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The Halo eCigs e-Liquid Review
A Spinfuel eLiquid Team Review – 2012
UPDATE: January 14, 2013 – Halo Cigs took home 6 Spinfuel Choice Awards today for their excellence in eLiquid Artistry. The award-winning flavors below have been designated below with the Choice Award symbol. For more about the Spinfuel Choice Awards click here.Halo Cigs offers fresh 100% American Made eJuice of unprecedented quality. Halo e-liquid utilizes a “Born-On” dating system and Lot Number tracking so that you can be assured of the freshness of the juice you buy. Halo Cigs also uses only FEMA GRAS/USP Ingredients. So, as you can see, including them in our July is eJuice Month celebration was a no-brainer.
Our first experience with Halo Cigs eLiquid came about during our review of their G6 Starter Kit (review here). The starter kit came with 5 prefilled cartomizers and 2 blank cartomizers. The 5 prefilled cartos were prefilled with an eJuice called Torque 56. We received a 6-bottle sampler tin of their Tobacco line of flavors as well, and these flavors included Tribeca, Prime 15, HX3, Captain Jack, Tiki, and Midnight Apple, as well as another bottle of Torque 56. Lastly, we received a bottle of their Belgian Cocoa and Malibu Menthol.
Because we had limited amounts of eJuice for this review, the team consisted of, John Manzione (me), as well as Jason Little and Tom McBride.
Options and Prices:
Halo Cigs offers two sizes for the eJuice, a 7ML (sample size) and a 30ML bottle. The 30ML is shipped in a blue cobalt glass bottle with a glass eyedropper and white cap. The 7ML bottle is plastic with a drip-easy nipple under the screw on cap.
Pricing for the 7ML bottle is pretty good, coming in at $5.99 (less than $1 per ML, but not by much), but ordering the 30ML drops the ‘per-ML’ prices substantially and at $19.99 brings it under 75 cents per ML, a very affordable price and when taking into consideration Halo’s use of blue cobalt glass bottle it’s an even better deal. Ordering a sample tin of flavors is a good option for anyone unfamiliar with Halo eLiquids. Ordering a Tin of either their tobacco flavored line or a variety pack the price is very appealing; $24.99 for 6-flavors in 7ML bottles.
Hardware:
As usual, we used the following hardware for this review; Halo Cigs G6 and Element batteries and cartomizers, The ProVape Provari, The Vapor King Storm 2.0, and the Johnson Creek Vea.
Time:
The team spent 48 hours vaping Halo Cigs eJuice exclusively. We met for 2 hours to discuss our findings and to outline our thoughts.
Methodology:
We used the 5 Star rating system, with 5 Stars being the maximum score. We judged the eJuice on the accuracy of the description provided by Halo Cigs on their website, vapor production, taste, and personal preference. “Personal Preference” weighed heavier than the others, but only by a hair. The names of the eJuice were written on paper, tossed into a box, and pulled out one by one. We present our findings below in the same order as they were pulled from the box.
And so it begins…
Tribeca: Halo Cigs describes Tribeca as “an ultra-smooth new Tobacco e-liquid with a fantastic flavor all its own. Tribeca has definitive tobacco undertones with a semi-sweet top note that is reminiscent of RY4 and other treasured tobacco blends. Tribeca delivers a solid throat hit and excellent vapor production.” Our team says:
John: 5 Stars – Tribeca is an extraordinary vape. An all-day every day flavor that combines the richness of a fine tobacco with the fullness of bold semi-sweet tobacco. Sound pretentious? Not meaning too, it’s just a marvelous flavor and one I use almost daily (before our July celebrations anyway)
Tom: 5 Stars – Incredible! Such great taste, volumes of vapor and a smooth tobacco flavor. This is the one I choose time and time again.
Jason: 5 Stars – Tribeca is exactly how I like my tobacco-flavored eJuice. It’s nearly perfect. You get tons of vapor, rich tobacco flavor, and a great ‘smoking’ sensation with every drag. I love Tribeca!
Torque 56: Halo Cigs describes this one by saying; “Torque56 is a premium e-liquid with unfiltered tobacco flavor and a serious Throat Hit. Torque56 is for those that want real tobacco flavor without a lot of complex flavor to cloud the taste. Knock your socks off with Torque56.100% American Made E-Liquid.” How did the team react to Torque 56?
John: 5 Stars – Very bold, very rich, very good! I would like to vape Torque 56 every day but to be honest I can’t, it’s a flavor that is too strong for an all day vape, for me. Although I have been tempted to order a bottle in ZERO nicotine to see if I could vape it all day, I haven’t yet done so. If and when I do, I’ll be sure to include my findings as a mini-review in our blog.
