FLAVRZ Flavor Shots !!!
Thanks out to Darren from FLAVRZ for sending these out for the purposes of these reviews.
There seems, or seemed to be some confusion as to exactly what Flavor-Shots were, and/or how they were different from One-Shots. Basically, a Flavor-Shot from FLAVRZ is a One-Shot, in a BIGGER BOTTLE. Hehe, there you go, mystery solved. This means, if you buy a FLAVRZ One-Shot, YOU provide YOUR bottle, add the PG, VG, NIC and enjoy. With the Flavor-Shots, you use THEIR bottle, and add the PG, VG, NIC and enjoy. You actually get 60ml of flavor, in a 200ml bottle, and it you top it off with PG, VG, and NIC up to the shoulder of the bottle, it is mixed at 30% flavor.
NOW, if you DO use the 200ml bottle, you HAVE made a commitment, and will be using a lot of carriers and NIC to set it up, SO, it’s better to make SURE you love the flavor beforehand. No sense in topping off a big 200ml bottle only to find out you DON’T like the flavor !!!
I didn’t need to mix up 200ml samples for testing/reviews, so I just found what @Jetz posted about the suggested percentages …
30-40% for Pod Systems
20-30%f for MTL & DTL
15-20 for RTA and RDA
… and I settled on 25% for ALL of my Flavor-Shot, and One-Shot tests, to have a level playing field. ALL were tested at 25%, in a 70v/30p/3mg NIC carrier, and steeped for 1 week before testing. As you MAY have guessed, all tested on the SteamCrave RDTA v1., with dual verts, 24 ga. Kanthal, with fresh cotton before every test. All tested at 65 watts.
Darren made up a blank slate recipe where you can adjust your percentage of flavor, size, and NIC if you need it. Obviously you would need to adjust it, as it defaults to 1L of juice.
Blue Slushie (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (7-30-23) – Welcome to the FIRST FLAVRZ Flavor Shot. (Cooling Agent Alert) !!! Yeah, I figured it would be, it’s a “Slushie”, so I’ll have to keep my disdain for “coolers” in check. There WAS cooling present, and it wasn’t overbearing, and added a touch of “cool” but with no menthol, or minty aftertastes. Being a huge NON user of cooling, I felt like it still imparted something to the mix taste-wise but it was hard to determine. Possibly a little dryness, but only minor. The main notes were as advertised on the FLAVRZ site, a Blue Raspberry, and a Fruit Medley, billed as Forrest Fruit.
The two main profiles were fairly evenly matched, but the Blue Raspberry took the lead. I mixed this at 25% which was below the standard 30%, when filling/using the provided 200ml bottle. It was pretty full, and felt like it could have benefited from the 5% boost. Still very good, and the BRB had a nice hit of sour on the finish. Sweetness was actually just at mid-level, and it felt matched to the profile(s). The berry medley (forest fruit) was an interesting carrier, which rode JUST below the BRB, and tempered it to a degree, but made it much more than a simple BRB alone. At times, I thought I almost got a little cotton candy in the mix. At this testing weight, beyond the slight kick that the cooling agent delivered, I didn’t get any off-notes, and about the only minor gripe would be THE cooling LOL, but, again, it’s a “Slushie” so … you’ll have to temper my review and scoring accordingly. All in, it was a great BRB with a Forrest Fruit carrier, and just a hint of cotton candy, with a light cooling effect. It felt very good and blue @ 9.0/10.
Chocolate Milk (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-1-23) – Smooth, creamy, and chocolate-y were the big take-aways on this flavor. While having not tested many chocolate milks, I have drank them from time to time. The REAL stand out here, was the chocolate. Chocolate Milk has a very specific type of chocolate, and I was very surprised to see they nailed it, almost spot on. Granted it is simply a cocoa flavor, I’ve not had very many get this close that I can remember. Hyper accurate with this flavor. The Milk was also done VERY well, and despite it not tasting like a fresh, cold glass of Whole Milk, it wasn’t supposed to, as it was a Choco Milk. The cocoa took front stage, and without apology, but the creamy elements were busy swirling around, JUST beneath it, and although you couldn’t always taste them exactly, their presence was very clearly there. Creamy, smooth, and almost silky at times. Sweetness was JUST above mid-level which was in keeping with all good CM’s. No off-notes, and it was damned delicious and present at 25%. I had blown through three full tanks before I knew it, STILL looking for at least ONE nit-pick, and I came up short. I had thought surely I would find at least some mis-directing notes like vanilla or a whiff of BA, but I couldn’t, and didn’t. What’s hard to fully explain is how it was not a choco cream, creamy chocolate, which would have defined a heavier, denser choco note, but it stayed very truly, a Chocolate Milk. An impressive feat. I got no scorching from the Cocoa at 65 watts, which I HAD from some other Cocoa flavors. Rich, creamy, and delicious. Digging in deeper, I think the ONLY thing I would change, would be to enhance the Milk notes JUST a smidge, and I mean JUST a smidge, but even that, was about all I could muster. If you like, love, or want a chocolate milk, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to ADD this one to the cart. Just almost perfect, and rating it high @ 9.9/10.
