Flowermate Aura Review: The BIC Pen of Vaporisers

The Hook: The BIC Pen

Mum held it like a biro. "Is this one of those electric cigarettes?" she asked. When I explained it was a herb vaporiser, she said "Well, it doesn't look like much." She's not wrong, and that's the point.

The Flowermate Aura is the BIC Cristal of vaporisers. Pen-shaped. Budget-priced. Ubiquitous in a way that makes it invisible. You don't get excited about a BIC. You don't Instagram a BIC. You reach into your pocket, it's there, it works, you put it back. When you lose it — and you will lose it — you don't cry. You grab another.

Loading the Aura is like clicking the pen cap — quick, satisfying, slightly fiddly. The herb pod slots in, the mouthpiece clicks on, you press the button five times. At 90 grams, this disappears in your pocket like a biro behind your ear.

Jake's mouthpiece cracked within a week. "I barely touched it!" — which, knowing Jake, means he dropped it in the kitchen. But the forums confirm it: the plastic mouthpiece is the BIC cap. It splits. You get a replacement. You move on.

The Aura costs less than a Deliveroo and lasts longer than a disposable vape. That's the value proposition. Don't overthink it.

— Dennis M.

We stock the Flowermate Aura at HerbVape.co.uk — details and pricing below.

Vapour Quality 5.0/10

Pure conduction. Stainless steel chamber. Plastic mouthpiece. Three presets. This is a vapour path designed for function, not flavour.

At preset 1 (~185°C), the Aura produces thin but detectable vapour. Terps arrive muted — you get the general character of a strain without the individual notes. Through the plastic mouthpiece, there's a faint synthetic warmth that sits behind the flavour. Not terrible. Present. The sort of thing you notice once and then try to forget.

At preset 2 (~195°C), density improves. This is the Aura's functional zone — visible vapour, reasonable extraction, adequate effects. The stainless steel chamber does its job without drama. For a £69 pen, preset 2 is the sweet spot. You won't be chasing terps, but you'll be getting medicated.

Preset 3 (~215°C) is extraction mode. Flavour drops, harshness increases, but the chamber gets fully extracted. Two draws to clear the bowl. Efficient, not enjoyable.

The 0.3g bowl is a decent size for a pen device — bigger than the Smono No.3's 0.2g but with less sophisticated extraction. Conduction means you'll want to stir mid-session for even cooking. The Aura doesn't reward technique — it rewards low expectations met consistently.

The Strain Test

Two strains. Two BIC-worthy scribbles. Neither will win a handwriting award, but both got the message across.

Papaya — Indica Hybrid (Street)

The Flower: Citral #13 × Ice #2. 70/30 indica-dominant hybrid. 20-25% THC. Myrcene dominant, linalool, caryophyllene. Tropical papaya sweetness, mango, earthy undertone. One of the sweetest-smelling strains you'll encounter — sticky, dense, the kind of flower that fills a room before you've ground it.

The Pack: 0.3g medium grind, full stainless steel chamber.

Preset 1 (~185°C): Tropical sweetness. Muted but recognisable — the papaya comes through as a general fruitiness rather than the detailed mango-papaya layering you'd get through convection. Three draws. The myrcene is doing its job: body relaxation arriving by draw two. For a BIC pen, this is a legible note.

Preset 2 (~195°C): The sweetness deepens. Linalool adds a lavender calm underneath the fruit. Earthy undertone arrives — the indica asserting itself. Four draws with increasing body effect. Papaya's strong myrcene profile is forgiving enough to shine through basic conduction. This is the right strain for this device — sweet enough to mask the plastic mouthpiece's flavour contribution.

Preset 3 (~215°C): Extraction. Earthy, flat, functional. Two draws to clear. The sweetness is gone. This is BIC energy — you don't savour the last page. You get the job done.

The Verdict: Papaya through the Aura at preset 2 is perfectly adequate. The strain's natural sweetness carries the device. Choose sweet, terpene-heavy strains for the Aura — they survive conduction better than delicate citrus or floral profiles. Not a revelation. A functional session. The BIC wrote the note.

Noidecs T10:C10 — Balanced (Medical)

The Flower: Proprietary balanced cultivar. 10% THC, 10% CBD. Myrcene, caryophyllene, pinene. Mild, earthy, herbal, slightly sweet. This isn't a flavour strain — it's a functional medication. The 1:1 ratio makes it the medical equivalent of a BIC: reliable, consistent, gets the job done.

The Pack: 0.25g medium grind, slightly under-packed.

