The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[Jerms]

The smell of those 2 cigars is definately pretty out there. They are fairly similar, but the CI smells a little better to me. The Blondie has a stronger, ummmm potpourrie I guess is the word I'd use, scent. They both make me think of incense or scented candles. Eastwood's "man with no name" from the spaghetti westerns would be very offended by them.

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[billherbst]

and there is no darn Pine Sol taste [in Cold Infusion]

OK, so maybe Pine Sol was over-the-top. I'm just not a fan of piney tobaccos, whether it's w2v CI or any of numerous BWB tobaccos. I take one draw and immediately have that scrunched-up face expression of displeasure, like a 10-year-old kid who doesn't like broccoli. I have a similar reaction to Halo's signature "purity" base. To me, it tastes like a cross between hospital disinfectant and bug spray. Not my cup of tea.

For the record, I did use the disclaimer "To me" in my previous post before expressing my personal opinion. I get it that other brains may be wired differently. vaping isn't a one-juice-fits-all universe. I also assume that you weren't busting my chops, just sparring with me like siblings (at least I think that's what you were doing...).

The problem for me with juices that are an "acquired taste" is that I tend not to vape enough of them to ever acquire a sense of appreciation. Oh, I try sometimes, but it's hard. In w2v tobaccos, I liked Managua and Tabak Especial/Coffee-Infused Cigar right off, but I never warmed to ACID Blondie/Blond. But that's OK. I've purchased or received eliquids from 123 different vendors, but I've not encountered any juice vendor where I liked all their juices. Not a single one. And why should it be otherwise? Juice vendors have to serve a marketplace chock full of different palates and flavor preferences. The fact that I'm not in love with w2v CI or Blond doesn't diminish my admiration and respect for Donley and Carol, whom I regard as a brilliantly creative artisan juice alchemists.

As far as RY4 goes, I'm not really an aficionado. I'm more of an RY4 researcher/authority. Heck, I got roped into this thread on the basis of a single post that I assumed would die a quick death, but which then turned into a roller coaster ride that I couldn't get off. I stopped vaping RY4s for pleasure a long, long time ago, and there are no RY4s in my melangerie of 30-or-so daily juices. I end up vaping quite a bit of RY4 because, well, it's my job here on ECF. Yeah, I know, with that and $2.50 you can get a cappuccino. LOL.

 

[Plumes.91]

.... I was just about to order a big bottle of mt baker RY4.
I thought it'd be a nice generic caramel vanilla or whatever.
Your saying it tastes like anise?? Now I'm having 2nd thoughts.
And I don't want to have 2nd thoughts. I want it. Its a good deal. lol.

 

[glauserjg]

.... I was just about to order a big bottle of mt baker RY4.
I thought it'd be a nice generic caramel vanilla or whatever.
Your saying it tastes like anise?? Now I'm having 2nd thoughts.
And I don't want to have 2nd thoughts. I want it. Its a good deal. lol.

I thought the same thing! It tastes like ouzo out of the bottle! It is steeping right now we will see what happens!

 

[bbb]

Jerms

The smell of those 2 cigars is definately pretty out there. They are fairly similar, but the CI smells a little better to me. The Blondie has a stronger, ummmm potpourrie I guess is the word I'd use, scent. They both make me think of incense or scented candles. Eastwood's "man with no name" from the spaghetti westerns would be very offended by them.

Eastwood, in real life, ocassionally smoked Toscanos, which imo, are awful, but they are Italian ... yeah, Blondie does have a stronger floral presence but it doesn't taste as strong as the smell ... using premium tobacco and over 140 botanicals, herbs, and essential oils, the infusion process is a well-kept secret ... Acid cigars are unique among cigars and also unique within themselves ... Acid cigars are expertly rolled by hand in Nicaragua, each line has its own blend making them an individual experience

I hope you give them a fair chance, don't expect a similar Managua or Tabak type tobacco ... cigars have so many nuances, I don't think I've ever smoked one where I could say it tastes just like something else ... these are completely different from the other ACID line tobaccos, at least in my experience, tho I've not smoked all the ACID line

you mentioned your Tobak Especial you smoked had changed taste ... as a general rule, smoke cigars about half to two-thirds of the way down ... the reason is that a cigar gets hotter and more powerful the further down you smoke it, and its flavor changes as tars and moisture build up near the cigar's head ... smoke it too far, and you risk ruining the great flavor you've been enjoying

I'm looking forward to your real deal to ejuice comparison

and interested to hear your Janty ry4 review ... with only 3 ingredients, how much different can ry4's be ?

