Mister E-Liquid Review And Update

It isn’t often that we get the chance to take a step back and happily, seriously ecstatically happy to correct ourselves with regard to one of our in-depth eLiquid Reviews. Today is a great day to do just that.

Below is our original review of Mister E-Liquid and the various ‘flavor blends’ we had the opportunity to review. Although our tasting scores remain the same we made several errors in other areas that we intend to correct now.

Pricing – Although we make a stop at the vendors website while conducting our final polish of a review we apparently got the pricing wrong. Take a look at the pricing in our review and in the information we received from Dan Lawitzke:

While the prices are certainly lower than we originally published I been assured by our proofreader that the prices were carefully looked at during the final read-through. I have no idea how this actually happened; regardless, the prices are lower than originally reported and that is a good thing.

Photos of the facility – Since we asked for photos and didn’t receive them, and we did not get a response from two emails we sent out over the past 3 weeks we were left to believe that they either didn’t want to send over photos (for whatever reason) or they simply did not wish to pursue the review/interview that was put into play. Below we stated this:

“It was a disappointment that the owners of Mister E-Liquid backed out of the interview and refused to send photos of their mixing areas. We cannot in good conscious recommend them as a reliable vendor. A few of the eLiquid flavors were excellent, one even scoring high enough to receive a Spinfuel Choice Award, no easy feat. However, it is possible that after several our previous reviews they simply changed their mind about having their eLiquids reviewed at all.” (emphasis added)

Last night we received, understandably, a rather stern email from Dan Lawitzke, owner of Mister E-Liquid, along with several photos of his facility. Clearly, the environment and the equipment indicate an exemplary mixing area. Clean, modern, and free of observable contamination, so we completely retract our poorly made ‘assumption’ that Mister E-Liquid had a facility they did not want others to see. In the words of our publisher, John Manzione, “It looks like a damn fine facility to me!” We couldn’t agree more and it is very much a relief that this is so.

So, what went wrong?

We can think of a couple of things that may have caused this embarrassing situation, with equal blame to go around.

We did a couple of follow-ups in emails requesting the photos and the interview, and looking back on it and considering the current state of most eLiquid vendors today, the reason for the delay could very well have been that Dan Lawitzke was just too busy to take the couple of hours needed to complete an interview and gather up some photos and send them off. While unfortunate, we have them now and will share them with our readers.

We believe we could have followed up more aggressively in our pursuit to obtain the photos and complete the interview, and quite correctly, take full responsibility for not doing so.

Further…

Menthol – We stated in the review that we do not have anyone on the staff that can appreciate menthol blends. Dan Lawitzke was very disappointed in our review because they (Mister E-Liquid) are very proud of their menthol line. We can certainly understand that, and we apologized in the review and do so again now.

What we need to do is find an ex-smoker who preferred menthol cigarettes, who has switched to electronic cigarettes, who currently vapes menthol blends, and who qualifies as a writer, and an eLiquid connoisseur. This person would also have to be local, able to work full-time at our office, and she would have to be very attractive, single, and have a great personality. Hey! It’s possible!

Seriously though, we do need to add a menthol eLiquid Vaper to the team and we are working hard to find that person. In fact, we have three interviews today, hopefully one of the fills the bill. (If and when that someone is found we will make an announcement immediately.)

It would have been nice (now that’s an understatement) if both Spinfuel and Mister E-Liquid had been able to find the time to gather up all the information needed to complete these very long reviews and we regret any disinformation that was published in the original review. A closer working relationship is in order, with every vendor we work with.

We absolutely, 100%, retract any thing in the review that would lead anyone to think that Mister E-Liquid would have anything to hide with respect to the condition of their facility. Clearly their facility is clean, modern, and contamination free. We would not hesitate to purchase eLiquid from Mister E-Liquid, and we hope you won’t hesitate either.

Has Any Good Come From All This?

We hope so. For Spinfuel moving forward we promise to be more aggressive when it comes to “hanging chads” and will follow up as much as needed until all the information we need is gathered up and worked into any future reviews. Spinfuel reaches a very large number of Vapers in the vape community and we need to be a bit more careful. This debacle will make us even more resilient when it comes to “getting it exactly right”.

