Thanks out to @Bryson over at Flavorah for sending out this new pack for review. They all smelled pretty good in the bottles, and I’m anxious to try them. Rather than try and nit-pick each individual flavor for strength (at this point), I decided on a flat 1.0% mix rate for my initial tests. All will be steeped for a least a week, preferably at least 1.5 weeks, but we’ll see how the queue empties.
ALL testing will be done at 1.0% (unless otherwise noted), and will be tested in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier, on my trusty SteamCrave RDTA v.1, running dual 24 ga. Kanthal vertical coils, and Koh Gen Do cotton. Fresh coils installed before the start of the series, and dry burned with fresh cotton before every test. All testing done at 65 watts. The flavors are now steeping…
Thanks again out to Bryson for sending these out for this review, and Respect out to most respected Flavorah mixologist @SmokyBlue.
And, as always, ANY discussion about Flavorah flavors would NOT be complete, without respect to the FLV Expert @SmokyBlue.
Apple Raz (Flavorah) 1% (10-24-23) – FIRST ONE on deck, from the NEW series from Flavorah. This one really popped for me, and at only 1%. It was similar to a Blue Raz, combined with Red Delicious Apples. Tasty, peppy, and it had a nice “Pop” to it, with an almost fizzy quality. The apple profile was very well done, and tasted very natural, and while very “crisp” it lacked some of the tartness of a Granny Smith, leading me to my Red Delicious classification. This didn’t mean it was lacking tartness as the Raspberry (aka Razz) was a Blue Raspberry style “razz” and it brought with it, a good helping of tartness. This was smartly done, as possibly pairing a overly tart green apple with the razz might have been a touch TOO much tarty. It was an interesting and tasty pairing with just enough smooth AND tart to keep it interesting, without too much of either. The pairing of the Apples and Razz was also done very well, and they were about perfectly even, which added to the complexity, AND, would allow for even MORE uses. At 1% it was very good, but it felt like it might just benefit from a push to 1.25-1.5%. No off-notes, and sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level. Coming from the “not fruit” guy, this one was a keeper. A very smartly done pairing of a Red Delicious Apple, and a Blue Razz(berry). Just enough of each, without too much of either. With no nit-picks, and a fairly unique pairing/profile going to leave this one high at 9.5/10.
Crispy Donut (Flavorah) 1% (10-26-23) – I’ll try to keep this short, but I have to at least mention the fact that I am VERY picky about what I call a donut, and even PICKIER about what I call a “Great Donut”. Most times they’re just variations of a cakey bakery, sometimes with saturating greasy notes, and other times barely ANY donut, and mostly frosting. Enter Flavorah’s Crispy Donut. Now I never really got what the “crispy” was supposed to be, but I GOT the Donut, and I liked it. No Playdoh like I always got from Capella’s, and no off-notes, after three testers. What was unique for me about this, was that there was a VERY good, and pretty unique pairing of a light bakery, with some yeast, and just a touch of deep fried. The combination, AND ratios were what was important to my tastes. Just enough of all, but not too much of any one of them.
I’ve had almost straight up greasy donuts before, which were overbearing. Many have cinnamon-ish elements, which while fine, but many times, you just want a neutral, cinnamon-less donut, that’s accurate. This one might just be the MOST accurate one I’ve had yet. I did catch some slight glazed notes, but never full on glazed, which honestly, just allowed the kick ass DONUT to come through even better. At 1% it was damned good, and although not lacking, it was SOO tasty, I did want to crank it up to 1.5-1.75 JUST to see what happened. That’ll be later, as I’ve got a lot to get through. All in, this was a VERY good, cinnmon-LESS, donut which combined bakery elements, some light yeast, and just enough fried, all in ONE package. It wasn’t perfect, but DAMN it was close for me. 9.9/10. Big Bottle Approved.
PB Cream (Flavorah) 1% (10-28-23) – This one actually took some time to figure out, or better, to figure out how to EXPLAIN it. This was not your regular Creamy Peanut Butter, and that’s what I had expected. It was actually rather complex, and it had an almost earthy overtone, that at first I thought might have been a take-off, but the more I ran through the testers, it seemed like it was part of a natural crunchy peanut on TOP of a creamy PB. Yes, yes, I know, and it was hard to nail down. Creamy, somewhat sweet, and def. portrayed a natural PB, BUT, there was that “note”, and it was really like you crushed up some fresh roasted peanuts, and threw them on the top. Crunchy was my main take-away on the overtone, and creamy and smooth were my take-aways on the body and undertones. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and it was actually pretty full at 1%, with maybe some wiggle room (higher or lower). It’s because I could taste both the creamy PB and the crunchy nuts that I pushed it into the “complex” category. I’ll be very curious to hear other thoughts on this one, and it was a keeper, and a very unique one at that, as I can’t think of another PB that was like it. In total, a very good creamy PB, with freshly crushed peanuts on the top. I prefer chunky PB, so it was hard to not like this one. Easily a 9.3/10.
