Zen Haus eJuice Review – Om Mani Padme Hum?

Disclosure: The Zen Haus eJuice line was sent to me without purchase from Verdict Vapors for the purposes of review. If you’re interested in trying them, you can use coupon code “ZENDEAL15” to get an extra 15% off.

I will endeavor to provide a fair, unbiased, and comprehensive review of the products described below, while also giving my personal thoughts and opinions. All products described in the review below contain nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

A Grain of Salt

Love them or despise them, PAX Labs, the creators of JUUL, created a paradigm shift in the vaping industry. In 2015, they unlocked the secrets of nicotine salts, by introducing benzoic acid to freebase nicotine. In doing so, they were able to create a potent eJuice that allowed a higher concentration of nicotine to be vaped in low-power devices. While the full ramifications of this breakthrough are still unfolding, both in our industry and politically, one cannot argue that nic salt eJuices have impacted vaping in a way that few innovations have.

One of the side benefits of creating nicotine salts is that, in the right concentrations, they can be used in sub-ohm devices. This creates a smoother draw with less throat irritation. It also allows the nicotine to be absorbed more quickly into the blood, satisfying a user’s craving more quickly than traditional eJuice.

At the forefront of the sub-ohm nic salt market is Verdict Vapors. Started in 2015 in California, Verdict was the very first company to create sub-ohm nicotine salt eJuice. And even to this day, all of their products are still manufactured using only nic salts. In this review, I’ll be going over their latest product line, Zen Haus. Four very unique and noteworthy blends of eJuice that are sure to stimulate your chakras.

The Rundown

Meditation – A Fruit Bouquet

As any long-time reader of my reviews knows, I have a parasitic relationship with melons. While I love actually eating watermelon and honeydew, I am generally repulsed by their inclusion in eJuice. Melon as a fruit is full of subtlety; you never get your taste buds blown out by eating a slice of cantaloupe. They have soft flesh with a fragrant, almost floral taste that is almost always exaggerated in eJuice. Either the flavor is too potent, or too cloyingly sweet.

[Tasting Notes]

This is where Meditation gets the balance harmonious. By blending watermelon with two more dominant flavors, it allows the delicate notes of the melon to be appreciated. Like a trombone with a mute, it deadens the blare that the fruit can exhibit in other blends. And those two other flavors are relatively unusual in the world of eJuice; grapefruit and jackfruit.

Grapefruit is a citrus I think most of us are familiar with, and that most have a love-hate relationship with. You either crave those tart, succulent segments, or you shy away from it like a bitter pill. Only a few lucky people have had the opportunity to have a really good grapefruit. One that’s just as sweet as an orange, as red as a gem, that explodes with flavor. And if you’re one of those people, you just know. You go chasing that dragon time and time again. I can safely say that Verdict has captured the essence of that perfect fruit and distilled it down into Meditation. What’s more, the watermelon helps to bring out the sweet, floral qualities in the citrus that are usually overshadowed by its acidity.

Jackfruit is the real wildcard in Meditation. There’s a lot of people who’ve not had the chance to eat this interesting tropical delicacy. A member of the fig family, these spiky, egg-shaped fruits are native to India and Malaysia. It’s also the national fruit of Bangladesh. Filled with chunks of golden pulp, the taste is a mixture of pineapple, mango, and banana. It’s recently come into vogue in the US as a vegan meat alternative; the cooked flesh is remarkably similar to pulled pork.

As for the addition of jackfruit to Meditation? The flavor helps to create a nice roundness to the mouthfeel while contributing a vague sort of tropical taste. It’s one of those flavors that you can’t quite put your finger on it, but if it weren’t there, you’d notice and wish it was. Where it really sings is in the aftertaste; it leaves a lightly fruity, almost custard-like aroma in your mouth once you’ve exhaled.

