Cigarette Price Watch

Mt Baker Vapor - Hawk Sauce vs Butterscotch as ADV

2015-04-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Mt Baker Vapor's most popular flavor of e-liquid is their Hawk Sauce variety (named after the Seattle Seahawks) since they are located near Seattle. It is a nice, very slightly fruity, full flavor that tastes best after a month's worth of steeping. In my opinion, mt baker vapor's butterscotch flavor is their best for ADV or "all day vape." It lacks the fruitiness of Hawk Sauce, but that's good since the fruitiness of hawk sauce can become annoying over time and the butterscotch flavor ends up tasting better in the long run.

Their best fruit type e-juice is their Green Apple. This flavor is excellent steeped or unsteeped. It retains its distinctive, realistic flavor in many different types of e-cigarette devices.

Other quality flavors: Strawberry, Grape, Cinnamon Roll

Do I need to steep my eliquid?

2015-03-24T17:19:00.001-07:00

Steeping e-liquid means letting your ejuice rest for a while after its made. Most eliquid does not develop the full breadth of its flavor right after production, instead there are several methods you can use to create a better flavor in your e-liquid.

How to steep your e-liquid

To put it simply, steeping means just letting the bottle of e-liquid sit there for a certain amount of time before using it. Some say only a week is necessary, others wait several months. Much of the time required for eliquid steeping depends on the brand and flavor. One thing you can do it periodically try out the flavor to see if it has developed enough.

E-liquid Steeping Technique 1: Let it breathe

It is your choice whether to allow the e-juice to steep with the cap on or off. Some believe keeping the cap off allows for better airflow for steeping. I tend to keep the caps off myself.

E-liquid Steeping Technique 2: Shake it up!

At certain periods, like daily or twice a week, you can pick up the bottle and shake it up (with the cap on), to speed up the steeping process. This is not required, but it will steep the liquid quicker.

E-liquid Steeping Technique 3: Warm it up

Slight heat makes the steeping process faster. Keeping your juice in a warm but not hot environment will let the eliquid come together better.

Basically, if you want the best vape possible, it is generally better to let your liquid steep, especially if you buy brands like Mt. Baker Vapor who make their product at the same time they send it to you.

Mt Baker Vapor e-cigarette and e-liquid reviews

2015-03-01T02:04:00.001-08:00

One of the most popular online e-cigarette retailers is Mt Baker Vapor. They sell the usual products that most do, but what sets them apart if their e-liquid. They provide some of the cheapest, but quality e-liquid on the internet.

They have many flavors and if you buy the big 235ml bottles, then you can vape all day for under $1 per day. One of those big bottles can last you a month or two depending on how much you vape.

A downside of Mt. Baker Vapor e-liquids is that you really need to let them steep first before using them. This means to let it sit for several weeks before using to develop the flavor. Baker Vapor differs from many e-liquid retailers in that they make their liquid the same day they send it to you which means it doesn't have time to steep on its own.

My favorite Mt. Baker Vapor flavors:

Butterscotch
Green Apple
Hawk Sauce
Grape
Cinnamon Roll
Strawberry

Troubleshooting an EVOD coil rebuild

2015-02-22T21:27:00.004-08:00

There are a number of guides out there on rebuilding EVOD coils that could explain how to do it better than what I can provide here. For instance, the videos are the best guide. If you want to rebuild an EVOD coil, try searching on youtube for an instructional.

Assuming you have the right supplies (organic cotton, kanthal wire, ohm tester etc), then you will be able to begin rebuilding it. When I first began to rebuild my coils, I ran into a few problems that even the guides and videos didn't talk about. I'm going to describe them here.

1. Make sure the coil is not touching ANY metal at all. The bottom rubber part needs to be clipped properly, but the coil itself also need to be avoiding any part of the metal sides. This can be frustrating when you first begin rebuilding your coils. So remember to avoid the coil from touching any metal.

2. Instead of rebuilding your coil all the time, you can also just yank out the organic cotton wick and burn the bare coil, then re-insert another cotton wick.

3. I have found a smaller coil to be better, meaning it is wound around a thinner piece of material (nail, hex key etc). This makes for an easier build in general.

4. Buy enough kanthal wire. The wicks or cotton will last a long time, but the kanthal wire can go quick especially when you are first starting since you will waste some trying to get your first coil going.

Kanger Protank 2 review

2015-02-20T04:16:00.000-08:00

Kanger Protank 2

The Kanger Protank 2 costs around $20, give or take $5.

One of the downsides of this tank is that the flavor doesn't taste as full as other tanks. I don't taste the full flavor of the e-liquid I am vaping. Additionally, you may need to buy a Kanger airflow valve for it, because the airflow in the protank 2 doesn't work too well. I bought one myself, and it works great. The airflow valve only costs around $8 or less.

