The Really Big RY4 Roundup (long)

[billherbst]

All righty then. I made up two more 6ml bottles. Here are the recipes:

Classic RY4 v8
3.3% (4 drops) TobaccoExpress tobacco Super-Concentrate
2.5% (3 drops) TFA Caramel Candy flavoring
1.7% (2 drops) FlavorsExpress Vanilla Super-Concentrate
1.7% (2 drops) Lorann Tart & Sour
0.8% (1 drop) FlavourArt MTS vape Wizard
50/50 PG/VG – 24mg nic

Classic RY4 v9
3.3% (4 drops) TobaccoExpress Tobacco Super-Concentrate
2.5% (3 drops) TFA Caramel Candy flavoring
1.7% (2 drops) TFA Cotton Candy
1.7% (2 drops) Lorann Tart & Sour
0.8% (1 drop) FlavourArt MTS Vape Wizard
50/50 PG/VG – 24mg nic

The results don’t represent any exhaustive “scientific” testing, since they strictly anecdotal and of insufficient sample size and variation, but here they are anyway:

Version 8, made with Chinese Vanilla from FlavorsExpress, is the right direction. I used only two drops of the Vanilla, because it's a super-concentrate. If v7 was 60% of the way to a sparkling high-end, v8 is 75% there.

Version 9, made with Cotton Candy instead of vanilla, was a different story. In ECF threads discussing the lost 2009 Dekang RY4, numerous posters have claimed that the fabled Dekang was cotton candy sweet rather than caramel-vanilla sweet. With just tobacco, caramel, and cotton candy, v9 shifted the flavor profile noticeably, moving it away from Janty/Bloog/SmokelessImage and toward Riskee Juice. Unfortunately, it also disrupted the overall flavor profile. I’m not sure any conclusion is warranted, but my de facto conclusion is that Classic RY4 requires three actual flavors rather than just two flavors and a sweetener.

I then took that bottle of v9 and added two drops of Capella Marshmallow, just to see what would happen. What that did was ruin the juice, making it even more unbalanced---I could actually taste the marshmallow, even with only two drops. It was also too sweet in a way I didn't like. Live and learn.

Next I’ll try an all-Chinese flavoring mix, using TobaccoExpress Tobacco and FlavorsExpress Caramel and Vanilla. Maybe emulating/replicating a famous Chinese juice creation calls for Chinese flavorings. Too bad Dekang doesn't sell any of it's proprietary flavorings.

 

[billherbst]

For v10, the all-Chinese-flavorings version, I discovered that I didn’t have any FlavoringsExpress Caramel, so I used HealthCabin Caramel instead.

Here’s the recipe:

Classic RY4 v10 - all-Chinese-flavoring-super-concentrates
3.3% (4 drops) TobaccoExpress Tobacco
1.7% (2 drops) HealthCabin Caramel
1.7% (2 drops) FlavorsExpress Vanilla
1.7% (2 drops) Lorann Tart & Sour
50/50 PG/VG – 24mg nic

I didn’t use any Vape Wizard on this one, because I wanted to see how the flavors worked together without alteration. Also, I was calculating the percentages incorrectly. 6ml equals 120 drops, but with my brain damage I was thinking 180. As a result, the corrected percentages are a bit higher. Still pretty lean, though.

[Edit: I've edited the earlier posts to correct the percentages of the previous recipes.]

My palate is too blown out to judge whether this is better than v7 and v9. I’ll let the juices steep for a day or so and report back.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

billherbst - Just another day at the office.

 

[billherbst]

A small clarification:

My recent efforts at making DIY RY4s---first with NET-based Skydancer Custom RY4, and now with synthetic-tobacco-based Classic RY4---do not represent some brilliant re-invention of the wheel.

I am not a Master Juice Alchemist. I’m an amateur juice-maker with a pretty reliable palate who has learned a thing or two about DIY over two years and is trying to apply that knowledge to a challenging project, namely, making reasonably good RY4s from scratch in both the Classic and Custom genres.

That’s not false modesty. That’s the truth. My true expertise lies in the breadth of my experience in vaping, considering, and writing about RY4.

What I’ve done with the two NET-based Skydancer RY4s I sent out to be sampled a couple months ago and now with my efforts this past week to make DIY Classic RY4 amounts to this: I’ve managed to create some halfway decent and maybe even pretty good RY4s. They’re not superlative, superb, amazing, best-in-class RY4s that will set the world on fire. Oh, they’re interesting, all right, and fairly tasty, but that’s all.

To my way of thinking, that’s good enough. My DIY RY4s don’t have to represent the end-all, be-all, best RY4s ever made. Good enough is perfectly OK.

Who knows? Perhaps someone who participates in or reads this long thread of ours and learns from it will turn out to create the most astonishing RY4 ever made. Sranger things have happened.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

A small clarification:

My recent efforts at making DIY RY4s---first with NET-based Skydancer Custom RY4, and now with synthetic-tobacco-based Classic RY4---do not represent some brilliant re-invention of the wheel.