[Conclusion]

I must confess I was initially torn on this one, due to my prejudice against melon-flavored eJuices. But once I sat back and let my palate really soak it in and appreciate the complexity of this blend, I found myself reaching for it time and again. Sniffing the bottle, you get a waft of grapefruit, and doing a finger taste gets you melon. But the real profound enjoyment is loading it up in your atty and taking a few strong pulls of this unique, sophisticated eJuice. If you like tropical eJuices but are tired of the same old thing, give this a shot. It’s worth savoring, it’s worth contemplation. It’s worth…Meditation.

Nirvana – Bright and Clean

The first of two blends in the Zen Haus line which prominently feature mango, Nirvana takes the luscious golden fruit and combines it with the bright, tart flavors of passion fruit and strawberries. While all the flavors in the Zen Haus line exhibit a tropical flair, this is the one most tropical in taste. Let’s dive in.

[Tasting Notes]

I don’t think I need to explain any of the intricacies of the trio of fruits involved in Nirvana. They should all be readily familiar to most people. The aroma straight out of the bottle is strongly redolent of strawberry, that ubiquitous red delight. Verdict had a very clear goal in mind. They clearly went out of their way to make sure all the flavors skewed authentic, as opposed to candy-ish or exaggerated representations. A finger taste comes across as deliciously ripe strawberries mingled with mango.

Anyone who’s read my reviews knows that I lean hard towards complexity in my favorite eJuices. Simple, one-note liquids bore me and fatigue my palate. I crave a vape that challenges me to contemplate the ways the flavors interact. I especially love a juice that seems to evolve the more you puff on it. In that respect, Nirvana checks all sorts of boxes with me.

When you take your first puff, the spotlight shines down hard on the passion fruit. Bright and tart without being sour, it allows the sweetness of the strawberry to come through. And floating along, rounding out the flavor, is the mango. Not sharp and acidic like some mango eJuices, this one is sweet and soft. As you exhale, the mango takes center stage. The strawberry steps back, but the passion fruit harmonizes. Right up through the aftertaste, that extraordinary tropical fruit flavor continues to linger until your next draw.

In trying Nirvana in multiple atomizers and at multiple temperatures, the flavor changes nuance. Warmer temps bring out more of the mango; cooler temps show off the strawberry more. And all along, the sub-ohm nic salts make the throat hit as smooth as silk.

[Conclusion]

Between Nirvana and Meditation, I can’t decide which of these eJuices I prefer. They’re both remarkably complex on the palate and sweet without being sickening. I’m at a time in my vaping journey where I’ve found myself shying away from fruit-flavored eJuices. These two have remarkably rekindled my affection for the genre. Instead of choosing a clear winner between the two, I’m giving Nirvana and Meditation a tie for my favorite.

Rebirth – Fruit Salad

Of the four juices in the Zen Haus line, Rebirth is the least tropical. That’s not to say that it’s bad or less complex than any of the other eJuices in the line, but it feels like an outlier. Of the four, this is the one I enjoyed the most at first blush. As time went on and I scrutinized the others, its standing dropped. Still, it’s my third pick out of the line.

To put it simply, Rebirth is the combined trio of nectarine, raspberry, and apple. And, like the rest of the Zen Haus line, Verdict has managed to create a flavor blend that allows you to taste all three individual fruits without any of them becoming lost in the mix.

[Tasting Notes]

The scent out of the bottle is very apple forward; the scent reminds me of a gala apple personally. You do get a hint of nectarine on the back end, but it’s very faint. The finger sample is all nectarine, all the time. Although nectarines are effectively hairless peaches, there is a subtle difference to their flavors. Nectarines generally lack any of the tartness of peaches, and that is evident in the flavor of the eJuice on the tongue. You really do have to vape Rebirth to get the full experience.

The flavor of Rebirth reminds me strongly of the dessert Peach Melba. Peaches are poached in a sugar syrup, which is placed atop vanilla ice cream, over which raspberry sauce is spooned. While there isn’t any hint of vanilla in Rebirth, the mix of nectarine and raspberries definitely recalls the dish. As with the other eJuices in this line, the apple helps to round out the flavor here with a mild tartness. Unlike with the scent, the taste of raspberries rises above the nectarine, but only slightly. Enough to make it stand out without being overly assertive.