Rock & Road (Flavorah) 1% (10-29-23) – I suspect this one was named to avoid any issues with the “Rocky Road Ice Cream” ?? Who knows, but it was either going to be the candy, OR, the Ice Cream. It turns out there is/was quite a controversy about exactly who, and when the OG Rocky Road Candy was invented. Assuming this is/was the “Ice cream” version, there are many types, but all have at least Chocolate Ice Cream, and Marshmallows. This one had them, and they were delicious !!! The chocolate ice cream, IMHO, was one of the best out there, and it just tasted about as close as I’ve tasted yet. Not a vanilla Ice cream with chocolate topping, but a choco ice cream. Smooth, creamy, and you guessed it, chocolate-y. I’m not sure how Flavorah did it, but I could pick out actual marshmallow notes, which surprisingly weren’t buried by the choco notes. Now the rest stayed a bit fuzzy. Were there walnuts, maybe even a light coconut ?? Very hard to tell. At times I almost thought I got both, BUT, (and if so), they were so far down in the mix, it was hard to really tell.
With THAT little mystery still outstanding, I can tell you as a whole, it worked, and it worked well, and it was obvious that a lot of time went into this one. IRL I can’t say that I’ve ever eaten RRIC, but this almost makes me want to. Plenty strong at 1%, and it could easily survive up to 1.5% if not a bit more, but it was plenty full at this testing weight. Sweetness was about mid-level, which was fine for a desert flavor. No off-notes, and no nit-picks to be found. If you like RRIC, I think you should pick this up. Deliciously placing this choco gem high @ 9.7/10.
RWB Popsicle Blast (Flavorah) 1% (10-29-23) – Ok, ok, Fidalgo has let the cat out of the bag on this one (meow), and you probably know by now, this was SPOT ON. I’m going to call it by it’s rightful name, and that is a RocketPop, as that’s what we grew up with. If you’ve ever had one, and loved it, then you NEED TO get this flavor. It is, as Fidalgo put it, “i was Amazed how spot on this was.”, as spot on, as you could get. I’m only barely into the first tester, and I can already tell. The Cherry, Lime (with a hint of Lemon), and Blue Raspberry are exactly as how they taste IN the rocket pop. Sweetness was a few ticks above mid level, and there (hehe) were NO off-notes. I won’t drag this review on, but they ONLY things you are missing with THIS flavor, are the “Sticks” and the “Drips”. Hats off to the Flavorah team on this one, and YES, I’m releasing the Kraken !!! 10/10. NO other scoring is appropriate here.
Saturn Peach (Flavorah) 1% (10-29-23) – Saturn Peach, Donut Peach, Flat Peach ??. YES, that’s right. Some flavors take some time to break in before you can evaluate them, but NOT this one. It was a winner from the first taste. To agree with Fidalgo, I could see EVERY peach lover picking this one up, AND in a BIG bottle. Where to begin. This Peach was a new one for me, and I don’t think I have any other Peaches like it on my racks. At first I thought it was like a Honey Peach, but that was not close enough. It was like a peach, that was devoid of the darker red and orange notes, and just the brighter white, and light yellow notes. It had an almost Honey-like quality to it, almost like a syrup, but not quite fully there. It seemed to have far less of an acidic punch than a normal yellow peach, but in exchange for that, it had a almost silky sweetness from beginning to end.
Now, it was NOT a white peach, just for clarification, and there was NO dryness, or any off-notes for that matter. As I grew increasingly mesmerized by how damned good it was, I struggled to think of a peach recipe where this one would NOT work. I’ll get back to you on that. Because it was devoid of most of the lower (red/orange/darker yellow) notes, it wasn’t a full spectrum peach, like you would expect with a typical yellow, and I didn’t pick up on any of the more typical “apricot” undertones. At 1% it was flat out great, but I may push it up 0.50% just to see what happens. As it stood, it was a brighter, lighter peach (but not light on flavor), that exuded an almost velvety smooth, syrupy sweetness, but without being overly sweet, or cloying.
With ALL of the flavors I have tested, I can only think of a very small handful wherein I have had back to back 10/10’s, but I think it just happened again. Realizing I just “Released the Kraken” on the last flavor, I guess we’ll have to “Leave the Kraken OUT” for this one as well. 10/10.
Snow Cream (Flavorah) 1% (10-31-23) – OK, after TWO 10/10’s, something had to give, right ? Well it did. Errrr, kinda. You guys decide. I spent a little extra time with this one as it was a little mysterious. Why ?? Well here is how it’s billed from the MFG…
You might not know what this flavor is but it is one you will be thankful for. A blend of vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, and no butyric off-notes. This will be an incredibly versatile/flexible flavor to add to your arsenal that is between an ice cream and a sweet cream style profile.
