The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[Zombitedesade]

I have a strange concoction of DiY "RY4" also. It's the perils of ordering many juices and over filling a 5ml map tank with 1 or 2 ml's too many before I fancy trying a new juice. Most of these are Ry4 variants... Though not quite all. No, some will be maple waffle, some will even include the frankly bizare blackforest gateau juice. Thankfully, not to much of these non ry4 mixes will have made my 30ml 'cast off pot' with the majority being Ry4 mixes from various companies including but not limited to: Janty, paradise vapes, ENjuice, totally wicked, cloud 9 vaping and FSUSA. Most were 18mg nic mixes (though again I'm a little hazy on this aspect also!) so final flavour, VG\PG content and nic levels on this potentially disastrous mix of liquids remains unclear.

Of course a tiny part of me hopes I've instead inadvertently created the best RY4 variant the worlds ever known, like some accidental frankenstein esque genius! I suspect the results will be far less momunetal and instead I'll have approximately 25mls+ of un-vapable pap......

[billherbst]

Actually, black forest gateau doesn't sound half bad. That's a liqueur-flavored chocolate cherry cake, right?

[Zombitedesade]

That's about right Bill. Though the amount of liquor is actually highly variable, with most cheap store bought ones (often frozen or some more expensive ones apparently fresh) likely containing very little in the way of alcohol. I think a proper, French patisserie made gatuex would be more liberal with the booze element!

Essentially a soft, light chocolate sponge cake, halved, a black current jelly filling, covered and smoothed with fresh whipped cream, fresh berries (usually currents or cherries) placed on top, more cream for decor and liberally spinkled with chocolate flake dusting on the outside, again for texture and ascetics. It's a very rich, creamy dessert, one I used to really think was quite special as a child, we didn't get it very often, normally birthdays or similar occasions.

My ENjuice bottle of this flavour is also complex, but can't really compete with the demands made of it here. The cream aspect of it works until the exhale where it becomes muddy and bitter like (possibly a dark chocolate influence, not uncommon on gatuex to be fair) the cherry or current is a mere hint in this juice and is barely detectable. It's a pleasent enough juice, but not quite what it could or should be. I suspect it's another case of me ordering something because I like to eat it rather than realising how it tastes as a vape. An lesson I learned early with vaping to be honest. Just because you like to eat something does not always mean it translates to a smoking/vaping taste sensation of equal pleasure.

There's so much to be said in the taste gained from the other senses when we eat, from texture, smell and I suspect the visual feedback we get when we see good looking food. A lot of this simply can't be replicated in an elqiuid.

It's perhapes why the relatively uncomplex though still mysterious nature of Ry4 (3 base elements and that usual unexpected fourth one, in our case an appreciation of a sourness quality) is such a good thing to vape. It helps that it's also not really something you'd consider eating (well caramel and vanilla not withstanding sure, but tobacco too? No thanks!). In that aspect it's a unique flavour to vaping and one I can't get anywhere else.

The exception to this rule I should note includes: apple pie and custard from ENjuice (a remarkable feat, it tastes just like it should, even down to the buttery rich pastry) and maple waffles again from ENjuice in that it's almost exactly how it should be with sutble waffle and gooey, almost too sweet maple syrup. It'll be of no surprise that ENjuice are my go too vendor for dessert vapes, but I'm wary of some since so many don't work for me at all. See: strawberry milkshake, lemon meringue pie, blue berry cheese cake and chocolate orange to name just a fraction of my failed juice purchases.

[billherbst]

The 30ml bottle of VapeDoctor RY4 I purchased for tasting and review is all-PG, 18mg nic strength. The liquid is a very pale gold transparency, and closer to colorless than any other RY4 I have. Date of production is listed on the bottle as February 17th, 2011, so it needed no steeping. I sampled the juice in my usual ways, atty-dripping and carto'd.

As I write this review, the VapeDoctor web site is offline for maintenance, but my memory is that the RY4 page states the ingredients of this juice as natural tobacco extract (specifically highlighting that the tobacco is not synthetic) with undertones of caramel and toasted marshmallow. Vanilla isn't mentioned, but is almost always a component ingredient in real marshmallows and marshmallow flavorings. The juice is defined by the vendor as a sweet dessert vape.

For those who like sweeter, dessert-style RY4s (I count myself in that group), this juice should be a welcome addition to that category. The flavor of the natural tobacco extract is clean and tasty, and the sweetness provided by the caramel and toasted marshmallow flavors comes through distinctly, but without being overdone or cloying. The juice has no nuttiness at all, and performance is average for an all-PG RY4.