Bill - You clearly have talent to identify, distinguish and entertainingly elucidate that which you perceive. Those, along with a willingness to research, catalog and share are the glue which binds us in this thread.

I had hoped and almost communicated to you my desire that the early DIY notions in this thread would flower a bit.

Who knows? Perhaps 'halfway decent and maybe even pretty good,' are but steps along a path towards 'superlative, superb, amazing and best-in-class.'

 

[billherbst]

As my DIY Classic RY4 project nears its close (at least as a formal endeavor; I'll probably keep trying to improve what I can make for a long while to come, but it'll be in fits and starts over time, rather than in an intense burst of focused activity), I'm going to end up with one 30ml bottle of the primo stuff, like extra virgin olive oil or estate vintage wine. I'll also have 45mls left over, which I intend to double and turn into three 30ml bottles that will be the equivalent of second-pressing olive oil or really good table wine.

I'd like to sell those three extra bottles to recoup my materials cost. I'm calling them Bill's Pretty Good DIY Classic RY4. If any thread participant/reader would like to have one of those limited edition 30ml bottles, please PM me. I'll be able to do any nic strength from 12mg to 24mg/ml. My apologies to the 6mg vapers among us, but the three half-bottles are already 24mg, so 12mg is as low as I can go with the full bottles. The price will be reasonable, and I'll refund your paypal contribution if you don't like it.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

As my DIY Classic RY4 project nears its close...

I'll not view the conclusion of Classic RY4 endeavors as door closure on possible Designer RY4 creations.

 

[billherbst]

I'll not view the conclusion of Classic RY4 endeavors as door closure on possible Designer RY4 creations.

Cool,

Oh, you're so right. As Winston Churchill famously quoted to the House of Commons after the London Blitz in 1940: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it might be the end of the beginning..."

 

[MFToms59]

Bill, though not an RY4 enthusiast, I've followed this thread for close to a year and posted once or twice. IMHO the exploration and documentation of DIY RY4 in this thread had to happen eventually. You don't need to qualify your enthusiasm for how good your Ry's are turning out, I think the regular readers can keep it in context.

As a 555 Vaper, I used your thread to explore new Vendors, try and enjoyed a few RY4s, discovered what I now know as NETS, and even DIY single and two flavor liquids. You've lead me to the NET Thread and have been a big influence in my growth as a Vaper and I wanted to say thanks, I enjoy your writing style, humor and philosophical outlook on Vaping in general, Ry's and NETS in particular.

 

[clnire]

Well said MF. Although I have only been following this thread for a few months, I truly enjoy everything and Bill's dedication to this project. I have been honored to try the Skydancer RY4 and although not my fave RY4, through his research, hard work and kindness to share I have found several RY4s I really like and will keep around. I would not have found these without a lot of trial, error and boo koo mega $$$$. Heck, I probably would never have found them because I did not even know what I was looking for!!! Bill, your words, ability to describe individual flavor nuances, your rankings and changing of rankings through out this project so far, have opened my eyes to this wonderful new world of vaping. And not just RY4s. I now have more of an idea of what I like and what I don't like. I am sure it will change over time, but several of these RY4s will remain in my juice box forever. The individual vendor may rotate, but the juice will be there!

And saving these recipes for when I eventually can get into DIY cuz I know it's coming!

 

[RPadTV]

While I've enjoyed a lot of custom and a handful of excellent NET RY4s, I'm having the hardest time finding great classic RY4s. I've had a few good ones and several more passable ones, but I've yet to find anything I like as much as Janty DK. I have a bunch of RY4s steeping, so hopefully one of those will rise to the top. While Janty DK is my personal favorite classic RY4, it's overpriced at $16 for 20ml. I'd love to fine something that tastes as good for a more reasonable price for a synthetic juice that has been shelved for a long time. Oh well, part of the fun is the hunt.

 

[passerbyeus]

You can order Janty from the Europe side, it only takes two weeks and its half the price...

While I've enjoyed a lot of custom and a handful of excellent NET RY4s, I'm having the hardest time finding great classic RY4s. I've had a few good ones and several more passable ones, but I've yet to find anything I like as much as Janty DK. I have a bunch of RY4s steeping, so hopefully one of those will rise to the top. While Janty DK is my personal favorite classic RY4, it's overpriced at $16 for 20ml. I'd love to fine something that tastes as good for a more reasonable price for a synthetic juice that has been shelved for a long time. Oh well, part of the fun is the hunt.

