The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[thehangdude]

I think I finally agree with passer on something!

Being closed everytime I wanted to order something is one of the reasons I quit ordering from Kick Bass Vapors. I liked their juices and prices, but you could only order at certain times. Haven't ordered from them for a year now.

I can see a company taking a couple days to get your order ready (sometimes), but they should keep the store open. It is an online store. The internet doesn't close.

/rant

 

[passerbyeus]

I never knew we disagreed on anything anyways , I think are talking about RY4s is more of a
discussion to help each other and not have Bill carry the burden all on his shoulders

I think I finally agree with passer on something!

Being closed everytime I wanted to order something is one of the reasons I quit ordering from Kick Bass Vapors. I liked their juices and prices, but you could only order at certain times. Haven't ordered from them for a year now.

I can see a company taking a couple days to get your order ready (sometimes), but they should keep the store open. It is an online store. The internet doesn't close.

/rant

 

[billherbst]

I agree with both passer and the hangdude.

I understand and sympathize with the repercussions and pressures that often accompany unexpected or seemingly overnight success, with the result that small-scale vendors in that position often find themselves hamstrung, overwhelmed, and scrambling to keep up with the tsunami of orders. It's one of the unintended consequences of a forum such as ECF.

That said, if any vendor makes it too difficult for me to place an order, I'll walk away. I don't mind having to visit a site two or three times to place an order or an extra week of processing time, but I absolutely refuse the indignity of having to stalk a site for weeks on end just to get lucky and find it open for orders, and I don't appreciate waiting a month for some juice to arrive.

Ordering hardware from China is a different story. With Chinese vendors such as fasttech, EcigForever, VaporBreak, or many eBay sellers, I know going in that the wait for delivery will be at least two weeks and maybe even a month. That's OK with me, especially with such discounted prices and free shipping.

No, it's only a small number of American vendors---mainly juice vendors---that get blacklisted by me. vaping is supposed to be about pleasure, not frustration or hassle, so I do everything in my power to minimize any unnecessary aggravation. I mean, c'mon, life is hard enough without adding to the travail.

 

[midficollege]

I'm of two minds about the whole "Closed shop" thing. I've known people who were burned by a shop remaining open when they were flooded with orders already, and their orders became lost in the woodwork for weeks at a time since they had ordered them when the shop really wasn't willing to accept them.

However, despite having a strong interest in, for example, Bounty Hunter, I can't see myself ever successfully ordering it in a nic level I'm comfortable with, either from NiteLite or now LiteCig, and so I find myself not really checking their website terribly frequently.

I think I pretty much agree with Bill on that one (that said, I stalked multiple sites for weeks on end trying to find a place to buy my Protank, so maybe this just really applies to juice and not devices).

 

[Sero]

Got some Dulcis in today. I'm definitely going to let this steep a bit more, but I'm not too impressed with this one either. It tastes like a chinese cigarette, if any of you have ever bought analogs in china, you know how different they taste to the ones over here. I can tell it is a custom chinese blend. The chinese tobacco is the main flavor I get in this one....a tiny, tiny bit of caramel lurks in the background. Hoping it will get better with time. I still can't find anything that beats tribeca...When I first tasted tribeca, it brought back memories of the original DK RY4 I had back in early 2009, although it's not exactly the same.

Have some JY4 from Roar on the way though, hope that is the one i've been looking for. I want some good caramel and JY4 is supposed to have sweet, buttery caramel as its main flavor. If that doesn't cut it for me, I'm going to end my search with Janty DK RY4. Don't think I can go wrong with that. Especially if it is the "original."

 

[Jerms]

Have some JY4 from Roar on the way though, hope that is the one i've been looking for. I want some good caramel and JY4 is supposed to have sweet, buttery caramel as its main flavor. If that doesn't cut it for me, I'm going to end my search with Janty DK RY4. Don't think I can go wrong with that. Especially if it is the "original."

I'm curious how JY4 is to you. Haven't heard a lot of opinions on Roar's tobaccos.

Took my first semi-long session with Janty DK RY4. It worked a lot more for me than the first time, getting accustomed to the sour note. I still like the Janty Classic RY4 better, but the DK is making head-way.

Sent from my LGL55C using Tapatalk 2

 

[passerbyeus]

Beach Vapes RY4 is a nice cheap sweet RY4 you could try, I like it because there is nothing off about it, just caramel, vanilla and tobacco mixed well everything you would expect in a RY4.

Got some Dulcis in today. I'm definitely going to let this steep a bit more, but I'm not too impressed with this one either. It tastes like a chinese cigarette, if any of you have ever bought analogs in china, you know how different they taste to the ones over here. I can tell it is a custom chinese blend. The chinese tobacco is the main flavor I get in this one....a tiny, tiny bit of caramel lurks in the background. Hoping it will get better with time. I still can't find anything that beats tribeca...When I first tasted tribeca, it brought back memories of the original DK RY4 I had back in early 2009, although it's not exactly the same.

