There is a big difference between FA Grapefruit, INW Grapefruit and the Ruby Reds - FW and VTA. INW and FA are both thin with no mouthfeel. Both the FW and the VTA have some nice body, which makes them perfect when you don't want to add marshmallow or cream to get mouthfeel and body. Here are my notes. The notes on VTA are actually Liam Davey's notes and not mine, since I used it in the mix without doing an SFT (*blushing*). I find FW Ruby Red and VTA Grapefruit to be similar, with FW winning by a hair for me.
FLAVORAH
The only flavor I pick up is a bright delicious grapefruit. It is tart and fresh – luscious even! This is a delicious, slightly sweet fresh grapefruit. Some say they pick up lychee, pineapple, even strawberry but I tasted delicious sweet, not sour grapefruit. WONDERFUL!!!! This captures the pleasant bitter flavor of the grapefruit, plus a whole lot of flavor. It is also juicy, a bonus in a grapefruit mix, with a full bodied mouthfeel.
RunDastardly says, “a juicy, ripe, idealized pink grapefruit that has it's own yummy wetness akin to INW Cactus (though it plays very well with Cactus at low % too!). It has something "extra" to it, but that adds to, rather than detracts from, it's grapefruitiness. Strong as hell. Excellent stand-alone, but also works beautifully with any number of other fruits, especially other citrus & juicy tropical fruits like mango and pineapple.”
FLAVOUR ART
Authentic, natural grapefruit, light, tart, and a little bitter. It is thin, so doesn’t give any mouthfeel but the flavor is spot on natural grapefruit
Wayne’s Notes: “This is the more authentic grapefruit of the bunch. It has such a natural quality about it, and this makes the flavoring an easy choice if you need an unadulterated grapefruit flavor. So for main profiles, this is usually what I enjoy using if I want a true to life grapefruit flavor. It's a light flavoring (this is a pattern you'll see in all of these ingredients) so using at 3-4% is not uncommon. But it's refreshing, slightly tart and bitter, a bit more sweet than you'd think, and light on body. Lastly, it's best used in more simple recipes when acting as a main profile. It really shines when it's not crowded with other fruits distracting from its subtle accents. Keep things simple and light, and you'll be just fine.”
FLAVOR WEST
Nice red grapefruit flavor. A little sweeter than Flavorah Pink Guava, and I honestly get more of a lush grapefruit aroma from Flavorah’s Pink Guava. This is really nice and if I had never tried Pink Guava, I would probably think this was the queen of grapefruit flavors. In a grapefruit blend, this flavor has its place. It has a sweet, tart balance and does taste like a real grapefruit. This is the sweet body of the grapefruit. For a grapefruit
vape, use Pink Guava, Ruby Red, and White Grapefruit for a complete grapefruit flavor. This does impart some full bodied mouthfeel as it is not as thin as INW and FA.
ConcreteRiver says “Good, straight-forward, ruby red grapefruit
juice. It's sweet, a little tart, and right on target. This is what I'd pick up if I were to pick up just one grapefruit concentrate. I think this one blends the easiest with other fruit flavors and creams.”
INAWERA
An authentic grapefruit flavor. This one has the zest. This one has the grapefruit
juice flavor, for me. This is heavy on the bitter zest. There is some light sweetness here. It tastes like a white grapefruit, similar in taste to a ruby red. Perfect for adding a zest note to any fruit. This would be great with cranberry. Citric, bright, and tart. Thin in mouthfeel.
RunDastardly says, “A drier version of INW Grapefruit with much more peel. If INW Grapefruit is the pulp & juice, this is the zest. 0.25% or less adds a nice "twist" essence to a cocktail.” Wayne’s Notes: “This grapefruit is the lightest of the bunch (CAP, FA, & INW). But it packs the most tartness, bitterness, and citrus. So in situations where I want to boost the citrus in a recipe, boost its sour flavor, or add some interesting dimension, I'll reach for this ingredient. This is because its flavor profile often gets a bit too hidden in recipes that have any kind of weight to it, but the tartness and citrus remain. It's of the "white" grapefruit variety meaning there's this refreshing, almost water-like, flavor to it in the top end. This can be further pushed by a touch of FA Cucumber. And when using as an accent or "enhancer", I like to sit around 0.5 - 1.5%.”
This is an actual authentic grapefruit flavor. It is lightly sweet. This is the zest of the grapefruit, bright, citric, tart and somewhat bitter. I honestly don’t taste a lot of difference between this and the white, so consider them interchangeable in a recipe, though not as a stand-alone flavor. This flavor seems to be weaker than the White Grapefruit. Thin in mouthfeel.
VAPE TRAIN
After a 2 week steep, sweetness of this has increased and makes it more of a Ruby Grapefruit. The pleasant grapefruit bitter and tart taste remains although has reduced slightly in intensity bringing this in line with the taste from a Ruby grapefruit, this is still mainly a Grapefruit Juice although there is a slight flesh like hint in the background. I’d use a main 2%-4%, Background 1.5%-3%, Accent 0.5%-1.5%. Standalone 4%-8%.
