Johnson Creek is somewhat infamous (or maybe notorious, depending on who you ask) compared to its e-liquid peers. This was the first company I can remember hearing about in the vaping world. Long before I even knew what an ‘atty’, ‘carto’, or ‘juice’ even was, I learned that Johnson Creek was a terrible company. The stuff clogged something or other and caused general mayhem and expense to poor recovering smokers everywhere. The product was to be avoided At All Costs.
Well, that was nearly 11 months ago. I’ve picked up few tips here and there in the meantime.
I’d really let Johnson Creek slip off my radar. After all, there are a million e-liquid vendors out there to try and why bother with a vendor so vilified as Johnson Creek? As it turned out, I’d tried to purchase from a well thought of vendor on these very forums for what seemed like the hundredth time and that vendor had been unable to complete my transaction, yet again. As I pondered what to do, a banner ad came up on ECF for Johnson Creek. I figured what the heck, and clicked on it.
If you’ve read any of my reviews, you’ll know that the one attribute I absolutely cannot stand in e-liquid is an artificially sweet sucralose flavor. That flavor, even in small amounts is like kryptonite to me. Unfortunately, that particular sweetener is very common in the e-liquid world. E-liquids that others rave about, I can’t stomach. Folks can’t figure out why I don’t give the thumbs up to many liquids, and often, the sucralose is why.
I am happy to report that only one Johnson Creek flavor has that artificially sweet flavor, but we’ll get to that in a second.
My order comprised of the Original Smoke Juice Sampler, which is a 100% PG liquid with an 18 mg/ml dosage. I also ordered the Red Oak line sampler, which is 100% VG with an 18 mg/ml dosage. This allowed me to try every flavor Johnson Creek produces, sans the specialty flavors they manufacture exclusively for hardware vendors like Blu. (I’m pulling Blu from memory, if I’m wrong, someone correct me, please.)
As soon as I opened the package, I knew Johnson Creek was serious about the presentation and perception of their product. The glass vials came in a nice tin which included a lot number and a little bumper sticker. The tins were labeled prominently and were easy to read. The ingredients were listed, as was a warning label and contact information. In addition, there was an instructional card included in my order.
Other vendors could stand to take a lesson from Johnson Creek when it comes to packaging, the product looked sharp, professional, and not at all like it was mixed in someone’s garage. Johnson Creek is pretty transparent about their facility, their staff, and their product. I think the only company as transparent about their staff and facilities might be Puresmoker. It’s apparent that Christian Berkey, CEO of Johnson Creek is serious about being on the forefront of the vaping industry. Color me impressed with their organization and marketing.
But all of that means nothing if the e-liquid sucks.
Let’s get on with it, shall we?
At 18 mg, the throat hit was pretty harsh on all flavors for me.
All liquid was below average for vapor production.
All flavors vaped on a stock Riva510
Red Oak Line 100% VG
Swiss Dark 18mg
I’ve heard of reviewers claiming that some chocolate flavors taste burnt. I had never experienced this before, but now I have. This is a harsh, burnt, bitter flavor.
Purchase again? No.
Wisconsin Frost 18 mg
This is a creamy mint, but not in a good way. It took me awhile to figure out what the flavor was. I could taste mint, but it was dulled by a chalky cream sensation. Finally I remembered what the flavor was: Phillips Milk of Magnesia.
Purchase again? No.
Island 18mg
This flavor surprised me a bit. Fruit flavors tend to be artificially sweet, but not so with this one. It tasted just like a pina colada, although maybe a little heavy on the pineapple garnish. It was pretty good at first but I did catch a bit of something manmade in the liquid after awhile. I couldn’t quite place what that off element was, but I can say it’s in every Johnson Creek flavor. This manmade flavor doesn’t offend me, but I don’t care for it either.
Purchase again? Yes, but only in small quantities.
Marcado 18mg
A clove and cinnamon flavored e-liquid that made me cough on my first drag. This flavor is strong, really strong. Again, there’s that tell tale manmade element in the mix that takes an otherwise nice vape and gives it an off putting finish. I can vape this for a bit, but then I have to put it away.