This tank is a solid-built glass pyrex tank that can handle almost all type of e-liquid. You can also use standard EVOD coils with it, which is a bonus. Overall I would rank this tank pretty highly, because it is durably built and aesthetically attractive for a reasonable price. It can be used with a 510 battery.

Kanger Airflow Control Valve

Kanger EVOD E-cigarette review

2015-02-15T20:07:00.002-08:00

I have used a basic EVOD kit for the last 9 months, and it is still going strong with. It comes with 2 batteries, a basic clearomizer and a charger.

Since then I have bought several more kits of other brands, but I have found the basic EVOD kit to be my favorite of the basic e-cig kits out there. Flavors taste good and it is reliable. You can buy cheap replacement coils at many websites and e-cigarette retailers.

The EVOD allows for easy maintenance as well. For instance, burning the coils to clean gunk off the EVOD is easy. It is also not that hard to do EVOD rebuilds if you have the right equipment like kanthal wire, organic cotton and an OHM tester.

A downside to the basic EVOD clearomizer is that it is a plastic tank which means that certain liquids can cause it to crack, but most retailers will tell you if their e-liquid is known to crack glass tanks. Overall I would rate Kanger EVOD the best of the low price e-cig kits.

Bloomberg on the march again, seeking to increase cigarette prices in New York

2013-03-28T08:34:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/nyregion/bloomberg-seeks-an-end-to-cheap-cigarettes.html?_r=0

NYC Mayor Bloomberg has proposed legislation that would raise the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes in New York to $10.50 per pack (over 50c per cigarette). Not only would this legislation increase the cost of tobacco, but it would prevent the use of coupons on cigarettes, like "two for one" deals ie. buying 2 packs for the price of 1 that is commonly seen in many convenience stores.

This legislation is different than most in that it requires a minimum price of cigarettes. Many states simply have a high tax rate which jacks up their prices, but in this case it would set a specific minimum cost per pack of cigarettes in NYC. It is to be seen whether or not this legislation will pass.

Smokers resorting to re-lighting cigarettes to save money

2013-03-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/21769382/cigarette-relighting-on-rise-in-still-tight-economy

Many smokers have been resorting to relighting their used cigarettes to save money ever since the cost of cigarettes became so high. What they mean is that people are taking cigarette butts that they already smoked and relighting the butts and smoking them. Quite a desperate measure, but also a sign of how steep tobacco prices affects your average smoker.

As many as half of smokers in the study that was done had re-lit cigarettes. People who were more likely to re-light cigarettes were those with the last amount of money or income.

Cook County Illinois raising $1 more in cigarette taxes

2013-03-12T18:33:00.003-07:00

Despite increasing cigarette taxes in Illinois by $1 last June, the tobacco tax in Cook County (Chicago) has increased again by another one dollar. The main reason is to get people to stop smoking and bring in tax revenue.

http://oakpark.patch.com/articles/cook-county-cigarette-prices-jump-1-26f71f8a

Cigarette price news November 2012 and smoking alternatives

2012-10-23T13:28:00.002-07:00

News

Phillip Morris was down over 6 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2012 despite raising their prices

Reynolds American was up over 7 percent in the third quarter of 2012.

A history of how small tobacco firms took over the big dogs in the early to mid 1900s

Alternatives to smoking thrive

Many cigarette companies are learning that alternatives like E-cigs and smokeless forms of tobacco are gaining in value

New Federal Highway Bill will shut down many roll your own machine shops

2012-07-06T15:59:00.002-07:00

In response to tobacco taxes, many stores have been popping up over the last couple of years where people can make their own cigarettes with special machines. Obama's new federal highway bill has a part which will shut down these new stores. This isn't good news for people who use these shops, but you can still buy your own manual cig maker. There seems to be little stopping the government from going after smokers at this point!

California cigarette price increase Prop. 29 fails

2012-06-06T08:32:00.001-07:00

The proposed tax hike on cigarettes in California failed. This is good news for tobacco users in California. Taxes are generally high in California, but their tobacco prices are only the 32nd highest in the country. If this law passed, California would have had the 16th highest cigarette taxes in the country. The bill narrowly failed by a 51-49 margin.

American Austerity and Cigarette Taxes

2012-05-25T03:19:00.001-07:00

There's a lot of things going on in the world today, economy wise. Some European countries like Greece are having austerity programs. Austerity means cutting programs and raising taxes to get more money for a government as a result of a bad economy. This has only sort of started in America. One of the main reasons for demonizing tobacco smoking is so that the government can tax it so much. They've been exorbitantly taxing cigarette smokers in America for the last couple of decades, but with the economy being bad, there is good reason to believe that the already sky-high taxes on cigarettes may go higher. Watch out for austerity measures, and higher tobacco taxes.

