Premium E Liquid Australia
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Jim Lawson
- Last Update : 04/09/2020
Indulgence in luxury is naturally a state of being people gravitate towards. At the very least I’m relatively sure that most everyone has experienced moments of self pampering.
It could be that you’ve thrown away a week’s worth of effort in the gym by ordering the fattest, greasiest burger to satisfy yourself in pure, bacon filled decadence.
You might even be the type to take a weekend off to just drive around the countryside.
Well, given the subject matter of ‘Best Premium E Liquid Australia’, you probably won’t be surprised with some of the luxuries I’ll be talking about here.
Defining the Premium in Premium E-Juice
Most vapers are aware that E-Liquid is made from a mixture of flavourings, optional nicotine, propylene glycol (PG), and vegetable glycerin (VG).
It feels like a bit of a head scratcher when you sit down and think about it, but how do you go about marketing something so simple as a premium product?
The quick explanation is that like any other product category, you can tack on something that makes a specific line of e-liquid as ‘special’, and it can be considered premium.
In a society where entrepreneurs actually make money off of selling pet rocks of all things, you can bet that there are marketers out there who will put a label on a niche to make that extra dollar.
Well, that’s the cynical way of looking at it, but let’s take a more comprehensive view with less bias and more grounding in fact over sensationalist theorycrafting.
Additional Expense
Okay. Despite having said that, I do need to get it out of the way that it is entirely likely some less than well intentioned companies do exactly that.
Given the state of flux regarding e-liquid laws, vendors don’t actually have to specifically tell you everything that they put into their products.
Unscrupulous companies may end up describing one thing, but they could very well be selling you something comparable to bottles left in the internet bargain bin.
Of course that isn’t to say that all vendors jack up their prices with pretty words and cheap ingredients.
There might be thousands of e-juice brands on the market, but all it takes is a bit of research to discover that some of those expensive looking bottles actually do hold e-liquid that is worth the price tag.
Luckily, I’ve done the research for you!
The Quality Of Ingredients
Primarily, the main cause of jumped up prices into premium e-liquid territory, is due to the increased cost of expensive ingredients.
Yeah sure, you might be getting something that vaguely resembles mango flavoured cough medicine from a dirt cheap bottle of e-juice, but you’ll find that some of the more expensive brands will have you swearing you just took a bite out of the fruit itself.
Getting that kind of taste down to bottled perfection is going to be a difficult process.
A vendor might be able to get away with adding just two different flavourings to get a specific flavour, but the true artisan level blends make use of a veritable cocktail of ingredients to get the taste just right.
It’s not a joke when I say that food science is a thing.
Research actually is being performed in the culinary sciences to narrow down flavours into their chemical components.
It’s in these labs where ‘artificial flavourings’ are created and condensed down into vats of bacon flavoured liquid.
Speciality Options
Besides using more, or just more expensive, ingredients in their e-liquids, companies might also market their wares for a specific portion of the population.
Citing one example, Kind Juice, organic vape liquid is a thing.
For those of you concerned about synthetic chemicals, there are companies that develop e-liquids that use non-synthetic flavourings.
Another major separation between normal and premium e-juice are the bottles that look the part.
It could be part of a gag in the case of Milkman, a line of e-liquid that are packaged in a facsimile of milk bottles, or something more serious like Beard Co.
When your company names their e-liquid after a specific number on a list of different beard types, you know that they’re completely serious about the quality of their product.
Just imagine Charles Dance with an early nineteenth century set of mutton chops.
(Sadly all the bottles use the same logo, but imagination is a great thing.)
The sheer magnificence of that image. Fondly quoting Robocop for a moment, “I’d buy that for a dollar.”
Why Buy Premium E-Juice
Besides wanting to be the magnanimous lord or lady of who will gift their peasant subjects with but a taste of ambrosia for their fealty, there are a few reasons you might want to try using premium juice.
First off, vendors that sell premium e-liquid will either have to convince you to buy their products with a serious advertisement, or for the more convincing reason, do the honorable thing and make a list of the ingredients they put into their juice.
Studies regarding the correlation between vaping and health problems are still in their infancy, but there is enough information on related issues that is the cause of some concern.
The comparison between popcorn lung and the same irritating chemical that causes it in popcorn factory workers, has been used as a sweetener in some e-juice flavours. It actually still is here and there.
At the very least, it’s a load off the mind to know that the chemical linked to the condition won’t be present in the premium e-liquids you purchase.
Vendors that promote themselves as premium juice developers do not want the negative press associated with that bag of ‘fun’.
Another reason besides wanting to know what’s in your juice, is the superior taste that you get from premium bottles.
