Part III:
As mentioned above in Part I, and Part II, thanks a lot out to Darren from FLAVRZ for sending this out for the purposes of this/these review(s). All of the flavors were mixed and tested at the percentages listed, and in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier. All steeped at least 1 week, and (as always), were tested on THE trusty and accurate SteamCrave RDTA v.1, running dual Kanthal 24ga. vertical coils with fresh cotton and dry burned coils before every test. Typically tested at 65 watts.
Blood Orange (FLAVRZ) 8% (6-30-23) – Alright people, breaking into the THIRD series from FLAVRZ flavors with this, the Blood Orange. Now admittedly I don’t use BO’s very often, but when the need arises, it’s got to be authentic. This one smelled REALLY close in the bottle, and got even closer in the tank. Like a traditional Blood Orange it wasn’t as bright and punchy as a navel orange, but it had more of the darker, almost raspberry-ish notes. Now I didn’t actually get raspberry from it, but it was the closest comparison I could think of. Darker, and almost rich if you could believe it. It presented as very natural, and had a subtle yet very good almost citrus oil note (in a good way) on the finish, that really helped seal the deal for me on it’s authenticity. Now the last thing of note is/will be hard to explain BUT, it was almost like a little bit of an effervescence on the finish, which again, added some “sparkle” to the finish, and kept it interesting. It was actually fairly complex, and one of the FIRST things I thought of when testing it, was how I NEEDED to add this to my orange creamsicle recipe. At 8% it was very full, without being over, or underpowered, and didn’t leave you wanting. No off-notes and just below mid level sweet. All in, a very fresh, realistic Blood Orange, with a nice citrusy oil note on the finish, along with some effervescence. With nothing to nitpick, and/or complain about, I had to leave this one high @ 9.5/10. If YOU are working on an orange creamsicle, you may want to ADD this one, because I think it would work out GREAT.
Blueberry Ripe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1=23) – I think a lot of times when I’m testing things like “Ripe”, or “Fresh”, or “Wild”, I never know how each MFG will decide/define those terms. In the case of this one, I think “ripe” actually worked, as it mainly focused around a ripe, juicy blueberry. I almost thought of a “Royal Blueberry” when testing it. While having some nice “ripe”-ness, there was a slight jammy-ness to it, with just a pinch of fermented-ness on the finish. No overt florals, or soaps, and it did taste pretty natural with a 70% natural / 30% artificial split. At 8% it was very present, but not in a heavy handed way. No off-notes, or any easy to find take-offs for this one. At times I did remind me of TPA’s Blueberry Extra, paired with a natual ripened BB for comparison. It was an interesting one to test, as it did present as fairly complex, with ripened, juicy, and slightly jammy/fermented notes swirling around. All in, it was fairly unique, and to build something like it I would have to pair two or more from my racks to do it. Going to leave this “royal” blueberry fairly high, and it felt good at 9.1/10.
Blueberry Wild (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23) – WHEW, this one WAS Wild. I started this one out at 8%, and it tasted like it was indeed going sideways. I did get some fairly present florals at 8%, but they weren’t TOTALLY off-putting, as it DID (kind of) work towards the “Wild”. Now, interestingly enough it tasted a little heavier than JUST a fruit, and I got an almost FW Graham Cracker out of it. YES, you read that right. I changed the cotton and reduced to half @ 4.0%, and most of the florals abated, BUT, the underlying (I know it sounds crazy) Flavor West graham cracker-ish undertones persisted. The blueberry itself shared some of the jammy-ness of the previously tested BB Ripe, and seemed to be more of a 50/50 natural/artificial split here. About mid-level sweet, and it was still pretty present at the halved weight of 4.0 %. What I couldn’t shake was the FW GC undertones, and they were fairly distracting from the BB. It’s possible that further reductions MIGHT have reduced them further, and if time persists after finishing this series, I may re-visit this one @ 2.0% to see. As it stood at 4% and 8%, I’d have to push it down a bit for the bakery-ish, almost FW GC notes that were present from start to finish, and leave this one at about a 5.0/10.
