Could one of the veterans explain to me why RY4 is so sought after and so hard to get? Is this some exotic flavoring that is only made by one manufacturer?
First of all, you should know that no two RY4s are the same.
Everyone makes them a little bit different.
A real RY4 is supposed to be
tobacco with hints of vanilla and caramel, and Dekang was the original maker.
Back in the day when Dekang was about all you could get, RY4 was a favorite.
In general, RY4 is still a popular flavor because it has a blend of flavors that seem to work for a lot of people.
But of course, it depends on where you get it.
There is no reason it should be hard to get or in short supply, unless you are talking about Backwoods Brew.
I think the reason is that they use some special vanilla flavoring that actually IS hard to get.