There is absolutely no comparison you can make between a cheap bottle of bootleg moonshine compared to let’s say, Johnny Walker Blue Label.
You could say something similar about nameless wholesale e-juice and a bottle of Naked 100.
Considering Less Expensive Alternatives
Not everything is sunny in Philadelphia. While premium vape liquid isn’t going to break the bank for most people, it can be significantly more expensive than cheaper alternatives.
If you don’t really care about flavour and are vaping just to get your nicotine buzz, there’s no need to buy a deluxe lemon custard when basic blueberry will do.
For health considerations, I’ll just lay it out plainly.
We have no idea what inhaling most of the stuff in e-juice is going to do long term.
Yes, we know some chemicals are harmful, and yes, most of the flavourings that are used are often deemed safe for ingestion by several food health organisations.
But that’s the key isn’t it? Ingestion.
It’s always good to be aware that we are still inhaling flavourings in a way that wasn’t meant to be done and definitely not in the quantities that we do so.
So despite knowing what you’re pulling into your lungs with some vape juices, it’s difficult to say if premium e-juice is the healthier alternative, broadly speaking.
The List of Best Premium E Liquid Australia
Okay, information and health stuff is out of the way so let’s get to the important bit that won’t bore you to tears.
Here I’ll be going over some of the more popular e-juice brands favoured in Australia before letting you know which I think offers the most return for your money.
As always, this is entirely in my personal opinion, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.
#1 Black Note
PRO’S
- Good range of tobacco type flavours
- All natural flavour extraction
- Multiple nicotine levels
- Extremely authentic tobacco taste
- Good throat hit and vapour production
CON’S
- PG/VG ratio is fixed for all bottles
- Bottles are pretty expensive for 30ml
If you’re a new vaper looking to best simulate the taste of cigarettes, you don’t need to look any further than purchasing bottles from Black Note.
This line of premium e-liquid utilises an all natural extraction process to get flavour out of real tobacco plants.
Basically the people that make the juice steep tobacco leaves in their 50/50 PG/VG blends for six to eight weeks to get that authentic taste.
It goes a little deeper than that though. If you’ve ever had the chance to smoke pipe tobacco, this company offers a broad range of tastes similar to that same experience.
Flavours can range from being bold, dark, and toasty, to satisfyingly sweet with just a hint of thickly smoky aftertaste that resembles the fifth or so pull on a flavoured cigar.
As implied above, all Black Note bottles use a 50/50 ratio of PG to VG, and offer five different nicotine levels that range from 0 to 18mg.
With eight different flavours to tobacco to choose from, I’d recommend purchasing ‘The Notebook’ which is a flavour testing kit filled to 7.5ml bottles of their offered flavourings.
The downside to this brand? Their selling price of $29 USD per 30ml bottle.
Though on the glass half full side of things, they have a recycling program that will net you a free bottle of juice for sending back five used tubes.
#2 Naked 100
PRO’S
- Very smooth blend of 70/30 VG/PG
- Several different nicotine levels
- Affordable, but very much premium
- Good range of flavours
- Great for people with a sweet tooth
- Salt nic line available
CON’S
- Fixed VG/PG ratio
- Okay throat hit
- Not for fans of mild flavours
Naked 100 is just one of those brands that almost every vaper has tried out.
Personally speaking, one of my first experiences with exploring e-juice was being gifted a bottle from a long time vaper friend of mine.
To be honest, I was more than impressed with the Hawaiian POG bottle I received.
Doubly so because at the time I didn’t realise this brand was considered as a premium type of e-liquid!
What can I say that’s completely terrible about this line of juice? Nothing really.
Bottles of Naked 100 are both tasty and very affordable for the experience they provide.
Found in 60ml bottles, you get the option to choose between multiple nicotine strengths, and the 70/30 VG/PG ratio makes for a super smooth and cloudy vape.
The flavour range isn’t bad either. There are nine different flavours to choose from just from their basic line alone.
If you count their excellent salt nic line? You get double that amount at 18 different flavours to choose from!
Sort of, some of their more popular flavours are repeated so there’s that to keep in mind.
#3 Kind Juice
PRO’S
- Organic, guilt free e-liquid
- Bob Marley distilled into e-juice
- A great option for the gluten intolerant
- No artificial additives
- Staggering number of flavours
CON’S
- A little on the expensive side
- You might be mistaken for a hippie
Which is like, totally cool brah
So I made a reference to this juice brand earlier when I mentioned organic vape liquid.
That was just a basic one liner, Kind Juice offers a whole lot more than just being organic.
Kind Juice has three separate lines of products that are categorised as E Nectar, Tobacco Ridge, Sub Element, and comes out to a whopping total of 33 different flavours.
