Is New Age eCigs Ready For The National Scene?
Is New Age eCigs Ready For The National Scene?Out of Albuquerque, NM, James and Nadine, owners and operators of New Age eCigs are prime examples of how many entrepreneurs find their way into this industry. James, a 2-pack a day smoker, knew that his life would be cut down years before it should, and after numerous attempts to quit, finally found electronic cigarettes.
Knowing full well that eCigarettes gave him back many of those lost years that lay ahead he, and his wife Nadine, made it their mission to help as many smokers as they could find a way out. So far, things have been going very well on the local scene. Today, New Age eCigs goes before the Spinfuel eLiquid Review Team for the first time. Will it be the last?
100 Billion Dollars
The tobacco industry, in the United States alone, is still a 100 billion dollar business with more than 40 million customers. Electronic cigarettes are expected to gross 2 billion this year, a fraction of the tobacco industry. Yet, we all know that people like James and Nadine, and each one of us, are looked at like we’re the ones doing something wrong.
Who knows how this will work out in the end? So in the meantime brands like New Age eCigs continue to create new eLiquids for vapers, and smokers looking to ditch the deadly habit. Some are successful, most are not, and just like any other business the failure rate is huge.
For James and Nadine New Age eCigs is more than a business, it’s a way of life, a way of giving back, of a way helping to save others. This helps explain why New Age eCigs uses tamper-proof bottles and fast, secure shipping.
There are no short cuts taken by James and Nadine, not that we could find, no evidence of cost cutting, and there doesn’t appear to be a ‘profit before people’ mentality. But for more about James and Nadine, and an insider’s look at New Age eCigs, please take a few minutes and read the interview here.
New Age eCigs
Specializing in eLiquids that have strong flavors and good vapor production, New Age eLiquids, according to James, are blended to achieve ‘balance’, which James describes as being “a steady and great tasting combination.” When asked what he considers a good all-day-vape (ADV), James answers, “…balance and subtlety… e-liquids that indulge and excite the users pleasures without overpowering their senses.” Sounds exactly right, doesn’t it?
But be warned. James has an affinity for “skunky” flavors, and that becomes very apparent in more than one of the eLiquids below. Skunky is the last thing we want in an eLiquid, so several of the eliquids below did not fare well with our team.
Others were judged to be basic eLiquids… average really, something that most serious DIY ejuice amateurs can do at home. A couple of them were better, but there will be no Spinfuel Choice Awards given today.
New Age eCigs offers 70 eLiquid blends, or ‘flavors’, and the eleven we’re reviewing today are supposed to be the best of menu; a cross section selection of flavors offered by New Age. We cannot attest to that, but we reviewed what was sent.
The New Age eCigs Eleven
- Irish Tobacco
- Bubble Lucscious
- Energy Rush
- Purple Kush
- Ladies Night
- Heisenberg
- Mad Scientist
- Smoked Bacon
- Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake
- Aphrodite’s
- MellonCollie
As you can imagine, the flavor spectrum spreads far and wide in this review. While a couple delivered, most did not, but the things most flavors had in common are as follows:
- Clean flavors
- Intense flavors
- Good vapor production
Review Protocols – NEW!
In an effort to reduce the redundancy concerning how we conduct the reviews we’ve created a special page called “Spinfuel eLiquid Team Review Protocols”. We explain what goes into a review, how it is scored, and more. This allows us, and you, to get to the meatier part of the review… faster. If this is your first Spinfuel eLiquid review we highly encourage you to read that page first, then return here for the actual review.
Particulars of New Age eCigs
Packaging – Pricing – Nicotine – PG/VG
New Age eLiquids are offered in both 15ML and 30ML plastic bottles. The drip tips are slender and make filling cartomizers, clearomizers, and tanks easy work. The labels provide the name, the nicotine level, ingredients, nicotine warning, date of mixing, and a round sticker on the bottom of the bottle provides an expiration date.
Nicotine options are 6mg, 12mg, 18mg, and 24mg. A zero-nicotine is also offered.