California Prop 29 will be decided soon

2012-05-25T03:11:00.001-07:00

In California, Proposition 29 may raise tobacco taxes even more. The vote is in a couple of weeks. Tobacco companies have been trying to get voters to be more aware of the new proposition. A few months ago, there was far less opposition to the bill than there is right now. As of May 25, there are still more people that support the new tax hike on cigarettes in California, but the tobacco companies have been making ground. This new tax increase is going to be a toss up.

Cigarette Rolling Machines Review

2012-03-31T19:25:00.011-07:00

With the new seemingly permanent high prices of cigarettes, finding ways to smoke for less cost is something a lot of people are looking to do today. The problem is that it can be a little confusing for people new to it. There are so many different ways to make your own cigarettes. Here's a short review of the various methods of saving money by making your own smokes.

1. Hand roller with papers or rolling by hand

The simplest way is to roll your cigarettes by hand. All you have to do to do this is buy rolling tobacco and papers. This method requires a certain amount of skill though. It's not good for beginners.

You can also buy hand rollers that can roll the cigarette for you. This is recommended for people who aren't that good at rolling their own cigarettes. Most tobacco stores will sell these devices. You can also buy filters that are made to be used with the hand rollers if you prefer. These hand held rollers cost only $2 to $4 dollars, and papers are not expensive either. A bag of 200 cigarette filters is about $2 to $3 dollars.

2. Using an injector with cigarette tubes

The closest to real cigarettes is by using a tobacco shooter, also known as a tobacco injector. These small, usually plastic devices cost $5 to $10 and last a while. You need to buy them with pre-made cigarette tubes and tobacco. When you make a cigarette with an injector, they are just like real cigarettes. Pre made tobacco tubes are cheap, about $2 for 200 of them. It can take some time and skill before you learn to use an injector the right way though. Be careful not to put too much tobacco in the shooter or it will jam up.

3. More expensive cigarette making machines

Cigarette making machines are similar to an injector, but they are made of metal and last longer, can make better cigarettes, as well as a better cigarette. These can cost anywhere from $50 to $100 dollars. You are better off buying these online because not many places sell them. The only places I've seen them are tobacco shops. Smaller places like convenience stores don't sell them. You will also need pre-made cigarette tubes for these. These can produce more cigarettes faster than a simple injector can.

4. What type of tobacco to use?

In the last few years, the price of loose tobacco has gone through the roof. Brands like Bugler and Top, which sell bags and cans of cigarette tobacco have been subjected to very high tax increases, which has made them not that much cheaper than just buying packaged cigarettes.

The solution is to buy smooth pipe tobacco, which is not subject to the same taxes because it is technically pipe tobacco. Since it is a smooth flavor, it is more loose and can be used for cigarettes. When buying pipe tobacco, always go for a smooth and mild flavor over a strong flavor because the strong flavor is really for smoking in pipes. You will need to go to a tobacco shop or even a pipe shop to find this type of tobacco, but it is much cheaper than cigarette rolling tobacco.

If you can, try buying your tobacco online. Buying tobacco from an online vendor is usually cheaper than buying it in a store. Do a Google search for online rolling tobacco to find a good site to buy from. If you have any questions at the tobacco store, just ask the person working the counter, they will help you begin making your own cigarettes.

Roll your own tobacco stores thriving in Ohio

2012-03-28T22:13:00.002-07:00

In Ohio, people have sought different ways to deal with the high cost of cigarettes, prices that probably aren't going down anytime soon. One way to deal with the prices of tobacco is to roll your own.

At Medina Smokes, in Medina, Ohio, they use large machines that pack tobacco into pre-made cigarette tubes. This is an evolution of the older methods of rolling tobacco into papers, or stuffing the tubes yourself with a small machine called a shooter. At Media Smokes, people can make a carton's worth of cigarettes for under $25.

You can probably expect this kind of thing to increase, tobacco shops with machines that customers can use to make their own cigarettes. As well with the increase of cigarette making machines, the government will try to crack down on them as well.

Why Cigarettes Cost More Now

2012-03-28T22:09:00.002-07:00

The amount of people that smoke in America has declined over the past few decades. 40 years ago, as many as 40% of people smoked. Today less than 20% of people smoke nationwide. This means that the tobacco companies are making less money. If they want to keep their income up, they have to increase the prices of each pack of cigarettes.

Even though taxes keep the price of tobacco high, the price of packs themselves has gotten higher. It doesn't cost that much to make a pack of cigarettes, but the big tobacco companies are still slowly increasing the costs, on top of the taxes.

