Today I’m taking a look at the Riot Q Bar disposable e-cigarette range by none other than UK based, fun loving Riot E liquid. It’s been a hot minute since I devoured bottle upon bottle of their limited edition Christmas Pudding.
Seems like I’ve been out of the loop because they no longer refer to themselves as a Squad.
Could it be they’re taking themselves more seriously? Nah, surely not although a strong environmental message is certainly conveyed with these disposables.
They’ve drastically reduced carbon emissions created during the manufacturing phase.
There’s a Riot Recycle scheme whereby discarded disposables can be safely deposited and broken down into individual pieces.
Sustainability and green technology is now at the beating heart of everything Riot do, and will continue to do.
One can only applaud them for that.
It’s all about ‘quitting with purpose’ with the Q bar range. We’re about to find out if Riots usual high standards remain applicable in disposable form.
What Can We Expect From The Q Bar Disposable E-cigarette by Riot?
These are the first fully recyclable, bio plastic, carbon negative disposable e-cigarettes to hit the vaping market. I’m not about to get into any politics today suffice to say that Riot have answered more than enough questions in that opening sentence.
I’m sure you’ll agree.
With a built in 420mAh battery expect to get anything up to 550 puffs. The material is PLA plastic and as already mentioned fully recyclable.
All disposables are UK produced, powered by Riot award winning e-liquid and sweetened by Stevia.
They are available in 0, 10 or 20mg hybrid nicotine strengths. So whether you’re a new vaper, someone reducing nicotine levels or even eradicating nicotine altogether all angles are covered.
Riot are even offering a free quit smoking guide with each disposable.
Perfect Packaging!
Wow! Everything is exactly as Riot promise. Fully recyclable packaging. As well as the environmental factors I personally think products look better when manufactured this way.
Everything is easier to unpack as well. The arguments in favour of this approach are many. Against? So few.
The outer packaging includes the flavour profile, nicotine strength, juice ratio (65VG/35PG) and safety warning.
To be honest, I haven’t seen this level of responsibility before.
The Riot recycle scheme leaflet contains information on how each component is broken down. Either to be used to make clothing, next generation Q Bar batteries or to generate energy and heat homes.
Talking of breaking things down, it’s my turn now. Let’s see how well they perform for ease of use, handling, portability, flavour and cloud production.
Please keep in mind that taste is subjective. These are simply my own observations and should only be referred to as such. I don’t like Sprouts – you may love them!
Features
- 550 puffs – per bar
- Made from PLA Plastic (Cornstarch)
- 420mAh battery
- UK Made flavours
- Sweetened by Stevia
- Fully recyclable device – recycle using Riot Recycle scheme
- Ease of use
- 10 flavours – Triple Mint, Sweet Strawberry, Cherry Fizz, Blue Burst, Mango Peach & Pineapple, Grape Ice, Classic Tobacco, Strawberry & Blueberry Ice, Menthol Ice and Watermelon Ice
- 3 Nicotine strengths – 20mg, 10mg and 0mg
- Sustainable technology
- 75% less carbon intensive and no fossil fuel production methods
Riot Q Bar – Cherry Fizz
Riot Says:
“A deliciously crafted summer taste blend with a twist capturing a combo of sweet cherries infused with a fizzy aftertaste”.
I Say:
A cooling blast accompanies the smooth inhale and continues to resonate throughout the vape. There’s a careful blending of sweet and sour but I’d say the Stevia content has the edge with Cherry Fizz.
It tickles and plays with the taste buds without ever becoming sickly sweet.
The fruit isn’t too intense or concentrated. Thankfully this isn’t a dry vape either which makes for a more refreshing experience. There’s nothing tarty about the cherry content used.
It’s a very clean if somewhat subtle vape but I struggled to pick out the fizzy element. That may be because cooling agent overshadows it as the dominant player.
For a Summer treat that won’t invade the palate, Cherry Fizz is worth a look.
Riot Q Bar – Watermelon Ice
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A frosty fruit blend capturing a combo of juicy watermelons with sweet and ripe fruit highlights”
I Say:
Watermelon carries a strong aroma and I could smell it as soon as I ripped open the recyclable packaging!
A very fresh tasting fruit that, in combination with the cooling agent provides an icy cold blast on the back of the throat. A hit that’s stronger than any others in the range.
It’s very pleasant and refreshing. A very smooth inhale makes way for a dominating watermelon. There’s also a healthy amount of Stevia thrown in for good measure and appearing stronger at the end of the exhale as a bonus.