Preset 1 (~185°C): CBD activation zone. The pinene arrives first — a clean, piney freshness that's subtle through plastic but present. Mild earthy undertone. Two draws. No psychoactivity at this temp — pure CBD-forward extraction. For new medical patients, this is the starting point: gentle, controlled, anxiety-free.

Preset 2 (~195°C): Balanced extraction. THC and CBD arriving together — the entourage effect at its most accessible. The caryophyllene adds warmth. Three draws. Functional relief without impairment. The Aura's simplicity pairs perfectly with a balanced strain: preset 2, the T10:C10, and you're managed for the afternoon.

Preset 3: Not needed with this strain. The T10:C10 doesn't require deep extraction — you want the balanced ratio, not scorched plant matter.

The Verdict: The T10:C10 through the Aura at preset 1-2 is the medical use case this device was built for, whether Flowermate knew it or not. A beginner-friendly device with a beginner-friendly strain. The Aura's limitations matter less when you're not chasing terps — you're managing symptoms. Preset 2, the balanced flower, the pen in your pocket. Medicine doesn't need to be fancy.

Design & Build (The 'Cracking Cap' Story) 5.0/10

The Aura looks like a vape pen because it is a vape pen. Metal body, slim profile, mouthpiece on top. At 90 grams it weighs less than most phones and fits in the same pocket. The form factor is the design — Flowermate committed fully to the pen concept and executed it.

The metal body is better than expected for £69. Slim, clean lines, no visible branding from a distance. Holds up to pocket carry without scratching immediately.

Mum test: MIXED. Mum held it like a biro. Simple button operation — she pressed five times without being told. "Is this one of those electric cigarettes?" The three-colour LED system (green, blue, red for presets) confused her: "Which colour am I supposed to want?" Simple in theory, slightly ambiguous in practice.

The three separate pods (herb, concentrate, oil) swap easily. The herb pod's gasket loosens after 3-6 months of use — you'll feel it wobble before it seals poorly.

Battery & Charging 7.0/10

2600mAh in a 90g pen body. This is genuinely impressive relative to the size. The PAX Mini 2 has 1500mAh at 89g. The Smono No.3 has 1600mAh at 140g. The Aura punches above its weight class here.

Real-world: 6-8 sessions per charge at preset 2. A full evening. A weekend day out. More than enough for a pen device.

Micro-USB. Three hours to charge. In 2026. This is the Aura's silent embarrassment — every competitor has moved to USB-C. Finding a Micro-USB cable is becoming an archaeological exercise. Keep one in your drawer. Guard it.

The Spec Check:

• Micro-USB: yes (unfortunately)
• Fast Charging: No
• Pass-Through: Not recommended
• Replaceable Battery: No (sealed)

Ease of Use 7.0/10

Five clicks on, five clicks off. Three more clicks cycle through presets. Green, blue, red LED. That's the entire interface.

The simplicity is absolute. There is no learning curve. There are no decisions beyond "which preset." The herb pod drops in, the mouthpiece clicks on, you click the button. The 5-minute auto-shutoff means you can't leave it on by accident.

The downside of simplicity: no fine control. If preset 2 (~195°C) is too hot and preset 1 (~185°C) isn't enough, you're stuck. Ten degrees of gap with no middle ground. Experienced users will feel the restriction. Beginners won't know what they're missing.

Cleaning & Maintenance 5.0/10

Small stainless steel chamber brushes out with the included tool. The pod system keeps the chamber slightly cleaner than a direct-load design. So far, so reasonable.

The mouthpiece is the problem. Cleaning the plastic mouthpiece requires gentle ISO soaking — too hot or too long and the plastic degrades faster. Too little cleaning and resin builds up in the narrow airpath. The fragility of the plastic means every clean carries a tiny risk of the crack you're already expecting.

Portability 9.0/10

This IS portability. Ninety grams. Pen-shaped. Fits in a shirt pocket. Fits in a handbag pen slot. Fits in a jacket, jeans, coat, anywhere a biro fits.

Stealth is maximum. From two metres, this looks like an e-cigarette. From five metres, it looks like a pen. Sarah used it at her mum's house and nobody noticed. Mum held it and thought it was "one of those electronic cigarettes." It is the most discrete named-brand vaporiser I've tested.

The PAX Mini 2 at 89g is 1 gram lighter but blockier. The Aura's pen form is more pocketable than the PAX's slab shape. For pure stealth-and-carry, the Aura wins.