Butterscotch Ripple (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23) – I know, I know. “But, but, but there’s ANOTHER Butterscotch Ripple already”. Yes, hehe, there is, BUT, this ain’t that. I’ve used the “other” one frequently, and no, this ain’t that. This one was a real surprise for me, and it turned out to be a Spot On representation of …
What was most interesting about this, was it didn’t taste like a Butterscotch Ice Cream, but MORE of a Vanilla Ice Cream WITH (you guessed it), Butterscotch Rippled in. At 8% it was very full, but without smashing the ceiling, nor going sideways. The VIC was rich, and creamy, and the “ripple” was expertly paired to it, in such a way that it didn’t cover the ice cream up, but merely accented it. As I worked through 3 testers of this, there was an interesting side effect I’ll call it, of the VIC and BS pairing, as it did create an almost cinnamon undertone, that DID work. It didn’t fully present AS a cinnamon , but let’s just call it an “olfactory mirage” of sorts. VERY interesting to say the least. I reduced to 4% to see if anything changed, and it stayed about the same, with reduced intensity. This one was almost a one-shot by itself, and it was VERY interesting to see it shift from a vanilla ice cream with butterscotch, to one with an almost deliberate cinnamon undertone. VERY interesting. No off-notes to be found at either testing weight, and sweetness was at about mid-level. The cinnamon-ish note(s) that crept in after about the second tank were QUITE the mystery, and because they didn’t distract, but supported the VIC and BS, I didn’t take-off as an off-note. For it’s accuracy, and complexity alone, I will have to leave this one very high, and it felt good at 9.4/10.
Caramel Candy (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1-23) – At 8% this one was a ONE, TWO, Caramel punch. No other way to put it. It was SOO rich and delicious, I considered cutting it in half, JUST to see, BUT, it was too good as it was. Nothing out of place, and it was a FULL caramel experience. It was actually one of the better caramels I’ve tried. Now the whole “candy” thing, I never know for sure what that’s supposed to be, BUT, it was a somewhat sweet caramel, so that will have to do. I didn’t get any “hard candy” accents/notes, but it didn’t feel like it was missing. Sweet and creamy from beginning to end, it just did what it did, and it did it VERY well. I was immediately struck by the urge to toss in some coconut just to see where it would go, maybe even some chocolate, but I’ll get into that later. Needless to say, it was a smoking good caramel, and I’m fairly sure it would still excel at 4%-6% as well. With no off-notes, and nothing NOT caramel-ly, I had a very hard time marking it down. How much or what “candy” you may need may dictate more than this review, but I’m going to leave it high, as the rich almost dark caramel notes just wouldn’t quit. Easily 9.5/10.
Citrus Mix (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23) – This one couldn’t have come at a better time, as I needed to cleanse the palate after the heavier BS Ripple, and Caramel tests. This one did JUST that, with a bright, and sparkly citrusy punch. The main players were Lemon and Lime, BUT, they were tempered by an Orange, which presented slightly lower in the mix, BUT, it’s effects could be tasted, as it was NOT just a L and L. Nicely sweet, which was actually about two ticks below mid-level, which kept it out of the “-ade” realm. Clean, bright, punchy, and VERY evenly mixed, so none of the three main players stole the show. No off-notes, and at 8% it played very well, with a very natural taste. If you like a citrus medley that didn’t favor one fruit over the others, and was JUST sweet enough, this one should work out nicely for you. I tasted mostly the fleshy fruit, and very little, to none of the peels or citrus oils, and there was no bitterness to be found. Hard to nitpick, and/or markdown, as it did exactly what it claimed, so leaving this fairly high at 9.1/10.
Cola (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23) – Alight, ANYONE who knows me, KNOWS that ANY Cola will have a HARD road to travel after I tested Sobucky’s Cola which has been the Reigning Cola Champion. This flavor presented very similar to it, but with some differences, albeit minor. The overall “cola” experience was pretty spot on, and also seemed to favor a Pepsi/RC Cola mashup. The exact split however was hard for me to gauge, but if I were forced to, I’d put it at a 50% Pepsi / 50% RC Cola. Sweetness leaned a little higher, at maybe a tick or two above mid-level, BUT, was there FIZZ ?? !!! Yes, my friends, there WAS some fizz. Not quite as fizzy as SSA’s, but still fizzy none the less. It did feel like it could use a little more fizz, and a pinch less sweetener, but even that would be subjective, as Colas by their nature ARE sweet LOL. Needless to say, this almost perfectly portrayed a Cola, of the non-diet persuasion. Sticky, accurate, with just a little bit of fizz on the finish. No off-notes, and nothing prickly at the testing weight of 8%, and it tasted pretty full at that weight. No cooling (thank God), because I can’t use any cooling agents. Very nicely done by FLAVRZ, and it won’t let you down for your cola needs. It felt like if the fizz was kicked up JUST a bit, and maybe the sweetener dropped just a bit as well, this could be improved. It felt truly like it was about 90% of the way there. That leaves this one perfectly placed at 9.0/10.