Cigarette Prices News, Mid July 2010

2010-07-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

New York smokers react to new very high tax rates

Seneca Indians trying to get the government off their back about cigarettes

A list of the tobacco taxes for each state

European organizations trying to snuff out cigarette smuggling

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People wouldn't smuggle cigarettes if the taxes weren't so high. In other news, people are trying to find away around the high taxes in some parts of the country, and their methods will get more inventive as long as the taxes remain elevated.

Cigarette Tax News July 8 2010, worldwide trend in raising cig prices

2010-07-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

South Carolina, once the lowest taxed state for cigarettes in America is now raising their taxes

New York smokers getting around taxes by driving out of state

Cigarette taxes raised even in Palestine

Seneca Indians have another 2 weeks before ban on mailing cigarettes goes into effect

Cigarette black market in Canada grows from high taxes

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There is clearly a world-wide trend in taxing cigarettes to provide funding to governments for their projects, and it doesn't seem like an end is in sight! Keep checking for more news!

Cigarette taxes rising all over, New York City, Egypt, Utah

2010-07-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

Smokers in some parts of New York City are now paying as much as $15 a pack as of early July 2010

More on recent New York City cigarette tax increases

A total of nearly $7 in cigarette taxes in NYC

Egypt raising cigarette prices by 100%

$1 rise in Utah's cigarette taxes

Cigarette Taxes May 2010

2010-05-04T01:58:00.000-07:00

Washington State - $1 tax increase per pack as of May 1, 2010!

- Taxes now over $3 per pack in Washington. A pack is well over $6 and possibly as much as $7 per pack in some locations.

Australia - Government jacks up taxes and requires plain packaging

- Same story down under, pay out your nose for your smokes.

Europe - Imperial Tobacco company raises prices to compete with taxes

- People stop smoking because of taxes, so the company has to raise prices even more to keep profits.

Oregon - Anti-tobacco activist on his organization's plans

"There is excellent research that clearly identifies what needs to be done to eliminate tobacco use. CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden recently said: "Smoke-free laws, hard-hitting ads and higher cigarette prices are among our strongest weapons in this fight against tobacco use.""

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Apparently our choice to smoke tobacco doesn't matter, he wants to "eliminate tobacco use."

One has to wonder how much higher these taxes are going to go. A lot of the motivation comes from the government that wants taxes, and guys like this in the last link who want to stop all smoking. Fairness to smokers isn't important to them.

Cigarette price increases, April 2010

2010-04-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

A lot of increases in cigarette taxes in Early-Mid 2010:

Big cigarette price increase in Bulgaria

Cigarette taxes rising, complaints falling

50 cent cigarette price increase in South Carolina as of April 1, 2010

Utah - pretty big increases on tobacco prices effective July 1, passed April 1

Doesn't seem like using tobacco as a tax scapegoat to give the government more money is going to give up any time soon.

Cigarette price news, March 2010

2010-03-07T03:02:00.000-08:00

Utah - Cig taxes going up $1

USA - The state of the tobacco industry in 2009

USA - Anti-smoking lobbies want to increase tobacco taxes more

UK - Anti-smoking charity wants 5% smoking tax increase, taxes are already heavy in the UK

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It's pretty unlikely that any taxes on tobacco products will go down anytime soon. Since along with other taxes last year, they also heavily taxed roll-your-own cigarettes, it's not the same alternative it used to be. You can still pretty much halve your smoking costs will roll your own, though.

You don't have to buy premade cigarettes

2010-02-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

A much less expensive alternative to buying premade, or cigarettes from the store is buying tobacco, cigarette tubes and a machine to put them together. Although last year, a bill went through that heavily raised the tax on roll-your-own tobacco, it's still much cheaper to smoke that way. Some people have reservations about RYO tobacco, but having smoked it for the last few months, it's just good or better than the tobacco and chemicals in premades.

You don't have to smoke roll your own tobacco in unfiltered papers like many think, smoke shops and online retailers sell tubes than can be stuffed full of tobacco, just like regular cigarettes.

There's a number of great online sellers, my favorite being: Lil Brown's Smoke Shack, but there's many others out there with a search on "roll your own tobacco". Give it a try if cigarette prices are taking too much out of your wallet.

Info links:

Stuff your own
RYO revolution
RYO revolution forums

Possible new cigarette price increases, and the effects of cigarette taxes

2010-01-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

Cigarette price news - January 2010

Australia - Government wants to increase cigarette prices to stop smoking

Michigan - New FSC(Fire Safe Cigarettes) are inferior to pre-FSC cigs, smokers claim

Kansas - State government wants to increase state cigarette tax

Hawaii - Cigarette price increases have lowered smoking rates in the state

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In other news, I've recently started buying my own tobacco and tubes and "rolling" or making my own.

Resources on RYO(roll your own) cigarettes:
http://ryorevolution.com/
http://forum.ryorevolution.com/