Issue 12

JOURNALISTS

FINANCE

The

directly, who will advise you further.

elcome to a very special edition of Vapouround Magazine - our two year anniversary issue. I spent some time this week just looking over our back issues and it brought into focus just how much has happened over these past 24 months. Obviously the biggest thing to happen to the industry has been the TPD and the new regulatory framework has seen some companies fall by the wayside while others have grown and flourished. There have been companies which were not even around when the first Vapouround issue came off the presses and they are now big players on the international vaping scene. But there are many smaller things - everyday things - which I would argue are just as important to our industry as the big regulatory matters which make the headlines. Looking over our back issues there are stories about ordinary men and women who have one thing in common…vaping has been the only thing that has allowed them to quit smoking. I should know because I am one of those people and the positive difference vaping has played in these people’s lives cannot be understated. To have the privilege of working in an industry which is playing a beneficial

part in people’s lives by allowing them the freedom of being addicted to cigarettes is something which brings me joy every day.

It makes me angry when I see regulationsuch as ill-conceived advertising bans on vaping products - which serves to prevent the message getting to smokers that there is a much safer alternative to smoking out there.

In this issue we report on the findings of the latest statical bulletin from the Office of National Statistics which examines adult smoking habits in the UK.

One thing really leapt out at me from this report was that the most common reason people gave for using e-cigarettes was as an aid to stop smoking.

This is something that is widely known in the vaping community and it is great to see this mentioned in an official government report. We will continue to play our part in spreading the message about the positive impact that vaping has on so many lives and as the industry grows and evolves, we look forward to reporting on the changes and developments which will take place over the next two years and beyond.

Paul Caplin - Editor paul@vapouround.co.uk

EDITOR

Paul Caplin

NEWS

E-CIGARETTE USE ON SMOKERS. WAR ON FLAVOURS.

VAPING IS BIG BUSINESS.

VAPE STORE OWNERS HIRE NEW STAFF.

LET WORKERS VAPE AT THEIR DESK.

MARINA MURPHY- SAFER THAN SMOKING.

FEATURES

VAPING INFOGRAPHIC.

2 YEARS OF VAPOUROUND.

DIARY OF A VAPER - ZAC CASEY.

VAPING ENTREPRENEUR - JAMES BURR.

2 YEARS ON - OUR STAFF.

GERMAN VAPING - A LONG TWISTING ROAD.

DIARY OF A VAPE-OHOLIC.

2018 VAPOUROUND AWARDS - CHAMPION.

2018 VAPOUROUND AWARDS CATEGORIES.

VAMPIRE VAPES OFFICIAL SPONSOR.

VAPOUROUND'S NEXT TOP MOD-EL FINAL.

VAPEORDERS.COM - GAME CHANGERS.

CHARITY BEGINS AT OHM.

THE TELFORD VAPER - TRAGEDY TO HOPE. FRONTLINE FACILITY.

SMOKING RATES ACROSS UK FALL- SURVEY. E-CIGARETTE USE IN GREAT BRITAIN - SURVEY.

VAPER EXPO AWARDS 2017.

EVENTS

VAPOUROUND ON TOUR.

VAPOUROUND BUS ON TOUR - TOUCH OF VAPE

VAPOUROUND BUS ON TOUR - CLOUD 57

REVIEWS

HARDWARE REVIEWS. TESLA WYE200W REVIEW. JUICE REVIEWS. THOR JUICE REVIEW. TWISTED VAPES REVIEW. KILO E-LIQUID REVIEW. JAC VAPOUR REVIEW.

FYI

JAC VAPOUR - HOW TO STAY RELEVANT. STEPHEN BUSS - PERIODIC DEADLINE. BEST BRANDING POST TPD.

COIL PORN - CRAFTY COILS. PIMP MY MOD - TOUCH EDITION.

TOP 10 HANDCHECKS - VAPOUROUND SPECIAL. VAPOUROUND QUIZ.

PREDICTING THE IMPACT OF E-CIGARETTE

USE ON SMOKERS’

LIKELIHOOD TO QUIT

A new study predicts that when e-cigarettes are available to smokers, even moderate increases in the success of dual users (those who use both) to quit smoking can have a significant benefit on the overall population.

Scientists at British American Tobacco have developed a mathematical technique to investigate how the availability of e-cigarettes might impact smokers’ likelihood to use them.

The model takes account of the way people use these products and utilises the past to predict the future. The results show that dual use can be a significant stepping stone to quitting altogether.

Even small increases in quitting smoking can have a significant impact. For example, the model indicates that a 10% increase in quit rates could lead to significant positive public health outcomes on mortality related to tobacco and nicotine use.

Dr James Murphy, Head of Reduced Risk Substantiation at British American Tobacco, said: “We have previously shown that the availability of e-cigarettes can have a beneficial effect on the population as a whole by reducing smoking prevalence and smoking-related deaths.

“But what about those smokers who take up e-cigarettes or other potentially reduced-risk alternatives to conventional cigarettes but continue to smoke?”

Scientists used a predictive modelling technique to look at a number of possible scenarios over a 100-year period between 2000 and 2100. The baseline scenario was that e-cigarettes and other alternatives products are freely available as an alternative to conventional cigarettes.

Comparative projections were then made by changing some of the model parameters such as dual use switching rates, consumption changes or probability of completely quitting cigarettes and the results were presented at the recent annual conference of the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Poland.

“This modelling approach is an informative way of assessing population health effects when epidemiological data are not available,” says Murphy.

The results reinforce views that the introduction of e-cigarettes is likely to benefit UK population health, even in very conservative scenarios.

Future models may also study the use of additional products, such as tobacco-heating products and snus; characterise the UK population by ethnicity, social economic status, and education level; and factor in affordability, smoking bans, health campaigns/risk perception or packaging regulations, say the researchers.

Many in the public health community believe e-cigarettes offer great potential for reducing the public health impact of smoking.

In 2012 draft guidance for companies wishing to introduce a new novel tobacco product to the US market place, the Food and Drug Administration encouraged the development and use of predictive modelling for assessing the effect of this product introduction.

“Even small increases in quitting for dual users can have a positive public health impact” says study

War on flavours

San Francisco is poised to be the first US city to ban the sale of both flavoured and menthol e-liquids from April next year.

“We’re focusing on flavored products because they are widely considered to be a starter product for future smokers,” said Supervisor Malia Cohen, who sponsored the bill. Such a sweeping ban will undoubtedly have a massive impact on local vaping businesses and it is also feared that other towns and cities could follow suit.

New York is considering a similar ban (but it would not include menthol products) while Chicago restricts the sale of flavoured tobacco products in the vicinity of schools.

The San Francisco ban would see the end of sales of all flavoured cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and shisha. Only tobacco products and e-liquids which are flavour and menthol-free would be legal to sell.

The reason given for the ban is that “flavored tobacco products promote youth initiation of tobacco use,” while “menthol, in particular, cools and numbs the throat to reduce throat irritation and make the smoke feel smoother.”

Roy Story, CEO of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, branded the ban as “extremely irresponsible” because many smokers have used flavoured e-cigarettes to help them either cut down on cigarettes or stop smoking completely.

He said a more sensible move would be to ban anything that appeared to target children such as packaging containing cartoon characters for example.

“At the end of the day, it’s an adult product,” said Story. “Personally I am absolutely against flavours like bubble gum or pink elephant or strawberry delicious because I think the name itself sends the wrong message.

“But the adult looking for a less harmful alternative is not looking for these products. This ban makes absolutely no sense.”

Regina Dick-Endrizzi, director of San Francisco’s Office of Small Business, questioned the impact the ban would have on small businesses which sold tobacco products.

She said: “The SBC in general does not support outright bans as a means of achieving a policy objective,” and added that such regulation would be better applied at the State level.

Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, described the ban as “complete nonsense” and said it failed to take account the benefits of flavoured vaping products.

He added: “There is a great deal of evidence that flavours are critical to helping adults quit smoking by helping them disconnect from the taste of tobacco.”

Conley also highlighted new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which showed that the numbers of high school and middle school students using e-cigarettes was declining sharply - at 2.2 million last year, down from 3 million the previous year.

He added: Unfortunately, San Francisco supervisors ignored that data and the stories about how vaping was the only thing that helped many smokers quit.”

As San Francisco moves to ban flavoured and menthol e-liquids, will other states follow suit?

2017 2020

Ten years on from the smoking ban and vaping is big business

July 1 2017 marked an important anniversary for smokers and nonsmokers alike in England - it was ten years since the smoking ban was introduced.

In the decade that has followed since smoking was outlawed in almost all public spaces (most notably pubs, restaurants and workplaces) vaping has grown to take its place for many. UK sales of vaping products reached £1bn this year and the trend is set to continue with projections for this market to double to £2bn-a-year by 2020.

Vape shops and vape lounges are now common place in the UK and many regard vaping as far more socially acceptable than smoking and around 3 million of us now use electronic cigarettes.

In the months leading up to the ban - a ban which had already been imposed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales over the previous 18 months - there was outcry from smokers and from civil liberties campaigners. Many predicted it would kill the pub

industry and said governments had no business telling their citizens just where they could and could not smoke.

It is true the number of pubs has dramatically declined in the past decade and the smoking ban may have played a part in this but huge increases on duty charged on beer, stiff completion from supermarkets and the global recession all played their parts too.

But who would go back to living in a society polluted by other people’s potentially deadly second hand smoke now?

Neil Williams, spokesman for The British Beer and Pub Association said many pubs have adapted and are thriving since the ban while others have not.

He told the BBC: “Pubs have had to adapt. We’ve seen those that can invest in food and they’ve made a very good job of it.

“But some pubs - the traditional streetcorner boozer - simply haven’t had the space to do that. They are the ones

that have suffered.”

The ban has also been directly linked with the improving health of the nation. In 2011 the Department of Health reported that there was a fall in respiratory illnesses reported by bar workers immediately after the ban.

In addition hospital admissions for heart attacks fell by 2.4% immediately following the smoking ban - the equivalent of around 1,200 heart attacks a year.

Cancer Research UK chief executive

Sir Harpal Kumar described the smoking ban as “one of the most important public health measures of recent history” and predicted that the ongoing health impact of the ban will continue to be huge.

Finally a recent YouGov poll found that 20% of current smokers said the smoking ban had helped them cut down while 14% of those questioned said it was a factor in persuading them to quit.

And a clear majority even say they have hired more employees since the TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) was implemented, despite fears that the TPD would hit the business hard.

Across the vape shop owners that responded to the UK survey, there is a positive outlook on the future of the industry, with about three quarters describing themselves as optimistic (59% say they are somewhat optimistic, 16% say very optimistic).

However, the recent implementation of the TPD has had an impact on the market: mainly on the number of products stocked, due to new product restrictions and packaging requirements.

The survey also found that most vape store proprietors are well-established and have owned or operated their business for more than two years, even if there is a trend of new entrants to the UK vape store market.

Many operate similar retail environments: the majority of the shops offer some form of seating area in their store, in the form of a lounge or bar, aimed at enhancing the one-on-one customer service and improving the consumer’s shopping experience.

From a financial perspective, sales of e-liquids generate the majority of revenue. But patterns for sales of e-liquids and devices are very different; the e-liquid market is fragmented, with many different products contributing to total sales, while the hardware sector is much more consolidated and more dominated by distributors.

The online survey, whose respondents represented more than 500 stores across the country, was carried out with the support of UK trade associations and magazines including ECITA, IBVTA, VIA and Vapouround. The aim was to obtain an overview of the product categories and brands that shops

stock, their revenue patterns, and current attitudes towards the state of the e-cigarette industry.

The ECigIntelligence report also came as another piece of research, this time from the Local Data Company (LDC), found that vape shops continue to be one of the few bright spots for British bricks-and-mortar retail.

LDC’s Retail and Leisure Report found that more vape shops and tobacconists were opened than any other class of shop last year.

UK retail locations saw 551 new vape/tobacconist openings in 2016. In comparison, there were 482 new barbers and 435 new beauty salons.

• Can you help the e-cigarette industry understand what UK consumers really think about vaping and their products?

Take ECigIntelligence’s quick survey today to ensure that your experience counts: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ XBMP3K2

UK vape store owners are more optimistic about the future than their American counterparts, according to a new report from ECigIntelligence.

LET WORKERS VAPE AT THEIR DESKS

Workers should be allowed to vape at their office desks as part of a government policy to create a smokefree generation in England. New government targets have been unveiled to reduce adult smoking rates by one quarter and to virtually eliminate smoking among younger generations.

The use of electronic cigarettes could play an important role in this move according to the government’s new Tobacco Control Plan which was announced last month. The Plan aims to “maximise the availability of safer alternatives to smoking” and to support smokers who want to give up traditional cigarettes.

Although adult smoking levels are now at their lowest since records began, around 200 deaths every day are still caused by smoking. Steve Brine, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care, said: “The UK now has comprehensive tobacco control legislation which is the envy of the world but whilst we have made great strides in the right direction, there is more to do. “Our vision is nothing less than to create a smoke free generation.” The 32 page document sets out a number of measures and strategies to help achieve that aim and an entire section is devoted to electronic cigarettes. It says that while two thirds of smokers say they want to stop smoking, long-term success rates remain low.

The Plan continues: “Stopping smoking is hard and many smokers are turning to e-cigarettes to help them in their attempts. In 2016 it was estimated that 2 million consumers in England had used these products and completely stopped smoking and a further 470,000 were using them as an aid to stop smoking. “The evidence is increasingly clear that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than smoking tobacco.”

“Public Health England has produced guidance for employers and organisations looking to introduce policies around e-cigarettes and vaping in public and recommend such policies to be evidence-based.” “PHE recommends that e-cigarette use is not covered by smokefree legislation and should not routinely be included in the requirements of an organisation’s smokefree policy.”

The Plan, titled “Towards a Smokefree Generation” says the government will ‘critically evaluate’ alternatives to smoking including e-cigarettes in terms of short and long-term risks to users and the risks posed to children, non-smokers and bystanders. It goes on: “The challenge will remain to develop an environment that maximises reductions in smoking prevalence and improves public health, while providing accurate information to the public .”

“EMPLOYERS SHOULD NOTE THAT E-CIGARETTES ARE NOT COVERED BY SMOKEFREE LEGISLATION,” - PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND

SNUS – DECADES OF RESEARCH INDICATE THAT SNUS IS SUBSTANTIALLY SAFER THAN SMOKING - SO SHOULD IT STILL BE BANNED IN THE EU?

By Marina Murphy, BAT

POTENTIAL TO SAVE EUROPEAN LIVES?

These days, governments always seem to be under the cosh, so it is pretty amazing that when there is an opportunity to take credit for something extraordinary that they don’t do it. Or at least, the Swedish government seems very reluctant to ‘get behind snus’ as Clive Bates, a wellknown harm reduction advocate puts it. He recently wrote to the Swedish government questioning their reluctance to not only take credit for what, he says, by any standards, is ‘an extraordinary public health achievement’, but on their reluctance to do anything about ensuring that the rest of the EU might benefit. You may remember in the last issue, I wrote about a case being brought to the European Court of Justice by the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA), and the Swedish Match legal challenge of the current EU ban on snus (except in Sweden). Well I think it’s worth revisiting this issue, given

that new results released in June reveal that around 320,000 men would not die prematurely every year in the EU if snus was [widely and lawfully] available, and use levels mirrored those in Sweden. Now it is highly unlikely that use levels in other European countries would mirror those of Sweden any time soon, or maybe ever, but if snus were available, it would add to an ever-increasing arsenal of potentially safer nicotine and tobacco products. This could only be a good thing for smokers looking for an alternative to conventional cigarettes that works for them! Because after all, we’re all different and one size does not fit all! The more safer nicotine products there are to choose from, the better! And surely the point is, safer products should be available to those who want to use them?

HUMAN COST

The new results I mention were presented by Professor Lars Ramström from the Institute of Tobacco Studies, Täby,

Sweden, at the recent Global Forum on Nicotine conference in Warsaw in June. He told delegates that the availability of snus could have a significant impact on the burden of tobacco-related disease in the EU – as mentioned above, potentially to the tune of 320,000 lives per year.

‘This new analysis reveals the true human cost of the European snus ban,’ says Professor Gerry Stimson, who is on the board of directors of the NNA. ‘Snus is at least 95% safer than smoking’ and it protects against smoking. This ban on the sale of snus contravenes a fundamental principle that EU law should be based on a high-level of health protection. The ban means that smokers in the EU outside of Sweden are denied the right to choose this safer product to avoid smoking,’ he says.

These might be new results, but what is not new is this line of argument. There are decades of data in respect of snus use available from Sweden. And those in the know have come to call the phenomenon – higher snus use, lower smoking rates, lower incidences of some forms of cancer/related death rates –the ‘Swedish experience’. But it seems snus researchers are in the position of having to prove their point over-and-over again. When is enough evidence, enough evidence? With what looks to be such an encouraging example of success (of an alternative product over conventional cigarettes not being acknowledged by either regulatory bodies or many of the public health community, without a change in attitude, it’s hard to see how

Snus is a smokeless powdered tobacco product that can be loose or in a pouch and is used by placing under the upper lip.

newer products that offer an alternative to smoking could gain support from regulators and the wider public health community!

EU TRENDS

Current legislation does not allow snus to be marketed in any European country, except Sweden. It is also used a lot in Norway, because of course Norway is not in the EU. And Finland, being a neighbour of Sweden, has reasonably high levels of snus use compared to other EU countries, despite snus not being lawful for sale there.

Snus use is more popular than smoking in Sweden. Its availability is thought to have led to a significant reduction in smoking, and, as a result, smokingrelated diseases, with the 2017 EC Eurobarometer survey showing that only 5% of men in Sweden are daily smokers, compared to the European average of 24%. Swedish men have Europe’s lowest level mortality considered to be attributable to tobacco, 152 per 100,000 compared to the European average of 373 per 100,000. (see table 1). There are currently 28 countries in the EU, plus Norway is 29. The burden of tobacco-related disease and death across these 29 countries varies considerably. You can see from Figure 1, where deaths are sorted, according to death rate per 100,000 attributable to tobacco – all causes, Sweden is in the outlier position at the very bottom with a death rate less than a fourth of the top rate and less than half of the EU average. This is, despite, the fact that overall, tobacco use in

Death rate per 100 00 attributable to tobacco, all causes of death, men 30 years and older

Sweden (including smoking, snus and other tobacco products) is higher than in many other countries in the EU. But where Sweden differs is that most tobacco use is in the form of snus and it has the lowest smoking rates in Europe, and, thus keeps the position of the lowest death rate, as it has done for many years.

What is also clear from this table is the marked difference between Eastern and Western European countries. Eastern European countries exhibit death rates above the EU above (of 373 per 100,000), whilst all Western European countries, except Belgium, death rates below the EU average. What is also notable is what is going on at the bottom of the table and who is keeping Sweden company in the lowest positions. Finland, Norway and Austria rank 3rd, 4th and 5th from the bottom. What do they have in common with Sweden? At least in part, it may be because consumer use of snus in those markets is higher than in most other European countries.

Now Clive Bates is calling on the Swedish government and institutions to play a leading role in calling the Commission to account for the EU ban on snus.He says: ‘This is one of the worst policies ever devised by the EU, and this

prohibition persists, despite a mountain of compelling evidence that snus is highly beneficial where it is permitted. There is now an opportunity to address this policy failure by responding constructively to a legal challenge to the prohibition in the European Court of Justice.’

It’s not the first time the Commission has had the opportunity to revisit this ban. The 2014 revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) also afforded an opportunity to do something. There was a huge public response to the consultation –82000 citizens responded, of whom 8 out of 10 favoured lifting the ban. But as Chris Snowdon from the Institute of Economic Affairs puts it: ‘The European Commission ignored one of the biggest responses to an EU consultation ever. There was an urge to do something - anything - about a product that they didn’t understand and which was changing even as they were working on the directive. They flatly ignored all the evidence on snus [and were cloth-eared to the evidence on vaping]. The result was a random hotch-potch of arbitrary regulations which have set back tobacco harm reduction by years.’

We don’t have long to wait to see what the European Commission’s response will be this time!

EVEN MORE NEW RESEARCH ON SNUS: It has been well known for years that Swedish men have been reported to have the lowest rates of disease considered to be attributable to tobacco in Europe. But many have suggested that this is all very well, but claimed snus was linked to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Now, a study by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, using pooled individual data from the Swedish Collaboration on Health Effects of Snus Use, shows that snus use is not thought to be implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer in men. They say tobacco smoke constituents - other than nicotine or its metabolites - may therefore account for the link made between smoking and pancreatic cancer. Interestingly, these results appear to contradict previous results by the same institution claiming that there is a link between snus and pancreatic cancer.

issue we look back at where

t began with nothing more than a teaser advert in the Derbyshire Guardian. Sandwiched between the tail end of stories on local business and the beginning of the ‘What’s On’ section was an enticing curiosity: a page in all black bearing the alluring image of a single V forged from ghostlike vapour. The only text was the words ‘Coming Soon’.

The year was 2015, the health risks of smoking had been known for decades, tobacco sales were on the decline and vaping was rapidly catching on as a far safer alternative than smoking for many.

Vaping had overcome a few shaky false starts: smoking alternatives like nicotine patches and gum had long been on the scene but failed to make a significant mark of wresting control from the stranglehold of tobacco. The initial arrival of e-cigarettes into western countries was met with a tentative reception and regulatory uncertainty. They initially faced classification as a medicinal product, myths about liquid and mod safety ran rampant (and often still do) and

for Vapouround

scientific studies for such a young product were scarce. A booming scene and new powerhouse business needed a centrepiece publication where the alarm over coming challenges could be raised and its controversies could be discussed.

Where there was a growing market with a sea of potential customers and the confusing, sometimes chaotic whirlwind of change afoot, there was a need for a prominent platform of relevant news, clear information and a solid international network. Vapouround satisfied all these areas, storming onto the vape scene as a publication for both the spoiled-for-choice consumers and young, rising businesses scattered about.

We have written extensively about our ongoing partnership with the Vaper Expo UK and that has been a really successful model which has been repeated with other expos around the world.

With the first Expo on the horizon in 2015, the team that was to become Vapouround Magazine, put together a special pull-out newspaper supplement

which was given free to every visitor to the show.

It went down so well and proved to popular that there were many calls for us to produce a magazine dedicated to all things vape related and we wasted no time in doing exactly that.

