SessionDrummer
Postman
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2018
- Messages
- 163
**Creme Brulee (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- OK, I think @woftam might have been the first one to mention this, but this one (like a very few others) is dark, and soulless. Now, some people will be scared off, others will embrace it's darkness. At 1% (4-5 drops) in my 10ml tester, the mix was (duh), very dark. OK, but how'd it taste ? Brulee is a burnt cream, and caramelized sugar desert. There were aspects of the aforementioned in here, but in somewhat reduced quantities. There was an almost coffee note on the lower end that added to the burnt note. I will check the coils/cotton after the tester tank, but I suspect it will be quite dark as well. Overall the flavor was good, but more of a caramelized sugar coffee with some cream elements. At 1% it was fairly strong, and mid level sweet, and the burnt note(s) seemed to increase somewhat throughout the testing. Continued testing, and an increasing burnt note led me to believe that it may have been fouling the cotton/coils more than originally suspected. Good flavor, but the extreme darkness and perceived increasing burnt note will make this one harder to use. Because of this, leaving it at **5/10**.
**Crisp Waffle (SSA) 1.0% (9-19-20)** -- When smelling in the bottle, this reminded me of the original INW Waffle YC. Having never solo'd that one, I could not directly compare the two. Vaping this one, revealed a very rich, and full waffle, BUT, with no distinct butter or maple syrup, which was GREAT. That way you could use it in far more recipes, but alter with B and MS if/as needed. Outstanding. I wasn't sure where to test this one, and it's POSSIBLE that 1.0% may have pushed it too far, but read on, and you decide. At the testing weight it did not feel like it was hitting the ceiling, but the "toasted" or "burnt" notes that I was getting, along with a peanut were emerging on the back end of the vape. Now that's not to say that they got in the way OF the waffle in any way, shape, or form, they did not, but they were present. I will probably have to re-test this lower at maybe 0.50%, just to see. Even with the very small (not offensive, but present) alternate notes, this one WAS indeed a super delicious waffle. It had some dark, rich undertones, which may have been from the burnt/toasted element, but overall it did not taste burnt, like burnt toast, but merely had some of it, in the finish. Belgian, American, Wheat ?? Hard to say, but it leaned mid to darker, and away from a lighter, and not towards a wheat, so we'll settle on a mid-dark waffle. Sweetness was just below mid level, and despite looking HARD for any butter or maple syrup, it was not to be found here. There was a certain richness/fullness that almost implied butter was in there, but you couldn't pick it out. Even at 1.0% with some of the burnt/peanut push at the end, it never left focus on the waffle, so your tastes will dictate the effect of them, and/or if lowering the rate would reduce them further. All in, for a naked waffle, with some impressive almost bakery grainy-ness, this one's got it. I will amend this review if I get time to test lower, and at this testing weight, it feels good at **8.5/10**.
**Dessert Chocolate (SSA) 0.85% (9-16-20)** -- FIRST ONE on deck, and I chose a DARK ONE at that. Don't be AFRAID, just because something's dark, hehe, but you might change your cotton more often, depending on the flavor. Upon FIRST vape, I KNEW this was a KNOCK OUT flavor. Chocolates are hard to get right, whether it's Band Aids in Milk Chocolates, or Dark and Bitter/Dry in Dark Chocolates. This one had NO off-putting notes whatsoever. I can't think of a direct comparison, but at first FLV's Red Velvet came to mind, as it had some very good almost cake elements to it. No Band Aid, no dryness, no bitterness. At this testing weight, it was very nice, rich, and full. It could even be used lower if needed, so we are talking Ultra concentrates at this level and lower. Tested this at 65 watts, with no scorching or burning that I could detect, which was another plus. The chocolate leaned darker, but wasn't a full "Dark" chocolate, and the cakey-ness could not be denied, and it really pulled it into a desert type flavor. You could almost solo vape this IMO, because of the great pairing of the choco and cake. The cake notes (or whatever you deem them to be) really pulled this into a unique category all it's own, much like Wonder Flavor's Smores Cupcake did. All in, this first one, was far better than I expected, AND, at a very low mixing rate. Because of the added richness (cakey-ness) I could DEF. see this in quite a few desert, smores, etc. recipes. While not a "pure" chocolate per se, it's damned good, and should be on your "must try" list, if you are new to SSA flavors. **9.9/10**.