This should also serve as an example to other vendors who are working with various publications. Tens of thousands of Vapers depend on sources like Spinfuel and others to provide them with honest, in-depth information and when that information doesn’t reach them/us, mistakes like this can and do happen. My only advise to other vendors is that if you are going to commit to a review/interview/photos or whatever, make sure that you have the time to complete the task, or don’t do it all. Mister E-Liquid shipped their eLiquids to Spinfuel in January, and only after the review was published on April 2nd did the interview and photos arrive. This should not have happened.

We all make mistakes, and for our part in the Mister E-Liquid review we take full responsibility. This update/correction will not sit here idly, we will make every effort to see that every reader comes back to read this portion, and that in the future this portion of the review is read first.

Our apologies go out to Dan Lawitzke and the Mister E-Liquid staff. Oh, and congratulations on being awarded the Spinfuel Choice Award for your Banana Nut Bread. You can bet we’ll be placing our orders for it soon!

Most respectfully,

Julia Barnes

The Review As Originally Published

Mister E-Liquid is a freestanding vape shop in Grand Rapids Michigan where, in addition to eLiquids, mods and accessories are sold. The eLiquids are made to order but it is not clear whether the bottles are mixed at the vape shop or elsewhere. They are shipped to you within 24-48 hours of placing your order, and Mister E-Liquid will ship internationally.

Home Steeping: We advise at least a week to 10 days of home steeping before realizing the full flavor of their blends.

Specs: Mister E-Liquid offers 6ml, 18ml, and 36ml sizes, ranging from 0mg nicotine all the way up to 32mg nicotine. Our samples were 18ML bottles at 12MG nicotine. They also offer a range of PG/VG ratios from 100% PG, 20% VG, 33% VG 40% VG and 50% VG. Our samples were all 33% VG.

There is no option for ‘extra shots’ of flavoring, but that’s neither here nor there. Upon request however, they will add extra shots.

Flavors In This Review: We were sent 16 flavors representing a wide array of the flavor palette offered by Mister E-Liquid. The flavors in this review include:

Grey Matter – Dime Piece – Blue Dragon – Dew Des MTV – Menthol Med

Strawberry Angel – Green Pear Ice – Cherry Lemonade – Casino 21 – Jamocha Haze – Berry A Peeling – Banana Nut Bread – Pure Michigan – Mister E-Ice – Black Smith – Pink Dragon.

Packaging – Packaging of the eLiquid is simple plastic bottles with a basic branded label. The flavors are written in magic marker on the label, along with the amount VG on one side the nicotine level on the other. While nice packaging is definitely a much-desired feature in our personal eLiquid purchases, it’s not what counts when it comes to reviewing the flavor of an eLiquid. Having said that, the Mister E-Liquid “presentation” is amateurish, and certainly not in line with some of the premium brands we’ve reviewed in the past.

Odd’s and End’s – The lack of presentation in the packaging and the design of the website leads one to think that Mister E-Liquid is not a premium eLiquid vendor. This is reinforced by the number of spelling errors on the website, which were numerous. (most were corrected in this review) This type of ‘sloppiness’ is unacceptable on sites that try to present themselves as premium vendors. While Mister E-Liquid has plenty of loyal customers who absolutely love their flavors, their pricing is a little too high for the quality of eLiquid you get when you order from them. They are American Made eLiquids, but we could not find any information on the website that tells us their ingredients are 100% American “Sourced”.

Prices:

6ML – $3.75

18ML – $13.70

36ML – $18.75

Free shipping for orders over $50 (except international shipping)

The Mister E-Liquid Review

We committed to doing this review, and doing it fairly, back in January. Since we received 18ML bottles there was only enough eJuice for 3 members of the team, Julia, Tom and Jason. The review was conducted for 72-hours in the first week of February after allowing 10 days for steeping.

Equipment Used:

Tom: The eLiquids were vaped with a VAMO, a variable voltage APV with Vivi Nova Clearomizers, 2.4ohm heads. Vivi tubes cleaned after each flavor was vaped and heads were changed as well.