[Conclusion]

While I didn’t find any of the eJuices in the Zen Haus line to be not to my liking, Rebirth and Serenity are definitely the lesser of the group. I’m going to chalk that up to my subjective tastes in vaping rather than counting it as a negative. I’ve spoken at length about how my tastes have moved on from fruity eJuices. Rebirth is just that; a fruity eJuice that is good, but not spectacular. I’ll eventually run through the sample Verdict sent me, but I, personally, wouldn’t reorder it.

Serenity – Misplaced Mango

The final of the four eJuices in the Zen Haus line, and the second to include mango as a primary flavor, Serenity is, in essence, a mango pina colada. Ripe puree of mango is swirled in with pineapple and coconut to make a cocktail that begs to be vaped while listening to Jimmy Buffett. Is it good? Sure. Is it amazing? Not really. Does she vape? Clearly.

Of all the fruit flavors that I’ve tried in my vaping life, mango is in the top three for the number of eJuices I’ve sampled. As one of my favorite fruits, I’m constantly on the hunt to find a liquid that perfectly encapsulates the enjoyment of eating the real thing. It’s also my definite number one choice of flavor for when I have to break down and buy a disposable. (We’ve all been there and you know it. I still hate disposables regardless.) I’d never claim to be a connoisseur of mango eJuice, but I can say I’ve gone through a couple dozen bottles looking for my Number One. And unfortunately, Serenity isn’t it. But enough about me.

[Tasting Notes]

You know the drill by now. The sniff test punches you in the nostrils with a very strong pineapple scent. There might be a hint of coconut cowering behind it somewhere, but it’s 95% pineapple. Finger test brings all three flavors out to play on the tongue, with pineapple still the leader. You do definitely get the coconut at that point, and a hint of mango. I kind of wish it vaped more like it tasted.

You know how I was extolling the virtues of Nirvana and Meditation, how their flavors evolve and change from puff to puff? No such luck with Serenity. You get all three fruits, lined up elbow to elbow, from inhale to aftertaste. Harmonizing, certainly, but no shifting complexity, no dancing. The coconut comes out strongly in the inhale for a brief moment, but then it sinks into the background. The mango is sweet, and the pineapple is juicy, but they don’t have that bite of acidity that the real fruits have.

[Conclusion]

It wasn’t a slip of the tongue when I said Serenity was a cocktail. That’s really what it tastes like. It’s as though if you could add some rum to it, you could drink it at a cabana bar. If that’s what Verdict was going for, then they nailed it. But after having tasted the other eJuices in this line, and being able to tell they were going for authentic fruit flavors, I somehow can’t see that as being the case. If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain, you’ll probably love Serenity. As for me, in comparison to the rest of Zen Haus, it simply feels like a misstep.

Zen Haus – Closing Thoughts

What can I say that can’t already be read between the lines? Verdict got a couple hits and a couple misses (for me) in the Zen Haus eJuice line. I can’t in good conscience say that any of these four are objectively bad or not worth picking up. My subjective tastes are my own. Hopefully, this review gave you enough information to make your own decision as to which, if any, of these flavors are worth your time.

If I can’t give all four a ringing endorsement, then the consolation is that I will eventually vape up all the samples I was sent. None of ’em are going in the trash or getting given away to friends. It’ll just take me longer than I would for a 60ml of eJuice that I’m crazy about. Which, all things being equal, is still a pretty good endorsement. Especially considering I’ve got some bottles of juice that have been sitting around for two years that still aren’t empty.

The Zen Haus line of eJuices is produced by Verdict Vapors.

Sizes sold are:

• 2x 60ml dual-bottle packs in 0, 3, & 6mg of sub-ohm salt nicotine;
• 15ml bottles in 24mg of salt nicotine;
• and 30ml bottles in 30 & 50mg of salt nicotine.

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.