**Guava (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- Last one on deck for the end of Series II. I think we're going to finish it with a BANG. Haven't vaped a lot of Guavas, but that didn't stop this one from basically nailing the profile. Pink, fleshy, and punchy were the initial thoughts, with an almost slight fermented kick that really added to the authenticity. Very clean and full at 1%, and that felt really good, not under/over powered. Sweetness was about mid level, and the pink punch factor on this one can not be overstated. Most of the flavor remained in the mid region, with a smidge of low end, and some nice high end punch to finish it off. It stays fairly true and natural throughout the tank with a hint of candied, but only a hint. NO take-offs to be found with this one, and you could obviously go lower for accents, and possibly higher for main notes if needed. Clean, fresh, and accurate were the big take-aways on this one, and it just plain worked. **9.25/10**.
**Ice Cream (SSA) 2.0% (9-20-20)** -- I had to finish TWO tester tanks on this one, to try and nail down what was going on here. First things first, probably the BEST Ice Cream flavor I have tried to date. Not vanilla, not chocolate, no pepper, no BA, none of the typical creamy aftertastes that most of the other players have, BUT (ain't there always a BUT ?), it was fairly subdued. I smelled this one in the bottle, and knew I'd have to mix it higher, and I did. Even at 2.0%, it was still very laid back. You could say weaker, but it felt laid back. As it stood, a delicious sweet ice cream, with no offensive notes, no heavy creameries, and very neutral. Now, despite this being as great as it was, it would be easy to overpower this in a mix, so mixing wise, some caution would be need to be used. It reminded me of a Chic Fil A (for you US members) ice cream. Very natural tasting, sweetness was a tick above mid level, and had an absolutely clean finish. Because SSA has a Vanilla Ice Cream which I have not tested, am wondering if it was as good, but stronger, maybe a pairing of the two to solidify, and anchor the base might work. Minor take offs, but ONLY for it's laid back nature, NOT the flavor profile. Two tank fulls, and haven't found an off note yet. **8.0/10**.
**Ice Cream Vanilla (SSA) 1.5% (10-11-20)** – Deciding on what strength to mix this at after testing SSA’s Ice Cream @ 2% proved difficult. It smelled stronger in the bottle, so decided to drop 0.5% from the original Ice Cream. Even mixed down from their Ice Cream, this one presented as much more forward, and fuller. A lot of similarities to SSA’s Ice Cream but with more presence, and some nice Vanilla notes thrown in. The vanilla seemed close to a vanilla bean that was high enough in the mix to make itself known but not overpower the profile. Clean, accurate, and I actually think better than their Ice Cream. I love the fresh approach to an Ice Cream SSA has taken, as none of the somewhat off-putting sour or typical cream notes found in many other IC’s. One of the best I have tried. Even presenting stronger/fuller/richer than the regular Ice Cream, it isn’t as heavy handed as say LB’s VIC. Sweetness was lower than mid level, and I could see numerous uses for this one, as was the case with the Ice Cream. Moving this up on the scale for a fuller, richer, more flavorful experience than the regular IC. **8.95/10** .
**Irish Cream (SSA) 1.5% (9-20-20)** -- Having never vaped an Irish Cream, but had it in quite a few drinks before, I knew what I was in for. At 1.5% it felt fairly strong but not overpowering. I did not get any Whiskey from it, but I did get a fair amount of coffee, cream, some chocolate, and quite probably a vanilla cream in there. As a whole it was very good, and the coffee note remained throughout the vape. Almost a toffee coffee with some cream. Sweetness was lower than mid level, and despite having a cream element, it didn't feel overly creamy. No bitter, or off-putting notes, and despite finishing the tank, I kept returning to my coffee with toffee and cream. It is very possible that IC's may not fully be in my wheelhouse, but this was a good vape. Because the coffee element was present throughout the vape, it struck me as more of a coffee drink. All in, with the forward coffee element, feels good @ **7.0/10**.
**Juicy Cherries (SSA) 0.75% (10-10-20)** -- Oh no !!! Did Sobucky just come out with ANOTHER great Cherry ?? !!!! Yes, ........... yes they did. As with their other cherry tested, I was slightly scared to load this one up into the Vapesled, but I did indeed do, just that. YES, this one is ANOTHER Great Cherry from Sobucky. PLEASE take note of my sub-percent testing strength, as more and more of these ARE proving to be Ultras (Ultra-Concentrates(ed), and this one is no different. If you test this at 3% and blow up, I warned you.
