Like bakery flavors? Like dessert flavors? Here's my review of Gooey Butter Cake by AltCig.
I'm a HUGE fan of the real gooey butter cake (all versions from the "normal" like my mom used to make, to the "chocolate" variety like my wife sometimes blesses me with, to Paula Dean's version). My vast experience with the real thing I think puts me in a unique position to be able to call myself a GBC "Expert"!
INFORMATION ABOUT juice REVIEWED - 24mg strength. PG/VG ratio is unlisted so if you have a concern please contact AltCig.
EQUIPMENT USED - Vaped in the following configurations, though the following review was based on my preferred configuration:
Low Resistance 510 atty at 3.7v
Low Resistance 510 atty at 5v
Standard 901 atty at 3.2v
Standard 901 atty at 3.7v
Standard 901 atty at 5v
NOTE: I prefer a warmer vape than some people and find that my preferred equipment is LR atty @ 3.7v or SR atty @ 5v. This juice is no different as I found those configurations best for ME. If you like a cooler vape that's great and should be similar to my comments below though with slightly less heat and vapor production.
ORDERING/SHIPPING -
I was fortunate to win a contest (the prize being 4 juices of my choice). For those who don't know me, I do NOT pull my punches just because I'm given something. I "call it like I see it" and while that means I'm not always complementary, I am always honest.
Shipping was same-day and arrived a few days later. My brief communication with AltCig during the process was great and very customer friendly! They made me feel like I mattered (even more amazing considering it was a contest win and not a larger purchase), and that's surprisingly rare in the e-cig industry.
PACKAGING -
Standard packaging in a padded mailer and inside ziplock bags. I was supposed to receive 4 juices, but actually received 5! A very welcome surprise! Another nice touch is the thought that appears to have gone into the extra flavor (Cinnamin Cheese Danish) selection as it's right inline with the flavors I ordered and NOT some wacky, unlikely to be liked flavor (i.e. like when you order bakery and receive tobacco). A nice touch and shows that there was thought put into what i'd likely enjoy most.
My only suggestion for packaging is the bottle labels. They're nicely sized, color printed labels, however there's a layer of scotch tape placed over the labels. I put tape over my own labels because the labels I have tend to not stay stuck real well. As a premier ejuice vendor, I would like to see AltCig switch their labeling to ones that have adequate adhesive and wouldn't require the tape. Very minor gripe I know but something that could be slightly improved in the future.
LIQUID INSPECTION -
The liquid is a clean lite peachy color and the viscosity is on par with most of my other liquids, or slightly thinner (I normally vape 70PG/30VG so I'm guessing this is 80/20 or 70/30?) The product description on the ecigexpress website does not list the actual %s nor does it give you an option so people sensitive to either one should get verification of the makeup to avoid issues. The liquid smells EXACTLY like the real thing! That gets the saliva flowing and anticipation builds as soon as the cap is removed!
LIQUID/VAPOR TASTE -
The vapor taste is SPOT ON! The buttery taste is quite pronounced like it should be, with a lesser note of cream cheese and a hint of powedered sugar. Real GBC can be made with or without a dusting of powdered sugar on top. My kids don't like powdered sugar and therefore my wife's homemade version does not have the dusting while my mom's version had a fairly heavy dusting. So I'd say the liquid falls somewhere in between those two. I taste powdered sugar, but it's a very lite dusting and subtle.
Common to ALL bakery flavors I've vaped, higher voltage/wattage (i.e. SR @ >5v or LR @ 5v) does result in a loss of flavor nuiances and IMO is not ideal.
The vapor has a great spot on taste, and the vapor also has a spot on smell. The fragrance is more subtle than some of my other juices, but it is noticble. So vaping GBC won't attract people from rooms away (the way the smell of GBC baking does) but anyone nearby will likely get hungry!
VAPOR PRODUCTION -
I was very surprised here. The amount of vapor is very pronounced, (likely due to a high PG content?) more so than other all-PG juices I've vaped over the years. Anyone who likes to "fog" the room will love this aspect, while stealth vapers won't.
THROAT HIT -
I find the throat very smooth and mellow. For someone who's #1 priority is TH, this isn't probably going to satisfy the TH need. However, like most bakery flavors, it's more about the taste and less about the TH and GBC delivers!
CONCLUSION -
If you like bakery flavors or would like to try a top-notch one, this is likely the best example I've ever vaped! It's true to it's namesake and delicious! It has very minimal throat kick, and is smooth, "creamy", dare I say "gooey" - just like it SHOULD be. The vapor production is great and would impress anyone while it's residual (second-hand) smell is very pleasing and non-offensive. Vape GBC and you won't smell like a smoker but you may find yourself hungry!
ELEVATOR PITCH - FINAL WORD:
A phenominal bakery flavor that is as close to the real thing as any liquid can get! Vape it and see it you find yourself licking your fingers afterward!
My experience with AltCig was as good as it gets and I will definately by ordering from them in the future!
TONGUE SCORE - Just about perfect! I'll give this 4-1/2 tongues (out of a possible 5). The only thing that keeps it from getting 5 out of 5 is it's almost too mild (for me) throat hit and it's almost too subtle powdered sugar flavor. Likely a lot of people would rate this 5 out of 5 since TH is normally not a big thing for bakery flavors and especially if you're used to the GBC version with little to no powdered sugar dusting.
