Chris 'majorvapes' SissonRecently a chance encounter between Vapedeals and some of the gents behind PSI better known as Pacific Smoke International led to a set of samples being sent over for review. I’m sure nearly anyone who’s in to vaping has heard of the company Twelve Monkeys, well PSI are the folks behind Twelve Monkeys and the exclusive Canadian distributor for them as well as a number of other companies such as Aspire Canada, All Day Vapor and Xtar. Twelve Monkeys has been around for as long as I can remember and roughly five years ago when I first made the switch I vaped through quite a few bottles of TMs juice so I think I can consider myself an OG fan. As I mentioned that was five years ago now and a lot has changed since then. Salt based nicotine is probably one of the biggest changes to the market since then and nearly every vendor out there has started to produce a salt based lineup or have re-jigged their existing lines to include some salt based options. Well Twelve Monkeys are no exception and not only have they reworked some of their classic flavours but they’ve also added some entirely new ones to the list as well which they were kind enough to send over for review. Here are my honest thoughts on a number of Twelve Monkeys Nic Salt flavours.
Twelve Monkeys Salts Bottles:
The juices come in little dark coloured chubby gorilla style bottles. The labels all have a similar look with the backgrounds changing slightly between the lines. All of them invoke the sense of a jungle with their iconic monkey adorned logo and tropical looking backdrops. They sport all of the important information we like to see and look to be compliant with all the current regs. One minor complaint is they don’t list the flavour profiles on the bottles and since they all have pretty obscure names remembering which one is which can be a bit of a challenge. The salt based liquids are all 50/50 blends and the set I got came mostly in 24mg but I also asked for a couple of them in 48mg so I could get a sense of the salt nicotine they were using. One thing TM has always gotten right is their look and style and they’ve always stayed true to it since the beginning. They have a very recognizable presence because of it which I think almost anyone can appreciate. Here’s a shot of the bottles I was sent:
Setup:
Testing was done in a variety of devices including a JustFog Minifit with fresh pods, a Pod 9 with fresh pods as well as an Aspire Nautilus AIO with NS coils which was also sent over from PSI(review to follow soon).
Remember taste is subjective and results will vary! Check here for a list of authorized vendors.
Kanzi (Classics/24mg)
Site description: Watermelon, Strawberry, Kiwi
My thoughts: Kanzi is one of Twelve Monkeys OG flavours and one that I’ve personally enjoyed in the past. With it’s update to salt nic there’s definitely an impact on the flavour but mostly just in regards to sweetness. Years ago 12M were somewhat notorious for their often times overzealous use of sweetener in their juices which they’ve since addressed in their Origins line drastically toning down the amount of sweetener their liquids contain to meet the evolving tastes of the general public. It looks like they’ve carried that philosophy over to their salt line and have likewise toned down or even completely removed any extra sweetener from their juice which I imagine is to help prevent coil gunk from any accumulated sugars which will only help extend the life of your disposable coils or pods. It’s been a while since I’ve had the original and from what I recall the flavour doesn’t really suffer for it. Maybe it’s that my tastes have matured over the years but I actually appreciated it’s toned down sweetness. From Kanzi I get a nice refreshing mix of juicy watermelon, fresh strawberries and just a hint of tartness from the kiwi. Usually watermelon tends to overtake a flavour but with Kanzi I find it stays pretty balanced between strawberry and watermelon giving me just a little bit of both pretty much all the time. The strawberry I’m sure still adds some sweetness to the flavour but it’s not sugary or overly sweet in any way. The watermelon sort of rides the line between fresh and artificial but that’s just how watermelon flavours tend to be. The strawberry and kiwi though come through tasting quite natural without any odd chemical tastes or anything but like I said the kiwi is quite subtle in the mix and it’s really more about the strawberry and watermelon in Kanzi. A great update to a classic and old school fans of Kanzi would do well to check this one out if you’re in to salts!!
Patas Pipe (Origins/48mg)
Site description: Chocolate, Vanilla, Tobacco
My thoughts: I think this one might be my favorite of the bunch. Patas Pipe comes from the Origins line and was entirely new to me as I never did get around to trying out the newer line when it launched. If I’m not mistaken it’s the only flavour they offer that isn’t fruit based and the closest thing they’ve got to a dessert and a tobacco all in one. It’s quite simply described as chocolate, vanilla and tobacco but it’s so much more than that. For me it leans a bit more towards a dessert flavour than it does a tobacco as the tobacco element is fairly mild and almost acts more like an accent than an individual element. In fact it’s so mild I can barely get a grip on what kind of tobacco it is which for some I’m sure will be appreciated but as a former 26 year smoker I still enjoy the taste of tobacco so I usually like to taste a bit more of it in the mix with these types of tobacco blends. I’m guessing based on the name it would be a pipe style tobacco and what I do get from it has a deep rich quality but with the chocolate and vanilla in front of it it’s like I said it’s almost more like a supporting note. What I mainly get is a nice mix of smooth creamy vanilla with a nice rich chocolate that to me leans more toward a cocoa or a cocoa dusted truffle chocolate. The two flavours sort of intertwine sometimes I get more of the vanilla other times I get that rich deep chocolate. I also get a hint of something that’s maybe just the tiniest bit fruity like a hint of dark cherry, maybe it’s a cherry pipe tobacco they are using or maybe it’s just the sweetness of the chocolate and vanilla playing ticks but I definitely pick something up that’s just a tiny bit fruity and reminds me of cherry. As much as I do enjoy a bit more of a tobacco flavour in my tobacco blends I thought the balance between the vanilla, chocolate and tobacco in this was fantastic and it easily made it in to the regular rotation!!