Jason: The eLiquids were vaped with two different APV’s; a ZMAX with Vivi Nova’s in the same manner as Tom, as well as a Johnson Creek VEA.

Julia: A ZMAX was the APV used. Vivi Nova’s were used, and with an adapter, several Kanger T3’s were used as well.

Judging: The usual Spinfuel 5-Star Rating System was used for this review.

The Flavors (written in February 2013)

Casino 21 – Beta Tested under the name Blend 21, Casino is the latest from Mister-E-Liquid’s Sig. Tobacco Series.  Casino 21 has an analog feel with some rich earthy tones.  Top it off with a nice thump in the back of your throat and you have Casino 21.  Great flavor, great vapor production and great throat hit. An all around juice!

Julia: Casino 21 had a confusing flavor. My immediate reaction was a ‘grassy’ taste, but the aroma, which does have the hint of fresh cut grass, could have affected that. Without knowing that this was a tobacco flavor I would not have been able to discern it on my own. Vapor was plentiful, throat hit ample, but the flavor just didn’t cut it. 2.5 Stars

Tom: I don’t understand how this could be labeled a tobacco flavor. I didn’t object to the overall flavor, and the vapor was good, throat hit was fine, especially for a 12MG nicotine level, but I was not impressed with the flavor. 3 Stars

Jason: This was purely an average tasting eJuice. Not much to say or add to it, it was nothing spectacular. 3 Stars

Grey Matter: “What can we say about Grey Matter? What’s in it?  It’s a secret.  You may taste hints of vanilla, but that is all we can really say.  Grey Matter has one of the strongest throat hits in our collection.  Is it a tobacco vape?  Maybe.  It is a great vape that you will have to try. “

Julia: One of the better flavors, Grey Matter was pretty good. The description is pretty accurate; the flavors in it are unidentifiable. Throat hit and vapor were both pretty good as well. Could make an all-day vape if you enjoy the flavor. 3.5 Stars

Tom: Kind of a sweet vape with absolutely no discernable taste other than sweet. Not bad, but not something that would stick with me. Funny thing is, had it not been for the note taking I would not have been able to remember the taste/flavor at all. 3 Stars

Jason: Mister E-Liquid offers a video review by someone named Dave, who raved about this flavor. He tastes vanilla and graham cracker. I cannot taste these flavors at all. In fact, after watching Dave rave about it shakes my own confidence in being able to tell our readers what I think about various eLiquids. If he loves the flavor, a lot, and I can’t taste any particular flavors, what does that tell us? 2.5 Stars

Strawberry Angel: “Strawberry Angel is a very nice strawberry cake.  Rich in flavor, this juice is sure to hit the spot when something sweet and luscious is in order.”  

Julia: This was one of the better strawberry flavors I’ve had in recent memory. Sweet, with a definite “cake” taste along with the rich strawberry flavors. Very good vapor and a nice throat hit. I would vape this one anytime. 4.25 Stars

Tom: I’ve been learning to appreciate the more fruity and sweet flavors lately and Strawberry Angel furthers my belief that there are some flavors out there that deserve to be vaped. I really liked this one. Sweet with a nice strawberry taste, a definite 4 Stars.

Jason: I enjoyed Strawberry Angel on a few levels. First, the strawberry flavor was full, and sweet. No mistaking this for anything else. Plenty of vapor and a more than decent throat hit. 4.5 Stars

Dime Piece: “Dime Piece is another exclusive juice from the labs at Mister-E-Liquid, a juice we are proud to say we created. A blend of sweet Peaches and tart cranberry gives a very nice flavorful vape, some people say that Dime Piece tastes just like the Peach Rings available at any gas station or convenience store.  Dime Piece offers a smooth throat hit, plumes of vapor and plenty of delicious flavors. Vape the perfect 10, vape Dime Piece.”

