SessionDrummer
Postman
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2018
- Messages
- 163
Congrats out to @authormichellehughes for getting her one shots to market, as I know she had been working on getting them released for a while. JUST received these, and have mixed them up, and will steep for one week before testing. Will ALL be tested at the percentages recommended by Michelle, using a 65v/35p 3mg mix, tested on dry burned coils, and fresh cotton at 65 watts, on a SteamCrave RDTA v.1.
Michelle partnered up with Higgy to release these, and they can be found here:
https://bit.ly/TocFlavors
I smelled them all while mixing, and they all smelled really good. They are all included in her "The Taste of New Orleans" series.
To give you a little preview as we wait for these to steep, check out her menu board as to these one shots.
**TOC Flavors** and **Higgy's** are excited to bring you a new line of one shot flavors straight from the French Quarter in New Orleans. These delicious flavor shots are flavoring only and mixed together perfectly to bring you all the incredible tastes of New Orleans in a single bottle. Created by bestselling author Michelle Hughes, this debut of deliciousness brings her love of New Orleans to life in a new exciting way! These blends can be used for DIY e-liquid, and also in cooking. Stay tuned to this website as we continue to bring you new ideas that celebrate Mardi Gras all year long.
Stay tuned, as we'll be testing out these BRAND NEW One Shots together !!!!
https://vccalc.vapingcommunity.co.uk/recipe/28693
**Bananas Foster (TOC) 15% (12-5-20)** -- Let's KICK this party OFF with some BF !!!!!! Ok, this one (and others) smelled super delish on the mix, and I was having a HARD time holding off while they steeped. Great news is, the wait, is over. Alright, firstly, I never really knew the history of Bananas Foster, and checked it out...
> In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who, as chairman, served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission, a civic effort to clean up the French Quarter. Richard Foster, owner of the Foster Awning Company, was a frequent customer of Brennan's and a very good friend of Owen.
While researching the history, I started vaping this one, and, WOW, it was good. My INITIAL impressions were that of a super delicious flambeed banana, in a dump truck of cream !!!! Want to hear more ?? Ok, that was just my initial impression, and it's a bit deeper than that. The nanas were perfectly layered in this mix, being JUST enough to get their point across without being overly heavy (which can be a common nana mixing mistake IMO), and that was complimented by a very generous helping of cream, which leaned towards vanilla, but again, not overly so. The lower end added even more mystery into this, and Michelle stated brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. What's interesting, is I couldn't pick out the individual notes, but their impact COULD be tasted. Very impressively done. It's not easy to meld multiple flavors into a slurry of sorts, wherein they create their own base without being able to pick out the individual flavors. All in, this was a spot on Bananas Foster. Now although not specified as having any bourbon, at times I DID get some notes of it, other times not, so that adds to the mystique. Having never tried to create a BF, I could easily tell that Michelle spent some time on this one, as it worked perfectly, with nothing heavy handed, off-putting, or out of place. Maybe you're a first timer BF'er, or a long time fan, either way, this one will put a smile on your face. First one on deck from the TOC Flavors One Shot line is a smashing success, and presented as a complex mix that just plain worked. **10/10**.
