Table of Contents
Review: Makano from Johnson Creek Smoke Juice
Prologue
I don’t know if the following Johnson Creek Policy is new, or has always been a part of the company polices, but I do know that I was surprised to see it the other day. A money back guarantee? For Smoke Juice?
Q: What’s your return policy on Smoke Juice and Accessories?
A: If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your Smoke Juice or accessories purchase within 60 days of receiving it, we’ll take it back. That’s it. We cover the shipping, and we offer exchanges, store credit, or full refunds. We want you to know that we are that confident in our product, and that we are committed to you, our customer.
60-DAY RETURN POLICY for Smoke Juice? Even if you tried it and simply don’t like it? Does any other eJuice company offer this kind of return policy? Not to my knowledge.
But you know, a return policy for smoke juice is not really surprising when you think about it. How many people try Johnson Creek Smoke Juice and don’t like it? Few and far between…few… and very far between.
All right, I just had to mention it because it was the first time I’d seen it. Now, about this new eJuice, err, Smoke Juice, from Johnson Creek, this Makana.
Here’s how Johnson Creek describes it…
Makana – “A fruit punch that is truly a gift for your taste buds. Allow Makana™ to tease your palate with its cornucopia of flavor. We’ve blended a superb selection of fruit flavors that will transport you to a sunny Hawaiian beach on clouds of vapor. We are pleased to offer our customers this splendid addition to our Original Smoke Juice line.” – Johnson Creek Smoke Juice
And here’s how “we” describe it…
John: Makana is a very different flavor for Johnson Creek. First, it’s not a Red Oak, or Non-PG juice, it’s a PG-based juice in the Original Line. The past few new Smoke Juice releases have all been Red Oak, PG-Free; Silverthorn, Autumn Crisp, and Vanda, all of which we have previously reviewed here, and which are exceptional flavors all. I remain a Vanda and Autumn Crisp user to this day, but only once and while pull out the ole’ Silverthorn for vaping. (I’m crowding out tobacco blends lately because of all the different eLiquids we’ve vaped this year)
Makana is the flavorful blend, a sweet, fruit-punch flavor that delivers a real ‘fruit punch’ experience in vapor form. I cannot identify the individual flavors in Makana, I’m not sure why, instead I’m reminded of Hawaiian Punch, the ‘red’ flavor. I’ve heard friends tell me that the flavor was “subtle” or “light”, which, in a way I can understand what they are saying, fruit punch is a light flavor when compared to heavier flavors like vanilla, coffee, or minty flavors. But, I think a better way to describe Makana is to say that the flavor is heavy with the taste of fruit punch, rather than a lightly flavored juice.
It is most definitely an all-day vape; I’ve been doing just that for a few days now. Makana also packs an excellent throat hit, solid but not harsh in any respect. It produces plumes of vapor, and a deliciously fruity aroma. After just a couple of minutes of vaping at home my wife nudged me and asked what I was vaping. She said it smelled great, and wanted to try it. She has been vaping it since.
Naturally, the first device I vaped Makana with was my trusty JC Vea, with the new Canteen as well as the Rev 3 Vea Cartomizers. I got more vapor from the cartomizer than the canteen, but the flavor was about the same. Throat hit was a bit stronger with the Canteen than the Rev 3 Cartomizer.
I also vaped it for quite a while with a V-Fate tank from Vision. Now, this is a long-wick clearomizer, and as far as tanks go it’s my current favorite. But, I made the mistake of using a low-ohm coil. It was a1.8ohm actually, and I had to turn my ProVari down to 3.1v in order to vape it properly. Anything higher than that and I began losing flavor and the tank, juice, and vapor, got really warm. After that I vaped some in a normal 510-thread single coil 3.0ohm cartomizer and got a great vape at 4.1v.
