All flavors picked up from NomNomz.
Mixing these NEW Flavor Art flavors up now, and after a 1 week +/- steep, will be getting into them. Stay Tuned !!!
As always (LOL), testing them at the same percentages as the last series for direct comparison(s), and on the SteamCrave RDTA v.1, with dual vertical Kanthal coils, and fresh Koh Gen Do cotton. All will be tested at 65 watts, in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier.
While mixing these up (and now testing them), I couldn't help but be reminded of my Aussie friends down under, who are going through a VERY rough time in regards to vaping. Also the recently cancelled NOTED show, and members.
@Lynda_Marie, @marsh8, @Sevencasper, @Gazza7,
@woftam ..........
**Apple Fuji DC (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-3-24)** -- FIRST one on deck from the NEW Elite Flavor Line from Flavor Art, AND, the first "DC" from them as well. The actual explanation of "DC" seems to vary from "Double Concentrate" to "Disposable Concentrate", so either way, it's supposed to be stronger. Having used FA's OG Fuji countless times, but never solo'ing it, I cannot directly compare the two. In the bottle they smell very similar, with this one smelling a LITTLE stronger, at least out of the bottle. Testing it revealed everything that you could/would ever want from a Fuji. Extremely natural, and accurate tasting, with JUST the right amounts of sweet, tart, and acidity. Crisp, clean, and delicious were my three main take-aways. At 2.5% this was VERY rich, and full, but did not taste like it was hitting the ceiling. If time permits later, I may test reduced rates, but for this review, 2.5% would be the top SF rate, with probably 1.75-2.0 being fine. Having used FA Fuji for years, this is the same flavor, just stronger. No off-notes, or bending at this rate, and although Fuji's are some of the sweetest apples, this flavor was a tick or two below mid-level sweet. It's hard to knock down a flavor, that is soo accurate. Plenty of sparkly bright, high notes, with all of the lower, mid-bodies notes as well. Pretty much everything but the stem and seeds. Current FA Fuji owners, you already know this. Just almost perfect, and leaving it crisply at a high
**9.9/10**.
**Black Soul (Flavor Art) 0.50/1.25/2.5% (8-3-24)** -- From Flavor Art ...
> Black Soul (Blackberry & Lychee) - Flavour Art Black Soul (Blackberry & Lychee) Suggested percentage 2-3% For use as a flavour concentrate for eliquid.
At my 2.5% testing weight, I got a fair amount of soapy-ness from this, and it was very distracting. Unless the recommendations were wrong, I cannot see using this one any where NEAR 2-3%. I reduced 50% down to 1.25% and still got a fair amount of soap, and reduced again to around 0.50%. Even at this much lower weight, I was still getting a fair amount of it. At least at this level, I could start to better taste the Blackberry and Lychee. I got some florals from it at this low level, and couldn't tell which main profile it was from. What was interesting, was that, while somewhat strong, it wasn't really overpowering, and as I reduced, and reduced again, the overall strength didn't seem to change much.
I felt that at this point, this IS what just what the flavor was. The Lychee and Blackberry did come into focus more at 0.50%, and both tasted natural and authentic, but combined, fo rmy tastes, it just still had a sopay undertone to it. I'd recommend trying this yourselves, especially if you like Blackberries and Lychee, maybe you'll have different results. AT the final 0.5% testing weight it was still very present, and no off-notes EXCEPT for the soap, and sweetness was just below mid-level. There was also a nice fermented tart-ness on the finish, which really worked. I wish I could have tasted the BB and Lychee to see which (or maybe the combination) was giving me the soapy-ness, but alas, I could not. I really wanted to like this one, and at the lowest rate, I did get some nice BB and Lychee, but they were just riding on top of the soap note, that once I tasted, I couldn't un-taste. Taking off just for the off-note, and leaving it somewhat low at a
**4.0/10**.
**Blue Razz (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-4-24)** -- Do you really need ANOTHER Blue Raspberry flavor ?? Hehe, in THIS case, I think YES. Wow. I could tell when mixing this one, that something was going to be different. I remember thinking, "Did Flavor Art use a NATURAL blueberry in this one" when initially smelling it. Yes, they did. You've probably got more than one BRB on your racks already, ripe with completely artificial overtones, heavy on the tart and sour, etc. This one is a VERY new take on a BRB. Now maybe it won't RAZZ everyone, but for my tastes, it was a very UNIQUE take on the profile. I got much more of a natural blueberry, which was very full, including a lot of the deeper, darker, full bodied notes, paired with a somewhat artificial raspberry, with some tart punch. The two combined were VERY interesting.