I'm a HUGE fan of the real gooey butter cake (all versions from the "normal" like my mom used to make, to the "chocolate" variety like my wife sometimes blesses me with, to Paula Dean's version). My vast experience with the real thing I think puts me in a unique position to be able to call myself a GBC "Expert"!
INFORMATION ABOUT juice REVIEWED - 24mg strength. PG/VG ratio is unlisted so if you have a concern please contact AltCig.
EQUIPMENT USED - Vaped in the following configurations, though the following review was based on my preferred configuration:
Low Resistance 510 atty at 3.7v
Low Resistance 510 atty at 5v
Standard 901 atty at 3.2v
Standard 901 atty at 3.7v
Standard 901 atty at 5v
NOTE: I prefer a warmer vape than some people and find that my preferred equipment is LR atty @ 3.7v or SR atty @ 5v. This juice is no different as I found those configurations best for ME. If you like a cooler vape that's great and should be similar to my comments below though with slightly less heat and vapor production.
ORDERING/SHIPPING -
I was fortunate to win a contest (the prize being 4 juices of my choice). For those who don't know me, I do NOT pull my punches just because I'm given something. I "call it like I see it" and while that means I'm not always complementary, I am always honest.
Shipping was same-day and arrived a few days later. My brief communication with AltCig during the process was great and very customer friendly! They made me feel like I mattered (even more amazing considering it was a contest win and not a larger purchase), and that's surprisingly rare in the e-cig industry.
PACKAGING -
Standard packaging in a padded mailer and inside ziplock bags. I was supposed to receive 4 juices, but actually received 5! A very welcome surprise! Another nice touch is the thought that appears to have gone into the extra flavor (Cinnamin Cheese Danish) selection as it's right inline with the flavors I ordered and NOT some wacky, unlikely to be liked flavor (i.e. like when you order bakery and receive tobacco). A nice touch and shows that there was thought put into what i'd likely enjoy most.
My only suggestion for packaging is the bottle labels. They're nicely sized, color printed labels, however there's a layer of scotch tape placed over the labels. I put tape over my own labels because the labels I have tend to not stay stuck real well. As a premier ejuice vendor, I would like to see AltCig switch their labeling to ones that have adequate adhesive and wouldn't require the tape. Very minor gripe I know but something that could be slightly improved in the future.
LIQUID INSPECTION -
The liquid is a clean lite peachy color and the viscosity is on par with most of my other liquids, or slightly thinner (I normally vape 70PG/30VG so I'm guessing this is 80/20 or 70/30?) The product description on the ecigexpress website does not list the actual %s nor does it give you an option so people sensitive to either one should get verification of the makeup to avoid issues. The liquid smells EXACTLY like the real thing! That gets the saliva flowing and anticipation builds as soon as the cap is removed!
LIQUID/VAPOR TASTE -
The vapor taste is SPOT ON! The buttery taste is quite pronounced like it should be, with a lesser note of cream cheese and a hint of powedered sugar. Real GBC can be made with or without a dusting of powdered sugar on top. My kids don't like powdered sugar and therefore my wife's homemade version does not have the dusting while my mom's version had a fairly heavy dusting. So I'd say the liquid falls somewhere in between those two. I taste powdered sugar, but it's a very lite dusting and subtle.
Common to ALL bakery flavors I've vaped, higher voltage/wattage (i.e. SR @ >5v or LR @ 5v) does result in a loss of flavor nuiances and IMO is not ideal.
The vapor has a great spot on taste, and the vapor also has a spot on smell. The fragrance is more subtle than some of my other juices, but it is noticble. So vaping GBC won't attract people from rooms away (the way the smell of GBC baking does) but anyone nearby will likely get hungry!
VAPOR PRODUCTION -
I was very surprised here. The amount of vapor is very pronounced, (likely due to a high PG content?) more so than other all-PG juices I've vaped over the years. Anyone who likes to "fog" the room will love this aspect, while stealth vapers won't.
THROAT HIT -
I find the throat very smooth and mellow. For someone who's #1 priority is TH, this isn't probably going to satisfy the TH need. However, like most bakery flavors, it's more about the taste and less about the TH and GBC delivers!
CONCLUSION -
If you like bakery flavors or would like to try a top-notch one, this is likely the best example I've ever vaped! It's true to it's namesake and delicious! It has very minimal throat kick, and is smooth, "creamy", dare I say "gooey" - just like it SHOULD be. The vapor production is great and would impress anyone while it's residual (second-hand) smell is very pleasing and non-offensive. Vape GBC and you won't smell like a smoker but you may find yourself hungry!
ELEVATOR PITCH - FINAL WORD:
A phenominal bakery flavor that is as close to the real thing as any liquid can get! Vape it and see it you find yourself licking your fingers afterward!
My experience with AltCig was as good as it gets and I will definately by ordering from them in the future!
TONGUE SCORE - Just about perfect! I'll give this 4-1/2 tongues (out of a possible 5). The only thing that keeps it from getting 5 out of 5 is it's almost too mild (for me) throat hit and it's almost too subtle powdered sugar flavor. Likely a lot of people would rate this 5 out of 5 since TH is normally not a big thing for bakery flavors and especially if you're used to the GBC version with little to no powdered sugar dusting.
