Juice Review: Halo Torque 56 Revisited

The whole issue of steeping juice is a muddy one. Most juices are the same out of the mail as they are after a month. Some vendors juices improve a little after 1-4 weeks, but the change is subtle. Every now and then you run into a juice that undergoes a radical change at some point while it's in storage.

 

Halo juices definitely fall in the third category. Halo Bella Valente went from insecticide to one of my very favorite juices in the space of a couple of weeks. Now I find that another Halo juice, Halo Torque 56, has undergone additional improvements, after I've already reviewed it. It got my attention when I noticed that this juice had gone from a light straw color to a golden wildflower honey shade. My esteem for this juice has increased quite a lot, so I thought I'd share my thoughts in this revisit of Halo Torque 56.

 

In the original review I said that the flavor profile of this juice was a combination of peanut and hair spray. I also said that despite that, it was a good juice on it's own merits because of its performance. That last trace of chemical weirdness has finally left my bottle of Torque 56, and it's a different juice today than the one I reviewed previously. I vaped it all weekend long, and I had to sit down and address my changed perceptions of this juice.

 

The taste of this juice is now mildly peanut-y, with an exhale that is tobacco-like, even though there isn't a defined tobacco in the flavor. I almost get a faint trace of tobacco absolute. I don't know if Halo uses absolute in their juice, but this juice has that slightly ash tray component on exhale. I get what they're saying about unfiltered cigarette now, because the way this vapor feels in your throat and mouth is substantially stouter than most tobacco juices. I really, really like how robust it is.

 

Where this juice really succeeds is the same place my favorite analog replacement, Vapor Station Tampa, succeeds. It hits like a cigarette and provides the needed nicotine sizzle you need when you are craving. Not the flavor, but the sensation in my throat and mouth after exhale is exactly like an analog. This juice is not my favorite from a flavor perspective, but I have grown to really like it for its performance. It's a juice that I will now reorder in 30ml, and I didn't feel that way when I reviewed it.

 

Halo Torque 56 is a much better juice than I originally gave it credit for. Fortunately the juices that transform this radically are rare, because I don't like having to post addendum reviews. It makes me feel indecisive. However I have been vaping this juice daily for the last four days, and I keep coming back to it. This is now my go-to juice when I'm away from Castle Vapenstein and I pack a small bottle of it in my PV case.

 

Halo Torque 56 is a winner because of how it performs. Despite not having an overtly tobacco-ish flavor, this juice is a more than capable entry in the Analog Replacement Sweepstakes. I've actually grown really fond of it, despite my initial negative observations. Goddamnit. Lesson learned. My experience with Halo juices is that they really shine, but not until they've aged. Sample their juice right out of the mail, then put it away and sample it every week for 1-3 weeks. You'll see what I mean. People who don't give Halo juice this chance to develop miss out on what this juice is really like. I hated both Bella Valente and Torque 56 out of the mail. Bella went on to receive a Vapenstein It's Alive! Award, and Torque 56 now joins it.

 

I agonized over this decision. I feel like I run the risk of damaging my credibility with you, the reader,  by going back and doing this. Sitting down and thinking about it, if I reviewed this juice today, would it be a Vapenstein It's Alive! Award winner? Yes. Do I like it more than some of the juices that have received a Vapenstein It's Alive! Award? Yes. Would I panic if I ran out of Torque 56? Yes. Do I protect my credibility and keep my mouth shut about this, or do I take my lumps and be honest about how I really feel about it now? My dad taught me that a man does the right thing, even when no one's looking. This juice deserves an It's Alive!, and not giving it one would be wrong.

 

The choice is clear. Apologies to Halo for jumping to conclusions about their product. Apologies to you, the reader, for reviewing this juice before it was ready. Apologies to myself for having to suffer the embarrassment of admitting that I made a mistake. Halo Torque 56 is the single most hearty and robust analog replacement I have vaped. It hits with impact at only 18mg, and it provides a lot of what we liked about smoking. Totally satisfying for someone looking for a bold vape that isn't shy about itself. Just make sure you give it time to mature, otherwise like me, you won't be getting what Halo intended you to experience.

 

This is the current front runner in the Analog Replacement Sweepstakes, and it's a Vapenstein It's Alive! Award winner.