The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[thehangdude]

At three weeks of age, v2b has mellowed. The caramel is still what you smell, but the main flavor is the gritty tobacco. I can taste the vanilla, but it has blended with the caramel to give a light sweetness to the exhale. There is a "reall cigarette" taste that the NET gives the blend. I think if I was first coming off the stinkies, this would be a good replacement flavor.

After only a week, v11 tastes very vanilla heavy. There is almost no real tobacco flavor and very little caramel. I can taste the apricot citrus that others have mentioned. In fact it tastes like an apricot vanilla drink. In the background I get a hint of the grassy tobacco NET.

As v2b loses its distinct triangle of flavors into a more tobacco blend, the smoothie flavors of the heavy vanilla v11 may need more steeping. So for now, I can't really compare the two. It will take a few more weeks for me to be able to tell which one I like better.

Niether of the two versions of Bill's Skydancer NET RY4 are like any commercial RY4s. This is not a shock, as Bill is making them into something he would like, and he is no longer an RY4 lover. We have cured him of his love of RY4s, by making him try every different version of every mom and pop vendor's RY4. So what I get in Bill's RY4s is extreme custom blends, that can be called RY4s due mainly because they contain the trifecta of flavors.

Even though these are on the extreme edge of RY4-land, I do like them. I will further review these in a couple weeks, after v11 has had a chance to steep properly. Thank you Bill. You da man!

 

[billherbst]

Many thanks to everyone who has posted feedback so far.

hangdude,

Your theory---that the two Skydancer RY4s have flavor profiles suited to my RY4-weary palate---makes perfectly good sense from the viewpoint of someone on the outside looking in. From my insider perspective, however, things look a little different.

If I could make a nice, middle-of-the-road RY4, I certainly would. When it first occurred to me to use Skydancer extract to make NET-based RY4s, that was the goal. The first 10 or 11 experiments (which don't even have version numbers, since I was groping in the dark at that point) were intended to have "typical" Custom RY4 flavor profiles. They had to be Custom, since the Skydancer NET precluded making anything Classic. Problem was, they all sucked. Why? Because of the caramel problem.

I'm not sure if caramel on its own is the culprit (probably not), or, more likely, caramel in this particular setting, where it has to interact with my Skydancer extract. All the caramel flavorings I initially tried to achieve a "standard" RY4 flavor profile produced lousy results---TFA Caramel Original, TFA Caramel Candy, FlavorWest Caramel, HealthCabin Caramel, Want2Vape Caramel Swirl and Honeycomb Caramel. The finished juices were meh, weird, or just plain bad. The vanillas didn't seem to matter; they were neither the cause nor the cure.

Only when I discovered a small bottle of Lorann Naturals Creamy Caramel lurking in my flavorings cabinet was I able to produce an RY4 that tasted good to me (v2b). Sure, it pushed the envelope of the flavor profile, but apparently that's what the Skydancer NET requires. I could have used any number of different vanillas, and the results would have been similar. Then, for the second batch, I hoped for something softer and not so in-your-face, so I tried the Nature's Flavors concentrates. NF Caramel leans toward the vanilla side, so when combined with NF French Vanilla and Bavarian Cream, v11 became vanilla-rich. Although I didn't try it, I'm thinking now that using NF Organic Caramel alone (without any vanilla flavoring at all) might produce a better-balanced profile. Although I'm pretty much done with the Skydancer RY4 project, I'll probably mix up one last small bottle that way just to see what happens.

The apricot-citrus that numerous people taste is, of course, caused by the Lorann Tart & Sour interacting with the NF Organic flavorings. Curiously, the percentage of Tart & Sour used in v2b was twice as much as in v11, but the impact was much stronger in v11. The "softer" NF flavorings are obviously affected more dramatically than the more intense Lorann and Capella flavorings.

In the last version I made (v12), I left out the Tart & Sour, but the juice struck me as too soft and somewhat murky in flavor. So I sent out v11. My brain doesn't register apricot, but I can see how other people's might.

By the way, the percentage of Skydancer NET used in v2b was 12%, versus 12.5% for v11. Seems that the NF flavorings smother the tobacco as they bloom, whereas the Lorann/Capella flavorings highlight it. Go figure.

