The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[billherbst]

The Really Big RY4 Report Card

The grades given for these RY4s are my opinion only. They are also current judgments and may differ from grades I gave in the past. So please understand that if you base a buying decision solely on this list, you might end up getting an RY4 that I like rather than one you’ll like, since my tastes and palate are unlikely to match yours perfectly---in some cases, not even remotely.

Within each grade, the RY4s are listed in alphabetical order. This kind of judging is ridiculous enough without splitting hairs or nit-picking between RY4s within the same grade.

For vendor links and original review post numbers, as well as Category Groups, please refer to the most recent update of The Big RY4 List (the posts right above this one).

Did I mention that these grades are my opinion only? LOL.

A
Ahlusion Gold Rising
Bloog/SmokelessImageVolt RY4
GoodEJuice GJ4
IndigoVapor Indigo Classic
Janty RY4 (DK Series)
Janty RY4X (Classic Series)
Janty RY4 (Elixir Series)
Mom&PopVaporShop RY4v2
QuickNicJuice ouR whY qu4tro
TotallyWicked RY4 (Patriot Range)
VapeKing VK4 (Australia)
VaporTalk Dulcis

A-
AltCig RY4
GoodLifeVapor Hooligan
Halo Tribeca
HealthCabin Dekang RY4
Ikenvape RY4 Gold PG
IndigoVapor Indigo RY
MountainOakVapors Full Virginia Flake RY4
MyVapeJuice Rogue RY4
RWVapors RY4
Vapor..... RY4
Vapor4Life Jammin
VapourWorld Dekang RY4 Intense
Want2Vape RY4

B+
AlienVisions Raf-a-licious (discontinued/unavailable)
ApolloECigs RY4
Awesome Clouds AC3
DIYFlavorShack Caramel-Vanilla RY4
Esmoke4Life Riskee Yuice
HitLiquid RY4
joyetech RY4
KickBassVapor RY4
LiquidXpress Taboo
Mister-e-liquid MrE’s RY4
MyVapeJuice Our RY4
NashvilleVapor Professor Marvel’s Master Blend
SpringVapor Black Label RY4 Day and Night
Vapebar RY4-LE (Australia)
VapeKing VK5 (Australia)
VapeRite VR4
vaporbeast Holy Grail RY4
VaporStation VS4
VulcanVape w2v Rygar
Want2Vape Rock Star

B
BackwoodsBrew RY4 (discontinued/unavailable)
BombayVaping RY4
BombayVaping RY5
CloudsOfVapor COV4
CrystalELiquid RY4
CrystalELiquid RY4 Double Tobacco
DIYFlavorShack Holy Holy Grail RY4
DIYFlavorShack RY4 Aces
ECBlend RY4
EcigzUSA RY4
ElixirLiquid RY4
Hangsen RY4
HappyESmoker Happy E’s Favorite RY4
Heather’sHeavenlyVapes Heavenly Tobacco
Mom&PopVaporShop RY4
Mom&PopVaporShop RYO4
Moondrop RY42
MountainOakVapors Classic CountRY-4
MountOlympusVapors RY4
MountOlympusVapors Double Happy RY4
MtBakerVapor RY4
NiteLiteVapor Renegade RY4
OrbVapor Organic RY4 VG
ParkesVaping PV4
PrimeVaping PV4
SpringVapor Black Label RY4
Sweet-Vapes RY4
VapeSales Gold Label RY4(squared)

B-
AltSmoke AltLiquid RY4
DIYFlavorShack Caramel RY4
GoodEJuice RY4
GoodProphets GP4
GoodProphets Keemer RY4
GreenhouseOne RY4
HighbrowVapor Highbrowbacco RY4
Hotvapes RY4
MaddcattVapors MaddHatter RYW4
Madvapes Mad 4
MrVapes RY4
MyVapeCreations CigaRY4
QuickNicJuice RY4
SpringVapor Fall Harvest RY4
TimelessVapor RY4
TopShelfVapes RY4
ValueVapor Dekang RY1-RY2
Vixen Vapors RY4
ZeusE-Juice Creamy RY4

