Chris 'majorvapes' SissonOne of the people I look forward to seeing at the Expos is the original MajorVapes aka Saby Rock of VapeStrong. They’re a company out of BC that I just happened to share a name with. One of their original lines was called MajorVapes but I didn’t figure that out until I was using the name for about a year and a half or so. We finally met face to face last year in Edmonton and he was more then understanding about the use of the name and not only that but he’s been a supporter of my reviews and has kindly set me up with all kinds of his fantastic juice to cover. At the recent show in Edmonton he once again set me up with a whole pile of stuff to check out. One of the first that I cracked open was a new line they recently released with an interesting Viking theme. Here are my honest thoughts on the Saga line from Vape Strong.
Bottles:
The juices come in clear 60ml authentic Chubby Gorilla bottles with viking themed black and grey labels each bearing the image of a viking long ship with a Celtic knot in the background, the name of the flavour in stylized print and some viking runes scrawled along the bottom. I tried to translate them but my old Norse is a bit rusty and what I came up with looked like gibberish. They all have interesting viking related names but it can make it a bit difficult figuring our which one is which without the flavour description in the name or on the label. The liquids are a 75vg blend and the ones I got were in 3mg. All the usual important stuff is there along the sides and bottom and I think they look great.
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.
Berserker
Site description: Beserkers were champion warriors, often fighting in a trance like state. Put your tastebuds in a similar zone with this awesome Quad Berry medley.
My thoughts: Starting with what I figure is the most complex of the bunch, Berserker is a lovely mix of four different berries. Cracking open the bottle I’m immediately greeted by the smell of blackberry or possibly black currant. It’s a familiar sweet, dark welcoming smell and a hint at what’s to come. Upon tasting it I’m greeted with a pleasant blend of raspberry, blackberry and possibly some strawberry but I’m not all that sure of the fourth berry in the mix. My guess would be blueberry but for me it gets a bit lost in the mix. It’s one of those blends that’s sort of hard to pick apart but the combination of berries in it works together really well.
For me the most prominent flavour is probably the blackberry which takes a bit of a lead over the other berries. There’s something about it that reminds me of blackberry hard candies, like the ones grandma always had in her candy bowl. It’s sweet, the tiniest bit tart and almost rich with it’s notes of dark berries. This one will be a nice summer time vape especially for fans of bright berry blends!!
Shieldmaiden
Site description: Fierce warriors, Shieldmaidens were in the thick of battle, much like Custard is in the thick of every dessert.
My thoughts: I found several of the flavours in this line were quite simple. That’s not to say they aren’t good, they’re just uncomplicated straightforward flavours. This one is a classic vanilla custard and it’s about as straightforward as they come. It’s got that classic rich almost eggy vanilla custard taste that you’ve probably experienced in many other custard flavours. It’s comforting, especially to a guy like me who started out with custard flavours. Admittedly it’s not the most complex custard blend I’ve tried but just like moms it doesn’t need to be.
I can’t really pick out any other flavours from this one aside from the rich vanilla custard but like I said it’s quite a comforting flavour. Personally I wouldn’t have minded there being a little bit more to it like some nuts or cookies but I think anyone who enjoys a good simple vanilla custard would do well with this one.
Valhalla
Site description: In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Butter Rum Ice Cream is fit for such a place.
My thoughts: This one might be the richest in the bunch. From it I get a thick creamy mix of butterscotch, vanilla bean ice cream and a light touch of rum. It starts off with a nice buttery note of butterscotch on the top end but then fills in with a familiar thick rich vanilla bean ice cream flavour. Vanilla bean ice cream if you’ve ever tried it is a rich and decadent flavour on it’s own but paired with a sweet butterscotch it’s even more thick and decadent.
The whole thing is rich and creamy and a little bit dark from the sweet butterscotch. I only pick up the lightest hints of the rum on occasion and mostly on the tail end which is good cause alcohol based flavours can often get tired pretty quickly for me. The rum almost helps cut the thickness of it but again it’s pretty fleeting in the mix. Altogether it’s an interesting blend and fans of creamy flavours or butterscotch will probably enjoy this one!!
Valkyrie
Site description: Dying on the battlefield, and being carried to the afterlife by a Valkyrie was the greatest goal of Norse Warriors. The Sweet Cream of honour.
My thoughts: This one might be the simplest of the bunch. To me it’s literally just sweet cream. It’s got a slight yogurt sort of taste to the cream with a very light sweetness to accompany it. For me it’s almost too simple but would make for a great addition to almost any flavour. I added a few drops to Berserker and it added a nice sweet creaminess to it. On it’s own however it’s not something I would want to vape for long but I know some people like a simple sweet cream flavour on it’s own and this is the most uncomplicated one I’ve tried yet. I suppose it might come off a touch sour with the slight yogurt taste but when mixed with other things it’s quite pleasant!
Yggdrasil
Site description: Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree that is center to the cosmos and considered very holy. This Cactus blend might become the center of your world too.
My thoughts: This one sort of stands out in the line for being so different from the other flavours profiles but at the same time it shares one common factor, it too is a simple blend. I essentially get one note from this one and it’s cactus. Cactus is a unique and rather uncommon flavour, the closest I can come to describing it is it’s sort of similar to a cucumber in that’s it’s bright and refreshing but with a greener more botanical kind of taste.
If you’ve ever tasted Aloe vera, Yggdrasil is sort of like that, a refreshing green flavour that’s almost sweet but also a little savory. A bit of a surprise in a line with a viking theme but it’s a nice break from the several creamy flavours the line includes. This one will definitely be a nice summertime accompaniment and I could easily picture it along side a refreshing cocktail on a patio.
Conquest
Site description: The Viking Age of Conquest lasted from 800 – 1050 AD. Nothing satisfies a fresh Conquest quite like Butter Beer.
My thoughts: This one was hands down my favorite in the line. In a way it’s a bit like Valhalla, a sort of buttery creamy blend but without the hints of rum or the extra thick ice cream note. I’ve been vaping it for several days and I really can’t nail it all down. I get a bit of a buttery butterscotch sort of taste with a more delicate sweet cream or vanilla custard yet it comes off lighter then both Valhalla and Valkyrie.
Anyone who’s ever read or watched Harry Potter knows about Butterbeer but very few know it was an actual thing long before J.K Rowling made it famous. I’ve tried at least a couple versions of actual Butter Beer, but only one other in vape form and I can say Conquest is nothing like what I’ve tried. The original Butterbeer was made with beer, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cloves and butter, a sort of eggnog-like spiced drink. The Harry Potter versions mostly involve soda pop and ice cream which Conquest seems to take a page from. It’s a lovely creamy buttery flavour that nearly anyone should enjoy and fans of Harry Potter would do well to check this one out!!
Overall I quite enjoyed the lineup. A few of them I did find to be pretty simple but like I said that doesn’t mean they aren’t good. The majority of the line is quite rich and creamy but there’s enough variety among them that anyone should be able to find something among them that they’d enjoy. VapeStrong makes some really fantastic juice and have a nice variety of flavours and profiles all made with quality ingredients and well worth checking out. So huge thanks to Saby for setting me up once again with some of his beautiful juice!!!