 

[bbb]

Jerms
with the Acid line it's not just the tobacco, but all sorts of flavors that have been infused with the tobacco that I assume would transfer nicely in an extraction, like the Pine-Sol lol.

Bill
OK, so maybe Pine Sol was over-the-top. I'm just not a fan of piney tobaccos

Bill, my comment about no pine sol was actually directed at Jerms, my response to his previous post ... I know both you and he were just needling me and I wasn't busting your chops and I have definitely tasted a similar description to yours from other vendors from whom I won't even consider buying from again ... my only problem with over-the-top reviews or comments (good or bad) is that people tend to believe them, especially from a highly respected researcher/authority ... I agree with much of your latest post, about Halo, no juice fits all, acquired tastes, etc, etc ... and I certainly have no issue with anyone not liking any brand juice ... I tried both w2v ry's and I didn't like either one of them, so there

I'm looking forward to Indigo's ry's and I did kinda like their new Eureka, I don't get the waffle cone others have tasted, so my taste buds are obviously well off the chart and my impressions should be taken with a grain of salt

 

[pcrdude]

.... I was just about to order a big bottle of mt baker RY4.
I thought it'd be a nice generic caramel vanilla or whatever.
Your saying it tastes like anise?? Now I'm having 2nd thoughts.
And I don't want to have 2nd thoughts. I want it. Its a good deal. lol.

I asked for an RY4 freebie from MBV on my last order. I'm letting it steep as I finish up a "western" from a B&M. Earlier in this enormous thread, it was reported that MBV RY4 was golden in color. My bottle has a nearly black colored liquid. Is that the correct color, or did something go horribly wrong with my juice!

 

[billherbst]

.... I was just about to order a big bottle of mt baker RY4.
I thought it'd be a nice generic caramel vanilla or whatever.
Your saying it tastes like anise?? Now I'm having 2nd thoughts.
And I don't want to have 2nd thoughts. I want it. Its a good deal. lol.

I thought the same thing! It tastes like ouzo out of the bottle! It is steeping right now we will see what happens!

Yes, in both their retail juice version and their flavoring concentrate version, Mt.Baker RY4 has a perceptible side taste of anise/licorice. I'm not implying that Mt.Baker RY4 actually contains either anise or licorice flavoring. That result on the palate could be due to the specific nature of the core ingredients (tobacco, caramel, vanilla) or the inadvertent product of their interaction. But however it got there, anise/licorice is a definite presence. And not in a good way, either.

OK, before I slam them, let me offer my disclaimer: I have no ax to grind against Mt.BakerVapor. I've bought 42 of their juices and/or flavoring concentrates, and I actually like about half of them. I consider the folks at MtB to be hard-working and conscientious. They offer great customer service, cheap and fast shipping, and MtB is right at the head of the class for low-priced, bargain eliquids. I mean, c'mon, 50mls for eleven bucks??? They also offer just about every conceivable customizing choice, which many vapers appreciate (personally, I'd rather have a vendor give me his best shot on each juice, just let me choose the bottle size and nic concentration, thank you---in other words, I don't think juices necessarily benefit from the paint-by-number-kit approach, but that's just me). Anyway, taking into consideration all those factors, what's not to like?

Well, the answer to what's not to like in terms of RY4 is the juice itself. There are about 30 vendors I'd love to sit down with over coffee and ask, "Who taught you to make RY4?" and "Who told you that the RY4 you make and sell is good?" Because if this is the best those vendors can come up with, something is really wrong in the Vaping Universe. I won't go so far as to say that any fool can make a good RY4, because that's not true. Nor will I assert that making RY4 is not rocket science---there does seem to be a certain magic involved in creating a superlative RY4.

Still, we're talking about three core ingredients here---tobacco, caramel, and vanilla. Start with a good quality choice for each flavoring: a mild, neutral synthetic tobacco flavoring, add a good, middle-of-the-road caramel with some sweetness and depth, then add a creamy vanilla with no bitterness or stray flavors to finish, and Voilà! RY4 flavoring. Mix that with some high-quality, clean liquid nic in whatever base ratio of PG/VG pleases you, and you've got RY4. Maybe not Janty, but something tasty and vape-worthy.

