Kilo E-liquid is one of the longest-running brands in vaping and their products evoke some fond memories for me.
They were among the first “premium” e-liquids I encountered when I started on my journey of hobbyist vaping, back at Vape Jam 2014. That event opened my eyes to the world of passionate, independent businesses who took their craft seriously.
Kilo was just starting to take off then, quickly gathering steam with a small but strong line up of flavours. Now, they’re back with a new look. The bottles are certainly pretty, so what about the e-liquid inside?
Blue Lemonade
VG/PG ratio: 70/30
Additional sweetener: Moderate
Throat hit: Mild
Price: £17.99 (100ml)
Kilo E-liquid describe Blue Lemonade as a lemonade base, mixed with blueberries.
Lemonade is the more prominent part of the mix and it’s reminiscent of the commercial variety found in various sodas, rather than a homestyle lemonade. It has a candy-like sweetness and sticky mouthfeel but produces a nice level of tartness on the finish.
The blueberry element is interesting. Again, this is a candied representation of the fruit, with bright sweetness and mild floral notes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that there is some raspberry in the mix, too.
This is a nicely balanced beverage profile, that avoids being sickeningly sweet or overly tart. I’d be interested to see a version with coolant.
Kiberry Yogurt
VG/PG ratio: 70/30
Additional sweetener: Moderate
Throat hit: Mild
Price: £17.99 (100ml)
Kiberry Yogurt is the flavour that made me fall in love with Kilo. When I first vaped it a few years back, its authenticity made it one of the best e-liquids on the market, to my palate.
The top note is a syrup-like strawberry, that’s not quite candied but isn’t reminiscent of fresh fruit either. This is contrasted with a mild, tangy kiwi note, which adds noticeable tartness to the finish.
The fruit elements are softened with a fantastic yoghurt base. It has a little tang, like Greek yoghurt, but this gives way to a superbly creamy mouthfeel, giving the profile lots of volume and a lasting finish.
I’m not sure if the recipe has been tweaked over the years but it’s still top shelf stuff.
Mango Crème
VG/PG ratio: 70/30
Additional sweetener: Moderate
Throat hit: Mild
Price: £17.99 (100ml)
I don’t recall Kilo having a mango offering when I first tried them, so Mango Crème could well be an entirely new release. You’d like to think that their ongoing partnership with Nasty Juice taught them a thing or two about tropical fruits, though.
The mango top note here is fantastic. It’s bold and bright with noticeable tartness on the finish. It almost ventures into overripe territory at times, but this potential off note is tamed by a mild cream base, keeping it in check.
This is a simple but true to life mango blend that I can see myself coming back to regularly.
Strawberry Custard
VG/PG ratio: 70/30
Additional sweetener: Moderate
Throat hit: Mild
Price: £17.99 (100ml)
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a custard fiend, so I was excited to see that Kilo now has their own offering of the classic Strawberry Custard profile.
The strawberry note here is very similar to the one found in Kiberry Yogurt, that is to say, bright and syrupy with a sticky mouthfeel. This gives way to a rich, full bodied custard, with huge volume and mild notes of brown sugar on the finish.
This custard base avoids the cardinal sin of being cloyingly sweet but it does give the profile some serious body and staying power after vaping. A simple but well executed custard blend.
Smooth Tobacco
VG/PG ratio: 70/30
Additional sweetener: Moderate
Throat hit: Mild
Price: £17.99 (100ml)
Tobacco blends are no strangers to my atomisers, though I do usually prefer profiles that incorporate bakery or fruit elements into the mix. Kilo’s Smooth Tobacco is a different beast.
A moderately dark tobacco takes centre stage here. It’s not as extreme as something like a Latakia would be, but it’s no blond tobacco either, with notes of dark roasted coffee and moderate smokiness, too.
There is a good level of sweetness on the finish but it’s not the kind that you would get from an RY4 blend, which incorporates caramel and vanilla.
A basic, unapologetic tobacco blend that will polarise opinion, for sure.
