SessionDrummer
Postman
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2018
- Messages
- 163
**Part III:**
As mentioned above in Part I, and Part II, thanks a lot out to Darren from FLAVRZ for sending this out for the purposes of this/these review(s). All of the flavors were mixed and tested at the percentages listed, and in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier. All steeped at least 1 week, and (as always), were tested on THE trusty and accurate SteamCrave RDTA v.1, running dual Kanthal 24ga. vertical coils with fresh cotton and dry burned coils before every test. Typically tested at 65 watts.
https://flavrz.com.au/
**Blood Orange (FLAVRZ) 8% (6-30-23)** -- Alright people, breaking into the THIRD series from FLAVRZ flavors with this, the Blood Orange. Now admittedly I don't use BO's very often, but when the need arises, it's got to be authentic. This one smelled REALLY close in the bottle, and got even closer in the tank. Like a [traditional Blood Orange](https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-blood-oranges-2216770) it wasn't as bright and punchy as a navel orange, but it had more of the darker, almost raspberry-ish notes. Now I didn't actually get raspberry from it, but it was the closest comparison I could think of. Darker, and almost rich if you could believe it. It presented as very natural, and had a subtle yet very good almost citrus oil note (in a good way) on the finish, that really helped seal the deal for me on it's authenticity. Now the last thing of note is/will be hard to explain BUT, it was almost like a little bit of an effervescence on the finish, which again, added some "sparkle" to the finish, and kept it interesting. It was actually fairly complex, and one of the FIRST things I thought of when testing it, was how I NEEDED to add this to my orange creamsicle recipe. At 8% it was very full, without being over, or underpowered, and didn't leave you wanting. No off-notes and just below mid level sweet. All in, a very fresh, realistic Blood Orange, with a nice citrusy oil note on the finish, along with some effervescence. With nothing to nitpick, and/or complain about, I had to leave this one high @ **9.5/10**. If YOU are working on an orange creamsicle, you may want to ADD this one, because I think it would work out GREAT.
**Blueberry Ripe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1=23)** -- I think a lot of times when I'm testing things like "Ripe", or "Fresh", or "Wild", I never know how each MFG will decide/define those terms. In the case of this one, I think "ripe" actually worked, as it mainly focused around a ripe, juicy blueberry. I almost thought of a "Royal Blueberry" when testing it. While having some nice "ripe"-ness, there was a slight jammy-ness to it, with just a pinch of fermented-ness on the finish. No overt florals, or soaps, and it did taste pretty natural with a 70% natural / 30% artificial split. At 8% it was very present, but not in a heavy handed way. No off-notes, or any easy to find take-offs for this one. At times I did remind me of TPA's Blueberry Extra, paired with a natual ripened BB for comparison. It was an interesting one to test, as it did present as fairly complex, with ripened, juicy, and slightly jammy/fermented notes swirling around. All in, it was fairly unique, and to build something like it I would have to pair two or more from my racks to do it. Going to leave this "royal" blueberry fairly high, and it felt good at **9.1/10**.
**Blueberry Wild (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23)** -- WHEW, this one WAS Wild. I started this one out at 8%, and it tasted like it was indeed going sideways. I did get some fairly present florals at 8%, but they weren't TOTALLY off-putting, as it DID (kind of) work towards the "Wild". Now, interestingly enough it tasted a little heavier than JUST a fruit, and I got an almost FW Graham Cracker out of it. YES, you read that right. I changed the cotton and reduced to half @ 4.0%, and most of the florals abated, BUT, the underlying (I know it sounds crazy) Flavor West graham cracker-ish undertones persisted. The blueberry itself shared some of the jammy-ness of the previously tested BB Ripe, and seemed to be more of a 50/50 natural/artificial split here. About mid-level sweet, and it was still pretty present at the halved weight of 4.0 %. What I couldn't shake was the FW GC undertones, and they were fairly distracting from the BB. It's possible that further reductions MIGHT have reduced them further, and if time persists after finishing this series, I may re-visit this one @ 2.0% to see. As it stood at 4% and 8%, I'd have to push it down a bit for the bakery-ish, almost FW GC notes that were present from start to finish, and leave this one at about a **5.0/10**.
**Butterscotch Ripple (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23)** -- I know, I know. "But, but, but there's ANOTHER Butterscotch Ripple already". Yes, hehe, there is, BUT, this ain't that. I've used the "other" one frequently, and no, this ain't that. This one was a real surprise for me, and it turned out to be a Spot On representation of .....
What was most interesting about this, was it didn't taste like a Butterscotch Ice Cream, but MORE of a Vanilla Ice Cream WITH (you guessed it), Butterscotch Rippled in. At 8% it was very full, but without smashing the ceiling, nor going sideways. The VIC was rich, and creamy, and the "ripple" was expertly paired to it, in such a way that it didn't cover the ice cream up, but merely accented it. As I worked through 3 testers of this, there was an interesting side effect I'll call it, of the VIC and BS pairing, as it did create an almost cinnamon undertone, that DID work. It didn't fully present AS a cinnamon , but let's just call it an "olfactory mirage" of sorts. VERY interesting to say the least. I reduced to 4% to see if anything changed, and it stayed about the same, with reduced intensity. This one was almost a one-shot by itself, and it was VERY interesting to see it shift from a vanilla ice cream with butterscotch, to one with an almost deliberate cinnamon undertone. VERY interesting. No off-notes to be found at either testing weight, and sweetness was at about mid-level. The cinnamon-ish note(s) that crept in after about the second tank were QUITE the mystery, and because they didn't distract, but supported the VIC and BS, I didn't take-off as an off-note. For it's accuracy, and complexity alone, I will have to leave this one very high, and it felt good at **9.4/10**.
