Back on October 15, 2012, I reviewed
FlavourArt RY4, FA's all-in-one, ready-made RY4 flavoring concentrate for DIY. Here's a link to that review, in post
#2989.
Back then, I didn't think much of it. In fact, I gave it a grade of
C-. In
The Big RY4 Report Card section for DIY RY4 flavorings, FlavourArt gets a straight
C, because with RY4 flavorings, I keep it simple and give only whole grades (no + or - half-grades). In my original review, I was pretty hard on this flavoring concentrate, and---since the DIY juice I'd made to test it hadn't steeped at all---I admitted that I might have to come back later to re-assess and possibly append my review. I'm doing that now, eight months later. Why now? Well, let's just say that I have my reasons. (At some point in the future, I may reveal what those reasons were, but---right now, for the good of everyone concerned---they need to remain private.)
For those of us who make DIY juices---whether creating juices from scratch by combining individual flavorings or by using an all-in-one ready-made flavoring---two serious problems stand out: ingredient mix ratios and steeping.
Mix percentage is critical. Flavoring amounts are expressed as percentages of overall liquid volume, and no standard percentage of flavoring applies across the board. Regular flavorings require the highest percentages; flavoring concentrates require much less; and flavoring super-concentrates take only a tiny amount. Not only do different flavor manufacturers vary widely in concentration of flavorings, but even within a given company's line of flavorings, recommended percentages can vary widely---from 2% up to 30%. Use too little flavoring, and you get weak juice. Use too much, and you get muddy juice that tastes awful. Using either too much or too little flavoring results in lousy juice.
In addition, individual vapers like different flavor intensities. A juice that is "subtle and sublime" for one vaper might be "weak and tasteless" to another. Conversely, a juice that one vaper loves as "potent and flavorful" may be "dreadfully over-flavored" to another vaper.
FlavourArt's RY4 is a flavoring concentrate. Recommended amounts are from 2-8%. You can use more than that, of course, but doing so will definitely mess with the flavor, and probably not in good ways.
Steeping is hugely important. Juice-making in vaping is similar to making soup in cooking. "Soup" is not merely ingredients cooked in a broth, or added to a broth after cooking. No. Part of making great soup involves giving the ingredients time during cooking to meld together. That's why people sometimes ask,
"Is it soup yet?" The same process (although usually without heat) applies to making eliquids. Flavorings need time to settle in, interact, and cooperate. Some retail juices are sold already steeped; others are made-to-order and require considerable steeping to mature. Obviously, DIY juices are made fresh. Most DIY juices need at least a couple days to steep, and some benefit from longer steeping times, up to a month, and in rare occasions, much longer.
The 30ml bottle of FlavourArt RY4 (8% mix) I made following the original review has now had eight months to steep. That's more than long enough, LOL. I hadn't sampled it since October, and when I did vape it again today, I discovered that the so-so fresh juice had transformed and is now much, much better.
The upshot is that Im moving up FlavourArt RY4 in the flavoring rankings. Way up. The other highly-ranked RY4 all-in-one flavorings (Want2Vape RY4, TFA RY4 Double, and FlavourArtUK Nutzilla) are all Custom RY4s. If youre looking for a Classic RY4 flavor profile in a ready-made RY4 flavoring concentrate, however, FlavourArt RY4 is the one to get.
, I just checked for the tracking and nothing but it does On or before Tue. Jun. 18 on the order so if I dont get out this weekend like planned it should be no later then Tues.