OK, this one is just as good, if not better than SSA's Compote Cherry, but the "better" part will be up to you, the end user, and what profile you're looking for. This again (I know, repeating), had NO medicinal, floral, cough syrupy notes of any shape, kind or form. EMBRACE the madness of that for a second. That makes TWO from these guys. OK, at this ultra low 0.75% it was a VERY satisfying Cherry Vape, with NO signs of hitting the ceiling, but it was so rich and full at this weight, I wouldn't go much higher, for fear of (bad things). I was having a hard time quantifying exactly what type of cherry/cherries this was, let the wife try, she seemed to think more of a Luden's lozenge, BUT, again, NOT a cough drop medicinal style. To me, this was somewhat of a darker cherry than the Compote, but not totally towards a Black Cherry. Confused yet ?? Good, me too, hehe. It did have some aspects of a Maraschino in there, and some of a Black Cherry, but it was more than the sum of them. Sweetness was actually below mid level, and honestly, I could not find any take-offs. I know, it's a CHERRY, there's GOT to be something wrong with it, right ? Not really, except maybe the name. Juicy Cherries had me thinking of TPA's Juicy Peach, or FA's Juicy Strawberry, but I didn't get an overwhelming "juicy" from it. Wasn't dry, and was a great darker, somewhat black cherry-ish flavor, but maybe the name is the ONLY thing wrong with this one. Had some slight tartness, but only slight, and maybe you could almost taste the pit a little. All in, despite it not presenting as overly "juicy" this is the second great cherry vape from Sobucky, and if you are in need for a darker cherry, with aspects of both a Mara and a BC, you should get this one. Start mixing it LOW though, 0.5-0.75% range, or you're on your own. Feels great at **9.5/10**.
**Mascarpone Cream (SSA) 1.5% (9-23-20)** -- Getting near the end of this trial run batch, and the Mascarpone Cream is on deck. Creams can be hard to SFT, as by themselves, they can be hard to taste sometimes, quantify other times, and their EFFECT cannot always be fully realized in SFT's, but test we shall. First things first NO BA in this flavor. It presented as a very even keeled cream, with some sweet undertones. Undertones, because it tasted lower than mid level sweet, but it peaked at the end of the vape, interesting. The flavor itself was hard to quantify, and didn't taste like a vanilla, but it was in that ballpark. Nice mouthfeel, and did impress as a cream. Maybe the best way to describe it was a fairly thick-ish, filling cream type flavor. Due to the nature OF SFT's I cannot gauge it's impact on other flavors, but I can see using this to fatten up mixes, round them out, and take off some sharp edges, without burying the mix. It's light enough where I think that will work easily, without being a BA rich, heavy handed cream assault. While testing creams, milks, dairies isn't the MOST exciting thing to do, most of us use creams in a lot of our mixes. For it's non-heavy handed approach, and neutral flavor, I give it high marks because it will increase it's usefulness on your rack. Not a milk, not a dairy, but a very good, semi-sweet filling cream. **9.25/10**.
**Crisp Waffle (SSA) 1.0% (9-19-20)** -- When smelling in the bottle, this reminded me of the original INW Waffle YC. Having never solo'd that one, I could not directly compare the two. Vaping this one, revealed a very rich, and full waffle, BUT, with no distinct butter or maple syrup, which was GREAT. That way you could use it in far more recipes, but alter with B and MS if/as needed. Outstanding. I wasn't sure where to test this one, and it's POSSIBLE that 1.0% may have pushed it too far, but read on, and you decide. At the testing weight it did not feel like it was hitting the ceiling, but the "toasted" or "burnt" notes that I was getting, along with a peanut were emerging on the back end of the vape. Now that's not to say that they got in the way OF the waffle in any way, shape, or form, they did not, but they were present. I will probably have to re-test this lower at maybe 0.50%, just to see. Even with the very small (not offensive, but present) alternate notes, this one WAS indeed a super delicious waffle. It had some dark, rich undertones, which may have been from the burnt/toasted element, but overall it did not taste burnt, like burnt toast, but merely had some of it, in the finish. Belgian, American, Wheat ?? Hard to say, but it leaned mid to darker, and away from a lighter, and not towards a wheat, so we'll settle on a mid-dark waffle. Sweetness was just below mid level, and despite looking HARD for any butter or maple syrup, it was not to be found here. There was a certain richness/fullness that almost implied butter was in there, but you couldn't pick it out. Even at 1.0% with some of the burnt/peanut push at the end, it never left focus on the waffle, so your tastes will dictate the effect of them, and/or if lowering the rate would reduce them further. All in, for a naked waffle, with some impressive almost bakery grainy-ness, this one's got it. I will amend this review if I get time to test lower, and at this testing weight, it feels good at **8.5/10**.