Purchase again? Sure.
Valencia 18 mg
This orange ain’t from Florida, or maybe even a real tree. I get more of the orange peel oil than the flesh of the fruit out of this one. It’s a very sharp citrus note with a cinnamon finish. Since it didn’t have any artificial sweetness, this liquid is the best orange I’ve ever tried. Still, it had that manmade element, which makes me hesitate on pulling the trigger on a larger bottle.
Purchase again? I may revisit this after trying some other orange flavors despite its flaws. Could be a good mixer too.
Tennessee Cured 18 mg
Amazingly mild despite the sharp chemical like scent. This is a sweet ‘tobacco’ blend that manages to not having any of that crappy nut flavor so prevalent in e liquids today. The flavor isn’t real tobacco, more like a suggestion of tobacco with a vanilla undertone. It’s not bad, but not my favorite tobacco either. It’s just an inoffensive vape.
Purchase again? Probably, but I have a lot of other tobacco flavors in line ahead of it.
Domestic 18mg
This is a medicinal scented e-liquid that reminds me of mint chocolate on the inhale. It’s alright as it doesn’t have the mystery nut ‘tobacco’ flavor, but it’s not a cigarette flavor as advertised. It’s a slightly sweet, slightly minty, and slightly manmade tasting flavor.
Purchase again? No.
Original Smoke Juice 100% PG, 18mg/ml
JC Original 18 mg
The liquid that started it all at Johnson Creek. This flavor should be familiar to anyone who has ever tried a nutty sweet ‘tobacco’. This flavor is common in the e-liquid market.
Purchase again? No.
Tennessee Cured 18mg
Much like it’s all VG counterpart. Mild, unassuming, slightly sweet, no nut.
Purchase again? No, I’d sooner go for the VG blend on this one.
Black Cherry 18mg
Smells like a cherry Twizzler, tastes like a cherry Twizzler. Not bad. No artificially sweet flavor here and no cough drop flavor either. Yes, it does have a touch of that manmade element, just like the Oak Creek liquids, but unlike the Valencia where that element pops out, here it stays to the back and doesn’t ruin the vape.
Purchase again? Yes
French Vanilla 18 mg
I’ve been on the prowl for the vanilla flavor used in that crappy little super mini called the Smokebot. Love that stuff. I was hoping Johnson Creek was who actually made it. Unfortunately for me, the vanilla search continues. But to be fair, this is a nice generic grocery store vanilla. Nothing offensive or majorly out of place. It’s ok, but there’s better vanilla out there.
Purchase again? No
Chocolate Truffle 18mg
There’s that burnt chocolate flavor again. And sucralose flavoring. Lots of artificial sweetness. Yuck. I think they use toffee flavor in this since this specific artificially sweet flavor seems to be the same as every toffee from every vendor I’ve ever tried.
Purchase again? No.
Arctic Menthol 18 mg
Maybe it’s just how they make their mint and menthol blends, but this has the same milk of magnesia taint that Wisconsin Frost has. My brain is telling me I should be enjoying this creamy cool blend, but my tongue is convinced I’m guzzling from the blue Phillips bottle.
Purchase again? No.
Espresso 18 mg
To me this tastes more like bitter coffee that’s sat on the burner just a tad too long. I get very little sweet and a whole lot of burnt. This is the first coffee based flavor that I’ve tried that I really didn’t care for because of a burnt flavor. I suppose if you like strong black convenience store coffee, this could be for you.
Purchase again? No.
Mint Chocolate 18mg
Suffers from the same burnt chocolate flavor as Swiss Dark. I didn’t notice any mint because I was too busy scrapping crispy carbon flavor out of my tastebuds.
Purchase again? No.
Summer Peach 18mg
Surprisingly good e liquid, especially since I eat maybe one peach a year. Nice mellow peach flavor with not a hint of artificial anything. Recommended if you like natural peaches (not the candy kind) and recommended even if you don’t like peaches. Very nice juice for after dinner or on a Sunday afternoon when relaxing.
