Green Smoke 1 Week Review

I am posting this on my normal blog because it gets the most search engine hits, but you can find all my Green Smoke posts here.

I have now been using my Green Smoke electronic cigarette for a full 8 days. Last week I received my Green Smoke starter kit in the mail and posted my first impressions of it. There are many separate parts I'd like to review, so I'm going to break it up into sections to make it a bit easier to follow.

(1) Can Green Smoke Help Me Quit Smoking?
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When I ordered the kit and cartridges from Green Smoke, my ultimate motivating factor was the desire to quit smoking (please note that e-cig companies are not yet FDA approved for quitting smoking). I reported last week that I only had 7 or 8 cigarettes remaining. That's what I thought until my husband found a pack with about 12 more in it. So that left my total real cigarette count at close to a full pack. Two hours ago I finished my last real cigarette that I had remaining. Let me say this louder: I ONLY SMOKED ONE PACK OF CIGARETTES IN 8 DAYS!

That statement is thrilling to me. I had no clue how well I would endure using Green Smoke as my main way of getting my nicotine fix. Also, I was determined that the shift over not be painful, so I refused to withhold real cigarettes from myself if I really desired one. The fact that I went from 1/2 a pack a day to one pack for the entire week speaks volumes for how well Green Cig replicates the nicotine delivery of a real cigarette.

(2) Does Green Smoke Feel Like a Real Cigarette?
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Yes and No. The first thing I noticed about my Green Smoke was that it was heavier than a cigarette. It was too heavy to be supported by my first two fingers, where I always hold my real cigarettes. I do miss holding a cigarette in the "right" spot. With Green Smoke, I take a drag like one would to hit a joint -- between the first finger and the thumb. That always feels a bit awkward to me.  I also haven't found the perfect spot for my e-cig in between drags. Do I continue to hold it like a joint? Tap it up and down on my leg? Roll it between my fingers? Set it on my lap? Hold it in my closed palm? I suppose I will find a comfortable position soon enough, but until then, it's not quite the same when you can't hold it like a cigarette should be held.

Does it hit like a real cigarette? It's lacking a tad bit in the throat hit, but the throat hit is still there, and very noticeable. The main thing that is missing is the nasty taste of smoke. It's like getting a refreshing hit of nicotine without all the nasty taste. Remember when you first started smoking, and cigarettes tasted so nasty? I always wonder how I even managed to smoke enough to get addicted in the first place. But after you're addicted, you don't notice how nasty they taste anymore (or smell!). Smoking this e-cig is like taking all those elements out of it, and giving me back just the good parts.

(3) Do Green Smoke Cartridges Taste Like a Real Cigarette?
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My Green Smoke order arrived with 3 types of cartridges of my choosing:

(1) Red Label Full (18 mg) Strength
(2) Red Label Light (12 mg) Strength
(3) Menthol Ice Full (18 mg) Strength

My preferred cigarette strength is a light. Green Smoke recommends that you start one level above what you usually smoke, so you feel less like something is missing. That is why I chose both full and light cartridges. Red Label is the label that is closest to a cigarette. They have a label called Absolute Tobacco that is supposed to be closer to pipe tobacco. I never was a menthol smoker, but I never minded smoking one now and then, so I ordered a set of those cartridges just to see what it was like.

I have not yet tried the Red Label Light, so I can't review that yet. The Red Label Full Strength cartridges are what I've mainly been smoking. The flavor isn't bad, it sort of tastes like a cigarette. It certainly has some harshness that you wouldn't expect since it isn't real smoke. I don't mind smoking it at all, but I don't think I'm in love with it. It gets the job done and tastes like a fresher version of a real cigarette.

I really love the menthol. It tastes like menthol without the smoke -- all the wintery goodness without the nasty taste mixed in. I have now realized that I think I will prefer to smoke flavored cartridges. That's funny because when I searched for an e-cig, I wanted the one that tasted most like a real cigarette.  I honestly never thought that I would prefer a flavored cigarette. Flavors always sounded nice in theory, but who wants to smoke a chocolate or vanilla cigarette? But the thing is, it's not a flavored cigarette -- it's flavored nicotine. There's no smoke in there to change or mingle into the taste. This is just pure flavor laced with nicotine. E-cigs are already changing how I smoke, the affect of my habit on my body, other people's perceptions of me, where I smoke, and many more things.  In addition to that, I believe it's going to change my smoking experience from one of a nasty habit, to an enjoyable pursuit of flavors.  Like a nicotine vapor connoisseur! Today I placed an order to try all the other flavors Green Smoke offers. I can't wait for them to arrive. 

