Table of Contents
A Spinfuel eLiquid Team Review
Vape Dudes Private Stock Reserved eLiquid Review 2014
Our first review of Vape Dudes eliquid was more than two years ago, July 27th 2012. In that time we’ve seen an explosion of eliquid brand launches, and many of them are spectacular brands making phenomenal juice. However, returning to one of the first brands we reviewed as a team (though only two members of that team survive), was a very enjoyable experience. Even with all the competition that has sprung up Vape Dudes remains a viable force in the eliquid community, and with the Private Stock Reserves, they have assured their future as a steadfast brand. Vape Dudes “Private Stock Reserves” is a worthy name for these delectable eliquids, as you will see below.
The eLiquids in this review are:
- Chai Tea
- Belgian Blue
- Nilla No-Bake
- Strabango
- Apple Jaxx
- Snicker Dude’l
- Abibe
- Cool Melon
- Red Water
These nine eliquids are not the complete line from the Private Stock, and we hope that in early 2015 we can address the remaining flavors in a sequel review. Our fearless leader, John Manzione, has vaped a few others from this line, including Buttery Nipple and Bananas Foster, and he has lots of great things to say about them, so we can’t wait to bring you that sequel review.
Should this be your first Spinfuel eLiquid Team Review we urge you to take a moment and read our eLiquid Review Protocols so that you have a full understanding of the methods we used for this, and other, eliquid reviews.
Special Note* With the addition of the Aspire Atlantis and Kanger Subtank to the list of available hardware at our disposal all of the above eliquids were ‘vaped’ with the usual suspects and the abovementioned tanks with nicotine strength of 6mg nicotine. Mainstream vape gear was used with our standard of 16mg nicotine ejuice.
Commonalties
The Vape Dudes Private Stock Label is specially made and pre-steeped eliquids. They are handcrafted in small batches and steeped in their 30ML bottles for a minimum of 3 weeks. Each 30ML bottle from the Private Stock line is $18.99.
Nicotine strengths are 3, 6, 11, 16, and 24mg, as well as a zero-nic. The Private Stock line is a 50:50 PG:VG line. In addition, Vape Dudes has created a line of High VG, called Private Stock Max. The exact ratio is unknown, although Vape Dudes calls the line Max VG. We are reviewing the 50:50 blend in 6mg and 16mg nicotine strength.
All Private Stock eliquids share strong, full flavors, intense clouds of vapor and a solid throat hit. Most were a golden color, while a couple was a very light golden color. Aromas were natural, not artificial, and they certainly present as super premium eliquids that surpass most other ‘boutique’ labels that cost in excess of $10 more per bottle.
The Team and The Review
Chai Tea – Spinfuel Choice Award Winner
“After numerous custom requests, we have added the latte to our Chai. Come see what everybody has been requesting. Chai tea with a little sugar and cream to balance it out.”
Julia: 5 Stars – This Chai Tea is just fantastic! I added this one to my rotation almost immediately. The authentic chai tea flavor, the added sweetness with a latte twist, all combine in a way that presents the instant recognition of chai, but in a new and original way. I thought I had tasted every combination of Chai Tea, but this Private Stock addition proves me wrong.
Tom: 5 Stars – For me, Chai was an acquired taste. I guess its been two years now since my first, awful experience with it, but in the time since I’ve come to enjoy a few chai tea eliquids. This one, from Vape Dudes, is extraordinary, and different, from the others I’ve come to love. Flavor, vapor, its all there, and I couldn’t recommend it more. If you’ve been looking for the right Chai Tea, you must try this one from Vape Dudes.
Keira: 5 Stars – Private Stock Chai Tea is not the first chai tea I’ve given the 5 Stars to, but I have to say, it deserves to be in the top 3 of all chai teas I’ve had. Love the flavor, and although I don’t get a sense of “latte” with it, I do get a real sense of chai tea, with just a bump of sweetness that it needs to be an eliquid you just have to have around.
Jason: 5 Stars – Other chai tea flavors I’ve had deliver a different flavor profile than this one. Vape Dudes Chai Tea delivers a cleaner flavor, less muddied with flavor components of gingerbread or rich cream latte. There is a lot you can add to chai tea flavorings for various eliquid variations, but this one is the closest one that I would think of as pure as ‘chai tea’ can get. (But I could be wrong about that). I enjoyed it in its 16mg nicotine variation, in glassomizers and clearomizers, but for me, this was its best as 6mg in an RDA. Highly recommended to every vaper looking for something deliciously different.
