The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[CraftyZA]

Can it not be sent for analysis to determine the exact formula?
Wow I would love to taste the original. Unfortunately for me, my skills as a mixer only just started, so this has to go out to some people with real mixing / tasting skills. Besides due to some previous bad habits I can no longer smell that good, which is essential to complete this task.
If this happens, Please create a new thread dedicated to the re-uptake of the task of finding the original RY4.
Would be awesome to follow.

 

[Jerms]

Er, there was only 1 RY4 back then. Made by Ludo (Janty) at the Dekang laboratory.
I still have quite some RY 1, 2, 3 and 4 left from those days.

So when you bought it, it had Dekang labels?

How does it compare to the current Janty DK RY4 that Ludo says is the original formula? I have some Janty RY4 from 2009-2010, is it similar to that? Are those LDPE jugs they've been sitting in for 5 years?

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[yo han]

So when you bought it, it had Dekang labels?

Well, information where things were produced were kept secret back then. Those first years meant huge profits but I found an insider in Shenzhen which would keep me up to date (was all very confidential). He arranged 4 liters of the stuff for me which cost me quite some money. They didn't do much labeling back then because the bottles weren't meant for sale to end users but the original HDPE canisters had a very simple label in Chinese on them (batch number and taste, no logos).

How does it compare to the current Janty DK RY4 that Ludo says is the original formula? I have some Janty RY4 from 2009-2010, is it similar to that? Are those LDPE jugs they've been sitting in for 5 years?

I'd have to compare the current Janty DK RY4 to find out. The Flavour Art concentrated RY4 flavor does come pretty close though. I immediately recognized the smell when I mixed it. I'll do a side by side test of the 2 soon.
I've put the stuff in better quality HDPE bottles later on and those can be seen in the picture. With all the stories floating around about this stuff going bad I can tell you it smells as delicious today as it did back then. No idea if the nicotine has degraded or whatever but it tastes great.

 

[Kent C]

So when you bought it, it had Dekang labels?

How does it compare to the current Janty DK RY4 that Ludo says is the original formula? I have some Janty RY4 from 2009-2010, is it similar to that? Are those LDPE jugs they've been sitting in for 5 years?

Sent from my LGL55C using Tapatalk 2

Jerms, I can add that the people who 'turned me on' to Janty RY4 in mid 2009 had been vaping it since early 2008 and there was no discussion of any flavor change at the time. The first sign of change came in 2010 when Janty dropped the old Janty/Joye line (which was "secretly" - at the time - manufactured by dekang). There was a note on their website, then, that told of the change and the idea that the flavors would be the same - which they weren't, imo. Some still liked them though.

 

[Jerms]

Well, information where things were produced were kept secret back then. Those first years meant huge profits but I found an insider in Shenzhen which would keep me up to date (was all very confidential). He arranged 4 liters of the stuff for me which cost me quite some money. They didn't do much labeling back then because the bottles weren't meant for sale to end users but the original HDPE canisters had a very simple label in Chinese on them (batch number and taste, no logos).


I'd have to compare the current Janty DK RY4 to find out. The Flavour Art concentrated RY4 flavor does come pretty close though. I immediately recognized the smell when I mixed it. I'll do a side by side test of the 2 soon.
I've put the stuff in better quality HDPE bottles later on and those can be seen in the picture. With all the stories floating around about this stuff going bad I can tell you it smells as delicious today as it did back then. No idea if the nicotine has degraded or whatever but it tastes great.

Thanks for the info.

Glad to hear it still tastes great. Not sure what differences storing in HDPE would be compared to LDPE. HDPE is more rigid, so I imagine it allows less air to pass through than LDPE. I have no idea if it would tend to leech into the juice less or more than LDPE. I always transfer juices into PET or glass bottles when I receive them to keep the juice fresh longer (bottles tend to last me a while) but more importantly, if I store in plastic other than PET or glass for longer than several weeks the juice starts to taste off to me.

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[Jerms]

Jerms, I can add that the people who 'turned me on' to Janty RY4 in mid 2009 had been vaping it since early 2008 and there was no discussion of any flavor change at the time. The first sign of change came in 2010 when Janty dropped the old Janty/Joye line (which was "secretly" - at the time - manufactured by dekang). There was a note on their website, then, that told of the change and the idea that the flavors would be the same - which they weren't, imo. Some still liked them though.

Cool, thanks for the info Kent. I've had the "original", I've had the "original original", now I was thinking.. great, now I need to try the "real original original" lol.

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[billherbst]

The Flavour Art concentrated RY4 flavor does come pretty close though [to the 2007 Janty RY4]. I immediately recognized the smell when I mixed it. I'll do a side by side test of the 2 soon.

Perhaps that's why FlavourArt named their RY4 concentrate "Legend."

With all the stories floating around about this stuff going bad I can tell you it smells as delicious today as it did back then. No idea if the nicotine has degraded or whatever but it tastes great.

In my experience, synthetic, lab-based flavorings last a looonnnng time. I don't know whether that's because of "preservatives" or simply the basic stability of the chemicals used. Organic and "natural" flavors seem to have a much shorter half-life. I don't know about liquid nic. The longevity/rate of degradation tests I've read used liquid nic in pure form. That might change when mixed into an eliquid with flavorings and bases.

Six years is certainly impressive.

 

[Kent C]

Cool, thanks for the info Kent. I've had the "original", I've had the "original original", now I was thinking.. great, now I need to try the "real original original" lol.

