The Wild and Strange New Age eCigs Interview (2014)

As is customary for Spinfuel eMagazine, whenever we review a brand that is new to us we always have an interview publish along side that review. Today we publish our interview with James and Nadine, owners, founders, and operators of New Age eCigs.

Would you like to introduce yourselves to our readers?

Thank you, my name is James and my wife, Nadine, and I own and operate New Age E-Cigs. We are the proud parents of our five beautiful children and we are very passionate about our family life and our businesses.

Based in Albuquerque, NM we are the real life version of Breaking Bad, just the moral version, no violence, danger, drama or scandal, but we are the brilliant chemists behind top notch Premium Grade E-Liquid Combinations.

What positions do you hold at New Age eCigs ?

My wife and I are the sole owners and operators of the business, alongside our outstanding and talented employees.

 Who or what inspired you to get into the e-juice business, New Age eCigs

That’s an outstanding question and I’m glad you asked. I was a former cigarette smoker, smoking 2 packs a day, and I have tried EVERYTHING to quit cigarettes. Nothing that I had tried was successful for me and I came to a dark acceptance at one point that maybe I would never be able to quit, until I came back into e-cigs.

I stress to all of my customers the importance of the power of the devices because that is what helped me not only quit cigarettes completely and comfortably, but also drop from 36 mg nicotine down to 0 mg. It is also very personal for me because my father has been battling with cancer from a lifetime of smoking cigarettes and I have always known and accepted that if I don’t stop it to will claim my life.

And I want to watch my children grow, help coach my grandchildren’s sports and watch them go off to college. I am so grateful for the electronic cigarette industry and I want to help any and every struggling cigarette smoker free themselves and take a chance with e-cigs.

 How’s the local and state level situation there with electronic cigarettes?

 Our city and state has been fine with the electronic cigarette industry, I mean they don’t necessarily endorse the industry but they haven’t taken any huge strides to condemn it either.

When you launched New Age E-Cigs how did you decide on your first “set” of flavors? How many flavors did you launch with?

When Nadine and I first started New Age we wanted to offer Premium Grade Perfected E-Liquid Combinations, meaning our main purpose was to create some of the best, while maybe even simple and common combinations (at first), tasting e-liquids. Many stores advertise 200, 300 flavors and we knew that wasn’t for us.

It’s like Slater said in Dazed and Confused, “it’s quality, not quantity, man”. I had spent a good year and a half shopping as a customer and was never fully satisfied with the quality of even the basic combinations and have thrown away countless bottles of liquid over the years. Right now we are sitting about 70 flavor combinations that we have poured a lot of time, pride and effort into perfecting to the best of our abilities.

It seems as though all eLiquid brands have their own “signature” flavor. Every brand is different, and I find that remarkable. With just a handful of ingredients each company is able to create their own specific traits. How would you describe your signature traits?

Subtle, long-lasting and accurate, are the first few words that come to mind. It’s interesting because my wife and I are polar opposites, in life and even with our flavors, which is perfect because we really do make for a great team. Nadine and Sasha are fantastic with fruit combinations and desserts, where Cole and I are better with our skunkier and punchy flavors.

I think describing our traits is that we strive to create All Day Long Vape combinations, whatever the flavor that the consumer prefers, that you can enjoy it and almost can’t live without.

Do you steep your E-Liquids before they are shipped? If you do not, do you suggest that customers “home steep” them before vaping?

We steep our flavor combinations together in batches as pre-made recipes. Here at New Age E-Cigs we produce our liquids with much higher levels of flavor than most of our competitors. We do encourage at “home steeping” if the customer prefers, but you will receive outstanding long-lasting flavor right out of the bottle.

Let’s talk about packaging. How are your E-Liquids packaged? Not only their physical appearance, but also how are they sealed, boxed and shipped?

Honestly speaking, we are continuing to improve our product presentation and packaging. We have a really awesome presentation featuring a Breaking Bad theme, while unique to New Age, that I developed myself. We value our packaging and ensuring that your consumable products get to you safely, undisturbed and free from contamination.