BUT, there's MORE. There was an underlying "spice", (YES, spice), and some almost bakery weight to it, that might have been somewhat of a muffin in there. YES, I know it sounds crazy, but it IS, and it WORKED. In order of strength, I got a natural blueberry, tart-ish, artifical raspberry, and the muffin. I'm calling it "muffin" as I couldn't think of any closer comparison. Now reading this, it might sound like, "WTF", but as a whole, it worked, AND, without any real close comparisons to anything on my racks. Again, if you want/need the stereotypical, highly artificial, overly tart-ed BRB, this ain't it, BUT, if you want a pretty damned creative, new approach to one, this one might work for you. It was very full at 2.5%, and no off-notes, this was VERY interesting to test, and unexpected. Again, your mileage may vary depending on your needs. Happy as hell that FA broke the mold on this one, and went outside the box. Not perfect, but too damned interesting to mark off for. Leaving this one high @ a
**9.6/10**.
**Grape Juicy (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-4-24)** -- First thought was, "Wow, this is a GREAT grape". Full stop. At first I felt like it was more of a green, but as the test continued, I did seem to get some purple grape in there. Not a concord though. To my tastes, it was 2/3'rds green grape, and 1/3rd purple grape for a comparison. Not candied in any way, and I think, maybe the MOST natural tasting grape I have ever tried. I didn't get a lot of skin, but it was like Flavor Art peeled two green, and one purple grape, and pureed them up, and threw them in the bottle. No seeds or stems though LOL. It was also plenty JUICY. Very realistic, bordering on hyper realistic, and no off-notes to be found. Sweetness was just at mid-level sweet, and it finished with a light, crisp tartness that really helped sell it's authenticity.
Now because I didn't get a FULL on Concord Purple, it might not be your first choice for a PB&J, but you could surely use it, and for almost about any other natural grape use. Clean, accurate, natural, and yes, juicy. Very hard to put down. Very full at 2.5%, and I couldn't find a single complaint or improvement. Because it straddled both a green and purple, it could be used across even more mixes. About the only thing keeping it from perfect, would be a hint of skin, but even that, was a matter of opinion.
**9.9/10**.
**Killa Vanilla (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-5-24)** -- Flavor Art billed this one as Bourbon (Madagascar), and Tahity (Tahitian) vanilla pairing. With Madagascar being the most common vanilla, and Tahitian being the most expensive I was interested to see how they paired. I got subtle hints of each of the two, and they were very evenly matched, making it very hard but they were there. Beyond that, there was a VERY distinct note that I get from Flavor West, and Flavorah Graham Cracker. Almost TPA Cheesecake Graham Crust-ish. This was like a carrier for the vanillas, and always present. I couldn't tell if it was an additional compound / flavor added, or simply the pairing of the two. I thnk THIS note, will be the make or break for most people. Either you love it, or hate it.
When comparing my FA Tahitian, and Madagascar, I think SOME of those note were pulling from the Tahitian. It added a lot of weight to the flavor, and with a somewhat bakery touch. It's not uncommon to have vanillas paired with other flavors, so while not NEW new, it was pretty distinctive, and unique. It was damned good and full at 2.5%, and sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level. As I continued the testing, it was surprisingly dense/heavy for a vanilla mix, so it really had some weight to it, and in no way watery, or thin. Other than the underlying (FW/FLV) GC undertone, no unexpected notes, and whether or not it was an "off-note" is really going to be up to the individual. I think I would have liked some more of the Madagascar to help balance it out more. A SUPER interesting pairing of the two vanillas, which had some real weight to it, and an almost graham-y undertone is what it was. Scoring this one is tough, and I decided to leave it at a