Creme De Menthe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23) – It’s NO secret that I can’t and don’t use cooling agents, so this one was going to be a ride for me. I actually don’t drink or use CDM, so again, a ride was coming my way. Because there’s no cream in creme de menthe, it makes you wonder what IS in it. I was surprised to actually like this one, as it was not in my typical wheelhouse. It started out with a delicious almost cotton candy like carrier paired with a mint and hint of peppermint, and finished with the peppermint. There was a slight cooling effect, that could have been the mint, and was not objectionable, even to me. Again, having not used CDM IRL, I cannot directly compare the two, but it presented as fairly natural mints with that great carrier of sweetness. What I think I liked the most, was it wasn’t TOO minty. Just enough, and done very nicely. Scoring can be hard, especially if you (I) have not tried the flavor IRL, but, this one was good, with no off-notes, and plenty of smooth mint, riding on that (for lack of better term), cotton candy carrier. After much debate, I decided to leave it high at a 9.5/10, with no real take-offs.
French Vanilla Custard (FLAVRZ) 4%/8% (7-3-23) – I will admit to really looking forward to this one in this series. Being a French Vanilla and Custard lover, it was hard not to. This one did indeed impart a great French Vanilla paired with a Vanilla Custard that was fairly pudding-like. At 8% it was plenty heavy with no real issues EXCEPT FOR a rather odd off-note. It was an almost metalic/soap ??? on the finish ?? !!! I assumed the issue was on my end, and purged the tank, and tester bottle, and re-mixed, with new cotton, etc., but it still persisted. Reduced to half at 4% and it did reduce, but was still present. VERY discouraging, because the custard/french vanilla pairing was outstanding. I further reduced to 2% and it reduced as well, and the flavor was actually still fairly strong. I’m hoping that some others get into this one to better verify what I was getting. All in, a VERY good Custard, with a punchy French Vanilla undertone, with a rather odd off-note. I believe because it was minor, and on the finish that this could easily be tamed, BUT, it existed, none the less. I taste it, you guys hear about it. As it stood, I had to down-rate this one a bit for that, but overall the flavor was a winner. It felt fairly placed at 6.5/10.
Golden Butter (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-4-23) – As Darren from FLAVRZ has mentioned the FLAVRZ flavors are DAAP free (as well as some other not so safe compounds), so what DID this Golden Butter have in store ? Smelled great in the bottle, and pretty buttery. When testing it, it did kind of fall off a bit, and didn’t translate exactly to how it smelled. It had much of the richness, and creamy-ness of a creamery butter, but missed out on some of the (probably DAAP) buttery top end and salted notes. Sweetness was higher than expected, and it was about mid-level sweet. At 8% it felt like it was as strong as it could be, and was fairly full. No off-notes, or anything out of place to be had here. A good showing from a “free” and “safe” butter, just not all of the way there. I think it could easily be used in “safe” recipes if required, but as a whole, it felt like it was about 70% of the way there, and leaving it squarely at 7.0/10.