Tom: 5 Stars – Of all the tobacco flavored eJuice out there this is the one that comes closet to what I’ve been wanting since I quit analogs. There is nothing on the market that I’ve tried that does so much for me as Torque 56. I was born to vape this Tribeca.
Jason: 4 Stars – Don’t get me wrong, Torque 56 has a great flavor, amazing throat hit and massive amounts of vapor. But it is just too strong for me. Definitely unfiltered cigarette boldness. As soon as I tasted it I knew Tom would love it like no other.
Malibu Menthol: Halo Cigs describes this as; “a frozen Pina Colada twisted inside of a light menthol wrapper. Malibu Menthol has a nice smooth flavor that is perfect for vaping poolside or at the beach. The throat hit is relatively light with no harshness, and the aftertaste is pleasantly sweet. Highly recommended for a refreshing springtime vape.” Did our team agree? Let’s see…
John: 3 Stars – I’m not crazy about Menthol, and the Pina Colada taste really doesn’t improve upon it.
Tom: 4 Stars – I liked it better than John did, but it still wasn’t great. I can vape menthol as long as its not too sweet, and Malibu was nearly too sweet but it wasn’t bad.
Jason: 4 Stars – I like menthol enough, but to me the Pina Colada taste doesn’t go well with menthol. I kinda enjoyed it though, but it was a very hot day here when I did.
Tiki Juice: Halo Cigs describes Tiki as; “Based on a Tahitian Tobacco profile, Tiki Juice is a hybrid tobacco blend that offers excellent vapor and throat hit. Built on a spiced tobacco base with sweet tropical top notes, this unique flavor also has a hint of our proprietary menthol base. Tiki Juice offers a unique tropical flavor that splits the difference between ‘tobacco’ and ‘dessert’ flavors. And the team says:
John: 5 Stars – I was told that I probably wouldn’t like Tiki, but I did… a lot! You really get a nice and spicy tobacco flavors with just a hint of sweetness. Very bold, but very addicting. I love it!
Tom: 5 Stars – Very bold! I love Tiki Juice! This is a spicy tobacco blend that will make you take notice. Tiki is every bit as good as Torque 56, but in the spicy family of the tobacco branch. Great stuff!
Jason: 5 Stars – I couldn’t believe how good this was. Tiki is a sweet n spicy tobacco blend that will give you a great throat hit and volumes of vapor. A must have for the adventurous type!
Prime15: Described by Halo Cigs as “a premium tobacco blend, offering the complex nuances of an authentic cigarette experience. The taste is somewhat earthy, with a subtle dry sweetness that offers hints of cocoa when used with certain electronic cigarettes. This very smooth tobacco flavor offers a solid throat hit with excellent vapor production, and is perfect for those seeking an authentic analog experience.” The team says;
John: 4 Stars – No doubt about it, this is as close to an analog cigarette as Halo gets. I liked it, and it is definitely a flavor that I will use to fill a few cartomizers with when I go out at night. I can see myself having a few drinks at the bar and vaping Prime15, if only for the memories of when I used to stay out till dawn and drink and smoke to my heart’s content. (I miss those days)
Tom: 5 Stars – Damn near perfect analog experience! I love this Prime15 stuff like nobody’s business. If you are new to NOT smoking then you need some of this at your house. This is what you’re missing when you first stop smoking, so get some and get the best of both worlds.
Jason: 5 Stars – This gets 5 Stars from me because Halo took the experience of a real cigarette and made a healthier alternative without losing the whole analog cigarette experience. Amazing!
Captain Jack: Described by Halo as; “a premium tobacco e-liquid blend named after Calico Jack, a famous 18th century English pirate. Like Calico Jack, this e-liquid is somewhat harsh with a reckless throat hit even at lower nicotine levels. This unique blend has a distinct pipe tobacco feel that is not for the faint of heart. Its raw flavor is a great match for those seeking a dry tobacco blend with very little sweetness. “ The team says;
John: 3 Stars – I was hoping for that “pipe” tobacco flavor to shine through but I think Halo and I have a different taste in mind. This is wicked harsh, very strong, fit for a pirate. I imagine Tom loves it.
Tom: 5 Stars – I love this! You know, Halo has a great line of strong eLiquids that can really knock you back. Captain Jack is the strongest, harshest, flavor of them all, but what a nice bite. In fact, a huge bite in the butt! I want more!
Jason: 3 Stars – Oh my god how strong is this stuff? Captain Jack makes Torque 56 seems like a candy cigarette. Way too “bold” for me.
Belgian Cocoa – Describe by Halo Cigs as “Our Belgian Cocoa blend offers a robust flavor backed by a good throat hit and great vapor production. With dry cocoa undertones and a sweet chocolate top note, this well-balanced blend is a great all-day vape. Unlike other overly sweet chocolate blends, Belgian Cocoa is engineered to be vaped all day long. “ Did the team agree?