Have some JY4 from Roar on the way though, hope that is the one i've been looking for. I want some good caramel and JY4 is supposed to have sweet, buttery caramel as its main flavor. If that doesn't cut it for me, I'm going to end my search with Janty DK RY4. Don't think I can go wrong with that. Especially if it is the "original."

 

[passerbyeus]

Any egg vapes out there I need some right now to go with this Halo Tribeca I got in to day . Ok I do not hate the stuff but I really do not taste any change at all with this RY4, it still tatse like sage to me, even if mind over matter was at play here I went in thinking postive thoughts but I still come up with the old vape, so it was a good thing I got in my Janty DK RY4 in today which made me smile.

I ordered this stuff on the Janty Europe side on 4/1 and got it today!!! 8 days from another country and 21 bucks for 40mls I am a happy vaper once again.....It feels like a gamble every time I order from them,because there is no shipping number or anything and it has to get by customs and before you even order it you have to agree that you may never get it lol, but its well worth it

 

[thehangdude]

Any egg vapes out there I need some right now to go with this Halo Tribeca I got in to day . Ok I do not hate the stuff but I really do not taste any change at all with this RY4, it still tatse like sage to me, even if mind over matter was at play here I went in thinking postive thoughts but I still come up with the old vape, so it was a good thing I got in my Janty DK RY4 in today which made me smile.

passer,
You should put the Tribeca in a storage area and forget about it. After a couple months, I think even you will like it. My last order is about three weeks old, and it still is not quite there yet. The longer you wait, the smoother the Tribeca will become. Six months is ideal, but two months should do fine.

 

[billherbst]

Well, that's OK, passer. I'm sure someone will take the breakfast sausage Tribeca off your hands.

Good consumer strategy going to JantyWorldwide(EU) for your Janty DK fix. 50¢/ml for Janty shipped is a good deal.

I checked out a couple of the RY4s you mentioned in recent posts or exchanges. I wasn't thrilled with the price of BeachVapes RY4. $6 plus shipping for 10mls wasn't dreadful, but when you've got 120 RY4s as I do, a new one had better be either the greatest RY4 since sliced bread or dirt cheap. Roar JY4 struck me the same way.

Given the humongous size of my juice stash plus my success at DIY, if I'm gonna buy a retail juice these days, it has to be a juice where there's at least a reasonable chance that I'll vape the entire bottle. Since I have a liter of different RY4s that already includes the very best RY4s in the world, chances of my vaping an entire bottle of any new RY4 are either very slim or none. So, it'd better be a inexpensive sample bottle that I can order with shipping for five bucks or less. That's why I passed on CrystalClearVaping RY4. $15 shipped for a 30ml bottle is a fair price, but too much for me to shell out if all I'll do is review it and then past that vape it only for comparison purposes against other RY4s just for this thread.

I still enjoy writing about RY4s. I just no longer like buying them. LOL.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

...Given the humongous size of my juice stash plus my success at DIY,..

Bill, do you care to expand upon your DIY successes?

 

[billherbst]

Bill, do you care to expand upon your DIY successes?

Cool,

My "DIY successes" have a couple of different facets. One is general familiarity with the ingredients of DIY---bases, liquid nic, flavorings, mixing percentages, etc.---which means that I can throw together a small bottle of DIY blend easily and quickly, without fear of inadvertently producing toxic sludge.

Another facet involves my having produced a fairly good NET from a home-brew maceration. While my Skydancer NET isn't drop-dead perfect vaped as a single-flavor DIY, it's absolutely brilliant for making DIY and Frankenjuice blends, providing a relatively neutral, naturally sweet, and smoky tobacco base to carry non-tobacco flavors (all the usual suspects: caramel, vanilla, coffee/cappa/espresso/mocha, cocoa, liqueurs, fruits, etc.). It also lends an element of authenticity to synthetic, lab-based tobacco blends, and smooths out other NETs that may be too idiosyncratic or potent for my palate.

50% of the juices I vape these days are DIY'd, and in the retail half, about 80% of those are altered to one extent or another, either as retail/DIY hybrids (when I add flavorings) or Frankenjuices (when I mix retail juices).

With almost no exceptions, I think of juice and flavoring vendors now as providing me with the raw materials/ingredients for custom-tailored juices.

 

[Koman]

Cool,

My "DIY successes" have a couple of different facets. One is general familiarity with the ingredients of DIY---bases, liquid nic, flavorings, mixing percentages, etc.---which means that I can throw together a small bottle of DIY blend easily and quickly, without fear of inadvertently producing toxic sludge.