“The only mistake you could make is NOT trying this classic staple in our Naturals line-up. Rich, fluffy Belgian waffles topped with fresh organic blueberries…we could go on…but you’ve probably already added to cart!”
Julia: 5 Stars – A wicked mix of waffles and blueberries, Belgian Blue packs one hell of a punch. This was the most powerful of the 9, with the biggest flavor and the biggest throat hit. I loved the flavor combination, but with all its deliciousness it’s not an all day vape, your tongue will numb up after a few hours…believe me. But in those hours you’ll vape something so delicious that you’ll happily wait out a few hours with another flavor in anticipation of getting back to the Belgian Blue.
Tom: 5 Stars – Very strong flavors, expertly blended. A huge throat hit, especially at 16mg nicotine, and one of the most enjoyable blueberry flavors I’ve had to date. The addition of waffles and blueberries may have been done to death, but here’s one that will show you that there is new tricks in old flavors. Belgian Blue is in my rotation now, and for the foreseeable future.
Keira: 5 Stars – After hearing everyone praise Belgian Blue, including our publisher, I was excited to try it. I left it for last though, so by the time I got to it the rest of team had all decided that it should be a Choice Award winner. After the first drag in a Stratos glassomizer I knew I would probably vote the same way. The waffle flavor is thick, rich, sweet, and will have you sitting in a virtual IHOP eating the biggest Belgian waffle they have, with a large helping of sweet blueberries on top. Very strong flavor, an unbelievable throat hit, and more vapor clouds than you can throw a stick at. Yes, indeed, this is an award winning eliquid!
Jason: 4 Stars: 5 Stars – John (Manzione, publisher) began talking about Belgian Blue weeks ago, and had urged us all to try it. He siphoned off about a milliliter from his own bottles and from that we all agreed that we had to give it a proper review. What may be an excellent flavor and vapor under one condition may not work in others, so before we thought about giving it any kind of award we wanted to vape it in various vape gear and various times of the day. Vape Dudes suggests it goes great with morning coffee, and it does, but it is also a fantastic vape every other time I had it. Highly recommended, but with one caveat; this is a super strong flavor, if you’re looking for subtle waffles and blueberries, it’s not here in Belgian Blue.
“A slight twist on our popular No-Bake Cake enhanced with a bit of ‘Nilla. Great dessert vape or with your morning coffee.”
Julia: 5 Stars – I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Nilla No-Bake was another of John’s ‘gotta try this’ eliquids from Vape Dudes. The problem for me was as soon as I tried it I had to have more. I wound up with just a couple of milliliters and I couldn’t wait to review it, and then to place an order for more.
Now, I know the description says this is Vape Dudes cake juice with vanilla wafer flavoring, but for me this is “all vanilla wafers”, and it’s the best wafer flavor I’ve ever had. If you like vanilla wafers this is the eliquid you will cherish. Permanently in my rotation.
Tom: 5 Stars – I could not see myself vaping Nilla No-Bake all day every day because it does taste exactly like vanilla wafers. I need stronger flavors, tobacco and coffee flavors for my well-rounded daily vape diet, but I’ll tell you what, when I want to enjoy something sweet it will be Nilla No-Bake. I can see why some people would have to have this one, it is a fantastic flavor and the juice puts out a ton of vapor.
Keira: 5 Stars – I was talking with a friend of mine about the fact that we were going to review Vape Dudes after a 2 year absence and she told me that she was a steady customer. She also told me that the Private Stock line was amazing, and if we were going to do a review we had to include this Nilla No-Bake. So, when I finally tried it I had to call her and for a good half hour all we could talk about was how fantastic it was and how much it tasted like vanilla wafers. I learned that this was her #1 eliquid choice, and I can see why. In my rotation now, and I recommend it to anyone that even ‘thinks’ they would love a vanilla wafer eliquid. Trust me on this one, order an extra bottle, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t.
Jason: 5 Stars – I don’t think I’ve tried Vape Dudes ‘No-Bake’ cake flavor before, so I can’t say for sure that this flavor isn’t a part of Nilla No-Bake. But I do know this; Nilla No-Bake is one of the best vanilla wafer eliquids I’ve ever had. In fact, its so good it makes me rethink the whole ‘stay with tobacco flavors’ when I vape in my personal time. I could see myself enjoying this one, and others, as all-day-vapes. Seriously, if you crushed up a handful of vanilla wafers and heated it to the point of vaporizing it, this is what you would taste. I can see why so many people rave about it.
“This eJuice simply offers the best sweet strawberry with a tangy mango kick. As many times as we tried to complicate this blend, nothing tested better than the perfect blend of these two fruits.”
