While we wait for the 26 to steep.
5 Likes
Apricot (SSA) 1% (10-29-21) ā First one on deck in Series III of my Sobucky tests. This smelled really natural and accurate in the bottle, and that didnāt change much throughout the test. My initial thoughts were a well rounded, middle-bodied apricot. I presented as quite natural tasting with no artificial-ness, and seemed fairly relaxed, and most centered in the mid and lower notes. What did seem to be missing was most of the high end, bright notes. It was actually smooth, but still felt lacking some of the tartness that real apricots have. Not bad at all, but presenting as fairly relaxed, it would appear that it could get overshadowed when mixing. At 1% it was full, and pretty accurate, with about a mid-level sweetness. Even missing the bright notes, and the tartness, it didnāt feel lacking. Overall, a good mid bodied, natural apricot, that was fairly relaxed. It felt great @ 8.4/10.
6 Likes
Blackcurrant (SSA) 1% (10-29-21) ā Blackcurrants (i.e. Black Currants) have had a rough time in the US, most notably when they were banned in the early 1900ās because of their ability to host a fungus which threatened the US Timber Industry. They are still banned in some states. Very excited to be testing this āForbidden Fruitā from Sobucky. Exactly like the fruit, this flavor had the characteristic notes, the pectin induced jammy-ness, and a sprinkling of the tartness, just like the fruit. Wow. BCās are high in pectin which makes them perfect for jams and jellies, and this flavor truly captured the almost jammy notes. I think truly defining the ātasteā of BCās is complicated, but needless to say, Sobucky did a great job of bottling it up in this one. Sweetness was about mid level, with some (just enough) tartness, and it had a slight musky-ness, much like MFās Blueberry, and donāt worry, it just plain WORKED. Very natural tasting, no off putting notes or florals at this weight, and it was actually fairly complex. While running this test, I kept wondering, if Iād ever tried, or made a Black Currant Custard !!! After emptying the tester, I could find NO faults with this one, and could think of a myriad of berry, and jammy uses for this one. Always a sign of a great flavor. Hands down 9.9/10.
3 Likes
Butter Cream (SSA) 1% (10-29-21) ā Many people donāt know there are FOUR different types of Butter Cream. American, Swiss Meringue, Italian Meringue, and French Meringue. Which one WAS this offering from Sobucky ?? Iām not 100% sure, but I AM 100% sure, I love this flavor. Without delving into the complexities of which exact version of a BC this is, it was obvious to me, even upon smelling it, that it was a winner. Very spot on for exactly what I need out of a BC. At 1% it was very nicely full and present, and of course, EXUDED (to ooze forth), a buttery goodness. It was indeed a tick or two above mid level sweet (DUH, frosting), but it seemed to be FAR more than just sweet, and butter. There was almost a cupcake like element present, albeit at a lower level, but it really brought this up to another level. Iāve had some BCās that were buttery, and sweet, but felt thin, or lacking. NOT the case here. The butter elements didnāt favor completely natural or artificial, but with elements of each. You could literally almost use this solo. Not a custard, not a bakery, but it tasted far more substantial than just a mere āfrostingā. Nothing out of place, nothing off-putting, and the buttery creamy-ness just canāt be overstated. If you need a Butter Cream, thatās fairly substantial, the almost oozes buttery-ness, this may just be the one for you. Easily a 9.5/10.
5 Likes
@SessionDrummer Man, I just love reading your flavor reviews! Super entertaining and very informative! keepāem comin!
4 Likes
Thanks very much @Earl
4 Likes
Candy Floss (SSA) 1 (10-30-21) ā Alright, this one took me a while to nail down for your guys, but I GOT it. Alright, many of you (like I) may have assumed, just a Cotton Candy, right ?? Well I did. Now it IS a Cotton Candy of sorts, BUT, thereās some other things swirling around in here, that I think I finally figured out. OK, just imagine a Cotton Candy, mixed with an almost very light melon, with a hard candy twist. There you go, and that took me a while to really get it nailed down. At 1% it was actually great, but I suspect you MIGHT be able to push it a little higher. Above mid level sweet, and itās hard to fully convey how the almost melon-like notes, and hard candy notes move this one from just a simple CC, but they do. Now the melon as Iām calling it, might differ for you, but I couldnāt think of a better comparison, and itās very light, far below the hard candied notes. All in, it really was far more complex than just a simple CC, and it kept you guessing, which made it interesting to test out. Tons of uses for this one, and depending on the notes YOU get from it, would dictate itās uses. For a surprisingly full cotton candy with a twist, this one should work for you. Sweetly placing this at 9.0/10.
