When I first laid eyes on the boxes for the Esco Bars Ripe Collection I was intrigued. The artwork on the cardboard boxes is interesting and classy. Once the wrapper is off you are holding a sleek shiny metallic cylinder about as thick as a dime and 4 ½” long. They are the perfect size for holding like a little fat cigar while you vape. For example, you can shove three Esco Bars in your pocket for every large disposable, such as the VaporLax Draco.

Pastel Cartel outdid themselves with these disposables and the flavors in the RIPE Collection. The device has some heft to it considering how slim it is. This gives the impression that you are holding a high-end little vape in your hand. I have a LOT of disposable vapes on my desk, and this looks to be one of the better-built disposables of the group. It is right up there with Elf Bar and Posh for vape design, elegance, and utility.

The Esco Bar vapes are meant to be the easiest thing to vape you will ever pick up. No recharging, no refilling, no airflow control, or on/off switch. You pick it up, stick the skinny end in your mouth, and puff. Remember to exhale.

Esco Bar Specifications

Puffs: 2500
MAH (Battery): Integrated 1000mAh battery
Coil: Mesh
E-Liquid: 6ml
Airflow Control: None
Charging: N/A
Nicotine Strength: 5% (50mg)

Esco Bar Flavors Review

There are three components that make up a good-tasting draw on a vape:

1. The initial drag is where you get your first taste and feel the nic hit on your body. You will taste whatever is the strongest flavor initially, then the more subtle flavors in the mix.
2. Next is the exhale. It is where you see how much ice or how many subtle intentional or unintentional secondary flavors you can taste during the exhale.
3. The third is the aftertaste. Even a great-tasting juice that leaves a foul aftertaste gets low marks because that is how I am going to remember that flavor between puffs.

In general, the Esco Bar RIPE flavor collection does very well in all three stages of a puff. The flavors on the inhale are pleasant, with no overwhelming errant flavors. If anything, the flavors are understated (not stupidly powerful) but are well mixed together to make a whole new flavor that is interesting and very tasty.
The name of the Esco Bars provides an idea of what the flavor will taste like, with no surprises. On the exhale you can taste whatever ice they include. People that do not care for ice have several alternatives without ice. The disposables are clearly labeled with ICE for the flavors with ice. The flavor tastes the same on the exhale as on the inhale and there are no weird errant flavors between puffs.

The flavor selection is more refined than most other brands. Across their product line, they opt for interesting and well-thought-out flavor profiles and mixes. Not to say other brands do not provide as sophisticated a selection, but many will add a strong flavor or two that is overwhelmingly in the forefront of the mix and that is it. There are a lot of great flavors and strong flavors on the market, but not a lot that taste like they considered all the stages of a good hit and dealt with them. It reminds me of drinking in my twenties. I wanted all my drinks strong as possible. Now I prefer a good-tasting, well-mixed drink and I am willing to have a few more overtime and enjoy them, as opposed to putting all the shots in the first glass.

Esco Bars are well-mixed drinks. Many brands are glasses of whisky. Different strokes for different folks, but if you are finally over overly strong vape flavors try the Esco Bars RIPE flavors. They will not disappoint.

The initial puff of each disposable was interesting and not overwhelming. You pick up many elements and flavors at once providing a tasty inhale. The exhale flavors and undertones are also perfect. If they tell you there is ice, it is icy. If not, it is not. I do notice they have added just a touch of Koolada even in their non-iced flavors for the tiniest throat cooling effect and flavor pop.

Tropical Rainbow Blast Esco Bar – The first day the Esco Bars came in I took a few puffs of each, and this flavor and Strawnanners Ice are the two I took home overnight to “review.” I really enjoyed this flavor. Many “Tropical” flavors are just pineapple/mango with a few other flavors and some ice thrown in for good measure. Most are not that good or could have been more accurately called pineapple/mango. I expected Esco Bars Tropical Rainbow Blast to be some overwhelming pineapple mix like all the others. Yay, I was wrong!
I taste strawberries, blueberries, and a mixture of tropical fruits that do not overwhelm the flavor mix. I keep going back for more and do not get bored with one or two overwhelming tropical flavors. Instead, I get to think about that tasty puff I just took and what elements I can identify in the recipe. Whatever they are they are berries and tropical goodness that I want more of.