Another facet involves my having produced a fairly good NET from a home-brew maceration. While my Skydancer NET isn't drop-dead perfect vaped as a single-flavor DIY, it's absolutely brilliant for making DIY and Frankenjuice blends, providing a relatively neutral, naturally sweet, and smoky tobacco base to carry non-tobacco flavors (all the usual suspects: caramel, vanilla, coffee/cappa/espresso/mocha, cocoa, liqueurs, fruits, etc.). It also lends an element of authenticity to synthetic, lab-based tobacco blends, and smooths out other NETs that may be too idiosyncratic or potent for my palate.

50% of the juices I vape these days are DIY'd, and in the retail half, about 80% of those are altered to one extent or another, either as retail/DIY hybrids (when I add flavorings) or Frankenjuices (when I mix retail juices).

With almost no exceptions, I think of juice and flavoring vendors now as providing me with the raw materials/ingredients for custom-tailored juices.

That was a very interesting read, thanks for sharing Bill!

 

[El_tecolote]

Anyone have any more input on "Indigo Classic" RY4 from Indigo Vapors? About to get some. I'm looking for a sweet, classic RY4 that has it's own custom character. From what I've read it seems to fit my needs, but it's a fairly new juice so there are not many reviews of it.

Currently Indigo RY is one of my very favorites. It is a well-balanced blend of caramel, vanilla, and tobacco which gives me a very nice vape with good TH and vapor. Excellent flavor of caramel and vanilla on the inhale and then that robust tobacco flavor on the exhale. Really like this particular RY blend!

 

[passerbyeus]

bring on the Skydancer RY4!!!

Cool,

My "DIY successes" have a couple of different facets. One is general familiarity with the ingredients of DIY---bases, liquid nic, flavorings, mixing percentages, etc.---which means that I can throw together a small bottle of DIY blend easily and quickly, without fear of inadvertently producing toxic sludge.

Another facet involves my having produced a fairly good NET from a home-brew maceration. While my Skydancer NET isn't drop-dead perfect vaped as a single-flavor DIY, it's absolutely brilliant for making DIY and Frankenjuice blends, providing a relatively neutral, naturally sweet, and smoky tobacco base to carry non-tobacco flavors (all the usual suspects: caramel, vanilla, coffee/cappa/espresso/mocha, cocoa, liqueurs, fruits, etc.). It also lends an element of authenticity to synthetic, lab-based tobacco blends, and smooths out other NETs that may be too idiosyncratic or potent for my palate.

50% of the juices I vape these days are DIY'd, and in the retail half, about 80% of those are altered to one extent or another, either as retail/DIY hybrids (when I add flavorings) or Frankenjuices (when I mix retail juices).

With almost no exceptions, I think of juice and flavoring vendors now as providing me with the raw materials/ingredients for custom-tailored juices.

 

[billherbst]

bring on the Skydancer RY4!!!

OK, I just whipped up versions 1 and 2 of DIY Skydancer RY4. Actually, the 3.7ml bottle of I made as Version 1 "became" the 6ml bottle of Version 2. I started out making V1 with 15% Skydancer NET, 10% Lorann Creamy Caramel, and 10% Capellas French Vanilla, but, after atty-dripping to taste it, I adjusted the flavorings to achieve better balance by diluting the tobacco to 12% and the vanilla to 8% for the 6ml size. I also added more caramel to keep that at 10%. The overall mix in V2 ended up as 65/35 PG/VG at 24mg nic. Shake-shake-shake-shake-shake. The color of the liquid is a nice, transparent medium-tan caramel---not pale like most Classic RY4s, but well within the acceptable range for a Custom RY4.

The multi-flavor DIY rule is no less than one week of steeping, but I always test my DIY juices along the way, from first blush of freshly made through maturity. First atty-drip of the revised Version 2 is surprising---it's recognizably like an RY4! Will wonders never cease? Obviously, the flavors haven't melded, but I get all three components---tobacco, caramel, and vanilla---in a nicely balanced blend. I'll check the juice every other day or so to see how it evolves.

Part of my DIY experience that comes in handy is that I now know that my favorite caramel flavoring mixer---TFA Caramel Candy---makes lousy RY4s, so I didn't use that. Also, I wanted this to have a smooth flavor, so I used Lorann Creamy Caramel and Capellas French Vanilla, which is both richer and smoother than many vanilla flavorings.

The Skydancer NET in this RY4 is almost neutral enough, but it's probably too smoky to qualify as Classic. This DIY NET RY4 will be Custom for sure, but that's fine, since I can't imagine a Classic RY4 made with naturally-extracted tobacco. I may mix up a couple more experimental versions using different vanilla and caramel flavorings, and varying the mix percentages of all three components.