7 Likes
Caramel Biscuit (SSA) 1% (10-30-21) ā Damn you Sobucky, ā¦ Damn you to hell !!! OK, hehe, letās go with my FIRST thoughts on this one. āDamn, this is a One-Shotā. Having not tested Sobuckyās Biscuit yet (itās coming), and only tried their Shortbreat (excellent), I had high hopes for this one. Well, they didnāt let me down. Absolutely delicious. Completely blown away by how much presence, flavor, and mouthfeel they got out of this one, AND, at 1%. The biscuit and caramel were just perfectly paired, with maybe it being split 55% Caramel, 45% Biscuit. The way they paired them, left both of the two elements free to swirl around and peek out more or less than the other one, as neither dominated, nor got lost. As far AS the Biscuit, I couldnāt really think of a direct comparison to it, which was interesting. The Caramel was almost too good, with an almost buttery rich texture, without being overtly buttery. Sweetness was a few ticks above mid level for you āis that too sweet-ersā out there, but even at that, it wasnāt sickening, or fatiguing. At times I almost got a small shot of toast much like Solub Aromeās Breakfast, but nowhere near as strong. Iāll know more when I get to Sobuckyās Shortbread Biscuit to see if that is still present. As it stood, it was shockingly good, and full at the low weight of 1%. For you USāers, itās not a āBisquikā biscuit, and for you UKāers, itās like YOUR kind of biscuit, which is more of a cookie. Dry enough to keep itās biscuit on, but not too dry. If you like a European Biscuit, and love it with a Creamy Caramel with an almost buttery richness, this one SHOULD be on your list. I actually double checked myself throughout the test, LOOKING for anything I could nitpick, and I couldnāt. Too damned tasty, for even a minor markdown. If you hate this, youāll HAVE to let me know, as to my tastes, squarely a 10/10.
5 Likes
Cinnamon Apple Pie (SSA) 1.25% (10-30-31) ā Who doesnāt love more pie ?? I love the pies, and couldnāt wait to get into this one. In the bottle this smelled more like almost a tart green apple, and when testing it, some of that faded, but it really felt like it was missing the ābakedā aspect. There was some āfillingā element in there, which kept it interesting, some very light crust, and a hint of spice. The more I tried, the less cinnamon I could detect, which left it a bit lacking, as well as the light crust element. Not a bad vape, but it just didnāt seem to really drive it home. Almost mid level sweet, and no off notes could be found. Overall the mouthfeel was very good, and it was smooth, but the all but missing cinnamon, lacking crust, and some missing ābaked appleā-ness kept it from being stellar. Felt fairly placed at 6.9/10.
7 Likes
Cola (SSA) 1% (10-31-21) ā Wow, whatta Cola Sobucky has done here. Just outstanding, and then some. After having spent quite a bit of time with this one, I think itās safe to say itās the BEST Cola I have ever tried. Itās not that the other colas are terrible, but when you try most of them, you often times find yourself saying, āYeah, thatās kinda close, but ā¦ā. Well with this one, you wonāt. To my tastes, it is like a pairing of Pepsi, and RC Cola, at about a 60% Pepsi, 40% RC Cola. I didnāt really get any Coke from this one. Probably one of the most amazing things, is somehow Sobucky figured out how to get FIZZ in the Cola. Donāt know how they did it, and most, if not all others, seem to fall flat (literally). Well combining the fizz with an accurate Cola, just leaves you wanting nothing. Both myself and @Psycho_316 have been playing around with some ā¦
Cherry Colas
https://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/4123507/Sobucky%20Cherry%20Cola
https://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/4125739/SessionDrummers%20Sobucky%20Cherry%20Cola%20My%20Way
ā¦ with great success. Sweetness was a little above mid level, and it was very present at 1%, but Iāve seen even higher usage rates. The fizz was slightly stronger off the shake, but was still present after steeping. If you want a fizzy cola, thatās accurate, this is the one. 10/10.
7 Likes
Classic Oat Flakes (SSA) 1% (10-31-21) ā āThese are not the oats you are looking forā. Yeah, but not every one can be a winner, right ? Iāve had corn flakes, and oatmeal, but never Oat Flakes. This one I would call āBarley a HINT of Oatsā. I looked long and hard FOR the Oats, and every once in a while I got just a whiff, but other than that, this was kind of a non-descript hodge podge of sorts, with the added bonus of every so often getting an almost medicinal off note. On the bright side, it was fairly smooth, nicely sweet, and had a hint of creamy-ness to it, but beyond that, I just didnāt get any grains, oats, or flakes. The good news is, that the not so great ones, make you appreciate the great ones that much more.