There is a lot of concern these days about how and where E-Liquids are being made. Could you describe your missing area? Where do you do your mixing?

We have a completely separate mixing area that is kept clean, sanitary and free from everyday interactions. At New Age we feel that it is very important to have a dedicated area that is unaffected by employee traffic and customer interaction.

How do you make sure your mixing tools and containers are kept clean and sterile?

Our mixing containers are cleaned between every single e-liquid batch production and we use new and sterile tools.

Safety is a huge factor today. Briefly, what kind of measures do you take to make sure that your E-juice is safe to consume? What methods do you use to prevent contamination or other factors that can harm your product?

All of our containers and tools are cleaned thoroughly between each batch of e-liquids produced to prevent contamination. Aside from protective clothing our creationists wash their hands before and after the production of our e-liquid batches and bottling processes.

Does your crew wear any type of special clothing when they are mixing?

Yes, our production crew wears fresh gloves during all production, bottling and handling, and hairnets to prevent contamination of your consumable products.

Do you mix to order or in batches?

At New Age E-Cigs we mix our e-liquids in batches to insure quality and definitely consistency.

When coming up with new flavors, is demographic data used to determine what flavors would sell to your base, or do you come up with flavors that please you, that you want to vape, and hope that your audience will want to as well?

We definitely do not just create flavors based off what we would like to vape. Every individual is different and the beauty of this industry offers exactly that. At New Age E-Cigs we try to create flavors that can appeal to anyone, what I mean is some of our flavors may not be for you or me, but they are cherished by our other consumers.

Aside from hopefully freeing people from the clutches of cigarettes, this industry is truly a blessing that we (as adults) can indulge in the pleasures of these delicious flavors. I don’t know many adults that eat a lot of candies, or indulge in a ton of desserts as we did when we were children. We actually have something, somewhat guilt free, that we can truly indulge in.

What types of hardware (mods, tanks, cartos, etc) do you use when testing your liquids? Is there any specific hardware that provides the best “vape” for your E-Liquids?

When testing our new creations we use both traditional e-cigs with clearomizers and mechanical mods with RDA’s. This is very important to us because our flavors are received differently based on the equipment used. Just as an example, through the RDA’s with some of our delicious flavor combinations the stronger ingredients hit you first for the first two puffs and then taper down to a more uniform taste.

Whereas with the traditional clearomizers and electronic devices you receive a very equal and balanced taste throughout. Using multiple devices and systems for our creation process is key to our complete understanding of our products and it helps us to properly suit our individual customers needs and desires.

What is your suggested PG/VG ratio for your E-Juice? Do you allow your customers any options when it comes to PG/VG ratios?

Here at New Age E-Cigs we feel that we have found the perfect balance of PG/VG, at 60 VG 40 PG. I stress the fact that we do not produce our liquids with any additional PG, just the high levels of flavoring, which is a combination of natural and artificial flavorings and PG.

It is a perfect balance of flavor with a little bit of strength and throat hit. Currently we don’t allow for additional options on this ratio because in order to lower the PG ratio you would be sacrificing the flavor concentration.

If properly stored, what is the shelf life of your E-Liquid? By the way, how should a customer store their E-Liquids before they open them and after they’ve been opened?

Properly stored we advertise our liquids with a shelf life of 6 months. If our customers are going to be using the product thoroughly (without sitting for an extended period of time) you don’t need to refrigerate, simply store in a cool and dark place, keeping it out of direct sunlight.

However, if you are going to be switching between bottles or storing for an extended amount of time we recommend placing it in the refrigerator, as it is still a food grade product.

What type (and or brand) of eCigarette did you use to break away from analogs?

Originally, I started with an ego-twist and dual coil clearomizer. I stress to my customers the importance of vapor output because while I was off of cigarettes (for the first time in my life) I was struggling with it every step of the way and still vulnerable to my former addiction.