Eat the Rainbow (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-3-23) – Ok, I went into this one thinking explicitly ONE thing, and the moment I tasted it, EVERYTHING changed. I had assumed rainbow sherbet, or a Skittles citrus, but NO, hehe. Wow, what a great surprise this one one. Now, being from the US, I’d never heard of a Paddle Pops before, but apparently EVERYONE in Australia (and more) know about them. Now when I started testing, and did NOT get anything “rainbow” I had to do some more research. Apparently more than a few were upset when it’s flavor profile was finally revealed (it was on the label all along)
OK, what did it taste like ?? !!! I can’t think of a direct American comparison. It wasn’t ice creamy per se, nor a Sorbet, or Soft Serve, and maybe the only desperate similar taste MIGHT be in the ballpark of an Dreamsicle WITHOUT the Orange. But even that isn’t 100% accurate, but the ice cream center of it still more ice creamy, BUT you’re heading in the right direction. A very good, creamy, creamery center with some other partially obscure notes swirling around. As per the “Big Reveal” it did present as a mix of Caramel and Toffee-ish-ness. What’s interesting is normally Caramel is instantly identifiable but here, it wasn’t, and maybe it was the Toffee notes, perfectly paired, AND, skillfully layered in WITH the creamy main note that made it a lot harder to identify. It was EASY to enjoy, and I couldn’t stop enjoying it. For you Aussies, I’ve heard, this is SPOT ON for a Paddle Pop. For you Americans (and others), it’s damned delicious. At 25% (5% below the recommended Flavor Shot rate), it was very good, with NO off-notes. Sweetness was nicely done at about mid-level, which is fine for a desert. I truly wish I HAD eaten a Paddle Pop so I could directly compare, but I have not. Scoring this will be more complicated because of that. All in, it was hard to put down, and my best hope of comparison would be a Dream Bar center, with a delicious mix of Caramel and Toffee that were NOT toppings, but completely infused into the creamery. I’m going to go out on a limb here, while NOT being able to directly compare to the real treat, and rate this VERY high. Dare I say, “Release The Kraken” and slam it, with a 10/10. I can ONLY hope, that some Aussies, can get in on this, and help us with the direct comparison.
Lemon Tart (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-4-23) – Having tested FLAVRZ Lemon Tart flavor not long ago, I was curious to see if, or what the differences were from the “finished” Flavor Shot version.
It did share a very similar profile
Lemon Tart (FLAVRZ) 5% / 8% (4-30-23) – Following on the heels of the FLAVRZ Lemonade, I was wondering IF this was/were the same Lemon profile(s) in this one as well. Possibly. If not, then they were very similar. As with many others, I started out at 5%, and felt it would be better at 8%, and it was. The Lemon was bright, and punchy with some sweet and tart which allowed it to punch through. There was a carrier that the lemon was riding on, but it wasn’t 100% clear what is was, maybe a pudding-like element, maybe a lighter custard, or even a light curd, but unsure. There was a light crust element, and I couldn’t detect any graham, but I did detect a lighter biscuit, so it tasted like a flour based crust. I couldn’t detect any meringue, which left if much more in the “tart” region than a LMP, As a whole, it really worked, and it was pretty (not completely) unique in the tart realm. There was an almost Lemon Zest sprinkled on the top that gave it just a little more ZING. Sweetness was just above mid level, and even at the higher weight, there were no off-notes, and no real nit-picks. At first, I was unsure was the crust was very light, and I felt like it needed more, BUT, 3 testers later, it actually felt great the way it was, WITH the ability to crust boost if needed, or not. All in, a very fresh, Lemon Tart with a nice smooth pudding/curd center, topped with a bright, punchy Lemon Zest. Too good, to NOT mark this one high, and it felt tight at 9.5/10.
… with the most notable difference was that this, the Flavor Shot had a great deal more crust, and the Meringue was now present. Other than that, they were almost identical. I won’t bore you repeating the full LT flavor review again, but needless to say, this one WAS a little bit better, 0.15 better. 