Julia: 5 Stars – After vaping a few flavors in this lineup I came to Strabango and read the description. I couldn’t wait to try it based on the strong flavor components of the other eliquids. Deep, rich strawberry flavor combined with an authentic sweet and ripe mango creates a unique, but wonderful flavor. Strabango delivers very good vapor but not quite as thick and voluminous as some of the others in this lineup. I’m adding this to my rotation now. Highly recommended to strawberry lovers.
Tom: 4.0 Stars – This is an excellent attempt at creating a nicely balanced combination of strawberry and mango, and for the most part it works…but I’m not so sure it should work. On the inhale is a sweet strawberry jam flavor, and on the exhale is a less sweet mango flavor. I’m just not that thrilled with the combination and I don’t think any change in the ratios would make it any better. I prefer a real strawberry flavor, not a sweet strawberry jam flavor, and as far as mangos go, I don’t think a tropical fruit should be mixed with a non-tropical fruit. My score is based not on my personal like or dislike of the flavor, but on its execution.
Keira: 3.5 Stars – Strabango took me the better part of 6 hours to make a decision about it, and it was 1-hour sessions with it at 6 times of the day. I didn’t like it during the first hour at all, the strawberry was kind of bland for me, like an artificial strawberry. The mango doesn’t taste much like mango, and when you combine it with an extra sweet strawberry it just doesn’t work. While it did get better after a while I discovered that it was my taste buds acclimating to the taste. The next session it started over just like the first hour. So, in the end, it’s certainly not a bad eliquid, but you have to be able to enjoy both flavor components, and I just couldn’t.
Jason: 4.5 Stars – I got the feeling that the rest of team was less ‘taken’ by this strawberry and mango flavor then I was. And while I think the mango flavor was lighter than it could be the strawberry more than made up for it. I also came to the realization that every time I vape a combination flavor with strawberry as part of the mix, it’s the strawberry that always hits first. I wonder why that is. If this is going to be a flavor you’ll pay for and enjoy it you’re going to need to like both flavors, mango and strawberry. Thankfully I do.
“This signature flavor is one of our latest pride and joy. This has become the top seller at the conventions we attend. People swear they even taste the milk in this hearty vape. This is sure to become a staple in your eJuice rotation!”
Julia: 4.75 Stars – A certain someone I know loves Apple Jacks cereal, so I know what it tastes it. I don’t particularly like the flavor of that cereal, but it is instantly recognizable in this eliquid. So, it comes down to this; if you like Apple Jacks cereal you will love this ejuice. If you don’t, then the chances fall significantly.
Tom: 5 Stars – My favorite cereal growing up, this sweet apple and ‘something’ tastes exactly like Apple Jacks. Tons of vapor with this one too. I wouldn’t depend on Apple Jaxx tasting too much like apple, instead expect a flavor that reminds you of apple. This is already a part of my rotation, and it caused me to go out to the store and pick up a couple of boxes of the cereal, something I haven’t done in more than decade.
Keira: 5 Stars – Love it love it love it! My favorite cereal comes to life in vapor form! It is amazing how much this juice tastes like the cereal. The deliciousness of the flavor is only matched by the thickness of the vapor. A light throat hit, even at 16mg nicotine, this amazing taste-a-like eliquid is worth its weight in gold. Like the cereal? Try the eliquid that lives up to the name!
Jason: 4.75 Stars – Apple Jaxx is one of those eliquids that you’re either crazy about, or you just don’t care for it. I’m on the side of being crazy about it, but not so much as to think it’s an award-winning flavor. The truth is, this juice tastes exactly like the cereal, and if you like the cereal you’ll love it. But, it seems to me that there should be just a little something that could make it slightly different then the cereal. Maybe it could be a little stronger in the apple flavor department, or a little creamier…something to give it its own identity. Still, as a fan of the cereal I have to admit that Apple Jaxx is the next best thing.
Snicker Dude’l – Not Yet Released As Private Stock Reserve. – A Spinfuel Choice Award Winner
“Not too much cinnamon, but a perfect combo of cookie, spice and sweetness.”
Julia: 5 Stars – I would have to check over more than 200+ reviews that I’ve done to be sure, but I can’t remember ever awarding the full 5 stars to a snickerdoodle eliquid before. Why now? A couple of reasons; first, the description is perfect. Not too much cinnamon (but definitely enough), with cookie, spice (pumpkin pie type of spice), and sweetness. That is exactly what this eliquid is, and let me tell you, this might not work as an all-day-vape, but you can enjoy many hours of delicious snicker doodle vaping and it will make you want to do a happy dance afterwards. Fun, flavorful, and very satisfying, I’m adding this to my weekend rotation.