Jeez, if I eventually come up with a Skydancer NET RY4 that's pretty good, I suppose I'll have to send out beta samples. Well, don't hold your breath. Lots more testing, revisions, and time will be required before that might happen.

 

[bbb]

Bill, per a previous post, I think you and I are the only two that have regularly smoked Skydancer cigs ... I'm wondering if there is anything recognizeable left of Skydancer, or is it just a neutral tobacco taste, 12% just sounds low but may be absolutely perfect for your RY ... Skydancer wasn't a strong distinctive taste to begin with, iirc ... I'm enjoying your suggestion of Indigo Classic, switching between that and a strong Turkish to keep the taste buds guessing ... trying to learn a bit about RY's and I may be spoiled already ... your mix sounds delicious ... how much do you use in maceration if I may ask ?

 

[billherbst]

Bill, per a previous post, I think you and I are the only two that have regularly smoked Skydancer cigs ... I'm wondering if there is anything recognizeable left of Skydancer, or is it just a neutral tobacco taste, 12% just sounds low but may be absolutely perfect for your RY ... Skydancer wasn't a strong distinctive taste to begin with, iirc ... I'm enjoying your suggestion of Indigo Classic, switching between that and a strong Turkish to keep the taste buds guessing ... trying to learn a bit about RY's and I may be spoiled already ... your mix sounds delicious ... how much do you use in maceration if I may ask ?

bbb,

If I were being unkind, I'd call the flavor of my Skydancer NET "nondescript," but that would be technically incorrect. It does have a flavor, but nothing I can easily describe in words. I guess I'd fall back on "neutral cigarette tobacco" if pushed to the wall. What surprises me are the sweetness (which tastes natural) and the smokiness, which is pronounced. I don't really remember how they tasted when smoked---I smoked them for the last three years of my 40-year smoking addiction, when I was desperate to find something "natural" and cheap that didn't taste awful to me. The flavor of the extract, however, doesn't ring any memorybells in my brain, so I assume it may not taste much like the cigarettes did when smoked. Or maybe it does. I'm not going to smoke one to find out. LOL.

I used the tobacco from about 35 Skydancer cigarettes, the remaining 15 from an open pack and all 20 from an unopened pack. I weighed the tobacco before starting the maceration, but I forget how many grams it was. Definitely more than a regular cigar. Might have been as much as 40 grams.

After filtering the extraction, I presumed (despite its dark color) that it would be weak, since the tobacco was old and dried out. On my first DIY mix, I used 40% extract, which turned out to be way, way too much. Didn't taste good at all, like tobacco mud. Then I tried 20%, and that was still too much. Now, I use 8-15%, depending on what/how many flavors I'm mixing with it. That amount gives the resulting DIY juice more than enough of the extract flavor, sweetness, and smokiness to make its presence felt.

I wouldn't call my Skydancer RY4 delicious. Not on its first day, anyway. I'd approach it from the other direction---not too bad. I've made about six different blends using Skydancer extract. Two are really tasty, including one that is a sort of garbage can/kitchen sink blend, which means that I took an empty 30ml bottle and poured in about five different 6ml experiments that were failures. Amazingly enough, together they worked out quite well. A complex blend of natural and artificial tobaccos with a little caramel. The other that's good is a Skydancer Mocha Cappuccino, which I like a lot. Tobacco and coffee is one of my current favorite combos.

I keep telling myself to go to the Florence Liquor Store and buy a good cigar (I've already checked, and they have a nice selection of decent individual cigars ranging from $4 to $8) for a second maceration. Haven't done it yet, though. I've made 90mls of DIY juice from the Skydancer extract so far, and I have 100mls of extract left---enough to make 600mls more juice. Maybe I should sell half of the extract, although I hesitate to go that direction for all sorts of reasons. This isn't my business, nor do I want it to be, and worrying about "pleasing" customers is not something I wish to take on.

 

[bbb]

thanks for the description, I've read quite a few different techniques and I'm not going to try any of them I've not the patience, nor do I think I can capture some long ago tobacco pipe blend I fondly remember ... at best I might buy a 50/50 base with nic already added and use some of the naturally extracted tobacco extracts that some vendors are selling ... add extract and maybe some flavoring and be done with it, that sounds easy enough and almost fool proof

best luck with your Skydancer RY4

 

[Sero]

Got some Janty Elixir RY4 in today. It is a very well blended juice. The caramel flavor is right and tastes great. The tobacco can be a little bit chinese-y(chinese tobacco), but it doesn't take anything away from the juice and is barely noticeable. Janty is definitely the standard for RY4. I'm interested in how different this is from the Janty DK version and if it's even noticeable. The hunt continues for me though...Tribeca is still my favorite, but I think i will eventually find one I like more that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to buy.