The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[billherbst]

Yet another vendor's RY4 added to our list, herein reviewed and ranked.

Gourmet Vapor RY4---24mg nic strength, 70PG/30VG blend, standard flavor, deep orange transparent color. Tested by dripping into a Joye 1.5 ohm LR510 atty powered by a Hello 016 battery running at 3.9 volts to produce about 10 watts.

OK. Batter up. tobacco? Check. Ground ball up the middle---a single! Man on 1st. Caramel? Check. Soft liner over the 3rd baseman's head---another single. Two men on base. Vanilla? Check. Just a bunt, but the batter is safe at first and the runners advance. This is, indeed, a bonafide RY4, containing the classic ingredients. Bases loaded, no outs. That, my friends, is the good news.

Now for the not-so-good news. First are the ingredients, the constituent flavors. Some RY4s are marked by crisp tobaccos with punch and bite, or caramels that are melt-in-your-mouth, or vanillas that are creamy and succulent. Sadly, Gourmet Vapors RY4 is not blessed with extraordinary ingredients. The tobacco is blah, the caramel is just OK, and the vanilla is so what? I'm not personally thrilled with the quality of the tobacco flavor, and the caramel and vanilla leave an aftertaste that's ever so slightly chemical. Batter goes down swinging on strike three, one out.

Next up is blend. One of the great things about RY4s is that the classic flavors tend to like each other---tobacco, caramel, vanilla, and sometimes nuts usually combine very nicely. Just how well depends on the nature and compatibility of the individual flavorings. Certain tobaccos like some caramels and particular vanillas more than others. Unfortunately, GV RY4's individual flavorings don't harmonize all that well. Taken together, these flavors produce no wow factor. Pop foul, caught by catcher. Two outs. Bases still loaded. Runs could still be scored.

Last is satisfaction. How satisfying is GV RY4 as a blend? Well, not very. That's not to suggest that it's dreadful. If I owned no other juices, I would vape this and be glad to have it. But GV RY4 is just average and ordinary to my palate. Pedestrian. Nondescript. It's not that the juice lacks flavor---GV RY4 has more than enough flavor---it just doesn't result in an overall experience of yumminess. I would actually like it better (but not much) with less flavor and more subtlety. Would more than ten days of steeping help? Maybe, but I doubt it, since this isn't an issue of undeveloped flavors or lack of melding. It's just that neither the parts nor the whole are all that great. Hard to make a silk purse out of, well, you know. Satisfaction is a weak grounder to the hole, shortstop flips to second baseman for the easy force play. Three outs.

Inning over. Three runners stranded on base. No runs scored. Fans head for the exits.

Personal Ranking: #27
Category Groups: Variants (non-typical)

 

[Drak]

Bill, how long did you let it steep?

I have found 2 vendors so far that make very good juice, but both require long steep times.

Gourmet Vapors and Vapor4Life so far.

Both have good juices, but most everything I've ordered from both companies needed steep time, almost all flavors right out of the mailbox were pretty bad, but given a chance, have redeemed or are in the process of redeeming themselves, sometimes in spectacular fashion, sometimes to a point of generally good acceptability.

I have noticed Gourmet Vapors 'signature' taste is a bit of a 'dry-style' taste, but I've made them all work one way or another.

I would agree that in such a competitive environment as you have here, I wouldn't expect their RY4 to be outstanding, but their juices really do improve with several weeks of steep time, almost required from what I've experienced with them.

 

[thehangdude]

My tastes are different than billherbst. But good is good, and chemical tastes are obvious. So here is my short overview of the few good ones I have tried.

1) Quick nic Juice RY4 Tobacco flavored e-liquid. Made in the USA
QuicknicJuice RY4: Not only my favorite RY4, it is my absolute favorite liquid. Rich, the creator of this juice, has never tasted RY4. He did not try to copy the original, he went for what he wanted to vape. It is a creamy caramel with a woody tobacco base and a hint of vanilla. After 10 days the flavor was good, after 20 it was awesome. This would be considered a dessert RY4 by most, as the caramel is lusious. Cons would be the strong second hand smell. This is one I take outside to vape.