If you REALLY want Oats
With that said, will have to leave this one at a paltry 2.9.10.
7 Likes
Cranberry Jam (SSA) 1% (10-31-21) ā Having seldom tried anything Cranberry, I wasnāt sure what to expect from this one. Out of the gate it was unmistakably Cranberry, but shifted to the somewhat sweeter jammy side. @ 1% it was full flavored, but somehow still felt fairly restrained. The tart and sourness were present, but fairly reduced from a full Cranberry, possibly because of the Jam aspect. Throughout the test, the dark berried notes continued with a somewhat tart, jammy finish. Overall it was a convincingly natural taste with nothing off-putting. Itās relaxed nature could be supplemented by another Cranberry or berries. Possibly increasing above 1% might help some. About the only take offs would be for the somewhat relaxed nature of it, with no other oddities. Overall, a convincing natural tasting Cranberry, that was jammed up enough that some of the expected tartness/sourness was not present. Decently placed at 8.8/10.
5 Likes
Dark Blackberry (SSA) 0.5 / 0.25% (10-31-21) ā WHEW, this one got away from me in a HURRY. When smelling these prior to testing I could tell this one was going to get squirrely, and decided to mix it @ 0.5%, and even at that rate, I was getting an almost lavender soap ?? !!! Rinsed, flushed, diluted to 0.25%, and about the same effect. Sorry guys, I was looking for a dark, tart blackberry, but instead I was greeted with a lovely shade of Lavender Soap. If you DID wish to attempt to use this one, you may have to go even lower than 0.25%, but at my final reduction, it did not feel over flavored, or ceiling smashing. You were forewarned. Sadly, this one will ride the 1/10.
6 Likes
Fruit Hard Candy (SSA) 1% (11-1-21) ā Well this one turned out to be a surprise. I had expected more of just a hard candy flavor, but it also had a brighter, somewhat citrus, nondescript fruit medley going on. Nondescript didnāt mean bad, it just meant that defied an exact description. Sometimes citrusy, other times more fruity, but it leaned towards the brighter side, but always had a nice, smooth fruity base. Hard to nail down, but needless to say, donāt think I have a flavor exactly like this, and I have a lot of flavors. The hard candy portion did keep peeking out, and was smartly paired with the fruits. At 1% it was very good, with sweetness a tick above mid level, as expected for a candy, but not fatiguing. Thankfully, unlike the previous Dark Blackberry, this one was full steam ahead in deliciousness, and had nothing off putting. Sobucky advertised the flavor as ā¦
and that was pretty close, with some high end punchy, almost citrus notes tossed in. Nicely done, refreshing, and pretty good on itās own. Felt solid at 9/10.
6 Likes
Golden Apple (SSA) 1% (11-2-21) ā Now other than Apple Pies, I donāt really spend a lot of time Apple-ing, so letās see how this goes here, hehe. At 1% this really slammed home, a strong, accurate Golden Delicious Apple. Golden Delicious apples are fairly distinct in the apple world, and Sobucky did a GREAT job of capturing it. Eating a Honey Crisp apple while writing this, just to keep it apple-y. At this testing weight I was getting an almost boozy note, and it was subdued enough as to not take away from the main apple-ness of it. Slight fermentation wafted in and out during the test, but very low in the mix. Sweetness was about mid level, and the tartness levels were accurately on point as well. Nothing off-putting, and overall it tasted very natural. Your needs will vary with apple flavors, and this one holds a unique spot in between CAPās Double Apple, and FAās Fuji, and that would allow for different apple tempering with it. Fresh, crisp, some tart and sweet, and a great representation of a Golden Delicious. Squarely placed at a 9/10.
8 Likes
Grapefruit (SSA) 0.8% (11-3-21) ā This one is another first for me. I think I have ONE Grapefruit, and Iāve used it in ONE recipe (more on that later), and I have NEVER soloād one. Because of itās citrusy nature I decided to mix this one down at 0.8%, and after trying it, I think I could have gone up to 1.0-1.2%. At the testing weight, it WAS delicious !!! Very natural tasting, nice citrus punch, BUT, tempered by some nice sweetness, which seemed to push it into more of a Red Ruby Grapefruit. Although tempering some of the tart citrus the sweetness was just below mid level, and helped to smooth out what sometimes can be a sharper flavor. You could almost taste the body, and skin (not the peel), and again, it presented as fairly natural tasting. Having no solo GFās to compare it directly to, I could test this at just face value, and I think it really worked. I mentioned above, I have only ONE Grapefruit recipe that I have ever tried, and itās a GREAT one at that, and will try to sub this GF in for it. With a great natural, smooth, tempered GF taste, that leaned heavily to natural, I found it hard to fault, and before I knew it, the tester was gone. Thatās NEVER a bad sign. Very nicely placing this at 9.4/10.
