I had heard some good things about Heartland’s freebase nic, so I decided I’d try out their salts as well. I live only 15 min away from them in OKC, so I went over and grabbed a 120ml bottle of nic salts (100mg/ml) to try it out. I asked if they could tell me where they source it before buying, but they said they couldn’t disclose that. Claimed it was from the same company that supplies their freebase though. My reference for good freebase nic is chemnovatic sold through vaperstek (another OK native). Perfectly clear and no taste if stored properly. Heartlands nic sal was another story; it’s a dark, discolored, peppery story.
I bought some 30ml amber glass bottles to break it down into, and right off the first pour I knew I was gonna be sad. Here’s what it looks like in a glass dropper https://i.imgur.com/Wwraf0q.jpg
Pretty sad. I went ahead and mixed a small sample, and even at 1.5mg I can taste the oxidation. I gave them a call and they claimed that’s normal and it’s perfectly safe to use. While I’m sure it’s still safe, it’s definitely not something I’m gonna vape or sell to my friends. No offers for my money back or a replacement, so I’m definitely getting my nic elsewhere in the future. Already placed an order from nicotine river. Hopefully that turns out better and this psa can help some people avoid Heartlands nic. The rest of their company is great and I love being able to buy all different kinds of bottles and stuff in a B&M so close to me, but this is a bummer.
EDIT: Here’s a better picture of it in a clear 1 oz glass bottle https://i.imgur.com/U182ni2.jpg
I threw the bottle away after transferring it to the amber glass ones. Not gonna take it back. I’ll just cut my small loss. I’ll still buy bottles and stuff from heartland, just not nic.
I had the same experience. A very very dark amber color. Almost like a maple syrup color.
Like this?
Nic salts are inherently dark. Is there any chance that you have convinced yourself of the oxidization taste?
Not defending the retailer as it's entirely possible that it got hot and poorly stored etc but I had to ask.
I went ahead and made a sample of 3mg, no flavoring, 70/30 along with a 7/30 0mg base. Had my bf try it and he could tell in a blind test. I also made another sample of 3mg nic with clear freebase nic and it barely has a taste compared to the salts. Like 1/10th the flavor of the salts.
crap lighting, but mine are pretty clear
Yeah that looks a lot clearer than mine. And that’s a larger diameter of syringe too. Mine doesn’t look crazy dark unless you look through about an inch of it.
Those have a tinge but they are relatively colourless!
The only supplier with salts in Canada sells it darker than yours. The salt is so good that I have completely scrapped the freebase. All the flavour comes through so much better!
I think it depends on the particular formulation too, my signature salts from nude nicotine are about that color, but the "smooth" sample I got from them was pretty close to the color of OP's nic salts. Apparently that color is normal for the smooth formulation, I didn't notice anything off about the taste though.
My smooth NN salts are completely clear. I'm using 100% VG base.
There is definitely some kind of flavor imparted like with anything, but it's not what I'd call bad or off putting, certainly not oxidised or peppery by any stretch.
I will say the "samples" NN puts out are way faster to ship than their normal product, though they do have the faster ship stuff for more $$$ now (I've never used it). When I need something fast, I just order the 15ml sample in 100mg/ml and call it good because the dilution is enough for my usual batch size at 1.5 or 3mg without worry.
As a side note, there are a few commercial liquids that I like but use cheap ass nic that I've been ordering in 0mg and adding salts to bring them to 3mg. I really like this because a normally harsh recipe like raspberry lemonade is much nicer with salts versus freebase.
Is there a HV representative or reddit that we can ping to get a response on this or report it to? Have you sent a formal request and notification to HV instead of the neckbeard operating the cash register? Just making sure you are going through the proper channels for customer service before you give up.
The woman that answered the phone said she went and asked their product manager. That’s who I got the info from
I'd request to get it in writing and dispute it with the company. If they are doing something like this and respond, they need to be challenged.
(Not saying to be a DB about it, but I'd get it in writing on why you can't get your money back)
I've stored nicotine cold with oxygen displacement gases and still have ended up with colored nicotine (an almost translucent peachy color). It has no noticeable flavor. I am absolutely not doubting your nicotine tastes bad but I don't think color is the only indicator. Thanks for the heads up, though. I want to get into salts and I'll stay away from them.
Did it look this dark?
Wow, even my 3mg diy finished product ejuice, my favorite Choco Donut, expresso ejuice I make that is using about 19% of total flavorings isn't that dark after a 7 day steep. This is no good!
Why on earth would a company not issue a full refund is baffling my brain. Anyone who mixes can tell that this nicotine should never be that dark. I'm a bit inexperienced in the nic salts arena, but something tells me I'm not incorrectly assuming this.
Discoloration is usually unavoidable for most distributors. When nicotine is shipped in drums it often gets very hot sitting in warehouses. By the time the nicotine arrives to the distributor it has already discolored before it gets refrigerated- then it is usually shipped again to the consumer.
Yes, the account is a month old and no I'm not praising them. I've just used them and a handful of others for year's. I have met the owner's at a couple of shows an I'm from Oklahoma. Take it how you wanna take it. Just email the dude.
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All the salt bases I have tried have all been clear.