If I was going to try a raspberry gummy frog I’d start with a gummy base like
27 Fish (Silverline) (CAP) 4.00 Or 27 Bears (SilverLine) (CAP) 4.00 for the gummy with Sweet Candy (Cap) 1.50 & Super Sweet (Cap) 0.50 to help push the candy aspect. Then add in a soft raspberry candy like Red Soft Candy (VTA) or even try the new Raspberry Gummy (WF).
Butterscotch Ripple (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23) – I know, I know. “But, but, but there’s ANOTHER Butterscotch Ripple already”. Yes, hehe, there is, BUT, this ain’t that. I’ve used the “other” one frequently, and no, this ain’t that. This one was a real surprise for me, and it turned out to be a Spot On representation of …
What was most interesting about this, was it didn’t taste like a Butterscotch Ice Cream, but MORE of a Vanilla Ice Cream WITH (you guessed it), Butterscotch Rippled in. At 8% it was very full, but without smashing the ceiling, nor going sideways. The VIC was rich, and creamy, and the “ripple” was expertly paired to it, in such a way that it didn’t cover the ice cream up, but merely accented it. As I worked through 3 testers of this, there was an interesting side effect I’ll call it, of the VIC and BS pairing, as it did create an almost cinnamon undertone, that DID work. It didn’t fully present AS a cinnamon , but let’s just call it an “olfactory mirage” of sorts. VERY interesting to say the least. I reduced to 4% to see if anything changed, and it stayed about the same, with reduced intensity. This one was almost a one-shot by itself, and it was VERY interesting to see it shift from a vanilla ice cream with butterscotch, to one with an almost deliberate cinnamon undertone. VERY interesting. No off-notes to be found at either testing weight, and sweetness was at about mid-level. The cinnamon-ish note(s) that crept in after about the second tank were QUITE the mystery, and because they didn’t distract, but supported the VIC and BS, I didn’t take-off as an off-note. For it’s accuracy, and complexity alone, I will have to leave this one very high, and it felt good at 9.4/10.
Caramel Candy (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1-23) – At 8% this one was a ONE, TWO, Caramel punch. No other way to put it. It was SOO rich and delicious, I considered cutting it in half, JUST to see, BUT, it was too good as it was. Nothing out of place, and it was a FULL caramel experience. It was actually one of the better caramels I’ve tried. Now the whole “candy” thing, I never know for sure what that’s supposed to be, BUT, it was a somewhat sweet caramel, so that will have to do. I didn’t get any “hard candy” accents/notes, but it didn’t feel like it was missing. Sweet and creamy from beginning to end, it just did what it did, and it did it VERY well. I was immediately struck by the urge to toss in some coconut just to see where it would go, maybe even some chocolate, but I’ll get into that later. Needless to say, it was a smoking good caramel, and I’m fairly sure it would still excel at 4%-6% as well. With no off-notes, and nothing NOT caramel-ly, I had a very hard time marking it down. How much or what “candy” you may need may dictate more than this review, but I’m going to leave it high, as the rich almost dark caramel notes just wouldn’t quit. Easily 9.5/10.
Cheers mate,
Citrus Mix (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23) – This one couldn’t have come at a better time, as I needed to cleanse the palate after the heavier BS Ripple, and Caramel tests. This one did JUST that, with a bright, and sparkly citrusy punch. The main players were Lemon and Lime, BUT, they were tempered by an Orange, which presented slightly lower in the mix, BUT, it’s effects could be tasted, as it was NOT just a L and L. Nicely sweet, which was actually about two ticks below mid-level, which kept it out of the “-ade” realm. Clean, bright, punchy, and VERY evenly mixed, so none of the three main players stole the show. No off-notes, and at 8% it played very well, with a very natural taste. If you like a citrus medley that didn’t favor one fruit over the others, and was JUST sweet enough, this one should work out nicely for you. I tasted mostly the fleshy fruit, and very little, to none of the peels or citrus oils, and there was no bitterness to be found. Hard to nitpick, and/or markdown, as it did exactly what it claimed, so leaving this fairly high at 9.1/10.
Cola (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23) – Alight, ANYONE who knows me, KNOWS that ANY Cola will have a HARD road to travel after I tested Sobucky’s Cola which has been the Reigning Cola Champion. This flavor presented very similar to it, but with some differences, albeit minor. The overall “cola” experience was pretty spot on, and also seemed to favor a Pepsi/RC Cola mashup. The exact split however was hard for me to gauge, but if I were forced to, I’d put it at a 50% Pepsi / 50% RC Cola. Sweetness leaned a little higher, at maybe a tick or two above mid-level, BUT, was there FIZZ ?? !!! Yes, my friends, there WAS some fizz. Not quite as fizzy as SSA’s, but still fizzy none the less. It did feel like it could use a little more fizz, and a pinch less sweetener, but even that would be subjective, as Colas by their nature ARE sweet LOL. Needless to say, this almost perfectly portrayed a Cola, of the non-diet persuasion. Sticky, accurate, with just a little bit of fizz on the finish. No off-notes, and nothing prickly at the testing weight of 8%, and it tasted pretty full at that weight. No cooling (thank God), because I can’t use any cooling agents. Very nicely done by FLAVRZ, and it won’t let you down for your cola needs. It felt like if the fizz was kicked up JUST a bit, and maybe the sweetener dropped just a bit as well, this could be improved. It felt truly like it was about 90% of the way there. That leaves this one perfectly placed at 9.0/10.
