Alright, you won’t see this very often, hehe, and maybe that’s a GOOD THING. I talked to Frank over at Wonder Flavors, and he gave me Super Secret Permission to release my Beta Test Notes on these. I’ll have to pick up the pack from Bull City Flavors, as some of the final releases were not in my Beta Group.
Obviously these notes are for the MFG’ers so they’re a lot more direct, than my normal babelings …
**Alphonse Mango (WF) (Beta) 3.5% (5-5-26)** – 3.5% was spot on strength wise, and the AM presented as a somewhat creamier mango, with some light/er honey undertones. Having never eaten one, no direct comparison. Sweetness a little above average but suited the flavor. Slight acidity and and acrid on the finish. Probably easy to fix in mixes. Nice. **9/10**.
**Apple Medley (WF) (Beta) 3.5% (5-6-26)** – Interesting medley. Initial profiles seemed centered around maybe a Fuji in front, with some Red Delicious undertones. Didn’t pick up any Granny Smith notes. Blending/balancing good. 3.5% was good on strength. Sweetness and tartness levels were really good, just enough, without too much of either. No florals, and a good medley. **9.2/10**.
**Banana Medley (WF) (BETA) 3.5% (5-7-26)** – First impressions, very smooth banana, somewhat relaxed @ 3.5%, might benefit from increased strength. 50/50 natural/artificial, some nice creaminess. Hard to exactly identify, but as a whole, a ripened, but not overripe banana, with slight hints of green. No off-notes. Because it was very smooth overall, might benefit from a little sharpness to help it stand out, and pop more. Good general banana, with a very creamy smooth profile. **8.5/10**.
**Black Raspberry (WF) (Beta) 3.5%( 5-10-26)** – Black raspberry, interesting. I kept marking it down for not being blackberry enough, BUT, hehe, it’s perhaps both. It didn’t really present as either a raspberry or blackberry, but a melding of the two. Hard to fully identify, but candied berry elements, that did pull towards the darker side. Fairly sweet and smooth without a lot of sharpness, or bright top end notes, just very smooth overall. “Berry” notes are convincing, leaned heavily towards artificial, and sweetness we just above mid-level, so non-cloying. No artifacts, off-notes or complaints. Improving it could happen by adding some slight tart or bright notes, as a contrast to the very smooth overall presentation. All in, an interestingly smooth berry mashup. **8.1/10**. Probably more of a mixer/baser, than a main driver flavor.
**Coffee Liqueur (Wonder Flavors) (Beta) 3.5% (5-21-26)** – Very good overall profile on this one. Darker espresso notes present but not overbearing. Def. had a liqueur twist to it, which meshed great with the raw espresso notes, but tempered them, so no overt bitterness present. At 3.5% strength was good, maybe could have used a smidge more. No off-notes or complaints, and with sweetness below mid level, this one tasted, and tested great. Ready as is, not even a suggestion for this one. **9.9/10**.
**Cinnamon Roll (WF) (Beta) 3.5% (5-24-26)** – Out of the gate, I was watching for any pungent/dry/cinnamon as that can typically be an issue, BUT, there were none of those present. Cinna presented as a nice bakery cinnamon, with a somewhat light, breaded ?? carrier note. At 3.5% it was strong overall, but it felt like the “roll” was lacking. Not thin, or weak, but I can’t tell if more bread, or maybe even some yeast/y notes would help better sell the roll profile. No off-notes, no overt sharpness from the cinnamon, and no real complaints other than needing some roll boosting. **7/10**.
