The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

Status
Not open for further replies.

On Target

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 6, 2012
166
168
East TN
The only frankenjuice I have had any remote success with is an RY4 made out of 3 Backwoods Brew juices. 40% Hunters Blend, 40% Vanilla Bean and 20% Dulce de Leche. While not a great juice, its not bad and I routinely rotate it in and out of my daily faves. I tried equal thirds and the Dulce de Leche was overpowering. This is good solid Franken4 IMO! LOL.
 

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
specs: The 15ml glass dropper-topped bottle of Indigo RY that IndigoVapor sent me free for review contains a golden-colored transparent liquid at 18mg nic strength in a 50/50 PG/VG base blend. The scent is very faint, almost non-existent. I let the juice steep for a week before testing and review. Testing was done using a 2.5 ohm Smoktech dual-coil carto powered by a variable-wattage VAMO set to 8.5 watts RMS.

The IndigoVapor web-page description states:

“RY4 done the Indigo Vapor way! Indulge in this perfect melding of caramel, vanilla and a rich complex tobacco.
Pick this up and put down your other RY4's.”

Indulgent indeed. IndigoVapor Indigo RY is a Custom RY4 with very rich flavors. The tobacco doesn’t dominate, but it makes its ample presence felt with a throat hit of unusually solid impact for 18mg nic. I like that, by the way. The initial flavor on inhale is a very strong vanilla that dances with (and leads) a somewhat lighter caramel. As I draw the vapor into my lungs, I sense the tobacco base “wrapper,” which persists through the exhale. I like this tobacco very much. It has bite and depth of flavor with no errant notes. The juice has no nuttiness and no sourness. It’s not a dessert RY4, because it’s rich rather than sweet.

Somewhere in all this flavor is another taste I can’t quite identify. It may be part of the complex vanilla ingredient, or perhaps a by-product of the interaction of all three flavor elements. Whatever that flavor is, it complements the overall profile nicely and does not distract from enjoyment, adding a slight mystery to the experience.

The ingredient flavors are not totally melded, but not distinctly separate, either. If this were a vegetable soup, we might say that the liquid is a puree made from some of the cooked vegetables, but the rest are added as individual pieces. This way, we taste all the vegetables in every bite through the pureed base, but any individual bite is likely to contain discrete vegetable chunks. In a vaping liquid, this means that the flavors harmonize well, but don’t meld or dissolve into each other.

I wrote recently that the future of RY4 belongs almost completely to the Custom variant. The Classics are still very good juices and maintain a lineage that we can now call "traditional," but Customs are where all the new creativity is expressed. Indigo RY is a prime example of this evolution. It is an excellent and delicious Custom RY4---simply superb. Indigo RY earns my highest recommendation. My thanks to the folks at IndigoVapor for sending me such a terrific juice for review. I hope they're flooded with orders from RY4 lovers.


IndigoVapor Indigo RY grade: A

link to purchase: IndigoVapor Indigo RY
 

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
specs: The 15ml bottle of Full Virginia Flake RY4 I purchased for review from MountainOakVapors is an NET-based limited edition. The liquid inside the dark glass dropper-topped bottle is a transparent medium-caramel color at 18mg nic strength in a 70/30 PG/VG base blend. A subtle caramel is the only scent I can discern after ten days of steeping. Testing was done using a 2.5 ohm Smoktech dual-coil carto powered by a variable-wattage VAMO set to 9 watts RMS.

The MOV web-page description states:

“FULL VIRGINIA FLAKE RY4 is a Limited Edition (while supplies last) NET RY4 E-Liquid blend from Mountain Oak Vapors™. What is NET? you ask? It's a Naturally Extracted Tobacco flavoring that we have extracted ourselves in house using Full Virginia Flake pipe tobacco. To that we add a bit of Caramel and Vanilla flavoring to make it an authentic RY4 experience. The extraction process for this particular limited edition run has taken around 3 months to produce from start to finish and is made possible by a famous Full Virginia Flake pipe tobacco from which the tobacco base flavoring was derived. In house Naturally Extracted Tobacco flavorings are NOT approved by the FDA for food based consumption. This is the only NET Blend Mountain Oak Vapors™ has available for sale, and it is the only one that uses NET flavoring that we have ever sold.”

My first reaction to this Custom RY4 is to be very impressed by how well-blended the juice is. Brandy, MOV’s juicemaker, has assembled a symphony orchestra of individual flavors that play together beautifully as one coordinated instrument. Every phase of the vaping experience, from inhale through exhale, is perfectly in tune and in synch for this lovely concerto. Neither overly sweet nor excessively rich, but offering great depth, the music of Full Virginia Flake RY4 is perfectly balanced.