C+
DeeJStuff RY4
DIYFlavorShack RY4
GoodProphets Keemer RY3
HighDesertVapes Myshell’s RY4
KalamazooVaporShop RY4
SmokeForPennys RY4
TheVaporRoom Ginger’s RY4

C
Copper Creek Voodoo
Good Prophets GP4
GourmetVapor RY4
HealthCabin house-brand RY4
HoneyvilleVapor RY4
MaddcattVapors MaddHatter RYJ4
MyVapeCreations RY4
VapeBIG RY4
VapeDoctor RY4
Vaporescence RY4
VermillionRiver KY4
ZeusE-Juice Zeus’ RY4

C-
BlueMist RY4
BlueMist RY4.5
DIYFlavorShack Sweet RY4
Greenhouse One RY4
EliteVaporworks RY4
FreedomSmokeUSA RY5
HighCaliber Our4
Liberty-Flights Hangsen RY1-RY4
ParkesVaping RY4
VapeRite RY4

D+
ECBlend RY4 with double-extra caramel
HighCaliber Our 4
MaddCattVapors MaddHatter RyJ5
Vapure VY4/Liberty-Flights LF4 (same juice)

D
Bauway RY4 (no known vendor availability)
CopperCreek Twisted Tobacco
FeelLife RY4
TheVaporPro RY4

D-
VaporRenu Re4nu

F
FreedomSmokeUSA oRYental 4



DIY pre-mix RY4 Flavoring Concentrates

A
Want2Vape RY4
The Flavor Apprentice RY4 Double Flavoring
Flavourart RY4 Nutzilla

B
Hangsen Essence RY4
HealthCabin RY4 Essence
The Flavor Apprentice RY4 Asian
TotallyWicked RY5
DecadentVapours DV4

C
EcigExpress Tobacco Express Ruyan 4 (super-concentrate)
EcigExpress Tobacco Express RY4 (super-concentrate)
FlavourArt RY4
BlueMistVaping RY4
DecadentVapours DV3

D
The Flavor Apprentice RY4 Exclusive
VaporRenu Re4Nu

F
The Flavor Apprentice RY4 Type

 

[BentWookie]

Thanks for the great list, Billherbst. That was exactly what I was looking for. BTW did you notice that you have VaporBeast's RY4 listed under A and A-? Was that on purpose?

 

[billherbst]

Thanks for the great list, Billherbst. That was exactly what I was looking for. BTW did you notice that you have VaporBeast's RY4 listed under A and A-? Was that on purpose?

Bent,

Couldn't find it at first, but then it turned out the VB Holy Grail RY4 was in both the A- and B+ groups.

I moved it down one notch to B+ this time, but forget to erase the A- listing. It's fixed now.

 

[RPadTV]

The flavors themselves are “soft,” meaning creamy rather than boldly distinct. Also, no individual taste stands out. They meld together into a single overall experience. Curiously, I’m reminded of an apple-tobacco blend---a little bit like BWB Applewood---although I’m as certain as I can be that there’s no apple flavor here. Instead, the subtle apple tone is somehow an offshoot of the caramel and vanilla with Tobacco Absolute. It’s not unpleasant at all, nor overly fruity, and that subtle tone of ripe apple (almost over-ripe) doesn’t negate the juice’s status as an RY4. This is just a particularly eccentric RY4, with a very unusual caramel, but in a soft and pleasing way. I can’t identify either the tobacco or vanilla clearly, but my brain knows that they’re present and contributing.

In addition to the usual RY4 ingredients, Orb uses vanilla and hazelnut. It's interesting that you were getting an apple flavor from it. To me, it was raisin-like. It reminded me a bit of HHV Gollum/Sludge. I enjoyed this juice a lot, but I agree that it's more like a dessert vape than what people would expect from an RY4.

 

[billherbst]

In addition to the usual RY4 ingredients, Orb uses vanilla and hazelnut. It's interesting that you were getting an apple flavor from it. To me, it was raisin-like. It reminded me a bit of HHV Gollum/Sludge. I enjoyed this juice a lot, but I agree that it's more like a dessert vape than what people would expect from an RY4.