Strawnanners Ice Esco Bar – This is the other one I took home the first night to “inspect.” I inspected the heck out of it. I am always on the lookout for an authentic banana flavor that does not taste like artificial flavoring or banana skins. Strawnanners Ice was awesome!

I taste authentic bananas and strawberries. There is ice in it, but it is mixed in just under the strawnanna flavor where it belongs. The mint lightly pops the flavor profile and adds a touch of ice on the exhale. I could vape this all day. Again, the flavors are not overwhelming. It is like they knew I would want to vape it for hours on end without the flavors taking over or away from my vaping experience. A few minutes after finishing vaping I barely tasted the strawnanna, nothing else. It is a good aftertaste that makes me want to find and vape more Strawnanners Ice. And I really like saying Strawnanners.

Peachy Mango Pineapple Ice Esco Bar – Before you even vape this one you can smell the pineapple coming out to greet you. I clearly taste equal amounts of peach, pineapple, and the mango. Excellent job Pastel Cartel! Seems like it would not be that hard to get the fruit flavor mixture right, but to date, I like this mixture and… er… and…well there is this one. Ah, I see why they call it the RIPE collection. This is ripe and tasty.

I would have said a few days ago that I did not care much for this flavor. What I did not care for were the mixtures and flavors I had tasted in the past. Now I know there are Peachy Mango Pineapple flavors by Pastel Cartel that do their names justice.

Peachy Mango Pineapple Esco Bar – This mix is the same as their Peachy Mango Pineapple Ice without the ice. Personally, I prefer the iced version of this flavor. My friend that cannot do any ice vapes really likes this flavor. Without the ice, it is less sweet, less flavorful, and no icy throat hit on the exhale. It tastes a little “darker” to me if that makes sense.

Fiji Melons Ice Esco Bar – Another winner where I did not expect one! The Fiji Melons Ice reminds me of honeydew melons. There is enough Koolada or mint to make the melon flavor pop a bit as was needed. There are some good watermelon flavors out there, but this is the best authentic honeydew melon flavor I have come across. Again, with the sophisticated flavor palate and attention to flavor detail, they were able to pull it off. Kudos Pastel Cartel for getting this right!

Blue Razzleberry Pomegranate Esco Bar – I had been putting this one off to the end because I usually do not enjoy anything that starts with Blue and ends with Pomegranate. They usually add some unknown flavor on the exhale that reminds me of vomit which has put me off these combos. I was pleasantly surprised to just taste some berry-like flavor mixed with Pomegranate and Ice, nothing else. Light sweetness on the exhale, some light Koolada throat coolness and that is all. Wow, is this what this flavor was supposed to taste like?
Probably will never be my favorite because of the past trauma of nasty tasting pomegranate vapes, but this is good. Esco bars have taken one of my least favorite flavors and educated me about how these flavors should taste together. Not bad!

Kiwi Dragon Berry Esco Bar – I taste kiwi. Is that even possible? Again, with the Pastel cartel elevated flavor pallet that would not settle for some run-of-the-mill fruit flavor. They took a hard one and nailed it. It took a few puffs to really understand what I was tasting, but when I closed my eyes and thought about it, it was sweet kiwi mixed very lightly with berries. I fully expected this to be yet another failed flavor experiment, but I am starting to trust that when Pastel Cartel lists a flavor, they are going to nail it. I know I like both Kiwi and berries, I just could not imagine that someone could ever get it right. Thank you for proving me wrong you tasty Esco Bars!

Summary

My biggest complaint is that they do not have more flavors in the RIPE Collection for me to try. I enjoyed all the flavors in the line except the Peachy Mango Pineapple. That was because I preferred their iced version of the same flavor. For vapers that do not enjoy iced fruit flavors, this could be your “go-to” fruit flavor.

The Esco bars are well-made, great tasting little vapes. I love the flavors but wish they had provided a few more features on the device itself. They have amazing flavors that would be appreciated by more discerning vapers, but a device for newbys that do not know how to use a charger or airflow.

I highly recommend the Esco Bars RIPE collection for its sturdy little device and amazing flavors.