Purchase again? Yes
Spiced Apple Cider 18mg
Again I was surprised by how close this liquid is to the drink it’s trying to emulate. Nice apple bite followed up by warm cinnamon and nutmeg notes. I can see myself vaping this on a snowy day or during the holidays.
Purchase again? Yes
Well, that was nearly 11 months ago. I’ve picked up few tips here and there in the meantime.
I’d really let Johnson Creek slip off my radar. After all, there are a million e-liquid vendors out there to try and why bother with a vendor so vilified as Johnson Creek? As it turned out, I’d tried to purchase from a well thought of vendor on these very forums for what seemed like the hundredth time and that vendor had been unable to complete my transaction, yet again. As I pondered what to do, a banner ad came up on ECF for Johnson Creek. I figured what the heck, and clicked on it.
If you’ve read any of my reviews, you’ll know that the one attribute I absolutely cannot stand in e-liquid is an artificially sweet sucralose flavor. That flavor, even in small amounts is like kryptonite to me. Unfortunately, that particular sweetener is very common in the e-liquid world. E-liquids that others rave about, I can’t stomach. Folks can’t figure out why I don’t give the thumbs up to many liquids, and often, the sucralose is why.
I am happy to report that only one Johnson Creek flavor has that artificially sweet flavor, but we’ll get to that in a second.
My order comprised of the Original Smoke Juice Sampler, which is a 100% PG liquid with an 18 mg/ml dosage. I also ordered the Red Oak line sampler, which is 100% VG with an 18 mg/ml dosage. This allowed me to try every flavor Johnson Creek produces, sans the specialty flavors they manufacture exclusively for hardware vendors like Blu. (I’m pulling Blu from memory, if I’m wrong, someone correct me, please.)
As soon as I opened the package, I knew Johnson Creek was serious about the presentation and perception of their product. The glass vials came in a nice tin which included a lot number and a little bumper sticker. The tins were labeled prominently and were easy to read. The ingredients were listed, as was a warning label and contact information. In addition, there was an instructional card included in my order.
Other vendors could stand to take a lesson from Johnson Creek when it comes to packaging, the product looked sharp, professional, and not at all like it was mixed in someone’s garage. Johnson Creek is pretty transparent about their facility, their staff, and their product. I think the only company as transparent about their staff and facilities might be Puresmoker. It’s apparent that Christian Berkey, CEO of Johnson Creek is serious about being on the forefront of the vaping industry. Color me impressed with their organization and marketing.
But all of that means nothing if the e-liquid sucks.
Let’s get on with it, shall we?
At 18 mg, the throat hit was pretty harsh on all flavors for me.
All liquid was below average for vapor production.
All flavors vaped on a stock Riva510
Red Oak Line 100% VG
Swiss Dark 18mg
I’ve heard of reviewers claiming that some chocolate flavors taste burnt. I had never experienced this before, but now I have. This is a harsh, burnt, bitter flavor.
Purchase again? No.
Wisconsin Frost 18 mg
This is a creamy mint, but not in a good way. It took me awhile to figure out what the flavor was. I could taste mint, but it was dulled by a chalky cream sensation. Finally I remembered what the flavor was: Phillips Milk of Magnesia.
Purchase again? No.
Island 18mg
This flavor surprised me a bit. Fruit flavors tend to be artificially sweet, but not so with this one. It tasted just like a pina colada, although maybe a little heavy on the pineapple garnish. It was pretty good at first but I did catch a bit of something manmade in the liquid after awhile. I couldn’t quite place what that off element was, but I can say it’s in every Johnson Creek flavor. This manmade flavor doesn’t offend me, but I don’t care for it either.
Purchase again? Yes, but only in small quantities.
Marcado 18mg
A clove and cinnamon flavored e-liquid that made me cough on my first drag. This flavor is strong, really strong. Again, there’s that tell tale manmade element in the mix that takes an otherwise nice vape and gives it an off putting finish. I can vape this for a bit, but then I have to put it away.
Purchase again? Sure.
