’s not so sour that it hurts. But I’m also not sure I could vape it all day without some kind of cream in the mix but it’ll definitely do well as a treat. Bright, refreshing and twangy Lemon should do well by nearly any citrus flavour fans!
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 9/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Honeydew
Site description:
A clean and crisp take on classic honeydew.
A bright melon inhale with a touch of the creamy core on the exhale.
My thoughts: I’m a bit of a sucker for honeydew. It’s one of my favorite melons to munch on and growing up Asian green melon flavoured things was pretty much a staple. With Honeydew I get a nice realistic honeydew melon. It’s so realistic it reminds me of that taste you get when you bite a bit too close to the rind. It’s not too sweet and not layered with other melon like watermelon or cantaloupe and if they are in there I can’t tell. It’s a very green melon flavour, like fresh honeydew or musk melon, clean and simple. There’s a softness to it when vaping it that gives it an almost dry feel but it’s not grating by any means. Personally I almost want a touch of cream in the mix to mimic a favorite dessert snack of mine but I get that it’s just supposed to be a simple melon flavour. Nice and mild but still packed with flavour this is exactly the sort of thing I could vape all day.
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 10/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Grapefruit
Site description:
Real ruby red grapefruit taste, as if it was served with drizzled sugar.
Juicy sweet, with a slight hint of classic grapefruit bitterness that adds to the authenticity.
My thoughts: Saving the best for last I’m pretty sure Grapefruit was my surprise favorite from the line. As soon as I cracked the bottle I caught the incredible smell of a freshly cut grapefruit. It smells and tastes just like a lovely pink grapefruit, a tiny bit sharp with tartness but not so sharp it’s unpleasant. It’s got a very very light sweetness to it, not sugary like it’s been sweetened but sweet like a natural piece of fruit. Unlike lemon I also get a touch of zest from it which gives it that classic grapefruit bitterness so many of us love. Oddly enough I also pick up a hint of lime or something that reminds me of lime. Often with citrus fruit flavours I get an odd waxy sort of taste and with Grapefruit I get just the tiniest hint of it which makes me think lime or possibly something similar. It’s not enough to put me off or even bother me as the juice as a whole is extremely refreshing and tasty but still thought I should call it out. Fans of grapefruit flavours, this is the one!!
Presentation: 8/10
Flavour Accuracy: 10/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
Overall experience: 9/10
Final thoughts:
The motto for the line is ‘Simple done better’ and I honestly can’t fault it in anyway. Each of the seven flavours by just may seem simple are incredibly well crafted and deliver exactly what they promise, beautifully blended simple fruit flavours. Of course True Northern still managed to put their talented twist on them making them some of the most realistic yet simple flavours that nearly anyone should enjoy. The line is all fruit based but with so many options nearly anyone could find one among them that works for them. So huge thanks and congratulations to the True Northern team on a very well executed line up!!