In my opinion, this is Brandy’s finest creation, the best tobacco juice I’ve ever had from MOV. In the past, I felt that MOV’s tobacco blends embodied a certain characteristic eccentricity of flavor profile, which some people loved, while others didn’t. One colleague of mine referred to the oddness as “cumin-like.” In Full Virginia Flake RY4, that falls away, because of the wonderful NET tobacco base, which provides a firm base for the tasty caramel and vanilla and a flavor that is both authentic and delicious. The overall flavor of this juice is a dead center bull's-eye. Totally delicious.

If Custom RY4s are the evolutionary future, then Custom RY4s made with natural extract tobacco bases are the vanguard, the spearhead of that movement. But not all NETs are the same. In fact, they vary wildly in quality. With the MOV Virginia Flake NET, Brandy has produced a superb extract with complexity and deeply satisfying flavor. The juice has no nuttiness, but what it does have is a toasted quality that adds a similar flavor element to the mix. Vapers who don’t like nutty RY4s won’t mind at all, while those who do like nuts will appreciate this toastiness. I detect a slight sourness, which doesn’t seem to me a separate flavor ingredient, but more likely a natural layer of the tobacco extract. This is altogether pleasing and adds to the juice’s complexity. Tobacco lovers can rejoice, since there’s none of the grassiness that mars some NET macerations.

My sole criticism of this RY4 is the lack of a really solid throat hit, which is primarily a function of the nic level and purity, as well as the power used to heat the coils. 18mg nic should provide more throat hit than I'm getting at 9 watts. That lack of TH detracts from my enjoyment ever-so-slightly---enough to keep MOV Full Virginia Flake RY4 out of the A group, but only by a hair. However, A- ain’t too shabby, since both groups together represent the very best RY4s in the world.

Since we don’t know if MOV will decide to continue down the path of NETs and make Full Virginia Flake RY4 a standard offering in their juice line, I’d strongly advise anyone interested to get some now, before this limited edition is sold out.


MountainOakVapors Full Virginia Flake RY4 grade: A-

link to purchase: MOV Full Virginia Flake RY4 Limited Edition
 

On Target

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 6, 2012
166
168
East TN
I wrote recently that the future of RY4 belongs almost completely to the Custom variant. The Classics are still very good juices and maintain a lineage that we can now call "traditional," but Customs are where all the new creativity is expressed. Indigo RY is a prime example of this evolution. It is an excellent and delicious Custom RY4---simply superb. Indigo RY earns my highest recommendation. My thanks to the folks at IndigoVapor for sending me such a terrific juice for review. I hope they're flooded with orders from RY4 lovers.

Well, this review inspired one RY4 lover in TN to place an order! Anything that earns Master Bill's "highest recommendation" is all I needed to pull the trigger.

IndigoVapor Indigo RY grade: A

link to purchase: IndigoVapor Indigo RY[/QUOTE]
 

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
On Target,

You know, when I learn that someone is making a buying decision---RY4 or other juices, hardware, whatever---based on what I wrote in a post, there are occasions (thankfully not too often) where I think to myself, "Oh no! That unfortunate person actually believed my line of sophisticated BS!" LOL. In bad moments like those, I succumb to the fear that I'm just some con man selling cheap Chinese Rolex knock-offs in a dark alley. "Psst! Hey buddy! Over here, in the alley. Authentic Rolex watches---only ten bucks!" Yeah, that's the ticket...

Not this time. While there's no guarantee that any particular person will love any specific juice, I feel sure that you will agree with me about IndigoVapor Indigo RY[/B being among the best RY4s to come down the pike in quite awhile. And I assert that even knowing that I've reviewed a bunch of pretty darn good RY4s lately. Well, not FeelLife RY4 or VaporPro RY4, obviously, but juices such as:

MOV Full Virginia Flake RY4
NashvilleVapor Professor Marvel's Master Blend
Totally Wicked Patriot Range RY4
Janty DK-Series RY4
Janty Classic Series RY4-X
FlavourArtUK RY4 Nutzilla
GoodLifeVapor Hooligan

That's eight of the best RY4s ever that have been put under the microscope by our crack team of RY4 reviewers in just the past two months. I swear, this has been an amazing season for discovering more great RY4s! It's enough to make me start vaping RY4s for pleasure again. Almost. LOL.
 