So why does a vendor like Mt.Baker insist on messing with that formula? Even the majority of customer reviews on their web site product page are less than complimentary, and some are right out front in asserting that Mt.Baker RY4 is dreadful!

I'd have thought that Mt.Baker would have paid attention to that feedback and gone back to the drawing board by now to reformulate their RY4 from scratch, but apparently not. That's a shame, because I'd love too see a good-tasting, high-quality Custom RY4 in Mt.Baker's price range.

Oh well, I don't get to know all the behind-the-scenes reasons. Maybe Mt.Baker's owner has a perverse fondness for that particular RY4 recipe and doesn't give a hoot whether or not it's downright lousy to most of us, and especially to anyone who's sampled some of the best RY4s around. Or maybe Mt.Baker bought cheap ingredient flavorings for their RY4 by the truckload and now have to use up those stocks. Who knows? Someone does, but I don't.

In good conscience, however, I cannot recommend Mt.Baker RY4 juice or flavoring to anyone with a relatively normal palate. Maybe I will if someone asks me whether any anise/licorice flavored RY4s exist, but no one has yet.

 

[SKYYcamel]

I got my OuR-Y4 from Vapor..... and I'm not impressed at all. Dripping on a 1.5 ohm dripping atty, I get hardly any flavor at all. Very disappointing.

 

[pcrdude]

Aussie vapors saw a similar color to the MBV RY4:

So, I guess it's supposed to be that dark?

 

[billherbst]

Bill, my comment about no pine sol was actually directed at Jerms, my response to his previous post ... I know both you and he were just needling me and I wasn't busting your chops and I have definitely tasted a similar description to yours from other vendors from whom I won't even consider buying from again ... my only problem with over-the-top reviews or comments (good or bad) is that people tend to believe them, especially from a highly respected researcher/authority ... I agree with much of your latest post, about Halo, no juice fits all, acquired tastes, etc, etc ... and I certainly have no issue with anyone not liking any brand juice ... I tried both w2v ry's and I didn't like either one of them, so there

I'm looking forward to Indigo's ry's and I did kinda like their new Eureka, I don't get the waffle cone others have tasted, so my taste buds are obviously well off the chart and my impressions should be taken with a grain of salt

bbb,

You strike me as very friendly guy and a no-harm, no-foul kind of person. I didn't think you were on my case, but I too acknowledge the inherent problem with exaggeration on written boards such as ECF. If people were interacting face-to-face, they might more easily pick up the vocal, facial, or body language clues indicating satire, sarcasm, or inherent playfulness of such venting, and not take it too seriously. But that's much harder to convey in writing (although your use of smiley-faces does help).

Then too, the problem you point out that comes with being a recognized authority is oh, so true. Many people actually believe whatever an "authority" writes. In the classic words of the Randy Newman song written for Frank Sinatra, "Oh, it's lonely at the top!" LOL. For better or worse, I have become the "RY4 Guy" on ECF. I wish that offered better compensation than it does (basically, the only literal perc I get for my thousands of hours of work is the occasional free sample of RY4s or other juices from vendors), but I admit to liking the street-cred it gives me on ECF. The downside is that I need to be careful about what I say, especially when I'm venting or just kidding around. You'd think I'd know this by now.

As with so many interactions in human affairs, the seduction of authority leads inevitably to betrayal. Whether it's the Pope, politicians, or the RY4 Guru on ECF, every authority has feet of clay, and if one agrees to the seduction of believing otherwise, then betrayal is the inevitable and eventual result when the scales fall from one's eyes.

That is, of course, the great trap of idealized romantic love---the projection of perfection onto another who may all too happy to bask in that soft focus, at least for awhile. Seduction-betrayal is always an agreement, although not generally a permanent one. Eventually, the person who agreed to be enthralled or entranced wises up to the fact that this "perfect" lover ain't so perfect after all, and that can result in some serious disillusionment and even rage if the "betrayal" is too shocking. Personally, I'd rather not be put on a pedestal, because I'm all too aware that the other person will almost certainly shoot me off later, and I'd rather not take the hard fall, thanks. Too often, however, even one's best efforts at remaining humble fail, if the other person prefers the perfect fantasy over the flawed reality.

But then, business and social interactions are also based to a large extent on "putting one's best foot forward" and trying to create a good impression in the mind of the potential customer, boss, friend, whatever. Why do advertisers use celebrities and sports heros to sell stuff? Because they know that a certain percentage of the audience will be impressed. Duh. Why don't people fart or belch on first dates? Again, to make a good first impression. We hide some of who we really are and what we do because we know that we'll never get our foot the door otherwise. Duh.