By the time Vapefest UK 2015 came around we had produced our first ever issue of Vapouround Magazine and it was launched at the event. Six weeks

For our two year anniversary

it all started

of furious work building up to the day reached their end and our inaugural issue was very well received by the Vapefest crowd.

Issue Two was ready in time for Vapefest Ireland, and Vapouround’s signature habit of coming to and reporting on the biggest events was firmly established. At Vapefest Ireland we formed our first media partnership and this was to be something which was to repeat itself right around the world. Now in 2017 we come to many shows not only as vendors and exhibitors but as official partners too.

But what is a business that can’t – as the expression goes – ‘crack America?’

The world’s largest economy and vape market was calling, and Vapouround answered. We made our presence felt at the Electronic Cigarette Convention (or ECC) 2015 in Pomona, California. The economic and forward-thinking powerhouse of California remains one of vaping’s strongest bastions, and touching down in its borders helped the floodgates of opportunity open for us. The rest of 2015 saw our show presence expand, and the cherry on

top came late in the year, when our business clout turned political. Outreach to Britain’s MPs is vital for vaping, as all policy must be evidenced-based and up to date. Vapouround was invited to the Houses of Parliament, pleading our case for our industry.

The following year was to be just huge for the magazine as 2016 saw us grow in popularity both at home and abroad. Vapouround soon went from quarterly to bi-monthly, and was able to engage in real-time with readers around the world thanks to our active social media presence, an online version of the publication and innovative app technology.

Our partners at the Vaper Expo also increased their number of yearly shows to two, and we happily supplied the showguide. We also launched the first Vapourond Awards evening which brought together people from all sectors from the global vaping industry for an evening of celebration.

Dominating the print scene and taking the internet by storm en route to a massive international network of partners, contacts and friends

“ “

wasn’t enough. The Vapouround Bus has made us mobile within our own borders, boosting business and vaping’s visibility all over the country. It was only natural we would then seek to plant our very own lounges with unique brand liquids and well-informed staff as far and wide as possible.

It has been a pleasure providing guides and brochures for vape events all over the world, such as Paris’ Vapevent, Expo Vape in Spain, and the Shenzen International Electronic Cigarette Industry Expo in China.

Vapouround Magazine is a brand now instantly recognised the world over and are continuing to evolve and expand our business. We have a successful juice line, a new clothing range and lots of exciting plans in the pipeline for the future.

Who knows where we will be in another two years time? That might seem a long way off right now but we intend to be at the forefront of the industry then as we are now and we couldn’t think of a better, more vibrant or more forward-thinking industry in which to be involved.

Who knows where we will be in another two years time? That might seem a long way off right now but we intend to be at the forefront of the industry then as we are now and we couldn’t think of a better, more vibrant or more forward-thinking industry in which to be involved.

Available in 25 flavours from 0mg 18mg in a 50/50 blend.

DIARY OF A VAPER

Like many smokers, I started as a teenager and I was soon smoking at least 20 cigarettes a day. A lot of my friends smoked too, so it became a regular habit to me - just like eating or drinking. My family members all smoked as well including my grandparents. My grandad actually walked into a vape store in the city centre of Milton Keynes and picked up an e-cigarette for himself.

Just like that, he quit smoking and hasn’t touched a cigarette for over three years. He really enjoyed it and before I knew it, everyone in my family had switched to vaping except me.

My family encouraged me to try vaping and what really motivated me to quit smoking was the fact that it worked for all of my family members. I also wanted to prove to them that I could do it and plus, smoking has become increasingly expensive over the last few years and it was costing me my health too.

At the beginning, I remember thinking ‘this is amazing’ and I just couldn’t get over all the different flavours, there really is something for everyone. Vaping tasted a hell of a lot better than cigarettes - it didn’t have the stench that came with cigarettes. The first few days without a cigarette were a bit of a struggle as my friends continued to smoke, so there was that odd

temptation every now and then but soon, I started to realise how bad cigarettes smell and it really put me off craving for one. After just a few weeks of vaping, I was surprised to find that I could breathe a lot more easier and I didn’t smell like stale tobacco. Being able to breathe properly meant that I could walk to the bus stop and be on my feet for longer without feeling breathless.

When I first started vaping, I was actually working at McDonald’s and studying at college. We got so many different customers every day and one of them just happened to be from Riot Squad. We had a friendly chat and a few days later, one of the guys called me up and offered me a job. I couldn’t believe it.

It’s been over 5 months now that I’ve been working with Riot Squad and I’ve come to absolutely love the vaping community. I’ve met loads of people from all over the UK, from shop owners to members of the vaping public and it’s been great to share our different experiences with vaping. Everyone at Riot Squad is amazing and I really do consider them family. They’ve made me feel so welcome and I couldn’t think of a better e-liquid company to work for. Go Riot or Go Home!

Zac Casey shares his life-changing journey on how he went from working at McDonald’s all the way to working for the promotions team at Riot Squad with a little help from his vape pen. This is his story.

Evolution Vaping is a family-run business and well-known for its friendly and efficient customer service.

Although it’s initial store launch was in 2014, James Burr first launched Evolution Vaping as an online retailer. However, his vaping journey begun before the rise of Evolution Vaping. Prior to vaping, James was smoking at least 20 cigarettes a day before he fully transitioned to vaping.

He explained he was driven to quit smoking for the sake of his children. He said: “I have young children and I wanted to quit for them. My wife and I both smoke but we wanted to quit and lead a healthier lifestyle so we decided to quit for our children.”

James is aware other smokers who are also parents attempt to quit smoking for the sake of their children but can’t quite reach their goal.

In fact, before vaping James had a terrible smoking habit but that soon changed when he saw true potential in vaping devices and how it could help other smokers.

James said: “When I first started vaping, it was a product I believed in. It helped me quit smoking and I knew it would be a product that others can believe in too.”

After vaping for 18 months, James and

his mother, Sharon, decided to generate more awareness on the healthy benefits of vaping to the public and together they formed Evolution Vaping.

The flagship store is based in Kingstanding, Birmingham, which has been growing from strength to strength.

in Kingstanding as he mentioned: “I’ve noticed how fast the vaping industry is growing and moving. There’s something new on the market every day and we want our flagship store to reflect that.

“We wanted to remaster the store so it becomes a sociable hang out area for vapers. The store has a lounge for people to relax and hang out where they can also purchase hot and soft drinks.

“Our new store has a booth for people to have a chat and a juice bar with the latest e-liquids on the market and an area to build your own coils.”

From sampling a range of the latest e-liquids to learning all about vaping, Evolution Vaping caters to meet the demands of vapers and non-vapers.

James also advises new vapers to: “Visit an established vape store like Evolution Vaping who know what they’re talking about.

“Don’t fall into the trap of buying your first e-cigarette online. Learn how to use it, charge it and vape it. This way, you’ll be able to quit smoking and have a fantastic vaping experience.”

The store was recently refurbished to keep up to date with the popular vaping products in the industry.

James’ vision for Evolution Vaping is for the store to be the forefront of vaping

In our next issue, we’ll be discussing the success of Evolution Vaping’s recently re-mastered store with James Burr himself.

“I have young children and I wanted to quit for them. My wife and I both smoke but we wanted to quit and lead a healthier lifestyle so we decided to quit for our children.”

JAMES BURR

YEARS ON

At our two-year anniversary, Vapouround employs 40 staff members. A lucky few have been here from day one, and were kind enough to offer their thoughts and experiences of being with the magazine from the start.

Vapouround veterans offer their thoughts on hitting this milestone

DAVE JO

Sales Director Dave Turner has been a driving force behind Vapouround’s keen business sense from the beginning, and now oversees our continual expansion and upturn.

“I joined in April 2015, I was here as a salesperson before we had launched a full-blown magazine. I sold for the other publications that we were doing at the time, newspapers like the Derbyshire and the Staffordshire Guardian.”

Dave was appointed director of sales late last year, and liaises between the various departments.

“It’s my responsibility to hit targets, keep advertisers happy and provide a professional service. We’ve always had a lot of talented individuals that work well as a team here, so I have faith in everyone to do a good job. The biggest and most pleasant surprise for me entering the vaping industry were the people that work within it. They’re real, normal, nice people. I’ve worked in a lot of marketing and advertising roles previously, and the approachability and honesty of people in vaping is unique.”

Dave was always optimistic about what Vapouround could be. “It was clear if we worked hard on behalf of our customers, we could make Vapouround a worldwide brand. And look at us now: magazine, show guides, awards, lounges and the Vapouroound bus. From tiny acorns, mighty oaks grow.”

Favourite memories:

“Two things stick out. Firstly, being at the expos in person. You get to meet and know people that become more than customers, but your friends. I remember coming back from a show, standing in a long queue for a plane and realising I knew about 80% of the people there.

“The other one would be just before the second annual Vapouround Awards. Steph’s video on our last twelve months of progress really put everything into perspective. Sometimes when you’re right at the centre of things, rushing around, you don’t often have the chance to stand back and appreciate something in the way that others might be able to. To see the best bits condensed. There’s a lot of work and stress in doing what we do to the quality we’re known for, and I was proud to see it all together.”

Money makes the world go ’round, and nothing around here gets done without the steady, stalwart work of our accounting department. As the chasers and coordinators of Vapouround’s capital, nothing gets past them.

“When I first started here, I was the only account manager, said Joanne Stubley.”

As Vapouround and its accounts expanded, so did Jo’s responsibilities. She soon found herself taking on, training and mentoring new team members for money management.

“It’s been very rewarding, watching them progress,” she says proudly. Jo joined the team in September 2014 as our sole accounts coordinator. She now enjoys a position as our general manager. Like her coworkers, Jo had a solid background in newspapers and found so much more when moving on.

Jo’s contribution to the logistical side of Vapouround has also proven invaluable. Keeping the books balanced and bills paid is a hefty task when your company has a warehouse, several lounges and a main magazine office.

“If anything stops at accounting, it won’t go anywhere.”

Fondest memories: Overseeing our move from the old Derby headquarters to the new. An operation which looked like it would take a week was completed in a day.

“Moving here to a whole new office was definitely a sign that we’d made it.”

“There’s always something new to learn. You come in and pick up so much as you go along. But it’s still a well-run, professional operation. No one cuts corners.”

HAYLEY JULIE

Hayley Parker is Vapouround’s Head of Design, a crucial figure in correcting, maintaining and evolving the signature look that has become synonymous with the vape industry on a global scale.

“I’d worked with Paul previously; I was working for another publishing company. I spotted the vacancy here and liked what I saw. That was in August 2014. I wanted a chance to do something different and I got it. I never thought I’d be part of a magazine like this. We were still in the Derbyshire Guardian when I started. We did a small supplement for the paper which we took to Vaper Expo.”

Hayley is familiar with the art of crafting the perfect guide, having worked on printed media for antique shows. Everything about working vaping feels different. “Everybody’s so friendly. No one just shows up for business, they have fun too.

“I’ve got a lot more freedom here, and I’m much closer to doing what I want with my life in this kind of role. So when we started I knew it was something I could get my teeth into. I’d done my share of work for other magazines, but never anything on this scale.”

Like most here, Hayley has been able to expand her skillset in a workplace offering diverse experiences.

“Most of the time my work was with sales as well as graphic design. Moving into the graphic design role fully and running it was one of my favourite moments. I realised I’d arrived, I was where I’d always wanted to be.

Even a Vapourond veteran can’t quite believe how we’ve come this far this fast.

“This time last year we were all scattered about a three-storey house. The magazine’s only going to get bigger and better. We’ve always been able to make the most of what we’ve got, and we’re gaining new abilities and opportunities every day, and in design we’re always mindful of how we can improve the look.”

Fondest memories:

“The mega-shift from October 2016 – James and I did a 36-hour shift to get the show guide ready for the Expo. I enjoyed it; it was a tough day – or day and a half, but good teamwork. I’m proud of what we did.”

Julie Carpenter and Paul go back eight years, starting their professional time together in the newspaper industry.

“I’ve always been in the media game, selling to clients. In my early days I was in field sales for the motoring industry. I was working on the Young at Heart Magazine, and I loved it, I wouldn’t move from it. But then all my staff were looking at how well things were going for this fantastic new magazine – Vapouround. In the end, I did jump ship.”

Old habits die hard, but Julie hasn’t regretted her move for a moment. “It was a hard decision to leave the newspaper industry behind, but on the plus side I gained a lot. I felt very settled in my role there, and it was kind of an unknown for me, entering vaping.”

Fondest memories:

“Being part of a strong team for so long, I feel so at home here. That comes from the top, I think. We’ve got a brilliant boss holding things together. I’ve also really enjoyed dealing with partners in Malaysia and China, and seeing how much they like the magazine.”

“I knew with Paul behind it, the magazine would make a very big, bold impression, but Vapouround’s success came a lot sooner than I could have predicted. Not only so quickly, but to such a standard. It takes serious guts to get this far.”

KATIE ANNA

Katie Loomes of our marketing department has been with us since January 2015.

“I applied for the job of graphic designer for one of our newspapers –the Derbyshire Guardian. Paul just came in one day and announced that we were doing a vaping magazine. I didn’t know anything about vaping at the time.”

Katie went from graphic design to sales, and soon discovered her knack for creating engaging social media content for the dedicated and fast-growing audience Vapouround soon attracted.

“We didn’t have a fully-fledged marketing department at first. There were a lot of crossover roles and shared responsibilities, we were a new magazine with a smaller team that had lot to do.”

Soon Vapouround got so big, the need for a marketing team became inescapable.

“I didn’t think for a second we would stop doing the newspapers, but the magazine outgrew everything. Arriving at the first Vaper Expo in Birmingham was a turning point. The Expo itself was small compared to how it is now, but still amazing. It was the first time I could envision how far we could go and how huge a deal vaping was.” “People enjoyed our supplement so much they were asking about the next edition – when our launch edition was still in the pipeline. We knew we’d made the right choice.”

“Vaping gets a lot of bad press which annoys me because I read it all the time. At least half of it is wrong, and I hear myths about its harm all the time. It’s good to remind people of the good vaping does, and correct those myths.”

Fondest memories:

“The first Vapouround Awards we held were really special, because we hadn’t even been going for a year then. It was very encouraging (and relieving) to see our first vape lounge open too, because we talked for so long about it and did so much preparation. It also reminds me how much we have left to do.”

“Being able to travel for Vapouround has been a real eye-opener. It’s indescribable, that feeling when you arrive somewhere unfamiliar, like Malaysia, and meet people who know the magazine. It’s happening more and more, the farther we travel.”

Accounts assistant Anna Difusco, came to us in April 2015, starting on sales and moving to accounts in October of that year. In her previous job, Anna was a mediator for potential clients, booking appointments for sales reps. In vaping, she found a more personable, relaxed, though still responsible industry, one filled with people who did far more than just go through the motions.

“Everyone’s so passionate about it.”

A passionate subculture of vapers and entrepreneurs greeted the first edition of Vapouround eagerly, and have stuck with it throughout its evolution.

“It’s funny looking back on that first magazine we did. It’s so small compared to what we put out now, so different. Even back then, when it was released it was a huge deal though.”

Anna was encouraged by her first looks at the vaping scene.

Fondest memories:

“The Vapouround Awards at the Expo this year is what I’m most proud of. The first one was great, but this one reminded us of how many relationships we’ve built since; it proves how motivated we were by the response to the first. Being part of the judging process helped me see how much was out there: the liquids, the projects, the people.

“We’ve got the power to help people improve their health by moving them away from smoking which is a powerful thing you have to remind yourself of.”

“Vaping was getting huge. When I saw the magazine, I knew it was something everybody in vaping would want and need, I got started in sales. I’ve seen the best it has to offer all the way through, we’ve grown with the business as a whole.”

ANTHONY JONES

German Vaping: The Long And Twisting Road

Twisted Vaping CEO Michael Braunstein talks the past, present and future of the vape market in Europe’s foremost powerhouse economy shot and concentrate phenomenon. There’s keen business coming in from the USA, and the Italian juice market, who are selling more and more to Germany. We can take in 20ml bottles from America – nicotine-free liquids used for the flavour shot model.”

With German national identity and business so heavily tied to its prominent place in the EU as Europe’s leading economy, the TPD has made waves, and forced its large vaping market to adapt. We interviewed Michael Braunstein, CEO of Twisted Vaping, to explain the situation for those of you who may not be familiar with the recent story of German vaping.

Twisted Vaping have skilfully weathered the storm and lit a safe path for others following in their footsteps; pushing concentrates, aromas and distinct flavours in a changing landscape.

Michael started by addressing the strain caused by the TPD’s mandatory registration period.

“Germany is currently grappling with a very long and thorough screening process for its products under the TPD: six months,” Michael says. “For manufacturers, six months means lagging behind, it means obsolescence. Most vapers within Germany end up ordering their products internationally and by the time Germany’s have cleared, most of what we’ve pushed through isn’t at the cutting edge anymore.”

Twisted Vaping sought ways to circumvent the specific regulation on e-liquids and found a way to be creative. They discovered this model was attracting interest overseas.

“At Twisted Vaping we sell flavour concentrates, which don’t fall under the TPD’s banner; we sell nicotine-free flavour shots. We’re also seeing an influx of international products from companies that want to get involved in the rise of the flavour

Far from the decisive knockout punch many feared it would be, the TPD is now having more of a reshaping effect on German e-liquids.

“For us as a flavour manufacturer, the TPD has not been so hard, but it has left deep wounds in German vaping. The market has been well restructured for aromas and flavour shots. Finished liquids are still available, but have dwindled in number.”

E-liquids are intimately intertwined with their delivery systems, and any regulation hitting one affects the other. The symbiotic nature of so many contemporary businesses means no single feature can be counted out. Michael also brought up how this is effecting online retail.

“Since the TPD also strongly influenced the hardware market; once again, the blocking periods and inspection for specific compliance in devices take priority. The existence of some offline retailers is severely threatened. Hardware can only be sold after the blocking period, which means that many customers order the devices in advance from abroad. After release of the devices in Germany, many are already outdated and sold with difficulty.”

Like so many involved in the vape business, Twisted Vaping

“

have stayed optimistic, and are showing resilience and resourcefulness in the face of such challenges, always looking to their consumers and fellow vape enthusiasts.

“We’re hardly being defeatist about anything. There is a very strong community for vaping in Germany, always talking through the problems we face. Senior management figures in vape companies have been working on solutions. And all the companies carry out proper market research. The community has a friendly, familiar atmosphere at every level, we face this together.”

So how exactly did German vaping get where it is today? The boom in vapour products has been huge but quick, and the stretch of time for analysis brief. Twisted Vaping more than doubled in size. With rapid growth came some surprising figures about who was vaping and why – figures marketers could interpret about what to prioritise in their sales pitches.

“2015 was the beginning of Germany’s vaping boom, Twisted Vaping itself experienced growth at a 200% rate, others saw similar successes. The main cause was an influx of young vapers turning to sub-ohm devices; the larger clouds and more intense flavours appealed to them. Younger people are moving away from smoking; the costs are too high and the quality is too low. It’s just not seen as cool anymore. Twisted Vaping’s main user demographic is aged 23 – 35, it was once 45 – 50. E-cigarettes are getting cheaper, with the hardware retaining its existing quality and always improving.”

Michael also offered his thoughts on the emerging Chinese vaping market. China remains the world’s fastest growing manufacturer, exporter, and consumer economy. They will be a massive influence on vaping in the coming years.

“Though Chinese products have improved in quality and compliance over the last three to four years, customs officers in Germany still restrict 1-2% of them coming in.”

That’s still a lot of products, considering the consistency and sheer numbers involved. Michael also thinks that Germany is still somewhat lacking in its “In Germany, we aren’t doing a good job of listing non-compliant products, our record keeping is very bad; we need a better record of what can and can’t be sold. It’s a problem on a small scale, but an important one nonetheless. You can’t ignore that problem.”

Michael expects a steadier rate of growth in the German vape market, saying: “Over the coming years, the German vape market’s growth will slow to 100%, which is still great news –doubling in size, but vaping is becoming normalised and vapers are already abundant, so we have to expect a slower growth rate. This two to five-year period will likely see growth at a 40% minimum.”

He sees no reason to stop pushing new ideas into this marketplace, and has prepared Twisted Vaping accordingly.

“Twisted Vaping still have plenty of plans for the future, including more concentrate flavour mixes, which are subject to long-term testing. We’re perfectionists with our products, investing a lot of time, money and care into flavour.”

He finished by reminding us of what makes this market so strong. “The best thing about the German market – aside from its communal support of course, is its transparency and versatility. All the problems its faces are being worked on with the big picture in mind. So, in summary, the TPD is stifling regulation, but the market is still adaptable. The focus on flavours and flavour shots keeps a great variety of tastes within reach. Everyone wants variety and everyone can get it. It’s a very diverse industry, but the one thing every vaper has in common with the other is our desire to always enjoy the experience.”

Regulation aside, the European market continues to prove a vast, fertile ground, especially for liquid specialists. The endurance of adaptable companies like Twisted Vaping is a reassuring sign.

For us as a flavour manufacturer, the TPD has not been so hard, but it has left deep wounds in German vaping

choose your own champion

Major

changes are coming to the 2018 Vapouround Awards, and you could be a deciding factor

The Vapouround Awards have already seen their share of starmaking moments, and are fully established as an essential event for the global vape industry.

Our inaugural ceremony in May 2016 raised the bar across the board, rewarding the hardest working and most gifted of us and infusing all runners-up and newcomers with a new aspiration. Magician Nick Einhorn – famed for fooling Penn and Teller – wowed us with a unique display of vape magic, and hosts Ashley Hansen of Strawberry Queen and Chris Tucker of Villain Vapors handled their duties with humour, charm and professionalism. Charity and generosity were an essential component from the start, with over £6,400 raised for the good causes Nora’s Dream and Help for Heroes with an auction. Emboldened and uplifted by such a promising launch, the Vapouround Awards for 2017 perfected what had begun a year previously. Joining a returning Ashley Hansen in his new role of co-host was Johnnie Lovell, who proved a show-stealing master of ceremonies, adept at keeping the energy and enthusiasm raised high through the night. Nick Einhorn thrilled once again with a vape-themed magic act, Riot Squad’s acceptance speech for Best Drink/Cocktail condensed everything people love about the vape community in a single crazed

storm of Scottish accents, garish costumes and a post-watershed tribute to the most infamous segment from Braveheart’s Battle of Sterling Bridge.

