E-liquid has been made in almost every flavor going, from oddities like bacon and black pepper to staples like vanilla cream and strawberry. Cola Shades is one of the stranger ideas: a glass of fizzy cola over ice. It belongs to Summer Holidays, a Dinner Lady range that also covers lychee, mango, strawberry and black currant, each one blended with cooling menthol. We do not normally go for menthol, yet several bottles from this range have turned into all-day choices for us. Here is how the cola one held up.
What is in the bottle
Cola Shades arrives in a slender 60mL plastic bottle. The plastic is dark brown, presumably a nod to the color of cola, while the liquid inside is clear with a slight yellow tint that we put down to its 3mg of nicotine. The label is brown too and wraps around the bottle, leaving a strip on the side where you can check the level.
- Size: 60mL
- Nicotine in our bottle: 3mg
- VG/PG: 70/30, in line with most Dinner Lady juices
The label says plainly that the product contains nicotine and that nicotine is an addictive chemical. The expiration date is easy to find, printed on the side next to the barcode, which we appreciated. E-liquids and devices are meant for people aged 21 and over (18 in some states), so store the bottle where small children and anyone underage cannot get at it.
Filling up
The childproof cap twisted off easily. That is not a given: we have fought with caps that would not budge until tools came out. The nozzle is thin but sturdy and should suit tanks of any shape or size without spills. Even with such a narrow tip, our TFV16 tank filled faster than expected.
Tilting the tank at different angles showed a liquid that flows freely and evenly. Rated from 1 to 10, where 1 is watery and 10 is thick sludge, it lands on a 5. That seemed about right for keeping coils wet without clogging or scorching them.
The smell is the highlight at this stage. It is dark and sweet and matches a freshly poured cola closely. With eyes shut we could have taken it for the drink itself.
Taste and smell
Knowing the intended flavor before the first puff helped. We expected cola and tasted cola. Tried blind, we would have struggled to name it. The cola is strong on the inhale and equally strong on the way out, and holding the vapor in the mouth for a few seconds brings it very close to the taste of the actual drink. The menthol is faint and arrives as a minty feeling just after the exhale. It is easy to think of it as the ice in the glass, and the first few puffs won us over.
The smell of the vapor is where opinions split. Like chocolate e-juices, Truffleberry Delights by Milkman being a good example, it is sweet, heavy and slow to clear. More than once people nearby wrinkled their noses and asked what we were vaping, as though it smelled unpleasant. We did not share that reaction. To us both taste and scent were sweet and rounded, and a full tank went by without complaint.
Verdict
We are not soda drinkers; a cola might happen once a year at a Fourth of July picnic. So this was never going to be a personal favorite. Judged as an iced cola e-juice, though, it is accurate and better than we expected. The flavor is crisp and sweet, the clouds are full, and the menthol is neither harsh nor dominant. It could stand in when a cola craving strikes and no can is around. It is still e-liquid, and neither this nor any other vape juice should ever be drunk. If you want to see how close a vape can get to the drink, Cola Shades by Dinner Lady Summer Holidays is the one to try.