It almost lines the lips – I quite like that from a Watermelon vape.
The sourness of the fruit is nullified by the sweetness and there’s little in the way of bitterness. It makes for a pleasant enough blend but still lacks the real juiciness of a natural tasting watermelon.
To this end, it has a very familiar generic taste but that doesn’t stop Watermelon Ice from being one of my favourites here.
Riot Q Bar – Blue Burst
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A blue raspberry blend capturing a combo of sweet blueberries fused with raspberries to provide a heavenly taste”
I Say:
This disposable is bursting with flavour, so that part of the flavour description is correct right out of the vape gate!
The first few tugs set the scene.
You need to be aware of the bitter and sour back notes undulating throughout the entire vape. They build during the inhale and join forces with the cooling properties of the profile.
Together they make up 50% of the experience. The rest is provided by a very tangy yet zesty raspberry that rests on top of the blueberry content.
Stevia is once again present and in abundance too. It leaves a wet sweetness on the lips that lingers after the vape is long finished. The cooling blast also drags its heels, leaving a lasting impression.
Memories of refreshing blue slushy summer beverages are clearly evoked with Blue Burst. That’s no bad thing at all, in my humble opinion.
Riot Q Bar – Sweet Strawberry
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A deliciously crafted summer berry blend capturing a combo of sweet strawberries with ripe fruit highlights to provide an amazing taste”.
I Say:
There’s cooling combined with a sense of sweetness and sweeps through the inhale with Sweet Strawberry. Indeed the level of Stevia has been lifted to compliment and harmonise with the summer fruit.
That’s quite evident during protracted exhales.
It’s a straight shot at a Strawberry chewy sweet. There’s nothing natural tasting and leans very much towards artificial flavouring, pretty much like you may have experienced with other generic formulas.
Many disposables take the same route thus avoiding the need for the layered complexities best suited to higher powered devices.
Yet Sweet Strawberry does exactly what it says on the recyclable packaging. This sweet, juicy and quite strong flavour really does tantalise and revitalise the taste buds.
There’s more than enough flavour and pop to keep me coming back.
Riot Q Bar – Classic Tobacco
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A rich tobacco blend that captures luxurious sweet tobacco notes with earthy undertones that dominate the flavour throughout”.
I Say:
This one’s very subtle and the flavour is a bit muted at the start of the exhale. It takes time to develop throughout the vape. The sweetness factor is there but I would’ve liked to have seen just a touch more. It’s not the rich tobacco blend that Riot state but it’s also nowhere near as synthetic as many tobacco based e liquid.
I find just the merest hint of nutty back notes while the earthy undertones are most certainly present. They’re at the very heart of this creation.
The 20mg of hybrid nicotine provides the deftest of throat tickles and is enough to satisfy.
There’s nothing sickly sweet about Classic Tobacco so this separates it from many other variations on the theme. The blending has also been put together well because no two vapes are quite the same.
Having said that I still crave more of the rich tones. Because they’re absent it reduces the enjoyment of the vaping experience.
When all is said and done, Classic Tobacco will work its magic on the new vaper. It’s an ideal candidate for any Virgin vaper looking to replicate the experiences of a cigarette.
Riot Q Bar – Menthol Ice
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A refreshing blend that captures a crisp and fresh menthol, dominating the flavour throughout”.
I Say:
I’ve never really been much of a fan of menthol vapes and find many to be overwhelming on the inhale. That’s not the case with Menthol ice. It’s one of a few that I can actually tolerate.
There doesn’t appear to be any additional cooling agent. It comes across as purely menthol based but it is still laced with a touch or two of Stevia. A sweetness is left on the tongue long after the vape finishes.
In this instance, there’s more of a smoothness to the inhale and a gentle cooling of the throat as opposed to a shocking cold blast.
It’s a favourable combination of menthol and sweetness. Although not as intense as some of Riot’s competition. Menthol Ice will still act as a decent palate cleanser.
Fans of the old menthol cigarettes are likely to appreciate this one.
Personally, it’s the more subtle flavour tones and smooth blending that work for me.
Riot Q Bar – Strawberry & Blueberry Ice
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A deliciously crafted summer berry blend capturing a combo of sweet strawberries fused with bold blueberries to provide an amazing taste”.
I Say:
Would I say Strawberry & Blueberry Ice has an amazing taste? It’s certainly different and that’s because of some rather clever blending. It’s a fruity fusion and one that blueberry dominates.
I’ve vaped far worse tasting blueberries over the last eight years but this version is quite faithful to the fruit it claims to be. The strawberry content just about makes enough of an appearance to provide a chalky, candy like edge.