The May 2018 Vaper Expo will be upon us before we know it, and as expected, the next Vapouround Awards will come with higher expectations than ever. Every vape business worth its salt will be putting their best liquids and other achievements forward for consideration, looking to grab the highest honours in the game. And we’re happy to unveil a new category: The Industry Awards. We’ll be stepping back and allowing the business community to choose the winners for this one. All companies, manufacturers, shops and distributors – big or small, chain or independent, can submit their nominees and votes. If you’re in the vape industry, you’re eligible. The Industry Awards will collate several existing awards with two new additions: Industry Leader and Best Up and Coming Brand.

You can see a full list of all the categories for the Vapouround Awards 2018 in this section of the magazine and we are hard at work already to ensure that this will be yet another night to remember for the global vaping industry.

AWARD CATEGORIES FOR

JUICE AWARDS:

Outdoing Mother Nature may not be possible, but sometimes we come close. Putting an individual spin on familiar tastes is difficult for the best of us, and this award recognises those who defy those odds.

A good dessert has a special place in all our hearts; many of our favourites bring back childhood memories. The vape company that can translate this fondness to their e-liquids walks away with the recognition they deserve.

Menthol and mint flavours are always popular and when these are mixed well it can create a really refreshing and memorable vape.

Teas and coffees are among the oldest drinks in the world, covering countless cultures and mixed in countless ways. They’re an art form, and a good tea/coffee e-liquid is a special achievement.

This one goes to the liquid that recreates that sweet sugar rush that perks you up first thing in the morning but unlike your daily breakfast these can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

BEST SWEET/ CHOCOLATE

Vaping’s unparalleled ability to take (and keep) former smokers off cigarettes has been one of its defining triumphs. A good tobacco taste can really help smokers transition to vaping and ensure they never go back.

HARDWARE AWARDS:

Mech mods do without circuit boards and many of the bells and whistles found on many regular devices and are judged on aesthetics, ease of use and inventive design.

BEST REGULAR MOD

Many of us love a good cocktail from time to time and the explosion of flavours found in our favourite cocktails translate very well to the vaping arena. This is always a hard-fought category.

The agony of choice! We’ve all got our share of favourite sweets and chocolates in our lives; the vape company that can somehow unite us on the best sweet/chocolate liquid deserves all the praise they can get.

What would all our hard work on liquids and flavours be without a top-notch delivery system? This goes to the best regulated mod – which includes an integrated circuit, protecting the battery and device from overheating and will be judged on features, function and size.

VAPOUROUND AWARDS 2018

INDUSTRY AWARDS:

Trade shows are where all aspects of the diverse vaping industry come together to show what the vaping industry is all about. They can be entertaining, informative, exciting and innovative and there is always intense competition to be considered the best

Vape companies are always battling to be creative and captivating with their branding and marketing. This award recognises the important role that branding and marketing plays in the vape industry and recognises the hard work which goes into a great campaign.

BEST UP AND COMING BRAND

BLOGGER OF THE YEAR

INDUSTRY LEADER

As much as we love to congratulate team efforts and cohesive companies, this award will go to an exceptional individual who has improved the function and image of the industry through their own efforts or inspirational story.

This award will go to the business carrying the torch for all of us and embodying the best of our shared goals and values. In an industry which is well-known for its innovation and outside-the-box thinking, this will be a hardfought award indeed.

This will be the battleground of the rising stars of the vape industry and potential leaders of tomorrow. Recognising potential is something vape companies do like no other and it is great to see brands come from nowhere to making it big through hard work and effort.

READERS AWARDS:

This is a new readers’ award to recognise the important role that vaping bloggers play in the industry. These are the people who strive to inform and educate on all vape-related matters and can build up huge followings in their vape social media communities.

VAPE SHOP OF THE YEARVAPEFINDR

No one gets work in a vape shop without knowledge and passion; vape shops are our direct link to helping millions stop smoking and discover the wonderful activity we all work on. The Vape Shop of the Year award is voted for by readers via the VapeFindr app.

The prestigious all-rounder that unites the best qualities of an extremely diverse e-liquid market: tasty, innovative, popular and always leaves you wanting more.

AWARD:

Anyone who has ever attended a big trade show will know how amazing many of the stands look. They may come with dazzling light shows, interactive displays or feature totally immersive user experiences to help them stand out. We see a lot of stands and are constantly amazed at how they evolve over time.

VAMPIRE VAPE TO SPONSOR VAPOUROUND AWARDS 2018 CEREMONY

Vapouround Magazine is delighted to announce that Vampire Vape will be the official sponsor of the 2018 Vapouround Awards ceremony.

Vampire Vape launched in 2012 with just 12 flavours and a handful of staff and have now grown their e-liquid range to 54. The company is on track to have a 150-strong workforce by 2018 which will be based out of one of the largest dedicated e-liquid facilities in Europe.

Vampire Vape has supported the Vapouround Awards from the beginning and the entire Vapouround team is looking forward to working closely with them in the build up to next year’s event. The Blackburn-based juice company attended the Vapouround Awards in 2017, where they sponsored the award for Best Overall Juice. Founding director Nathan Walton said: “We’ve always enjoyed working with Vapouround Magazine. We’ve watched them rise in becoming a huge success within the vaping industry. Vampire Vape attended the first ever Vapouround Awards Ceremony in 2016 and we had a fantastic time which is why we’re continuing to be involved next year.”

Nathan believes that attending events such as the Vapouround Awards Ceremony is an ideal place to network with manufacturers and distributors:

“Attending and sponsoring the Vapouround Awards has always been a great opportunity to celebrate the vaping industry that absolutely no one should miss. As sponsors of the event, we have this incredible chance to be a part of something massive that dominates the vaping industry.

“Even though there’s a strong presence of competition in the room,

we at Vampire Vape believe that competition inspires you to improve your own brand. It’s also a great way to make friends and celebrate our hard work and achievements. We should make friends instead of enemies as we all need each other to be dominant figures in the vaping industry.”

Nathan and his team at Vampire Vape have always enjoyed themselves at the special evening: “The ceremony has continued to stick out for us. The humorous acts such as the magician and hosts of the night always makes it a great success. It’s so much more interesting than other events as it has always been so sophisticated.”

The prestigious spot of Awards sponsorship isn’t the only exciting development for Vampire Vape, which has exciting and ambitious plans for the future.

The company has recently purchased a 115,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Blackburn. They outgrew their first manufacturing building within six months and had to purchase two more facilities to keep up with demand for their juices.

Managing director Phil Boyle said: “The building we’ve bought is 10 times bigger than the previous warehouse. We’ve noticed our company has been expanding rapidly and on a much larger scale so we required a bigger space for all departments to communicate in one unit and now, we have so much more room to grow the company. Since its inception, Vampire Vape aspired from distributing e-liquid ingredients to creating two award winning e-liquid flavours. In fact,

Vapouround awarded Vampire Vape’s Heisenberg e-liquid with the title for Best High PG Juice and their Pinkman On Ice e-liquid won the title for Best Menthol/Mint at Vapouround Awards 2017 Ceremony. Phil and his team were overwhelmed with joy when Vampire Vape took away not one, but two awards: “Winning the award for Heisenberg was a great feeling. It’s one of our most popular e-liquids across Europe.” The Heisenberg e-liquid was first launched at Vape Fest in 2014

which was the first vaping exhibition Vampire Vape attended. Nathan said: “To receive an amazing and positive response from people within the vaping industry and having won an award for our most recognised e-liquid, it’s a wonderful achievement. I still remember people at the Vape Fest loving the flavours of our e-liquids.”

Vampire Vape also launched the original Pinkman e-liquid at the same Vape Fest and even though both flavours taste the complete opposite, Phil insisted that both e-liquids are still their biggest sellers: “Even though both flavours are complex and has a mixture of different ingredients, our biggest sellers are the Original Pinkman, Pinkman On Ice, and Heisenberg.

“Winning two Vapouround Awards for our top two e-liquids was a massive accomplishment and a perfect beginning to further develop our business in a bigger manufacturing facility.”

Vampire Vape are excited to be the main sponsors of Vapouround Awards 2018 Ceremony and we look forward to working with them to create yet another entertaining and unmissable event.

V A P O U R O U N D ‘S

NEXT TOP MOD-EL

AND THEN THERE WERE 3…

So now the competition comes to its final stage and what a journey it has been. Over the past year we have received entries from all over the UK from people of all walks of life who want to show the world their love of vaping. The entries were wide and varied and served to highlight the popularity of vaping and the broad appeal it now has. We look forward to working with the winner on the special photoshoot which will be featured prominently in this magazine.

VAPOUROUND

Sponsored by VAPOUROUND

Midlands Vaping host a charity event for a friend in need

Two of the most consistent traits we’ve seen from the vaping community across the nation are generosity and mutual support.

On June 10, Midlands Vaping hosted a very special event. Charity Begins at Ohm was a fundraiser for Andrew Williams, better known to friends as Drew. Drew was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February, undergoing surgery to relieve pressure shortly after.

A hardworking husband and father, Drew would be put out of work for an estimated 6-12 weeks, and was naturally concerned about the financial stability of his family and weathering the coming uncertainty.

Kirsty and Mike of Midlands Vaping kindly gave us an interview about this special day, and Drew’s situation.

“Drew’s been a friend to the company and a faithful customer for years,” says Kirsty. “It’s the least we could do, he’s a lovely person and deserves all the support he can get.”

“Drew had his operation on Valentine’s Day,” says Mike. “There was some pressure on the brain from the front; the result of water building up. Doctors also discovered a growth on

the stem of his brain. There will be stressful times ahead, and stressful costs. We wanted to help out.” Midlands Vaping set up a JustGiving page for donations, and set about putting together a live event.

Drew laid out the details of his situation, and the coming fundraiser on a Facebook video, published on June 8 via the Charity Begins at Ohm page,

“Since getting the operation, I’ve had another MRI scan. On the 8th of May, I was called into the hospital on the 30th where I spoke to my consultant who told me that the tumour had grown, and they weren’t sure about how fierce it was going to be. They’ll be doing a biopsy of the tumour. I’ll have to talk about radiotherapy as well, and potentially chemo, depending on the biopsy results.”

Drew was almost overwhelmed by the kindness of his friends and supporters.

“All the guys at Midlands Vaping have gone out of their way to set this up. We absolutely smashed the donations goal out of the park. The guys in the vape community have showed everybody that they’re just some of the best people in the world. I can’t even say how much they’ve helped me.”

The charity event took place at the Midlands Vaping headquarters in Dudley and was an overwhelming success. Visitors enjoyed a raffle, with all the prizes an enthusiastic vaper could hope for, and a charity auction. The day was livestreamed on Facebook. Drew’s mother alone raised £800, having all her shoulderlength hair cut off during the livestream.

“We were amazed,” says Mike. “There were some crazy donations coming in. We saw some juices selling for £100.” Andrew Johnson, the main fundraiser, described himself as “a humble vape shop owner trying to rally troops together and make a difference to Andy’s current life situation by helping lift the financial burden he has unwillingly found himself in. This will assist his family by relieving the stress of not having a salary.” And rally the troops he did. When all was said and done, the JustGiving page hit 256% of its target: £5,125 what began as a £2,000 goal.

Drew’s wife Toni thanked all involved on the JustGiving page, describing herself as “seriously overwhelmed and speechless,” and that the family’s “emotions have run high because of so many kind, generous and giving people there are in Andy’s life. We will be forever grateful and one day we will be able to give back.”

Telford Vaper

On August 19, the Cordingley Hall in Telford will host the Telford Vape Show, a gathering of vapers and vendors united in their shared dedication to a good cause. The Love Vaping-sponsored show will see a cloud competition, an awards ceremony presented by The Demon Vaper, hot food facilities and a bar, a wide range of entertainments, and some of the biggest names in UK vaping with all proceeds going to charity.

The man behind the day’s festivities is Kevin Hill, also known as the Telford Vaper: a Youtube personality and juice reviewer who has proven to be a uniting influence and skilled organiser for our thriving community.

Kevin’s motivation goes back to a heart-breaking day. October 3 2011, Kevin lost his beloved son Josh to Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. “I feel blessed for having had Josh in my life,” he says. “The fourteen years we had were indescribable.”

Kevin has since remarried, residing in Telford with second wife Lucy and their daughter Amelia-Rose. He has been vaping for about eighteen months, and says it has helped him out of a destructive habit. “When Josh passed away my smoking spiralled out of control. I was getting through 80-100 a day. The family doctor was clear about what such heavy smoking was doing to me, and eight months later I quit.”

But tragedy resurged in Kevin’s life shortly after. The death of his grandmother drove him back to excessive cigarette smoking, and continued to harm his own health. Eventually he found a promising way out most ex-smokers can vouch for, even after a rocky start.

“Four years ago I bought my first e-cigarette. It was a small, basic pen; not a great product and I wasn’t familiar with the details of nicotine levels, quality and other things I’d need to stay off cigarettes. By January 2015 I vowed to stop completely. A year ago I started the Youtube channel; I’m a travelling salesman by trade and have no qualms about presenting myself well in front of a camera.”

With a significant birthday approaching, Kevin made a snap decision.

“I started doing these ‘4-40’ challenges – as I’m closing in on my own 40th birthday. One night I just had an epiphany. I realised I wanted to do a charity vape show, I could bring my favourite activity to something important, something I really cared about. I shared the idea with my friends who vape, and put it out on Twitter. I started reaching out to other Youtubers, realising how much of a strong online community there was for vaping. Before I knew it, a number of hashtags had caught on, the most popular being #TCUS (Telford charity vape show). I’m amazed at how quickly it’s all come together.

It took a while to find a venue for the show; we were refused twice. But ever since we got Cordingley Hall to agree to host, everything has fallen into place.”

Kevin’s event has seen an incredible influx of support from across the industry. “There have been so many donations of money and resources. Saddlehorse Blues have donated coils; Riot Squad and Dinner Ladies have donated raffle prizes.

www.gosh.org – Kevin experienced the vital work of the Great Ormund Street Hospital first-hand when overseeing Josh’s care.

www.libbymaeslittleangels.com – “This charity does wonderful work for neonatal care,” Kevin says. “They save the lives of babies all over the West Midlands.”

These are all charities Kevin believes can help others through the pain that he has experienced. Kevin has set himself the target of raising £500 for each charity, for a total of £2000. But his ambitions won’t end in August: “I want this to be a yearly event, and it looks possible. The response I’ve got from the community has been phenomenal. Love Vaping have set up a JustGiving page, and printed 10,000 flyers. I’m confident we can hit our donation targets.”

If you’re a vaper, or business with a generous heart, don’t hesitate to get involved! Even if you can’t make it on the day, you can send donations to any of the aforementioned charities via their website.

www.daddyswithangels.org – Kevin saw a shortage of charities for grieving fathers after losing Josh. “Traditionally the dad has to be supportive and stoic and there isn’t always an opportunity to seek help and support.”

www.braintrust.org.uk – A close friend of Kevin’s is suffering with a brain tumour. Seeing the effects of this, Kevin gained an increased respect for the Trust and the relief they provide.

Kevin will evenly split the day’s proceeds between the following charities:

SMOKING RATES ACROSS UK FALL WITH STEEP DECLINE AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

“Our ambition for a smokefree nation is in sight,” Duncan Selbie: Chief Executive of Public Health England.

The continual decline in popularity in smoking in the UK that health chiefs are predicting that we are on course to become a smoke-free nation.

Latest government statistics show that smoking rates continue to fall with a particularly sharp decline since 2010 amongst younger people.

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that in 2016, 15.8% of adults in the UK smoked, down from 17.2% in 2015. When broken down by country, the adult smoking rates are as follows:

Meanwhile vaping is on the increase with 5.6% of the UK population - around 2.9 million people - using e-cigarettes in 2016.

For those who do smoke, the data showed that average daily cigarette consumption still remained at some of the lowest levels since 1974 for both men and women.

Although the average daily cigarette consumption for men in Great Britain increased slightly in 2016 to 12, this increase was not statistically significant. For women, the average consumption in 2016 was similar to that observed in 2015 at 11cigarettes.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, said the UK had the second-lowest smoking rate in Europe after Sweden.

Writing in the Public Health Matters blog Mr Selbie added: “Even before the publication of these new figures, an EU survey last month, the Eurobarometer, shows that the UK has the second lowest smoking rates in Europe after Sweden.

“It is a great achievement that we are at the forefront in Europe in tackling smoking but it also shows that, compared to Sweden, we still have some way to go.”

Mr Selbie added: “What is really fantastic news is that this steep decline is even greater among young adults (aged 18 to 24), where smoking has fallen by a staggering quarter since 2010, reversing a long trend.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: “People who quit live longer and feel better, no matter their age. However we must not be complacent. Smoking is still the UK’s biggest cause of early preventable death.

“Approximately 100,000 people die needlessly from smokingrelated diseases every year in our hospitals – it’s time to tackle the human and financial cost the tobacco industry creates.

“These statistics confirm that e-cigarettes are mainly being used to help people quit. Given half of long-term smokers die as a result of their habit, using vaping to help someone stop smoking could literally save their life.

“A new tobacco control plan was expected to be published last year. It is now well overdue, and must be a priority for the new government.”

The findings were revealed by the latest statical bulletin from the ONS called “Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2016.”

The report said: “As the proportion of current smokers continues to decline, the proportion of smokers who have quit continues to increase.

“The prevalence of smoking among the population in Great Britain continues to fall whilst the proportion of smokers who have quit continues to increase. In 2016, of those aged 16 years and over who had ever smoked cigarettes, 60.6% had quit, which was the highest proportion of smokers who have quit since the time series began.”

The chief executive of the anti-smoking charity Ash, Deborah Arnott, said: “One in two lifetime smokers will die from smoking-related disease, so a fall in smoking rates of this scale will save many thousands of lives in years to come.

“This proves that tobacco control policies work when they are part of a comprehensive strategy and are properly funded.”

“It’s now hard to believe that back in 1974 almost half of adults smoked. But now an end really is in sight and we have a real opportunity to virtually eliminate all the harm, misery and death caused by smoking.”

E-CIGARETTE USE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

Approximately 2.9 million people in Great Britain currently

use e-cigarettes

The Office for National Statistics report also gave the most up-to-date snapshot of e-cigarette use in the UK.

It showed that in 2016, 5.6% of respondents stated in 2016 they were current e-cigarette users, which equates to approximately 2.9 million of the population. In 2016, of all respondents 18.6% said that they had tried an e-cigarette, whereas 13.4% stated they have been an e-cigarette user but no longer use one.

E-cigarette use by age showed that the youngest, those aged 16 to 24 years, were more likely to have tried an e-cigarette and been an e-cigarette user, compared with the older age groups. Those aged 35 to 49 were found to most likely be current e-cigarette users. The report said: “While it may be too early to identify trends without a longer time series, it is interesting to observe the difference in proportion of current e-cigarette users particularly by age since 2014.

“The findings show that the largest increase in current use was among those aged 16 to 24 years followed by those aged 50 to 59 years. Despite this, the sample on e-cigarette use tends to be small, meaning that random fluctuation is more likely to occur. As such, we will need monitor these trends in the coming years before drawing solid conclusions.”

THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR USING AN E-CIGARETTE WAS AS AN AID TO STOP SMOKING

Both current and ex-smokers stated their main reason for using e-cigarettes was as an aid to stop smoking (50.1% and 48.2% respectively). The second most common reason for both groups was that they perceived e-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarettes.

Of all current e-cigarette users aged 16 and over, just over three-quarters (75.3%) used their e-cigarette every day and a further 15.9% used one at least once a week.

The report also highlighted huge levels of variation over how harmful different people perceived e-cigarettes to be.

It said: “Recently, there has been growing interest in smokers’ perceptions on the harm of smoking cigarettes relative to harm of using e-cigarettes. In our data, on the whole, smokers tend to have a different perception of e-cigarettes when compared with the perceptions held by ex-smokers and those who have never smoked.

“The most negative view of e-cigarettes were held by smokers who have never used one previously. Specifically, 60.8% of smokers who had never used an e-cigarette felt that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes.

“Interestingly, dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes had more accurate perceptions. In 2016, of dual users, 91.1% reported that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes, something which was also found when looking at 2015 data.”

Commenting on the report’s findings, Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, said: “Although e-cigarette use increased more among young adults, smoking rates fell fastest in this age group.

“England is leading the world in maximising the benefits from e-cigarettes, while minimising the risks, and [these] new figures certainly are encouraging.”

He added: “We have much to be proud of in our efforts, including all those working in charities, the NHS and Stop Smoking Services; and of course the sheer determination of the millions of individuals who have overcome their addiction and quit [smoking] for good.

“Together, we have saved millions of people from years of disability, ill health and premature deaths. And now an end really is in sight. Working together we have a real opportunity to virtually eliminate all the harm and misery smoking has caused for far too long.”

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England

Good luck!

The Vaper Expo Team

BY PATRICK GRIFFIN

While many countries in the eurozone have complied with the regulatory timetable set out within the TPD, Spain is one of those which has not.

As a result there were many exhibitors at this event taking advantage of the ability to sell liquids in bottle sizes larger than 10ml.

Spain does intend to implement the TPD but has said it needed a little more time in order to do so which is why it is out of step with those countries who are now fully TPD compliant.

The main effect of this at the expo is that those companies who were selling the larger bottles were at an advantage of those who had fully gone down the compliance route.

If one company is selling three 10ml bottles for €10 and another is selling three 30ml bottles for the same price then it is clear where most of the money will go.

The second thing that struck me was that this show was a little smaller than the previous show in Madrid at the same venue.

While last time all three levels of Madrid Arena were used for the show, this time round it was only the ground level and about half of the second level which were occupied.

The busiest day by far was the opening day which saw queues of people waiting in the sun ahead of the official 11am opening time which was delayed by half an hour. However the early-birds waiting in the 27C mid-morning sun did not seem to mind the delay and were good natured as they waited for the event to start. There must have been several hundred people lining up outside the venue and the only clouds visible were plumes of vapour drifting skywards on the very gentle breeze.

We set off early for the show, which was just as well because the taxi driver misheard our request to go to Madrid Arena and took us to the Bernabéu Stadium by mistake. However he raced across town to get us to the Arena on time and at least this gave us another opportunity to see another iconic Madrid landmark.

In fact all of our taxi drivers had a hard time getting to Madrid Arena. Finding the arena itself posed no problem but the police had closed off some of the streets leading to the venue so finding a way in was something of a challenge.

