Pod-style e-cigarettes brought a specific type of juice along with them for their rise to the top: nicotine salt e-liquids. These are higher-strength and lower-viscosity e-liquids that work perfectly in pod systems and pack enough of a punch for you to get a satisfying vape even with lower-power devices thanks to the nicotine content.
The Mi-Pod 2.0 and the Pro Version are two excellent pod system devices, both offering exceptional performance in a beginner-friendly format, and the folks at Mi-Pod crafted a selection of six e-liquids specifically for use in them. But are they worth picking up, with so many nicotine salt e-liquids out there? We’ve put the whole line-up to the taste-test for our Mi-Salt E-Liquid review.
Are Mi-Salt E-Liquids Worth Buying?
If you’re looking for something tasty and affordable, especially if you’re just getting started with vaping, the juices from Mi-Salt are well worth trying out. They aren’t going to make any “best e-juice” lists anytime soon, but they offer a good variety of flavors – including tobacco and menthol – and they all taste pretty good.
Mi-Salt E-Liquid Review
The Bottles
The Mi-Salt e-juices are available in either 10 or 30 ml bottles, with the 10 ml options being perfect for a taste-test or anyone ordering from the EU site (where bigger bottles of juice are banned). The 30 ml bottles are unicorn bottles, so fit right in with the standard for most e-liquids these days, with good child protection and good-quality spouts so it’s easy to fill up. The 10 ml bottles are a little more basic, but they’re pretty much the standard in the EU, with a focus on child-safety and leak-free filling but basically working the same way.
The design is fairly straightforward, but it gets the job done well. The Mi-Pod “M” logo occupies much of the front of the labels, with the name of the flavor written above and the nicotine level stated in small text below. There is general information – including a description of the flavor – and a standard nicotine warning to the left and right, respectively. Overall, the bottles do just what you’d expect, working well without unnecessary complication.
Mixing Options
Since they’re optimized for vape pods, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the Mi-Salt juices come in a 50/50 PG/VG mix. This is thin enough to work well with even a simple pod design, and although the Mi-Pod devices they’re ultimately designed for can work with higher-VG e-juices too, this ensures they work well on basically any pod device.
You have options of either 20 or 40 mg/ml of nicotine. This is a little off the standard options of 25, 35 and 50 mg/ml, but still offers enough choice to suit either just-switching smokers or people who’ve been vaping for a little longer. The 20 mg minimum is likely due to the same EU law as the bottles, which also places this limit on pre-mixed e-liquids. Regardless, the options are totally fine if a little unorthodox.
Mi-Salt E-Liquid Review – the Flavors
Tobacco – Rating 3/5
Accuracy: This is described as a tobacco e-juice with an undertone of maple. If you’ve tried a tobacco e-liquid before, chances are you’ll be pretty familiar with what you’ll be getting here. The juice is kind of accurate, but ultimately doesn’t really taste like smoking as much as it has some of the same aroma, like smelling a pot of loose tobacco at a tobacco store. The maple is there but doesn’t really do too much in terms of influencing the flavor: it’s more like a note in the background.
Overall: This is an enjoyable enough e-liquid, but doesn’t do much to stand out from the multitude of similar options out there on the market. It has the almost-accurate tobacco taste but nothing good enough to really make you feel like you’re smoking. As long as you’re not expecting huge things, though, it’s perfectly fine and ultimately an enjoyable e-juice.
Menthol – Rating 4/5
Accuracy: This is pretty much what you’d expect based on the name, although it’s intended to blend menthol flavors with spearmint to separate it from the standard offerings out there. The result definitely matches up to this description well, with the strong, icy menthol hitting you right away and the whole thing being backed up by a lighter, spearmint-like sweetness. The description also promises earthy undertones, which are kind of lost a little behind the powerful mint flavor, but on the whole it gives you what you expect.