RPad,

Vaping and reviewing juices has given me ample opportunity to ponder and speculate about how our brains try to identify flavors they don't find in the neural database. Apparently taste is connected to familiarity, so we associate new flavors with old ones, even if that's way off. I get apple, you get raisin. Now that you've told me about tasting raisin, I might too.

 

[RPadTV]

RPad,

Vaping and reviewing juices has given me ample opportunity to ponder and speculate about how our brains try to identify flavors they don't find in the neural database. Apparently taste is connected to familiarity, so we associate new flavors with old ones, even if that's way off. I get apple, you get raisin. Now that you've told me about tasting raisin, I might too.

I totally understand and agree. I hope you didn't take that as a criticism. It's just interesting to hear the different tastes people think of when something is atypical. "Raisin" came to me before I learned about Orb's French vanilla and hazelnut additions to the typical RY4 mix. After vaping some of Orb's French vanilla, I totally see it. Apple is as good an explanation as any for the tobacco + caramel + vanilla + hazelnut equation.

 

[billherbst]

I totally understand and agree. I hope you didn't take that as a criticism.

RPad,

No, I took no offense at all. In fact, I'm with you completely. Our brains are funny creatures, along with many other of our oh-so-human qualities, and I do what I can to remain as light-hearted as possible about foibles and fallibilities, whether personal or collective. I took your post to be obviously friendly.

My post was meant to chime in and then add a layer by commenting on the challenge of describing the flavors used in the ingredient mix of different juices. Sometimes it's obvious, but more often not, especially when the juices may use five or six different flavorings. I'm surprised whenever I get it right. LOL.

 

[d3p]

Recently bought 100ml of hangsen RY4, couldn't resist for the price. I kind of regretted after purchasing but must say it isn't as bad as I expected, in fact I am pleasantly surprised. Going to vape it some more to see if it could be an all day-vape for me.

Anyway, love the list. Already tried a few of them, and looking forward to trying more.

 

[billherbst]

Recently bought 100ml of hangsen RY4, couldn't resist for the price. I kind of regretted after purchasing but must say it isn't as bad as I expected, in fact I am pleasantly surprised. Going to vape it some more to see if it could be an all day-vape for me. Anyway, love the list. Already tried a few of them, and looking forward to trying more.

d3p,

For me, Hangsen is a typical, middle-of-the-road Classic Chinese RY4. Good but not great. Solid "B" grade juice. One could do a lot worse in RY4s.

 

[passerbyeus]

Ahlusion Gold Rising???....I thought they put had a 4th ingredient?

 

[billherbst]

Ahlusion Gold Rising???....I thought they put had a 4th ingredient?

passer,

And your point it is?

I'd be willing to bet that the number of RY4s that are made using only three ingredient flavorings (presumably, one tobacco, one caramel, and one vanilla) is about 10 out of 200. Some RY4s use four or five different vanillas (obviously in very small quantities, but you get my meaning).

Many perfectly good reasons could apply that might cause you to disagree with my A rating for Gold Rising, but I don't think four ingredients is among them.

I'm not on your case here, passer. You are as much an RY4 Pro as anyone I know, but you have tried Ahlusion Gold Rising?

 

[passerbyeus]

O no i have not because I thought there was butter or something put in it Ill have to dig up older post...

 

[RPadTV]

O no i have not because I thought there was butter or something put in it Ill have to dig up older post...

Gold Rising uses honey. Is that what kept you away from it?

 

[passerbyeus]

Thats right honey!!! ty Its not keep me away from it but keeping me away from it as a RY4....but if any has a small sample to send me Ill be glad to try it once...

 

[billherbst]

I've had some tobacco blends with honey that were Honey Tobacco. Gold Rising is Honey Tobacco, with enough honey for my brain to identify it, but not nearly enough to derail the freight train of tobacco, nor to obscure the caramel/vanilla. I don't know how Gold Rising would taste to passerbyeus, but for me the honey is definitely in the background.