**Caramel Candy (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1-23)** -- At 8% this one was a ONE, TWO, Caramel punch. No other way to put it. It was SOO rich and delicious, I considered cutting it in half, JUST to see, BUT, it was too good as it was. Nothing out of place, and it was a FULL caramel experience. It was actually one of the better caramels I've tried. Now the whole "candy" thing, I never know for sure what that's supposed to be, BUT, it was a somewhat sweet caramel, so that will have to do. I didn't get any "hard candy" accents/notes, but it didn't feel like it was missing. Sweet and creamy from beginning to end, it just did what it did, and it did it VERY well. I was immediately struck by the urge to toss in some coconut just to see where it would go, maybe even some chocolate, but I'll get into that later. Needless to say, it was a smoking good caramel, and I'm fairly sure it would still excel at 4%-6% as well. With no off-notes, and nothing NOT caramel-ly, I had a very hard time marking it down. How much or what "candy" you may need may dictate more than this review, but I'm going to leave it high, as the rich almost dark caramel notes just wouldn't quit. Easily **9.5/10**.
**Citrus Mix (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23)** -- This one couldn't have come at a better time, as I needed to cleanse the palate after the heavier BS Ripple, and Caramel tests. This one did JUST that, with a bright, and sparkly citrusy punch. The main players were Lemon and Lime, BUT, they were tempered by an Orange, which presented slightly lower in the mix, BUT, it's effects could be tasted, as it was NOT just a L and L. Nicely sweet, which was actually about two ticks below mid-level, which kept it out of the "-ade" realm. Clean, bright, punchy, and VERY evenly mixed, so none of the three main players stole the show. No off-notes, and at 8% it played very well, with a very natural taste. If you like a citrus medley that didn't favor one fruit over the others, and was JUST sweet enough, this one should work out nicely for you. I tasted mostly the fleshy fruit, and very little, to none of the peels or citrus oils, and there was no bitterness to be found. Hard to nitpick, and/or markdown, as it did exactly what it claimed, so leaving this fairly high at **9.1/10**.
As mentioned above in Part I, and Part II, thanks a lot out to Darren from FLAVRZ for sending this out for the purposes of this/these review(s). All of the flavors were mixed and tested at the percentages listed, and in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier. All steeped at least 1 week, and (as always), were tested on THE trusty and accurate SteamCrave RDTA v.1, running dual Kanthal 24ga. vertical coils with fresh cotton and dry burned coils before every test. Typically tested at 65 watts.
https://flavrz.com.au/
**Blood Orange (FLAVRZ) 8% (6-30-23)** -- Alright people, breaking into the THIRD series from FLAVRZ flavors with this, the Blood Orange. Now admittedly I don't use BO's very often, but when the need arises, it's got to be authentic. This one smelled REALLY close in the bottle, and got even closer in the tank. Like a [traditional Blood Orange](https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-blood-oranges-2216770) it wasn't as bright and punchy as a navel orange, but it had more of the darker, almost raspberry-ish notes. Now I didn't actually get raspberry from it, but it was the closest comparison I could think of. Darker, and almost rich if you could believe it. It presented as very natural, and had a subtle yet very good almost citrus oil note (in a good way) on the finish, that really helped seal the deal for me on it's authenticity. Now the last thing of note is/will be hard to explain BUT, it was almost like a little bit of an effervescence on the finish, which again, added some "sparkle" to the finish, and kept it interesting. It was actually fairly complex, and one of the FIRST things I thought of when testing it, was how I NEEDED to add this to my orange creamsicle recipe. At 8% it was very full, without being over, or underpowered, and didn't leave you wanting. No off-notes and just below mid level sweet. All in, a very fresh, realistic Blood Orange, with a nice citrusy oil note on the finish, along with some effervescence. With nothing to nitpick, and/or complain about, I had to leave this one high @ **9.5/10**. If YOU are working on an orange creamsicle, you may want to ADD this one, because I think it would work out GREAT.
**Blueberry Ripe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1=23)** -- I think a lot of times when I'm testing things like "Ripe", or "Fresh", or "Wild", I never know how each MFG will decide/define those terms. In the case of this one, I think "ripe" actually worked, as it mainly focused around a ripe, juicy blueberry. I almost thought of a "Royal Blueberry" when testing it. While having some nice "ripe"-ness, there was a slight jammy-ness to it, with just a pinch of fermented-ness on the finish. No overt florals, or soaps, and it did taste pretty natural with a 70% natural / 30% artificial split. At 8% it was very present, but not in a heavy handed way. No off-notes, or any easy to find take-offs for this one. At times I did remind me of TPA's Blueberry Extra, paired with a natual ripened BB for comparison. It was an interesting one to test, as it did present as fairly complex, with ripened, juicy, and slightly jammy/fermented notes swirling around. All in, it was fairly unique, and to build something like it I would have to pair two or more from my racks to do it. Going to leave this "royal" blueberry fairly high, and it felt good at **9.1/10**.