Grape Candy (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-4-23) – Whew, Grapey MrGrape. Right out of the gate, this one presented as almost TWO flavors in one. There was a slightly dull, purple onrush on the inhale, and then a juicy, candy-like, almost grape juicy-like mid and finish notes. VERY interesting. Although nowhere near a “soda” it did have some good Grape Nehi notes in there as well. Because it clearly tasted like more than just ONE grape, I’m pushing it up on the complexity scale. Maybe you could call it a great grape candy, IN grape juice perhaps. It was plenty strong at 8%, and was not overbearing, or fatiguing, and sweetness was just above mid-level sweet. The almost grape juicy finish was what really made it different than most other of my grapes. No green grapes here people, just purple grapes, and lots of them. It leaned mostly to the artificial side, JUST up until the finish, where the very natural grape juice note(s) took over. Quite an interesting one. All in, it was a very convincing purple grape candy, with a natural grape juice finish. I will mark it up a bit, as the natural juicy finish, to an initial grape candy was very interesting indeed. NO markdowns for the missing seeds, skin, and stems. Leaving it @ a solid 9.3/10.
Grape GC (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-4-23) – Well it turns out the GC stands for Gulf Coast, and FLAVRZ billed this one as being dark grapes with hints of Blackberry and Blueberry. It did taste like a purple grape and dark berry medley. The grape was similar to the just tested GC, BUT, without the candy. The dark berries however were hard to pick out, but they’re effect on the overall flavor was easily noticeable. I think “hints” of dark berries was right, and the ratio was close to 70% purple grape, and 30% dark berries. Sweetness was actually lower than expected at a few ticks below mid-level sweet. It was full at 8%, but still somewhat relaxed, but not weak. It felt that is was missing a little pop, and with the reduced sweetness, it’s possible sweetener could have been the ticket. The darker berries did provide a nice mysterious tart finish. No off-notes, and only some missing poppy-ness to nitpick on, this one was turned out to be a nice dark grape, dark berry mashup, that worked, and it created a relatively new experience. It felt smartly placed @ 9.0/10…
Grape Illawara (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-6-23) – To be fair, I’d never heard of Illawara before, but proved to be a Coastal region of New South Wales. No description was provided on FLAVRZ’s product page, BUT, a possibly revealing image, did show a mix of green, and purple grapes, and guess what ?? Yeah, that’s what it tasted like. :). My main take away from this one, was how smooth it tasted, and I think the smartly paired green and purple grapes were to thank for that. Not too much of either, but just enough. Neither drove the mix, but but were present. It/they presented as actually fairly natural tasting with little to no artificial undertones. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and at 8% it was plenty full, with no off-notes. Burning through the testers, I kept trying to decide if the green or purple was in the lead over the other, and I finally gave up, as they were just to evenly paired. there was SOME tartness, but only just some, as the smoothness seemed to really be part of the show here. Somewhat complex, and unmistakably grapey, this one really bridged the gap, convincingly between the green and purple. Fairly juicy, but never overbearing. It was a smooth grape experience to say the least. Finishing out this triplet of grapes from FLAVRZ, this one was smooth, and tasty with no real take-offs. If you’re in the mood for some grapes, but can’t decide on green or purple, sign yourself up for this one. Placing it higher, at a 9.3/10.
Lemon (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-6-23) – Out of the gate, I could tell this wasn’t really just a Lemon. At first I started to feel it was more of a Lemonade-ish flavor, then at times, almost a Lemon Candy. Not fully either, but it leaned both those directions. It also tasted far more artificial than natural, and sweetness was at about mid-level sweet. It was actually fairly complex, and tasty, BUT, despite having some Lemon-ness in it, I wouldn’t call it a full on Lemon. No off-notes, and it was very full at 8%. At times I thought I got hints of some nice zest, and possibly some citrus oil, but only hints. Very crisp, and refreshing, but again, I felt it’s artificial-ness, and sweetness helped it into heading towards a lemonade, or a lemon candy. Not bad at all, and after 2 tanks it was still crisp, and refreshing. It might not carry the main freight for a natural Lemon, but I could see many uses for it beyond that. For a “Lemon”, I’d have to rate it down a just a bit for the “ade” and “candy-ness”, and leave it at a 7.5/10.
Lemon Sicily (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-8-23) – Now we were getting into MO Lemonz. This one immediately reminded much more of a Limoncello. Not exactly, but heading that direction. A fair bit LESS sweet than the previously tested Lemon, and there were some very nice citrus oil notes, and almost some of the peel. NO bitterness, and to my tastes, was much more natural tasting than the Lemon. No off-notes, and this one was pretty full @ 8%. I think the main take aways from this one would be the citrus oil notes, and the bright, sparkly notes on the finish. Sweetness was still present, but at a much lower level than the Lemon, and that helped to lean it heavily towards the natural as opposed to artificial. No lemonade, or candy here, but much more of natural lemon. The flavor was just slightly relaxed at this testing weight, but I could find no off-notes to complain about. All in, rating this one a bit higher than the Lemon, and it was good enough to pull a 8.9/10.
