Ploom is a unique device in the electronic cigarette industry. Whereas most e-cigs use e-juice (such as the Halo Triton Tank System), a viscous liquid containing flavorings and nicotine (although there are nicotine-free varieties), Ploom actually heats little tobacco pods to produce vapor. In fact, the company calls the use of a Ploom e-cig, "plooming" rather than vaping. It sounds great on paper, but in use, the Ploom ModelTwo ($39.95) is the most nauseating electronic cigarette device I've tested. It also gets uncomfortably hot, which further adds to the miserable vaping experience.
Specs
The Ploom ModelTwo is a plastic e-cig with two parts: the battery casing and a mouthpiece. The device has an internal lithium battery, and ships with a USB charger. The e-cig fits upright into the charger and is held in place by magnets.
Ploom uses little tobacco pods to deliver vape. The pods look like tiny K cups made for Keurig coffee machines. They pods are wrapped in color foil—with different colors representing the pod flavor. There are six flavors, with names such as Rocket, Potrero, and Kick Ass Mint. According to the company's site, the pods are filled with "the highest quality natural ingredients including the finest grade whole leaf tobacco, choice herbal botanicals, and all-natural flavors."
A Ploom modelTwo itself costs $39.95. The starter kit is $65.95 and ships with a Ploom e-cig, a USB charger, four pods, and a case.
Plooming
To load up the e-cig, the mouthpiece twists off from the battery tube and you insert the pod with foil up into the tube, and then replace the mouthpiece. Once the Ploom is charged (it takes about 90 minutes), you hold down a fairly large button in the middle of the tube until an LED light under the button glows. The LED then pulsates for about 30 seconds, which indicates that the Ploom is heating the pod.
The Ploom ModelTwo is made of plastic and according to specs on the company's website, the e-cig heats to a temperature of 347 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit. This would explain the "Hot" sticker on the battery. I burned myself pulling a pod out of the battery after vaping. The company makes note way at the back of the instruction manual that the pods may be hot after vaping. "May be hot" is an understatement. The pods are pizza-stone-right-out-of-the-brick-oven hot.
The flavors of the pods are indescribable. I'll try my best here: Think of the taste of burned plastic. Even the smell of the vape was bad and strong, and vaping regular e-juices, typically produces little to no odor.
An E-Cig to Skip
Besides the dangerous heat of the pods, vaping with the Ploom ModelTwo is just an all-around unenjoyable experience. I initially thought, maybe it was the pod I was using. However, the company sent a variety pack and I tested all of them. I could not discern any different in taste in any of them, not even the mint flavor. The flavors were all stomach-churning. And this is after I stopped smoking six months ago and have regenerated taste buds. Ploom left a bad taste in my mouth and a slight burn on my finger. Skip it. Instead, for disposable e-cigs, look to Editors' Choice Green Smoke or, for e-juice tanks, Halo's Triton Tank system.
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