Hans Dampf – Happy Strawberry-Menthol-Junkie

Sebastian is a creature of habit. He hardly ever tries out new flavors, even though his e-cigarette store "Hans Dampf" has around 200 types of liquid waiting for consumers in Munich. He does not notice any seasonal trends in his customers' choice of liquid. Every customer has "his own hit" and usually remains loyal to it over long periods. His has been strawberry menthol from happy liquid for almost ten years. Sebastian vapes nothing else and can obviously pass on his enthusiasm to his customers, because this fruity-fresh liquid is by far the one he sells most often in his vape store.

No way back to cigarettes

For most people who switch to tobacco, "the only thing that qualifies at first is a pure tobacco liquid, and quite a few actually stick with it," Sebastian notes. However, he and his five employees often experience the greatest lasting successes, if you can call the constant turning away from tobacco cigarettes as such, with fruity-fresh liquids such as strawberry-menthol. "The willing switchers often give us the bird at first. But when he does reluctantly try it, he is pleasantly surprised."

In order for smokers to become vaporizers, it is important, according to the experience of the Hans Dampf team, not to want too much at once. It is a matter of finding the right device, discovering personal tastes and setting the nicotine strength sufficiently, he says. Those who consistently abstain from cigarettes in the first two to three weeks as a vaporizer have usually overcome the magic threshold (tips for the switch). That is one of the goals of Hans Dampf and its owner Sebastian Piepke: to barricade the way back to tobacco cigarettes for (ex-)smokers. "We want to continue to support other people on your way to a smoke-free and healthier future. Every year in Germany alone, around 100,000 people die as a result of smoking. Everyone we can help break out of this vicious cycle is a great success and a personal satisfaction for us."

For Sebastian, every vaporizer is a non-smoker. "Smoking describes a combustion process, which is the biggest health risks associated with this type of nicotine use. Since this process is omitted when vaporizing, a vaporizer can technically be called a non-smoker," explains the non-smoker, who vapes from dawn to dusk and has already set off an optical smoke detector as a test.

Sebastian and his staff have a mission. "We run the e-cigarette store in Munich out of complete conviction in the product and do not sell for the sake of selling. To that end, we have the nicest colleagues I've ever met in my professional life."

Vaping in the style of the 1920s

One piece of the puzzle for Hans Dampf's recipe for success lies in the design of the premises. "Many customers say that this would be the most beautiful store you've ever walked into," Sebastian proudly proclaims. The overall style of the store in the middle of Munich, including the logo, picks up on the 1920s. "A time when smoking was celebrated as a social event in magnificent salons," Sebastian informs. "We combine the attitude to life from that time with the technical and thus also health achievements from the modern age," he coins this flair from a hundred years ago to vaporizing.

Hans Dampf attracts people of all stripes who use the e-cigarette as a means to an end (quitting smoking) without making a science out of the subject. Quite a few customers have discovered the e-cigarette not only as a means of enjoyment, but have made a hobby out of it. This is how long-term relationships develop, and customers become friends. Some are remembered for other reasons. "Seven years ago, a customer wrote us a handwritten letter asking us to send him a suitable lighter for his e-cigarette. This would not work with a normal lighter and apparently needs a special one for e-cigarettes," Sebastian recalls of a bizarre customer request. He still has the letter today.

Sebastian's second key to customer loyalty is consistent help with the switch. "For newcomers, professional and personal support during the changeover is particularly important and increases the chances of success immensely," he says. In addition, there is the product feel and the opportunity to try out devices and liquids before buying. "For many customers, it's important not just to see products in a photo, but to be able to touch and try them out." Hans Dampf has a dedicated e-cigarette for each of the 208 types of liquids currently available. Each device and each vaporizer, may be tested, because "who likes to buy a pig in a poke!"?

This is what Hans Dampf looks for in liquids

Even if the name suggests otherwise, Hans Dampf is not necessarily about opulent clouds of scent. The store owner himself prefers baking vapor and flavor instead of big clouds of vapor. "DL doesn't satisfy me sensory-wise as a smoker, and besides, I'm not a steamtrain."

It's all about quality. When Hans Dampf picks up a new liquid, they have confidence in the manufacturer. This requires absolute transparency regarding the ingredients and the production process. The tasty products of happy liquid have been part of Hans Dampf since the very beginning, "when happy liquid was still produced in the small laboratory of a pharmacy." Sebastian was convinced by "the quality of the ingredients, the safety in the production process, and the qualifications and passion of the management and employees at happy liquid. We grew up together with happy liquid and will hopefully also grow old together."

How can a vaper recognize the quality of a liquid? "Without the appropriate expertise as well as corresponding documentation on the individual ingredients, their analysis as well as precise knowledge of the production process, it is certainly difficult for the layman to judge the quality," Sebastian acknowledges - and as an expert with a retail store, has the solution ready: "We therefore recommend purchasing liquids exclusively from reputable specialist retailers where this knowledge is available."