Lemon Sponge (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-10-23) – Back into it, with this, the Lemon Sponge (cake). I did want to get into this one, as it smelled hella-licious in the bottle. Testing it, continued that trend, and I was greeted by a pretty accurate Lemon Cake. Now, missing was some or most of the almost baking powder-ish undertones that I often associate with a “sponge” cake. Needless to say, even devoid of those, the yellow-ish cake notes were spot on, and accurate. It was baked, but no brown, or burnt edge notes, and it didn’t feel lacking because of that. The lemon was still tarty and punched through the cake with no issues, which isn’t always easy to do, especially when pairing it with cakes/bakeries. It presented as a natual/artificlal mix, of maybe a 70% natural / 30% artificial ratio. Tarty, with some sweetness, and a touch of sour (tart). As a whole it worked really well as a lemon cake, but I wasn’t 100% sold on the “sponge”. Call it a nit-pick at best, as people’s definition of “sponge” will vary. It was very good at 8%, and overall sweetness was just below mid-level, and I will admit to getting lost in it, and nearing the finishing of the third tester, I had almost forgotten to get NOTES lol. For a “sponge” cake, it was just need a bit more, and only minor take-offs for that, and it felt super solid @ a 9.0/10, as it presented as much more of a lemon cake. Still QUITE good. Don’t let the lack-o-sponge stop ya.
Malaysian Mango (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-11-23) – Now I’m not sure exactly which Malaysian Mango this one was, BUT, it was good. It wasn’t as bright and sparkly as some Mangos I’ve had, but it did taste like more of a orange/yellow/green mango mashup. The majority of it centered around a yellow/orange tone, but I kept getting little hints of some fresh and green undertones. Sweetness was below mid-level, and strength/saturation levels felt like an 8/10 at 8%. Could stand to maybe be a bit stronger, but not much. It had an overall fresh, and natural taste and wasn’t sickly sweet and fatiguing, or boring. Somewhat complex, and it felt like it could just almost carry the full freight in a Mango mix, but it might need just a pinch of help. Very good, fresh, and tasty. The only take-off was a minor dryness from the middle to the end of the vape. Rating it higher due to the perceived orange/yellow/green-ness, with only the slight dryness as a markdown. It felt fairly placed at 8.5/10.
Maple Syrup (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-12-23) – Maple-y goodness WAS the word of the day with this one. In the bottle, in the tank, it was about identical. In the past I have tested some MS’s that were very heavy handed, and some, left a heavy aftertaste, but thankfully this one had neither of those issues. It tasted JUST maple-y enough, but without being overbearing, or saturated at 8%. Very realistic, tasty, and just sweet enough, without any cloying sweetness. It was surprisingly rich, and full, which were unexpected, AND, a huge plus. The maple center was actually somewhat complex, and at times, there were some light coffee and/or mocha undertones, which kept it very interesting. Because of those, I could actually see this working in some unexpectedly great ways IN some coffee mixes. Natural, full, and rich were the main take-aways on this one. It could easily work on pancakes/waffles just as well in coffee mixes. A very true to form Maple Syrup that tasted very rich, and with just enough sweetness. No butter notes, just the maple, and it was solidly in the “syrup” region, but (repeating), without the heavy, cloying sweetness. No off-notes, or take-offs that I could find, and leaving it high @ a 9.5/10.