I like it. How much do I like it? Compared to other RY4s in the sweeter Dessert Category, not as much as the best in that group, but more than some. The paradox of the Big List is that VapeDoctor RY4, like so many others, is a good juice that many people will thoroughly enjoy, but it just can't gain a high ranking because of the numerous superlative, stunning RY4s that outclass it.

[billherbst]

Below is the most current update of the rankings. This update contains much shuffling of the rankings, from top to bottom. I’ve chosen to delete Madvapes Dekang RY4, because Dekang no longer sells that lean formula. I’ve also renamed Health Cabin Dekang as simply Dekang, since that juice can be purchased from many vendors.

Please keep in mind that numerical rankings are 1) inherently sort of silly (just like the "Top 100 Rock Songs of All Time" and every similar list), and 2) they are just my opinion---your taste buds and nose may not sing to your brain like mine do to my brain.

RY4 Rankings

1. Janty RY4 Classic or Elixir
2. Dekang RY4
3. Ikenvape IKV RY4 Gold, PG Blend
4. VapeRite Organic VR4
5. PrimeVaping PV4
6. VaporTalk Dulcis
7. Bloog/Volt RY4
8. LiquidXpress Taboo
9. Esmoke4Life Riskee Yuice
10. ElixirLiquid RY4

11. Want2Vape RY4
12. BackwoodsBrew RY4
13. NiteLiteVapor Renegade RY4
14. ECBlend Ruyan 4
15. QuickNicVapor RY4
16. Vixen Vapors RY4
17. VapeRite RY4
18. GoodEJuice RY4
19. KalamazooVaporShop RY4
20. TheVaporRoom Ginger's RY4

21. VapeDoctor RY4
22. VaporStation VS4
23. JooglerJuice Joogler's Blend
24. KickBassVapor RY4
25. Want2Vape Rock Star
26. VaporStation RY4
27. High Caliber Our 4
28. VapeMasters R4
29. FreedomSmokeUSA RY4
30. HoneyvilleVapor RY4

31. GourmetVapor RY4
32. AwesomeVapor RY4
33. Halo Tribeca
34. Copper Creek Twisted Tobacco
35. Mist-Stix RY4
36. VoidMist RY4
37. Vapure VY4
38. AltSmoke RY4
39. BlueMistVaping RY4
40. FlavourArt oRYental 4


Category Groups

Stronger Tobacco (less sweet)
Dekang RY4
Ikenvape RY4 Gold
VaporTalk Dulcis
Esmoke4Life Riskee Yuice
BackwoodsBrew RY4
NiteLiteVapor Renegade RY4
VapeRite RY4
TheVaporRoom Ginger's RY4
Madvapes Dekang RY4
VaporStation VS4

Dessert (more sweet)
Janty RY4
Bloog/Volt RY4
Vixen Vapors RY4
QuickNicVapor RY4
GoodEJuice RY4
KalamazooVaporShop RY4
VapeDoctor RY4
Kick Bass Vapor RY4
High Caliber Our 4
CopperCreek Twisted Tobacco
Vapure VY4

Nutty
Ikenvape IKV RY4 Gold, PG Blend
VaporTalk Dulcis
LiquidXpress Taboo
ElixirLiquid RY4
QuickNicVapor RY4
VapeRite RY4
KalamazooVaporShop RY4

Caramel Rich
VapeRite Organic VR4
PrimeVaping PV4
LiquidXpress Taboo
Want2Vape RY4
Vixen Vapors RY4
GoodEJuice RY4
Kick Bass Vapor RY4
GourmetVapor RY4
CopperCreek Twisted Tobacco
VoidMist RY4
Vapure VY4

Vanilla Rich
PrimeVaping PV4
BackwoodsBrew RY4
QuickNicVapor RY4
JooglerJuice Joogler's Blend
FreedomSmokeUSA RY4
CopperCreek Twisted Tobacco

Liqueur
BackwoodsBrew RY4
Vixen Vapors RY4
QuickNicVapor RY4

Balanced/Blended
Janty RY4
Dekang RY4
PrimeVaping PV4
VaporTalk Dulcis
Bloog/Volt RY4
ElixirLiquid RY4
ECBlend Ruyan 4
VapeRite RY4
GoodEJuice RY4
KalamazooVaporShop RY4
VaporStation VS4
Halo Tribeca

Variants (non-typical)
VapeRite Organic VR4
BackwoodsBrew RY4
TheVaporRoom Ginger's RY4
JooglerJuice Joogler's Blend
Kick Bass Vapor RY4
Want2Vape Rock Star
High Caliber Our 4
FreedomSmokeUSA RY4
Halo Tribeca
CopperCreek Twisted Tobacco
VoidMist RY4

So-So (undistinguished)
Mist-Stix RY4
Vapure VY4
Altsmoke RY4

Bizarre (just plain weird)
BlueMistVaping RY4
FlavourArt oRYental 4

[GMalarkey]

So of Dekang doesn't make the formula that Madvapes is carrying then what is it they are selling? Any known US suppliers for the Health Cabin RY4?