So, yes, neither of these juices is a typical RY4. The reason, though, has less to do with my palate than it does the ingredients I had to work with. Coaches of sports teams have to come up with strategies and tactics based on the skills of the players they have, not the players they wish they had. I would love to be able to make a good Classic RY4, such as Janty, SmokelessImage, or Vapor...... I'd even be thrilled to replicate Indigo Classic (which straddles the line between Classic and Custom). I just don't know how. All those RY4s look like magical concoctions from where I sit.

 

[DrewGrimey]

Ok since Skydancer v11 got me so hooked to Ry4, I need your guys help to make a purchase.

I have it narrowed down to Smokeless image ry4, myvapejuice Our Ry4 and quicknic juice Ry4 or quatro. I want a smooth balanced ry4 that isn't overly tobaccoish with a smooth throat hit and the caramel and vanilla being the more pronounced flavors without tasting too artificial. I would get SI's ry4 if it came in a 50/50 pg/vg in a heartbeat but I've had some bad experiences with PG juice taste, not allergic though.

I've read the reviews but still can't make up my mind, what should I get out of those choices?

 

[billherbst]

Ok since Skydancer v11 got me so hooked to Ry4, I need your guys help to make a purchase.

I have it narrowed down to Smokeless image ry4, myvapejuice Our Ry4 and quicknic juice Ry4 or quatro. I want a smooth balanced ry4 that isn't overly tobaccoish with a smooth throat hit and the caramel and vanilla being the more pronounced flavors without tasting too artificial. I would get SI's ry4 if it came in a 50/50 pg/vg in a heartbeat but I've had some bad experiences with PG juice taste, not allergic though.

I've read the reviews but still can't make up my mind, what should I get out of those choices?

DG,

SI Volt RY4.

That's the answer if you want a superb Classic RY4. It's nothing like Skydancer v11, however. Most similar to that of the choices you listed is QuickNic ouR whY qu4tro, but even that isn't very close.

Or, if you prefer, toss darts at a board. Throw the I Ching. Flip a coin. Wait until the answer comes to you in a dream.

 

[DrewGrimey]

I'll get the SI and if I don't like it I'll probably try the quatro next... Thanks

 

[Plumes.91]

Has anyone here tried ECBlends RY4? I just ordered a big ol' 30ml bottle.
From the reviews on the site, it looks like a winner.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

I'll get the SI and if I don't like it I'll probably try the quatro next... Thanks

Drew if the SI doesn't work per the PG, I'd gladly pay shipping to Kentucky. : )

 

[clnire]

Has anyone here tried ECBlends RY4? I just ordered a big ol' 30ml bottle.
From the reviews on the site, it looks like a winner.

I like it, but if I order it again I will order an extra flavor shot. I thought it was too weak (but I am a flavor junkie) so I added 2 drops (to 6 ml of juice) of TPA Asian RY4 and it was very pleasant. All gone now, trying others that I like just as well (or better).

JMHO

 

[billherbst]

Has anyone here tried ECBlends RY4? I just ordered a big ol' 30ml bottle.
From the reviews on the site, it looks like a winner.

Among the small group of deep discount American juice vendors, ECBlend and MtBakerVapor are very popular standouts. They are both hard-working vendors who offer a smorgasbord of flavors at very inexpensive prices. Customizing options abound, and each vendor maintains superb customer service, with fast and affordable shipping. They are both definite assets to the vaping community.

That said, there's a reason why ECBlend Ruyan 4 is graded as a B- and MtBakerVapor RY4 gets only a C. Neither is a top-tier RY4. They are average, relatively undistinguished, run-of-the-mill RY4s. Nothing particularly wrong with them, but nothing especially right either that would lend brilliance and cause them to stand out in a very crowded field where they must compete against many superb---and much better---RY4s.

One of the great things about RY4 is the even lackluster RY4s are usually pretty good. As long as a ho-hum RY4 doesn't do something stupid (like inserting an odd or unpleasant flavor into the mix), people will like it.

