Beetle Juice Vapors E-liquid Review – A Fair Mix

Disclosure: The Beetle Juice Vapors E-liquid line was sent to me without purchase from UltimateVapeDeals for the purposes of review. You can use coupon code “vapedeal10” to get 10% off your next order. I will endeavor to provide a fair, unbiased, and comprehensive review of the products described below. The products described in the review below contain nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Thoughts from the Front Lines

When it comes to vaping, I am an enthusiast, through and through. I love the technology, the hardware, the DIY aspects. I love the concept of mechanical mods and how you can build your own devices. I love the variety of flavors that eJuice companies put on the market, even though I feel like redundancy is slowly creeping in. I like the treasure hunting aspect of finding the best deal on an item online. I like being well-informed and being able to teach novices the finer points of the act. I love the righteous indignation that wells up inside me like a blast furnace when I see people blatantly lying about vaping or trying to destroy the industry. And I love writing these reviews for you folks. It fills me with determination and purpose and is my special little facet of advocacy that I like to spit-shine and polish until it gleams.

I don’t do this for the juice, or the money, or the recognition. I do it because I want the readers of these reviews to know, through my writing, exactly what they’re getting if and when they purchase what I’m reviewing.

But that said there are hours—sometimes even days—when I just don’t wanna look at a vape. I see my desk, covered with bottles of juice, and none of them appeal to me at that moment. I look at my mods and I think about how I need to change the cotton or coils/mesh in them, and I just don’t feel like it. I can barely look at them. My inertia is immense. And every time, I push through. I load something—anything—into my atomizer and force myself to vape it. Then another. Then another. Until I break through the wall of apathy and stoke my passion back into the bonfire in my belly that I normally have. And that’s tough.

When you hear about long-time vapers like Ryan Hall quitting completely, and it starts to sound like a good idea to you too. You hear in your head, “You’ve been vaping for eight years, you’re almost a year tobacco-free, maybe it’s time to let it all go.” But what comes next after that? If I sold all my mods and gave away or trashed all my juice, what then? Do I walk away? Do I somehow maintain my tenuous connection to the industry in spite of it not being an essential part of my life anymore? Do I stop caring about the thousands of people who will die this year because of smoking because I saved myself? Or do I stay in the fight, long after I no longer need to be in it, because I’m grateful and know I can make a difference? Yeah, that last one sounds good to me.

So maybe I don’t need to vape anymore. Maybe I’m vaping now only for the pleasure I get from doing it. But hey, people as a whole are selfish, and while it might be a selfish reason to keep vaping, it’s my reason. And when the last trumpet sounds and the battle is won, and the last cigarette has been smashed into the last ashtray, then I’ll consider stopping. Because it’s still my fight, and while I probably don’t need to vape anymore, it’s a show of solidarity for my Vape Family, to show I’m not giving up on them.

Packaging and Presentation

Beetle Juice Vapors all come in a smart-looking matte black box, color-coded for the four flavors in their line. Without any cartoony or flashy colors or images, the packaging is all very adult and subdued. Prominently displayed on both the front and back of the box are the typical nicotine warning, volume of contents, and amount of nicotine. On one side is listed the typical Prop 65 warning, Minor warnings, and Caution statements. Included also is the phone number for Poison Control. An ingredients list follows, as well as an Allergy warning. Finally, at the bottom is the address and phone number of the production company (Axiocore, who also produces the Yogi line of eJuices).

The bottles mirror all the information that is printed on the boxes, in a nice semi-opaque Chubby Gorilla bottle. A nice touch is that there is an expiration date printed on the bottom of the bottle. A Born-On date would be nice, but one can extrapolate when it was produced via the Expiration date, so there’s that. No VG/PG ratio on either box or bottle, but a little Googling discovers they’re 70/30.

Beetle Juice Vapors – The Rundown

[Blueberry Hills E-liquid]

In the world of flavor, there are generally two distinct camps that determine what the taste of a blueberry is. The first is like a trumpet; loud, sometimes shrill, possibly tart, a chord high on the scale, like a bolt of electricity. The second is a baritone saxophone; deep, dark tones, round and full and juicy, conjuring the image of a midnight blue in your mind as it glides over your palate. Blueberry Hills by Beetle Juice Vapors definitely falls into the latter category.

To start with, let me just say, this juice tastes amazing right out of the box, no pre-steeping required. When you open the bottle and take a sniff, you’re hit with this most amazing scent of blueberry pie. While the bottle MAY say “Blueberry Toaster Tart,” the scent is unmistakably that of pie. Try putting a drop on the back of your hand and taste it. You’ll get that sweet, deep, clean blue flavor that I described earlier. Not a hint of tartness or sourness to be found anywhere. No cream or custard notes, either, which is something of a rarity for eJuices Now it’s time to vape it.