8 Likes
Juicy Orange (SSA) 1% (11-5-21) ā Having not tested Sobuckyās Orange Juice yet, Iād heard that this one was MUCH better, and NOT to be confused with it. This one was soo good, I might never even pick up the other one. Bright, punchy, orange-y, and fairly natural were my big take-aways on this one. Somewhat juicy, but it had a bit more of a candy/jello finish, but only slightly, so it didnāt fall into a ācandiedā category. At 1% it was solidly in your face orange without being overbearing, fatiguing, or over flavored. Sweetness was about mid level, and did have an impressive citrus oil-ish nuance (without being bitter) that really pushed it from the good, to great level. As far as oranges go, this is one of the better ones, possibly top tier. For a very authentic orange, with some juicy-ness, nice citrus notes, and a smidge of tart, this should be on your shelf. Felt perfect at 9.3/10.
8 Likes
Lemon Cheesecake (SSA) 1% (11-6-21) ā First things FIRST, if you are BA sensitive stay AWAY from this one. A very definite Butyric Acid note from this one, and being not BA sens. it didnāt throw me off. Unlike other reviewers, I really didnāt get a lot of Lemon from this one, and for my tastes it was overwhelmed by the creamy, and BA notes. The cheesecake was more of a creamy style like LAās Cheesecake, and although BA was in there, it didnāt convincingly portray the sour/sharp notes. I did get some graham crust notes, but again, lower in the mix. The main note (beyond the BA) was a nice creamy body that COULD be cheesecake-ish, depending on your tastes. The flavor wasnāt terrible, but it never really took off for me, or my tastes. It was plenty strong at 1%, mid leveled sweet, and was certainly very creamy with good mouthfeel. The sum of itās parts, just left me rather āMehā. Again, not terrible, but not great, and would surely work in mixes, but probably not as your main Cheesecake player. Going to meh it @ 6.4/10.
6 Likes
Milky Strawberry (SSA) 1% (11-6-21) ā The FIRST thing I thought of when testing this one, was to get some to @fidalgo_vapes, as he has an obsession with RFSCās Strawberry Milkshake. Now this one wasnāt ābilledā as a milkshake, but it had some aspects OF one. The word of the day with this one is SMOOTH. A very smooth creamy strawberry, and it wasnāt really a SB Milk or a SB Milkshake, but somewhere nearby. I struggled to decide exactly where the split was, meaning how much SB, and how much creamy milk, and it was actually hard to decide. Maybe 50/50, but itās smoothness helped to hide that. Iād seen mention that it was similar to a Lifesavers āCreme Saversā and that actually might be more right, than not. The SB was def. candied, and the more I think about it, Creme Savers, might just be as close as you can describe this one. The smooth creamy-ness was almost the center star here, but tempered with a nice candied SB. Was I getting any BA (Butyric Acid) ?? You could smell it, but you couldnāt really TASTE it if that makes any sense, and nothing wrong with that. The SB had just enough brightness and sweet to carry through, but not PUNCH through the mix, and it kept it rather interesting. All in, an effective, very smooth milky/creamy strawberry, that didnāt have a direct equal. Smoothly done from Sobucky, and it felt pretty good at 9/10.
6 Likes
Natural Lemon (SSA) 0.75% (11-6-21) ā This WAS a GREAT Lemon. Now, what that out of the way, āNaturalā ?? Mmmmmm, not exactly. I didnāt want anyone to skip off, if I led with that. This Lemon from Sobucky DID favor Lemon Heads, BUT, I think it was cut WITH some natural lemon. I feel itās really a 65% Lemon Head / 35% Natural Lemon mix. Now, itās up to you if thatās a winner or not. As it stood, it was quite good, just enough sweet, and tart, and lots of Lemon Heads, but swirling around in there were some natural and almost punchy notes. I donāt know if āsmoothā is a word used to describe Lemons often, but this one was almost smooth, with no bitterness. At times you could almost get a whiff of a citrus oil note, which just added to the whole Lemon experience. If you were looking for a pure natural like Medicine Flower, well, this aināt it. Is it damned good ?? Hell yes !!! Everyone has different needs, but if the aforementioned appeals to you, get Sobucky on the phone and get you some !!! With only minor take offs to the somewhat lacking ānaturalā-ness, but only minor. 9.3/10.
7 Likes