Thanks out to @Wllmc from @BullCityFlavors for sending these out for testing. Not a lot of information out there on these, so decided to start LOW with these.
All mixed at the percentages listed, @ 3mg, 70v/30p, tested on a SteamCrave RDTA v.1, with dual vertical, 7 wrap, 24ga. Kanthal coils, with fresh cotton and dry burned coils in between tests. Steeped for 1+ week.
https://www.bullcityflavors.com/sobucky-super-aromas-1/
**Series III:**
https://forum.e-liquid-recipes.com/...by-sessiondrummer/247616/341?u=sessiondrummer
**Apple Strudel (SSA) 1.5% (9-18-20)** -- Sugar, and Spice, and everything Nice is what this one had. As far as the strudel portion, your take on a strudel will dictate what you think about it's inclusion here. I got a solid bakery from this one, that paired perfectly with the sweet and full, slightly spiced apple. The apple(s) were of the "filing" type, and similar to FLV's Apple Filling, but with less spice. There were some spice notes, but very low in the mix, and in no way obtrusive. At 1.5% it was very even, full, and satisfying with little to no concern of over or under flavoring. The bakery element did waver to and from a strudel-ish note, but was so evenly paired with the apple it was hard to nit pick it.
Sweetness was right about mid level, and expected in a desert type flavor. Pretty good one here, with not much to take off for. If anything might need to be boosted, it might be the strudel, but that would be a toss up. For a very natural tasting (not artificial) Apple Strudel that is mid sweet, and quite full at lower percentages, this one can get it done for you. Far better than most of the "Apple Pies" out there.
**9.2/10**.
**Bubble Gum (SSA) 1% (10-9-20)** -- Another FIRST for me, as I have NEVER solo'd a Bubble Gum before, so your mileage may vary. I typically have countless flavors to make comparisons to, contrasts, rankings, etc., so breaking new ground. In the tank this one smelled, well, almost exactly like your typical American Bubble Yum. No fruit flavorings, just good old pink Bubble Gum. At times it wandered around, but never really left it's profile. Having used BG's a lot, mostly pairings with WM's or Looper recipes, it was interesting to finally solo one. It stayed fairly true to a BG throughout the tank with no perceivable wintergreen or anise that others sometimes have, and interestingly, was right about mid level sweet. @ 1% it felt pretty good, with no signs of being over/under powered, and at times, it almost had that white powdered sugar they sometimes put on the pieces to prevent sticking to the wrapper. Not being a BG aficionado, I was still impressed by how accurate it was overall, despite wandering about a bit at times. I could see this working out with my WM and Loopers nicely. I will play around with this one a bit after the review, and see how it fares and pairs. As it sits, a pretty accurate Bubble Gum, with no fancy fruits, that does the job well.
**8.5/10**.
****Butterscotch (SSA) 1% (10-9-20)**** -- First one, second series on deck !!! How many Butterscotches have I tried ?? Probably all of them, and most have their plusses and minuses, with probably MF's being the top current pick for comparison. This one came across as a somewhat more relaxed flavor @ 1%, so it's possible stepping it up, might pull it forward more, but it was quite good, even at 1%. This one didn't hit you as hard up front (relaxed), but you could feel the sweetness and buttery-ness begin to build on the inhale, and it peaked near the end of the exhale. Almost a meshing of a buttery, caramely-ness that carried through most of the vape. Because it was more relaxed, it was harder to pick certain elements out, and it def. was not a candied BS, and therefore left it firmly in the more natural camp. Very clean, very authentic, and further testing above 1% will have to be done to see if it can be pulled more forward. For a somewhat relaxed, more natural tasting BS, this one does it right. No real take-offs, off notes, etc., and sweetness was about mid level. Somewhat subdued @ 1%, but very good none the less.
****8/10**** .
**Compote Cherry (SSA) .75% (9-19-20)** -- Let's admit it, cherries are the DEVIL of DIY IMO. I have had, and been let down by MORE cherries than I can remember. We've all had them, the medicinal, soapy, perfumey, and just plain baddies. Is there reluctance every time I try one ?? Ummm, YES. Sniff tested all of these while trying to decide on the strengths to test as, as there was LITTLE to no info on them. Settled on 0.75% for this one, and ............ (suspense) ........................ it worked out GREAT. NO of the aforementioned cherry issues were found here today. Whew, what a relief. At this testing weight, it was very full, BUT, with none of the ceiling hitting side effects, so I'm going to go with a 0.50-0.75% rec. on this one. As it stood, a very unique cherry, which just means, it tastes like none of the other ones I've tried, and the "compote" may be partially to blame for that. A compote is where whole fruit is cooked down in sugar/water, unlike a jam wherein the fruit is typically cut up. They DO taste different, and am trying to decide if the uniqueness of this one is the compote. The cherry was very broad spectrum, and didn't reside in just one specific cherry, but I think the overwhelming profile leaned towards maraschino, but it's more than just that. Didn't really pick up on a black cherry, but let's just leave it at a full bodied mara for now. There was this little peppy BURST that I got on every finish on this one, that was very interesting. Almost like a sharp little Fuji Apple kicker on the tail end, but I don't want to pigeon hole it to that specific, but it's LIKE that. Sweetness was a click or two above mid level (duh, compote), and it did not appear too high, for the flavor. The overall profile was exactly as it was named, with no change throughout the tank. Having been wacked (possible over flavoring on my part) by many cherries before, this one was a welcome relief on my quest FOR the cherry. I'm QUITE sure, if this one was overflavored there COULD be some issues, so GO LOW, and I suggest a 0.50-0.75% starting point. It might not carry ALL of your cherry weight in mixes, but it damn sure could, and I think I'm going to let @alfredpudding know about this, as his
Cherry Bomb was utterly brilliant, and insanely good. What an impressive Cherry this was to try, and if you've been hurt by cherries before, you def. want to add this one to your list. Something feels unholy in giving a cherry a 10 out of 10, so for religious reasons, I will cap this off @
**9.9/10**.