 

[kuritaro9]

this might belong in a different forum, but since this was the thread i used to even look at this juice, i figured some people might be able to use my experience with this shop...

just got vapemail today from RW vapor, and you wanna know what i got? i got a bag of gummi rings and a cliff bar... yep, dats right. lucky me right? so, naturally i sent off an email and i called the shop. the guy i spoke to explained the gummi rings (he throws treats for troops in the package) but knew nothing about the clif bar, and insisted that someone was "Fu%&ing with my mail"... his words not mine (multiple times). after a good bit of explaining that after i saw what was in the box, and looking at the tape job on the box, with no evidence of tampering, and then having the postal inspector come to the same conclusion, i am still without my RY4. he did finally agree to send me what i ordered, so we will see how that goes. cant say i am too happy about not getting what i ordered, or the way i was talked to when i called him about it. im a foul mouthed assbag, but when business is involved, a little professionalism goes a very long way...
i even threw out that maybe someone screwed up the boxing, and mixed up the shipping labels. he said he did it himself, so then i said maybe he made a mistake and sealed the box before the juice got in there. simple mistake, i have done it myself, and all i wanted was the 2 bottles of juice i ordered... i know, how preposterous... anyway, i hope the juice is good, because it will be the last thing i order from him. not a big fan of being basically told to pound salt, its my problem, and then having to basically beg to have the stuff i ordered, shipped out. may be good juice, but the guy i talked to was kinda a Dbag... it sucks, because the juice is highly rated, but just not gonna deal with people like that.
i really hope the guy makes good and sends me my proper order, and i dont have to deal with banks and credit card companies, because the way it looks now, i was taken for $22 for a bag of gummi worms and a candy bar. yay me...hahaha

 

[billherbst]

kuritaro,

My condolences for your lousy experience with a vendor. I don't know the owner of RWVapors, but it sounds like he was having a particularly bad day. Bad days happen to everyone---most everybody I know including me has been guilty from time to time of being inconsiderate, terse, or even offensive when aggravated to learn of a client's or customer's problem. In that moment of weakened vulnerability, it's more than we can handle, and we fail to rise to the occasion. That's not to let the owner of RWVapors off the hook. The karma of his behavior is a customer who's pretty much lost forever, and who will not forget.

I hope you get your two bottles of RY4. At this point, it probably doesn't matter much whether you love it or not, since you won't be ordering more. From at least one skewed perspective, I hope you don't like the juice all that much, because that will make it easier to just chalk up the entire experience as a loss and move on.

 

[kuritaro9]

kuritaro,

My condolences for your lousy experience with a vendor. I don't know the owner of RWVapors, but it sounds like he was having a particularly bad day. Bad days happen to everyone---most everybody I know including me has been guilty from time to time of being inconsiderate, terse, or even offensive when aggravated to learn of a client's or customer's problem. In that moment of weakened vulnerability, it's more than we can handle, and we fail to rise to the occasion. That's not to let the owner of RWVapors off the hook. The karma of his behavior is a customer who's pretty much lost forever, and who will not forget.

I hope you get your two bottles of RY4. At this point, it probably doesn't matter much whether you love it or not, since you won't be ordering more. From at least one skewed perspective, I hope you don't like the juice all that much, because that will make it easier to just chalk up the entire experience as a loss and move on.

yeah, i have pretty much chalked it up to maybe someone cut him off on his way to work that day. i was sure looking forward to trying it since it was so highly rated. this is the longest i have waited for a new juice. its taken about 3 weeks for the box i got to show up.(at least it will be steeped when it does arrive) haha. i run off at the mouth a bit, so who knows. if the juice is fantastic, i may just have to suck it up and buy more while hoping he gets explosive tabasco ........ as im hitting the buy button...jk
i have gotten quite a few from the top of this round up list. still waiting on some of the vapeking VK4 from australia to show up. i have never mixed my own, so im sure that will be an exciting experiment...

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Perhaps the superlative nature of Ross Walker's RY4 will allow for forgiveness.

 

[billherbst]

Perhaps the superlative nature of Ross Walker's RY4 will allow for forgiveness.

Cool,

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that RWVapors RY4 is indeed very, very good.

 

[kuritaro9]

FWIW, i just tried my bottle of smokeless image RY4 and 555. wow, both of these are fantastic. i may even like this RY4 just a touch more than the apollo. its not quite as sweet, but its very nice.

 

[billherbst]

FWIW, i just tried my bottle of smokeless image RY4 and 555. wow, both of these are fantastic. i may even like this RY4 just a touch more than the apollo. its not quite as sweet, but its very nice.

Yes, SmoklessImage Volt RY4 and Bloog RY4 (which I personally regard as identical juices) are both terrific. I always shake my head a little at the fact of vendors whose target market is largely inexperienced, first-time vapers selling RY4s that are among the very best Chinese Classics ever made. That irony notwithstanding, both RY4s deserve all the praise they get on this thread.

I always wonder which major Chinese juice manufacturer makes them for Bloog and SI---Dekang, Joyetech, etc.---because they're actually better than the proprietary RY4s sold under any of those companies' labels.

 

[DrewGrimey]

You were right about SI RY4 Bill, after vaping it for a few days, I really couldn't get enough of it. Best RY4 so far, even liked it more than Janty, Vapor Talk Dulcis, Indigo Classic and RY4, and prime vaping versions

I found prime vaping to taste very similar to Skydancer V11