While this was a quieter and smaller show than many, that did not detract from the event itself and the Spanish vapers proved to be very passionate indeed.

It was amusing to see a couple of vapers trying e-liquids at the Vapouround/Naked Fish stand and passing over their mod so that we could also try the liquid they were currently vaping. That has never happened to me before and I have been to quite a few shows now.

Once again I was welcomed by a complete stranger as “Vapouround Magazine” by the first person I saw as I approached the venue because he recognised the logo on my t-shirt. (The same thing happened in New York too.)

As official media partners, we had the latest copy of our magazine, an official show guide and four page floor plan available to all visitors as they arrived and they went down very well indeed.

Madrid Arena - a circular complex built in 2002 as part of the facilities planned for the Madrid 2012 Olympic bid - was a little dark inside because the roof skylights which allow natural light to flood in were closed, probably to help keep the venue cool.

The first thing that struck me about this expo was the amount of non TPD compliant e-liquid on sale.

EUROVAPE EXPO SPAIN 2017. MADRID ARENA - JUNE 10-12.

The expo attracted names from both home and abroad but a lot of the stands were scaled down versions of what the exhibitors would have at a larger venue.

This meant that there was not the wow-factor of an event such as Vaper Expo UK, for example, but the event still worked very well and the visitors all seemed to have a great time.

It was noticeable that visitor numbers dropped off mid-afternoon when the outside temperatures soared to around 40C and then picked up again later in the evening. It was probably for this reason that the expo stayed open until 8pm for the first two days.

I enjoyed the show, but slightly disappointing was the businessto-business day which was held on the final day of the event, a Monday, and the opening hours were just 9am until 1pm.

The visitor numbers were far fewer for the final day and many of the exhibitors didn’t even show up at all on Monday which was a little disappointing.

Vape events are known for their live music and I thought the tunes played by the DJs at this event were particularly good and really added to the atmosphere as did the brightly coloured spotlights which cross-crossed the venue from the four corners, catching the vapour in the air as they swooped around.

The catering at the venue was of high quality with a large selection of items on offer and, while not cheap, certainly reasonably priced compared with other expos I have attended.

There does seem to be something of a resurgence in the Spanish e-cigarette industry of late and events like this can only help move things along in the right direction.

BY STEVE CULF

It is just two months since we were last in Russia for VapeShow Moscow and now we are back at the same venue for VapExpo. Both events were organised by Smile-Expo and this three day event showed, once again, that there is a really vibrant vape scene in Russia.

The vast majority of the exhibitors were Russian and everyone I spoke to was very friendly. In fact at one stand I was being invited to knock back vodka shots with the company owner within two minutes of talking to him.

I don’t normally reach for the vodka mid-morning but on this occasion I thought it would be rude not to and I am glad I did. The vodka was really smooth and I enjoyed the experience.

The next day it was early afternoon when I next walked past this guy’s mech mod stand and he beckoned me over for another couple of vodka shots which were chased down by energy drinks. It makes a change from an afternoon coffee I suppose but I can’t imagine this catching on back at the office.

There were cloud competitions which went down really well during the expo and attracted a lot of excitement from among the visitors. Giveaways were also highlights of the show for many. Not only were there giveaways from the main stage but a lot of the exhibitors had giveaways at their stands to bring in the crowds. This technique certainly worked and people would flock to the stands where there was a chance of walking with some free juice or other vape-related freebie.

They certainly love their vape expos in Russia and this can only be a good thing.

VAPEXPO BY SMILE-EXPO MOSCOW. JUNE 16 - 18.

I noticed lots of glamorous promotions girls at the show - not that I was especially looking out for them - but they did a great job in directing attention to the stands they were promoting.

This was a big show which filled a large hall and a smaller one connected by a small walkway and I even saw one vendor who had set up his stall under a marquee outside the venue’s main entrance, to take advantage of the mild weather.

The approach to the venue itself was interesting. VapExpo was held at Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre which is inside Sokolniki Park which was created by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the father of Peter the Great.

The park has been open to the public since 1878, and is home to pines, spruces, birches, oaks, limes and maples and wildlife including 76 types of bird as well as hares, squirrels and weasels.

All vehicles were subject to a military check upon entering the park and we had to pass through airport-style security checks at the venue itself. I mentioned before that people were very friendly

and a lot of people there had heard of Vapouround Magazine and were told us they loved it.

One vape fan at the show even told me he had cut out the Vapouround logo from the magazine and had made stickers from it for the rear windscreen of his car.

This was my first time in Russia and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I felt very safe walking around at night and I had stunning views of the park from my 20th floor hotel room.

The only negative thing for me was encountering the rush hour traffic on my way from the airport to my hotel on the day I arrived.

The 18 mile trip, which might reasonably have been completed in around half an hour, took more than two hours in the slow moving traffic. Then rush hour is bad no matter what part of the world you are in and I didn’t let it detract from this trip. In fact there was such a good vibe about the place that I would happily come back as a tourist.

BY PATRICK GRIFFIN

Having got horribly lost on my way to the first Fusion vape expo, I was determined not to do so again this time round.

That lasted a good 20 minutes when I turned left at a roundabout instead of right and ended up heading away from the event. Once back on track I was soon in Hucknall and remembered exactly where the Old Town Hall venue was.

The first thing I noticed was that Riot Squad was in town - their distinctive van took up much of the small car park and was blasting out music from its PA system.

People were sampling their e-liquids and as I got closer I could distinctly smell the sweet aroma of their new Iron Bruise juice in the air. However, unlike at the recent Vaper Expo UK in Birmingham, there were no men in kilts to cause havoc this time round.

The expo began at noon and was set up very similar to last time round - four rows of tables running from the front to the back of the venue.

It was a bit of a tight squeeze but it did mean that you certainly got to know the vendors around you and this did lead to a much more intimate kind of expo which the grand scale of some of the larger expos cannot replicate.

It was a very pleasant summer’s day and outside it was cloudy and hot. Inside the hall, even though all the windows were open for maximum ventilation, it was also cloudy and hot too.

There was a huge amount of vapour in the air - it would hardly be a vape expo if this was not the case - and I was even able to recognise some of the e-liquid flavours as the clouds wafted past me.

This is clearly one of the smaller events on the vaping calendar but that does not mean that it can be dismissed on terms of size.

There were a nice mix of exhibitors there and it was very well attended and well organised.

As I mentioned earlier, smaller shows can have an intimacy which larger shows may lack and it also leads to a more relaxed atmosphere where nobody feels hurried.

It was nice to see people being free to take their time visiting stands and chatting with vendors because this personal touch is really what the vaping community is all about.

Sometimes at larger shows you feel you have to hurry along in case you miss something and exhibitors may not be able to give visitors the attention they need because there are so many people there.

This event attracted a wide cross-section of people of all age ranges and at different stages of their vaping journeys which was great to see.

Fusion’s Expo #3 is due to take place at the same venue on September 23 so if you are in the area it is well worth a visit.

There is no parking on site but there are pay & display car parks close by and the Fusion Vape Lounge website (fusionvapelounge. co.uk) has very clear information about getting to the venue by car and public transport.

FUSION

BY STEPHEN HANSON

“There’s an expo in Berlin this weekend – I want you to go please but you will need to leave right now,” he says.

I was told to head home, get my bag packed and that I would be told where and when I would be flying from shortly.

And so the challenge was accepted and the journey became like an episode of ‘24’ (minus guns and Kiefer Sutherland) just to catch what turned out to be the 16:30 flight from Stansted airport!

So partly through good fortune, and partly through sheer determination we made the flight, checked in to Mercure Hotel, Aleksanderplatz, near to the prominent Berlin 360 TV tower with its revolving restaurant 207 metres above the city.

Berlin itself is a world city of culture and its economy is based upon established and emerging high tech companies – however e-cigarettes are moving in fast and from the German companies we spoke to it is obvious that they are doing their market research very thoroughly. I am convinced that German e-liquids will be a common sight in UK vape stores before too long.

The huge 6,500 square metre warehouse hosting InterSteam 2017 wasn’t filled to capacity, but the visiting public didn’t seem to notice or to mind – they were happy trying and buying the juices from the likes of Tom Klark, Fantasi & Twisted Vape, (among many

others) and nodding in general approval at the very varied flavours that seemed to cater for the fans of USA and European juice tastes. It is estimated today that more than 2.5 million Germans regularly use electronic cigarettes (‘steamers’ as they’re sometimes known as in Germany) but the potential market is very promising as the Germans continue to have one of the highest smoking rates in Europe with 38% of men and 30% of women being regular cigarette smokers. (Source: No-smoke.org) So with a population of over 80 million, the e-cigarette market could easily surpass that of the UK, but during my visit I didn’t see many people vaping outside the many bars and restaurants of Berlin – but I did notice a lot of them smoking.

This was my second business trip to Germany during the last twelve months and I’m looking forward to my next visit – so in summary this was a well organised show that didn’t quite reach it’s attendance potential – however, the potential for the e-cigarette market is very encouraging with many more shows planned for this economically strong country. So dust down your German phrase book and stand by to market your products over there – because I guarantee you’ll be seeing German produced e-liquids and devices over here.

Friday June 23rd, 11:35 am, sat around a table at Vapouround HQ in Derby just finishing off a meeting when the boss turns to me with a request.

BY STAFF REPORTER

NATIONAL VAPE EXPO. DUBLIN CONVENTION CENTRE - JULY 1-2

To say that this show was a disappointment is an understatement in the extreme. As vape expos go, this was absolutely woeful from start to finish.

When I arrived at the convention centre there was nothing to say that a vape expo was taking place inside. No posters, no banners, no signage, absolutely nothing at all. It was the same story inside - not a single clue that I had arrived at the right venue.

The online floor plan boasted 63 stands and a large stage but as soon as I stepped foot inside the door I was in for my next shock.

There was no stage, hardly any visitors at all and perhaps about 20 stands in total. I had literally seen everything there was to see in my first two minutes and I am being generous if I say that I counted a couple of dozen visitors in total during the morning.

This was going to be a very long couple of days and I was wondering just how slowly I would have to walk to kill time.

Normally at shows I am so busy that I don’t have any time to fully engage with all the entertainment and listen to the guest speakers.

The show website featured two guest speakers described as: “Some of the top advocates in the country with one of the most beautiful advocacy panels yet,” so it was a rather intriguing build up.

Sadly I was to be disappointed once again because they were not anywhere to be seen and therefore I cannot comment on how beautiful or otherwise these vaping advocates actually were.

I heard unofficial estimates that less than 200 visitors attended the event over the two days and from my own observations

I would say this is in the right ball park. This was such a disappointment because Ireland has a vibrant vaping community but where was everyone at this show?

Many of the exhibitors I spoke to criticised the poor organisation and questioned whether the event had been publicised enough. After all even the most passionate vapours cannot attend an event they don’t know about.

Certainly any vapers passing the venue would have had no idea that there was a

vape expo going on inside.

I felt so sorry for the exhibitors who had paid a lot of money to attend and I was not surprised to hear that some were talking about obtaining refunds. I must say I can’t blame them.

I am used to shows where people queue to get in, there is thumping music, an air of excitement and thick clouds of vapour in the air but there was none of that here. In fact there were hardly enough visitors to fill a phone box with vapour.

I spent a lot of time chatting to exhibitors I knew and they were happy to have someone to engage with because they had so little else to do. Very often a good 15 to 20 minutes would go by between one person visiting a stand and the next. No wonder the exhibitors were angry.

During the weekend I had to come up with ways of passing the time such as counting the number of steps between stands and taking regular coffee breaks.

Never in my life have I made a large flat white latte last so long. Normally I am an

espresso kind of guy but the five seconds they take to drink would not just cut it when I am running down the clock at such a vaping non-event as this.

This was horrifically boring with almost nothing to do. No cloud competitors and no give aways from the main stage… come to think of it there was no main stage and no crowds of people to give things away to.

Day two brought some excitement. A couple of official looking people visited the stands and gave some guidance about what could and what could not be sold at the show.

Shortly afterwards one vendor just decided to give all his stock away while another just cut his losses, packed up and went home.

Spending two days here was souldestroying. This was a waste of time for all involved and I felt genuinely awful for exhibitors who had paid to be here because they got virtually nothing in return.

BY DAVE TURNER

As I write this on the morning of our flight home, it’s worth noting that it’s always a thrill to visit a particular expo for the first time.

That thrill is enhanced when it’s also a first time visit to a new country, but there’s always a degree of nerves too as you make your way there.

As a member of the vaping media and more importantly the vaping community as a whole, I always want every expo to be a success at passing on the message that vape has to offer and to organise an expo that is a unqualified success is indeed quite an ask. I can say quite comfortably that Canada’s Vape Expo achieved this brilliantly and with a touch of panache at their recent expo in Toronto spanning the 21st-23rd July.

Hosted at The International Centre the expo was a shining example of the myriad of things that are wonderful about the Canadian vape industry - an industry currently facing legislative challenges in the form of the S-5 bill.

It was inspiring to see how alongside organisations such as the Canadian Vaping Association and the Electronic Cigarette Trade Association of Canada the industry are tackling those challenges with efficiency, dignity and a very impressive level of organisation. The expo itself showcased a large variety of brands that anybody, either business or consumer, should take the time to acquaint themselves with. Canadians are of course noted for their friendliness and this was apparent throughout both the entire show and the visit as a whole.

Alongside the vendors themselves it was also fantastic to see and listen to experts and advocates of the vaping industry such as Phil Busardo, Dimitris Agrafiotis and former Winston man David

Goerlitz. Special thanks must also go to Charlie Pisano from the event organisers. From a very warm welcome through to his constant help and assistance throughout the event, Charlie was a pleasure to meet and immeasurably kind and helpful throughout our entire stay.

Without hesitation I’d recommend attending any of the events that Canada’s Vape Expo’s organisers put on. Whether you attend in a business capacity, or simply as part of the vape community, you’ll find it a very worthwhile and engaging way to spend your time. I’m already looking forward to a return visit here for the next expo - this one was truly stand-out and I’m excited for more. Do yourself a favour and if you have the time then visit too.

CVE-CANADA’S VAPE EXPO. TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 21-23.

TOUCH OF VAPE - COVENTRY - MAY 13 2017

The Vapouround Bus was delighted to visit Touch of Vape E-Cig store for their grand opening on Saturday 13th May. We’ve been eager to travel to Coventry after many months of planning our visit with store owner, Richard Brookes.

Touch of Vape provides a customer service friendly environment accompanied with their wide range of vaping devices of e-liquids, mods and many more: “We regard ourselves as the next generation vape store and what we’re trying to implement with our philosophy is create a professional look and higherend vape store to the high street,” said Richard.

It was a pleasure to meet Richard, his family, and see the fantastic store they had spent a generous amount of time in refurbishing. With a neutral black and white theme accompanied by glossy counters, the store looked sophisticated and elegant.

The interior design of the store was superb and the staff also matched the colours of the store with white shirts and black trousers which added a sense of professionalism. The staff were very friendly and were happy to help with any questions that the public had regarding vaping and what

suit the customer best.

The Vapouround Bus was also busy with a constant flow of people wanting to sample the e-liquids on the Vapebox.

We welcomed vapers at the store and told them all about the Vapouround Bus. Everyone loved the latest look of the bus and once they found out we were there to help smokers and advise vapers, they were incredibly excited to join in on the fun!

“WE REGARD OURSELVES AS THE NEXT GENERATION VAPE STORE AND WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT WITH OUR PHILOSOPHY IS CREATE A PROFESSIONAL LOOK AND HIGHER-END VAPE STORE TO THE HIGH STREET,”

products would

ALL

WAY

VAPOUROUND

We also met many experienced vapers at the store and it was great to talk to people and learn about their successful journey from smoking to vaping.

Richard was also pleased with the overall outcome of the grand opening: “We were anticipating the grand opening for quite some time. We have spent a lot of time and money investing in our store and as far as grand openings go, I think this was a fantastic one! Having the Vapouround Bus join us on the day brought a lot of attention to the store.”

Richard has been vaping for over two years: “I’m pro-vaping all the way and with the Vapouround Bus generating more awareness on vaping and introducing the benefits of vaping to the public, I think this is a great example we’re setting for the vaping industry.”

Richard loved the look of the recently re-wrapped Vapouround Bus: “The bus definitely had the visual impact that we were looking for on the day. In terms of customer service traffic and footfall, the Vapouround Bus made the day feel like an official event.” We had a lovely time at Touch of Vape who were very welcoming towards us. We hope to come back again!

We’re always happy to answer any questions and if you want to know more about getting the Vapouround Bus to your area or store, then contact either David Turner or Jorgie Shaw on 01332 650239. Alternatively, they can be reached by email: dave@vapouround.co.uk jorgie@vapouround.co.uk

“I’M PRO-VAPING

THE

AND WITH THE

BUS GENERATING MORE AWARENESS ON VAPING AND INTRODUCING THE BENEFITS OF VAPING TO THE PUBLIC”

CLOUD 57, WEST BRIDGFORD, NOTTINGHAM

SATURDAY, 29 APRIL 2017

On Saturday 29 April, the Vapouround Bus returned to Nottingham, this time visiting vape lounge Cloud 57 in West Bridgford.

Cloud 57 was holding an ‘All Day Vape’ event for everyone in the local community – from dedicated vapers in search of the best new products to curious smokers looking for a superior alternative.

With a relaxed, friendly atmosphere established and thick clouds of delicious vapour mixing and hanging overhead, the stage was set for the Vapouround Bus to pull in.

Vapouround’s signature vehicle arrived at 4pm sporting a resplendent, eye-catching new exterior and a cosy interior packed with free food, drinks, mods, liquids and all the knowledge the vape enthusiast or beginner could want. Situated just at the edge of the city centre and bordering the gateway to the suburbs, the bus saw whole families stop by to inquire about vaping.

Visitors, already thrilled by their experience at Cloud 57, got a chance to diversify their experience and step things up.

As usual, we were cleared out of goodie bags and other freebies in fewer than three hours. Some of the visitors who traded cigarette packets for starter kits were trying to move past smoking habits

VISITORS, ALREADY THRILLED BY THEIR EXPERIENCE AT CLOUD 57, GOT A CHANCE TO DIVERSIFY THEIR EXPERIENCE AND STEP THINGS UP.

as high as 30-a-day. They left with starter kits, liquids and most importantly: accurate information on how to stay off cigarettes for good. Tracy was one of the many visitors who had gone from tobacco to vapour, and never looked back:

“I was smoking for quite a few years. I’d had enough of cigarettes. I was sick of them personally, and was worried about the effects they’d had on my health. It was easy making the transition to vaping; fortunately I had all the correct information I needed from the start – the right liquids, the right nicotine levels.”

Tracy wasn’t the only one lending her support and seeking help. Ben, 29, recently decided to quit smoking over health concerns and ever-rising cigarette costs, but didn’t make the jump to vaping until he was steered in the right direction.

“My mate’s really into vaping. I went around to his, tried my first e-cigarette and really liked it and then looked for the right flavour for me. I bought by first mod from a shop right here in Nottingham, and kept my eyes open for better mods and different setups.”

First impressions can be everything. We at Vapouround understand that many people’s introduction to vaping rests on word-of-mouth, good personal interaction and the right products for the right people from the very beginning, and we structure our bus tours around these facts.

We’re always happy to answer any questions and if you want to know more about getting the Vapouround Bus to your area or store, then contact either David Turner or Jorgie Shaw on 01332 650239. Alternatively, they can be reached by email: dave@vapouround.co.uk jorgie@vapouround.co.uk

REVIEWS> VAPOUROUND

Welcome to the Vapouround review section of the magazine. Here we feature some of the latest vaping equipment and juices on the market. We are passionate about this industry and always look forward to reviewing new juices and new hardware. The mods and vaping accessories in this section receive thorough reviews over weeks of use. This includes judgment of design, build quality and, most of all, usability.

The juices recieve an attentive reviewal process by one of our professional external reviewers. The tasting of the juices are unbiased and provide a great insight into e-liquids, giving good feedback for both distributors and all those who are interested in purchasing new e-liquids. Take a look and see if any of the juices found in this issue tickle your fancy.

Please note: All hardware and e-liquids are reviewed by external reviewers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Vapouround Magazine.

Specs:

Dimensions: 85mm by 58.5mm by 28mm

Wattage output range: 1-220W

Min atomizer resistance: 0.06ohm

Temperature range: 200-600F

Supports Ni200 nickel, titanium, and stainless steel heating elements

Superior zinc alloy construction

Super Big 2.4 Inch OLED touch screen

TCR adjustments

Available in 8 colours

PROS

Screen lock button

Reactive touch screen

This little guy is a super reactive touch-screen device with all the power you need for an excellent vaping experience (a whopping 220w) as well as a super cool design and easy interface.

The G-PRIV features a huge 2.4 inch OLED touch screen on the main face of the mod and a large fire bar on the side similar to alternate Smok models such as the popular Alien. There is another small button which is placed above the fire bar, this has a capability of turning the OLED off or locking the touch screen which is a massive plus to this design. Very cool and very needed with a touch device. The model I’m reviewing today has a metallic orange and black finish with a matching TFV8 Big Baby (also included). If that isn’t cool enough the device has a brilliant carbon fibre (more upgrades available) design battery cover that fits flush with the design, has no rattling and an excellent hold!

The interface of the design has a simple graphic layout and is very responsive. This must be the best touch screen mod I have used to date as it has a spacious layout and responds immediately. It is similar to your smart phone to put it into perspective. The main screen has a clean identity featuring the time, live battery display, wattage, puff timer and counter, amps, volts and resistance.

The menu on this device again is clean and features VW, TC, max puffs and of course settings which progress into in-depth sub menus. The good thing with these menus is they all have an activation tab so at any point you can play and not make the changes live until you are ready, pretty awesome! The menu settings can get a bit small which is a slight nag if your fingers are big but with a bit of focus its not a problem.

The variable wattage modes have soft, normal, hard and max outputs and all work pretty well with clear differences. TCR mode has some pre set up features such as pre heat settings making vaping more controllable from the get-go. The settings menu features your usual time and date, model details and a factory reset which is good to clear updates and unwanted pre settings.

Overall the device is a solid build. The G-PRIV really gives an unmatchable, glitch free experience. Paired with the supplied Big Baby this wonderful kit produces lovely thick vape clouds crammed full of flavour, mmm tasty. If you have ever had a bad experience with a touch screen the G-PRIV will change your mind, it’s excellent.