All in all, the whole fronts-and-backs conflict of fantasy versus reality and idealized projection versus pragmatic recognition is something with which humans have a boatload of trouble. Doesn't look like that will change anytime soon, at least not at the collective level.

I may be pushing the envelope by using ECF to leave my little psychological/social commentary, but this is the very stuff I think about while I'm vaping.

 

[billherbst]

Aussie vapors saw a similar color to the MBV RY4:

So, I guess it's supposed to be that dark?

prcdude,

"Supposed to be" is a bit of a mine field, but yes, that's the color of Mt.Baker RY4---very dark. Same with their RY4 flavoring concentrate.

Classic RY4s tend to be very light or pale-colored, usually golden. Custom RY4s are all over the map in color, but often they're much darker.

 

[glauserjg]

My ry4 from mtbaker is also very dark, seems to me the high vg content ones come out that way where the high pg orders from them are lighter in color

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[Jerms]

you mentioned your Tobak Especial you smoked had changed taste ... as a general rule, smoke cigars about half to two-thirds of the way down ... the reason is that a cigar gets hotter and more powerful the further down you smoke it, and its flavor changes as tars and moisture build up near the cigar's head ... smoke it too far, and you risk ruining the great flavor you've been enjoying

It may not be proper to smoke the last third, but if I pay $11 for a cigar I'm going to get as much out of it as I can lol. Yet again, another benefit of vaping, the money spent for an hour or two enjoyment could buy a bottle of juice that provides dozens of hours of pleasure.

I actually really like the period from 1/2 left to 1/4 left of a cigar. It does get hotter quicker, so I've learned to space out the puffs longer. After that I accept that I'm just being stubborn if I continue to puff on the nub, the enjoyment is complete and the remaining tobacco has no more use. I'm the kind of person though, that gives all my juice bottles the thermometer style shake to make sure every last drop is dripped from the bottle.

I may be pushing the envelope by using ECF to leave my little psychological/social commentary, but this is the very stuff I think about while I'm vaping.

Same here buddy, vaping and contemplation go hand in hand. It starts with, what am I tasting, how do I feel about what I'm tasting, my experiences with the vendor, how it compares to other juices, what have others mentioned about this juice and do I agree or disagree.. all of which eventually leads to deeper thoughts of human nature, social behavior, individual and group experience, why and who am I and why and who are you, etc.

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[billherbst]

Since I was messing around with mixing up a little DIY RY4 from Mt.Baker RY4 flavoring concentrate earlier today and had my drawer of DIY RY4s open, I decided to revisit some other DIY RY4s in a little comparison-vape shoot-out.

All the DIY RY4s listed below have been steeping for many months, so they’re about as well-steeped as they’re going to get. Testing/tasting was done by dripping into a 2.5 ohm IKV i06 atty powered by a VAMO set to 8 watts RMS.

TFA RY4 Asian – steeping hasn’t helped this one. In fact, it’s not as good now as I remember it when freshly made. Much of the brightness has vanished, and along with that, the Classic profile is diminished. It’s also sweeter now than I remember it. Grade: C, at best.

TFA RY4 Double – again, steeping seems to have imbalanced the juice. My memory of the juice when fresh was that I liked it very much. Now I’m not so sure. As a custom RY4, it needs something now. I’m not sure what. Grade: B-.

Note: I also found a bottle of Frankenjuiced TFA RY4 Double, where I’d added some TFA Caramel Candy flavoring to kick up the caramel. Well, I obviously added to much, because the RY4-ness of the juice has been killed, replaced by a very dominant caramel flavor. Not a successful experiment.
​

EcigExpress Tobacco Express Ruyan 4: This one was OK when fresh---not great, but OK---and it remains that way after months of steeping. The color, however, has darkened considerably. Grade: B-

Ecig Express Tobacco Express RY4: I didn’t like this one much when fresh, but it’s considerably tastier now. The balance has improved, and the flavors have melded nicely. Surprisingly, not half bad. Grade: B.

Hangsen Essence RY4: Really quite good. Has changed for the better with steeping. Flavors are deeper and more round, and it’s turned from colorless to the golden transparency of Hangsen’s retail RY4. For a DIY RY4, this one’s a winner. Much closer now to Hangsen’s retail juice, although still not as good as that. Grade: B.