Pricing is $8.99 for a 15ML plastic bottle, $16.99 for 30ML. While there are many eLiquids that sell for much more, there are also quite a few premium brands that sell for a bit less. We believe that New Age eCigs falls just above the lower average for eLiquids sold today.
And now…
Irish Tobacco – “Our Irish Tobacco is truly one of our most popular e-liquid creations, featuring a steady blend of vanilla’s, Irish creams and rich tobacco’s.”
Tom – From our discussions I think its safe to say that one of the most reoccurring words you will in this review is “clean”. Irish Tobacco can also be described that way. It is a clean tasting tobacco eliquid. The description says that you’ll taste vanilla, Irish Creams (?) and a rich tobacco.
That’s pretty accurate if you ask me. But, is it unique enough or good enough to take the place of my curated collection of tobacco eliquids? No, it’s not. But it certainly isn’t a bad choice if you’re looking for a tobacco flavor with a hint of Bailey’s. – 3.75 Stars
Julia – After thinking about Irish Tobacco for hours, trying to come up with a way to describe it to our many tobacco loving vapers out there, I think I’ve come up with what works.
If you were a cig-a-like vaper and this flavor was in the cartomizers was for the “tobacco flavor” choice, you would never want to change cig-a-like brands. New Age should take this around to cig-a-like brands and offer to sell it to them as their tobacco option.
It would make that brand hugely successful (the cig-a-like brand I mean). But as a gourmet, or super premium tobacco blend for a clearomizer, tank, or RBA, no it’s not on that level. 4 Stars
Keira – When Julia told me that she thought Irish Tobacco would make an ideal cig-a-like eliquid I had no idea what she was talking about. Was that an insult? Was it a compliment? I had no idea. Then I tasted it and I knew exactly what she meant. Irish Tobacco is a good, solid, pleasant tobacco flavor with good vapor production and a long lasting flavor.
But it cannot compete with some of the tobacco brands that Tom vapes daily, the ones he is always pushing us to vape. At the same time though, this same juice would shame all of the cig-a-like tobacco flavors I’ve tried. Now I understand that this is a compliment. Irish Tobacco is a workaday tobacco flavor, perfect for the cig-a-like industry. 4.5 Stars
Jason – I actually can taste that Irish cream in the description. It’s almost like a Bailey’s, but not quite. The tobacco flavor is okay, but nothing brilliant. As for being an all day vape like many of the others in this review, that very same Irish cream prevented me from being able to handle this juice as an all day flavor. To me, this is a solid 3 Stars. Average.
Bubble Lucscious – “New Age ECigs created Bubble Luscious. A sweet sugary and fruity eCig fluid mixture. Bubble Luscious is an extreme twist of Watermelon and Bubblegum. Sure to settle even the largest sugar craving, without the sugar.”
Tom – It’s clear to me that New Age is out to create a series of flavors that do the job but don’t cause much excitement. Bubble Lucscious is exactly that… it does the job. It’s also a pleasant all-day-vape, with sweet bubblegum flavor and a hint of watermelon. Exactly as described. If you’re looking for a sweet vape that will last all day, this is it. 4.5 Stars
Julia – There are some eliquids brands where you go and fill a tank or clearomizer, take a drag and the flavor hits your pleasure center in your brain in way that is indescribably delicious. But you know, no matter how amazing it is it will not be a flavor that can take you through the day. This is not one of those flavors (Gotcha!)
No, Bubble Lucscious is an all day vape that is sweet and satisfying without being braggadocios. Buy yourself a Kanger Aerotank Mega (or Giant) or an Aspire Nautilus, fill it up, and forget it. You’ll vape all day long. You won’t light up your pleasure center, but that area of the brain that sates you, that provides a nice even buzz all day, that center will light. Look up all-day-vape in the dictionary and you’ll see this juice. 5 Stars
Keira – I debated this flavor with myself longer than any other. While I didn’t want to score it a 5 Star juice for being that steady, clean and sweet flavored vape that will get you through the day in the most innocuous way, I’ve come to see it’s charms. The fact is, the flavor is big, the vapor is good, and although you won’t yell it out from the rooftops, Bubble Lucscious is the workhorse you need on most workdays. Fill it and forget it, indeed. 5 Stars
Jason – I can’t decide if Energy Rush or Bubble Lucscious is the better all-day-vape. Both have clean flavors, both are the type of juice that you can fill a tank with and then forget you’re vaping that flavor. In fact, the tastes of both are instantly forgettable, and I think that’s the defining factor of an all-day-vape.