The increased, crust, and present meringue pushed it up to a 9.65/10.
Mulberry Mess (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-4-23) – Some flavors take a bit to break in, so I’ve learned to not ALWAYS expect everything, right away. This one however, was BANGIN’ right out of the gate. I got some very delicious darker berry notes, which although not Mulberry specific, could pass as them. The REAL surprise was a super delicious creamy carrier. I had assumed this was going to be simple darker fruits, but NO, the creamy carrier was really driving this one into unexpected territory. I checked the FLAVRZ site, but Darren said it wasn’t loaded up on the site yet, but verified some things about this flavor. There were damned fine hints of a vanilla on the finish, and it peeked in and out throughout, but really revealed itself on the finish. The Mulberry (dark berries) started RIGHT away on top, then at the mid-point, decreased to an even pairing with the vanilla creamy-ness, and on the finish, the berries subsided, and let the vanilla peek through more. Wow, shape shifting flavor shot here people.
The berry focus while not 100% Mulberry focused (IMO), was very good, natural, and had enough POP, to ride above the vanilla creamy notes for alot of the experience. Sweetness was about mid-level, and I looked far and wide to find something to nitpick on this one, and (again), could not. About my only “want” would have been a little more focus on the darker berries, but that was a minor nit-pick, at best. I have eaten them, but trying to exactly describe, or replicate it can be next to impossible. After talking to Darren, and after finishing the THIRD tester, it did appear as if the vanilla creamery did favor a great ice cream. The pairing and ratio of the Berries to Ice Cream was done very skillfully, and having one profile take the lead, then shift to evenly paired, to somewhat recessed, kept this one a BLAST to test. I think it’s going on the “Getta Bigga Bottle” list for me. NOW, scoring wise, I will have to knock it down just a bit, because I wasn’t 100% on the Mulberry-ness, but that’s it. I would 10/10 it, just because it was that tasty, BUT, this is a review, so I feel good officially scoring it at a 9.3/10.
Pastel de Nata (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-6-23) – Wait, Pastel de what ??. De NATA !!! I’ve had egg custard tarts before, but I had never heard of this name before. Custards and pastry combined ?? !!! Yes please. Yes, this one WAS yet another great one, and depending on your love for Custards/Tarts/Bakeries, you may feel the same way. From the bottom up, there was a persistent crust/bakery note throughout, but it remained somewhat lower in the mix, and that was JUST fine with me, as it allowed the Custard to run roughshod over this Flavor Shot, and it DID it well. The custard was extremely well balanced, with a typical eggy custard, and what tasted like a bright pinch of lemon on the finish. Overall the custard while eggy, wasn’t over-egged, and proved to be JUST eggy enough, tempered by a thick creamy mid note that road all the way till the end, where the kiss of lemon finished it off. The custard was hard to exactly compare to others, but the best I could come up with was a pairing of CAP’s VC1, and FLV’s Vanilla Pudding. It had a great overall mouthfeel, and the pinch of lemon on the finish ended it cleanly. At 25% it was very good, rich, and full, with no off-notes to speak of. I didn’t pick up on any cinnamon, or burnt notes, but it was too rich, and delicious to miss them. All in, a great creamy custard, with hints of vanilla, and lemon, on a light crust note, and with an egg level that wouldl probably satisfy most of the diehard VC’ers out there. Sweetness was at about mid-level, which seemed appropriate for a desert/tart. Yet another one, that was hard to put down. It wasn’t perfect, but that didn’t prevent me from being able to exactly explain why. Finishing up the third tester, and leaving this one very high @ a 9.4/10.
Raspberry Jam Toast (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (6-8-23) – Typically (basically always) I never read ANY other reviews of a flavor/one-shot BEFORE I test it, because I want MY reaction(s), not tainted by anyone else’s. NOW, in THIS case, hehe, I did. @Gazza7 has been doing some BANG UP reviews of some FLAVRZ flavors, and flavor-shots, and I liked reading them, and he DID review this one, SO, let’s get it on !!! Was this a clone of Jam Monster ?? Who’s to say, but I’ll call it “similar”. The Raspberry notes were very good, and tasted fairly natural, and had some nice juicy-ness, and jammy-ness to it. Not completely jammy, but enough so you got the point. The buttery-ness was in there, and not in an overpowering way, and seeing as though all FLAVRZ flavors are DAAP, it was an impressive buttery-ness at that. Not as heavy or thick like CAP Golden Butter, BUT, it still worked. Now, onto the “TOAST” that my friend Gazza mentioned. I think most of us know that the “toast” from CAP’s was simply a combination of OOO Honey Puff, and CAP Cereal 27. Now those two didn’t entirely SELL the whole “toast” thing, but it was in the ballpark, and it got you close enough. I don’t know what flavors FLAVRZ used for the toast here, and it was similar to the CAP version. Not entirely toasty, BUT, it added a “similar” effect, and it worked about as good. If any of you REALLY want a TOAST, stop screwing around, and get some Solub Arome Breakfast. You can thank me later for that. At 25% which WAS 5% below FLAVRZ’s recommendation it was very full, and sweetness was just below mid-level, and I didn’t detect any squirrel-y notes to complain about. The lack of a totally convincing “toast” was expected, and I won’t mark it down heavily for that, but that would be about the only nit-pick. All in, it wasn’t a bad showing, and the Raspberry was just jammy enough, and the “toast” elements carried their weight just fine, but not stellar-ly so. I’ll push it up a little higher than my friend Gazza did, and stick it at about a 9.0/10.