Julia: An unusual flavor, very light with just a hint of peach and cranberry. Lots of vapor from this one, but the throat hit was light as well, although I don’t really concern myself with a throat hit. I liked it, but I didn’t go crazy go over it. 3.5 Stars

Tom: You hit the nail on the head Julia, a very light eLiquid. Not at all objectionable, but nothing to write home about. A perfectly average vape. 3 Stars

Jason: A sweet, slightly peach and cranberry, I found Dime Piece to be a flavor I could vape as an afternoon vape. Lots of vapor for those that want and need vapor, but not overpowering in the taste department. A good 3.5 Stars

Pink Dragon: “Another Mister-E-Liquid exclusive, PINK DRAGON is a multi flavor blend with a solid throat hit, plumes of vapor and plenty of delicious flavor. Pink Dragon is the little sister to Green Dragon, and Blue Dragon.  Pink Dragon is slightly sweeter and softer than her big brothers, but she doesn’t take any smoke from her kin, she holds her own!  The labs at Mister-E-Liquid are proud to offer Pink Dragon, it’s just one of those E-Liquids that you have to try.   We prefer to vape Pink Dragon in a Carto or Cartotank.  Steep time is 5-7 days.”

Julia: Pink Dragon is the first of the Mister E-Liquid flavors that I would call really “original”. I haven’t tasted anything like this before from other brands. A pink colored eLiquid, thick, and sweet, pink dragon is a good eJuice for any time of day. Kind of tastes like Bazooka Joe bubblegum. 3.75 Stars

Tom: A little too sweet for my taste Pink Dragon has the flavor of bubblegum. Produces lots of vapor with a good throat hit, and it would be appreciated more by vapers that enjoy sweet bubblegum vapes. 3.5 Stars

Jason: I like a sweet bubblegum vape once and a while and you guys got the taste down pretty well. I think that anyone that likes sweet flavors this one would please. Not bad at all. 4 Stars

Banana Nut Bread (Spinfuel Choice Award): “My Gran-E makes the best Banana Nut Bread, she gave us the recipe and we made it into a vapeable delicious E-Liquid.  This juice has it all, banana, Pecans, and moist sweet bread.  The top note on this juice is mostly banana and on the exhale this delicious moist bready pecan flavor shines and stays through the after taste.  We are proud to add Gran-E’s Banana Nut Bread to Mister-E-Liquid.com  Enjoy!”

Note* When we conduct a review with less than the normal 5 member team awarding a Spinfuel Choice Award is not permissible. However, because we felt strongly that Banana Nut Bread deserved the Choice award we filled 2 cartomizers with the remaining liquid and gave them to Keira and Lisa. If they agreed and awarded 5 Stars then the award would be given. They did, and the award was granted.

Julia: Now we’re getting somewhere! This is one of the nicest banana nut bread vapes I’ve had. Almost a perfect recipe delivering an authentic banana nut bread experience. 5 Stars

Tom: I completely agree with Julia. I like banana nut bread vapes and this is an excellent one. In addition to the exacting flavor it produces a lot of vapor and a decent throat hit. I would definitely vape this again. My first 5 Star.

Jason: One of the best banana bread flavors out there in Vapeland. I liked it a lot and would definite add this one to my rotation. Granted, we allowed 2 weeks to go by before conducting this review so if anybody buys this flavor and doesn’t get the full authentic banana bread flavor they need to steep it longer because this one is truly good. 5 Stars

Blue Dragon – “Another Mister-E-Liquid exclusive, BLUE DRAGON is a multi flavor blend with a solid throat hit, plumes of vapor and plenty of delicious flavor.  Blue Dragon is the big brother to Green Dragon.  Blue Dragon didn’t have a big brother to look out for him; so naturally, Blue Dragon is a little rough around the edges.  He isn’t nearly as sweet and nice as his younger brother, but like his younger brother, Blue Dragon is just one of those E-Liquids that you have to try.   We prefer to vape Blue Dragon in a Carto or Cartotank.  Steep time is 5 days.”