Meringue (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-23-23) – Meringue is probably one of the more used flavors on my racks, so I know it well. Believe it or not, there are 3 main types of meringues. To my tastes, they are similar but with varying levels of sweetness. I prefer a less sweet meringue as it’s easier to work with and can be sweetened if needed. This Meringue from FLAVRZ fit right into my “sweet spot” (pun intended) for meringues. It tasted almost identical to FA’s Meringue, but with just a little more body. Very accurate meringue-ness, with a very controlled level of sweetness. Perfect for my style of mixing, as I could sweeten IF I wanted to. It was actually a little below mid level sweet, and it was very full at 8%. It also avoided one of the pitfalls of some meringues wherein vanilla is added, which actually pulls it OFF profile. I didn’t detect any here, and that really let the egg whites shine through. It had a generous amount of fluffy-ness, and mouthfeel, and 3 testers later I was still trying to find any take-offs, and I couldn’t. Fluffy, full, just sweet enough, and VERY accurate were the main take-aways on this one. All in, this one will work for all of your meringue needs, and rating it very high @ 9.9/10, for being just almost perfect.
Noosa Blue (Blue Raspberry 2) (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-14-23) – After having tested FLAVR’s Blue Raspberry previously, I was curious what the #2 would bring to the party. They were very similar, and I’d have to do a side by side to give you a true comparison. This one turned out to be much more than I thought, and YOU will have to decide if it/that works for you. For me, it DID work very nicely. It presented as fairly mainstream Blue Raspberry that was about mid-level sweet, and just a touch of tart. BUT, what it seemed to have in addition to that were some very nice red raspberry undertones, with an almost hint of a purple grape. Now these were UNDER-tones, and hints, so they were not main profile notes, but they seemed to really accent, and pull what would have been a typical Blue Raspberry. Tartness/sour levels were somewhat lower than expected, and the (what I’m calling) red raspberry, and grape notes helped to keep it more interesting. Fairly complex, and the nuances and notes kept jumping out at different times, which kept you guessing. Nothing off-putting, and at 8% it felt like as strong as you would want. Now while I didn’t know anything about Noosa before this review, nor if they grow Blue Raspberries there (LOL), this one did turn out to be much more than I had expected, and IMO, the dark/er RB/Grape notes just plain worked. They supported the existing Blue Raspberry main notes, and did not overshadow, so there was no de-railing going on. As always, YOU guys/gals have to decide what makes or breaks a Blue Raspberry for YOUR tastes. For mine, this was going to fill an empty spot on my racks, as it could almost be run solo, with MAYBE a pinch of sweetness, and sour, but maybe. All in, it tasted very good, and different than all other of my BRB’s. No real take-offs, except for minor nit picks, like possibly a little sweetener, and sour punch. I finally settled on a high scoring of 9.4/10 on this one.
Passionfruit (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-14-23) – Wow. I’m not even really a Passion Fruit kinda guy, and I was STILL wowed by this one. A very refreshingly tart Passion Fruit, that had some very nice undertones that were best described as grapefruit, melon, and kiwi. Sweet, tart, and complex were the main take-aways here. It did have a fairly honest, and persistent citrus undertone that stayed present throughout. I’ve not eaten PF very often, and probably used it in mixes even less, so I cannot directly compare/contrast for you guys, but at 8%, I could see this standing ALL on it’s own, as it was that good. Very fresh, somewhat juicy, and this was one of the hardest flavors in these 3 series, to try and nit-pick. No off-notes, and nothing to even remotely complain about. While somewhat sweet, it was just below mid-level, and the almost smooth tart-ed-ness really helped seal the deal on the finish. Sweet, tart, citrus, and complexity is what this one brought to the party. Too hard to down rate a flavor that just seems to do it soo right. Leaving this one very high @ 9.7/10.
Pineapple (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-15-23) – As soon as I tasted this one, I KNEW something was different about it. Good or Bad ?? You’ll have to decide. Out of the gate, it did not present like a “fresh” pineapple, but more of a “cooked” one. Not baked, not canned, not candied, but almost like a baked. It had an interesting undertone throughout, that I was really struggling trying to decide what it was. It kind of reminded me of Real Flavor’s Yumberry, but I finally settled on an almost Red Currant. It did not overshadow the Pineapple, BUT, it stayed present the entire time. Sweetness was a few ticks above mid-level, and it did have a somewhat juicy quality about it. There was a smidge of tartness, but overall it was sweet. Very yellow to be sure, and actually very good tasting, and it felt pretty good at 8%. No off-notes, BUT, keep in mind, I was NOT tallying up the Red Currant undertone as an off-note. Even though it was quite a bit different, I did keep thinking of RFSC’s Yumberry for some reason. A very good Pineapple, BUT, not a pure one, and not authentically natural. To my tastes the “medley” worked, and it helped to create a VERY unique flavor. NOW, with that said, would that appeal to you or not ?? You’ll have to decide. I will have to rate it as a “pure” pineapple, and because of that I’ll have to kick it down a bit, for the underlying undertones, that WERE damned delicious. Purely as a Pineapple, I’ll leave it at 7.0/10. NOW, I cannot stress enough, how GOOD this flavor was, just NOT a pure Pineapple.