The only difference, really, is that Bubble Lucscious is sweeter, but both provide a vape experience that will take you home. Both are worthy of 5 Stars
Energy Rush – “What day isn’t long? Instead of reaching for your Red Bull or Monster, try New Age’s Energy Rush. It has all the zing from your favorite energy drink, a punch of citrus and that extra kick you need in your step.”
Tom – I’m not going to tell you that Energy Rush gave me energy, or made me more alert, or is any kind of substitute for Red Bull. But I will say this is a good flavor. There is a clean citrus flavor here that would certainly work as an all-day-vape. I vaped it for most of the day and the flavor did not quit, it didn’t get lost, and it did not give me vapers tongue.
It’s not a flavor that will have you praising the Vapor Gods, but it is a solid, sweet citrus vape that is downright delightful. (Yea, I said ‘delightful’). Worthy of 4.5 Stars
Julia – As a citrus vape I cannot for the life of me tell you what citrus flavors are in Energy Rush. I think I taste a bit of lemon, a bit of orange, maybe, just maybe a hint of lime. In any case, this is not a tart vape; it’s a sweet vape, and a good one at that. Very clean flavor, its not muddy, it’s not thick, and the vapor is more than decent. I enjoyed it. 4.5 Stars
Keira – Energy Rush is definitely an all-day-vape. I really liked how the flavor lasted all day long without getting tiring. This is a sort of sweet citrus flavor without a tartness to it, and I believe it is that lack of tartness that give it the ability to last all day without giving you vapers tongue or a dry mouth (eww). If I were going to add a citrus juice to my collection it would be this one. 4.5 Stars
Jason – Energy Rush delivers good vapor production, light on the throat hit, and a generally sweet tasting lemon/lime eliquid. This won’t win any awards because flavors like it are a dime a dozen. I don’t mean that to sound negative. In fact, there are many positives to Energy Rush. The sweet citrus lasts a long time, and it’s one of those eLiquids you can fill a huge tank with and go about your business. Isn’t that what an all-day-vape comes down to? I would vape Energy Rush anytime. 5 Stars
Purple Kush – “Purple Kush is an outstanding pot inspired e-liquid. Combination of sweet and tart fruits with a lasting skunky aftertaste, one of New Age E-Cigs best sellers for all walks of life.”
Tom – “Pot inspired”?? Yep, you’re reading that right. And the thing is, it really is. You can taste that oregano flavor, mixed with some strange sweet flavors. Skunky? Yep. 1 Star
Julia – In these descriptions, and in the interview, the word “skunky” comes up again and again. Skunky, for vapers that don’t know, means having a disagreeable or tainted character. And Purple Kush has that in spades. 1 Star
Keira – God awful. Skunky.. 1 Star
Jason – I haven’t smoked pot in ages, but there is a definite oregano/pot/herb flavor as the basic lay down. On top are both some sweetener and some kind of citrus thing. Horribly skunky, and if that is your thing this is your juice. 1 Star
Ladies Night – “When you want to put the world behind you and feel like you are relaxing on a beautiful Caribbean Beach, basking in the sunlight and enjoying the best flavors from a Tropical Paradise, Ladies’ Night is the perfect combination. Sit back, relax and vape your worries away.”