Tom: 5 Stars – This is a very good eliquid, with lots of flavor, vapor, and even a good throat hit. I can easily taste the whole snicker doodle thing, but there is one flavor component that I can taste, and did taste the entire time I spent with it, that just doesn’t belong. That ‘taste’ is a top note of clove. Clove is a part of the ‘spices’ in recipe, and a part of pumpkin pie spices, but here the cloves come through slightly out of balance with the other spices. If the clove flavor were just a miniscule less demanding I would have awarded the whole 5 stars happily. I still recommend it to all snicker doodle fans because I know they will love it, and it does get the full 5 stars because even though it may not be exactly like a snicker doodle cookie, I think Vape Dudes did the right thing by not mimicking the cookie entirely, they gave it their own original twist.
Keira: 5 Stars – After more than 6 hours of vaping this awesome snicker doodle vape I knew that it would make a good all day vape. In all that time my I never tired of the flavor, nor did it leave any lingering tastes or numbness of the tongue. This is a fantastic snicker doodle, plain and simple. Plenty of thick, aromatic vapor, and if you’re a fan of snicker doodle cookies this must be vaped.
Jason: 5 Stars – Yep, if you expect a snicker doodle ejuice here that is exactly what you’ll get. I love the cookie, and I enjoyed vaping this pretty damn good replica in vapor form, but to me it was just a little heavy on the spices and a little light on the cookie, which to me made it better as an eliquid. I will say that the vapor production was first rate, a little better than I would expect from a 50:50 blend, and the throat hit was very nice. To some I’m sure this would be a perfect fit. Would I buy this eliquid again? I think I would, if for no other reason than to be able to enjoy the flavor when I need something different from my usual fare.
“The question is always asked…do you have a great custard flavor?! We believe this flavor transcends a simple custard flavor…the smell? Oh my. The taste? Not overly complicated, yet tough to describe.”
Julia: 4.5 Stars – Abibe is one of the most peculiar custards flavors I’ve had this year. There is definitely a custard base flavor to it, deep, and rich, but there are other, distinct flavor components I didn’t expect. I taste light licorice top notes, and even a slight amaretto flavor on the exhale. Definitely complicated and enjoyable, but not as an all-day-vape. If you want to try a different kind of custard vape, this one will do it.
Tom: 4.75 Stars – A characteristic of all the Private Stock line is strong, deep flavors. Abide is definitely a strong flavor. An unbelievable combination of custard and other flavor components that I can’t quite figure out, but whatever they are, they make for some very special custard vaping. Vapor production is very heavy for a 50:50 blend, and the throat hit is every bit as strong as you would expect from a rich custard vape. Excellent!
Keira: 4 Stars – I prefer my custards to be more tamed than it is in Abibe. This is one of the strongest I’ve ever had. I don’t know if I can go so far as to agree with Julia’s remark about licorice or amaretto, but there are other elements to this super rich custard that gives it a flavor profile that I’ve never tasted before. Best in the morning or late at night, but not very good during the harsh daylight hours, Abibe is one of those flavors that I wouldn’t turn down, but I probably wouldn’t buy it.
Jason: 5 Stars – One of the only custard flavors I would call complex. The custard flavor is sort of harsh, like a punch in the throat, and there seems to be other elements that add to that strength. Better as a warm vape than a cool one, this is one for the winter nights of New England. There are custard eliquids that lack clarity and that most people think it should be that way. In Abibe the flavor is more distinct.
Cool Melon – Not Yet Released As Private Stock Reserve
“The pairing of sweet melon with the cooling sensation of the organic menthol made perfect sense. Enjoy one our most popular eJuices …cooler!”
Julia: 4.25 Stars – If I liked cantaloupe and cool menthol I am sure I would have loved this flavor. When it comes to scoring an eliquid like this, or giving my impressions of it, I need to downplay my flavor likes and dislikes. So, I will say that the description is accurate, the execution of the flavors, the balance of melon and menthol are all excellent. I have no doubt that vapers that enjoy melon vapes, and menthol vapes, will find this intriguing and satisfying. Its not my kind of eliquid, but it was done well.
Tom: 4 Stars – The melon flavor in this combo was excellent. By itself it would make a superb juice. Even with a blast of coolness it would have been really good. But, instead of menthol I wish they would have used peppermint or spearmint, not what appears to be menthol crystals.