Wow, is this juice a beauty. You get that gorgeous blueberry flavor from beginning to end, along with an undercurrent of pastry that sings in harmony with the fruit; complimentary without allowing the blueberry to dominate, both nuances of the juice dancing together until the lingering aftertaste finally sweeps away the pastry at the last possible moment, leaving only a hint of blueberry pie filling lingering on your tongue before you take your next puff. This is the sort of juice you want to have a warm cup of coffee with, and let the cares and crises of the world evaporate from your mind for just a little while. It’s contemplative without being overly complex, a beautiful relaxation juice. I’ve never had another blueberry flavored juice that is so clean and moreish.

If I had to nitpick some negative aspects of Blueberry Hills, I would say that it’s too rich to be an all-day vape. This is one juice you want to enjoy for a couple of drips or a tank’s worth, then switch to something else before it fatigues your palate; what I’d call an after-dinner vape. The other thing I’d say, and this is purely subjective, is that it could be enhanced by some vanilla/custard/milky juice mixed in, as it does lack that “Mound of whipped cream” taste that you’d associate with a real slice of blueberry pie. Definitely good on its own, but that little DIY addition could kick it into the stratosphere. My favorite out of the four juices in the line, without a doubt.

[Rio E-liquid]

I have no idea what Rio de Janeiro has to do with watermelon. Or Pineapple. Or Strawberries. But here we are, and Rio eJuice from Beetle Juice Vapors is exactly those three fruits, mixed together in a fruity, summery liquid. Like an agua fresca, this eJuice shines with bright, fruity flavor.

Popping the cap and taking a whiff, you’re hit immediately with the scent of watermelon, with a tiny hint of strawberry. That’s not exactly an uncommon flavor profile for eJuices, but the difference lies in how accurate the flavor is. Take a taste and see for yourself; that isn’t some Jolly Rancher watermelon flavor, that tastes like you just popped a cube of the real stuff into your mouth.

Next, try vaping it, and you’re awash in a wave of watermelon juice, sweet and refreshing, with the flavor of pineapple juice riding shotgun alongside it, and the strawberry bringing up the rear. Being no great fan of melon-flavored eJuices, this one greatly surprised me with just how authentic to the real fruit it tastes. Perhaps I’m an outlier, but while I love watermelon as a summertime dessert, watermelon-flavored things always rub me the wrong way. They always seem to be too tart or overbearing. Real watermelon has a subtle flavor, with no acidity to it. Distinct, but not bombastic. That’s how this juice is to me. It emulates watermelon better than any other eJuice I’ve ever had.

The pineapple, on the other hand, straddles the line between fresh juice and candy, perhaps being a bit too sweet to really capture the essence of the real thing. And the strawberry is really difficult to notice with the other two flavors crowding the stage, although eventually, you do notice it.

One thing of note is that this juice will phantom your cotton pretty hard, taking another strong flavor to completely cancel it out of your cotton. I’d recommend using it in a tank atomizer for this reason. If there was one thing I would add to Rio, it is possibly a hint of Koolada, to give it just that little extra refreshing nudge to take it from good juice to great. All in all, Rio really surprised me, and while it won’t be an ADV for me, I could easily see myself vaping it on my porch after a summer BBQ, or around a bonfire with friends.

[Southern Orchard E-liquid]

The description on the bottle for Southern Orchard is “Peach rings with a hint of cool,” and there is really no better description of the flavor of the eJuice contained within. It’s often difficult to go into great detail about simple eJuices like this one. There’s really not much to say about flavor profiles that offer no nuance or complexity to them, other than whether it’s good or not. And Southern Orchard from Beetle Juice Vapors is just…okay. It does what it says on the tin, and that’s about it. It won’t light any fires or wow you, but sometimes an eJuice has to just be a workhorse to be worth its price and this one fits that bill.

The scent right out of the bottle reminds me of a peach ring or possibly a peach soda. Inoffensive, sweet, not particularly acidic or tart. Just a sweet, peachy odor. Tasting it is a slightly different story; you get a dark peach flavor, nothing at all like the aroma, followed by an aftertaste of minty menthol. Imagine taking a swig of mouthwash after eating a peach, and you get an approximation of what the non-vaped taste is like. I wouldn’t call it disgusting, but it is slightly unpleasant to my palate. If you’ve ever tried any of the Nasty Juice lines of eJuices, with their “Hint of Mint” that they add to all their eJuices, then you’ll know what ballpark Southern Orchard is playing in.