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Lol... well this one goes back to 2007 so I thought it might be nice to compare/verify

 

[Jerms]

Six years is certainly impressive.

Agreed, very impressive. Most of what I vape comes from natural flavoring, so they would have probably gone quite bad in that time. Synthetic flavoring does seem to hold up quite well though, the 3-4 year old Janty from Kent is quite flavorful with nothing funky going on; which is impressive. I think PG as a main ingredient really helps keeping them stable, I don't think microbs are an issue. I'm sure the nic would measure lower after 6 years, especially in bottles that breath, but how much I couldn't guess.

Lol... well this one goes back to 2007 so I thought it might be nice to compare/verify

Indeed it would be.

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[CraftyZA]

Just bought some of Joyetec's ry4.
Not really impressed with it. Any one else tried it? My 1st impression is "wet ashtray" way to much tobacco, and frankly , i cant taste vanilla or caramel.
Perhaps i did not shake the bottle before filling my tank.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

billherbst - noting Heartland Vapes HY4...

I don’t usually care much about such behind-the-scenes business practices, but I care this time because HY4 reminds me very much of another Classic RY4 I’ve had. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which RY4 that was. [When you have 140 RY4s, as I do, remembering how each one tastes is practically impossible.] So, that’s the first problem. Is this an RY4 that I’ve already vaped? Or at least very close to one I’ve had? I comparison-vaped 10 or so other RY4s that seemed likely as possible suspects, but alas, none was a close match.

Did the near tasting Classic RY4 ever come to mind?

 

[billherbst]

Did the near tasting Classic RY4 ever come to mind?

No, Cool, it has stubbornly remained a mystery to me.

 

[aguryev]

Got some Hangsen RY4 from the feedback in this thread, love it! Thanks!

 

[misterholidayhouse]

So after I read the grading report I ordered up a bottle of Bloog RY4 since RY4 from Smokeless image isn't currently available in my nic level. I cannot agree with whoever said the two are identical. I guess I'm not old school enough for Bloog.. This stuff is just plain nasty and I have no idea what's actually in it. My wife had to leave the room the first time I vaped it. I dumped the tank in the sink and just watching the juice separate and bead up on the bottom of the sink is pretty scary.. It was worth a try but here's one vote for sticking with more current American juices.

 

[billherbst]

misterholidayhouse,

Back in July 2011, the first samples I vaped of Bloog RY4 and Smokeless Image Volt RY4 tasted the same to me. I couldn't tell them apart. Both were Classic Chinese RY4s and seemed to me from the same source manufacturer, probably Dekang.

I have relatively newer bottles now of both Bloog and SI Volt RY4s, each purchased within the past year. They no longer taste identical to my palate. The Bloog I just vaped a moment ago is more caramelly than my SI Volt, which has better overall balance and unity of flavor.

From my perspective, the Bloog RY4 recipe has changed since I first vaped it more than two years ago, moving it closer to Custom RY4 status---where the individual flavoring ingredients stand out as separate elements. I would put Bloog in the Caramel-Rich category group now. By contrast, SI Volt RY4 has remained in the heart of the Classic RY4 flavor profile---bright, with a neutral synthetic tobacco base that's melded with caramel and vanilla into a single overall flavor.

That's a significant shift, but my Bloog RY4 is worlds away from "just plain nasty." Three obvious possibilities come to mind for why our reactions are so dissimilar: 1. Your palate is very different from mine, 2. Your vaping setup and JDS (juice delivery system) is different, or 3. The actual Bloog RY4 juice you vaped is different from the Bloog RY4 I'm vaping (that would be the "bad batch" category).

 

[misterholidayhouse]

No disrespect intended Bill. I strongly suspect the bad batch possibility in this case. Sometimes you just tell, ya know? I suppose it kind of goes with the territory. I sure wish I could get my hands on some more SI Volt RY4. I really enjoy it and was pleased to see it as one of your top choices. Thanks for all the time you have spent on this topic!

 

[billherbst]

No disrespect intended Bill. I strongly suspect the bad batch possibility in this case. Sometimes you just tell, ya know? I suppose it kind of goes with the territory. I sure wish I could get my hands on some more SI Volt RY4. I really enjoy it and was pleased to see it as one of your top choices. Thanks for all the time you have spent on this topic!

mhh,

None taken. Weird that Smokeless Image has only zero nic RY4 available on their site. Maybe they ran into some sort of mail problem in getting juice shipped from China, which was an issue recently for many of the Chinese vendors.

 

[billherbst]

On September 14th, I posted a "non-review" of HeartlandVapes HY4---post #4647. The reason it was a non-review was that some question existed as to whether HeartlandVapes was selling their juices to retail customers or only to wholesalers.

I went back to the site recently, and retail sales are again activated. So, I'm adding HeartlandVapes HY4 to The Big RY4 List for the November update. It's really good stuff and deserves to be on The Big List.

 

[thehangdude]

On September 14th, I posted a "non-review" of HeartlandVapes HY4---post #4647. The reason it was a non-review was that some question existed as to whether HeartlandVapes was selling their juices to retail customers or only to wholesalers.

I went back to the site recently, and retail sales are again activated. So, I'm adding HeartlandVapes HY4 to The Big RY4 List for the November update. It's really good stuff and deserves to be on The Big List.

And its grade is...?

 

[billherbst]

And its grade is...?

A-. I was planning on a B+, but vaping it again today, HY4 strikes me as better than that.