OK, sounds good, BUT, at even 1%, I WAS getting some BA notes (Butyric Acid). A quick check of the SDS revealed, guess what ?? BA !!! Now, I’m not BA sensitive, BUT some people are, and I’m reporting it, as I find it. The BA was present even at 1%, but not in high quantities, and FLV did a good job of trying to mask it with the Vanilla profile. It presented as a fairly dense/rich cream, but with a lighter cream, like a whipped cream, on the top. There was a consistent Vanilla undertone throughout, that was fairly light, but present. Both the BA notes, and Vanilla notes were light, leaving plenty of uses for this one, and the two aforementioned notes could easily be concealed if needed. Because the underlying cream was fairly rich, it DID have an accompanying thick mouthfeel. Creamy, fairly rich, and thick with a light Vanilla note, AND, some BA. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and my biggest (and only) nit-pick would BE, the BA notes. Your personal level of BS sens. will dictate more than my words will. I never really got any Condensed Milk, but the “Two Creams for the price of one” stayed consistent throughout my tests. All in, a very creamy rich “two-fer” with a denser rich cream base, and a lighter, almost whipped cream on top, spritzed with a light Vanilla. I’ll have to kick this down a bit, mostly for the whole BA thing, and leaving it solidly at a 7.1/10.
Sweet Crunch (Flavorah) 1% (11-1-23) – The moment I started testing this one, it reminded me of OSDIY Lucky Shot. Now not because they were close, because they actually weren’t, but a very similar concept. A little bit of this, that, and the other thing, all summed up, into a HELL of a flavor profile !!! Yes, it was good. I think Flavorah billed it as Cereal Flakes, Brown Sugar, and Meringue, and that’s EXACTLY what I got. The cereal flakes were QUITE interesting, as they were NOT “corn flakes” but had a lot of similarities TO them, but without the “corny” push. They actually had some nice crunch, and almost grain to them. The brown sugar seemed to be a bit lower in the mix, and added a light sweetness, and some darker notes TO the cereal flakes. The meringue was a perfect accent and seemed to help carry the other two profiles together. It started with more of the cereal flakes, with the brown sugar undertones, and finished with more of the meringue. Quite a tasty, and interesting pairing. To re-state, the cereal flakes were somewhat like corn flakes, but not completely, and there were no overt corn, or AP notes, but it clearly WAS (or were) cereal flakes.
The uses for this, will span far beyond the obvious of cereals, but also bakeries, and even more. You COULD call this a blend, and because of that, it’s uses will be far greater than a simple cereal flake flavor. I couldn’t even guess the exact ratios between the three profiles, but they were smartly done, and I got no off-notes from it. With the brown sugar being lower in the mix, sweetness was a bit below mid-level, and 3 testers in, I could find no off-notes to complain about. A very unique, cereal flake, brown sugar, and meringue pairing, that will probably get a lot of mileage. Leaving it at a high 9.5/10.
Tart Blast (Flavorah) 1% (11-5-23) – Out of the gate, this one was Lemons, and it stayed that way to the end of the testers. Gave it some extra time, as I wanted to make sure to get it right. Now, this one could, and would boost up fruits, but going too high, would inject Lemons. NOW, this was NOT a typical Lemon flavor, as it seemed to have a lot of the very bright higher notes, and when finger testing, had an almost lemon oil, fresh from the rhind. I got a fairly even 50/50 natural/artificial split, with the artificial notes being somewhat “Lemonhead”-ish. It is, and was billed as an enhancer, which is accurate, and testing it AS a solo can’t fully flush out it’s effect(s) in mixes. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and no off-notes could be found. Although Flavorah stated it would boost “fizzyness” that is unclear, but boosting fruits, especially citruses, would be 100% guaranteed. All in, an interesting “enhancer” that solo’d, was a 50/50 mix of natural and artificial lemon top/bright notes, with a genuine lemon/citrus oil undertone. Judging this solely as an “enhancer” I would rate it higher, with the only take-off being the no “fizzy enhancements”, BUT, again, this was tested solo. Leaving it at a 9.1/10.
Torrone (Flavorah) 1% (11-11-23) – Closing out this series of NEW Flavorah flavors with the Torrone. Many of the other torrones I’ve tested, were fairly dark and bitter, and this one, while fairly clear in the bottle did have some bitter overtones when smelling it. The great news was, it didn’t present that way. It had a very nice, but somewhat light nougat main note, which was tempered by a very nice almond note, with a light cherry overtone. Very nice. Flavorah described this one as not bullying flavors in mixes, and that would seem to be accurate, given that it was somewhat relaxed at my 1% testing weight. Not thin, or light, but relaxed. I know some T’s have lemon accents, and I didn’t pick up on any here. That was perfectly ok because the almond/cherry combo, DID work here. Tasty, nougat-y, and would appear to NOT run ripshod over mixes. No off-notes, including no bitterness, and sweetness was actually a few ticks below mid-level. All in, an impressive Torrone, that was slightly relaxed, but with some very nice almond, and cherry notes. Closing out the series with this one, and leaving it fairly high due to it’s accuracy, and lack of heavy handed-ness. 9.0/10.