HealthCabin house-brand RY4: As with Hangsen RY4, the color here has shifted from clear to a very light gold, but HealthCabin RY4 remains the most pale in color of all the DIY RY4s I have. This is now a nice juice, about midway between a Classic and Custom RY4. Not quite as bright as most Classics, and not as deep as most Customs, but a very pleasant vape. Grade: B+.

DecadentVapours DV4: Color of this one has darkened considerably with steeping. Next to Want2Vape RY4, this comes in as the second darkest DIY RY4 I have. When fresh, I thought this was an odd juice. Now, I still do. It’s not what I’d call a bad juice, but not very close to what I think of as RY4. Grade: C.

TotallyWicked RY5: This juice was absolutely clear when first mixed. Now, almost a year later, it’s golden-colored. I liked this when fresh, and I like it still. As a custom re-numbered RY4, it’s very nice. I probably shouldn’t include it in the vape-off, however, because it’s no longer available. But it’s tasty, so I’ll include it here. Grade: B+.

Want2Vape RY4: The darkest caramel-color of all my DIY RY4s. This batch is almost a year old, and it’s showing some age in slightly diminished flavor and vapor production. Somewhat restrained now. Still tasty, with the deep flavors of Custom RY4, but not as good as when fresh. Grade: B.

Want2Vape Rock Star: The DIY version of W2V Rock Star is unique in its fairly dark but very bright auburn color. Rock Star always was a variation that lived out on the edge of the Custom RY4 neighborhood, and it still is at nine months old. Slightly odd for an RY4, with an unusual flavor profile, but an interesting vape. Grade: B-.

FlavourArt RY4: The second most pale-colored DIY RY4 I have, only one shade darker than HealthCabin RY4. At five months old, the improvement in this DIY juice is striking. While FA RY4 still doesn’t approach the top echelon of retail RY4 juices, it does move strongly up from the C- I gave it back in October of 2012 to a very respectable and solid grade of B.

FlavourArtUK RY4 Nutzilla: Light caramel-colored when first mixed, the juice has darkened somewhat to a medium caramel. Ah, I’ve saved the best for last. This was my favorite DIY RY4 (with an A grade) when I initially reviewed it last November 2012, and it remains my favorite today, four months later. I can’t tell if the flavor has improved or diminished (my memory isn’t that clear on this one), but it’s still the best of the bunch by a long shot---the pick of this entire litter. Grading on the curve, FAuk RY4 Nutzilla still deserves an A.

 

[Koman]

Well explained man, thanks for that!

 

[passerbyeus]

ok guys I got in Janty Elixer RY4 its great stuff just the low is 12mg and I can only vape below 10mg so letting 14ml go for 11 bucks shipped, great deal asked here first before I push it to the classifieds....

 

[johni]

I stop by this thread often just to see what you guys are up to. Your discussions are always interesting even though I am not an RY4 fan.

 

[passerbyeus]

OFF the topic...

I am really getting tired of vendors charging for shipping when its taking them 2 weeks even longer for a person to get a order, I have been vaping for almost 4 years and it just keeps getting worse, if they need help they need to hire or something here, I know most are putting warnings about shipping time but they are even going over that times, if we would stop ordering from these vendors them maybe they will make changes for us. Some people say its worth the wait but come on your paying your money not to wait so that is not good enough!!!

 

[bbb]

You strike me as very friendly guy and a no-harm, no-foul kind of person.

at my age, anything else is a waste of precious energy

And I ain't hidin' from nobody
Nobody's hidin' from me
Oh, and that's the way it's supposed to be

popularized by Lynrd Skynrd, written by J.J. Cale

I may be pushing the envelope by using ECF to leave my little psychological/social commentary, but this is the very stuff I think about while I'm vaping.

hehe, who'd a thunk vaping would lend itself to such lofty meanderings an enjoyable and thought provoking read Bill

to stay vaguely on topic I have an ry4 question

I had a revelation re: my increasingly favored Dunhill ... I think I know what it tastes like or rather what was born out of it ... and that is the legendary Raf-a-licious ... Raf may have been a bit more intense but there is a similarity, at least to my taste ... you'll need a clean or non-sweetened palette, I was vaping a cigar previously and when I later vaped this, the flavor difference was strongly apparent and very reminiscent of Raf, imho ... give it a taste, see what ya think, let's see if we can start a run on Dunhill did you ever consider Raf to be an ry4 variant ?