AND DOESN’T SHE LOOK WONDERFUL.

SO HERE IT IS GUYS, THE MAGNIFICENT G-PRIV BY SMOK.

Operating voltage range: 3.4-4.2V

PROS

This is a very cool pen-style starter kit that contains a huge 3000mAh battery integrated in the device.

The Stick V8 is a sleek design that is thick enough for good hand comfortability and powerful enough to entertain the most advanced of vapers. The 7-colour design is smooth and stands out from the crowds of vape pens (a wide variety of colours are available). The Big Baby tank (included) sits flush on the 24.5 diameter mod for a flush stylish finish. As a whole, the device has a nice weight to it. It is not too heavy and is still small enough for discretion.

Featuring just a single button, the device looks pretty basic but the output sings a different tune. The device also has a micro USB port for charging and this has a battery indicator below, which will illuminate when charging.

To start the device takes five button presses and the LED light flashes 3 times to let you know it is on. It is exactly the same process to switch it off and when vaping the LED lights up in white which is good for alerting unintended fire ups.

From the first fire up the vape experience was incredible. Instant flavour and wonderful clouds. With this little pen, Smok has developed specific coil heads that perform perfectly with 3.7v direct output from the integrated battery of the device. It’s a perfect match!

For new vapers the tank has a wonderful mouth-to-lung vape experience by fully closing the air-vent at the bottom of the tank. The device is fully capable of assisting a vaper from first mouth-to-lung vape into an advanced direct lung vaper. Simply on that note this device becomes one of the best vape pens around in my opinion. Overall this kit gives 100%. The battery life is brilliant and super efficient - just fully charge the device as instructed. The flavours and cloud are that of an advanced kit but at the ease of a single button. This device is the starter kit that everybody needs and gives a great mouth-to-lung vape experience too. Simple but very effective, I love it.

the

On first impression I was totally amazed with how weightless the device is. Under first impressions the device is a wonderful size has a beautiful design and is super light weight. This screams perfection.

The device is made of a super light weight material PC/ABS (Polycarbonate/ Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) this feels like a matte coated plastic and is very durable. The shape is perfect for the hand with a three button system. The device takes two 18650 batteries and the battery casing is very firm and efficient. This case has gaps that makes the batteries visible as a quirky visual identity of the device. The battery gap combined with the vent holes makes for one of the best ventilations I’ve seen for a battery housing.

The device is an ocean blue with red paint splatters across. It has an embossed tesla logo down the left side and grid vents around the front. The WYE200 has a wonderful theme combination that’s slightly retro but very futuristic looking (This could even be a Star Wars prop).

One of the nicest things for me is the large button that Tesla is renowned for doing. It has a nice press and through the duration of using the device it never stuck once. The same applies to the two small +/- buttons which are solid and well built. The WYE200 has a metal 510 pin so the wear and tear of the device is minimal. This mod has a micro USB port which has a wonderful new feature! When charging the batteries via the port, the mod rebalances the batteries and brings them to maximum charge at the same time. Pretty cool.

The display of the OLED screen is pretty much the same of previous models from Tesla such as the popular Steampunk Nano 120w. The modes and selections are very useful and featuring your usual material modes and also temperature control modes. This device has three memory slots which is ideal for switching between tank atomisers and RBA’s as it allows for you to be more free with a variety of customised tanks. Perfect for making a daily statement.

A main feature that works exceptionally well is the user mode which allows you to build your own vaping style by selecting wattage outputs on a 10sec chain by adjusting each second bars in 1w increments, very cool but probably the most efficient I’ve used yet.

The taste modes are another area that work well with actual noticeable change when using the individual settings(soft/normal/hard) on the device.

Overall the Tesla WYE200w is very good and I’d say one the best high power devices on the market especially because of its efficiency and design. With fantastic looks, super light weight and efficient output this is a must have mod. So go grab yourself one, Simples!

This e-cigarette is a very simple pen design. It has a matte black colour and royal gold details that really emphasise a classy look and feel. The shape is square and very comfortable in the hand. The device features a single fire button that has LED indicators. The Genesis is charged using the micro USB pin on the back face of the pen.

The e-cigarette has a lid perfect for protecting against leaking or dust and residue build up in the drip tip when carrying. The device is a top fill system that is accessible with a press and twist action. The tank on the genesis is built in and has 1.5ml capacity and a max fill line displayed in the tank window. This limit should not be exceeded or this prompts leaking.

This pen is clearly for start up vapers and an ideal vape for beginners. The simplicity allows the user to get used to vaping problem free. At the tip of the Genesis there is a airflow hole that is adjustable by twisting the tip. By twisting fully closed this allows for a mouth to lung vape which imitates the standard style of smoking. The closed air vent has good air resistance enough to be able to inhale an adequate quantity of vape. The open air flow is also good enough to adhere to the most experienced vapers inhale.

The pen has a short charge time (fully drained) of roughly 2 hours. This is visually shown by a change in the LED from red to blue. Surprisingly this mod has a 0.4Ohm resistance which allows good flavour and paired with an impressive 1500MAH battery, produces good vape clouds.

The mod doesn’t have a visual menu but has functions such as resistance identification mode that detects the current ohms of the coil. The device runs on multi press systems and also has low-voltage, short-circuit and over-discharge protection.

As a whole this is a very basic piece of kit but it is very good for a simple pen. The device is reliable and the coils keep for a good period of time. For a smoker that is ready to begin the life changing journey of vaping, this is where to start. Not only is the vape production adequate the design of the device is very smart too. Vaping definitely begins with Genesis.

The first things that I noticed when using this device is one, its small and compact, perfect for literally any occasion and two, the build quality of the device is flawless.

The Tarot Nano has the same shape as its big brother Tarot Mini. A nicely bevelled outer shape featuring a wonderful rainbow theme. The device features its screen on the short side along with all four function buttons. Other than main face of the mod, the device has a micro USB charge point on the near right side, no batteries needed for this little side kick.

The visual design overall comes in multiple colour schemes. It’s a beautiful little kit visually with a matching Veco tank that comes within the kit. Visually the device is flawless, it looks strong and appealing plus the size, tank to base, is small which makes it perfect.

The Oled display is a impressive size for the size of the mod and has a nice clear layout.

The screen is navigated by the plus and minus button along with the mode button at the bottom.

The device keeps the left/right hand bias at bay with a switch screen system that rotates the display.

It features VW/CCW modes that give you full flexibility with your vaping experience. The wattage is adjustable in 0.1 increments. The wattage line can also be manipulated in CCW mode for further customisation. If this isn’t enough, it also features TC modes that make it more adjustable for a wider variety of vaping materials.

The device has a variety of safety locks and functions that allow the mod to be so practical, its perfect for first time users and advanced vapers too.

What is surprising about this mod is the high power output for such a small device - 80 watts of power and it is smooth from the first fire up. There are no glitches and no lag, just straight reliability. The battery lasts a surprisingly long time and should get you through any day-long session or vape event.

This mod, paired with the Veco, produces beautiful flavour and a great vape experience. It is totally capable of the best mouth to lung and the best straight lung experience.

Overall

any needs.

The Target mini is possibly the smallest vape device I’ve ever seen that isn’t in pen form. Its small and black with a big red button, it looks very similar to a detonator from the movies, deserving its name.

the shape is designed like the grip of a gun so the comfort in hand is wonderful. It features a compact screen and four buttons and an easy functionality making it an all you need kit to get you through the starter stages of vaping.

I’m really into the design of this device and the functions it provides. The modes are VW which is adjusted in 0.1 increments and also VT and TCR modes.

The main point of this device is to deliver a starter experience to vaping and assist through the progression of vaping, I must say it does it well. The kit comes with two types of coil compatible with two separate supplied drip tips.

For mouth to lung you pair the SS CCELL with the thin mouth piece. This gives a very precise mouth to lung experience and it’s the best mouth to lung I’ve experienced in a non pen device. Perfect for start up vapers.

The device also comes with a wider tip and 0.5ohm coil to fully explore the more developed vape experience.

Vapouresso’s Target Mini is so universal it almost seems too good to be true but its not. What we have here is a brilliant kit that fulfils its purpose of a anti smoking device.

The Target is a brilliant mod but a lot of credit is due for its partner the Guardian tank. The tank is top fill, even with the coil inside making it mess resistant and allowing the use of the device to become even easier.

Overall the device is just the thing any start out should look for. It has a compact design, variety of functions that promote advancements in the vaping world and multiple functionality so its universal dependant on the user’s needs.

REVIEWS

JUICE REVIE W S

Overwash

This juice has a delightful scent. A blend of what smells like blackberries and cherry. It’s most certainly a summery scent.

Upon inhale the initial flavour is a sweet red cherry. This is then accompanied by a super icy menthol that travels from throat to lung. Not too cold and strangely refreshing.

The flavour is very strong and lasting which is just what you want from a vape. With a cool hit its perfect for summer days.

The exhale sees a softening of the menthol and ends with a subtle cherry outro that really lasts.

Scent 4/5 | Flavour 4/5

Vape Face - DR.DRU

This e-liquid has a very fruity scent. It has a variety of notes mainly citrusy but then a sweet peachy hint.

Upon inhale the vape has a lime flavour, this is also paired with a subtle sweet edge.

The hit is exceptionally smooth and that’s just the beginning of this great vape.

On the exhale a sugary peach note freshens up the lime flavour and blends with the strawberry. The taste has a peculiar sweet and sour sensation but it is so subtle that it doesn’t effect the hit, it just adds to the complexity of the vape.

The aftertaste starts initially as a mellow lime but then picks up flavour into a lasting fruity hint.

Scent 4/5 | Flavour 4/5

JAmes PArnell JAmes PArnell

Mum’s Milk

This e-liquid has a wonderful creamy scent more of a strawberry milkshake tone.

This vape has a velvet initial hit which is so smooth that you almost miss it. The hit is accompanied by a sweet strawberry note that makes the vape even more pleasurable.

The flavour then develops into a custard taste that blends perfectly with the initial strawberry flavour. The taste becomes more of a strawberry cream and this mixed with the soft hit creates a perfect vape.

The vape has an odd but pleasantly subtle custard aftertaste that really emphasises the creaminess of this juice.

Scent 5/5 | Flavour 5/5

Diego Bull

The initial smell of this vape is a sweet chocolate. This then gets overcome by a sugary peanut overtone.

Upon inhale the flavour of this vape is a very sweet chocolate which then develops a nutty edge. The inhale is finished off with a sweet kick. The hit after is very smooth all the way to the release. The exhale gets very interesting. The nutty flavour becomes dominant and gets consumed in a sugary caramel undertone that has a very creamy hint.

This vape is pretty unique as it has a wonderful chocolate that blends so beautifully with the nutty caramel taste. Overall it’s an excellent vape and a must have for any chocolate lover. The closest thing to a snickers bar I’ve tasted so far.

Scent 5/5 | Flavour 5/5

Raspberry Lemonade

The juice lives up to its name from the get go. The raspberry has very a delicious smell and gives this vape a instant appeal.

On the inhale the raspberry comes through in an instant. It’s a smooth hit but you get a very light taste at first. The exhale is the point at which the raspberry explodes with flavour filling the taste buds. The raspberry is such a tasty flavour it surprises you when it finishes on a sweet lemon note.

This is an e-liquid that quenches the cravings of a sweet tooth and is definitely an all day vape.

Scent 5/5 | Flavour 5/5

Peach Lemonade

This e-liquid has a simple but effective scent. Straight sweet and peachy. Upon first inhale you are greeted with a super sweet peachy flavour. It is mellow and the very smooth hit really emphasises the peach.

The flavour goes through a progression starting with a sweet fresh peach flavour which is then complimented by the lemon flavour that infuses gradually finalising the flavour and its very very good.

The aftertaste is exactly as expected, sweet and lasting. This juice is a must have to add to any fine collection. A peachy delight!

Scent 5/5 | Flavour 5/5

Fruit mix lemonade

The scent of this e-liquid is a citrus blend giving a little more with a tropical undertone and it is pleasant to say the least. Very light and subtle but enough scent to get the mouth watering.

On the inhale the hit is smooth and fruity. It leaves an almost fizzing sensation with a delightful strawberry undertone.

On the exhale the juice develops and a flavour of mango and other sweet complexities emerge that really progress the juice from a standard citrus vape to something more special.

The aftertaste is just as sweet as the vape itself and it lasts for a minute or two then ends leaving nothing other than the craving for more.

Scent 4/5 | Flavour 4/5

Apple pie a la mode

I’m a huge fan of apple pie flavours. The combination here is of sweet and slightly tart apples with hints of cinnamon and a thick layer of pastry to round the whole thing off. Simply Vapour have done an excellent job here, with all the flavourings tasting natural and extremely accurate. I highly recommend apple pie a la mode to anyone looking for a new dessert vape! I also recommend mixing this juice with any kind of vanilla custard liquid, it adds another layer of sweetness that makes it extremely homely and brings back memories of Sunday afternoons at my grandma’s. Apple pie a la mode is amazing! 5/5

Signature tobacco

This premium e-liquid has an earthy tobacco blend scent. It smells somewhat sweet to how I’d expect a tobacco to smell.

On the inhale, a subtle toothsome, almost nutty taste brushes the tongue with a tobacco overtone. This is followed by a really smooth warm hit. It is surprisingly sweet for a tobacco.

On the exhale, a richer tobacco taste is present finished with a sweet earthy undertone that lasts through to the aftertaste.

The cloud production of this e-liquid is thick and smooth with zero harshness.

Overall a really great vape. This tobacco is one that gives a little more to the vaper. Earthy and sweet.

Scent 3/5 Flavour 4/5

Nilla Mint

This e-liquid smells super refreshing. A subtle blend of peppermint with a sweet hint of vanilla pods.

On the inhale the vape starts sweet with a tasty vanilla touch, this is then freshened up by a cool peppermint taste.

The hit is very smooth and slightly cool. Even when fully inhaled a sweet note is left on the tongue.

On the exhale the sweetness subsides and the peppermint becomes more present. This leaves a sweet cool feeling in the mouth. This vape is a summer supreme its beyond refreshing, forget brushing your teeth. (p.s still brush your teeth)

Scent 4/5 | Flavour 5/5

Bat juice

This juice has a sweet fruity scent, almost like a blackcurrant squash. Bat juice has a complex blend of sweet berries. This is very subtle on the inhale giving a blackcurrant and cranberry overtone. On the exhale the berry flavour intensifies and then finishes off nicely with a slight cooling on the throat and lungs. The hit of this e-liquid is very smooth and the vape as a whole is really good.

The element I like most about this juice is that it is a sweet menthol. No harsh hits and no bitter aftertaste. This is an all round great fruity vape. 5/5

Exotic Tropic

The scent of this e-liquid is a fruity mixture. It smells very similar to tropical fruit juice but with an overtone of mango.

On the inhale I was instantly hit with a tropical flavour. It has a overtone of mango to begin with. This then develops into a blend of mango, papaya, oranges and a hint of ripened kiwana (horned melon). That banana-esq note really finishes the fruity mixture to perfection. This is a sweet complex blend that is easier to get key tones like mango when vaped from a freshly-wicked coil. A very nice vape from start to finish. The smoothness is as impressive as the vapour production. I found that it works best at 65 watts. I really love this.

Bravo Thor juice! 5/5

Pegasus

This e-liquid has a vanilla, biscuit scent with a creamy undertone. This smells mouth watering. When first vaped the only taste I got was sugary vanilla. Then I went for a second hit. Upon inhaling there is a long lasting sugary pastry flavour, like a soft sponge or butter pudding. Then this pastry flavour develops with a creamy vanilla flavour, this has the taste of custard that really complements its predecessor.

As a whole, the vape tastes like an authentic British pudding with custard. It is a pleasant vape but be wary that it is rather sweet so can be a bit too much after a while.

Perfect for the dessert lovers and sweet toothed enthusiasts! 4/5

Ares

This e-liquid smells like a sweet strawberry ice cream. The strawberry is the stronger tone and then there is a soft creamy undertone to finish off the smell.

On inhalation the flavour of soft cream fills the mouth. It is soft and sweet but very flavoursome. This is like digging into fresh strawberries and cream.

On exhale there are nice vanilla undertones that complement the creaminess of the taste. This juice is very dessert oriented and perfect for the people with a keen sweet tooth. This e-liquid stood the test of time and is vape-able for days. As far as dessert flavoured e-liquids go, this is perfect and not sickly at all.

I would definitely recommend this! 5/5

I am not very keen on the smell of this e-liquid, it has a strong sweet cough syrup scent. This tastes just like Black Jack sweets. It starts sweeter and ends more on the bitter-sweet side. If you like black jacks this is definitely for you.

I found this e-liquid very overpowering. The flavour is very strong, enough to blow your mind if you like that kind of thing. The hit on this e-liquid has a harsh edge but the flavour remains throughout.

I’m not the fond of this e-liquid and found that the hit and flavour is funny and stubborn a bit like Jack Black himself. 3/5

Hades

This e-liquid oozes with berry scents. It smells delightful. My nose is blessed with an overtone of strawberries kissed with a note of blackberries, raspberries, cranberriesand blueberries. On the inhale this e-liquid is very sweet. It has a nice overtone mixture of strawberries and blackcurrant which is soft and lasts until the exhale. The exhale sees a savoury nut flavour blend with the sweet fruits. To finish off the vape a subtle cinnamon note comes in as a surprise.

Overall this is a tasty vape. This one is for the unique dessert vape hunters, it isn’t like a vape I’ve tasted before.

Nicely unique! 4/5

Kanzee

This e-liquid has a sweet scent of strawberries with a kiwi undertone. On the inhale it has a rich strawberry hint with a strong but smooth hit. The flavour then develops a ripe watermelon note that really complements the overall fruitiness. The exhale pushes the vape into a slight kiwi that mixes predominantly into a strawberry kiwi smoothie taste. The vape is delicious and gets the taste buds wanting more.

scent 4/5 | Flavour 5/5

Maracuja Twist

This e-liquid smells amazing. It has a potent tropical fruit scent. The most definitive note is like ripe passion fruit.

On the inhale you receive a sweet passionfruit hit that travels smoothly down the airways. The passionfruit gains a hint of melon on the exhale that really enhances the fruity vibe of the vape. To finish this vape off the flavours develop a creamy vanilla taste that last with the passionfruit. This vape gives a beautiful aftertaste that’s sugary and creamy all at once.

Scent 5/5 | Flavour 5/5

Calipter Cow

Calipter Cow has one of the most unique scents I have yet experienced, It’s a mixture of nuts and nougat.

The taste starts out really pleasant. It initially has a light nutty flavour but then gets quite creamy. The hit is smooth and flavoursome.

The nutty taste is complemented by a creamy vanilla pairing. Overall the vape has the flavour of a snickers bar but without the caramel or chocolate. It’s a creamy peanut butter taste with a vanilla loving. I actually really like it. Bravo

Scent 5/5 / Flavour 5/5

Red 5

The scent of this e-liquid is a cherry-like smell with a liquorice overtone. It smells similar to a medicine.

On the inhale the vape delivers a sweet cherries and berries flavour that is wonderful. This then progresses with a light liquorice essence that gives a unique and rich flavour.

The hit is nice but then gets disturbed by a strong aniseed. This flavour then sticks until full exhale and lingers on the tongue for a moment.

Overall it’s a nice juice but I wasn’t too fond of the aniseed, but each to their own, if that’s your pallet, this is the one for you.

Scent 4/5 | Flavour 3/5

BotterMelk Fresh

The aroma of this vape is very subtle. It almost teases you with a light citrusy smell that has a creamy edge and there is also a slight alcohol note which is very subtle. On the inhale the first flavour to hit is a powdery milk taste. This then gets a slight kick of lemon that makes things more interesting. The hit is smooth but enough to feel it travel. The e-liquid then maintains the main milky notes but progresses with a buttery flavour. The milk with the lemony taste has me in two minds, its pretty sweet but after vaping for a while can be a bit much. This one is definitely for the creamy vape lovers.

Scent 3/5 | Flavour 3/5

Ice Cassis

This juice smells beautiful, like a mixed berry smoothie. There is definitely a handful of cherries in this one.

On the inhale the e-liquid delivers a strong blackberry overtone. This also has a hint of cherries and blueberries.

The hit is smooth with an icy menthol but one that’s not so cold that it freezes your internals.This is a really good berry vape and the flavour keeps on giving all the way through the exhale. The aftertaste is sweet and short leaving a cool sensation in the throat.

Scent 5/5 | Flavour 4/5

The great thing about the twisted vapes’ flavour shots is that they give you full control over mixture percentages and flavour strength. All of the e-liquid above where made at a 60/40vgpg ratio and at 3mg of nicotine. These flavour shots are economical with a wide range of flavour profiles to choose from, without the trickiness of perfecting a blend.

Twisted Vapes 5/5.

JUICE REVIE W S

Lemon Dead

After already loving the other juices in this line, I was hopeful about trying out ‘Lemon Dead.’

For me, lemon is a hit or miss. You either nail it, or you don’t. Under the umbrella of lemon flavours, you can come across a huge range of preparations. For example, there are lemon cheesecake flavours that are more focussed on the creamier elements. There are lemonade flavours, soda flavours, custard flavours – the list is pretty much endless. And despite there being a tonne of them out there, the right lemon flavoured e-liquid is hard to come by.

For this juice, I decided to use my usual set up – a Druga RDA alongside an Asmodus Minikin v2, running at 80watts.The nicotine strength of this e-liquid was 3mg, although it is also available in 0mg and 6mg. The VG:PG ratio is 80:20, so perfect for sub-ohm or dripper setups. Carefully dripping the liquid onto the freshly wicked coils, I could smell a faint zingyness. As soon as I took a long, calculated inhale, I knew that this juice was something special.

PEACHES

Upon inhalation, there were powerful notes of sour, sherbet-like lemon,

As I processed the flavour, and began to exhale, I noticed a more subdued and unobtrusive touch of sweet, sugary lemon candy. The exhale really

I like how much this e-liquid tastes just like the candy it set out to replicate. You get the zingy sharpness matching the sweet, more dulcet tones. it is so hard to find an e-liquid as carefully executed as this one. Being 80% VG, big clouds were to be expected, and Lemon Dead did not disappoint! Billows of lemon-scented vapour soon filled the room, much

Lemon Dead lived up to my (rather picky) high standards, and I felt that the way it tasted exceeded all of my expectations. It came across as bold as well as sumptuous whilst retaining the sweeter side of lemon candy, rather than the sour notes overbearing all other components. 5/5!

Fantasi Mango

The flavouring in this e-liquid is very much alike a sweet and thick mango nectar. It is not sour at all and carries the juicy and zingy notes of a fresh mango. This e-liquid is very basic in terms of flavour components, although all of the elements melt in to one master flavour, creating an overall refreshing and wholesome taste. The mango is very sweet and syrupy, and leaves a strong sweetness in your mouth on the exhale - this is reflected in the fact that Fantasi Mango has the potential to clog up your coils due to the added sweetener flavourings. As tasty as this flavour was, I found it to have an overpoweringly sweet and sickly aftertaste that I felt took away the refreshing coolness of the mango. This e-liquid will most certainly appeal to fruit fanatics, as it is exceptionally exhilarating and has full bodied fruit that is difficult to match. I would suggest that those of you who do not like very strong sweet e-liquids, perhaps to at least try it before you decide, as I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised. 4/5

Fantasi Grape

Grape flavours can be very hit or miss in the vaping world. All too often we find ourselves stuck in the monotony of harsh flavours, or even flavours that are too mild in taste. I have tried a multitude of grape e-liquids that are more similar in taste to aftershave than to anything remotely like what it says on the bottle! Thankfully, Fantasi have really pulled the rabbit out of the hat with this one. The grape notes are both candy-like and sweet, and everything tasting just as it should. Again, Koolada makes an appearance, albeit a welcomed one. It gives the whole flavour a bit of a kick and sets the grape way up on the flavour scales. In this juice especially, I found that the grape was almost bubble gummy and was most pronounced on the exhale, and big plumes of vapour ensued. Again, I really couldn’t find anything wrong with this. 5/5

Fantasi Orange

Saving the best for last, the zesty orange blast of flavour is truly ecstatic. Although this Fantasi e-liquid instalment does not taste like ‘real’ organic oranges, it definitely has major similarities to orange fizzy pop (no surprises there!). You cannot pick up on the gaseous element that you would expect to find in actual sodas. However, the consistent and sugary tones amalgamate with the sharp orange, creating one of the most flavoursome, fruity and Fantastic (see what I did there?!) eLiquids that I have tried in recent months.

The orange is certainly more noticeable on the inhale, whereas the sugary sweetness is carried along and is noticeable both in the inhale and exhale, but is defiantly more prominent on exhalation. I really cannot fault it, it was powerful and full of accurately measured components, all joining together to generate an e-liquid that I would go as far as to say it would make it into my top 10 – and I have tried plenty. An easy 5/5!

Fav’ Juice: Little Havana - Miami Drip Club

WHITE SERIES BLACK SERIES BAZOOKA

White Chocolate & Strawberry

The strawberry in this e-liquid is incredibly realistic, and just smelling it evokes the familiar aroma of a bowl of fresh strawberries. The strawberry is met with creamy, smooth and satisfying white chocolate. The chocolate really calms down the strawberry, and the strawberry livens up the chocolate, a very unique relationship not found often enough in e-liquids. On inhaling, the strawberry is the dominant taste, and on exhalation, careful notes of white chocolate edge their way into the flavour as a whole. I especially appreciated the white chocolate in this juice, due to the fact that it is a difficult flavour to get right, and Kilo really hit the nail on the head with this one 4/5

Apple Pie

Apple Pie is just that – a warming, cinnamon-laced crumbly pastry, filled with sweet, and ever so slightly tart, stewed apples. Out of all of these e-liquids that I am reviewing today, this one came across as the most basic in relation to the complexity of flavours. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just simple – there’s no complicated ingredients, and sometimes simplicity is key. The apple is broad and takes the front seat in comparison to the pastry, which is very muted but still important in creating this juice. On exhaling this e-liquid, there is a dash of warming cinnamon that does bind the other flavours together. This juice tasted exactly like what it said on the bottle, and that is a definite plus. Although I feel like Apple Pie e-juices are not exactly unique, as there are so many of them out there. Still pleasant enough though.3/5

Green Apple Sour Straws

This flavour comes across as very similar to the candy it has set out to replicate. On the inhale, the apple is sweet and a little artificial (yet still pleasant), and when you begin to exhale, an unmatched sourness takes over and literally makes your mouth water. This e-liquid definitely comes under the category of sour apple, and although I have tried several of them, this was probably my favourite.

This flavour is simple yet effective, and is very well constructed from its gentle throat hit to its copious amount of vapour production. 3/5

Watermelon Sour Straws

Ice Cream Sandwich

More popular in the USA, ice cream sandwiches are rapidly becoming more commonplace in the UK. This flavour incorporates smooth and milky vanilla bean ice cream with a crumbly chocolate cookie blend. The vanilla is quite strong and is definitely noticeable, without being too potent. It is pleasant and just the right balance between too mild and too overbearing. The ice cream comes across as a base layer of milky smoothness, and does not clash with the other flavour components.The chocolate cookie is also very mild, and it is a little difficult to taste it at first. If I am honest, I couldn’t really pick up on the chocolate tones, which for me is okay, because I find it difficult to find a decent chocolate e-juice flavour. Overall, this e-liquid was a lovely experience to vape, down to its velvety notes and unassuming flavours. It was delicious, don’t get me wrong, but I found it just a little lacklustre. 3/5

Honey Crème

Honey Crème is probably my favourite out of White/Black series from Kilo. With a name like ‘Honey Crème’ you would expect a strong and potent blast of artificial honey right off the bat. I was wrong, I felt there was certainly a presence of honey, however it was mild and tasted very realistic.

Honey Crème is very rich and has a touch of vanilla ice cream that is blended with an almost nutty texture. The only thing that concerns me is its rather bland nature. The creaminess in this juice is more appealing when exhaling, as not only does it taste fantastic, but it also creates very impressive clouds. This e-liquid was unique and carried welldesigned tones that were scrupulously combined to construct such a pleasant e-juice. Cloud production was great, and I only had minor qualms. Overall, Kilo did really well when they came up with this gem. 5/5

In comparison to the Apple version of Bazooka sour straws, the watermelon in this e-liquid is incredibly smooth and sweet. I didn’t pick up as much sourness than I did with the last one, although there is a faint hit of tartness that really contrasts with the candy elements of watermelon. I thoroughly enjoyed the softness of the watermelon, more so than the sharp apple from the previous e-liquid. There is a definitive difference between the two, despite being from the same line of e-juices, and of similar flavour profiles. I much prefer the Watermelon Sour Straws than the Apple Sour Straws – although they are both rather impressive, more-ish and not too potent, making them ideal for all day vaping. 4/5

of smooth almost creamy aroma of peachy, apricot hit my nostrils. Now, due to the name of this e-liquid stating that this is a custard flavour, I assumed that the custard was the most prominent flavour and was going to be strong. On the contrary, I found that the custard took the back seat in terms of flavour, allowing the fruitier tones to take the reins and really make this juice pop. The custard element to this flavour is light and unassuming, the creaminess adds to the whole experience of vaping this juice. What you tend to find, is that custard flavouring is haphazardly added to fruit flavours and really ruins the taste, as the two components clash and may smell nice, but when vaping it, it becomes overwhelming – and not in a good way. However, Papricot Custard has really smashed it with matching two very different types of flavours.

On inhalation is when the fruity flavours of apricot and sweet peach are most predominating, and as you begin to exhale is when the soft touch of vanilla custard rounds off the flavour of this fantastic juice.

This e-liquid is very unique, sweet and appealing, with all of the flavours that are both complex yet perfectly executed. It will be particularly alluring to sweet tooths and fruity fans! 4/5

the plate and truly delivers possibly the most peculiar sensation of mouth-watering sourness that I have ever had the chance to experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the unequivocal sharp, tangy edge to this e-liquid. You may find that this element of flavour is more pronounced on the inhale, and on the exhale is when you can most appreciate the delicate, mild undertone of minty menthol. I think it pairs well and helps create the sensation of coldness in relation to the presence of ice, in iced slushy flavours. This really brings it all together in a unique and well-executed e-liquid. I think that this juice will appeal to those of you who prefer either fruity, candy or menthol flavours, although I would at least recommend that you should try it purely for the incredibly realistic and strong notes of sour blue raspberry on the inhale. Overall, an enticingly pleasant and powerful blast of flavour that works surprisingly well, bridging the gap between candy e-liquid and menthol ones. 3/5

mint tea that was both refreshing and unique. I found it to be rather similar to herbal cough sweets – but much more complicated and distinctive. There are hints of Jasmine tea. The lemon in this flavour is not sour or artificial tasting, it tastes just like lemon tea, something I found worked well, as an artificial lemon would be more akin to sherbet or candy flavoured e-liquid. The tea element is not just ‘tea’, to me, it holds more than just a generic flavour and includes other types of tea, such as jasmine. It is wholesome and revitalising, giving you a very satisfying vaping experience. To round it off, there is a touch of menthol, not a sharp, icy menthol, but a slighter and almost herbal taste to it. The menthol used in this juice is very complimentary to the other flavours and helps create the complexity that is sometimes hard to find in e-liquids.

Overall, the flavours work really well together and I think that this juice would appeal to those who like soft, smooth yet mentholated e-liquids. 3/5

JUICE REVIE W S

Harmony

Today I’m trying out Harmony from Kind Juice’s Sub Element range, a collection of 100% VG liquids. Harmony is a really hard flavour to describe, it’s really something that needs to be sampled to truly understand but I’ll do my best!

If you imagine walking through some gardens on a hot summer’s day, it kind of tastes like that smells. It’s packed full of botanicals and floral notes leaving quite a perfumey taste on the tongue.

I find it really hard to pick out what exactly it is that I like about Harmony but I can’t stop vaping it. This is definitely one of the most alluring vapes I’ve ever had. The clouds with this juice are extremely impressive due to the 100 percent VG and I’d be doing a great disservice if I didn’t mention the fact that Kind Juice use only natural ingredients and flavourings. 4/5

Sweet Carolina

Sweet Carolina is a one of a kind blend of dulcet tobacco and a myriad of other interesting flavours that are sure to excite the taste buds.On opening the bottle, a fragrant and slightly perfumey element met my nostrils and I was immediately intrigued.

When vaping, you get a warm and almost nutty taste to this liquid on the inhale, and despite not being a fan of tobacco e-juices, I found it to be rather pleasant and inviting. There is also a unique take on a certain sweetness to this e-liquid, namely a citrus honey. To me, it tasted like a mild tartness of an orange, mixed with an all encompassing, sweet, honey. This, in itself, was amazing, as I have never come across such a distinctive set of flavours. It could’ve turned out wrong, but ended up so right in reference to the quirky elements of Sweet Carolina. What I found to be another pleasant thing about this one of a kind e-liquid, was that the tobacco is smooth and rich, without becoming too overbearing or pungent. One can really appreciate the carefully concocted notes of flue-cured tobacco, and it doesn’t taste

artificial at all. It almost smells like apricot, and is intensely earthy.

On the exhale, a wonderful sensation begins to unfold, and all of the separate components of this liquid start to blend together, giving you the chance to sit back and admire the craftsmanship behind Sweet Carolina. 4/5

Vengers - Fruit Crush

A fruity concoction with the main flavours of lemon and apple. That being said there are many other fruits on display here and I can taste a definite hint of sherbet tying them all together. A sweet and refreshing vape that I could probably vape a lot of. 4/5

Vengers - Mango Cream

A gorgeous ripe, authentic tasting mango, blended and effortlessly combined with a luxurious cream. Once again this is another sweet, fruity liquid, definitely an ongoing theme with this Venger range of juices by Hangsen. I definitely recommend Mango Cream to people looking for a nice tropical liquid with a creamy edge. 4/5

Vengers - Lemon Cake

Finally we have more of a dessert vape from Hangsen, but keeping up the traditional fruitiness of this range there’s a serious amount of lemon on show here. The cakiness of this liquid hits you like a ton of sponge bricks, a real sugary treat that’s nicely reigned in by sharp lemons. Tastes exactly like a lemon drizzle cake. Highly recommended! 5/5

JUICE REVIE W S reuben hodgkins reuben hodgkins

High Creek: Theli

Upon smelling this e-juice a dominant flavour isn’t obvious, however the aroma of tobacco and fruits is faintly present. Offering a confusing scent, it’s surprising flavour offers a complexity of flavours. On the inhale a succulent apricot hits the tongue, a flavour that more closely resembles a dried apricot than a fresh piece of fruit. As the inhale continues an undertone of almonds hits the back of tongue. Into the exhale the apricot continues to tingle the taste buds in conjunction with the added flavour of cream and biscuits. The cream within the exhale comes as more of a surprise emphasising the overall mellow flavour from this juice. Post-vape the apricot continues, leaving a sweet residue on the taste buds.

Scent: 1/5 Flavour: 3/5

High Creek: Scarface

The first impression from this juice is from its scent. The juice offers a sweet strawberry and raspberry scent, which is redolent of soft gummy sweets. Starting from the inhale, the flavour of strawberries and raspberry sweets is dominant. The inhale also offers an undertone of vanilla creating a complex flavour on the tongue. On the exhale the dominant flavour changes to cream working in conjunction with the strawberry, raspberry and vanilla to continue the complex flavour combination throughout the vape. The aftertaste from this juice is predominantly a mixture of raspberry and cream. Overall this juice leaves a good impression with its sweet creamy taste.

Scent: 3/5 Flavour: 4/5

High Creek: Fafnir

The scent from this juice is slightly more complex than others, offering a mixture of smells. The main identifiable scents are tobacco, vanilla and toffee. Upon inhale the impression of a tobacco flavour disappears and it is soon replaced with coffee. Towards the end of the exhale a vanilla and almond flavour becomes apparent. The coffee theme continues throughout the hit into the exhale, where the coffee receives some strength and dominates the overall flavour. The exhale continues to offer a hint of vanilla, but the toffee intensifies, creating a creamy cappuccino with syrup shots effect. The theme of dominant coffee flavour continues after the vape leaving a hint of coffee on the tongue and lips.

Scent: 1/5 Flavour: 4/5

Vanilla Custard e-liquid

On first impression this e-juice produces a surprisingly more biscuit scent over a custard scent. The biscuit scent is similar to that of a lightly-baked custard cream without the center. Moving on to the inhale the theme of a custard cream continues with this being the dominant flavour. Within the inhale there is an undertone of vanilla creating a complex flavour. The exhale unusually contains all the flavours of the inhale with little change in the hierarchy of strength. The main change is the depth of the flavour, as the cloud thickens within the mouth, it quite noticeably intensifies.

As the flavours become stronger so does the impression of the flavour with the taste of real custard really coming through. Post-vape, the taste of biscuit lingers along with a hint of custard. Overall this juice has left a lasting positive impression, with the main strength in this liquid being its thicker custard flavour on the exhale.

Scent: 3/5 Flavour: 5/5

Fav’ Juice: Star Boy – Quasar

Fav’ Mod: asMODus Minikin Kodama My palette: Desserts

Cherry Tart

The first impression received from this juice is the scent it produces in the bottle. The scent offers a very sweet cherry smell, similar to that of a glazed cherry. Based on the first impression it may be presumed that this is a very sweet flavor, however on the inhale there is a strong taste of a less sweet, fresh cherry. This refreshingly savoury flavor continues throughout the exhale. In the exhale, the pastry flavour becomes more apparent hitting the back of the tongue, and lingering at the same intensity until the very end of the vape. For a while after the sweeter end of the cherry flavour continues to stick to the tongue, prolonging the nice flavour. This juice could be categorised as a fruit flavour or dessert and it offers something for lovers of both. As this juice isn’t too sweet I would describe it as an all day vape and a juice I’d carry with me. Overall the flavor is 4/5 with only a slightly stronger pastry flavor improving it. Scent 4/5 Flavour 4/5

Cola Burst

Upon first impression the scent from this juice connotes a flat non-brand cola flavour, an impression which doesn’t last upon the inhale. The inhale’s strongest flavour is cola which tastes exactly like a gummy cola bottle sweet.

Towards the end of the inhale an icy menthol soon becomes obvious creating a slightly cool feeling.

On the exhale the icy menthol becomes more intense, mixing with the cola to create a cold beverage taste. The beverage taste is further prominent with the undertones of lemonade creating a complex but refreshing combination. Overall this juice offers a great impression, and is a juice I would recommend to anyone with a drinks flavour preference. This juice receives 5/5 because of its refreshing taste and refreshing feeling from the icy menthol.

Scent 1/5 Flavour 5/5

Sweet Spot

Indulge’s Sweet spot juice offers a refreshingly fruity reception. The scent this juice produces is wholly similar to a honey dew melon. The name of this juice may give the impression of a candy flavour, however on the inhale a predominant flavour of honey dew melon is present. This is certainly not your ordinary melon flavor because of it’s enriched sweetness. The extra sweetness could be described as a natural sugar flavour that could be expected from cane sugar sprinkled melon slices. The exhale is where the real flavour of this mixed bag juice is escalated. Instantly as the exhale begins an undertone of strawberry mixes with the main honey dew melon of this juice. As the strawberry flavour continues towards the end of the exhale a hint of kiwi is overt. Post vape the strawberry and kiwi elements remain evident. Overall this juice is one for the fruit lovers because of the wealth of sweetness it produces. Scent 3/5 Flavour 4/5

HOW TO STAY RELEVANT IN A COMPETITIVE E-LIQUID LANDSCAPE

JAC Vapour’s Communications Director, Emma Logan, discusses the challenges and opportunities in the e-liquid segment of the market.

Did you have to alter your e-liquid range to comply with the TPD?

If you’re referring to only selling e-liquid in 10ml bottles, doing away with any strengths over 20mg and ensuring full CLP compliance –yes, like all other law abiding companies / retailers, we did. It wasn’t too much of an issue as we had been working down to D-day with a considered plan for almost a year. The only thing we wanted to make sure was that our customers knew what was happening and why. No-one likes change and especially if you’re a vaper that keeps your range very tight, any change can be detrimental. In the main, we haven’t seen a downturn in sales or fewer returning customers.

How has the change in bottle size affected you?

The change in the size of bottles, which, in our opinion, is one of the more ludicrous of the TPD laws, was, and still is, a difficult one for vapers.

No-one wants to carry around a back pack of tiny e-liquid bottles every day, it doesn’t really make any sense. However, we thought ahead, and we have an Easy Mix range, picNIC (launched in early 2016) which allows customers to mix their own Nic base choices with their own chosen flavour concentrate into a 50ml bottle to ensure those who like to carry around bigger bottles can; in this post-TPD world.

We were one of the first to market with UK-made e-liquids, which was a big deal back in 2010 - now all of our e-liquid is manufactured in the UK. We’ve always had our e-liquid tested at source and in independent labs, so we are pleased that the TPD means that all e-liquid sold must be of the same high standards, this is actually a major plus for the customer as a result of the TPD (I know we all like to slate it, but production standards are a good thing).

We have an in-house flavour guru who creates recipes for us and sees through the manufacturing process. We all enjoy testing days. We started with 1 range and we currently sell 6 ranges, consisting of: Standard, Premium, picNIC Easy Mix, Clear Steam Vapourless and 2 x Gourmet liquid ranges: Liquid Zwo (PG/VG 50/50) and, brand new for summer 2017 – Bryn’s Special Sauce (High VG) – this is a really exciting range and the flavours really are something else. In total we have about 80 flavours to offer vapers across our ranges (with 100 more being added to picNIC later this year), whether they prefer high VG, High PG or 50/50.

Our industry is amazing for innovation and it’s a really exciting time for new e-liquid flavours, you only have to check out Instagram to see how many interesting new brands are emerging, almost weekly. Obviously there has been a surge in liquids in the 3/6mg High VG area over the past couple of years to support sub-ohm vapers.

We think there is a place for crazy flavours as well as more standard flavours – our Standard and Premium ranges really ‘do what they say on the tin’ – the flavour inside is exactly the same as the name on the bottle suggests. No guessing, just straight up great quality flavour delivered as stated. Our Gourmet ranges and picNIC flavours are more complex and come complete with some interesting names; We’ve just added 12 new flavours to our picNIC range and they span from Tropicapple and Cherry Rubus to Tart Fuzz and Heisenbergerest.

Liquid Zwo has Snake Kiss and Kitten’s Breath whilst Bryn’s Special Sauce comes in Papricot Custard, Te and Sour Blue Raspberry.

Sometimes with new e-liquids on the market the packaging can be more interesting than the actual flavour. At our heart, we really only care about flavour. Smart boxes and bottles are a plus but nothing beats a flavour that stops you in your tracks.

Where do you see the progression of e-liquid?

I think if we all keep innovating we’ll start to see even more complex flavour combinations and ‘E-liquid mixologist’ will become a job title in its own right. It really is a skill to mix a great tasting e-liquid and should be recognised. Oh, and we’ll continue to keep adding great new flavours to our ranges to ensure we don’t stand still.

How has your e-liquid offering changed over the years?

What do you think about the innovation in e-liquids over the past few years?

UK’S

LEADING TPD EXPERT

STEPHEN BUSS

With up to 20% of MHRA notifications being provided by Vape Compliance Ltd, the UK’s leading TPD expert Stephen Buss is back with the latest on his company developments. His regular science and regulation Q&A feature is back by popular demand where he debunks the toxicology requirement controversy, compliance file requirements, declarations of conformity and give a heads up on what TPD notification status really means to you.

The Periodic Deadline

Are you a survivor?

We have seen numerous member state changes since the May deadline, if ever there was a time to read an article with a notepad to hand, this is the time, as I bring you a hot off the press update. The most exciting thing about your notification confirmations, is that not only the technology, but that your products have been accepted by the “powers that be” to the extent this category required a form of initial regulation.

This in turn will enable all those companies who plucked a Submitter ID from the EU, the chance to survive and compete in one of the most exciting industries so far, this Century. I say survive and compete, because not all notifications will be the same. The content and extent of justifications submitted will be the difference between in what we all understand as in the world of Tesco the “value” and “finest”. I expect there will be bouts of hilarity when the regulators open the box. This industry might have generated the most millionaires under the age of 30, but now that the regulatory door has been opened and we have entered

the compliance arena, some of you will sink and some of you will swim. The “wild west” that happened in the mobile phone industry will repeat here. Regulation, closure and consolidation will also repeat. You have been warned.

The last 6 months have passed in a been a blur. Lessons learnt have resulted in some rather interesting

transitions both at home and abroad and in both business and personal development.

Recent developments in Finland have seen me cancel my summer vacation there. Joking apart, I am very disappointed at what is a money grab by that Government. Having confirmed the ban on flavours and banned internet advertising, all products submitted prior to those decisions are still bound by the registration fee. “Kippis! Thanks for your notification, it’s in the bin, but we still want the registration fee per SKU” is how it seems.

Within a month before non-compliant stock was pulled off the shelf, it potentially leaves plenty of time for a couple more muppet member states to ban common taste and flavour profiles. If lobbied, and the EU follow through on its own guidance, flavoured liquid could be banned across Europe. This is important for our industry.

It’s not an indication that flavours per se are bad, it’s an indication as to which member states are influenced by the Big pharma or tobacco industry in my view.

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my

attendance at the last vape show in Malaysia due to an extensive workload and I apologise for those who were looking forward to meeting and talking regulation in person.

I did hear it was a hive of activity. This is an established market that is also considering some sort of regulation in recognition to the benefits to health and no doubt gives the Government opportunity to earn some money from bounding it by rules and conditions. I attended the NEC in May and saw many of you there which as ever was a joy!

My company, Vape Compliance Ltd, has undergone an overhaul of late, of proportions beyond my wildest expectations. I have been joined by new staff with exciting pedigree backgrounds and lots of new clients. We are almost finished developing exciting new notifications and Vape Compliance technologies, which I am hoping to be able to reveal to you all very soon in future editions of Vapouround.

On the eve of the non-compliant product deadline, I accompanied Louise Bartholdsson to London’s latest Vape Jam at the London Excel. In a somewhat toned down affair from

last year’s effort, it was great to rub shoulders with new and existing clients and introduce our most recent addition to the team.

Louise has previously worked at

In Andrews own words….

“I’m very excited about what lays ahead and the huge opportunity that it presents. My vison is based on building on Vape Compliance’s huge success over the past two years and morphing an already great business into a Corporate Compliance Powerhouse. Vape Compliance already exhibits a lot of the traits of the Regulator itself and is completely focused on making the Vape industry a safer environment for the consumer and working with the manufacturers to build a safer more controlled environment for us all to build our businesses in.

This more importantly ensures that the players in the market today grow as businesses in their own right and become a success around the world. What we are seeing in the industry is that it creates a huge “barrier to entry” to the market that almost excludes

companies such as Imprima iRooms, LEK Consulting and Financial Capital Group. She has extensive experience in working with IT platforms, with an emphasis on sensitive data and data confidentiality. A Swedish native, who has also lived and worked in the UK, USA, Israel and India.

She has over the years managed several large teams of staff across the globe and is well known in the professional field for her multi-tasking skills, problem solving and proactive approach. She will be working alongside myself and as Head of Global Accounts, she will ensure client satisfaction.

In addition to Louise there are several other new members coming into to the Vape Compliance team over the next few months. They are set to cement the company’s future as the leading provider for E-Cig regulatory compliance.

The likes of Andrew Pepper, a qualified Chartered Accountant, who trained and worked in top 5 accountancy firms. Moving up to become Partner at the age of 30, Andrew continued in the

“newcomers”. As Stephen suggests, if you are a survivor today you will become more valuable as a result. So, building on compliance in the industry is key to us all. As we all know, brakes make cars go faster. Compliance is a requirement that we have to embrace in order that we continue to grow our businesses and frankly, make money. Vape Compliance does this for you.”

In Andrew’s slip stream is Gary Chapple whose background is in motor finance, a leasing specialist and a successful entrepreneur. He is adept at identifying and exploiting gaps in markets to achieve above market returns with well-managed risk profiles.

Gary has vast experience in creating new businesses from scratch or building upon existing platforms in sector niches and employing skilled specialist teams to implement that strategy.

accountancy profession for 7 years, heading up a specialist department of over 70 people advising lenders, investors and management teams of underperforming large and mediumsized businesses. Noted for his retail expertise, in 2006 Andrew was placed 48 in the Top 100 Retail Power List. Subsequently in 2007 he invested in a small Special Situations Fund as joint CEO and helped grow that fund to over £1 billion in turnover. Retiring from that fund in 2014 and still a significant shareholder in several historic investments, Andrew then went on to set up a family office.

To date, Andrew is an active investor,

NED, Chairman or advisor in investments which cover IT, APPS, Restaurants, Property Development, Beer production, Green housing manufacturing, Car Finance, Logistics, Minerals and Motor Dealers. Recently he was elected President of the TMA UK, a global trade body that specialises in improving underperforming businesses.

His leadership style is highly motivational, innovative, customercentric, sales and service orientated, with the ability to build cohesive teams and plan for smooth succession to business longevity

Former successes include Chief Operating Officer of Web Loans Processing which was turning over £90m per annum. Drove a concept to reality with a six times multiple bonus for investors in this space which was previously unheard of.

Directly Responsible for Managing a team of Business Development Managers whose focus was selling into firms within London & the South East of England. Effectively managing metrics, reporting and controls supporting the organisation, dealing with clients and enhancing relationships, Mentoring the team & providing necessary training / development programs, Recruitment and team building,

Managing KPI’s / performance reviews, communicate strategy, tactics and resolve issues - effective management, Translate strategic objectives into working practices, Management of sales processes and continuous business improvement, maintain confidentiality and security of company, Reporting to Investors.

In Gary’s own words…

“For me the future of Vaping in general and Vape Compliance has entered an exciting new phase bearing in mind that the TPD notification phase is ending. I believe that now that the EU (the rest of the world will follow!) is trying its best to clean up an industry that in so many ways needed to be “cleaned up” its forcing the industry into more stringent manufacturing processes and this can only be a good thing for the consumer. In my opinion and having chatted through the various inconsistency’s in the manufacturing process I still think

QMS

Company change, is usually the result of a pivotal event and like many of the companies operating as manufacturers, distributors or large retail chains there is a robust method, and a tried and tested recipe for success. In 2014, we tailored a QMS specific for the Vape industry based around a ISO9001 Certifiable framework. This has proven to be invaluable for companies moving forward in next phase TPD. Moving past Q2 2017, Vape Compliance will be rolling out a new Audit team who will independently go into the market place and assist with TPD regulation and education. Exciting times ahead indeed.

It is important that, we as an Industry, maintain a high standard. Not only the standards we have set ourselves, but the standards that will be reasonably expected in the future by the governing member states. We face newly regulated markets with their own interpretations on how the products featured elsewhere in this magazine encounter affect the public and the implications on their health. We must lead our industry and give it a vision else we will be manipulated by others who do not have our interests at heart. We have seen much movement within Europe’s borders of late, with some member states being hard-line on flavours and online sales. Movement outside of these regulated markets is also starting to gain momentum, which is very positive and encouraging for those with products already on

from a hardware product perspective that there is a lot of work to do.

I will be in contact with many of the manufacturers and flavour houses over the coming months and will be discussing ways of making the hardware process much better for the consumer, with higher quality materials and metals being used which will bring products into a much more “surgical” environment which can only benefit all involved in the industry.

I will also be recruiting more auditors to cover the growing requirement for ISO9001 QMS to cover the vaping industry. Again, this type of audit will overall improve the industry and how it is seen externally not just here in the

or going onto the market. The recent June 2017 General Election in the UK could also bring about change. Will it be the beginning of the end of TPD as we know it? I believe all the company business owners I come into daily contact with have every intention of ensuring future business stability via their conscientious effort towards compliance. But let’s not kid ourselves - there are many outside interests who are envious or concerned about us. The future of TPD as we know it is like setting off for a short break at the holiday cottage by car in thick fog. You cannot see where you are going, but you know you are going in the right general direction.

It’s that time again and I am running out of space….

Letters from Readers

As ever, my inbox is full of questions

UK but around the world.

Another avenue that I would like to follow is the issuing of a “Material Safety Data Sheets” or MSDS which provides a toxicological framework report for products used in the industry. To guarantee health in the vaping industry these are the steps that need to be made to bring it in line with the big pharma guys that mean that anyone “looking in” will see that those involved in the industry really do have a conscience and want to bring good hardware and great flavours without any of the downside that has existed in the industry to date.

Lastly, we will now be providing full consultancy where we will provide an onsite professional that will review manufacturing processes, product safety, guides on improvement etc. that will “professionalise “the entire operation and mean that it will stand up to any scrutiny by both Trading Standards as well as the regulators themselves.”

relating to the consumer, those working on products and general technical queries. Some have caused me to smile. Here’s a selection of the ones I think are most relevant to our industry right now.

Q – Late Notifications – M. S. from California USA – Hi, I have not heard anything back from Europe regarding my notifications, they were made last year before the November Deadline into each member state, can you help?

A - Hello Mike, the notification process I understand was not easy, especially when dealing with large numbers of notifications into every member state. You would have uploaded via EtrustEx I presume, so your validation response from your submitted notification should be in your inbox.

The most likely reason I see that no member state has contacted you is because there might have been error in your XML and that the EU-CEG system has simply rejected it. However,

provided you explain and present some sort of evidence I’m sure they will take any urgent amendments prior to the 20th deadline.

Within this article is a list of member states and their E-cig regulator contact details. I sincerely hope you resolve your issue and your products remain on the EU market for many years to come. Do not hesitate in contacting us at Vape Compliance if you need any further help as we work closely with member states and would be happy to help further with your requirements! S.B.

Q – Notification Content – J. M. Kent UK – Morning, I have a question about notification content, is there anything else I should be sending with my notification other than attachments of product pictures, test results and production file? Many thanks J

A – Hello, at this stage the tool creator asked for the notification of core requirements, as you will see there is room for improvement and some member states declared that this notification was the opportunity for companies to present what they had done and to what extent, to ensure the products were safe for human use and consumption. There are several components to the final XML you sent to the portal and your XML would not validate unless all required fields were filled out. How they were filled out is down to you and/or your compliance provider. In the true light of day, how conscientious do you think you were? I’m sure if there is anything wrong with the content, then individual member states will be writing to you with any amendments that need to be made. I hope this answer helps. S.B.

Q – Toxicology Requirements –G.Birtch. USA – Hello, we are hearing now that you do not need Tox for TPD, is this true?

A – No, there has been a lot of misconceptions around Toxicology for TPD. Whilst the XML creator tool requirements were sketchy the guidance from member states was not. In fact, part of your notification contains your declarations relating to risk. If you can prove that a product is safe to use and safe for humans to consume, without any Toxicology study or research, then I am sure the whole industry will be all ears. Member state regulators I’m sure will be pawing over what you submitted that scientifically justifies safe use and consumption as this cannot be guaranteed or even validated through just an emissions test result alone. Vape Compliance Ltd provide a final product Toxicology data report to justify the non-risk declaration of conformity and many clients have used it. If you require information on this I will be happy to supply. Most

member state requirements also require individual ingredient Toxicology.

In short, Toxicology makes the world go round! Best regards, S.B.

Q – Declarations of conformity - A, Shenzhen, China – Hello, it’s Apple here from China E-Cig Manufacture, we need declaration of Conformity, can you help?

A - Hello Apple, - I’m so sorry for my late reply, surprisingly, my iPhone thought Apple was spam! There are 6 declarations of conformity that are required to support your full product notification.

I have detailed these below and if you need us to validate and even generate these for you we will be happy to do so.

# Production Conformity (field 116) Cigarette_Production_ConformityDeclaration that the production process ensures conformity (including but not limited to information on series production).

# Quality Safety (field 117)

E-Cigarette_Quality_SafetyDeclaration that the manufacturer and importer bear full responsibility for the quality and safety of the product, when placed on the market and used under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions.

# Child Tamper Proof (field 119)

E-Cigarette_Child_Tamper_ProofDeclaration that the product is child resistant and tamper proof protected against breakage and leakage and has a mechanism that ensures refilling without leakage (where applicable).

# High Purity (field 120)

E-Cigarette_High_Purity - Declaration that only ingredients of high purity are used in the manufacture of the liquid.

# Non Risk (field 121)

E-Cigarette_Non_Risk - Declaration that the product (with an exception for its nicotine content) does not pose reasonably foreseeable risk to human health under normal conditions of use.

# Consistent Dosing (field 122)

E-Cigarette_Consistent_DosingDeclaration of nicotine dosing at consistent levels during product use

and across batches under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions.

Declarations of conformity play an important part in not only your notifications but also your company compliance file. They basically state that your company bares full product legal responsibility in six key areas that affect your compliance status. These declarations, like most, are evidence based. Provided you can back up what you declare you are good to go. Kind regards, Stephen.

Q – Compliance Files – Dale – The Yorkshire Vaper UK – Hello, when do we get our company compliance file to present to our distributors, wholesalers and retailers? hear from you soon, Thanks

A – Hello Dale, Your Vape Compliance File was ready in electronic format prior to the May 20th deadline for you to distribute amongst your sales channels, your hard copy for wet signature will be presented in person in the weeks after deadline day.

Your compliance file is your showcase flagship of your efforts towards TPD. I will include this question in my next magazine article if I may and thank you for your effort and support during these compliant times. Best regards.

Q – New products to market – J.Jin, Malaysia – Hi, we have products in the EU but have no notifications, what is the process for new products to market and timings and cost and many thanks, Jin.

Hello Jin, I am sorry you do not have any notifications in place. To be honest, you are not alone. We have had almost 50 companies since March 1st contact us in exactly your same position.

For a start, as of 20th May this year you must recall all of your products, as you do not want to get on the wrong side of member state regulators from Day 1. Your products, if not already tested for quantifiable substances, must go to a lab, ideally one that is not owned by a Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck outfitas we all know there are “go to” labs and labs to avoid like the plague.

You will also need a library of your ingredients in the form of their Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) number and detail each ingredients’ toxic effect. You can go one step further with a final product Tox report if you wish.

You will also need to create files on: • Production, process and procedures that ensure the quality of your ingredients and final products.

• Picture files of your compliant product and packaging.

• Child proof certification and your detailed mechanism for leak free filling. You will need to have a Submitter ID and Etrustex account set up and ready via EU-CEG as well as a list of member states you intend to sell into.

The above will allow you to generate your 6 declarations of conformity which you will need to be able to present upon request to the relevant authorities.

There is a bit more to the entire process but I outline the basics in order not to bombard you with too much information and detail. The timings for this are dependent on when you start. If all runs in tandem, then you are looking at two weeks for up to 50 new notifications at a cost of around £1-2,000 per SKU, all inclusive.

The “sucker punch” is that some member states can take up to 6 months to give you the nod that products can then be placed on the market and sold. Luckily, I and part of the Vape Compliance team will be in Malaysia for the next Vape Show and would be happy to meet and discuss any compliance matters in more constructive detail. If you wish to get in contact with us, please email us at info@vapecompliance.com. Kind regards and hope to see you soon. S.B.

Q – Next phase of TPD – M,D’Lores South Africa – Stephen, we understand what was required for product notification - not that we entered this process, yet. I would like to know in your opinion what is next, so that we can allocate a sufficient budget for EU Compliance. Your attention on this would be greatly appreciated, we read your articles online, keep up the great work. Mark

Many thanks for your email and kind words Mark. If you asked me this time last year I would have rattled off a list of what could be on the horizon. However, based on recent events in Europe, I would almost tend to say that the tentacles of the black market might reach out to many companies not appearing on a regulators list. So sit back and watch the show unfold like America is. (tongue in cheek)

Of course, I would not recommend going unrecognised by EU member state regulators, even though some vendors are requiring OTT information than is strictly necessary as proof of

notification. I see many manufacturers being bullied into releasing information to distributors and retail chains. Some companies that are tied in with or are competitor manufacturers are requesting information that has only just been confidentially uploaded to the EU portal prior to Christmas last. The industry that is on the eve of its first regulatory hurdle is still in a “wild west” type scenario. All that has happened, is that the guns and leather boots are of a tad higher quality, that’s all. Budget wise for TPD I could not guess to be honest. It really depends on the extent of your product portfolio and the number of member states you are going to pay registration fees to. Many chose the UK for its cross borders sales as they were originally one of the more realistically priced for fees. Some companies registering into tens of member states are paying thousands per SKU. It’s the old money grab issue again that this industry could of well done without from the off, but I guess that’s just how the powers that be work and why we vote them in and then out. Scientifically testing and justifying your products toxicity is another ball park figure. The price range on the testing available is dramatic, with some companies paying tens of thousands for a test that costs a fraction of that. I would advise looking at the test cost vs the method of testing and ensuring the test provider is operational to the requirements of E-Cig TPD. Shelf life is one for around the corner, and the

justification of, more like. These tests are, from what I’ve seen expensive and may not in my opinion be required for every product. We are not quite dealing with a Jam (preserve not traffic), as there are a multitude of varieties, but they are all along the same lines if you know what I mean. The component parts of an E-Liquid are in the majority carriers, and nicotine. In addition, there is a whole battery of other chemicals in pin drop quantities. The combination of these provide a taste or smell in vapour form, that mimics a food item to mask the malodour and sour/bitter taste interaction of nicotine or captivate the consumer to brand recognition. My attention to detail has turned into rambling as I am typing this from an airport lounge on little sleep (not ideal). Please get back to me on anything specific and how we may be able to best help. Kind regards, S.B.

Well, the next time I write it may be to announce the sale of Vape Compliance, as I have had a few tempting offers of late. It has been an uphill struggle working with and for a rogue’s gallery of sorts. I will be glad to be rid of the negative side of this industry but will keep an eye on the technology into my old age. However, these next few months are busy, we will be opening a laboratory as promised, specifically for the vape industry, this will lower the cost of testing dramatically and will feed into our Toxicology and Notification tool. For those recently sold or selling out of the industry, be it in Blackburn or Weybridge, you know who you are, I hope you have broad smiles on your faces and at least keep one finger in the E-cig pie moving on. Have faith those that remain, unite and don’t give up. There is a smoker every 4 minutes switching to vaping in the UK alone according to the last report I read. I don’t know where they get their figures from, but never the less, if you find their contact details pass them on, as I have a PR project for them! Until next time, please keep your questions coming in, as ever I try to reply to them all but can only publish a few.

HERE ARE SOME GREAT EXAMPLES OF HOW COMPANIES HAVE CHALLENGED THE TPD PACKAGING LAWS AND MASTERFULLY EXPRESSED THE BURNING CREATIVITY OF THE VAPING INDUSTRY. ENJOY!

THE MAN BY ONE HIT WONDER

THE MAN IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE VISUAL BENEFITS A JUICE RANGE CAN RECIEVE BY USING ALTERNATE COLOUR BOTTLES AND LIDS. THE WHITE BOTTLE TIES IN WITH THE WHITE LABEL AND THE PINK LID COMPLEMENTS THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF THE LABEL.

RASPBERRY SHERBET BY DOUBLE DRIP

USING METALLIC LABELING REALLY ENHANCES THE GRAPHICS OR A MAIN LOGO AS SEEN WITH THE DOUBLE DRIP BRANDING. IT TAKES A STATIC BOTTLE AND TURNS IT INTO AN APPEALING AND DYNAMIC ARTWORK THAT’S EYE CATCHING.

SLOW BLOW BY NASTY JUICE

THE NASTY JUICE BRANDING IS A BRILLIANT EXAMPLE OF HOW BRIGHT COLOURS STAND OUT ON BLACK BOTTLES. AS WELL AS THE ATTRACTIVE BOTTLES NASTY JUICE HAVE ALSO CREATED METAL TINS THAT HELP THE E-LIQUIDS STAND OUT AMONGST THE CROWD AND IMPROVE THE STACKING PROCESS ON SHOP SHELVES. WIN, WIN.

LEMON CURD BY WFFL

WFFL ARE ON THE LIST FOR THE SIMPLICITY OF THEIR BRANDING AND HOW IT WORKS WELL ON A STANDARD 10ML BOTTLE.

LOOK HOW COOL THE NEW RANGE OF 10ML BULLET BOTTLES FROM RIOT SQUAD ARE. A VERY UNIQUE VISUAL IDENTITY THAT IS ON BRAND WITH THE WHOLE RIOT SQUAD THEME. THESE COOL LITTLE JUICE BOTTLES REALLY PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF POST TPD PACKAGING DESIGNS.

SUMMER CIDER BY ZAP JUICE

ZAP JUICE HAVE REALLY SOLIDIFIED THEIR BRANDING WITH UNIQUE BOTTLES THAT COME IN A NICE LITTLE MULTI-PACK. THIS PUSHES THE 10ML BOTTLE SHAPE IN A NEW DIRECTION AND ALLOWS YOU TO STILL PURCHASE 30ML E-LIQUID.

PINK LABEL HAVE OPTED FOR PINK BOTTLES WHICH GO WITH THEIR BRANDING AS A WHOLE AND WOULD DEFINITELY PUSH THE APPEAL TO THEIR PREDOMINENTLY FEMALE DEMOGRAPHIC. THE BALANCE OF BLACK LABEL MAKES THE COMMON BLACK LID PART OF THE OVERAL BRANDING.

MENTHOL MOLOTOV BY RIOT SQUAD

PINK LEMONADE BY PINK LABEL

C IL Porn

FEATURING STEVE MASSINGHAM AKA CRAFTY COILS

Hello and welcome to my first spot as Vapouround’s resident coil guy!

Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Steve Massingham, aka Crafty Coils, I’ve been vaping for just over five years and coil building for three. I’ve been in the coil business for two and a half years now, and I may have met some of you at the Vaper Expo UK over the last couple of years where I run the coil build area.

As this issue marks my most recent feature in Vapouround Magazine, I thought I’d start at the beginning and look at different types of wire, their pros and cons, uses and then pass on some tips. So with all that established, let’s get started!

I’m going to approach this from the most to least common which means our journey starts with Kanthal A1 or KA1 or simply kanthal. It’s the metal that most people start their coil building endeavours with and it’s good for that. It’s easy to work with as it holds its shape well and it has a reasonable resistance. Some people feel it offers your vape with a slight metallic taste, others not so much. Of the many areas of the coil builder’s art, heat colouring your metal is where kanthal falls down; it’s notoriously hard to colour. Now we move on to nichrome 80, also known as n80 or ni80. This is where most builders end up. Nichrome is a slightly softer metal than kanthal, with a lower resistance.