Julia: I found it remarkable that the people behind Mister E-Liquid would talk Blue Dragon down. It can stand on its own, or not, but in this case it’s not bad at all. A definite light touch of blueberry, and a little less sweet than others, but enjoyable. 4 Stars

Tom: I like the part about being less sweet, that does come through nicely, but the flavors involved in this eJuice are lost on me. Maybe there is some blueberry in the recipe, but I can’t detect it. 3 Stars

Jason: Blue Dragon has a kind of artificial flavor to it, and not to my liking. Of the non-menthol flavors we sampled here this is my least favorite. Good vapor though. 2.5 Stars

Cherry Lemonade: “Our signature Lemonade with a KISSSSS of cherry…”

Julia: This one is almost unfair because I don’t enjoy many lemonade flavors. Mister E-Liquid’s signature lemonade is the underlying flavor here with an almost fizzy cherry flavor on top. A good vapor producer, and if you like their signature lemonade than you’ll like this one, if you also enjoy a cherry flavor with it. I just didn’t like it. 2 Stars

Tom: Cherry Lemonade delivers on both the lemonade front and the cherry front, although I agree with Julia that the cherry flavor is sort of fizzy, tart. It’s an okay juice, but not something I would normally vape. You like lemonade? Try this one, but buy a sampler 6ML bottle first. 3.5 Stars

Jason: I like the signature lemonade by Mister E-Liquid, but I think the cherry ruins it. Maybe if they made it sweeter or more cherry flavoring it would appeal to me more than it does. 3 Stars

Pure Michigan – “Pure Michigan is a mix of apple and strawberry, two of Michigan’s finest summer cash crops, blended to perfection for a pure flavorful vape.  That’s Pure Michigan.  (steep time is around 5 days.  This juice starts clear, when it turns a nice yellow/green tint, it is ready to vape!)”

Julia: I didn’t like the coloring of this flavor so I went in being skeptical of it. However, it is an excellent blend of apple and strawberry. Plenty of flavor, plenty of vapor, but a very slight throat hit. I liked it a lot though, so I’m scoring it 4.5 Stars

Tom: It’s been a while since I’ve vaped an Apple flavored anything, and Apple is abundant in this recipe. The strawberry is only hinted at but it’s enough to be a damn good flavor. 4.5 Stars

Jason: A real vapor producer, and plenty of apple flavors give this one an excellent eLiquid profile. Very authentic apple, a nice amount of strawberry, this is a very enjoyable flavor. 4.5 Stars

Black Smith: This flavor is no longer available on Mister E-Liquid website. We are leaving it out of the review.

Menthol: “Menthol!!!  Choose Light, Medium, or Full.”

Julia: As a general rule no one here like menthol blends. We reviewed a few of those here, and this one is called “Menthol, Med”. It is a non-flavored menthol, which is everything we do not like in an eJuice. Therefore, all we can really say about this particular flavor is that if you like menthol and only menthol you might like it. Not Vicks vapor rub, but not cigarette menthol either.

Green Pear Ice – Menthol: “Pear lovers, keep it on ice! Our flavoring is amazingly accurate and shows a lot of depth, blended with menthol; Green Pear Ice is ideal for warm summer night or all day vaping.  This juice tested very well and we know you will love Green Pear Ice.”

Julia: Definitely a pear flavor mixed in with the menthol. I cannot score this one because menthol does not agree with me, but if you like menthol and pear, this is one you might want to try. But try a sampler bottle first.

Dew Des Ice: “This is our Dew Des Mountain (mountain dew) flavor blended with menthol for an amazing satisfying vape.  It’s a citrus ice blast in your mouth! Fans of Lemon ice will love this juice.  Steep time is around 5 days.” – Menthol Flavor

Julia: This type of flavor is something no one on the staff enjoys. There are many vapers out there that do enjoy soda-flavors though, so imagine vaping a menthol flavor with the heavy handedness of Mountain Dew. It’s like that.

Mister E-Ice “Mister-E Ice is a quad blend of fruits offering some bright notes and some deep dark notes.  This is our Mister-E blended with Menthol for a total win.  This is Dave’s favorite juice.  We are very happy to add Mister-E Ice to the Ice Collection by Mister-E-Liquid!”

Julia: Another menthol based on another flavor by Mister E-Liquid. A sweet menthol recipe. Did not appeal the three of us, but for vapers that have experienced Mister-E and enjoyed it, and also enjoys a touch of menthol, this could be a good experience. Try a small bottle first.