Tom – Ladies night is a sweet sugary vape with that strange component I have talked about before in other reviews, that dry sugary hit that slams the back of your throat and makes you cough. The vapor is definitely good, but what it comes to is this; Ladies Night is a basic sweet vape with very little identifiable flavors. 3 Stars
Julia – I wonder why New Age would immediately cut off half their audience with a juice called ‘Ladies Night’? What male would order a flavor called Ladies Night? Anyway, I have to agree with Tom, this is an overly sweet, basic eliquid. I have no idea what’s in it. Decent enough vapor, but completely average. 3 Stars
Keira – Ladies Night just doesn’t do much for me. I can get a fairly good amount of vapor from it, and it is very sweet, but other than that, well, there is a hint of citrus flavor that provides more than a hint of tartness. It’s a basic eliquid, no more, no less. 3 Stars
Jason – If you are looking for a sweet vape that produces a healthy amount of vapor than look to Ladies Night. But, if you’re looking for something that has personality, or at least some definite flavor, Ladies Night is not your juice. Some hit, some miss, and some don’t seem to try. Ladies Night doesn’t try to be anything. 2.5 Stars
Heisenberg – Created and produced in Albuquerque NM, is was designed to mirror the character of the world famous Heisenberg, of Breaking Bad television show. It has an outstanding alcohol tobacco cookie taste, as awesome as that description is. Perfect for sweets enthusiasts and skunky flavor lovers.
Tom – Skunky is right, Heisenberg is as skunky as the day is long. Alcohol tobacco cookie? No thanks. Epic Fail – 1 Star
Julia – Sometimes an eLiquid creator will make something that they love so much that it blinds them to what most vapers will like. It’s rare, but it does happen. Heisenberg is the absolute worst tasting eliquid I’ve had in all of 2014. I truly hate to say it, I know it sounds mean, but sometimes you just can’t cover it up.
I hated it. I couldn’t vape it. And I know this is one of the flavors they are most proud of and it breaks my heart to have to tell you that unless you really think you would enjoy a tobacco cookie flavor with a real, authentic alcohol taste, then avoid this one. 1 Star
Keira – I came at Heisenberg from every direction. I tried it first thing in the morning, last minute of the evening, after lunch, before dinner, during prime time. I just don’t understand it. Alcohol taste is strong; the tobacco flavor is like a cigar chased with a beer, and the cookie flavor is like an old chocolate chip cookie dipped in beer. I am so sorry, but skunky doesn’t begin to describe it. 1 Star
Jason – Okay, I agree, one of the strangest flavors I’ve vaped in a very long time. But, unvapeable? No, absolutely not. Personally, I don’t think the team gave it enough time to break through the skunky. I did. It was hard, I’ll grant them that, but once you break through it is not a bad juice. But it is a perfect skunky juice, and for that, it gets 2 Stars
Mad Scientist – “Here at New Age we are extremely proud of our Signature Blend, Mad Scientist. It truly lives up to its name in every way. It is a crazy concoction of unbelievable flavors that will leave you asking How and Why this is one of your all-time favorite combinations. But, we will never say, not sure we even know, it’s the MAD SCIENTIST!!”
Tom – I do wish I could jump on the bandwagon with New Age about Mad Scientist, but I just can’t. It’s good, very good, but it’s not all out fantastic greatest vape in the world. What it is is a solid, deeply flavored vape that does 3 things very well. They are, 1: An all day vape, 2: Satisfying, 3: Unidentifiable.
Add a good amount of vapor production and a desire to keep coming back and you have a 4.5 Star juice.
Julia – I’ve enjoyed eliquids that were beyond description, other than words like “I enjoyed it”, “good vapor”, and so on. The flavors themselves are lost in the mix. That pretty much describes Mad Scientist too. A delicious, but strange juice, and maybe not quite an all-day-vape, but pretty close. This one has to be vaped in order to decide how you might feel about it. I suggest New Age throw in a 5ML bottle of this in every order. 4.5 Stars
Keira – Not content to just throw my hands up in the air and say I have no idea what the flavors are, I vaped Mad Scientist for hours trying to figure it out. Here’s what “I” can taste; coconut, chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, and definitely hazelnut. And you know what? It works. I loved it. 5 Stars
Jason – Every once in a while you come across an eliquid like Mad Scientist. A New Age eCigs eliquid that you really like and can’t describe it to anyone, or give a real reason why you like it. I hate that! But that is exactly what Mad Scientist is. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I liked it until the second day! But boy does it grow on you. An all day vape, heavy flavor, good vapor production, and satisfying. Everything you need in a solid 5 Star juice.