Valencia 18 mg
This orange ain’t from Florida, or maybe even a real tree. I get more of the orange peel oil than the flesh of the fruit out of this one. It’s a very sharp citrus note with a cinnamon finish. Since it didn’t have any artificial sweetness, this liquid is the best orange I’ve ever tried. Still, it had that manmade element, which makes me hesitate on pulling the trigger on a larger bottle.
Purchase again? I may revisit this after trying some other orange flavors despite its flaws. Could be a good mixer too.
Tennessee Cured 18 mg
Amazingly mild despite the sharp chemical like scent. This is a sweet ‘tobacco’ blend that manages to not having any of that crappy nut flavor so prevalent in e liquids today. The flavor isn’t real tobacco, more like a suggestion of tobacco with a vanilla undertone. It’s not bad, but not my favorite tobacco either. It’s just an inoffensive vape.
Purchase again? Probably, but I have a lot of other tobacco flavors in line ahead of it.
Domestic 18mg
This is a medicinal scented e-liquid that reminds me of mint chocolate on the inhale. It’s alright as it doesn’t have the mystery nut ‘tobacco’ flavor, but it’s not a cigarette flavor as advertised. It’s a slightly sweet, slightly minty, and slightly manmade tasting flavor.
Purchase again? No.
Original Smoke Juice 100% PG, 18mg/ml
JC Original 18 mg
The liquid that started it all at Johnson Creek. This flavor should be familiar to anyone who has ever tried a nutty sweet ‘tobacco’. This flavor is common in the e-liquid market.
Purchase again? No.
Tennessee Cured 18mg
Much like it’s all VG counterpart. Mild, unassuming, slightly sweet, no nut.
Purchase again? No, I’d sooner go for the VG blend on this one.
Black Cherry 18mg
Smells like a cherry Twizzler, tastes like a cherry Twizzler. Not bad. No artificially sweet flavor here and no cough drop flavor either. Yes, it does have a touch of that manmade element, just like the Oak Creek liquids, but unlike the Valencia where that element pops out, here it stays to the back and doesn’t ruin the vape.
Purchase again? Yes
French Vanilla 18 mg
I’ve been on the prowl for the vanilla flavor used in that crappy little super mini called the Smokebot. Love that stuff. I was hoping Johnson Creek was who actually made it. Unfortunately for me, the vanilla search continues. But to be fair, this is a nice generic grocery store vanilla. Nothing offensive or majorly out of place. It’s ok, but there’s better vanilla out there.
Purchase again? No
Chocolate Truffle 18mg
There’s that burnt chocolate flavor again. And sucralose flavoring. Lots of artificial sweetness. Yuck. I think they use toffee flavor in this since this specific artificially sweet flavor seems to be the same as every toffee from every vendor I’ve ever tried.
Purchase again? No.
Arctic Menthol 18 mg
Maybe it’s just how they make their mint and menthol blends, but this has the same milk of magnesia taint that Wisconsin Frost has. My brain is telling me I should be enjoying this creamy cool blend, but my tongue is convinced I’m guzzling from the blue Phillips bottle.
Purchase again? No.
Espresso 18 mg
To me this tastes more like bitter coffee that’s sat on the burner just a tad too long. I get very little sweet and a whole lot of burnt. This is the first coffee based flavor that I’ve tried that I really didn’t care for because of a burnt flavor. I suppose if you like strong black convenience store coffee, this could be for you.
Purchase again? No.
Mint Chocolate 18mg
Suffers from the same burnt chocolate flavor as Swiss Dark. I didn’t notice any mint because I was too busy scrapping crispy carbon flavor out of my tastebuds.
Purchase again? No.
Summer Peach 18mg
Surprisingly good e liquid, especially since I eat maybe one peach a year. Nice mellow peach flavor with not a hint of artificial anything. Recommended if you like natural peaches (not the candy kind) and recommended even if you don’t like peaches. Very nice juice for after dinner or on a Sunday afternoon when relaxing.
Purchase again? Yes
Spiced Apple Cider 18mg
Again I was surprised by how close this liquid is to the drink it’s trying to emulate. Nice apple bite followed up by warm cinnamon and nutmeg notes. I can see myself vaping this on a snowy day or during the holidays.
Purchase again? Yes
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