**8.0/10**, mostly due to wanting a bit more Madagascar to balance it out.
**Mango (Indian Special) (DC) (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-6-24)** -- Here is another one that I've used a lot but never solo'd, meaning the OG Indian Special. This one is/was another of the "DC's", which again, is just a stronger version. I cannot directly compare it to the OG, as I've not solo'd it. This one however, was very rich, and full at 2.5% with no signs of over-flavoring. With
NUMEROUS varieties of Indian Mangos I couldn't being to tell you which one this was, BUT, I can tell you that it was a very good, and different mango. It was very authentic, fresh, and somewhat juicy, and it had a nice lower level creamy-ness to it. It had slight almost apricot overtones, and a hint of dry-ness, which did work well. It was not the overly juicy, bursting with sweetness mango, but more of a less sweet, slightly dryer version.
Now it wasn't DRY, it just had slight amounts of it. Maybe like comparing a sweetened yellow peach, to TPA's Juicy peach. It was very good at this testing weight, and with no off-notes, or even a single complaint. Maybe it was an "Adult" version of a Mango LOL. I didn't get any funky-ness from it, which in this case, just worked. Natural, very tasty, creamy undertones, with a restrained/controlled sweetness level would sum it up best. Not lacking in flavor at all, and even without any over the top sweetness, it didn't leave you wanting. Very nicely done, and scoring this high at a
**9.6/10**.
**Mango Raspberry (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-7-24)** -- I hate the overuse of the word "unique", and I try to use it ONLY when it really applies. Well, this flavor WAS unique. In the very beginning of my test, the first thought was that it tasted SIMILAR to the Raspberry combo that Dinner Lady used in their Blackberry Crumble. NOW, one was a Ras, and the other was a BBerry, but the EFFECT, or combined effect of pairing up a Raspberry and Mango, had a VERY similar effect, and I'm taking note of that. I'm about 100% sure if any of you try/test this, and you've tried DL's BBC, you'll be hard pressed to NOT taste it. This flavor was good, and not only good, but DAMNED good. The pairing, and bending of the overall final profile, was very unexpected, and "unique" (I know, I know).
Picking out each of the two individual profiles was hard, because FA got the ratios, VERY right, which left, a combined completely different profile. Smelling it in the bottle the Mango was much more "visible", but when testing, it was perfectly melded into the RB, and much harder to single out. The RB was mid, to mid-dark, but seemed bolstered by the brighter notes in the mango. Both were very natural, and this one was VERY hard to put down. Sweetness was just at mid-level, but tasted good for this profile. It was perfectly strong at 2.5%, and I could find NO nit-picks, off-notes, or take-offs. There was a slight almost fermented kick on the finish and really sealed the deal. Long story short, this was an outstanding creation from Flavor Art, unique, and was a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts. This Mango Raspberry combo really worked. Big Bottle Approved, AND, going to release the Kraken on this one, and
**10/10** it. I very nice surprise from FA, because I didn't see it coming.
**Pear Williams (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-9-24)** -- I use Flavor Art's OG Pear almost daily, was interested to see how this one differed. This one presented as a bit lighter than the OG Pear, but it seemed to have more of the grainy-ness, or "sugar sand" than most, if not all other pears I've tried. Not entirely, but it (somehow) was in there. A fairly light flavor at 2.5%, and was centered around the mid and higher (brighter) notes. It had a some nice light honey and white grape overtones, on top of the expected mid pear notes. Because it was fairly light, it was hard to try and pick out all of the light(er) nuances. Caution would have be used so it wasn't overrun in a mix. Clean, pear-y (LOL), with maybe a hint of green skin. No candy, syrup, booze, or artificial notes here, just a clean, and natural tasting pear, and with no off-notes. Sweetness was at mid level, and as stated above, it was pretty light, but not thin, at 2.5%. My only want would have been MORE of it, or more satuation. I don't think increasing the percentage would push it much, as it just seemed like a light flavor. Without a lot of good pears out there, this one could easily be used with FA's OG Pear to round out a nice Pear mix. No complaints other than the saturation level(s). Marking UP for the almost sugar sand effect though.