Pomegranate (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-16-23 ) – Believe it or not, this one turned out a LOT like the previously tested FLAVRZ Pineapple. Please note, this was a DAMNED good flavor, and I think I need a bigger bottle of it, BUT, (ain’t there always a but ?), it was really MUCH more of a red fruit medley, than a Pom. Yes, there WAS some Pom in there, and it was fresh, and natural, BUT, it was literally fighting to take the lead with a DAMNED good red berry pairing. As close as I could come, would be almost a pairing of a cherry, and a red currant. Now THAT, is EXACTLY in my profile, BUT, it was fighting for the lead here with the Pom. At 8% it was damned good, and dare I say, almost One-Shot-ish, meaning, bottle it up, maybe a spritz of sweetener, and call it a day.
Literally I KNOW I’m going to have to down-rate this one, but I’m torn, as it was good enough for me to almost load up a cart at FLAVRZ specifically FOR this flavor, as I could see a LOT of uses for it, AND, it was damned good. The Pom portion was very accurate, and tasted natural as opposed to artificial, and the main carrier, and finish were indeed (as close as I could describe), a mashup of a non-tart, red cherry and red currant, nicely sweetened. Sweetness was at about mid-level, and it suited this flavor, and I had NO off notes (discounting the cherry and red currant notes, as off-notes). No florals, nothing out of place, BUT, it WAS a Pom/Cherry/Red Currant mashup, to my tastes. It could have maybe used a bit of sour/tart to kick it up a nothc, but even that would be a matter of preference. All in, not a great solo Pom, BUT, a “How much is a bigger bottle ?” flavor none the less. As a Pom I will have to down-rate this down to a 5.5/10, but soley because of the other notes which were actually fighting for the lead. As a Pom, don’t get it. As a REALLY good Pom/Cherry/Red Currant DO pick this one up. In closing, leaving this one at about a 6.0/10
Snickerdoodle (FLAVRZ) 8% (BONUS FLAVOR !!!) (7-16-23) – Now maybe @Jetz can chime in on this little “bonus” flavor a little. He did tell me it was rather a “One Off”, and I asked if I could publicly review it, and he agreed. Now, whenever I’ve tried, or eaten a Snickerdoodle, they’ve always been more of a simple sugar cookie, rolled in cinnamon sugar. This flavor however, had no cinnamon, and had a very present coconut. Much lower in the mix, there MAY have been some milk chocolate, and possibly caramel, but it was hard to exactly decipher as the coconut stole the show. The coconut did have a very “Mounds” bar direction, with some sweetness, some creamy-ness, and was slightly astringent. At times, I almost got a graham cracker note, but it waxed and waned, and most times was below the main note(s). If the chocolate was higher in the mix, it would def. have leaned more heavily towards a Mounds Bar. Nothing off-putting except for the somewhat astringency from the coconut, and it was pretty full at 8%. All in, not a Snickerdoodle, or at least not one from the US, and more of a Mounds Bar, with a fairly relaxed chocolate. For an American Snickerdoodle, I’d have to rate it very low at a 2/10, but as a Mounds Bar, I would rate it much higher, at an 8.5/10.
Strawberry Kiwi (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-18-23) – This one took a little to settle in, in the tank for a better look at it. The SB and Kiwi were both present, and seemed to center more on the mid notes, and was missing a lot of the higher end, bright notes. There was a somewhat smoothness to it, and it didn’t present as creamy, but it was def. there. The SB And Kiwi tasted 50% natural and 50% artificial, and were fairly evenly blended. At 8% it was full but still somewhat of a lighter flavor. Sweetness was below mid-level, and except for the unexpected smoothness, there were no off-notes. I would have preferred more of the brighter notes that would have helped it punch through more. It was a surprisingly smooth mid-bodied SB and Kiwi. After 3 tanks, I still couldn’t fully identify the “smooth” underlying tones, and I’m not 100% sure that it helped the overall profile. Some take-offs for it, and the lacking bright, high-end punchy notes, and leaving it at a 6.5/10.
