1. Fall Harvest RY4
2. Black Label RY4
3. Black Label RY4 Day and Night
[Note: I initially reviewed Fall Harvest and Black Label in late January, but this new review considers all three of SpringVapors RY4s as a trio, on a continuum.]
The three 15ml bottles that SpringVapor sent me (at no charge) for review are 24mg nic strength, using a 50/50 PG/VG Blend. As 50/50 blends go, these are rather thick, but not so much that I anticipate any trouble with cartos or tanks. Color of the liquids varies, from medium tan-caramel for both Fall Harvest and Black Label to pale gold for Day and Night. Testing was done two ways: first, by dripping into a 1.5 ohm Joye LR306 atomizer powered by a Madvapes VV box set to 4.3 volts (unloaded), for a true wattage under load of 10.6 watts. Thats hotter than many vapers will choose, but these juices handle power well, and the extra oomph intensifies the flavors. Juices were also tested loaded into 2.0 ohm Boge single-coil cartomizers, which were vaped on a Buzz Pro at 4.5 volts, for a true loaded power of about 9.5 watts.
As more and more custom RY4s are created by the current generation of artisan juicemakers, the gulf between classic and custom RY4s is widening considerably. I might use the art form of dance as an analogy: Classic RY4s are like Ballet. Traditional, conservative, with strict forms and movements determined by precise rules to produce works that conform to an expected end result. Think Swan Lake. Custom RY4s are akin to so-called Modern Dance. Isadora Duncan, Mary Wigman, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, etc. Free-form, iconoclastic, with rules made to be broken, defying convention to produce works of eccentric genius that may bear little resemblance from one choreographer and dance company to the next.
In general (and this is true only as a generalization), the best classic RY4s are wonderfully blended, so that a single unified flavor emerges from the various flavoring components. The flavor profile tends to be bright, almost effervescent in the emphasis on treble notes. By contrast, many custom RY4s are characterized by strong differentiation of the individual flavorings, with each component intensified in the taste experience. The overall profile is often deep and dark (certainly in flavor, and sometimes in color as well), with bass notes predominant in the mix. Variation between custom RY4s from different vendors is extremely pronounced, since the tobacco-caramel-vanilla rules are routinely stretched and often broken by the addition of other flavorings that are rarely if ever used in classic RY4s.
Most vendors offer an RY4. Some vendors offer two different versions, usually one more classic and one custom formulation. Now, we see the beginnings of a new trend: vendors who offer a trio of RY4 choices. MomandPopVaporShop makes three versions: RY4, RY4v2, and RYO4. Now SpringVapor has added a third RY4 to its lineup of hand-crafted, made-to-order juices. All three are custom RY4s. Each pushes the flavor envelope, although my perception is that they move closer to classic with each successive version.
Fall Harvest Tobacco was SpringVapors original and most exotic RY4. Black Label RY4 came next, and its slightly more conservative, while Black Label RY4 Day and Night is the newest and closest to what one might consider classic without losing its custom character. Brightness of the flavor profile increases with each subsequent generation. Fall Harvest is very dark, Black Label is brighter, while Day and Night is easily the brightest.
The palette of flavors is somewhat mysterious to me. Does it include tobacco, caramel, and vanilla? I presume so. But there are other flavors in each mix. Fall Harvests flavor profile especially is dominated by what my brain interprets as a very bold, potent hazelnut. If SpringVapors juicemaker told me what the additional flavors are, Im sure Id recognize them, but without some help, Im just guessing. Fall Harvest is definitely not your fathers Oldsmobile. The additional flavors revel in their boldness and challenge the Big Three for the limelight. Thats less the case with Black Label, and least of all in Day and Night, where the extra flavors are used subtly, more as accents.
So, Fall Harvest is designed for those with an adventurous palate and a taste for the exotic, while Day and Night seems formulated to be more of a smoother all-day vape. Black Label is in the middle, still somewhat unusual, but less demanding.
If youre a big fan of the Chinese RY4s---Janty, Dekang, Hangsen, Keemer---and you love that classic RY4 taste, you might not be thrilled with Spring Vapors RY4 offerings. As is equally true with juices such as Highbrow RY4 and Mom&Pop RYO4, Spring Vapors three RY4s blow the classic flavor profile right out of the water (or vapor, to keep the imagery straight). Im not suggesting that you have to be weird to like these juices, however. Far from it. BackwoodsBrew RY4s flavor profile bears no resemblance at all to a classic RY4, yet its overwhelmingly popular.
Are Spring Vapors three RY4s worthy of consideration? Absolutely. All three versions are very rich and intensely flavorful. The question will be whether your taste buds and palate happen to respond happily to the particular flavors SpringVapor has chosen for its three RY4 mixes.
To know that, youll have to try them and see.