Many RY4s have additional sweetener flavorings to augment whatever sweetness is provided by their caramel/vanilla: Cotton Candy, Marshmallow, Maple Syrup, Ethyl Maltol, Sucralose, etc. Is Honey out of bounds? I don't think so.

Like other NET-based RY4s (which are, by their very nature, Custom rather than Classic), Gold Rising pushes the RY4 flavor envelope pretty far. I didn't feel that it was over the line, however. Others might. That stretched flavor profile is one reason NET-based RY4s may eventually get their own niche in RY4 Land.

The early RY4s that came from NET vendors are something of a mystery. We know very little about the recipes behind BackwoodsBrew RY4, Want2Vape RY4, VapeRite VR4, and PrimeVaping PV4. All are supposedly made with natural tobacco extract, but we don't know the processes used to create the extracts or their origins (who made them). Mom&PopVaporShop RY4 and RY4v2 are made with Tobacco Absolute, a commercial super-concentrate made from Bulgarian tobacco, as is Moondrop RY42. Mom&Pop's RYO4 is made with Tobacco Extract, another super-concentrate related to Tobacco Absolute. Although TA and TE are both derived from real tobacco, they are difficult to categorize. Neither TA nor TE is considered to be the same kind of tobacco flavoring as macerated NETs, and with good reason---they taste very different. Hangsen, for instance, now has a small line of tobacco blends that they market as made using only "naturally-extracted" tobacco flavoring, but those are obviously based on Tobacco Absolute.

Only five NET-based RY4s are unmistakably made using in-house-brewed natural tobacco macerations: GoodEJuice GJ4, plus the four new ones: Ahlusion Gold Rising, MountainOakVapors Full Virginia Flake RY4, MyVapeJuice Rogue RY4, and QuickNicJuice ouR whY qu4tro. Together, these five present us (me, anyway) with a serious challenge: Where do they fit in RY4 Land? Are they sufficiently different and also important enough in the evolution of E-Liquids to merit their own niche as a third type of RY4? Yes, they are different. Their significance in the evolution of Vaping Juices, however, is as yet undetermined.

So, while we're waiting for the jury to come back in and tell us the verdict, we can hash this around among ourselves.

 

[On Target]

Bill, I have tried over 30 RY4's and of these I have 4 or 5 that I consistently vape EVERY DAY. Of those, 3 are NET's. BWB, MOV Full Virginia Flake and Want2Vape. So I guess it is safe for me to assume NET's are my preference. I have yet to try Gold Rising (cannot get my "new account" set up), GoodEJuice GJ4 or QuickNicJuice OuR whY qu4tro. Guess what 3 juices are on my short list for future purchases? LOL.

If we are going to hash it out as to whether or not NET's are their own RY4 Categorie, I vote YES.

 

[Jerms]

Whoops.....

 

[Jerms]

I have several aunts and uncles that I keep in contact with via email that are switching to vaping. Most went with a Blu kit and aren't interested in flavors, but one aunt I talked into going for the Volt from SmokelessImage instead. She loves it and got a lot of flavors from them too. I asked what she got and she replied with several flavors and ended with "but the best is tobacco called RY4 with a caramel tinge!" She, my friends, has a world of wonder ahead.

I just replied that a buddy on a forum I participate in has tried over a hundred RY4s and that the one from Smokeless Image is rated high among them. I'm guessing I may have blown her mind, not knowing that there is that many versions of one flavor and that others may be as obsessed about vaping as me lol.

Sent from my LGL55C using Tapatalk 2

 

[billherbst]

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to order a bottle of Janty RY4 Classic. I already have four other versions---RY4 DK Series, RY4-X Classic Series, and RY4 Elixir Series in both PG and VG. Every time I’ve previously visited the JantyUSA site, RY4 Classic has been out of stock, but this time I got lucky. RY4 Classic was available, and I ordered a 20ml bottle. It’s now been steeping on my desk for a week.