Redskins (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-6-23) – It’s safe to say that I have NEVER eaten Redskins candy. I was also just made aware of a controversial decision regarding it’s name, but we’ll skip past that. This one presented as a very unique Raspberry candy, that had a great candy undertone, which was almost taffy-like. The Raspberry wasn’t a pure RB, but felt like it was paired up with a Yumberry if you’ve ever tried that flavor from Real Flavors. A very unique pairing, and super tasty. Sweetness was a few ticks above mid-level, which seemed fine for a candy, and there were some nice tart notes in there, mostly on the finish that helped it pop, and keep it more interesting. The candy base / taffy was very accurate, and believable in this flavor shot. The two main profiles (RB and candy/taffy base) were evenly paired so you got just enough of each, but not too much of either. While not an overly complex flavor, it stayed punchy and fresh tasting throughout 3 testers. At about the third tester, I started to think I was maybe getting some cotton candy undertones, mixed in with the candy / taffy base. Off the finger, the berries tasted like their MIGHT have been some florals, but there were NONE throughout my tests. While not being able to directly compare to the candy, this one was a great bright, Raspberry (with Yumberry) pairing, riding on a authentic candy/taffy base, with subtle cotton candy notes. It felt good at 9.1/10. If any Aussies out there try this flavor, and have eaten Redskins, post up your thoughts !!!
Zenergy (FLAVRZ) (Flavor Shot) 25% (8-11-23) – Let’s start out this, the LAST Flavor Shot in this series from FLAVRZ with THE, disclaimer. I don’t do Energy Drinks. If espresso/coffee doesn’t do it, I don’t need it LOL. SO, with THAT said, let’s get into it. As you no can assume, I have nothing to directly compare this to so, hehe, all I can tell you is what it DID taste like. Because it was NOT in my wheelhouse, it would have been easy to just test half a tester, and call it a day, BUT, these reviews are for you guys too, not just me anymore. So, My main two profiles that I seemed to get from this one was an almost sweetened cherry with light strawberry undertones, and a multi-vitamin. Yup, there you go. I did also detect some light cooling, and I couldn’t be sure if it was intentional, or by virtue of the compounds used (which was the case with FLAVRZ Cookies and Cream). When I say multi-vitamin, I mean, just like it sounds, with an almost grainy-ness to it, with the taste of a (you guessed it) multi-vitamin. NOW, would I ever BUY this one, or use it ?? Hehe, probably not, BUT, I’m in the “I don’t use energy drinks” camp, so keep that in mind. At 25% it was very full, and it actually wasn’t a bad flavor, no off-notes, unless you don’t like vitamins that is, hehe. The cooling effect was very light, and mostly on the finish, and the sweetness levels were just about mid-level.
Sweetened cherry, undertones of strawberry, and a multi-vitamin is what this was. NOW, although it really wasn’t really MY kinda flavor, it did make me wish (or wonder if) FLAVRZ had, or could have the underlying cherry/strawberry, BUT, without the vitamins. Hmmm, that I might get some use out of. I’ve heard some comparisons of (some) energy drinks having medicinal qualities in the actual drinks, this flavor did NOT present that way. If it had, I wouldn’t have made it through 3 testers. All in, if you ARE an Energy Drinker, this one might be RIGHT up your alley. Scoring this, hehe, will be tough, because I don’t drink them, nor can I compare this one TO any energy drinks, AND, the profile wasn’t really in my wheelhouse. Going off pure speculation, I will have to leave it at about a 8.5/10, which seems/ed fair, given the circumstances. Sometimes, you JUST have to test things that might NOT be in your wheelhouse, as you never know.