Keira : 3.5 Stars – Cool Melon might be a good choice for some, but for me the flavors didn’t work, and after a couple of hours I got a very scratchy throat. Melon flavors need to be a little more on the sweet side for my liking, and I would prefer a mint coolness to a menthol. Lots of vapor with Cool Melon, but it’s just not my kind of eliquid.
Jason: 3.75 Stars – What can I say about Cool Melon? I know there are many vapers that enjoy good menthols, hell, some vapers vape just menthol flavors. But combining menthol and melon doesn’t even sound all that appealing to me. I love certain melon vapes, but to date none of them had any menthol, or peppermint, or minty flavor components. Although Cool Melon has a lot of vapor production and a good throat hit, I found the two flavors just didn’t mix well. Cool Melon was my least liked eliquid in this otherwise fantastic lineup.
Red Water – Not Yet Released As Private Stock Reserves
“A unique, sweet vape. Definitely a conversation starter. We’ve always shied away from spilling too much about the ingredients…the mind goes to many places trying to identify the exact makeup of this flavor.”
Julia: 4 Stars – One of the strangest flavors I’ve ever had. The first time I took a drag from my glassomizer my head jerked back with a “WTF?” look on my face. But, I stayed with it, determined to discover what it was that tasted so odd. After an hour I gave up. I tried the next morning, as the first vape of the day and still couldn’t figure it out. So, I gave up. I would love to hear from readers that have vaped this and lived to tell about it.
Tom: 3 Stars – The name, Red Water, has to be the coolest name I’ve seen for an eliquid. I immediately think of Mars, and the book “War of the Worlds”. Even the description is cryptic, otherworldly. Sadly, the flavor is just too strange for me to enjoy. For a vaper like myself, one that spends most of his vape time with tobaccos and coffees, and the occasional dessert vape, this was way too weird. I wish I could tell you what it is, but I can’t.
Keira: 2 Stars – Oh My God, No! The only thing I can say about Red Water is that it had to have been an accident. Had to. Unless you’re the adventurous type forget this one, it is way too bizarre.
Jason: 3.75 Stars – Okay, so no one here liked it much, or at all, LOL. But, come on, it isn’t that bad. The flavor is a “dull sweet” flavor, like an eliquid that was left alone for 5 years and all the real flavor left. As strange as that sounds, I vaped it for hours. I won’t buy it, and I won’t recommend it, but I bet if Vape Dudes gave away 3ML bottles of it in everyone orders they would find lots of people that liked it. It’s one of those flavors that you will never identify, but it will appeal to some. Just not us.
Conclusion
When I went back into the archives to read the first Vape Dudes review (it was a little before my time) I was surprised that they won so many Choice Awards. Well, I was ‘pleasantly’ surprised. This time out, with two new members on the team and almost 2 years in between reviews our review also awards Vape Dudes with a number of Choice Awards. They definitely earned them.
Without a doubt this collection of eliquids from Vape Dudes is as special as the name indicates. Private Stock Reserves are works of art in the eliquid medium. Refined recipes, careful and exacting mixing, pre-steeped to present maximum flavor and vapor, and not a single one had an artificial note in the taste or aroma, except Red Water, which was just downright weird. Reviewing the nine makes us look forward to reviewing the remaining flavors in the Private Stock line.
It is interesting to note that the cost of the non-Private Stock line is $1.50 less, $17.49. When you consider the extra work that goes into the creation of the Private Stock, and the 3-week steep time, that extra $1.50 is well spent, and I wouldn’t blame them if they sold the line at a slightly higher price then they do.
Lastly, the one person we know at Vape Dudes who was there for the first review, Chris Snuffer, is still there, as the owner of Vape Dudes. His guidance in the creation of the Private Stock line should not be overlooked. This is a company that has seen its share of ups and downs, and to come to the place it is today, at the end of 2014, we can only applaud the dedication and determination to create fantastic eliquids for the vape community. It’s about time we revisited them.
Buying Advice
If any of the above descriptions or team impressions leads you to want to try these eliquids then you absolutely should. If you’re new to Vade Dudes you’re in for some marvelous juice experiences and if it’s been a while since you’ve tried Vape Dudes you’ll be more impressed than ever.
Each bottle of eliquid in the Private Stock line is shrink-wrapped at the neck and feature child safety caps, caps that actually work too. The attractive labels have all the information you could possibly want on a label, and they were shipped in individual bubble wrap for safe transporting.
Till the next time,
Julia, Tom, Keira, and Jason