Overall: This is a really great juice if you’re looking for a straight-up menthol flavor. Despite the intention to add more complex tones into the flavor, the result is a satisfyingly icy and punchy menthol e-liquid that it’s hard to dislike. While it’s true that something else would be needed to make it truly outstanding, the juice does exactly what you want it to in style. It’s a great choice for ex-menthol smokers or vapers looking for a powerful menthol vape.
Mango – Rating 4/5
Accuracy: Don’t let the basic name fool you on this one – Mango is actually a mix of lychee and mango. Although, in line with the name of the juice, the mango is definitely the most prominent element, coming through clearly and strongly, bringing a juicy sweetness. The lychee adds complexity throughout, being more noticeable – especially early in your draw – once you get used to the mango a little.
Overall: This is a great choice if you like fruity e-liquids overall, especially towards the sweeter side of the spectrum. Mango is the main flavor, but really the elements of lychee are the star of the show. It adds a layer of intrigue and takes it away from the dime-a-dozen mango flavors out there. Overall it might not be the most mind-blowing of flavors but it’s a fruity juice done right.
Pomelo – Rating 3.5/5
Accuracy: Pomelo is a combination of pomelo – as the name suggests – and honeydew melon, along with “melon flavors.” The pomelo is a bit hard to judge because I can’t recall trying the fruit, but there’s a unique, grapefruit-like citrusy flavor throughout, all the while backed by the taste of honeydew melon. The “melon flavors” mentioned in the description kind of fits with the general melon backdrop, but the honeydew hits the mark well enough to be easy to identify.
Overall: This is an interesting e-liquid, but one where the genuinely inventive combination doesn’t really match my tastes too well. If you’re a fan of pomelo – or grapefruit, which it basically tastes like – then you’ll potentially really enjoy the juice, but for me, the flavor doesn’t translate well to vaping. The complexity draws you in, and the melon definitely works well in the background, but the core taste is slightly lacking in punch. It’s a sort of vague, nice-enough mix that never really comes into its own.
Grape – Rating 4/5
Accuracy: This is another Mi-Salt flavor that does more than the name suggests, actually offering a mixture of Portuguese white grapes and green apples. The result here is pretty close to the description, with the grape being immediately identifiable and the apple also rising to prominence through the exhale. If you’re just interested in a grape flavor, you’ll definitely be satisfied, but this does more than just that and achieves the goal really well.
Overall: This is a very enjoyable flavor, overall. The grape is really well captured and the apple adds some depth to the flavor which is often missing from more basic e-juices. The fact it’s entirely dependent on the fruit flavors means that it never gets too sweet and it’s an easy one to keep coming back to. If you’re a fan of fruity vape juice flavors you will love this one.
Currant – Rating 4.5/5
Accuracy: Currant is described as combining a base of fruit with the sweet and tart flavor of blackcurrant. The result is just about what you’d expect, with a kind of generic sweet, fruity backdrop but the main focus being the impressively well-captured blackcurrant flavor. The elements of tartness are what really separate it from a more generic berry flavor, but they’re balanced perfectly and it’s immediately identifiable as blackcurrant. The fruit base doesn’t really stand out, but it adds a bit of depth to the flavor.
Overall: This is my favorite of all the Mi-Salt e-liquids I tried for this review. It’s almost – but not quite – at a candy level of sweetness, but it comes with all of the character of the blackcurrant and never gets sickly-sweet. This is partially a matter of personal preference, because I definitely have a sweet tooth, but if you’re looking for something that falls somewhere between authentic fruit and candy it’s the perfect blend.
Conclusion
The flavors from Mi-Salt are consistently tasty and you can pick them up for the affordable price of $14.99 per 30 ml bottle. If you’re just getting started with vaping and looking for some good vape juices to go alongside your pod-style vape, they’re a fantastic choice for your first brand. For true flavor-lovers, opting for a “premium” style e-juice brand definitely has its advantages, but for an introduction for vaping or an “everyday” type of vape juice, the Mi-Salt options are hard to beat.