Jamocha Haze – “Jamocha Haze is a very flavorful coffee shop type vape.  The flavors of coffee, caramel, mocha, and a touch of hazelnut really blend well for a powerful vape with a great throat hit.  The best part of waking up is Jamocha Haze in your tank! “

Julia: Of the 15 flavors we reviewed Jamocha Haze is the most different of the bunch. It seemed odd to have a coffee flavored juice thrown in to all of the other fruity flavored or menthol liquids. Still, the Jamocha Haze was a damn good flavor. Very smooth, very rich, with an authentic mocha flavor, this was without a doubt 5 Stars.

Tom: This is my type of eLiquid. I like many different coffee blends and this one is especially good. I saved it for last because it was the one on the list of flavors that I thought I would enjoy most. And I did. 4.5 Stars

Jason: Mocha in the truest sense of the word. Deep, yet smooth flavors, Jamocha Haze delivered on the vapor, throat hit, and the rich coffee/mocha flavor. I enjoyed it quite a bit. 4.5 Stars

Berry A Peeling: “We are proud to release another Mister-E-Liquid exclusive.  Berry-A-Peelin’ is a multi flavor blend with a solid throat hit, plumes of vapor and plenty of delicious flavor.  Berry-A-Peelin’ is a perfect blend of strawberry and banana where one flavor does not override the other and finishes with a nice light sweetness. Steep time is 3 days.”

Julia: I have to disagree with the description provided by Mister E-Liquid. Banana is the overriding flavor, and there is no discernable throat hit at 12MG nicotine. However, I like this eJuice. A definite banana vape, sweet, rich and flavorful. 4 Stars

Tom: I could not detect any strawberry in this blend. To me, this is a sweet banana flavor, but not at all disagreeable. I liked it for a banana-flavored vape. Maybe it needs more strawberry to live up to its name, but for me it was fine. 4 Stars

Jason: A sweet banana flavor that delivers plenty of vapor. The throat hit was minimal, even with a very long inhalation. I found this flavor to be pretty good, but nothing like the Banana Nut Bread. 3.5 Stars.

Final Words

A few of the eLiquid flavors were excellent, one even scoring high enough to receive a Spinfuel Choice Award, no easy feat.

The pricing structure is as high as some of the premium vendors we have reviewed in the past, while the physical aspects, and the level of eLiquid flavors, didn’t live up to the premium label. We cannot be sure of the ingredients and whether or not they are American Sourced, nor can we be sure of anything else.

The two flavors that scored the highest, Jamocha Haze and Banana Nut Bread are deserving of their scores, however, because we’re not sure of anything else about the flavors, we won’t be purchasing any for our personal vaping.

Our Fault: We definitely did not give a good accounting of their menthol blends, and perhaps we should have. I apologize to our readers. We are working on getting someone on the team, locally, that enjoys menthol eLiquids and when we do we will attempt to review more menthol flavors. We skipped a few of them because we were not going to recommend them in any case.

Buying Advice?

Until Mister E-Liquid can publish photos of their mixing, shipping, and packaging areas we cannot find a way to say that its okay to order from them. Six months ago our advice would have been different, but back then we were not aware that some vendors actually do mix their juice in environments that provide no protection against contamination. Whether or not Mister E-Liquid falls into this category is something we cannot say. We simply do not know.

There are plenty of eLiquid vendors that we do trust, and that we do know provide plenty of protection for their eLiquids. Ginger’s eJuice makes wonderful Banana Nut Bread, every bit as good as Mister E-Liquid. In addition, Ginger’s recent additions of various “mocha” flavors are splendid and highly recommended.

I am absolutely aware that this review might cause some consternation among those in the vaping community that buy from Mister E-Liquid, or for that matter disagree with the Spinfuel eLiquid Review philosophy. I stand ready to take whatever criticism comes our way. After all, we do believe in “to each their own”, and if you are comfortable buying eLiquids that you have no idea how or where they are made that is your right.

Julia Barnes, Tom McBride, and Jason Little (edited by John Manzione and Jacob Taylor)