John: 5 Stars – I don’t like Chocolate flavored eJuice so I wondered why I liked this one so much? Something about it, maybe the smoothness or the “real” taste of chocolate, I don’t know. But I did like it. I liked it enough to add to my rotation!
Tom: 3 Stars – For a chocolate flavored juice this one is really harsh to me. I can’t believe they say it’s an all day vape, cause I don’t see it. Not for me.
Jason: 4 Stars – I love the chocolate flavoring but the throat hit was a bit too harsh for me to make this an all day vape. Definitely better than most chocolate blends I’ve tried, but its not a 5 Star flavor for me.
Midnight Apple:
“Midnight Apple offers a unique blend of rich tobacco layered with spiced ‘Granny Smith’ apple top notes. The subtle apple flavor complements the underlying tobacco base for the perfect combination of dry sweetness. “ What did the team think?
John: 5 Stars – This is a good apple flavored eJuice. Not sweet enough for me though, but I enjoyed the excellent blend of apple flavors and tobacco. It was only after a good 1.5 weeks of home steeping did this flavor come into its own. When it did, wow!
Tom: 5 Stars – Unbelievable flavors! A great Apple and Tobacco mix providing me with a flavor beyond plain tobacco that I can truly vape all day. Added to my rotation 5 minutes after I stared vaping this one.
Jason: 5 Stars – A unique granny smith apple flavor backed up with a smooth tobacco. I loved it. Smooth, rich, and delicious. Nice to have around and I added it to my rotation as well.
HX3: Described as; “an intense new blend with a flavor unlike anything you’ve tasted before. With a balance of sweet dry tobacco and the slightest hint of menthol, this full-flavored e-liquid offers a great throat hit and excellent performance. HX3 takes vaping to the next level.” The team says;
John: 3 Stars – I didn’t enjoy this one at all. It’s not bad; it’s just not for me. Too complex I think. I couldn’t make up my mind on any of the flavors. A strange one, really.
Tom: 4 Stars – Great tobacco and not sweet at all, this is one great blend. There is barely enough menthol to matter but right at the end you feel a coolness that wasn’t there going in. Cool!
Jason: 5 Stars – Halo is right, this is intense, not sweet, and definitely a very “grown up” flavor. I enjoyed it a lot and plan on making this one a cult hero.
Turkish Tobacco – Halo says this about Turkish Tobacco Blend: Our Turkish blend offers an excellent combination of sun-cured tobacco flavor with a very light semi-sweet top note. This unique flavor is characteristic of the original Turkish Tobacco cultivated off the coast of the Black Sea, which is widely used in traditional cigarettes and blended into various pipe tobaccos. Turkish Tobacco is relatively mild flavor, so is a great choice for “light” smokers still seeking substantial throat hit and good vapor production. What did our team think?
John: 5 Stars – Right before we met to discuss our findings I loaded up 2 cartomizers of this blend and I’ve been vaping it throughout the meeting. This is excellent. Very rich, smooth, and very satisfying, Turkish Tobacco is a winner! I plan on ordering more of this one by the end of the week.
Tom: 5 Stars – Awesome flavor! Turkish Tobacco is one of my favorites. This flavor is definitely in my rotation for good. Turkish Tobacco is a rich AND smooth tobacco blend that you just want to vape all day.
Jason: 5 Stars – This is the best tobacco flavor I’ve had by Halo. Rich and smooth, deeply satisfying, Turkish Tobacco is going to be a huge seller if it isn’t already. A must have flavor!
Final Words
The number of 5 Star flavors by Halo was higher than any other, percentage-wise. Their flavors are all so different, but all so good. (A couple of clinkers sure, but they all have clinkers) we were all very impressed with the intense flavors, the vapor production and great throat hits.
The standouts were easy, Turkish Tobacco and Tribeca were world-class vapes, followed by Torque 56 and Tiki Juice. These are all very unique but incredibly satisfying.
The pricing is outstanding and when you think that there are some companies charging 200% more for inferior Chinese eLiquid (DeKang) it makes you sick that you’ve wasted so much money when superior eJuice was here all along. A 30ML bottle of Halo Cigs eJuice at $19.99 is a great price.
Lastly, We would like to remind our readers that Halo Cigs began as an eLiquid company and only added their great hardware later on. It couldn’t have been any other way really, considering the quality of their eJuice, and their pride in the creation and manufacture of their eJuice. Halo Cigs eLiquids are some of the best juice you can buy at any price.
Highly recommended.
Spinfuel readers can get a 5% discount off their eLiquid and hardware by typing in SPINFUEL into the coupon code upon checkout.
John Manzione, with Tom McBride and Jason Little
