And into the cart it goes.
7 Likes
A definite one for the list: Iâve been hunting for a decent oat for when I get down to working on Christmas recipes.
8 Likes
Peanut Butter (CSC) 1.5% (6-22-21) â Good Peanut Butters are out there, but they can be hard to find. Typically PBs fall into two categories, Dry and Salty, or Creamy and Sweet. Chefâs seems to have figured out how to MERGE the two !!! Yes, an almost perfect combination of a creamy, sweet, salty, peanut butter with some dryness which added to the complexity. At 1.5% it was full, present, and delicious, with nothing out of place. It was about mid-level sweet, and leaned slightly towards the creamy sweet, but only slightly. No bitterness could be found, and there was a certain earthy-ness that kept it grounded. Soup to Nuts might just be applicable here, as this one covered a lot of bases, and checked most of the boxes. I think it could be best summed up like a Creamy Jif peanut butter paired with crunchy salted nuts. With itâs authenticity, complexity, and dual personalities I could see many uses for this one. Easily 9.75/10.
13 Likes
Vanilla Ice Cream (CSC) 1.5% (6-24-21) â 2nd to last on deck in this huge series of Chefâs new SCâs. My initial reaction to this was, âThis might be the BEST Vanilla Ice Creamâ I have ever tried. 10ml later, that hasnât changed, and thatâs kind of a big deal. At 1.5% this one was a real show stopper, which had all the notes needed to convince you of itâs namesake. Missing were some of the commonly found dairy notes in some flavors, that were dairy, but not really Ice Cream. Chefs did a really bang up job on this one. Incredible mouthfeel for an ice cream, and while not âbutteryâ like another well known VIC, it didnât need it, you didnât miss it, and actually you didnât even WANT it. Iâm still trying to wrap my head around this one, but needless to say, all the players were here, creamy, rich, present, but not overbearing vanilla, and loads of mouthfeel. A few ticks above mid sweet, and no pepper, no off notes, no nonsense present. For a great, clean vanilla ice cream that truly captured all aspects of a VIC, this one should be on your rack. For anyone else, it should be on YOUR rack too !!! I would rate it at 10.1/10, but I promised Iâd never do that again. Easily, 10/10.
14 Likes
Another for the shopping list. Iâm going to need a good excuse for the wife: My next restock already has 126 concentrates on it.
7 Likes
Thanks for the great reviews!
I have also mixed many Chefs SC, the Creme Anglaise, Vanilla Tahity and French Vanilla smell very good. But also the fruit flavors smell very good, especially the mango.
6 Likes
@SquirrelSmash, if you like a clean, but very rich, and accurate ice cream, I donât think youâll be disappointed with this one.
Your very welcome @cmyk.
4 Likes
Well Iâm looking for one (a decent vanilla or custard) that can cut through smoky tobacco and balance well. Itâll be a long blending journey: I think using Hickory Smoke (TPA) at 0.075 has to be accompanied with (another) 0.075% of malic acid after 4 weeks as the foundation I need to work from.
6 Likes
Thatâs a good and specific need. Would this one cut through ? Weâll have to see. Itâs not the most IN your face VIC, but I was immediately struck by how accurate it was. There are a LOT of VICâs out there, some are close, some are just âdairyâ but never really convey actual Ice Cream. Chefâs really got it right with their VIC. Sometimes you canât always put into words what âitâ is, but their VIC has âitâ. I would say the Vanilla is very present, but not overbearing. If a great mouthfeel gives you tremors, you may want to put on a seatbelt before trying it.
7 Likes
I have found that some tobaccos with custards and particularly with the addition of oak and smoke can become muddy or stewed. So, I am trying to find that perfect point where all marries in the mouth but grows into the character of each: A palate and throat custard and ice cream softness with cigar and pipe notes around teeth and throat.
6 Likes
I am that mad about sensations: putting a theologian and lawyer on a task involves exacting standards.
5 Likes
Waffle (CSC) 1.5% (6-27-21) â With this Waffle, this massive first run of flavors from Chefs will be completed. I have tested more than a few Waffles, and when I smelled this one, it immediately reminded me of a now discontinued INW Waffle-YC. Having never soloâd INWâs I canât do a direct A/B comparison, but suffice it to say this one was very good. Missing were some of the almost cake-y notes that some waffles have, and in turn this one had some great mid and dark tones to it. It was more like a whole wheat waffle than a lighter one. No overt wheat, but the grainy notes, and slightly thicker, darker-ness was easily observed, AND enjoyed. No sharp edges, or off notes, and was a little below mid level sweet. No overt butter or syrup, and that left it as a deliciously blank waffle canvas to work with. I really enjoyed the darker richness of this one. At 1.5% it almost felt like it could use a smidge more, but was in no was lacking. All in, this one presented as a great, somewhat darker, almost whole wheat waffle with some smoother, lighter notes. High points given for no obvious butter or syrup, leaving it ready to work. Easily a 9.5/10.
14 Likes
Wow, after completing this series, I have to say I was impressed, and there were quite a few unique flavors, some of which I could think of no direct comparison. Thanks again out to @Timwis for alerting that Chefs was releasing this, their own line of Super Concentrates, @lukeloop for figuring out realistic testing percentages, and of course thanks out to Leah @Chefs_Flavours, for sending these out for review.
Very impressive lineup, and some real winners. If youâve made it this far down, then I thank you for hanging in there for this entire series. With the run that I tested, I think I can highly recommend hopping over to Chefs and picking up some for your racks.
S.D.
13 Likes
Great informative write ups, as you know from VC i have already purchased a load of these and although i have only got as far as giving them a quick smell even from that i am quite excited about these!
9 Likes
Well, thanks a lot for making the trip @Timwis, and I welcome you to ELR Sir, AND, canât wait to hear what you think about these flavors.
Thank you for the kind words, always means a lot form a fellow reviewer.
9 Likes
Now you have me intrigued, lol!
6 Likes
Wikipedia is my friend!
5 Likes