**8.5/10**.
**Pineapple Coconut (Flavor Art) 1.25 / 2.5% (8-9-24)** -- Where I felt FA's Mango Raspberry succeeded, this one hit the OTHER side of the spectrum. Now this one wasn't terrible, but it didn't hit it out of the park like the aforementioned. I got far more coconut from this one, and very little Pineapple, so there wasn't as much of a perfect melding of the two. The coconut was fairly natural with some lighter artificial notes, and had somewhat of an acrid dry-ness to it, that the pineapple couldn't mask. The pineapple was actually very hard to find, and pick out. I got brief bits of it, and it did present as a juicy sweetened pineapple, but then it was gone. Perhaps a re-ratio-ing might address this. The fairly dry finish to the coconut is common among many coconuts, and is not limited to this flavor. I started this one at the 2.5% rate, and then cut it in half, just to make sure it wasn't over-flavored. It was not. Same, same at the lower weight, with slightly less intensity.
Because it didn't decrease that much when dropping to 1.25%, I think the sweet spot might be 1.5% give or take. Again, not a terrible flavor, but with the fairly light pineapple, and the somewhat dry coconut finish, it failed to impress. Your tastes may vary, as always. It felt pretty fairly placed at
**5.0/10**.
**Spicy Lime (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-9-24)** -- I will admit to being intrigued by this one, as it smelled interesting in the bottle. Testing it, turned it into a WOW. VERY fresh, and citrus-y Lime, which was natural, and juicy. BUT, there was more. I seemed to get two different kinds of rhind or peels from this as well. The first was Lime, and the second was a lighter lemon. At this point you're thinking, "Oh, another Lemon Lime". No, it was still squarely into Lime territory, but it was like Flavor Art took a juicy, fresh Lime, and added some peel or rhind from both a Lime and Lemon to it. It wasn't bitter, and with just below mid-level sweetness, it simply worked. It was a VERY interesting effect, and did make it different than any Limes on my racks.
I know when I first figured out about the peel/rhind notes I thought, "Oh no, it there actual oil in here" ? Nope, just the essence. No separation in the bottle, floaters, just the essence. VERY well put together, and as a whole, gave it a very fresh, juicy, punchy profile. There was just enough acidity and tart/sour to present as VERY natural, but not so much it was overly harsh, or bitter. A very well crafted Lime. No off-notes, or complaints, and I had blown through the second tester before I'd realized I hadn't written a single word LOL. Yes, this one was good, very good. Fresh, juicy, natural, zingy, and ready to go to work. I finally gave up trying to find a single issue, or want from this one, and it became obvious I couldn't. With that said, ringing the bell a SECOND time in this series, and releasing the Kraken.
**10/10**.
**Strawberry Frappe (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-10-24)** -- First things first, there is NO coffee element in this flavor, BUT, I think I might try it after these tests.
Ok, in case any of you don't know what a
Frappe, things CAN get confusing, with the Frappes, Cinnos, Smoothies, and more. I've always made them like
this. Ice Cream, Milk, Vanilla, Ice, Strawberries, and Strawberry Syrup. Now Flavor Art seems to have NAILED that exact recipe. Now it wasn't PUR-fect, but it was damn close. With many "Milkshakes", and "Ice Creams" I sometimes get an off-note, that sours them to me. It was happily NOT here.