Last edited:

On Target

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 6, 2012
166
168
East TN
On Target,

You know, when I learn that someone is making a buying decision---RY4 or other juices, hardware, whatever---based on what I wrote in a post, there are occasions (thankfully not too often) where I think to myself, "Oh no! That unfortunate person actually believed my line of sophisticated BS!" LOL. In bad moments like those, I succumb to the fear that I'm just some con man selling cheap Chinese Rolex knock-offs in a dark alley. "Psst! Hey buddy! Over here, in the alley. Authentic Rolex watches---only ten bucks!" Yeah, that's the ticket...

Not this time. While there's no guarantee that any particular person will love any specific juice, I feel sure that you will agree with me about IndigoVapor Indigo RY[/B being among the best RY4s to come down the pike in quite awhile. And I assert that even knowing that I've reviewed a bunch of pretty darn good RY4s lately. Well, not FeelLife RY4 or VaporPro RY4, obviously, but juices such as:

MOV Full Virginia Flake RY4
NashvilleVapor Professor Marvel's Master Blend
Totally Wicked Patriot Range RY4
Janty DK-Series RY4
Janty Classic Series RY4-X
FlavourArtUK RY4 Nutzilla
GoodLifeVapor Hooligan

That's eight of the best RY4s ever that have been put under the microscope by our crack team of RY4 reviewers in just the past two months. I swear, this has been an amazing season for discovering more great RY4s! It's enough to make me start vaping RY4s for pleasure again. Almost. LOL.


Don't worry Bill. I am still within my vaping budget for December so, even if I disagree with your A grade review - no harm, no foul. I almost pulled the trigger on the MOV Full Virginia Flake too but I guess I will wait a while on this one. I still have probably 20 mls or so of MOV Classic CountRY4 and another 25 mls of Vapor Beast's Holy Grail (of which we assume was brewed by MOV). Knowing my luck, I would love MOV Full Virginia Flake and it would be discontinued AKA - BWB RY4 (my all time favorite RY4).
 

passerbyeus

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 13, 2009
1,443
838
Kentucky
thats the only reason I have not got MOV Flake if they are not going to make it full time why waist my money or just maybe they are not going to have it full time just on MOV!!! hahaha :ohmy:


I have been trying to get into DIY but its so hard when I keep buying premixed juices becuz of this thread :D
 
Last edited:

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
If you were on a deserted island with only one juice, what would that be?

Torque,

Nice "young Groucho" pic. That's a question whose answer would depend on what day you ask me (and maybe even what time during the day).

Today's answer is: Either of two juices---Fire-Cured Tobacco from GoodEJuice or Smooth Criminal from Ahlusion.

Merry Xmas!
 

Cool_Breeze

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 10, 2011
4,115
4,289
Kentucky
I like Indigo RY there is something in it odd though that reminds me of a coconut taste :confused:

I cant say if MOV is behind Indigo RY but there is something going with this one that would make me think it is or maybe RY4 paranoia is kicking in :blink:

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most, what level of coconut taste do you perceive? How does the coconut level compare with the 3 traditional flavors?
 

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
In a recent thread in the Juice Discussion forum, the OP stated that he was getting no throat hit from CrystalELiquid RY4 and asked if others had the same experience. I grabbed my cartos of CEL RY4 and CEL RY4 Double Tobacco and gave them a go. Well, dog my cats. No throat hit, and mine are 24mg nic. Oh, I could feel the nicotine, but throat hit? Almost non-existent.

I grabbed some other RY4 cartos from the cartidge cases on my desk that hold 100 RY4s, and was surprised to find that many of them were distinctly lacking in throat hit.

In my RY4 reviews and rankings, I’ve focused mainly on flavor. Vapor production has never been a problem with any RY4 I’ve had, and throat hit is less important to me now than it was two years ago as a new vaper weaning myself off cigs. I still like throat hit, but I don’t need it nearly as much these days. Zero-nic or low-nic juices continue to be unsatisfying to me, but, as long as I can feel the nicotine, throat hit per se is not critical to my enjoyment.

On the other hand, RY4 is technically a tobacco blend, so throat hit is a more natural component. TH “goes with” tobacco, even though the presence of throat hit depends almost completely on various factors other than the tobacco flavor or extract, which usually don't contribute anything to throat hit. The primary factors that cause throat hit are:

nic strength and purity---higher levels of nic give more TH; higher quality nic generally provides a crisper TH
base blend ratio---more PG = more throat hit; more VG = less throat hit
temperature of the vaporizing coil---higher watts = more coil heat = more throat hit

I decided to add two new groups to the RY4 Categories: Maximum Throat Hit and Minimum Throat Hit. This required me to vape all 100 RY4 cartos sitting at the ready on my desk. Interestingly, throat hit seems much more present among Classic than Custom RY4s. Perhaps TH provides some of the characteristic “brightness” of Classic RY4s, as opposed to the deeper, “darker” flavors of many Custom RY4s.