2) http://www.primevaping.com/tobaccos...ypage_images.tpl&product_id=90&category_id=26
PrimeVaping RY4: This rich flavor has just a hint of nuts and cherry. It has less of a tobacco flavor than any of the others I have tried. The caramel and vanilla are the dominant flavors, giving it a bit of sweetness. Good overall blend, and perfect for all day.

3) http://www.backwoodsbrew.net/index....category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=19
BackWoodsBrew RY4: Even though my BWB is only 2 weeks old, it is starting to come together. It does not yet approach the top slot, but the flavors are starting to meld. Vanilla is stronger than the caramel. This gives it a higher tone. I will try to keep out of it, and give it more time to steep.

4) Joogler's Blend
JooglerJuice Joogler's Blend: This is a tinny (as in metal) tasting tobacco. Sort of like the DeKang USA mix. It has a very nice blend of caramel and vanilla. Overall a nice blend. Best part is it is free to try (just $2 shipping), but I find myself coming back to this throughout the day.

5) Ozark Fresh Home Page
OzarkFresh Ry4: I don't like that this comes in an 18ml bottle, or that I had to wait two weeks for it. The white bottle only reads "Kentucky Burley RY4 24". This is very close to Joogler's Blend, just a hint less caramel. This is what I expect the original was like. A tinny tobacco with a good blend of vanilla and caramel. Also a good all day vape.

6) VG Taboo
LiquidXPress Taboo: Again, very much like OzarkFresh and Joogler's RY4s. A tinny tobacco with a small amount of both vanilla and caramel, and maybe a hint of choco or maple (but just a hint). Nice overall flavor. Smooth and tasty.

7) http://www.liberty-flights.com/product.asp?id=5
Liberty Flights RY4: After long consideration, I decided to add this to my "good" list. It has no bad chemical taste, and nothing that makes it yucky. The tobacco has a clean tase, and the vanilla is good. The caramel is a little weak. The reason I didn't list this higher is a peanut shell or wood chip kind of after taste. Not really bad, but it does take a little away from it. I would vape this if I ran out of the others, and maybe it will be good before bed (when I enjoy a 555 or cassablanca).

All of the above are very good RY4s. The rankings are by how much I like them. I would buy any one of the above flavors, and recommend them to RY4 lovers. Not all RY4s made this good list.

 

[Drak]

I know this is a bit off topic, but this is Bill's thread primarily, and 3 out of the 4 bottles were bought based on his reviews.
The other was bought based on Vapenstein's review.

A good day inDeed.

I have modified/blended enough juices lately to keep me very happy, these four are to remain untouched and vaped solely 'as-is'. I'm getting really good vibes from these bottles...

 

[billherbst]

Bill, how long did you let it steep? ...I would agree that in such a competitive environment as you have here, I wouldn't expect their RY4 to be outstanding, but their juices really do improve with several weeks of steep time, almost required from what I've experienced with them.

It's in the review, Drak---ten days.

In general, steeping seems to me to apply mainly to fresh, made-to-order juices. Pre-mixed juices may be weeks or even months old before sale, so steeping's positive effects will be minimal.

In my opinion, the benefits of steeping vary from vendor to vendor and juice to juice (even within the same vendor's offerings). Some juices are good to go out of the gate and don't change much, if any, over time. Some are slightly altered over the initial weeks. Others virtually transform.

One problem for me is the fallibility of memory. Months down the road, I often don't remember how something tasted when new. I remember my reaction well enough, but not necessarily a whole lot more than that. So, for me at least, everything about juices is anchored in the here-and-now, with the caveat that things may change over time.

 

[billherbst]

My tastes are different than billherbst. But good is good, and chemical tastes are obvious. So here is my short overview of the few good ones I have tried.

hangdude,

Thank you so much for leaving reviews. I don't want to be the only Bozo in the driver's seat here. Not only do I not want the responsibility, but my driving isn't always so hot. I'm happier sharing all the praise and at least some of the blame. LOL.

The fact that we mostly agree is just icing on the cake. Our only divergence on your list is with Joogler's Blend. I may let it steep a bit more before review, but right now I pick up floral, perfume-y notes from it, and that is decidedly not to my tastes.

But then, agreement is not the point of this thread (not for me, anyway). The purpose of the thread is to give us all a place to toss in everything we know, want, like, dislike, etc., about RY4s, then shake it all out, and have fun together doing it.

