Chris 'majorvapes' SissonI know that disposable pod systems often get a bad rap, with infamous devices like the Juul regularly creating media hype and havoc. However, there’s no denying just how effective disposable systems can be. The market for quite some time has been dominated by the likes of Juul with very few others surviving the market let alone making it to the forefront. But if you’ve been paying attention, things have been quiet lately without many new players entering the field. Enter TastyClouds with a new system out of New Zealand, manufactured by a company called NRX short for Nicotine Revolution X. The system is called the NRX Air, and though it seems to have been developed with Asian tastes in mind after test driving it for a couple of weeks myself I think that’s one of the things that really sets it apart. Here’s a look at the NRX Air care of TastyClouds.ca
Package contents:
| 1 x | Device |
|---|---|
| 2 x | Pods Iced Lychee(Ceramics) and 1 Iced Tea(Cotton) |
| 1 x | Type-C Cable |
| 1 x | Instruction manual |
Listed features and specs:
| Dimensions: | Approx. 114 x 19 x 8mm |
|---|---|
| Liquid capacity: | 1.5ml(400-600 puffs) |
| Pod material: | PCTG |
| Battery capacity: | 350mAh |
| Charge time: | 45min |
Packaging and contents:
The starter kit comes packed with an NRX Air device, two pre-filled pods, a short but rather nice braided USB type-C cable and a user manual. It’s available in midnight black, navy, pearl white, red and teal mint. An extremely simple kit but everything you’d need to get started is included.
The NRX Air:
The NRX Air is a draw activated disposable pod device with a built-in 350mAh battery. On one side it has the letters NRX with the X lighting up to indicate when it’s firing, charging and the battery status. It has a similar size and shape to many other pod systems like the Juul or Stlth but with one distinguishing factor, it uses USB type-C to charge rather than a proprietary connector or micro USB. As more and more tech manufacturers switch to USB type-C it’s just that much more convenient to carry around however the device does not support quick charge so depending on the charger your cable is connected to it may not work and you may need to plug it into a lower powered device like the USB port of a PC. A typical charge takes 45mins but the device tends to last me the entire day and usually then some.
Aside from the charge port there really isn’t much else to distinguish it from the countless others. There isn’t any form of airflow control and air to the pod comes via two tiny holes one on each side but even covering them up the draw stays fairly tight. The draw activation is smooth an consistent and so far I haven’t had a single issue with it misfiring. Of course a lot of that has to do with leaking and that’s another thing that so far after two weeks of constant testing I haven’t had a single drop leak out. As for output regulation, on their product page they mention a Smart AI chip that controls the voltage and pod-specific power for consistent flavour, hits and performance so the output is regulated and consistent which for me is always a huge plus.
The NRX Air III atomizer Pods:
The pods that come with the kit are made of PCTG plastic, hold 1.5ml of liquid each and appear to come in a standard strengths of 3 or 4% of salt based nic. They come in neat little plastic containers with a silicone plug holding them in and are sealed on either end with tiny silicone plugs in the actual pod so you know they will be dust free when you go to use them. There are actually two types of pods that can be purchased for the device and one of each comes with the kit. One type uses ceramic coils and the other appears to use a more traditional cotton based coil. I find it hard to distinguish the two and unless you see it listed on their product page you likely wouldn’t know there’s a difference. They also use a double layer isolation technology that helps to reduce pressure and prevent leaking and so far they stand up to the hype.
They also mention a new type of atomization technology and from the images on their site it appears to be some type of mesh sandwiched inside their atomizer heads. So far, performance has been absolutely solid and the output and flavour I get from these pods is smooth and full. I did mention that the device appears to be originally geared towards an Asian market so being half Japanese myself the list of flavours and the ones I got to try really appeal to me and I imagine they’ll also do well in areas like Vancouver and Toronto. TastyClouds were kind enough to send some samples so I’ll list the flavours I tried and initial thoughts below:
Iced Lychee(included with kit): One of the default flavours in the kit, it’s a nice light lychee flavour with a gentle hit of ice. Fairly subtle for lychee but nice and refreshing.
Tieguanyin Tea(included with kit): One of my favourites from the bunch and another default flavour. It’s a type of Oolong tea that’s really spot on but it also includes a hit of ice on the exhale.
Apple Sorbet: One of the milder flavours in the set. It’s a nice clean and simple apple flavour again with a lightly iced exhale.
Mung Bean Popsicle: This one will seem weird to many westerners but mung bean is a popular flavour in the East. This one to me is pretty spot on as well and really tastes like mung bean which to many may remind them a bit of soy milk but with a fairly strong hit of ice. A very unique flavour and one that many Asians will likely appreciate.
Ultra Cola: You can’t have a pod system without a cola flavour and this one is pretty straightforward. It tastes like cola but with a light hit of ice on the exhale.
Watermelon: This one is another somewhat standard and straightforward flavour, it’s watermelon. It’s not too sweet and is also accompanied by a very light ice on the exhale. This one might have the lightest ice of the set.
ICE BRG: ChewChew Grape: This was another favorite of mine from the bunch. It’s basically a grape Hi-Chew. A chewy candy that’s really popular in Asia and this rendition is spot on. It too has a very slight ice on the exhale but pretty mild compared to the others.
ICE BRG: Ripe Mango: Funny enough I find the ICE BRG pods to have less ice in them than the others. As this ripe mango is pretty much just a nice tasting ripe mango with just a very very light ice on the exhale.
ICE BRG: Sweet Lychee: I kind of expected this one to be a repeat of iced lychee but I actually get considerably more lychee flavour from this one and maybe a touch less ice. I’m a huge fan of lychee so this was another one that really peaked my interests!
Overall:
You might have noticed a slight trend with these flavours. Every single one of them contains at least a little bit of ice which may be a problem for some. I personally don’t mind a bit of ice in my vapes and actually enjoy the refreshing hit they give but I imagine some will be turned off by it’s inclusion. Aside from that, the flavour and performance of the NRX Air is on point and I haven’t had a single issue with the device misfiring or the pods leaking. With interesting Asian inspired flavours like mung bean and Tieguanyin tea these really hit home for me, they even have a red bean flavour but sadly I wasn’t able to try them all. Sure they won’t be for everyone but I know plenty of people who will definitely appreciate what TastyClouds and NRX are bringing to the table!