**Dessert Chocolate (SSA) 0.85% (9-16-20)** -- FIRST ONE on deck, and I chose a DARK ONE at that. Don't be AFRAID, just because something's dark, hehe, but you might change your cotton more often, depending on the flavor. Upon FIRST vape, I KNEW this was a KNOCK OUT flavor. Chocolates are hard to get right, whether it's Band Aids in Milk Chocolates, or Dark and Bitter/Dry in Dark Chocolates. This one had NO off-putting notes whatsoever. I can't think of a direct comparison, but at first FLV's Red Velvet came to mind, as it had some very good almost cake elements to it. No Band Aid, no dryness, no bitterness. At this testing weight, it was very nice, rich, and full. It could even be used lower if needed, so we are talking Ultra concentrates at this level and lower. Tested this at 65 watts, with no scorching or burning that I could detect, which was another plus. The chocolate leaned darker, but wasn't a full "Dark" chocolate, and the cakey-ness could not be denied, and it really pulled it into a desert type flavor. You could almost solo vape this IMO, because of the great pairing of the choco and cake. The cake notes (or whatever you deem them to be) really pulled this into a unique category all it's own, much like Wonder Flavor's Smores Cupcake did. All in, this first one, was far better than I expected, AND, at a very low mixing rate. Because of the added richness (cakey-ness) I could DEF. see this in quite a few desert, smores, etc. recipes. While not a "pure" chocolate per se, it's damned good, and should be on your "must try" list, if you are new to SSA flavors. **9.9/10**.
**Guava (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- Last one on deck for the end of Series II. I think we're going to finish it with a BANG. Haven't vaped a lot of Guavas, but that didn't stop this one from basically nailing the profile. Pink, fleshy, and punchy were the initial thoughts, with an almost slight fermented kick that really added to the authenticity. Very clean and full at 1%, and that felt really good, not under/over powered. Sweetness was about mid level, and the pink punch factor on this one can not be overstated. Most of the flavor remained in the mid region, with a smidge of low end, and some nice high end punch to finish it off. It stays fairly true and natural throughout the tank with a hint of candied, but only a hint. NO take-offs to be found with this one, and you could obviously go lower for accents, and possibly higher for main notes if needed. Clean, fresh, and accurate were the big take-aways on this one, and it just plain worked. **9.25/10**.
**Ice Cream (SSA) 2.0% (9-20-20)** -- I had to finish TWO tester tanks on this one, to try and nail down what was going on here. First things first, probably the BEST Ice Cream flavor I have tried to date. Not vanilla, not chocolate, no pepper, no BA, none of the typical creamy aftertastes that most of the other players have, BUT (ain't there always a BUT ?), it was fairly subdued. I smelled this one in the bottle, and knew I'd have to mix it higher, and I did. Even at 2.0%, it was still very laid back. You could say weaker, but it felt laid back. As it stood, a delicious sweet ice cream, with no offensive notes, no heavy creameries, and very neutral. Now, despite this being as great as it was, it would be easy to overpower this in a mix, so mixing wise, some caution would be need to be used. It reminded me of a Chic Fil A (for you US members) ice cream. Very natural tasting, sweetness was a tick above mid level, and had an absolutely clean finish. Because SSA has a Vanilla Ice Cream which I have not tested, am wondering if it was as good, but stronger, maybe a pairing of the two to solidify, and anchor the base might work. Minor take offs, but ONLY for it's laid back nature, NOT the flavor profile. Two tank fulls, and haven't found an off note yet. **8.0/10**.
**Ice Cream Vanilla (SSA) 1.5% (10-11-20)** – Deciding on what strength to mix this at after testing SSA’s Ice Cream @ 2% proved difficult. It smelled stronger in the bottle, so decided to drop 0.5% from the original Ice Cream. Even mixed down from their Ice Cream, this one presented as much more forward, and fuller. A lot of similarities to SSA’s Ice Cream but with more presence, and some nice Vanilla notes thrown in. The vanilla seemed close to a vanilla bean that was high enough in the mix to make itself known but not overpower the profile. Clean, accurate, and I actually think better than their Ice Cream. I love the fresh approach to an Ice Cream SSA has taken, as none of the somewhat off-putting sour or typical cream notes found in many other IC’s. One of the best I have tried. Even presenting stronger/fuller/richer than the regular Ice Cream, it isn’t as heavy handed as say LB’s VIC. Sweetness was lower than mid level, and I could see numerous uses for this one, as was the case with the Ice Cream. Moving this up on the scale for a fuller, richer, more flavorful experience than the regular IC. **8.95/10** .