[billherbst]

So of Dekang doesn't make the formula that Madvapes is carrying then what is it they are selling? Any known US suppliers for the Health Cabin RY4?

GM,

What I'm saying is that there's only one Dekang RY4 ("regular") formula being manufactured and marketed at this point, so it no longer matters whether you buy it from Madvapes, Health Cabin, or any other vendor selling pre-mix, straight-from-the-factory Dekang. As a result, we don't need a vendor-specific label for Dekang RY4.

The 10-month-old bottle of Dekang RY4 I have that was purchased from Madvapes last fall is now an extinct formula (meaning that Dekang has reformulated their recipe toward a richer mix), so I'm removing that old dead Dekang from the list.

[goodtimes]

It's interesting... I'm sitting here vaping some Renegade RY4 and I would definitely have classified this as a sweeter dessert-type flavor. It's VERY good - probably my favorite RY4 so far, but tobacco, while present, seems to take more of a backseat to me. I'd say the flavors, in order of appearance, are caramel, vanilla, and tobacco. It's kind of hard to explain but the tobacco seems to provide more of a foundation for the other flavors. I can tell it's there, but I can't really pick it out, if that makes sense.

The Joogler's Blend is a whole 'nother ball of wax. If I tasted it blindly, I would never even guess it was supposed to be an RY4. It has a sharper note to it, which I usually find unpleasant. For some reason I really like it in this blend though. I assume this comes from the tobacco. I can't really say I pick up on any real caramel or vanilla, though. Having said all that, it's become one of my favorites.

I'm sure the fact that everyone's palate is different plays a big role in the discrepancy, but I'm realizing just how much different equipment plays a role. I recently started using the new CE2's and it's like wearing prescription glasses for the first time. I'm seeing (tasting) things I had no idea I was missing with my attys, Boge cartos, etc. All of a sudden everything else tastes a bit muted. Juices that I was ambivalent about before have become new favorites, including the two I mentioned here.

[billherbst]

goodtimes,

Your comment about the tobacco in Renegade providing a foundation for the other flavors seems to me a worthwhile way of thinking about multi-flavor juices in general, and RY4s in particular. My sense is that all (or most, since there are still a couple I haven't tried) of NLV's juices share that quality of tobacco-as-foundation rather than tobacco-as-primary flavor component.

I agree also that the uncontrollable variables go beyond just the subjectivity of individual experience in taste preferences. Differences in devices (both as general categories and as particular units within a class of devices) adds a bewildering layer of additional complexity. My experience with CE2s was mostly a bust for two reasons: inconsistency (I had endless trouble getting the darn things to work correctly---they wouldn't wick, and then they'd flood, and most of them leaked like sieves) and almost complete lack of throat hit (the vape was smoothed out way too much for me).

What I found CE2s brilliant for was clarity of flavor---way better even than atty dripping. CE2s seemed to allow isolating all the individual instruments in the symphony without harming the overall ensemble effect of the music; the bassoons weren't drowned out by the violins or brass. In my case, frustration in getting CE2s to work properly eventually outweighed the flavor benefits, but you might love them for any of a hundred different reasons.

Then there's the electrical side of the equation---volts, amps, and watts---an arena with its own infinite variations. And even beyond that, different PVs just vape differently. All my many PVs provide their own particular slants on the overall experience of vaping. I now own six Madvapes VV boxes, partially because they're cheap, but more than that, because they intensify the vape and hit harder than any other PVs I own, including my other comparable VV mods. But when that gets old and I want a smoother vape, I turn to any of my various eGo-types: some regulated via pulse modulation at 3.7V, some unregulated, from 650mAh Riva batts through 1100-1300mAh eGo clones or Hello 016s, to my selectable-voltage 3.2/3.7/4.1V eGo Piper passthrough, all the way to 14500/18650 E-Power units. They're lovely with some juices or when I'm in certain moods.

The whole pattern of endless variation is why I think of this thread and the entire Juice Review sub-Forum as primarily serving to provide us all with entertainment, as opposed to usable information. Not that there isn't any good information here. Of course there is, but my general attitude is that we're just trying to have a good time with other vapers by sharing our personal experiences---good, bad, and everything in between.

[goodtimes]

I totally agree with your statement about entertainment vs. information. I think, at best, you can get a general idea of how well made a juice is from the sum of the opinions expressed here, but you still have no idea whether you will actually like a given juice. I've had many juices that I could tell were made by someone who knew what they were doing and just not cared for the end result.