I think it was @robrrt1 that first mentioned these flavors, and having never heard of them, and there not being much information about them, I thought we should correct that.
They seem to be either partnered with or part of EC Blends, and have a very interesting Creme Collection.
Because there was SOO little good intel available on them, trying to figure out where to start testing them was a challenge, and I finalized it at 3%. All are just mixed, and will be steeping for at least 1.5 weeks. As always, they will be tested in a 70v/30p/3mg base, on the SteamCrave RDTA v.1 with dual Kanthal vertical coils, and fresh KGD cotton.
Stay tuned …
Bavarian Cream (Flavor Artists) 3.0% / 4.0% (10-5-24) – FIRST ONE on deck with this new (to me) MFG. I started out at 3.0%, and I wanted to see if increasing it to 4.0% saturated it any more, and it did, but only somewhat, so 3.0-3.5% might be the upper SFT range on this one. This one was really good, and interestingly so. It tasted like a very smooth, clean Bavarian Cream, with no burnt overtones that I get from a few of the other BC’s. Very creamy, with some custard elements, but sans any heavy egg notes. The smoothness was harder to define but it was obvious from beginning to end. I also got hints of a light whipped cream thrown in as well.
At the higher weight it was very creamy, and had some good mouthfeel. There was also an interesting caramel-y undertone that seemed to bridge all of the notes together. After 3 testers, I couldn’t nit pick any complaints out of it, and actually blew through all of the bottle before I realized it. If your current BC has left you wanting, this smooth, caramel-y one might just work out for you. Rating it very high, at a 9.6/10.
Blueberry Cheesecake Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-9-24) – My first thought on this one was, “Wow, this is the WHOLE package”. Yes, it was. Most times one of the big three always seems to be missing, i.e. Blueberries, Crust, Filling. This one was surprisingly rich and full at 3% with no need to increase. The blueberry was nice and jammy, with some nice tart pectin notes. The filling was very tasty, creamy, and leaned towards the “sweet and smooth” as opposed to the “tart and sour” side, but with just enough sour lower in the mix to sell it. The crust finished out the flavor, and had some nice bakery weight to it, and it was graham centered.
All in, it really did cover ALL the bases, and did it well. At 3.0% it was damned good, strong, creamy, and delicious. No off-notes to be found, and sweetness was just below mid-level. FA did a good job of contructing this as you could really taste all of the elements, instead of being blurred together. The crust and cheesecake filling were about even in strength, with the blueberry falling slightly behind. It wasn’t lacking the blueberries, but if you wanted it more in the front, you could easily spike it up. It was so well put together, I couldn’t pick a favorite part. Only slight “wish” would have been for a smidge more BB, but, only a smidge. Rating it high (again), as it was too good not to, and leaving it at a solid 9.0/10.
Butterscotch Apple Pie (Flavor Artists) (CC) 3.0% (10-8-24) – This flavor was the FIRST from the Creme Collection (CC) that I tested, so I did want to see what was what with it. My first thought on this one was, “Did they try and do TOO much with this one”. OK, sounds dire, but not really, as it was a GREAT apple pie flavor, with just about everything you would want, great tart-ish apple pie filling, and crust. Now I got SOME butterscotch, but not a lot, and there WAS indeed an overall very creamy-ness to this one. Was it too much in one flavor ?? Hard to say.
The creamy-ness was actually very good, and present, and worked to soften the overall flavor, and bathe it in, you guessed it, a nice creamery bath. I didn’t get an ice cream, or a whipped cream, but more of a fairly neutral creamy carrier that the apple pie rode on. At 3.0% it was very good, and full, and there were no off-notes to complain about. My only wants would have been maybe a little more butterscotch, and possibly tamping down the cream just a smidge, to let the pie show through better. NOW, with that said, I DID buy it from the “Creme Collection”, so keep that in mind. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and it WAS hard to put down. For my tastes, the apple pie filling, and crust were the show stoppers here. I had to blow through 3 tanks before even trying to figure out a rating, as it was one of the better apple pies I’ve had, but with my two aforementioned wants. I finally decided to leave it JUST south of a 9, at an 8.9/10, and that was ONLY for my wants, as this was one of the better flavors so far in this series.
Caramel Macchiato (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-8-24) – I remembered @robrrt1 saying Flavor Artists Espressos were good, so I was anxious to get into this one, my FIRST coffee-ish flavor from FA. It smelled great in the bottle, and that DID continue when testing. The fairly dark Espresso notes were basically spot on, with a deep rich, dark roasted flavor, NOT to be confused for a coffee. It even had a touch of acidity that really authenticated it, even more. As with most macchiatos I did get a little vanilla cream from this one, hiding underneath the delicious layer of Caramel. The two were blended really well, and I couldn’t fully pick them apart for deeper analysis. Underneath all of that, was a creamy milk undertone, which was the carrier for all of the aforementioned notes.