Saimiri (Origins/48mg)
Site description: Strawberry, Coconut
My thoughts: Saimiri is a fairly simple flavour but rather unique for what it is. It’s an interesting mix of strawberry and coconut that’s a tiny bit sweet from the strawberry and a tiny bit tropical from the coconut. It’s definitely not a common mix but somehow the two flavours do manage to work together. The strawberry gives it that classic sweet red berry vibe and gives the flavour most of it’s sweetness while the coconut adds a touch of the tropics but also kind of gives it a touch more body almost adding a hint of creaminess to the mix. For some reason the strawberry in this comes off a bit more artificial and even kind of reminds me of something like strawberry lip balm the girls used to wear in grade school. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a strawberry coconut flavour and although it sounds an unusual combination like I said the two flavours don’t really conflict. Although it’s not particularly unpleasant this one came across a bit thin and was probably my least favorite of the bunch mostly for it’s slight artificial quality but fans of strawberry and coconut might find this one a bit more appealing.
Shoku (Origins/24mg)(new)
Site description: Raspberry, Strawberry, Passion Fruit
My thoughts: Here’s another fruity mix that’s a bit different from the norm and a new addition to the Origins line. In Shoku they’ve mixed together some classic ripe red raspberry along with a touch of sweet strawberry and finish the whole thing off with a good shot of passion fruit. The raspberry is the most forward but it pretty much shares equal space with the passion fruit. I’m pretty sure the strawberry in this one is just for a bit of sweetness as it only pokes through for me on occasion but definitely adds a bit more of that classic sweet red berry flavour to the mix. The passion fruit plays a dual role in this adding some significant body to the mix as well as giving it a slight tartness. Passion fruit itself is an unusual flavour and can come across as thick or at times perfumey but in Shoku it’s well balanced and just seems to add that bit of tropical tartness and body that most people look for. I particularly appreciate that it’s not a blue raspberry flavour and is more of a natural red berry flavour with a dash of something extra thanks to the passion fruit. It’s actually that passion fruit that take it from being just another generic berry blend to something that’s a little more interesting and exotic which I can definitely appreciate as I’m normally not a fan of those generic berry blends. A little bit sweet, a tiny bit tart and almost thick with berries, this one will definitely be for the berry lovers out there!!
Gattago (Origins/24mg)(new)
Site description: White Grape
My thoughts: Gattago also new to the Origins line was another one of my favorites with it’s simple bright white grape flavour and not much else. Ok so to me I taste a bit of lychee and maybe some concord grape or something but it definitely invokes the sense of a cheek scrunching tongue punching classic white grape juice. It’s bright and tangy with just a hint of sweetness and the grape tastes natural and refreshing as opposed to candy like or artificial. Definitely not a purple grape kind of thing which I really appreciate. I grew up drinking Welch’s white grape juice but it was always kind of expensive so it was considered a treat when we got it and it’s nice to see one of my favorite childhood flavours making it into a tasty juice like Gattago. I know some people prefer the purple grape drink/candy flavour but Gattago is so much more of a natural tasting grape that it’s definitely worth a try even to the staunchest purple grape fans. It might come across as simple as it’s essentially a one note flavour but if you’ve ever tried white grape juice you know it hits so many points with it’s sweetness, slight acidic punch, twangy tartness and an almost perfume rich fruitiness. If you like grape, especially white grape flavours and have been looking for a good salt nic juice, Gattago might just be the one.
Puris (Origins/24mg)(new)
Site description: Peach Citrus
My thoughts: Puris probably has the strongest kick out of the bunch, it’s described as peach citrus and if I’m not mistaken is a mix of peach, mango and just a touch of citrus but it also feels like there’s a hint of coolness to it. Peach and mango go so well together that it’s pretty common for juice makers to use a touch of one or the other to add a bit more depth to the namesake flavour they’re trying to create and if I’m not mistaken there’s just a touch of mango in Puris to give it a bit more of a natural taste but also considerably more body. Of course I could be wrong and have been at this point programmed to think I taste mango in peach and peach in mango but if I was a gambling man I’d say Puris definitely dabbles in a bit of tropical crossover. Of course that body that peach or mango may sometimes have can often come across as thick so what better way to brighten it up with a touch of citrus. I get just a touch of a light orange citrus but it’s not quite enough to overtake the peach in any way, instead it’s more of a compliment adding a hint more natural freshness to the flavour. As if it wasn’t already fresh enough I’m pretty sure there’s also a touch of ws-23 or something like that in it to give it a very slight cooling sensation but without any minty menthol. It takes the already bright and punchy flavour up a few notches really making it pop with freshness. It is a very light addition and I honestly don’t think it would be enough to even turn off folks who don’t like menthol type flavours and it might even change a few opinions along the way. It is one of the stronger flavours in the bunch but if you’re a fan of bright and refreshing peachy flavours then Puris is the one you’ll want to check out!!
Overall:
I’ve got to admit I was quite impressed by the lineup I received. The flavours were well rounded and the salt nicotine they are using came off nice and smooth even with the 48mg samples I got. There was really only one flavour that didn’t quite win me over and even then I still found it at least interesting. I personally would like to see their lineup expand just a little bit to include a few more non-fruity options but as it stands the flavours they offer are pretty amazing and I’m sure nearly anyone could find something among them they like even if fruits aren’t your main thing. I also appreciate the fact that they’re constantly evolving to keep up with market demands, reducing sweeteners, adding new lines and offering salt based options. I mean there’s a reason Twelve Monkeys liquids have been so popular for so many years, they make some really incredible juice. So huge thanks to the folks over at PSI and Twelve Monkeys for setting me up with some of your tasty liquids to review, after all these years you’ve still got it!!!