When you do vape it, at least for me, you’re going to wonder if you dripped it wrong or if you need to change your cotton. The flavor is there, but it’s seriously muted like you’re vaping the smell of the juice and not the juice itself. It’s disconcerting because the scent is so much stronger than the actual flavor when vaped. It’s really strange. It’s like you’re getting 35% of the flavor you’re expecting from a peach-flavored eJuice.

One thing that is prevalent throughout the entire puff is the mint. I can’t really decide whether it wants to be mint or whether it’s like a Koolada, but one thing is for certain, and that it lasts from the time you inhale all the way through to the aftertaste once you exhale. It produces a nice, fairly opaque cloud, and it’s a smooth vape with no strong lung hit, but having sampled at least a dozen other peach/nectarine eJuices before, I just find it lacking. I do think the possibilities for mixing with other fruity flavors are vast, and perhaps that’s the best use for Southern Orchard. I wanted to like it more, but as it is, I wouldn’t recommend it.

[Riddler E-liquid]

Anyone familiar with the Batman comics or films knows who the Riddler is. The criminal mastermind who leaves deadly traps disguised as puzzles for the Caped Crusader, who through his genius and ingenuity unlocks the secrets and brings him to justice every time. And thus, in a similar vein comes Riddler from Beetle Juice Vapors. It is a delicious mystery wrapped in a fruity enigma and has really grown on me since I received it with this sample pack.

Described on the bottle as “Green apples, pear, and mixed berries,” that description really doesn’t do it justice. Green apple and pear are definitely there, but what it fails to describe are the berries, which are strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry, all tangled up together and blended in a harmonious chord that plays beneath the higher octave notes of the tart apple and juicy pear.

The odor of the juice upon taking off the cap is strong with the scent of a ripe d’Anjou pear, sweet and soft and with an undercurrent of subtle tartness. Tasting it, you get that pear flavor right out front, along with a hint of the tart Granny Smith apple hiding inside the opaque black bottle. But when you vape it is when the delicious complexity of this eJuice really comes out to play.

Loading it up into your chosen atomizer and taking a deep pull, your palate crashes headlong into a fountain of sweet and sour apple, mixed and mingled with the unmistakable flavor of ripe pear. But give it a moment to dwell on your tongue, and those luscious berries come out to play, accentuating the top notes with their own various hues of sweet, tangy, and juicy fruit. As you exhale, the lingering aftertaste of pear is what remains the longest, rounding out the sharper sourness of the other flavors and leaving you with watering mouth and an eagerness to take another puff.

Riddler is really a remarkably mixed fruit eJuice. I can honestly say that I’ve never quite had a similar blend of flavors in any other juice I’ve tried before. If I absolutely had to describe the flavor as something other than the constituent parts, I’d say it most closely resembles eating a mixed handful of Runts candy. Each puff of this eJuice is slightly different from the one before as the flavors swirl in and around your tongue but always leaves that gentle, juicy pear taste at the very end. When I first tried it, I was a bit put off by it, but having had quite a bit of time to wrap my head around it, I can easily say Riddler is my sleeper favorite out of the Beetle Juice Vapors line.

Beetle Juice Vapors – Final Thoughts

This line of eJuices from Beetle Juice Vapors really surprised me, and mostly in positive ways. I knew without even vaping it that I was going to love Blueberry Hills, but Riddler and Rio really shook up what I considered my set in stone likes and dislikes for eJuice flavors. Rio especially, with its spot-on authentic watermelon taste. The only disappointment out of the four was Southern Orchard; I was really expecting to like this juice more than I did, and so perhaps that’s my own fault for having elevated expectations. It just isn’t peachy enough to stand on its own. Perhaps as a mixer with other fruits, but by itself, it’s just a huge letdown.

I’m sure by now everyone’s getting Pandemic fatigue, so I’m only going to touch on that briefly. In a time when we have witnessed our nation, like the proverbial slumbering giant, rise to the occasion in a way that recalls the mobilization efforts during WWII, I have to say that I’m proud of the people of this country, who have come together but apart in a time of crisis. Every day you hear stories of generosity and altruism that, for the last few years at least, felt woefully minimal. The great majority of us have put aside our selfish natures and petty grievances so that our country can serve as a shining light upon a hill for other countries that are more terribly afflicted by this deadly disease. We stand strong and united, and that makes me proud to be an American. Stay safe, everyone.

Lukas

Having started vaping as a way to stop using cigarettes, Lukas metamorphosed into a regular vape enthusiast over the past seven years. Utilizing his extensive knowledge and problem-solving skills as a regular at his local vape shop, it only made sense to parley that, along with his writing skills, into making vape juice reviews. While conspicuously absent from social media, the 35-year-old former chef now uses his free time by making spectacular home-cooked meals, reading voraciously, and dabbling in multiplayer computer games. Oh yeah, and he vapes too.