Smoked Bacon – “That’s right, Smoked Bacon. Everybody loves Bacon. Don’t bother with other companies appalling attempts to offer Bacon. New Age has put together, with the help of our secret flavor ingredient, the best Smoked Bacon flavor that surprisingly or not is a widely accepted favorite by many.”
Tom – You cannot deny the taste of real smoked bacon with this one. I just can’t decide if this is one of the best tasting flavors I’ve vaped before or one of the worst. It is…intriguing.
I love bacon, I mean who doesn’t right? But in vapor form? Definitely strange. That said if you are one of the vapers in vape land that enjoys vaping bacon, you simply must try this juice. Good vapor production, no aftertaste, and intense flavor. 4 Stars
Julia – As much as I like bacon I just can’t get behind bacon flavored vapor. Don’t kid yourself; brands that offer a bacon flavored eliquid usually deliver the real bacon flavor. New Age delivers an authentic, smoked bacon vapor, and it is certainly an adventure to vape it. Can’t fault the vapor production, and if you happen to like the taste of bacon vapor, this has your name on it. 4.25 Stars
Keira – I agree with everyone, this juice tastes liked smoked bacon. But why in the world would anyone want to vape it? I don’t get it, and I never will. Weird flavors, including mushroom soup and mashed potatoes by another brand, and this here smoked bacon by New Age, are just too funky to vape. I give them props for bringing a real flavor of smoky bacon, but I’m not a fan, at all. But you what? This is still a 4 Star juice.
Jason – Smoked Bacon is an eliquid that challenges your objectivity as a reviewer of ejuice. You can tell your readers that you find the flavor disgusting, that you wouldn’t vape it if they paid you to, but when it comes to scoring it you have to look beyond that. As I am doing here. For authenticity, for vapor production, and for the creativity… 4.5 Stars
Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake – “New Age has truly perfected this blend of sweet chocolate, buttery rich cheesecake and topped off with rich smooth caramel. An absolute favorite for all dessert lovers.”
Tom – This one is a flavored eliquid that doesn’t live up to the hype. Yes, you can taste the components of chocolate, caramel, and cheesecake, and I imagine that some people will love it, if they like this sort of thing. My problem with it is that the flavor is too jumbled up, too complicated without being nuanced.
It either tries to be complex, or its trying not to be complex. The strange cheesecake flavor is what ruins it for me; the chocolate and caramel are not bad at all. That cheesecake flavor hits you at the end, leaving bad exhale and a wicked aftertaste. 2 Stars for failing to be definitive.
Julia – This one tastes like a chocolate and caramel juice that could stand on its own, and at the last minute someone said let’s throw in some cheesecake. It’s not bad, but cheesecake always leaves a funky aftertaste, it’s why you never really hear anyone bragging about this great cheesecake vapor discovery. It is a very difficult flavoring to work with, and here they have not tamed it. Good, but only average. 3 Stars
Keira – First the positives; the chocolate and caramel are smooth on the inhale, sweet, blended very, very well. The vapor production is really good too. Sadly, like the other teammates, I just cannot find my way to the cheesecake factory and leave without the bad taste of spoiled cream. A very good attempt to a very difficult recipe. 3 Stars
Jason – I don’t know anyone that likes cheesecake eliquid. Not one. And I know a lot of vapers. The closest I can come to enjoying a cheesecake vape is from Strawberry Cheesecake. (brand name removed – ed) The strawberry is very sweet, and the cheesecake is more cream than cheese. Here though, it seems the cheesecake is more cheese than cream. Not a great combination, chocolate and cheese, you know? Good vapor production, but that’s not enough. 2.75 Stars
Aphrodite’s – “Aphrodite’s is one of New Age E-Cigs, Albuquerque, NM most popular Signature E-Liquid Creations. Will be one of your absolute favorites.”