Makana, in my humble opinion will be one of Johnson Creek’s biggest sellers in no time because it’s a smoke juice that doesn’t quit on you. Time after time after time the flavor of fruit punch keeps coming at you. Try Makana in any device you want, but for those of us that use the Johnson Creek Vea it’s a perfectly blended juice for both the new Canteen and the Vea cartomizers. 5 Stars
Julia: I have to admit that at first Makana wasn’t recognizable as a Johnson Creek flavor. How can I describe it?…The sweet fruit punch flavor seemed too “normal” for Johnson Creek. Their eLiquids, I mean Smoke Juice, all have a unique flavor profile. JC flavors are intense, few of them are outright sweet… that’s just not their nature, and I mean this as a compliment. JC Smoke Juice is seldom ‘fun’. JC Smoke Juice is both powerful and singular in nature. Even flavors like Black Cherry or Island, a tropical blend, present awesome flavor in an adult fashion. I know this is going to make me sound nuts, but when I take a bottle of JC out or my juice box it usually means I’m in no mood to joke around. And I am always a little surprised that JC Smoke Juice costs the same as most others, I sort of expect to have to pay a lot more.
Makana, on the other hand, is a delicious fruit punch that is just as much fun to vape as many other eLiquids I have in my collection from companies that present themselves in a more humorous or light-hearted way. It’s sweet, fruity, and fun. A terrific all-day vape, Makana maintains the same flavor from start to finish. You know how you can load up a 3ML tank and by the time you’re through it the taste has changed or you’ve become numb to it (I’m talking about heavy Vapers, which I definitely am), but Makana just keeps going. That’s pretty rare.
Vapor is both aromatic and thick; throat hit is well above average for a sweet fruity flavor. Johnson Creek’s flavor meters give the throat hit a “4”, which is surprising. I vaped Makana with my ZMAX using a DCSmok carto/tank, 2.0ohm cartomizer (Boge F-16) using a voltage range of 3.6v to 3.9v and it was plenty powerful. 5 Stars
Keira: I agree with John’s flavor description. Fruit punch is not a strong flavor, especially when you compare it to truly heavy flavors like tobacco blends and coffee blends. But that doesn’t mean that the juice itself is lightly flavored, it isn’t. There is plenty of fruit punch flavor in Makana, and it does stay with you all day long. I also agree that this is a very different flavor from most of the newer flavors JC has released, but like Makana they have released flavors before that were light flavors to begin with, but loaded with that light flavor. Autumn Crisp is like that, caramel apple flavored, a lighter flavor than their Espresso or JC Original, or my all-time precious flavor of Domestic (steeped for at least a month in my case). Makana is light like Autumn Crisp in that the overall flavor is not a heavy-handed flavor, but it certainly doesn’t lack flavor.
Sweet, very cloudy vapor with a nice aroma, and depending on how you choose to vape it, and the nicotine level, a throat hit that is very satisfying.
Makana should do very well for Johnson Creek; I will positively keep a bottle handy at all times. 5 Stars
In Closing…
Johnson Creek Smoke Juice comes in 15ML and 30ML amber glass bottles with droppers. 15ML is $9.95, a little more than most premium vendors, and the 30ML size is a cool $19.95, again a couple of bucks more than most premium vendors. Is it worth the extra $2, on average, cost difference? Of course it is.
American made, 100% USA sourced ingredients, and bottled right here in the US, Johnson Creek is the eLiquid company all others are compared to. As far as we know they are the only ones that exchange or refund your money if you try a flavor and don’t like it, and their manufacturing facility is a multi-million dollar operation with very strict guidelines for purity, safety, and reliability. For example: if you purchased a bottle of Johnson Creek Smoke Juice with 18mg of nicotine, would you ever doubt that the nicotine would be anything but 18mg? Johnson Creek leads the industry and when they release a new flavor you can bet it has been vetted so thoroughly that ordering a flavor you ‘think’ you might like is really ordering a flavor you will like.
In the mood for a sweet fruit punch vape, one that you can vape all day and not tire of? Then order a bottle or two of Makana, you won’t be sorry. This has been a banner year for Johnson Creek, we can’t wait to see what they come up with in 2014!
John Manzione, and guest appearances by Julia Hartley-Barnes and Keira Hartley-Barnes