In early January, I’ll post the next update of The Big RY4 List, with vendor and review links, as well as updates to RY4 Category Groups and The Big RY4 Report Card, but I thought I’d post the results now for all the RY4s I sampled. Below is an alphabetical list by vendor with most of the RY4s on The Big List. I rated the throat hit for each RY4 with a number from 1 to 10, with 1 being least (no TH at all), and 10 being most (maximum, knock-your-socks-off TH). I didn’t end up giving any 1s or 10s---2 and 9 were as low and high as I went.

An important caveat to these numbers is that the anecdotal and subjective nature of the results are even more relevant for throat hit than for flavor. Many of my RY4s are now a year or more old, so aging might alter (meaning reduce) the throat hit. Also, I use cartos of various kinds (filler cartos, CE2s, single and dual coils) from different manufacturers (Boge, SmokTech, Kanger) in my desktop RY4 testing setup, so that could conceivably cause some “testing error.”

A rating of 4-6 should be considered average throat hit. 2-3 is low, while 7-9 is high. All my RY4s are 18-24mg nic. YMMV.

3 AlienVisions Raf-a-licious
8 AltCig RY4
2 ApolloECigs RY4
7 AwesomeClouds AC3
3 BackwoodsBrew RY4
6 Bloog/SmokelessImageVolt RY4
5 BlueMist RY4.5
2 CloudsOfVapor COV4
5 CopperCreek Twisted Tobacco
2 CrystalELiquid RY4
2 CrystalELiquid RY4 Double Tobacco
6 DeeJStuff RY4
3 DIYFlavorShack RY4
3 DIYFlavorShack Caramel-Vanilla RY4
5 ECBlend RY4
6 ECBlend RY4 with double-extra caramel
4 EliteVaporworks RY4
2 ElixirLiquid RY4
5 Esmoke4Life Riskee Yuice
2 Good Prophets GP4
4 GoodEJuice GJ4
5 GoodEJuice RY4
9 GoodLifeVapor Hooligan
3 GoodProphets GP4
3 GoodProphets Keemer RY3
4 GoodProphets Keemer RY4
5 GourmetVapor RY4
8 GreenhouseOne RY4
6 Halo Tribeca
4 HappyESmoker Happy E’s Favorite RY4
9 HealthCabin Dekang RY4
2 Heather’sHeavenlyVapes Heavenly Tobacco
5 HighbrowVapor Highbrowbacco RY4
6 HitLiquid RY4
5 Ikenvape RY4 Gold PG
4 IndigoVapor Indigo RY
8 Janty RY4 (DK Series)
7 Janty RY4 (Elixir Series)
7 Janty RY4X (Classic Series)
3 JooglerJuice Joogler’s Blend
6 Joyetech RY4
7 KalamazooVaporShop RY4
3 KickBassVapor RY4
3 LiquidXpress Taboo
5 MaddcattVapors MaddHatter RYJ4
7 MaddcattVapors MaddHatter RYW4
3 Madvapes Mad 4
5 Mister-E-Liquid MrE’s RY4
4 Mom&PopVaporShop RY4
5 Mom&PopVaporShop RY4v2
4 Mom&PopVaporShop RYO4
3 Moondrop RY42
4 MountainOakVapors Classic CountRY-4
3 MountainOakVapors Full Virgina Flake RY4
4 MountOlympusVapors Double Happy RY4
6 MountOlympusVapors RY4
3 MrVapes RY4
2 MtBakerVapor RY4
8 MyVapeCreations CigaRY4
8 MyVapeCreations RY4
6 NashvilleVapor Professor Marvel’s Master Blend
5 NiteLiteVapor Renegade RY4
2 OrbVapor Organic RY4
5 ParkesVaping RY4
2 PrimeVaping PV4
2 QuickNicJuice RY4
6 RWVapors RY4
2 SpringVapor Black Label RY4
3 SpringVapor Black Label RY4 Day and Night
2 SpringVapor Fall Harvest RY4
3 Sweet-Vapes RY4
3 TheVaporRoom Ginger’s RY4
2 TimelessVapor RY4
5 TopShelfVapes RY4
9 TotallyWicked RY4 (Patriot Range)
7 ValueVapor Dekang RY1-RY2
4 VapeBIG RY4
4 VapeDoctor RY4
6 VapeKing VK4
7 VapeRite VR4
3 VapeSales Gold Label RY4(squared)
8 Vapor4Life Jammin
7 VaporBeast Holy Grail RY4
3 Vapor..... RY4
6 Vaporescence RY4
8 VaporStation VS4
9 VaporTalk Dulcis
5 VapourWorld Dekang RY4 Intense
2 VermillionRiver KY4
4 Vixen Vapors RY4
2 Want2Vape Rock Star
2 Want2Vape RY4
6 ZeusE-Juice Creamy RY4
4 ZeusE-Juice Zeus’ RY4​
 