As a general rule, customer reviews on vendor sites are untrustworthy as buying guides.

 

[DrewGrimey]

Thanks for getting me hooked to RY4 Bill... SI RY4 on its way now, hope I enjoy it as much as the Skydancer v11

 

[passerbyeus]

Just as Bill I think my RY4 taste buds are out the door, I just cant seem to find something new and fresh, the same old ones are burning me out....

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Just as Bill I think my RY4 taste buds are out the door, I just cant seem to find something new and fresh, the same old ones are burning me out....

Have you tried RWVapors RY4?

 

[passerbyeus]

yup....Bills list is the same as mine if not a couple more lol

Have you tried RWVapors RY4?

 

[thehangdude]

Many times the caramel and vanilla blend into one flavor to compliment the tobacco. In cigtechs' Ripple Effects RY4, the caramel stands alone, with the vanilla and tobacco blending together as the compliment.

The vanilla tobacco has a sweet grit to it. The smooth blend feels real and flows over the taste buds nicely. The caramel is rich and bold, but seems seperate from the tobacco blend.

I like Vanilla Tobaccos and RY4s that favor vanilla over caramel. This blend has a stronger caramel flavor, but I like the vanilla tobacco feel in it. It is like two different flavors, and this works surprisingly well. A very good custom RY4 that is original but not too far off the tracks.

If you like caramel and you like vanilla tobacco, you should give this RY4 a go. I like it very much.

Ripple is a good mixer. I have also tried his Retro Plasma and Berry Crunch. He doesn't try to copy flavors that have been done by others, but creates unique flavors that are similar but distinct. His RY4 is a good example of how he can make a common ejuice that is all his own.

 

[DrewGrimey]

Double post

edit: actually it wasn't but I'm too lazy to retype

 

[MsOceanCity]

On a side note, Janty Elixir is starting to grow on me. In the past weeks, I liked it considerably less than Janty DK and Janty Classic. While I still think it's a notch below those two RY4s, for some reason I'm enjoying it a bit more.

I just finished my first bottle of Janty DK RY4 and have a question. It tasted much sweeter than most RY4's I've tried and I thought I detected a fruity component, but dismissed the idea because everyone on this thread says that a true RY4 can only have tobacco, vanilla and carmel. Well, I finally looked at the ingredients on the box and, low and behold, it listed Peach Aldehyde as it's 3rd ingredient. Anyone else notice this and does this then disqualify it as a true RY4?

 

[MsOceanCity]

Thanks for getting me hooked to RY4 Bill... SI RY4 on its way now, hope I enjoy it as much as the Skydancer v11

Just curious, but what nic strength did you get? I've tried all but zero and have found the flavor is better, the lower the nic. At 24, I get a dirty ashtray flavor that I don't like.

 

[DrewGrimey]

Just curious, but what nic strength did you get? I've tried all but zero and have found the flavor is better, the lower the nic. At 24, I get a dirty ashtray flavor that I don't like.

I get 12mg so hopefully I'm ok

 

[Cool_Breeze]

I just finished my first bottle of Janty DK RY4 and have a question. It tasted much sweeter than most RY4's I've tried and I thought I detected a fruity component, but dismissed the idea because everyone on this thread says that a true RY4 can only have tobacco, vanilla and carmel. Well, I finally looked at the ingredients on the box and, low and behold, it listed Peach Aldehyde as it's 3rd ingredient. Anyone else notice this and does this then disqualify it as a true RY4?

Perfumers Apprentice - Aldehyde C-14 PEACH

 

[RPadTV]

I just finished my first bottle of Janty DK RY4 and have a question. It tasted much sweeter than most RY4's I've tried and I thought I detected a fruity component, but dismissed the idea because everyone on this thread says that a true RY4 can only have tobacco, vanilla and carmel. Well, I finally looked at the ingredients on the box and, low and behold, it listed Peach Aldehyde as it's 3rd ingredient. Anyone else notice this and does this then disqualify it as a true RY4?

That's an interesting point. I didn't really get a "fruity" taste per se. Perfumers Apprentice describes the ingredient as "Fatty, coconut, creamy, vanilla, nutty, macadamia and peach."