Tom – I’m sorry, but when a vendor of eLiquids won’t write a description for their eliquid that includes what flavors you’re supposed to hit on, then something tells me that it was either an accident, or when they sat around trying to write their description that couldn’t come up with anything concrete. So, I’ll do it for them.
Aphrodite’s comes on as super sweet, but ends with a horrid scorching flavor of bad Kiwi. In fact, if the inhale was duplicated on the exhale it would be an okay flavor, but the exhale made me sick. God awful. I’m sorry, but it is. 1 Star
Julia – Something has to be wrong with the bottle we received because if this is their most popular flavor with the locals then either the locals in New Mexico have a strange palate or we’re not tasting it correctly. Super sweet at first, sickenly rotten on the exhale. 1 Star
Keira – Avoid this juice. 1 Star
Jason – After talking to Tom about this on the second night I have to agree that the exhale is some sort of sour Kiwi, or sour something. I just can’t believe this is one of the signature flavors. And just so our readers don’t think me too harsh, I vaped it with a X.Jet Spider, a Fogger 4, a 510 cartomizer, and a Russian 91. That funky, skunky hit at the end is present in every one of them. I sincerely disliked it more than I am allowed to say here. 1 Star
MellonCollie – “MelonCollie has a candy-like taste provided by the perfect combination of watermelon, apple and pomegranate and sweetened to perfection.”
Tom – It is not surprise to our regular readers how most of feel about pomegranate. It is generally disliked because it is too tart, too strong, and too weird. Thankfully, it’s also very light here in MellonCollie. Instead this is a very sweet apple and watermelon concoction that provides a pretty decent amount of vapor, but a bit of an aftertaste. Not bad, but not very good. 2.5 Stars
Julia – This is a strange mixture of flavors. I believe without a doubt that there are many people that will find the combination pleasing, and just as many who won’t. For me it was just a bit off-putting. Not really bad though, like some of the others, so I’m giving it 3 Stars
Keira – MellonCollie gave me a headache after about 10 minutes of mild vaping. After that initial setting I kept my vape sessions with it down to about 2 minutes each at different times of the day. MellonCollie has a weird juxtaposition of flavors that at once feel strange going in, but then blend together to form something new. I didn’t like it enough to put it in rotation or add to my collection, but I have a feeling there will be fans of this one. 3 Stars
Jason – Candy-like… that means overly sweet, and that is what MellonCollie is. You do get the sweet and tart apple, that light watermelon flavor, and then pomegranate on the exhale. Strangely appealing in short vape sessions. 3.5 Stars
Conclusion
Is New Age eCigs the “Not Ready For Primetime Players” in the world of eLiquid vendors?
The truth is, not every eLiquid brand is going to find favor with everyone, but in the case of New Age eCigs, when the owner of the company tells us he has an affinity for “skunky” flavors, and then delivers skunky eliquids, well, maybe it flies in New Mexico, but it doesn’t fly with us.
I sincerely doubt it will fly with many of you. New Age eCigs, in our opinion, isn’t ready for the national stage. Not based on these 11 flavors, which are supposed to be the pride of the fleet.
We mean no disrespect, we truly don’t. And we would like to point out that for every Heisenberg there is a Bubble Lucscious…well, almost. You get what I’m saying, I hope. It wasn’t a total disaster, but it seemed to us that there are one team of New Age pushing one type of eLiquid, and another team pushing another type of eLiquid. How James became of fan of Skunky flavors is something we will never understand.
Here is where we want to leave the New Age eCigs review.
If you have tried New Age eLiquids please comment below. What are we missing, or are we missing anything? They have many other flavors, are these ones they are most proud of? If so… wow… that would be hard to believe.
And most importably; are YOU a fan of Skunky flavors? If you are we would absolutely love to have you chime in here. What is about skunky flavors that make them a desirable vape?
Until next time, this is Tom McBride as the lead writer, wishing you a fantastic week!
The Spinfuel eLiquid Review Team is:
Tom McBride, Julia Hartley-Barnes, Keira Hartley-Barnes, and Jason Little.
More in Spinfuel