 

[zotzer]

I know this is a bit off topic, but this is Bill's thread primarily, and 3 out of the 4 bottles were bought based on his reviews.

What a hoot. Got a shipment from them today and have all those flavors except for the Boston Cream Pie. My 5th is 8th Wonder. I've only tried the Nostalgia so far, and quite like it. It has a maple-ish quality to my palate. Reminds me a bit of Vaperite VR4, but more maple-ish and less gooey.

Heading to the Outer Banks tomorrow, and my new Prime Vaping juices are already packed. Looking forward to some very pleasant beach-vaping.

 

[vikings]

I received my OzarkFresh RY4 yesterday....took about 3 weeks to get to me but I'm not complaining as I live in Malaysia.

I couldn't resist sampling a little today and here's my observation (using a GGTS w AFS at 3.7v and an LR510 atty):

Right off the bat, I can taste strong tobacco notes. I do get a hint of caramel and vanilla but it's pretty muted at the moment. I'm enjoying it but I get the feeling that this one will change quite a bit as it ages.

To those of you who have also tried this ejuice, how long did you let it steep before you noticed any significant changes?

 

[billherbst]

To those of you who have also tried [OzarkFresh RY4], how long did you let it steep before you noticed any significant changes?

vikings,

I reviewed OzarkFresh Kentucky Burley RY4 fresh off the boat, so to speak, within a week of its creation. I vaped it for about two days before writing the review. Personally, I haven't noticed much change with steeping, at least nothing I can pinpoint as significant, but then my batch was different---yours might change markedly over time. This is, after all, small-batch chemistry---from the flavoring ingredients, PG/VG bases, nic purity, all the way to the finished custom-mixed juices themselves---so the whole process is open to all sorts of mysterious changes with time and oxygen. I'm not suggesting that this industry has no quality control, just that the consistency of components is more volatile and less carefully monitored than in some other arenas (for instance, microchip technology or insulin synthesis).

It's akin to going grocery shopping: You may want to make a recipe for halibut, but, on that particular day at the market, the halibut looks old and dead, while the northern pike is fresh and primo. Then you have a choice---either buy halibut that's less than wonderful, or modify your recipe and use northern pike instead. I imagine that juicemakers mostly stick with their recipes, so the ingredients may not always be perfectly identical in quality from one order to the next.

OzarkFresh RY4 has faded somewhat in my personal rankings---into the 2nd ten---but that's mostly because other extraordinary RY4s have been added to the list or some RY4s already on the original list improved dramatically with a bit of aging. On this thread, though, any juice in the top half of the rankings is strongly recommended. A given person may or may not cotton to a particular RY4, but quality shines through.

To me, artisan juicemakers are rather like musicians---you might not love every single piece of music they play, but you can tell how talented and accomplished they are regardless of how you feel about their genre, style, or particular songs. I may not like every Bach Fugue or Beatles tune I've ever heard, but I can recognize talent when I hear it.

This is the exact opposite of the old saying, "I may not know anything about art, but I know what I like." For me, that's often no more true than the opposite: "I may not like something or someone, but I know a quality product or good person when I see one."

As this thread goes on, however, my numerical rankings are based more on what I personally like and less on quality per se. The category groups free me from some of the burden of "false objectivity," so that I can be more out-front about my subjective and personal likes and dislikes. Or so I hope, anyway.

 

[billherbst]

vikings,

An addendum: I keep a container on my desk filled with nothing but dual-coil cartos loaded with RY4s that have already been drip-tested and reviewed. That way, I can comparison test easily as new RY4s are show up for consideration.

As I wrote that last post, I got out my OzarkFresh RY4 carto and slapped it onto one of my VV boxes. I've been vaping it as I wrote that post and this one.

It has changed over two months. The mix of "more tobacco and less caramel and vanilla" (that you mentioned) hasn't shifted at all---that's still exactly as it was when new---but the flavors have blended and melded more. It's the same juice, just more mature and rounded.

I still like this RY4 quite a lot. What it offers is not so much qualities or flavors that strike me as amazing or best ever (like the astonishing caramel in Vaperite VR4), but instead an absence of elements that I don't like. For me, OzarkFresh RY4 is an enjoyable RY4---a good natural tobacco base with the subtle addition of caramel and vanilla---without any weirdness that puts me off. Not spectacular, but solid. And there's a lot to be said for that.