Strawberry Ripe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-20-23) – Trying to get the average user to define what “type” of Strawberry one is, can be hard, and often times it’s just as hard for reviewers. Having just tested FLAVRZ’s Sweet SB, I was able to directly compare this one to it. This one tasted much less like a “Ripe” Strawberry, and much MORE like a Red, Juicy SB. Now are hairs being split here ?? Perhaps. In comparison, this one tasted FAR more juicy, red, and sweet than the aforementioned. It tasted like a 75% natural / 25% artificial split. I don’t know how to exactly explain “ripe-ness” but I didn’t get a lot of it here. BUT, the juicy red-ness was there in great quantity. Although it was sweet, it wasn’t candied, or jammed. Fairly fresh, and was very tasty. Not much tart in this one, which MAY be why it didn’t lean towards the ripe, but that’s a matter of tastes. Fresh, juicy, and red were the take-aways with this one. It was good at 8%, but felt like it could use a little more. No off-notes, no soaps, no florals, and no real take-offs BUT for the lacking “ripe”. At times I almost thought it was a pairing of sliced strawberries, and strawberries in a light syrup. Very tasty, just not a lot of tarty punch. Clean and accurate, and I’ll rate it up a bit, with only the lacking ripe notes as take-offs. It felt great at a 8.75/10.
Sweet Strawberry (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-19-23) – It seems like every flavor house (and then some) has their own take on Strawberries, this one included. Some people are SB mute, and can’t even taste it, and about everyone has their OWN type they like or want, so trying to make one for the “masses” is complicated. This one was very unique as I’ve never tasted one like it, BUT, hehe, there were some “buts”. First thing was, it felt a little distracted, and the “red currant” flavor I had gotten previously has returned TO the party, and this one tasted more like a somewhat sweet strawberry mashed up with a red currant. Def. not a pure strawberry. At times, I even got a rather nice almost “bubble gum” undertone from it. The SB tasted about 50/50 natural/artificial, and it was somewhat sweet, but perhaps not quite enough to be a “sweet” strawberry. It tasted a few ticks below mid level sweet. NOW, just like in a previous fruit review, the red currant-ish notes DID really work here, and the bubble gum undertones did as well, and it actually tasted very good, BUT, it was billed as a Sweet SB. I am again, torn between fighting the urge to rank it up, because it tasted great, AND the realization, that it needed to be ranked/rated AS a Sweet SB. At 8% it was fairly full but felt it could use a little more. There were no off-notes, but for the aforementioned notes. Because it was a 50/50 natural/artificial mix, and it wasn’t overly bright, or sharp, and didn’t have much tart to speak of, it was smoother than expected. All in, a damned tasty flavor, BUT, really more of a Strawberry, Red Currant mashup, with Bubblegum undertones. Would work very well as a mixer, but not enough to pound home the Sweet Strawberry by itself. Because of that, marking it down a bit, and it felt fairly placed at 6.0/10, about even with the previously tested Pom.
Thai Apple (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-21-23) – Having never eaten a Thai Apple solo, but have had it in a spicy salad, I did want to see what FLAVRZ did with it. Crisp, and Juicy were the two big take-aways with this one. Very crisp tasting, with some tartness, and a very unique finish. It didn’t really taste like any other apple flavor I have, with only some similarities to a Fuji, BUT, it wasn’t a Fuji. No Red Delicious here folks. At 8% it was plenty full, and sweetness was just at, or just below mid-level sweet. Because the main apple notes were kind of a mystery, it kept things interested, and before I knew it, the tank needed to be refilled. It remained very natural tasting throughout the 3 testers, and was just as sparkly till the end. For a truly interesting apple flavor, that defied being fully categorized, with some similarities to a Fuji, that one got it done. The actual crisp-ness, couldn’t be overstated. Crisp, fresh, and juicy till the end. No off-notes or nit-picks, and leaving this one fairly high @ a 9.8/10.