**Beignet (TOC) 12.4% (12-5-20)** -- Anytime (EVERY-time) I test out a donut, doughnut, or pastry type flavor, I get myself ready JUST in case, there is even a HINT of Play-Doh, just in case. You just never know
. Glad to tell, that THAT, was NOT an issue with this Beignet. Now the only thing I know about them, is they are fried dough, and powdered sugar. So, how close was this one ?? Pretty damned close. Bakeries, and more specifically fried dough can be a hard one to get right, without heavy yeasty notes, and or greasy notes. So how DOES one convey fried dough, without the greasy yeasties ?? That is the trick. Michelle did a good job of accurately conveying a fried dough without any of the aforementioned "issues". A nice fried dough, that indeed had a light powdered sugar finish to it. Not lip smakin' sweet, but an authentic, somewhat restrained powdered sugar, that really finished the flavor off, without being heavy handed. The dough is hard to exactly classify, but to say that it was accurate, convincing, true to it's name, and DID convey "fried". All throughout the tester tank, I was looking for any off notes, and just couldn't find any. It had an interesting "richness" to it, that although hard to describe, was present throughout the entire vape. There were some minor accent notes in there, but not enough to quantify. No cinnamon or crust, but just a full, rich fried bakery. Sweetness was surprisingly lower than mid-level, despite the powdered sugar billing, and that just made it, even more of an ADV. In total, a 2nd great showing from Michelle, that was full, rich, accurate, without any of the typical yeast or grease that often accompanies these types of mixes. Hard to fault, what just plain works. **9.5/10**.**Bourbon Street (TOC) 11.2% (12-5-20)** -- While admittedly not a liquor vaper, I do test them from time to time, and sometimes reluctantly. My fears were immediately put to rest with this Bourbon Street, as it had just enough Bourbon to stake it's claim, but NOT too much as to overwhelm the mix. It's the PERFECT level for my vaping tastes. It was paired with a nice creamy custard. The custard was not heavy eggy, which again, suited my palate just fine. Sweetness was almost at mid level, and it suited this mix just fine. Continued vaping just kept restating that it really wasn't a bourbon heavy mix, and the creamy custard was just about perfectly balanced against the bourbon. Fairly rich, but not heavy, creamy, but not in an overbearing way, just a nice even mix. From a non liquor vaper, this overall mix was right where I'd want it to be. If you want a full in your face bourbon, this might not be for you, but if you want a great creamy custard bourbon paring, this WILL work for you. Easily a **9.7/10**.
**Famous Hurricane (TOC) 13.6% (12-6-20)** -- This was DEF a tropical drink, but it was almost impossible to nail down. Fairly complex, and the flavor profiles wandered around, and almost completely defied analysis. Not sure if I was getting a slight banana, coconut, but was def. getting lime. As a sum total, it was actually a very INTERESTING vape, as it was almost completely impossible to nail down. That kept it interesting through TWO tester tanks. Sweetness was just below mid level, and nothing stood out as out of place, while completely not revealing themselves. It was truly an interesting vape, that kept me guessing up until the end, and in a good way. **9.1/10**.
**Immortal Embrace (TOC) 15% (12-6-20)** -- Cake, cake, heavenly cake !!! And some Strawberries. Just my initial reaction, and wow, talk about a great cake, this one's got it. A very good, white cake profile topped off with glazed strawberries, and some whipped cream overtones. I actually enjoyed this much more, as the cake took center stage for me, with the SB's taking a slightly lesser role. Often times, the SB's get overplayed, but not here, just perfectly mixed in, but not to overshadow the cake. The whipped cream seemed to work more as a blender, than a topper and that suited this one, just fine. It's no mistaking that I love my bakeries, and this one, really hit that button for me. If you are in need of a super delicious white cakey cake, with glazed SB's on top, you should get a bottle of this one. **9.9/10**.
**Praline Pudding (TOC) 11.5% (12-8-20)** -- For the LAST one from Michelle, I took some extra time, as typically I've never been a huge Hazelnut or Nut vaping fan. They've always come off as too dark and earthy or bitter for my tastes. Somehow, this one, just didn't. I've used Hazelnut with Meringue numerous times for cereal milks with great success, but never as the main course. This one, presented as a full on Hazelnut/Pecan assault, BUT, tempered by a delicious pudding that just ROUNDED all the dark/rough edges that normally expose themselves to me. I did pick up on some lighter Vanilla notes in there, which added to the pudding, and helped even out the overall mix. Sweetness was below mid level, and the creaminess of this one, just really has to be vaped to experience. Somewhat darker, nuttier, with a super smooth vanilla pudding. I finished the entire tester bottle, and just could NOT find fault with this one. Finishing out this series, on a HIGH note, this one was too good, not to rate high, again. **9.9/10**.
https://vapingcommunity.co.uk/t/toc-flavors-one-shots-review-by-sessiondrummer-testing-now/3876
https://bit.ly/TocFlavors