I’ve vaped and reviewed Janty RY4 Classic before---way back near the beginning of The Really Big RY4 Roundup thread, on June 25, 2011. ECF member and RY4 thread poster wv2win sent me a 2ml sample of RY4 Classic. That little bottle lasted only a couple of weeks. When it was gone, I ordered two bottles of Janty RY4 Elixir Series in PG and VG versions (because Classic was out of stock, as usual). I haven’t had any Janty RY4 Classic since then and long ago forgot what it tasted like---until today.

So, now I can compare the three essential Janty RY4s side-by-side: Janty RY4s from the DK Series, Classic Series, and Elixir Series. Many other versions exist besides those---I have Janty RY4-X Classic (with more tobacco): but I’ve never tried RY2 and RY3 from the Elixir Series, RY4, RY4-X, and RY7 from the Vitaya Series; or RY7 from the new Abaca Series. Except for RY4-X Classic, all the others are available only from the JantyWorld European site, but not from JantyUSA. Someday I might bust my bank account and order the other six from Janty Europe, but not today.

I tossed into the garbage my 18-month-old carto of Janty RY4 Elixir. It still tasted good, but I wanted to be sure that the playing field was level. All three RY4s were comparison-tested by loading each into a new Boge SR-XL 3.0 ohm carto, powered by one of my three VAMOs, each set to 8 watts RMS. That way, I could vape one, put it down, vape another, put that down, and vape the third, all within 15 seconds. All juices are 24mg.

The differences were more surprising than the similarities. RY4 DK was the calmest and least bright of the three. RY4 Classic, on the other hand, was far and away the brightest and most typically Classic-like of them. RY4 Elixir PG was closer to Classic than to DK, more bright than calm. According to Ludo---a Janty owner and creator of the original RY4 (now sold as RY4 DK)---Elixir has more flavor than Classic, which was the Janty customer favorite. In my comparison session, I liked the taste of RY4 DK best, perhaps because its minimal brightness lets the flavors come through more naturally.

Elixir has the strongest sourness (a delicious counterbalance to its sweetness), followed by Classic, while DK’s sourness is the softest and almost lemony-tasting.

One semi-retraction. In my original review of Janty RY4 Classic, I thought it had nuts. Now, having vaped many nutty RY4s, my opinion has changed. This time I tasted something in Classic that could conceivably be interpreted as nuttiness, but I don’t think it was actual nut flavoring. Instead, I interpreted it as a subtle side effect from the interaction of the three core flavors. I wonder, however, if Janty RY4 Classic, which debuted in 2010 and was the most popular Janty version ever, might have caused other RY4 makers to begin adding nut flavor to their RY4s. Just a theory.

Brightness and flavor seem to be inversely proportional in these three juices. Efforverscence in sparkling water doesn’t contain any flavor of its own, but the slightly metallic quality of the CO2 gas adds an impact that’s almost like a flavor. Sparkly brightness in Janty RY4s seems to work the same way. The tobacco-caramel-vanilla trilogy is amazingly unified in all three, producing a single overall flavor, but DK’s comparative lack of brightness lets that flavor through more directly. In Classic and Elixir, shimmery brightness pushes the unified flavor ever-so-slightly to one side. Elixir tries to make up for that with a bit of extra flavoring, but I still find DK the most pleasing in flavor.

These are not, however, deep or intensely-flavored RY4s. Not at all in-your-face. That job is left to a certain segment of Custom RY4s, which amp up the percentage of flavorings. What the Jantys are is beautifully blended, well-balanced, and unified in their overall flavor. Along with brightness, that is the Classic RY4 recipe profile.

I don’t have an obvious favorite. Which one I prefer over the other two will probably change depending on my mood. All three are superlative Classic RY4s.

 

[passerbyeus]

I just ordered some Elixir RY4 a week ago and forgot thats the one I do not like becuz of the over sour to me, so that will be going up in the classifieds. My next run in with Janty is going to be the Abaca RY7 and Vitaya RY4. Will post thoughts.