I find Strawberry & Blueberry to be the driest exhale out of the Q Bar range but that takes nothing away from the flavour quality. Both Stevia and cooling agent pair effectively but there’s none of that sweet lip smacking at the tail end of the vape.
When the two fruits join forces it’s almost as if a unique ‘symbiotic’ flavour is created.
So yeah! For me, this one’s got originality.
Riot Q Bar – Mango Peach & Pineapple
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A deliciously crafted tropical fruit blend capturing a mix of juicy fresh mango fused with delicate peach to provide an amazing taste”.
I Say:
Mango and pineapple are the key players and it’s a very good blending of the two. A cooling blast remains omnipresent, cooling the throat but what of the peach?
I find it to be just too subtle. It doesn’t jump out of the exhale. Yet it’s probably responsible for removing the sharp and rough texture that pineapple vapes can often create. As a consequence the vape is very smooth on the inhale.
Sometimes mango is prominent, other times pineapple takes a hold of the taste buds. In either case each fruity flavour is juicy and bright and that’s impressive for a relatively low powered disposable.
Stevia levels are around mid range and act in a complimentary way. They don’t leave a wet sweetness on the lips and respond in a way that’s suitable for the included fruit content.
Mango, Peach and Pineapple make for a very tropical mix well suited for those long Summer months ahead.
Riot Q Bar – Grape Ice
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A frozen fruit blend capturing a combo of black juicy grapes fused with ripe fruit undertones”.
I Say:
This one is quite lively, clean and crisp with its flavour notes. The cooling agent is once again a major contributing factor to the vaping experience. Again, it’s very well balanced and mixes well with the Stevia, which in Grape Ice is actually a little over played.
It manifests on the taste buds in a wet and concentrated form. I’ve never been a fan of that in all honesty.
However, there’s definitely more oomph to the grape content and it vapes like there’s a few raspberry and blueberry back notes thrown in for good measure. That works to the advantage of Grape Ice and prevents it from being the usual run of the mill generic fodder.
The fruitiness is well presented and as a collective force works very well.
It makes for a grape profile that for once, I can actually stomach – so full kudos to Riot.
Riot Q Bar – Triple Mint
Riot Says:
Riot Says:“A refreshing blend that captures a combo of fresh peppermint and mild spearmint to create an amazingly minty taste”.
I Say:
This is where the cooling agent really gets to take centre stage and show its true potential. And how! With Triple Mint.
I don’t think mint vapes are quite as vibrant and uplifting without the cooling effect. There’s no pussy footing around either because the spearmint is instantly accessible and steals the limelight here. That’s despite being described as mild in content.
It’s highly reminiscent of the chewy sweet experience.
It could have been very tempting to overload Triple Mint with Stevia but Riot have got the balance just right.
I do feel the peppermint is lost slightly by the cooling blast but it is traceable nonetheless. It’s more of a subtlety and toned down as a consequence.
Triple mint is very smooth on the inhale, there’s no cutting up of the throat and the exhale is packed with minty sweetness.
It’s a very refreshing vape that revitalises tired taste buds.
..With all the sweetness of a chewy mint without the calories. Have it!
Riot Q Bar Disposable E-cigarette – Final Review Verdict
With a height of 100mm and a width of 22mm, these disposables are extremely light and pocket friendly. They’re also very easy to conceal for whenever discretion comes knocking.
The inhale is quiet and vapour production is at a minimum. It’s on par with the volume of smoke emitted from an average cigarette.
Auto draw is sensitive and flawless and the MTL airflow restrictions are pitched perfectly. Although not designed as such I was still able to pull a few cheeky restrictive lung hits.
That 20mg hybrid nicotine definitely hit the mark! lol
Remember to remove the stickers that cover the white LED and the pin hole air intake on the underside prior to vaping.
The white LED will illuminate while auto drawing and will flash ten times when the 420 mAh battery has fully depleted.
I harvested around seven hours continuous use and chain vaped for the majority of the time. This allowed me to check flavour consistency and it was very good!
The average vaper should expect to get a full working days use. The battery will fail before the juice content runs dry. As for the number of puffs? I honestly couldn’t tell you but it was plentiful.
To conclude, The Riot Q Bar range are very consistent for flavour. You will need to be a fan of cool and icy vapes because it features so dominantly. If you’re new to vaping or like a casual tug now and then, these will be ideal for you.
Are you interested in the Riot Q Bar or have you already tried one? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