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
I like Indigo RY there is something in it odd though that reminds me of a coconut taste :confused: I cant say if MOV is behind Indigo RY but there is something going with this one that would make me think it is or maybe RY4 paranoia is kicking in :blink:

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most, what level of coconut taste do you perceive? How does the coconut level compare with the 3 traditional flavors?

From my review of Indigo RY4:
"Somewhere in all this flavor is another taste I can’t quite identify. It may be part of the complex vanilla ingredient, or perhaps a by-product of the interaction of all three flavor elements. Whatever that flavor is, it complements the overall profile nicely and does not distract from enjoyment, adding a slight mystery to the experience."

Could that mystery flavor be coconut? I don't know. As I wrote, my brain can't identify it or find any familiar association. It's strong enough for me to taste it, but I wouldn't call it "strong." More like an echo. On Cool's 1-to-10 scale, the mystery flavor wouldn't be more than a 2, and it doesn't clash at all with the core trio of flavors.
 

billherbst

Vaping Master
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2010
4,239
9,480
Columbia, Missouri
www.billherbst.com
I cant say if MOV is behind Indigo RY but there is something going with this one that would make me think it is or maybe RY4 paranoia is kicking in :blink:

passer,

My PM exchanges with Tony at IndigoVapor leave me with the strong impression that all Indigo's juices are made in-house by Tony and/or his hired juice wizards. I do wonder about MOV and NashvilleVapor Professor Marvel's Master Blend, however.

Part of my speculation is based on the flavor profile, but part of it is geographical: NashvilleVapor and MOV are both in Tennessee, right?

Also, the product description on the NashvilleVapor web page starts of with: "This is it… the 2nd juice we have received from the professor." Seems pretty clear that the folks at NashvilleVapor didn't make this one. So, I just put those three facts together and presto! Instant theory.

One thing I want to make clear is that I'm not slamming anyone, neither NashvilleVapor nor MOV. Whatever the truth may be is fine with me. I'm just doing my Sherlock Holmes thing for fun.
 
Last edited:

passerbyeus

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 13, 2009
1,443
838
Kentucky
well its fun to blame MOV for the outbreaks in RY4s in the past months but I agree Indigo is not made by MOV but sure was fun to point the finger :D


And as the coconut taste is more like a roasted coconut kinda like you get from Bobas Bounty in a low level of 3 and Indigo RY its around a 9 for me...so I have to disagree with Bill on this one I think the mystery flavor is very strong and over powering even when I dry hit my cartos I taste it more then anything, so maybe it is the final product that gives me this off taste so I am still on the fence about this one....
 
Last edited:

passerbyeus

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 13, 2009
1,443
838
Kentucky
i will admit That Indigo RY does stand on its own, i can say I have ever had any RY4 like it...i also got a sample of the Kick Back and Indigo Express which are both really good, but the issue is the label came off both them so I say say which is which but one is like a coffee tobacco and and the other is like a chocolate tobacco , but one of them is suppose to be like a 555 so not sure what is going on with them....but anyways the juices are good even with all the confusion :vapor:
 

Cool_Breeze

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 10, 2011
4,115
4,289
Kentucky
i will admit That Indigo RY does stand on its own, i can say I have ever had any RY4 like it...i also got a sample of the Kick Back and Indigo Express which are both really good, but the issue is the label came off both them so I say say which is which but one is like a coffee tobacco and and the other is like a chocolate tobacco , but one of them is suppose to be like a 555 so not sure what is going on with them....but anyways the juices are good even with all the confusion :vapor:

Perhaps you need to turn the two into Eastwood and thus end the confusion.

Edit: Ooops, no...Eastwood would be The Duke and Indigo RY 50/50. ...pardon.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread