Pixie Juice by The Alchemists Cupboard
The Alchemists Cupboard are doing their bit to help kick back against the disposables with their new Pixie Juice range of e-liquids
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Pixie Juice by The Alchemists Cupboard
It just so happens that Potv aren’t the only ones celebrating a big anniversary, we share that honour with our friends at The Alchemists Cupboard. As way of a mini celebration, they sent us over a selection of shortfills and longfills from their new Pixie Juice range, along with a few extra surprises to review.
As well as always having a soft spot for The Alchemists Cupboard (keep an eye out for their Christmas specials later in the year…you can thank me later!), I was particularly happy to give these a try as they are part of the push back against disposable vapes, they promise to be reminiscent of the types and strength of flavour you might find in the latest landfill fodder. As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors for work, I can’t even begin to tell you how wound up I get when I see the tell-tale brightly coloured tubes of plastic and perfectly good batteries that litter everywhere, so I will absolutely support any company that is offering a viable alternative to the blight that is taking over our streets and countryside….deep breaths, and relax!
Longfills or ShortfIlls?
The Alchemists Cupboard are dedicated to providing as many options for vapers as possible so you get the option to really tune your vape to your personal style, which is pretty awesome, and I wish more companies would do this. It is one of the reasons I really like to support our smaller gourmet juice makers as they are the ones who really care about this sort of detail. But what is the difference, and which should you choose?
Shortfills are the more tradition type of e-liquid that you tend to see in any vape shop. They contain 50ml of 70VG/30PG 0mg e-liquid and you can then add an 18mg nic shot to mix in which will give you 60mg of 3mg e-liquid. They are very straightforward, just add your shot and off you go, but they also don’t offer that much in the way of flexibility if you want something a little non-standard. These days, this is the standard format and is what most of us are used to.
Longfills are a much more flexible option. You will get a 60ml bottle containing 30ml of base flavour, nic shots, and booster shots to make up the rest. In basic terms, it means you can mix up you e-liquid to various different strengths (3mg, 6mg, 9mg, 12mg). The full longfill kits supplied contain nicsalts. If, like me, you are sensitive to nic salts, you can use freebase instead. So once your longfill kit arrives, you just chuck it all in the bottle and bob’s your uncle!
I only have one issue with the bundle, and that is the bottle tops, they are an absolute pig to get off so you can add you nic/boosters. Even with my lid opening tool, I struggled and as a consequence, I had twisted/crooked nipples! This is only a minor thing, but I feel it is worth mentioning as I found it rather frustrating and if I was desperate for a vape, I could have gone all Hulk on the bottles!
So now on to the flavours. As well as the Pixie Juice, there were also three extra bonus bottles so I will tag them on at the end.
Watermelon Ice
“Watermelon Ice Pixie Juice features sweet notes of juicy watermelons that perfectly captures the deliciously sweet flavour of mouth-watering watermelon”
This is a real stalwart of the disposables, so we already have a strong baseline to gauge things, and I have to say, The Alchemists Cupboard have nailed it. The watermelon is surprisingly strong, more like watermelon candy than the fruit, and it is juicy and sweet. Throw in a hint of ice, just enough to cut through to break up the flavour, and you are on to a winner. This is a very addictive flavour and was a great start. I had both longfill and shortfill versions so I could do a direct comparison and my sensitive tastebuds couldn’t tell them apart in flavour or intensity.
Kiwi Passionfruit Guava
“Kiwi Passionfruit Guava Pixie Juice captures sweet and tangy notes of exotic kiwis paired with tantalizing passion fruit highlights and tropical guava on the exhale”
This was the other one that I got in both formats, and once again, they were so closely matched that I couldn’t tell them apart. I really love tropical flavours, and this was as good as any. Each flavour was defined and present, even the kiwi which often gets lost and is used more as a linking element. The passionfruit and guava were very evenly matched and all together everything blended really well. This is highly vapable.
Blueberry Sour Raspberry
“Blueberry Sour Raspberry Pixie Juice Longfill features sweet and sour notes of blueberries paired with tart raspberries creating a tantalizing vape experience with a fruity aftertaste”
Well, it does what it says on the bottle, but it wasn’t for me. It is quite a floral blueberry which is a bit of a pet hate, and the raspberry didn’t cut through quite as well as I thought it might. I like the almost syrupy feel of the flavour, but it just wasn’t too my taste, but as we all know, taste is subjective. If you enjoy more fragrant flavours, you will enjoy it, it just isn’t my style.
Apple Peach
“Apple Peach Pixie Juice features delicious juicy notes of soft peaches that have been blended together to perfection with crisp green apple undertones”
This was a real treat, and an unexpected one at that. It just sounded too simple, it’s apple and it’s peach, that’s it. But my goodness do these two flavours work well together. I often find peach can be massively underwhelming and I must admit that I left this bottle until last due to my own preconceptions, but my opinion soon changed. It is sweet, rich, and so juicy. If only real apples and peaches tasted this good.
Strawberry Ice
“Strawberry Ice Pixie Juice features the distinctive yet tangy-sweet notes of strawberries that will tantalise your taste buds. This is perfectly paired up with an ice finish to create a sweet yet frosty vape experience”
This is another classic disposable flavour, and it didn’t disappoint. It is another candy fruit as opposed to authentic fruit, but that’s not a complaint at all as I don’t think it would have been as moreish if it was a realistic flavour. The ice is also a perfect amount, just fresh enough to lift things without taking your breath away. The use of ice has come on a long way since it first started to become popular, and I am all for the more subtle approach. Top job!
Riff Raff Coconut Ice Cream
“Coconut Ice Cream Riff Raff E-Liquid is a Creamy Ice Cream with a rich sweet Coconut flavour. A treat any Coconut lover will enjoy”
It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s sweet, it is everything it says will be in the description. The coconut is very natural and contains just the right amount, so it doesn’t become heavy which is a common issue with coconut flavours. It is reassuringly old school too and I felt strangely warm and fuzzy whilst vaping it, I loved the ice cream trend when it was everywhere, and I think it is long overdue a comeback.
Biscuit Boss Mint Choc Chip
“Biscuit Boss Mint Choc-Chip short-fill E-Liquid. The Biscuit Boss’s Famous Biscuit Base, Just as you like it, but this time he has loaded his Biscuit with Mint Choc-Chips. A deliciously tasty Cookie style Biscuit, loaded with Mint Chocolate Chip”
I’ll put my hands up and admit that my face fell when I saw this in the bundle. Chocolate always sounds like a great idea, but it rarely works, it burns too easily and can taste muddy and generally off. But it looks like we have an exception here as this was delicious. The chocolate is light and milky, the mint is sweet and balanced, and the cookie base pulls everything together. It is still a bit of a coil killer, but it is worth the effort of rewicking a bit more frequently.
The Alchemists Classic E-liquid Coconut, Caramel & Hazelnut Honey
“If you like smooth subtle flavours, you should love this one, a very smooth coconut and caramel with a touch of hazelnut on the inhale, the honey adds depth to those flavours making it very smooth and tasty… leaving a delicate taste of coconut & Honey in the mouth after the exhale”
Goodness me, there is a lot going on here, at least on paper. The reality is quite different though as this is such a good blend of flavours. Now autumn is drawing in, this is exactly the kind of juice I want to vape, it is a warming comfort blanket of an e-liquid. I think honey is a massively underused flavour, it gives a really interesting twist whenever it is used. The caramel and hazelnut gives a really layered depth, and the coconut gives it a lightness. I absolutely love this flavour, and I will be quite sad when it runs out. I may even treat myself to another bottle which is high praise indeed!
Final Thoughts
The Alchemists Cupboard set out to create a range that can give disposable flavours a run for their money, and by and large, I think they have done that in style. They are strong but have enough subtlety and substance to stand on their own. It should be noted that the strength of flavour does mean you might get through coils a bit faster, especially if you push your wattage, or you could dial things down and use them in a suitable pod set up which is really where they shine. If you are looking for a great alternative to disposables, do yourself a favour and pick up one of the many great pod kits that are out and a selection of Pixie Juice E-liquids and I think you will be very happy indeed!
Many thanks to The Alchemists Cupboard for sending these in for review.
Michelle (Purplefowler)
Reviewer at POTVWhen her usual forum closed, Michelle found herself in a brave new world full of excitement that something fresh and new was happening. A few days later she somehow found herself on the moderating team and is still not really sure how that happened. Even stranger, she slowly worked her way up to admin and now helps behind the scenes, liasing with vendors and coordinating social media but she can still be found making smutty comments on the forum. If all that wasn't enough, she also is a proud member of the Potv review team specialising in E-liquid reviews for the discerning vaper.
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