It wasn’t until I came across mechanical mods and RDA’s that I explain, it was like a light switch. All vulnerability went out the window. Finally I was getting exactly what I needed out of vaping, and I rapidly dropped down from 36mg to 0mg of nicotine.

Do you have a “favorite” New Age flavor? What is your favorite category of E-Liquids for your personal vaping? Fruity, tobacco-based, sweet and or something else?

I actually have a couple. Mad Scientist, Heisinburg, Irish Tobacco and MelonCollie are among my top favorites and my everyday vapes. My wife really loves Mad Scientist and ChocRamel Cheesecake, but she too switches it up between many of our additional delicious creations. Where Nadine is more of a sweet and fruity enthusiast I think I lean more towards flavors that combine sweet and skunky. I like having that little bit of strength or unknown in there.

Do you have a favorite mod or APV that you use or do you use more than one?

I experiment with all of the products that we provide and sell, but personally I stick to the mod (Nemesis Clone and Igo-4 RDA) that I have at the time. I really have to control myself because I know I would end up with one of every product that I carry and then I would have a bunch of products that I frequently use. I have always been the type of person that will ride it out until I have to get a new one.

It is very, very hard for me though.

In your opinion what makes a good E-Liquid?

Balance.. Balance, in my opinion is one of the main pieces to creating a great e-liquid. With any new creation that we set out to make we search long and hard to find a steady balance of the flavors so that nothing overpowers the other (unless that is the essence of the particular creation) to give the consumer a steady and great tasting combination. Balance and accuracy.

I am huge proponent of making sure that my liquids taste exactly as they are advertised.

What makes a good “all day vape”?

An “all day vape” for me could merely be a good ‘once in a while’ vape for the next person. Again, I think balance and subtlety, creating e-liquids that indulge and excite the users pleasures without overpowering their senses. That, to me, is what makes for an “all day vape” e-liquid.

Where do you think the ecigarette industry is headed? Are eCigarettes the future of smoking, or is the industry in trouble? Do you see a major shift in the industry coming?

I think and hope that e-cigarettes are the future of smoking. I would like to say that I see a majorly positive shift in the industry coming, but so much of that depends on whether or not the industry is allowed to grow or if it is forced into the hands of Big Tobacco.

Are you concerned about the FDA proposals?

Absolutely, as a customer, a business owner and as a human being. I think there does need to be proper regulation of these products and consumable products for the safety of the public. I wish I could say that the steps and proposals that are being taken were strictly for the benefit of individuals and truly for public safety.

Cigarettes are one of the most deadly products ever created, one of the most convenient products to purchase and have been specifically engineered to trap its valued customers into a lifetime of abuse leading up to a very well known fate that 500,000 Americans a year share. I really hope that true public interest and safety gets placed above money and corporate greed.

There are hundreds of E-Liquids brands in the U.S. Why should our readers buy their e-juice from you?

There are hundreds of E-Liquid brands and while some are great, most are mediocre. Here at New Age we have built our business with the same philosophy of our previous business, “we want to earn your lifelong business through trust, customer service and by offering the Best products that you can’t receive anywhere else for the most reasonable price.”

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers while you have their complete attention?

I would like to thank you, Spinfuel Magazine, and all of your readers for giving us this great opportunity. NewAgeEcigs.com and facebook.com/NewAgeEcigsABQ is introducing the first online Membership Sampler Packs, no obligation, for a very low fee (shipping included) you can sample 5 of our Premium Grade E-Liquid Combinations at a time in order to find which flavors you can’t seem to live without.

It is very similar to what online Tea Companies are doing. Visit us online and if you really want a personal interaction, please feel free to call us at (505)884-VAPE and we will gladly discuss the flavors that might be right for you. Sign up for our Rewards Program and link it to your Facebook account to earn points towards Free Liquids and Discounts.

I can’t thank you enough for talking with us today, and good luck with New Age eLiquids. 

Julia Hartley-Barnes

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