**Blueberry Wild (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23)** -- WHEW, this one WAS Wild. I started this one out at 8%, and it tasted like it was indeed going sideways. I did get some fairly present florals at 8%, but they weren't TOTALLY off-putting, as it DID (kind of) work towards the "Wild". Now, interestingly enough it tasted a little heavier than JUST a fruit, and I got an almost FW Graham Cracker out of it. YES, you read that right. I changed the cotton and reduced to half @ 4.0%, and most of the florals abated, BUT, the underlying (I know it sounds crazy) Flavor West graham cracker-ish undertones persisted. The blueberry itself shared some of the jammy-ness of the previously tested BB Ripe, and seemed to be more of a 50/50 natural/artificial split here. About mid-level sweet, and it was still pretty present at the halved weight of 4.0 %. What I couldn't shake was the FW GC undertones, and they were fairly distracting from the BB. It's possible that further reductions MIGHT have reduced them further, and if time persists after finishing this series, I may re-visit this one @ 2.0% to see. As it stood at 4% and 8%, I'd have to push it down a bit for the bakery-ish, almost FW GC notes that were present from start to finish, and leave this one at about a **5.0/10**.
**Butterscotch Ripple (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23)** -- I know, I know. "But, but, but there's ANOTHER Butterscotch Ripple already". Yes, hehe, there is, BUT, this ain't that. I've used the "other" one frequently, and no, this ain't that. This one was a real surprise for me, and it turned out to be a Spot On representation of .....
What was most interesting about this, was it didn't taste like a Butterscotch Ice Cream, but MORE of a Vanilla Ice Cream WITH (you guessed it), Butterscotch Rippled in. At 8% it was very full, but without smashing the ceiling, nor going sideways. The VIC was rich, and creamy, and the "ripple" was expertly paired to it, in such a way that it didn't cover the ice cream up, but merely accented it. As I worked through 3 testers of this, there was an interesting side effect I'll call it, of the VIC and BS pairing, as it did create an almost cinnamon undertone, that DID work. It didn't fully present AS a cinnamon , but let's just call it an "olfactory mirage" of sorts. VERY interesting to say the least. I reduced to 4% to see if anything changed, and it stayed about the same, with reduced intensity. This one was almost a one-shot by itself, and it was VERY interesting to see it shift from a vanilla ice cream with butterscotch, to one with an almost deliberate cinnamon undertone. VERY interesting. No off-notes to be found at either testing weight, and sweetness was at about mid-level. The cinnamon-ish note(s) that crept in after about the second tank were QUITE the mystery, and because they didn't distract, but supported the VIC and BS, I didn't take-off as an off-note. For it's accuracy, and complexity alone, I will have to leave this one very high, and it felt good at **9.4/10**.
**Caramel Candy (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1-23)** -- At 8% this one was a ONE, TWO, Caramel punch. No other way to put it. It was SOO rich and delicious, I considered cutting it in half, JUST to see, BUT, it was too good as it was. Nothing out of place, and it was a FULL caramel experience. It was actually one of the better caramels I've tried. Now the whole "candy" thing, I never know for sure what that's supposed to be, BUT, it was a somewhat sweet caramel, so that will have to do. I didn't get any "hard candy" accents/notes, but it didn't feel like it was missing. Sweet and creamy from beginning to end, it just did what it did, and it did it VERY well. I was immediately struck by the urge to toss in some coconut just to see where it would go, maybe even some chocolate, but I'll get into that later. Needless to say, it was a smoking good caramel, and I'm fairly sure it would still excel at 4%-6% as well. With no off-notes, and nothing NOT caramel-ly, I had a very hard time marking it down. How much or what "candy" you may need may dictate more than this review, but I'm going to leave it high, as the rich almost dark caramel notes just wouldn't quit. Easily **9.5/10**.
**Citrus Mix (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23)** -- This one couldn't have come at a better time, as I needed to cleanse the palate after the heavier BS Ripple, and Caramel tests. This one did JUST that, with a bright, and sparkly citrusy punch. The main players were Lemon and Lime, BUT, they were tempered by an Orange, which presented slightly lower in the mix, BUT, it's effects could be tasted, as it was NOT just a L and L. Nicely sweet, which was actually about two ticks below mid-level, which kept it out of the "-ade" realm. Clean, bright, punchy, and VERY evenly mixed, so none of the three main players stole the show. No off-notes, and at 8% it played very well, with a very natural taste. If you like a citrus medley that didn't favor one fruit over the others, and was JUST sweet enough, this one should work out nicely for you. I tasted mostly the fleshy fruit, and very little, to none of the peels or citrus oils, and there was no bitterness to be found. Hard to nitpick, and/or markdown, as it did exactly what it claimed, so leaving this fairly high at **9.1/10**.