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to order a bottle of Janty RY4 Classic. I already have four other versions---RY4 DK Series, RY4-X Classic Series, and RY4 Elixir Series in both PG and VG. Every time I’ve previously visited the JantyUSA site, RY4 Classic has been out of stock, but this time I got lucky. RY4 Classic was available, and I ordered a 20ml bottle. It’s now been steeping on my desk for a week.

I’ve vaped and reviewed Janty RY4 Classic before---way back near the beginning of The Really Big RY4 Roundup thread, on June 25, 2011. ECF member and RY4 thread poster wv2win sent me a 2ml sample of RY4 Classic. That little bottle lasted only a couple of weeks. When it was gone, I ordered two bottles of Janty RY4 Elixir Series in PG and VG versions (because Classic was out of stock, as usual). I haven’t had any Janty RY4 Classic since then and long ago forgot what it tasted like---until today.

So, now I can compare the three essential Janty RY4s side-by-side: Janty RY4s from the DK Series, Classic Series, and Elixir Series. Many other versions exist besides those---I have Janty RY4-X Classic (with more tobacco): but I’ve never tried RY2 and RY3 from the Elixir Series, RY4, RY4-X, and RY7 from the Vitaya Series; or RY7 from the new Abaca Series. Except for RY4-X Classic, all the others are available only from the JantyWorld European site, but not from JantyUSA. Someday I might bust my bank account and order the other six from Janty Europe, but not today.

I tossed into the garbage my 18-month-old carto of Janty RY4 Elixir. It still tasted good, but I wanted to be sure that the playing field was level. All three RY4s were comparison-tested by loading each into a new Boge SR-XL 3.0 ohm carto, powered by one of my three VAMOs, each set to 8 watts RMS. That way, I could vape one, put it down, vape another, put that down, and vape the third, all within 15 seconds. All juices are 24mg.

The differences were more surprising than the similarities. RY4 DK was the calmest and least bright of the three. RY4 Classic, on the other hand, was far and away the brightest and most typically Classic-like of them. RY4 Elixir PG was closer to Classic than to DK, more bright than calm. According to Ludo---a Janty owner and creator of the original RY4 (now sold as RY4 DK)---Elixir has more flavor than Classic, which was the Janty customer favorite. In my comparison session, I liked the taste of RY4 DK best, perhaps because its minimal brightness lets the flavors come through more naturally.

Elixir has the strongest sourness (a delicious counterbalance to its sweetness), followed by Classic, while DK’s sourness is the softest and almost lemony-tasting.

One semi-retraction. In my original review of Janty RY4 Classic, I thought it had nuts. Now, having vaped many nutty RY4s, my opinion has changed. This time I tasted something in Classic that could conceivably be interpreted as nuttiness, but I don’t think it was actual nut flavoring. Instead, I interpreted it as a subtle side effect from the interaction of the three core flavors. I wonder, however, if Janty RY4 Classic, which debuted in 2010 and was the most popular Janty version ever, might have caused other RY4 makers to begin adding nut flavor to their RY4s. Just a theory.

Brightness and flavor seem to be inversely proportional in these three juices. Efforverscence in sparkling water doesn’t contain any flavor of its own, but the slightly metallic quality of the CO2 gas adds an impact that’s almost like a flavor. Sparkly brightness in Janty RY4s seems to work the same way. The tobacco-caramel-vanilla trilogy is amazingly unified in all three, producing a single overall flavor, but DK’s comparative lack of brightness lets that flavor through more directly. In Classic and Elixir, shimmery brightness pushes the unified flavor ever-so-slightly to one side. Elixir tries to make up for that with a bit of extra flavoring, but I still find DK the most pleasing in flavor.

These are not, however, deep or intensely-flavored RY4s. Not at all in-your-face. That job is left to a certain segment of Custom RY4s, which amp up the percentage of flavorings. What the Jantys are is beautifully blended, well-balanced, and unified in their overall flavor. Along with brightness, that is the Classic RY4 recipe profile.

I don’t have an obvious favorite. Which one I prefer over the other two will probably change depending on my mood. All three are superlative Classic RY4s.