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Digiflavor Espresso GST 22/25mm Tanks
My expectations were pretty high for both of these Genesis-style Sub-Ohm Tanks. Digiflavor (creators of the Pharaoh Dripper Tank & Fuji GTA) is a co-brand to Geek Vape, a well-respected name in the vaping industry. Their team focuses on flavor more so than vapor and the idea behind the name Digiflavor is “Flavor can be digitized!” I use Genesis RDTA’s like the Geek Vape Avocado and Limitless RDTA as I love the whole concept behind it and the performance is fantastic. So the thought of incorporating that same ‘tank below the coil’ structure in a Sub-Ohm platform, I was definitely eager to get my hands on the pair of Digiflavor Espresso GST Tanks. Digiflavor released both 22mm and 25mm versions with a ‘ground-breaking‘ coil system and I’m glad I’m able to bring you the unfortunate truth.
Anytime you have a new design or innovation, there’s bound to be some hiccups. Sure, some faults here and there are normal but when a company starts losing focus of the basics to achieve a ‘never before seen’ design, that’s where I have trouble understanding the thought process. Why dedicate time, money and resources to innovation when the simple things are getting left by the wayside. Let me tell you that the threading on both variations is hands down the worse threading I’ve ever laid my hands on! I almost feel bad for my fellow vapers paying money for a product just to be completely disappointed and let down. I’ll come back to this deal-breaking dilemma momentarily.
The Digiflavor Espresso Sub-Ohm Tank is referred to as the first GST (Genesis Sub-Ohm Tank) utilizing a new GVC (Genesis Vertical Coil) structure. Digiflavor claims to offer a better flavor experience than traditional coils; I can tell you right away this is completely false from my perspective. I’ve been sold on broken promises many times (I’m an impulse buyer) before and lost a lot of time and money learning things the hard way. Unfortunately, the Digiflavor Espresso GST Tank falls directly into that money wasting category.
Digiflavor Espresso GST Sub-Ohm
The Digiflavor Espresso GST 22mm is identical to the 25mm except for diameter and eJuice capacity. Either version come in Black or Stainless Steel variations and machined from Stainless Steel. The entire bottom tank section is one solid piece which makes disassembling and cleaning a fast chore; all you have is the drip tip, top cap and base/tank section. The glass is high-temperature resistant and actually does its job minimizing some of the heat. Both retail boxes state that an extra replacement glass tube is included in the packaging but both versions I received didn’t have one. That’s just one of the negatives in a pool of many to come.
The threaded top-fill system with a locking top airflow mechanism sucks. Excuse my choice of wording but the whole top section of this tank is horribly executed. Removing the top cap right from the box, you’re going to get crunchy, squeaky rotations with hesitation every couple millimeters. Filling the tank is easy since removing the top cap also brings the coil with it. The downside to that is it can be messy when removing the coil/top cap from the tank. Just dump your juice right in with no need for a dropper or bottle. Trying to install the top cap back onto the tank, it’s a 50-50 possibility that you could cross-thread it which I almost have several times. Just lining up the top cap and getting the threads started gave me a migraine and I resented using it, especially when doing something simple like refilling the tank!
There is no Max Fill Line on either of the tanks so finding that middle ground of not filling it enough or overfilling resulting in massive gurgling was a battle that took some time to figure out. How hard is it to etch a line that says Max or Fill Here? Leaving 2-3mm of space from the top of the glass was a good fill line for me. My experience with bottom-feeding tanks is poor so I under-fill these types of systems but also means more dreaded refills, more often. If you do overfill the tank, you won’t get leaking per say but plan on drinking your eJuice immediately following the first pull. On the packaging, the 22mm says it will hold 4ml of eJuice and the 25mm says 5ml. On the Digiflavor website, it gives me a 2ml and 3ml specification which is closer to the accurate number. Small things like this turn me off of a product because if simple things like this aren’t accurate, then something else is bound to be incorrect or misleading.
The top adjustable airflow (when you can actually get it to move) consists of dual 9.7mm x 1.5mm slots that stops when opened and closed. When you close the airflow off, you’re left with a small pinhole. The airflow provided has a good balance of open and restrictive so no complaints in that department. But the main problem is the ‘locking mechanism’ implemented on the airflow control ring. Nine times out of ten, the airflow ring will lock up to the point where I’m using a good amount of force to get it to move. Constricted, scraping and crunching sounds become a regular occurrence with the dynamic duo. If it locks in the open position than I must’ve had a good day but if it locks closed, the battle of unscrewing the top cap every time I try to adjust the airflow begins and is very frustrating.