How I Actually Use This

My Default Setup:

• Temperature: Preset 2 (~195°C). The only preset worth using regularly
• Pack: 0.25g medium grind, herb pod
• Session: Full 5-minute auto-shutoff, 3-4 draws

When I Reach For It: When stealth matters more than flavour. Sarah's parents' house. The cinema (don't judge me). Quick sessions where I need the device to be invisible before and after use. The Aura is a tool for specific situations — not a daily driver.

When I Don't: Every other time. At home, the Smono No.3 gives better flavour. Out and about, the PAX Mini 2 gives better vapour in a similar size. The Aura lives in the "emergency BIC" slot — the pen in the junk drawer you're glad is there when you need it.

Honest cleaning frequency: Every few sessions. The mouthpiece anxiety means I clean it more gently and more often than I would a glass mouthpiece. I'm always aware the crack is coming.

Medical Use Notes

I'm not a doctor. I'm a bloke with chronic pain and ADHD who's been using cannabis medicinally for years now. This is my experience, not medical advice. If you're considering medical cannabis, talk to a prescribing clinic — not a vaporiser review.

For Pain Management: The Aura's simplicity makes it accessible for patients who need consistent, no-fuss dosing. The T10:C10 test showed it handles balanced strains adequately. Preset 2 delivers functional extraction. For patients who need a discrete, portable dosing tool — rather than a flavour experience — the Aura works. The 2600mAh battery means multiple sessions per charge.

For ADHD: The simplicity is a genuine advantage. No decisions. No technique. No app. Three presets. This matters when executive function is low and you need to medicate quickly. The pen form means it's always accessible. The downside: no fine temperature control means you can't target specific terpene activation points. You get what the preset gives you.

Value for Money 6.0/10

£69 for a pen-style vaporiser with triple-use capability, 2600mAh battery, and 2-year warranty. On paper, that's fair.

In practice, the mouthpiece replacement costs add up. At £5-10 per replacement mouthpiece every few months, the Aura's total cost of ownership creeps upward. And the flavour gap between the Aura and the Smono No.3 at just six quid more (£75) is significant. Pure convection through titanium and glass vs preset conduction through plastic — the Smono 3 is a category above for pocket change more.

The BIC comparison holds. A BIC pen costs 30p. A nice pen costs £15. The nice pen writes better, feels better, lasts longer. The BIC disappears in your pocket and nobody cares when you lose it. £69 is BIC money for the vape world — not cheap enough to be throwaway, not expensive enough to be investment-worthy. An awkward middle.

If portability is your absolute priority and you'll accept everything else as compromise, the Aura delivers. If you have six more pounds, the Smono 3 is a significantly better vaporiser.

Score Breakdown

Vs the Competition

Vs the Smono No.3 (£75.00)

Six quid more for pure convection, titanium chamber, glass mouthpiece, degree-by-degree control, and a 3-year warranty. The Smono No.3 is a categorically better vaporiser. The Aura is smaller (90g vs 140g) and more discrete. If you can afford £75, buy the Smono 3. If you absolutely must have pen-form stealth, the Aura is the compromise. Flowermate Aura vs Smono No.3.

Vs the PAX Mini 2 (£119.00)

Fifty quid more for premium aluminium build, USB-C, lip-sensing, motion standby, and the PAX brand. Both are conduction with limited temp control. The PAX Mini 2 is heavier (89g) but blockier. The Aura is pen-shaped. The PAX is built to last. The Aura's mouthpiece isn't. Different budgets, similar limitations.

Vs the Flowermate Slick (£79.00)

Ten quid more from the same manufacturer for a removable 18650 battery, glass mouthpiece, carbon fibre body, and a bigger 0.4g bowl. The Flowermate Slick is a better device in almost every way except portability — the Aura is lighter and slimmer. If you don't need pen-form, the Slick is the better Flowermate.

Vs the XMAX V3 Nano (~£50)

Twenty quid less for a device that's also tiny and portable. The XMAX V3 Nano has a removable 18650 and better community support. The Aura has triple-use pods and a larger battery. Both are budget, both are compromised, both are BIC energy.

The Verdict (The Bookend)

Sarah still uses the Aura at her mum's house. Nobody's noticed. She's been doing it for months.

That's the BIC pen's greatest trick. It's so ordinary it's invisible. Nobody examines a biro. Nobody picks up a BIC Cristal and asks "what's this?" It's a pen. You write with it. It disappears.

The mouthpiece will crack. That's the deal. The flavour is basic. The charging is ancient. The presets are limiting. But at 90 grams, pen-shaped, at a price that won't sting when you lose it — the Aura does what a BIC does. It works. It's there. It's enough.

Just a quick scribble.

Quick Specs