(4) How Long Do Green Smoke Cartridges Last?
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I am used to smoking a half pack per day. My first cartridge lasted about a day and a half, which equates to about 3/4 a pack. I was not happy when I had to change the cartridge before the two day mark. The next cartridge, however, was a completely different story. I threw that one out after 3 days (1 1/2 packs). I am now on my third cartridge, this one has lasted 2 full days and is still going. I have also been smoking on a menthol cartridge this entire week, and I have smoked a pack of cigarettes. So this is all a bit complicated, let's see if we can straighten it out a bit:

8 -- Number of full days using Green Smoke
4 -- Number of packs I normally smoke in 8 days
1 -- Number of packs of real cigarettes I smoked

2 -- Number of spent cartridges
2 -- Number of cartridges in progress

I have no clue when the 2 cartridges in progress will sputter out, but I assume I have at least another day and a half use out of them. If that's the case, then it will be pretty spot on for a cartridge equaling a pack. I won't be surprised if I find that a cartridge lasts even more than a pack. I can't really analyze average cartridge length from only using this for 8 days. I am keeping my cartridges for recycling later, so when more time has passed I will count out my spent cartridges and get a better average to share.

(5) How Long Do Green Smoke Batteries Last?
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The Green Smoke website suggests a few things when it comes to battery life:

(1) Fully charge new battery before using it
(2) Do not wait until battery is low to charge it
(3) Remove the e-cig from the charger as soon as possible after it is charged

Since the batteries are the most expensive component of the Green Smoke, I am taking care of them in hopes that I won't have problems with them like many people have reported.

The only problem with this is I have yet to discover just how long either of the batteries will last me because I am charging them before they are even low.  What I can say is that I can use them for 2 full days without the battery light blinking.  Keep in mind that is me using them both, as opposed to me just using the short or the long battery for two days, I alternate which one I use each time I Green Smoke.  Still, being able to go two full days and still have time left is pretty good to me.  I hope the batteries continue to work so well.  The batteries haven't taken long to charge; a maximum of two and a half hours for each one.

(6) What Do I Like Most About Green Smoke Right Now?
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The thing I love the most about Green Smoke so far is being able to smoke in my house and in my car.  It has been a decade since I've lit up a cigarette in the house I live in or the car I drive.  No longer am I trying to smoke a cigarette on the way into work, as I worry about my second hand smoke making its way to innocent business working bystanders.  I can take a few puffs as I pull into the parking garage!  Is it raining outside?  I can sneak off into my bedroom for a little nicotine fix.  The most fun of all, I think, is sitting in my cubicle at work and having my smoke right there.  I work on the 39th floor, and by the time the elevators arrive to take me down and back, it can take me 20-25 minutes to get a cigarette in.  Not anymore, though.  I can do my work while getting my nicotine fix, which is perfect (and helps me to think more clearly)!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with Green Smoke. I certainly need much longer than 8 days to see just how well this works for me. I mentioned earlier that I am out of cigarettes. I haven't decided whether or not to buy another pack. I will have to see how I feel tomorrow.  I refuse to be disappointed with myself if I do decide to buy another pack.  After all, I'm making such lovely progress this far.

I'll check back into this topic in another week or two to let everyone know how Green Smoke is doing for me.

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Here are some links for you if you're interested in Green Smoke:

Green Smoke Website
Green Smoke Website w/10% Off Orders of 10% or More Plus Free Shipping
Green Smoke Website w/5% Off Orders of Less Than $100

UK has seperate links for the coupon codes:

Green Smoke UK Website w/10% Off Orders of 10% or More Plus Free Shipping
Green Smoke UK Website w/5% Off Orders of Less Than $100
And here are the promo codes, if you just want to use them instead (just enter them into your shopping cart).  I think they work for both US and UK:

10% Off Orders of $100 or More, Plus Free Shipping: disc10-24656
5% Off Orders of Less Than $100: disc5-24656
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