Most coil makers prefer nichrome to

work with as its lower resistance makes for faster heating and its less springy than kanthal when wrapping your coils. Plus, when done right, you can create beautiful blue and purple colour combinations when heat colouring.

Stainless steel 303 and 304 food grade are the most common types used in coil making. Prized for its reputed clean flavour and the stunning colours

it produces when heat coloured, it is however not used as much as kanthal and nichrome due to its very low resistance and comparative inflexibility. It is the first metal on the list that can be used for temperature control, something I’m going to look at in a future article. Of all the temperature control metals, this, in my opinion, is

by far the best. Finally, we have titanium and ni200. I’m going to lump these two together as they are both lesser used temperature control wires. So ni200 for starters, the resistance of this stuff is all but non-existent and it’s unusable in anything other than temperature control mode. Titanium again is only really good for temperature control as heating it in normal wattage mode or on a mech mod, can lead over time to particles of titanium oxide being created as the metal degrades. This appears as a white crust which mostly occurs when cleaning using the dry burn method. And there we end our brief, but hopefully enlightening introduction to common coil making metals with photos

In the next issue

I will be discussing coil maintenance and cleaning, so until then, vape safe!

from my friends at Juice Junkie.

In this issue we’re introducing some of the highest-quality touch screen mods on the market today and what better way to start with the Tesla Touch?

New to the touch screen market, Tesla have introduced their latest vaping device. For the ultimate vaping experience, the Tesla Touch 150W features a large 2.4 inch IPS colour touch screen display, making the device easy to function while vaping. The latest Asmodus Minikin V2 180W Touch Screen features the new and more battery efficient GX-180-HT chipset paired with a capacitive touch screen. The Minikin V2 menu can be accessed by swiping down the display screen and once unlocked, you will have access to

three menus – setup resistance, firing mode, and setup.

For a smaller display screen than the Tesla Touch, but one which functions just as well, the Joyetech Ocular makes it possible to track your daily activity and vaping routine by connecting to your mobile phone. Just plug in your headphones to enjoy listening to music while vaping. The Sigelei T200 Touch Screen also features a 2.4 inch touch screen allowing the device to support APP Bluetooth connection to your mobile phone. It’s zinc alloy material offers a stylish and sleek look in a sophisticated silver colour.

For higher wattage to improve those thick

clouds of vapour, the SMOK G-Priv Touch Screen offers a high wattage up to 220. But the most brilliant feature of the G-Priv is the touch screen. With a simple tap on the screen, you can adjust the wattage setting, display the amounts of vape you inhale/exhale, as well as display the resistance levels and remaining battery life. The screen lock button also prevents your settings from being accidentally changed once it is safely stored away. Finally the 200 watt Laisimo L1 touch screen box mod is a powerful device indeed. It displays the full temperature and controlling capabilities on a 2.4 inch OLED touch screen that also you to adjust the screen brightness level.

Laisimo • Joytech • Tesla cigs • Sigelei • Asmodus • SMok

NEXT GENERATION NICOTINE DELIVERY 2017

NOVEMBER 14th & 15th 2017, LONDON, UK

Next Generation Nicotine Delivery 2017 is the only event that should be considered by ambitious e-cigarette, vape and nicotine delivery companies, next generation nicotine delivery product companies, tobacco companies with e-cigarette, vape or niche tobacco subsidiaries, policy makers, regulatory bodies, manufacturers, e-liquid suppliers and service providers.

The 2017 event will spotlight:

n the opportunity to meet and learn from seniorlevel, key industry speakers and attendees n an intimate platform for networking and establishing relationships with peers n an agenda rich with interactive, unique, essential and up to date content, including case-studies and panel discussions

n the invaluable chance to participate with others in debate, conversation and frank business, across topics such as regulatory aspects to latest manufacturing technology

2017 Agenda will focus on:

n EU TPD implementation, cast forward to November 20th alongside May 2018

n Product innovation (hardware and flavourings) and safety parameters in the e-cigarette market alongside other alternative nicotine delivery products

n Consumer-centric approaches to product development alongside educating consumers on product choices Quote priority code MK-VK-AD

The Private Wholesale Group

We don't sell to just anyone!

We protect brands.

It is in our best interest to protect our brands from the constant dilution of price wars in this industry. Whether it’s retail store owners, managers or shop attendants, driving the price down to compete with local competitors selling the same product is not the right thing to do when you have invested funds into your latest juice lines.

Our exclusive ranges protect the value of the brand and isolates any of your direct competition. This leads to a substantial point of di erence for your retail store. Protecting our brands helps us protect your business!

We protect your business.

Our Private Wholesale Group ensures protection of your vaping retail business when it comes to direct competition selling the same products.

We will not o er our exclusive products to your competitor down the road. When it comes to hardware, we only sell to our private accounts to ensure that we have stock ready for your demands each week. Protecting your business is just a part of our service.

We supply the best service.

With our experience in the vaping retail sector, we have come to understand just how important the relationship between you and your supplier is. For this reason, we aim to provide you with the best service and support that you’ll find.

When buying from us, not only will you get next day delivery on all orders placed before 1PM (Monday to Thursday), you’ll have access to support with point-of-sale materials and guidance on how to get the best results from your store based on our years of experience.

VAPOUROUND The Quiz

1. The latest statistical bulletin on adult smoking habits in the UK published by the Office of National Statistics, covers what year? a - 2014 b - 2015 c - 2016 d - 2017

2. The smoking habit report covers which of the following? i - the proportion of people who smoke, ii - their demographic breakdowns, iii - changes over time, iv - e-cigarettes.

a - none of the above b - i and iii only c - i and ii only d - all of the above

3. During the year of the survey, what was the percentage of the UK population which smoked traditional cigarettes. a - 15.8% b - 16.8% c - 17.8% d - 18.8%

4. List the countries in the UK in terms of the percentage of the population which smokes traditional cigarettes (lowest to highest) a - Wales - England - Scotland - Northern Ireland b - Scotland - Northern Ireland - Wales - England c - England - Wales - Scotland - Northern Ireland d - England - Wales - Northern Ireland - Scotland

5. Fill in the blanks from the following sentence: “In the UK, 17.7% of [*****] were current smokers which was significantly higher in comparison with 14.1% of [*****].” a - women - men b - men - women c - adults - children d - adults - teenagers

6. True or false. According to the survey: “Those aged 18 to 24 in the UK experienced the largest decline in smoking prevalence of 6.5 percentage points since 2010.” a - true b - false

7. On average, how many cigarettes did men smoke per day in the UK? a - 6 b - 12 c - 18 d - 24

8. On average, how many cigarettes did women smoke per day in the UK? a - 7 b - 9 c -11 d - 13

9. The UK smoking levels reported in the survey were some of the lowest seen since when? a - 2004 b - 1994 c - 1984 d - 1974

10. In 2016 what percentage of respondents said they were e-cigarette users?

a - 35.6% b - 25.6% c - 15.6% d - 5.6%

11. What was the approximate number of e-cigarette users in the UK in 2016? a - 12.6 million b - 4.3 million c - 3.4 million d - 2.9 million

12. True or false. According to the survey, more women than men said they used e-cigarettes. a - true b - false

13. What was the age group most likely to be e-cigarette users? a - 16 to 24 years b - 25 to 34 years c - 35 to 49 years d - 50 years and over

14. In the smoking habits survey, what was the most common reason given for using an e-cigarette? a - as an aid to stop smoking b - they are less harmful than cigarettes c - they are cooler than cigarettes d - they are less expensive than cigarettes

18. Which two age groups showed the largest increase in e-cigarette use since 2014?

a - 16 to 24 and 25 to 34. b - 25 to 34 and 35 to 49. c - 35 to 49 and 50 to 59. d - 16 to 24 and 50 to 59.

19. True or false. The survey authors believe that we currently have sufficient data to accurately identify trends in e-cigarette use.

20. According to the Opinions and Lifestyles Survey 2014 to 2016 what percentage of people said they had tried an e-cigarette at some time in their lives? a - 11.9% b - 12.2% c - 18.6% d - 28.5%

15. In the smoking habits survey, what was the second most common reason given for using an e-cigarette? a - as an aid to stop smoking b - they are less harmful than cigarettes c - they are cooler than cigarettes d - they are less expensive than cigarettes

16. About three quarters of e-cigarette users (75.3%) reported that they used e-cigarettes how often: a - every day b - every other day c - at least once a week d - two or three times a week

17. Which group of people had the most negative view of e-cigarettes?

a - current smokers who had never used an e-cigarette b - former smokers who had never used an e-cigarette c - non smokers who had never used an e-cigarette d - current smokers who had tried an e-cigarette

20. According to the Opinions and Lifestyles Survey 2014 to 2016 what percentage of people said they had tried an e-cigarette at some time in their lives? a - 11.9% b - 12.2% c - 18.6% d - 28.5%

quiz was a bit trickier than most so this is a really good effort.

11 - 15: Good answers - you know your UK smoking and vaping trivia.

16 - 20: Excellent job - you probably read vape-related surveys for fun.

Answers: 1 - c, 2 - d, 3 - a, 4 - c, 5 - b, 6 - a 7 - b, 8 - c, 9 - d, 10 - d, 11 - d, 12 - b, 13 - c, 14 - a, 15 - b, 16 - a, 17 - a, 18 - d, 19 - b, 20 - c.

Flavor Monster is an e-liquid manufacturer based in Colorado Springs in the USA. It’s been months since we’ve spoken to managing director Laura Riggs so we decided to catch up on all the latest news.

Laura explained how the company has grown to cope with demand. She said: “We recently expanded our lab space and our operations team. We’ve completely remodelled our retail space here in Colorado Springs and we have also given our website a complete overhaul.”

They have also recently launched Drac Dragon Juice in America and are looking forward to introducing more juices to the UK. Laura added: “We had been working on perfecting Drac Dragon Fruit e-juice since July 2016. We aimed to improve the taste and flavouring by tweaking a few things. The e-liquid has a very naturally sweet flavour with a hint of lemon which has been very popular amongst vapers in the states and online.”

Laura hopes to bring more e-liquids to the UK as their flavours are doing remarkably well in the EU.

“We’ve been making huge leaps in the vaping industry since we partnered with Vapour Gallery Distribution in order to expand our market not only in the UK, but also across Europe,” said Laura.

When Vapour Gallery brought Flavor Monster’s e-juices to Italy, Laura was extremely pleased to find that they completely sold out. Laura said: “Now we’re aiming to work harder to expand into more shops in Italy. The UK and Europe are huge markets for us and we have loyal customers from the Vaper Expo so we want to make sure that they can find Flavor Monster’s e-liquids at their favourite vape shop.”

Laura and her team are finalising their TPD compliance on five new flavours which are Hydra Honeydew Kiwi, Baku Berry Blast, Wendigo Watermelon Coconut, Bogle Cinnamon Butterscotch, and Ewah Toffee Coffee.

The company is also working to offer free shipping for their online customers. Laura went on: “Soon, our customers will not have to pay a shipping fee when purchasing e-liquids from our website. We are also building out a lab space in London so with TPD testing coming close to an end, we will be able to offer 1.5mg, 3mg, and 6mg e-liquid in shops throughout Europe.”

Laura is also happy to announce that Flavor Monster have exciting plans to visit the UK very soon to greet their amazing customers.

Flavor Monster to dominate the vaping industry across Europe

Concentrate!

The story of Bozz Liquids, pure mixers whose concentrates have caught the attention of German celebrities

In the hyper-competitive vape industry, few frontiers are as tricky as liquids. Taste, texture, thickness, flavour, strength, potency, familiarity and zany marketing techniques are revised every day.

Bozz Liquids has seized its own special place in this contest by mixing e-liquid concentrates for a purer product. Any special liquid styling than can help you stand out is worth noting in a market (literally) overflowing with variety. But how do they do it?

Bozz take pride in their embrace of a German quality for their products: efficient, precise, well-made. Unsurprisingly, their juices are mixed with a focus on flavour.

“We do products in a German quality,” says founder Dennis Saage. “We sell in Germany to customers and wholesalers. Beyond our borders we sell to wholesalers; we’re currently on the lookout for a good wholesaler in the UK. Bozz Liquids’ is attracting highlevel clientele at home.

“We produce liquids and concentrates for some very famous people at the moment, including chart-topping German rapper AZAD.”

Not bad for a small team: “At the moment, there are only three of us!”

Popular markets are often fast moving and fickle.

“We are planning to bring our concentrates in a shake and vape version,” says Dennis.

Shake and vape is a growing phenomenon enticing creative vapers who want a more personalised liquid, coming in kits used by beginners and connoisseurs.

Bozz Liquids have several products lined up and hope to make a splash in this part of the market.

“We have six liquid flavours and seven aroma flavours.”

Bozz Liquids not only make a lot from a little, but have come a long way in no time at all.

“We’ve been in the market since September 2016; our CEO was once the sales manager of Smokerstore.

Bozz Liquids really started with a wellknown German musician asking to collaborate with Smokerstore. My boss at the time wanted it but couldn’t

make it. I suggested that I voluntarily leave the company and put myself to the new task.”

Dennis took a risky decision that paid off.

“I left the Smokerstore, and founded the Bozz Liquids UG. We had six Liquids by November 2016. Our liquids have been developed with traders and customers, always open to feedback.”

The endorsement of German celebrities started their rise, a penchant for flavour sustains it.

“We’re strong at home in Germany, and now the rest of the continent awaits. Our main goal for the future is to assert ourselves; bringing more products to the market throughout Europe”

Introducing Refill Station, a dynamic invention from the French vape scene.

Beginning at the dawn of 2016 (and right in the middle of a pan-European vaping boom) Refill Station made an instant splash in France with a unique business model. They represent a new distribution concept for vape shops and the general sale of vapour products. Everyone in vaping loves a good gadget, an invention that can help us rethink how we vape and what we can sell. Refill Station’s Refill Mixer and Refill Master help vape shops ease the burden of meeting existing TPD regulation on e-liquid quantities without breaking any laws.

According to COO and co-creator Vincent Caron, “We created this concept so we could offer a new means of distribution to all the new shops which specialise in vape products.”

Refill Station claim their Mixer and Master will help vape shops maximise their sales “by preventing the shift towards DIY liquids.”

Refill Station are committed to aligning themselves only with vape companies and their allies, steering clear of tobacco in the hope that this will aid the solidification of vaping’s distinct identity; one free of the invasive, overarching association it

still has with the tobacco industry and its exhaustively-documented pitfalls. “We only work with vape shops,” says Vincent. “And we only select the best vape shops to work with. After conducting some market research, the message from customers was clear: many juices sold in large bottles at the time were just too expensive. We did everything to adjust, while fully aware of what the TPD was and what it would do – prohibiting all the juices with nicotine in larger quantities than 10ml.”

The Refill-Station product itself is described by Vincent as “A dispenser

that contains 14 slots for a total of 14 2L e-liquids, the shops have to fill the Refill-Master (a 100ML bottle) with 50ML or 100ML of juice with 0mg of e-liquid.

Once that’s been taken care of, the customer can to fill the Refill-Mixer (a 30ML bottle) with nicotine and with the juice. The Refill-Mixer has been carefully constructed to flawlessly mix your nicotine and e-liquids for a satisfying vape.

Refill Station have set their standards and goals high. “We only work with famous brands,” says Vincent. Their partner list, a 250-strong network, spans a who’s-who of major players across their native France, the USA, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Malaysia and Canada, leaving no room for disagreement Vincent isn’t too eager to divulge all the secrets of his coming plans for the brand, but is very excited about coming expansion, and the new business partners Refill Station can work with.

Refill Station are currently conducting negotiations with famous UK brands, so keep an eye out: you may soon be able to enjoy these products with no hassle.

Refill Master | Refill Mixer | Nicotine shot

Fires Do Happen Don’t They?

Vaping is growing rapidly. We know this to be true but as the number and selection of products expands an uncomfortable truth is emerging around the number of incidents where the lithium-ion batteries used to power the devices have failed

These battery failures have manifested as small ignitions and fires. While the numbers haven’t been huge, social media and news channels have not been shy at showing battery failures. A casual review of YouTube reveals multiple videos of very dramatic scenes and, as you would expect, personal injury attracts far more attention than damage to property. Damage to property, if it occurs, is mostly contained, given the proximity often of the user or other members of the public, who are able to respond quickly. Worryingly, user injury appears to happen more frequently. A sense of perspective is needed. We should distinguish the past from the present. Most of the failures in the past occurred with cigalike batteries and the mixing of USB power supplies from different manufacturers. Some units had the charger built into the battery and some in the charging unit. A bad mix had the potential to have a battery and power supply with no charging circuit in the loop to cut the power when the charge was complete. With the current range of equipment this is no longer the case. More recently, the main reason for a battery venting or going into thermal runaway has been because of unsafe transportation of battery cells and very low Ohm builds. There have also been incidents of poor battery choice for the build pushing batteries past their capability and, in a small number of cases, of an inbuilt charging circuit failing. Fires do happen. When an e-cigarette or vaping product ignites whilst being used, the user can sustain dental damage and severe burns to the mouth, hands and tongue. Idle batteries, often held in a user’s pocket can cause severe burns to the legs and then, as the user struggles to remove the flaming device from their pocket, burns to the hands. The media generally characterise incidents as explosions. Most often this is caused by a battery shorting to create a thermal runaway. A number of incidents are blamed on loose change in a pocket causing the positive and negative connections to hit at the same time.

If we consider insurance issues we need to think about legal liability. There is no product specific regulation, code or law

which applies to the safety of the vaping unit as a whole. Manufacturers of vaping products will be strictly liable to injured consumers or in respect of property damage. The position is less clear from the perspective of others in the supply chain, such as battery manufacturers. The focus comes back to the warnings and instructions given to the consumer by the vaping product manufacturer. The battery manufacturer can still be liable to the vaping product manufacturer in contract. Such recoveries between members of the supply chain will require detailed analysis.

Media reports suggest that the single biggest reason for a battery igniting is user error but this can raise conflicting issues from a legal liability point of view.

A consumer’s damages may be reduced where the injury or damage was caused by their fault rather than a defect in the product. Here, we must emphasise the importance of user education around proper charging practices and detailed user instructions.

Manufacturers have more to worry about with legal liability. Retailers may face liability to consumers in contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. However, under the CPA and more generally, retailers simply have to identify their supplier and liability then devolves up the supply chain.

So what is on the horizon? Manufacturers and importers of vaping products already have to provide detailed information about their product and its ingredients. Under proposed EU reforms, the draft Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package, supply chain traceability is key. Manufacturers and importers will have to keep detailed records about component supplies, including safety risk assessments. However, this reform has been delayed in Brussels for some time. It also remains to be seen whether, post Brexit, these reforms will be incorporated into UK law.

Think carefully about your choice of insurance broker and take best advice from those involved in the sector. Make conscious buying decisions around the cover you are buying and remember insurance is only useful when you need it!

RIOT SQUAD HOST OFFICIAL BOTTLE LAUNCH AT AN EXCLUSIVE UNDERGROUND RAVE

Award-winning Riot Squad launched in 2016 and their mission since has been to takeover towns and cities across the UK, giving vapers the chance to try their premium e-liquid and attend events all over the country. Riot Squad take an uncompromising approach to quality with nine of the boldest flavour combinations, formulated, designed and made in their UK labs to ensure the best possible flavour.

Riot Squad revealed their all new 10ml TPD compliant bottles at The Vaper Expo in May 2017 and held their official bottle launch at a fun underground rave in Bristol on Saturday 15th July at the Loco Klub Tunnels, where vapers and local vape shops in the Bristol area joined the Riot Squad team to celebrate.

Guest DJ, Becky Saif, kept the guests entertained with all the best Garage and Drum & Bass tunes. With Becky playing regular sets in Amnesia, Ibiza, it was bound to be a banging night! Riot Squad videos from The Vaper Expo, The Yacht Party and Facebook Live feeds played on stage in the background all night, perfectly setting the scene for the Riot Squad rave!

Riot Squad dressed the venue with gigantic glow-in-the-dark bottles and posters, lasers and Riot Squad branded gobos.

GLOW ON Riot Squad!

Ben Johnson, CEO of award-winning Riot Squad, said “We just want to say thank you to all of our loyal customers and fans who attended the rave with us at Loco Klub. It was great seeing everyone there, we had such a good night!

“The Riot Squad Rave was a fun and unique way to engage with both our trade customers and vaping members of the public, while marking the official launch of our brand-new bullet shaped bottles.

“All Riot Squad e-liquid is made by our in-house sensory analysts and analytical chemists, using our GC-MS machine and going through a stringent flavour panel as well as a Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) submission before launching it to our retail stockists and customers.

“We will be continuing to support traders who stock our exciting brand with the Riot Squad Anarchy Tour, which has been doing extremely well.”

For more information on the Riot Squad flavours, the Tour and other events contact sales@riotsquadeliquid.com

Despite only launching in May at The Vaper Expo UK in Birmingham, the Indulge e-juice range is sweetening up the vaping community with their unique and delicious e-liquid flavours.

Indulge e-juice is the mobile vape sweetshop smashing through all boundaries of the industry. Unlike most ranges, Indulge isn’t bound to just fruit, dessert or sweets, but is an amalgamation of various classic and retro flavours.

From concept to creation, the Indulge team are a committed workforce that is united by its love for extraordinary e-juice. Such is the team’s thirst for flavour and attention to detail, e-liquids are designed, produced, bottled and promoted all under one roof.

After being crowned the Best New Brand at the InterSteam Berlin Expo, more vapers around the world are astounded by the Indulge e-juice flavours, with stock flying off the shelves.

Those lucky enough to experience the in-demand Indulge series were blown away by the originality and just how much flavour was delivered.

The five flavours have been expertly crafted from the finest materials and perfected by thoroughly conducted research and continuous development, as well as the tireless work put in by its tenacious and talented team that passionately manufactures its product in-house.

Perhaps the e-liquid to look out for this year is Cherry Tart, a unique creation of the British classic cherry bakewell tart that was crowned the best e-liquid in Berlin. There are whispers that it is the best cherry-flavoured e-liquid out now.

Sweet Spot has also particularly made a strong impression, an exotic fruit mix of juicy strawberries, fresh watermelons with hints of kiwi that claimed the top prize at the Eurovape Expo in Madrid, Spain.

The Indulge e-juice range also includes Cola Burst, Lemon Dream, Strawberry Delight.

For more information, call 0333 5771713 or e: info@indulge-juice.co.uk and see what all of the fuss is about.