The preinstalled 0.25Ω GVC-2 (Genesis Vertical Coil) is a SS316L 4.1mm ID NotchCoil with a Ceramic housing surrounding the coil with two 7.5mm x 2.9mm airflow holes feeding the coil directly. The bottom section of the coil houses the cotton that has two small oval juice flow slots, which then feeds eJuice up to the coil and out the 14mm Black drip tip. Simply screw the coil into the top cap, insert into the tank and tighten the top cap down. There’s an O-ring in the center of the coil which is detachable for a quick cotton rewick. I’m not sure if Digiflavor intended for the coil to be refurbished by taking out the old cotton, install new cotton and screwing the coil back together. But I did just that with both included coils and actually got better performance when wicking the coil with premium Native Wicks cotton versus the cotton used from the factory.
The GVC-2 NotchCoil is rated from 30W-50W but performance was lackluster at any wattage. Spitting and gurgling plagued my experience from the very beginning and I drank more eJuice than I could successfully vape. At 40W, the flavor is decent but not better than standard Sub-Ohm coil heads like Digiflavor claims. After a pull or two at 50W, I was getting dry hits and the wicking had trouble staying saturated. At one point my throat was on fire from taking a large dry cotton hit (after soaking in eJuice for over an hour) which ultimately led me to the conclusion of failure.
The 0.5Ω GVC-1 Clapton Coil is a 4.1mm ID Kanthal coil rated at the same 30W-50W and Ceramic housing surrounding the coil. The coil head that was included in the 22mm tank was pre-packaged in a sealed plastic shell but the one in the 25mm box was thrown in a bag, loose and the Ceramic section was cracked in half; just more defects and issues added to the list. The performance improved from the NotchCoil but flavor was still not even close to what I expected. At times it was like vaping tasteless eJuice! The Ceramic section must have worked since heat from the tank, glass or Delrin drip tip (which is also 510-compatible) never exceeded room temperature even during heavy vaping. But hey, I never got any leaking!
There’s nothing about the Digiflavor Espresso Tanks that I can rave about or recommend; there’s not even an instruction manual! Personally, I’m lost for words with these tanks and both were an epic fail in my opinion. The concept is great and Digiflavor is putting out some amazing products (the Pharaoh Dripper Tank review coming soon) so I know the company’s not the issue. Rewicking the coils at least gave me a brief entertaining experience and is the only positive since it could save you money in the long run (5-pack replacement coil heads available at Element Vape for $14.99). Why waste the time for a half-assed vape experience anyway? Instead of GST (Genesis Sub-Ohm Tank), I renamed it to SYM (Save Your Money) Tank!
Final Grade – F for Failure
“After spending and wasting a lot of time and effort, I had to fail both of these tanks. There are so many amazing products out on the market and more coming out that both the Digiflavor Espresso Tanks will be lost in translation. I recommend spending your $25-$28 bucks it takes to pick one up at Element Vape and purchase any other tank than the Espresso!”
Team Spinfuel
Digiflavor Espresso GST Sub-Ohm Tank – 22 Version Features:
- The First Genesis Sub-Ohm Tank
- 22mm Diameter
- 2mL Juice Capacity
- Superior Stainless Steel Construction
- High-Temp Glass Reinforcement
- Leak-Proof Cupped Design
- Top Airflow – Dual Massive Airslots
- GVC System – Genesis Vertical Coil
- 0.5ohm GVC-1 Clapton Coil – rated for 30-50W
- 0.25ohm GVC-2 Notch Coil – rated for 30-50W
- Black Delrin Widebore Drip Tip
- 510 Connection
Digiflavor Espresso GST Sub-Ohm Tank – 25 Version Features:
- The First Genesis Sub-Ohm Tank
- 25mm Diameter
- 3mL Juice Capacity
- Superior Stainless Steel Construction
- High-Temp Glass Reinforcement
- Leak-Proof Cupped Design
- Adjustable Top Airflow – Dual Massive Airslots
- GVC System – Genesis Vertical Coil
- 0.5ohm GVC-1 Clapton Coil – rated for 30-50W
- 0.25ohm GVC-2 Notch Coil – rated for 30-50W
- Black Delrin Widebore Drip Tip
- 510 Connection
Includes:
- 1 Espresso 22 Tank or Espresso 25 Tank
- 1 Preinstalled 0.25ohm GVC-2 Notch Coil
- 1 0.5ohm GVC-1 Clapton Coil
- Spare Parts