**Irish Cream (SSA) 1.5% (9-20-20)** -- Having never vaped an Irish Cream, but had it in quite a few drinks before, I knew what I was in for. At 1.5% it felt fairly strong but not overpowering. I did not get any Whiskey from it, but I did get a fair amount of coffee, cream, some chocolate, and quite probably a vanilla cream in there. As a whole it was very good, and the coffee note remained throughout the vape. Almost a toffee coffee with some cream. Sweetness was lower than mid level, and despite having a cream element, it didn't feel overly creamy. No bitter, or off-putting notes, and despite finishing the tank, I kept returning to my coffee with toffee and cream. It is very possible that IC's may not fully be in my wheelhouse, but this was a good vape. Because the coffee element was present throughout the vape, it struck me as more of a coffee drink. All in, with the forward coffee element, feels good @ **7.0/10**.
**Juicy Cherries (SSA) 0.75% (10-10-20)** -- Oh no !!! Did Sobucky just come out with ANOTHER great Cherry ?? !!!! Yes, ........... yes they did. As with their other cherry tested, I was slightly scared to load this one up into the Vapesled, but I did indeed do, just that. YES, this one is ANOTHER Great Cherry from Sobucky. PLEASE take note of my sub-percent testing strength, as more and more of these ARE proving to be Ultras (Ultra-Concentrates(ed), and this one is no different. If you test this at 3% and blow up, I warned you.
OK, this one is just as good, if not better than SSA's Compote Cherry, but the "better" part will be up to you, the end user, and what profile you're looking for. This again (I know, repeating), had NO medicinal, floral, cough syrupy notes of any shape, kind or form. EMBRACE the madness of that for a second. That makes TWO from these guys. OK, at this ultra low 0.75% it was a VERY satisfying Cherry Vape, with NO signs of hitting the ceiling, but it was so rich and full at this weight, I wouldn't go much higher, for fear of (bad things). I was having a hard time quantifying exactly what type of cherry/cherries this was, let the wife try, she seemed to think more of a Luden's lozenge, BUT, again, NOT a cough drop medicinal style. To me, this was somewhat of a darker cherry than the Compote, but not totally towards a Black Cherry. Confused yet ?? Good, me too, hehe. It did have some aspects of a Maraschino in there, and some of a Black Cherry, but it was more than the sum of them. Sweetness was actually below mid level, and honestly, I could not find any take-offs. I know, it's a CHERRY, there's GOT to be something wrong with it, right ? Not really, except maybe the name. Juicy Cherries had me thinking of TPA's Juicy Peach, or FA's Juicy Strawberry, but I didn't get an overwhelming "juicy" from it. Wasn't dry, and was a great darker, somewhat black cherry-ish flavor, but maybe the name is the ONLY thing wrong with this one. Had some slight tartness, but only slight, and maybe you could almost taste the pit a little. All in, despite it not presenting as overly "juicy" this is the second great cherry vape from Sobucky, and if you are in need for a darker cherry, with aspects of both a Mara and a BC, you should get this one. Start mixing it LOW though, 0.5-0.75% range, or you're on your own. Feels great at **9.5/10**.**Mascarpone Cream (SSA) 1.5% (9-23-20)** -- Getting near the end of this trial run batch, and the Mascarpone Cream is on deck. Creams can be hard to SFT, as by themselves, they can be hard to taste sometimes, quantify other times, and their EFFECT cannot always be fully realized in SFT's, but test we shall. First things first NO BA in this flavor. It presented as a very even keeled cream, with some sweet undertones. Undertones, because it tasted lower than mid level sweet, but it peaked at the end of the vape, interesting. The flavor itself was hard to quantify, and didn't taste like a vanilla, but it was in that ballpark. Nice mouthfeel, and did impress as a cream. Maybe the best way to describe it was a fairly thick-ish, filling cream type flavor. Due to the nature OF SFT's I cannot gauge it's impact on other flavors, but I can see using this to fatten up mixes, round them out, and take off some sharp edges, without burying the mix. It's light enough where I think that will work easily, without being a BA rich, heavy handed cream assault. While testing creams, milks, dairies isn't the MOST exciting thing to do, most of us use creams in a lot of our mixes. For it's non-heavy handed approach, and neutral flavor, I give it high marks because it will increase it's usefulness on your rack. Not a milk, not a dairy, but a very good, semi-sweet filling cream. **9.25/10**.