Bottle sizes range from 15 to 30ml at a decent price, and nicotine levels vary from 0mg all the way up to 18mg.
What really makes this company special, is their dedication to keep moral issues above the bar.
Besides using organic and natural flavouring extracts, their bottles don’t contain artificial additives, ingredients are sourced from quality manufacturers, contains no gluten or sugar, use ethical ingredients never tested on animals, and are made from plants that are pesticide free.
And perhaps the most heroically? This company believes in fair trade.
Which actually is pretty on par for the course considering the lengths Kind Juice is going through to keep their products on a whole different definition of premium.
#4 The Milkman
PRO’S
- Good range of milky dessert flavours
- Fun packaging
- Tastes quite good
CON’S
- Nicotine options are a little limited
- Might clog up your coils
- Quite expensive
Coming in at fourteen different flavours separated across three production lines, Milkman juice is a brand that prides itself on its milky dessert flavours.
These milk jug shaped bottles are packaged inside containers made to look like milk cartons.
Cheeky play on words aside, the bottles are also fairly sizeable and come in at 60ml with the option for 0, 3, and 6mg worth of nicotine.
As you can imagine, The Milkman does one thing well and that’s delivering a sweet, sweet vape liquid.
While these bottles are quite pricey when not offered up on discount, it might be worth the price if you enjoy desserts enough to breathe it in.
I’m not judging. Sometimes you need something sweet and delectable during Australia’s winter season.
I like my ice cream very much thank you, and it’s not like you’ll be gaining weight from vaping clouds of sugary goodness.
Just something to keep in mind though, if you’re not a fan of sweet and savory, go ahead and skip this.
I’ve also found some of these juices to clog up my coils, so it might not be the greatest juice unless you rebuild your coils from scratch.
#5 Cuttwood
PRO’S
- Decently priced for premium juice
- Good range of flavours
- Smooth and tasty vape
CON’S
- Titanium dioxide controversy is still bonkers
- A little lacking in nicotine options
With a respectable ten flavours Cuttwood juice bottles just give off that air of mature coolness.
Not quite Sean Connery levels of pure, immeasurable swag, but it comes pretty close.
These bottles come in 60ml size and carry anywhere between 0 to 12mg worth of nicotine.
It needs to be said that there was a pretty impactful controversy regarding this company and one of their juice blends a few years ago.
To be specific, Cuttwood’s Unicorn Milk contained titanium dioxide, and while it got pulled from the shelves pretty quick, the company has been trying to make up for lost ground ever since.
In the present day, I’d say they’re doing pretty well. The 70/30 VG/PG mix they use provides for a smooth and cloudy vaping experience, and the range of tastes they expand into is quite nice as well.
It’s hard to pin down how fulfilled a human being can feel after loading up a tank of ‘Boss Reserve’.
Don’t listen to what anyone else says, it’s cool to wear sunglasses indoors.
#6 Beard Vape Co.
PRO’S
- Deep and flavourful
- You can meme this juice for days
- You’ll start growing a superb beard
CON’S
- Doesn’t actually make you grow a beard
- A little low on flavour options
I have a disclaimer to make. As a red blooded man, it’s physically impossible for me to denounce this line of products in any way shape or form.
Be aware that my genetic predisposition to fawning over impeccably groomed facial hair makes for a biased and unreliable source.
Heh, nah. Beard Co is a solid line of premium e-juice in my book.
Sold in either 30 or 60ml bottles, these products boast a variety of flavours that range from watermelon fruity to cigar bar smokey.
That being said, the nicotine range isn’t anything special as it ranges from 0 to 12mg, and the number of flavours offered only come up to a total of eight.
Not terrible, but not the greatest when it comes to picking and choosing which bottle to get for your shopping list.
But what really destroys my heart? In the deepest, darkest place?
All the beard logos are the same despite being labeled in different numbers. It’s a terrible state of affairs, I know.
My Personal Pick
It’s not difficult for me to admit that there are those days where I still wish for the taste of a cigarette.
Mostly it’s just nostalgia and old memories made with good friends at the bar, but that’s the crux of the issue, isn’t it?
As a firm proponent of vaping over smoking, one of the most effective ways of switching over is to simulate smoking a cigarette as best you can.
For new vapers who are just dipping their feet into the water, having access to the full bodied flavour of very close to real authentic tobacco isn’t an advantage to be thrown out lightly.
Black Note wins this roundup hands down.
If you’re mind is craving for a cigarette, it might help to have a bottle of juice that tastes just like one, is a healthier alternative, and is still quite a bit cheaper in the long run compared to buying a pack a day.
Jim Lawson
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