FA did a really good job here, because this was NOT a SB Milkshake, Milk, Cream, or even Ice Cream, it really did land RIGHT on top of a Frappe. Some Ice Cream, light Vanilla, Milk, and Strawberries. The strawberries tasted like a 50/50 mix of Natural Red Strawberries, and somewhat artificial (but not entirely) Strawberry Syrup. YES, that is what I got from this one. I have to say, very impressive. How they managed to do this, and keep it in Frappe form, without falling into the aforementioned, I don't know. Perfect at 2.5%, and sweetness was at mid-level, and NO off-notes. None of the funky, not really authentic Ice Cream, or Milk notes here. About my only (maybe) want, would have been slightly more SB syrup, to help pop it JUST a bit, BUT, it is ENTIRELY possible, that THAT single addition, might have thrown off the delicate balance. Repeating here, but after these tests are over, I'm going to try and spike the SB Syrup, JUST a hint, and add some light coffee notes. As this stood, just ALMOST perfect.
**9.9/10**.
**Strawberry Mountain Forrest (Flavor Art) 2.5/3.5% (8-10-24)** -- As soon as I saw Forrest in the name, I thought of FA's Forrest Fruit, and strangely enough, it MIGHT be in here. Yes, in a Strawberry. I started testing at 2.5% which was good, but it felt like it needed a boost, and I finished the test at 3.5%. No signs of muting, and the overall saturation increased, but not linearly. This was almost a two profile flavor, with one being a bright, red, juicy strawberry, and the second, some darker berries. I smelled it side by side with Forrest Fruit, and it MIGHT be it, but might not. Hard to identify, but the SB seemed centered around mid and brighter notes, while the berries pulled in some of the mid and darker notes. Sweetness was higher at a few ticks above mid-level, but even at that level, it wasn't fatiguing. Nice tart notes helped round out the finish and give it some zip. Very juicy, sweet, punchy, and with some almost jammy notes. I'm not SB mute, so I can't speak to whether or not it breaks through for the mutes or not. I suspect it might, as the darker berries might help it.
Def. not a solo SB, and while always present the berries didn't seem to detract from the SB, but fattened up the flavor by adding some bottom end. The SB and berries tasted very natural, with the exception of the somewhat higher sweetness. All in, an impressive pairing, but it was SB and berries, so if you were looking for JUST a SB, this isn't it, but as a pairing/medley, it worked. Even at the higher weight, no issues, or off-notes. Easily a
**9.0/10**.
**Tarte Tatin (Flavor Art) 2.5% (8-11-24)** -- LAST ONE on deck from these new Flavor Art Elite Flavors. Of course I wondered while it was steeping if it would just be a re-tooled FA Apple Pie, but it wasn't.
Real Tarte Tatin is pretty basic with Apples, Butter, Sugar, and Crust, with typical additions of Salt, and maybe a hint of Lemon juice. This presented a less of a typical "tart", and more of a delicious caramelized baked apple, riding on top of a great crust. Much like FA's Apple Pie the apple wasn't overwhelming and allowed the slightly buttery crust to come through. At times I DID wish I had just a little MORE of the apples. No spice in the apples, which was accurate, and with some light buttery undertones. The apples did have a VERY convincing "baked" profile, with some light buttery caramel thrown in. No Granny apples here, but maybe more of a Honey Crisp, which again, is true to the actual recipe.
The crust was almost in the lead over the apples, and was on par with FA's Apple Pie crust, which is/was pretty good. Not grainy or flakey but there was no mistaking it was in there. As a whole, this was VERY good, convincing,and natural tasting. Tasted pretty solid at 2.5%, but might benefit from just a bit more. No off-notes, and sweetness was actually just below mid-level. With all of the different elements swirling around, they stayed fairly distinct, and did not fall into a blurry mashup. Very well done. About my only "want" would have been a smidge MORE of the delicious baked apples. Slightly marking down for that, but that was IT. Handily a
**9.7/10**.
* Apple Fuji DC 9.9/10
* Black Soul 4.0/10
* Blue Razz 9.6/10
* Grape Juicy 9.9/10
* Killa Vanilla 8.0/10
* Mango (Indian Special)(DC) 9.6/10
* Mango Raspberry 10/10
* Pear Williams 8.0/10
* Pineapple Coconut 5.0/10
* Spicy Lime 10/10
* Strawberry Frappe 9.9/10
* Strawberry Mountain Forrest 9.0/10
* Tarte Tatin 9.7/10