 

[Drak]

Post Deleted as not to thread hijack.

 

[Diablo]

Did someone say oxygen? [

That is a little to extreme for me, it may even break the juice(separate). I not sure putting metal into a bottle other than a syringe needle is even good for it.

I take some of my juices I want to speed steep and place them in hot tap water around 140 degrees for 10 mins and shake them real good after, then I put them back to sit some more. Sometimes it works sometimes it don't.

 

[Drak]

I deleted the post as I thought it would wind up possibly hijacking this beautiful thread.

I posted about it on the Advanced Steeping thread under Tips and Tricks in more detail if anyone cares to see more, and would be happy to comment on it there.

Carry on.

 

[billherbst]

The Joogler's Blend I purchased is an 80%PG/20%VG blend, 24mg nic strength, light gold/orange-colored juice, tested by dripping into a Joye 1.5 ohm LR510 atty powered by a Hello 016 battery providing 3.8 volts.

I am not a big fan of floral or perfume-y overtones in my juices. Flowers are great to look at and lovely to smell (when they are fragrant), but not to]taste. By contrast, I couldn't care less about how caramel and vanilla smell, but they taste great. Tobacco is sort of perverse in this way---fantastic to smell but not always so wonderful to taste, which is yet another reason that vaping is better than smoking ever was, since tobacco vapes are designed to please our palates more than our noses.

Anyway, whenever I vape an RY4 that has floral or perfume-y notes, I scrunch up my nose and pull back. Don't like it. Ever.

To my taste buds, Joogler's Blend is an otherwise fine RY4 marred by the slight presence of a floral-perfume element. Darker rather than bright (which is fine with me), but calm and light, the essential flavors of tobacco, caramel, and vanilla are all there. Unfortunately, so is the floral tone, subtle but present, more on inhale than exhale. I've purchased RY4 concentrates for DIY that turned out to be overwhelmingly floral, and they've all gone right into the trash. Joogler's Blend isn't like that. In fact, I almost like it. Almost.

If you like (or don't mind) flowers or perfume in your juices, then you should be quite happy with Joogler's Blend. Not me, though.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the other flavors I pick up aren't floral at all, although I can't pinpoint their origins or describe their taste. Fruit maybe? I don't know. The sense of additional flavors in Joogler's reminds me of FSUSA RY4, in that both juices exhibit a complexity that pushes them right to the edge of RY4 territory. I think naming this juice "Joogler's Blend" rather than "Joogler's RY4" was a smart move, because it's a unique, multi-flavored blend more than a classic RY4.

I will revisit this juice after two weeks of steeping to see if the floral notes subside, which may improve its ranking. For now, though, #24 is high as my taste buds will allow. The only category it falls under is Variants, since Joogler's Blend is definitely not your typical RY4.

-----

One more new review still to come---Vixen Vapors RY4---to be followed by revised rankings and category groups.

 

[wv2win]

To me I view most things from China as cheap products. All the juices coming out of China are mass produced using the cheapest of ingredients. That does not mean they taste bad, but for me I want a safe juice, better tasting with more flavor and made in the USA.

If the original flavor RY4 was still around do folks still think it would be considered the BEST RY4 with todays standards? I don't believe so otherwise there would be other China juices that would be at the top of the list.

I would support a better version of RY4 and if adding a nutty flavor to it made it taste better but still maintained the tobacco,caramel and vanilla base I am all for it. Call it US4 if you want.

Of course if you are a purist and don't mind paying $25 for Janty then it looks like your search is over, you have found THE ONE. I don't mind paying up to $17-18 for USA made better tasting juice but wont ever pay $25 for China juice.

I don't think this thread was called "Who makes the closest RY4 to the original" and its not needed because I don't think anybody disagrees that Janty is the closest to it since most of us have never even tried it. It is however rating all the different versions, breaking down the taste of it and letting us decide individually which ones to spend our money on. At least that's my take on it and I have been following this thread since the first post.