Very well designed, and ratio’d, with everything being about exactly where it needed to be in the mix. At 3.0% it was pretty full, and I did catch myself wondering if a little more, would BE more, but, hehe, I blew through all of the testers before I knew it (always a good sign), and never got to try a higher mix rate. Needless to say, it was damned tasty at 3.0%. No off-notes, and it did present as very natural and authentic, with sweetness coming in a few ticks below mid-level. As an added bonus, the espresso note lingered, which was nice. I could find no issues or complaints, with maybe wanting a smidge more, as my only want. Leaving this very high at a 9.6/10.
Cherry Swirl (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-6-24) – To this day, every time I test a cherry, I prepare for the worst. Some are just bad, medicinal, soapy, and worse. The GREAT news was, this one, was NONE of them !!! This one was great right out of the gate. I could tell from the first moment it was going to be a keeper, and that it had something special going on. Even at 3.0%, there were NO off-notes, or squirrel-y-ness with this one. OK, what it was, was a medley OF different cherries, which was VERY interesting. I wasn’t sure what they meant by “Swirl”, but apparently different cherries swirled together. I could def. pick out a Maraschino, Red, and White, yes, swirled together. Fresh, punchy, and very natural tasting. Again, NO medicinal, or soapy-ness to be found.
I couldn’t pick the three cherries apart, but as a whole, they simply worked. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and at 3.0% it was very good, and didn’t feel like it needed more. The combinated profiles really worked together, and while still being able to pick them out, did created a unique Cherry experience. Because it straddled multiple cherries, it shold be able to be used in a lot of different mixes. Not only was the medley a surprise, there was a nice tart kicker on the finish that sealed the deal. If you like cherries, you may wan to check this little gem out. No wants, wishes, or complaints, leaving this VERY high (especially for a cherry), at a 9.8/10.
Coconut (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-7-24) – Coconuts always seem to fall into two categories for me, either dry, and acrid, or sweetened, and creamy. My tastes lean to the more sweetened and creamy, so keep that in mind. This one tasted like a very natural coconut, that actually seemed to straddle both of the aforementioned types. Because it did cover both, it could be used more easily than others that were one or the other. To expand, it was somewhat like a mix of semi dry, shredded coconut, with some creamy-ness mixed in to temper it a little. No off-notes, and NO suntan lotion for you coconut-heads out there. Sweetness was about 2 ticks below mid-level.
At 3.0% it was really good and with no wants to increase it. Now what I really liked about this one, was the finish was somewhat creamy, with hints of dry coconut, but with just a hint of bite. Not acrid, which I would describe as sharp and pungent, but it had just a little bite, which gave a little boost on the finish. Smelling it and tasting it was about identical, which is NOT always the case, and it smelled, and tasted very natural. About the only “ehhh” would be the ever so slight dryness on the finish, but that is fairl common in most coconuts I’ve tested. Taking off just a bit for that, and still leaving it high at a 9.0/10. All in, a great natural coconut, that straddled a dry shredded, with some sweet and creamy thrown in.
Coconut Cream Pie (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-8-24) – Well, as much as I loved FA’s BS Apple Pie, and BB Cheesecake, I was LESS in love with this one. Alright, this one hit me out of the gate, as NOT what I had expected. It wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t scream Coconut Cream Pie. At times I didn’t get much Coconut, and others I did. The creamy filling stayed fairly consistent, as did the crust, which was very good, but the coconut kind of wandered, in and out. There was a main note that I did keep getting, which was hard to identify, but seemed like a fairly vague creamy bakery note. Maybe increasing the coconut would have pushed this into good territory. No off-notes, and it was rich and full at the 3.0% testing weight, but just never totally sold me on a CCP.
No off-notes, and sweetness was a little higher, and at about mid-level. It wasn’t a blank slate creamy pie, but might be able to be used like that, and far more as a base/r than a main top note in a mix. Good, just not great, and slightly jumbled. I finally decided to leave this one at a 6.0/10.
Coffee Liqueur and Irish Cream (Flavor Artists) 3.0%
Dulce de Leche (Flavor Artists) 3.0%
Fruity Cereal (CC) (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (Flavor Artists) 3.0%
Juicy Watermelon (Flavor Artists) 3.0%
Peach (Flavor Artists) 3.0%
Peaches and Pear (CC) (Flavor Artists 3.0%
Sherry (Flavor Artists) 3.0%
Strawberries and Coconut (CC) (Flavor Artists)3.0%
Toasted Vanilla Marshmallow Flavor Artists) 3.0%