This is just pure bigotry and prejuidice. And it's quite disappointing position considering those who invented vaping, including the liquid are from China. This type of thinking is what gives America a bad name. And considering that much of the US made eliquid is produced in basements, garages and at kitchen tables, it's laughable to say it is "safer", in a completely unregulated industry just because it is make in this country. I'm sure there is good and bad product produced in China, the US, Great Britian, etc. To make these type of statements is just pure bigotry. No matter how far we progress some are not able to leave behind this type of thinking.

 

[Diablo]

This is just pure bigotry and prejuidice. And it's quite disappointing position considering those who invented vaping, including the liquid are from China. This type of thinking is what gives America a bad name. And considering that much of the US made eliquid is produced in basements, garages and at kitchen tables, it's laughable to say it is "safer", in a completely unregulated industry just because it is make in this country. I'm sure there is good and bad product produced in China, the US, Great Britian, etc. To make these type of statements is just pure bigotry. No matter how far we progress some are not able to leave behind this type of thinking.

LOL man wtf are you talking about. Who was sending us toys with lead paint like last year.I don't recall them being made in Europe or the US. I highly doubt BWB is made in a basement which makes up 80% of my juice and if it is my hats off to Don if he can make the best juice out there and maintain consistency every time.

You better sell your Darwin piece of crap because its USA made and get you an Ego.(you wouldn't want somebody calling you a bigot now) I will keep my Darwin and Reo because I like quality. So take your bigotry/prejudice BS and shove it.

 

[Drak]

This is one of the best threads around, please don't muck it up, take it to PM if you want to draw pistols at 20 paces.

 

[thehangdude]

This is one of the best threads around, please don't muck it up, take it to PM if you want to draw pistols at 20 paces.

Or take it OUTSIDE. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/outside/

 

[wv2win]

LOL man wtf are you talking about. Who was sending us toys with lead paint like last year.I don't recall them being made in Europe or the US. I highly doubt BWB is made in a basement which makes up 80% of my juice and if it is my hats off to Don if he can make the best juice out there and maintain consistency every time.

You better sell your Darwin piece of crap because its USA made and get you an Ego.(you wouldn't want somebody calling you a bigot now) I will keep my Darwin and Reo because I like quality. So take your bigotry/prejudice BS and shove it.

I made no disparaging remarks about vaping products made in the the US. Many, like the Darwin, are well made. And as I indicated, there are good and bad products made in every country. Just last year there were hundreds of people sickened by poultry from the US. Does that mean all US products or all US poultry is bad? No. You on the other hand single out one country and infer that all their liquids are bad and unsafe. It would be like saying all products made in the state where the poultry farm was located, are unsafe. That is prejuidice and bigotry and just plain and simple ignorance. And you not being able to see that just confirms that you are.

 

[Drak]

Well I will chime in.
After reading Bill's comments, I ordered some selections from Prime Vaping, the PV4 and the Nostalgia.
I already have several of the NiteLiteVapors, so I am now starting to accumulate several well-selected RY4's to give me some breadth of scope of the RY4 offerings now.

What I'm finding amazing is Bill's accuracy in his categories and descriptions, they are razor-sharp correct.

It's one thing to read cool juice reviews, but to then order a few, go back and re-read the comments about them again (while vaping them of course!), and to realize how close he hit the target is amazing.

It gives me great confidence now to order more and know in advance what I'll be ordering is exactly what I'll get.

PV4 is a very sweet delicious caramel-heavy (with vanilla) RY4, and the Nostalgia is a (delicious as well) cocoa/chocolate RY4, but not what I would call sweet, that's why I use the word cocoa and not chocolate.

Out of the two, I found the PV4 to be stronger, bolder, and sweeter.
The Nostalgia is very pleasant for it's LACK of being sweet, because not everyone is looking for a sweet RY4, and I think the lack of sweetness allows the cocoa flavor to be more present in the flavor.

Everything I got from Prime Vaping was perfectly vapable right out of the mailbox, it needed no time to realize the flavors.
That to me is a sign of a quality juice vendor when I don't have to monkey around with their juice to make it enjoyable.

Side note: I also bought the Strawberry from Prime Vapors on Bill's review, and Jebus Christmas that juice is exploding with gorgeous strawberry flavor, they knocked it clean over the bleachers and out of the park with that juice.