Creme De Menthe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-2-23) – It’s NO secret that I can’t and don’t use cooling agents, so this one was going to be a ride for me. I actually don’t drink or use CDM, so again, a ride was coming my way. Because there’s no cream in creme de menthe, it makes you wonder what IS in it. I was surprised to actually like this one, as it was not in my typical wheelhouse. It started out with a delicious almost cotton candy like carrier paired with a mint and hint of peppermint, and finished with the peppermint. There was a slight cooling effect, that could have been the mint, and was not objectionable, even to me. Again, having not used CDM IRL, I cannot directly compare the two, but it presented as fairly natural mints with that great carrier of sweetness. What I think I liked the most, was it wasn’t TOO minty. Just enough, and done very nicely. Scoring can be hard, especially if you (I) have not tried the flavor IRL, but, this one was good, with no off-notes, and plenty of smooth mint, riding on that (for lack of better term), cotton candy carrier. After much debate, I decided to leave it high at a 9.5/10, with no real take-offs.
French Vanilla Custard (FLAVRZ) 4%/8% (7-3-23) – I will admit to really looking forward to this one in this series. Being a French Vanilla and Custard lover, it was hard not to. This one did indeed impart a great French Vanilla paired with a Vanilla Custard that was fairly pudding-like. At 8% it was plenty heavy with no real issues EXCEPT FOR a rather odd off-note. It was an almost metalic/soap ??? on the finish ?? !!! I assumed the issue was on my end, and purged the tank, and tester bottle, and re-mixed, with new cotton, etc., but it still persisted. Reduced to half at 4% and it did reduce, but was still present. VERY discouraging, because the custard/french vanilla pairing was outstanding. I further reduced to 2% and it reduced as well, and the flavor was actually still fairly strong. I’m hoping that some others get into this one to better verify what I was getting. All in, a VERY good Custard, with a punchy French Vanilla undertone, with a rather odd off-note. I believe because it was minor, and on the finish that this could easily be tamed, BUT, it existed, none the less. I taste it, you guys hear about it. As it stood, I had to down-rate this one a bit for that, but overall the flavor was a winner. It felt fairly placed at 6.5/10.
Golden Butter (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-4-23) – As Darren from FLAVRZ has mentioned the FLAVRZ flavors are DAAP free (as well as some other not so safe compounds), so what DID this Golden Butter have in store ? Smelled great in the bottle, and pretty buttery. When testing it, it did kind of fall off a bit, and didn’t translate exactly to how it smelled. It had much of the richness, and creamy-ness of a creamery butter, but missed out on some of the (probably DAAP) buttery top end and salted notes. Sweetness was higher than expected, and it was about mid-level sweet. At 8% it felt like it was as strong as it could be, and was fairly full. No off-notes, or anything out of place to be had here. A good showing from a “free” and “safe” butter, just not all of the way there. I think it could easily be used in “safe” recipes if required, but as a whole, it felt like it was about 70% of the way there, and leaving it squarely at 7.0/10.
Grape Candy (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-4-23) – Whew, Grapey MrGrape. Right out of the gate, this one presented as almost TWO flavors in one. There was a slightly dull, purple onrush on the inhale, and then a juicy, candy-like, almost grape juicy-like mid and finish notes. VERY interesting. Although nowhere near a “soda” it did have some good Grape Nehi notes in there as well. Because it clearly tasted like more than just ONE grape, I’m pushing it up on the complexity scale. Maybe you could call it a great grape candy, IN grape juice perhaps. It was plenty strong at 8%, and was not overbearing, or fatiguing, and sweetness was just above mid-level sweet. The almost grape juicy finish was what really made it different than most other of my grapes. No green grapes here people, just purple grapes, and lots of them. It leaned mostly to the artificial side, JUST up until the finish, where the very natural grape juice note(s) took over. Quite an interesting one. All in, it was a very convincing purple grape candy, with a natural grape juice finish. I will mark it up a bit, as the natural juicy finish, to an initial grape candy was very interesting indeed. NO markdowns for the missing seeds, skin, and stems. Leaving it @ a solid 9.3/10.
Grape GC (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-4-23) – Well it turns out the GC stands for Gulf Coast, and FLAVRZ billed this one as being dark grapes with hints of Blackberry and Blueberry. It did taste like a purple grape and dark berry medley. The grape was similar to the just tested GC, BUT, without the candy. The dark berries however were hard to pick out, but they’re effect on the overall flavor was easily noticeable. I think “hints” of dark berries was right, and the ratio was close to 70% purple grape, and 30% dark berries. Sweetness was actually lower than expected at a few ticks below mid-level sweet. It was full at 8%, but still somewhat relaxed, but not weak. It felt that is was missing a little pop, and with the reduced sweetness, it’s possible sweetener could have been the ticket. The darker berries did provide a nice mysterious tart finish. No off-notes, and only some missing poppy-ness to nitpick on, this one was turned out to be a nice dark grape, dark berry mashup, that worked, and it created a relatively new experience. It felt smartly placed @ 9.0/10…
Grape Illawara (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-6-23) – To be fair, I’d never heard of Illawara before, but proved to be a Coastal region of New South Wales. No description was provided on FLAVRZ’s product page, BUT, a possibly revealing image, did show a mix of green, and purple grapes, and guess what ?? Yeah, that’s what it tasted like. :). My main take away from this one, was how smooth it tasted, and I think the smartly paired green and purple grapes were to thank for that. Not too much of either, but just enough. Neither drove the mix, but but were present. It/they presented as actually fairly natural tasting with little to no artificial undertones. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and at 8% it was plenty full, with no off-notes. Burning through the testers, I kept trying to decide if the green or purple was in the lead over the other, and I finally gave up, as they were just to evenly paired. there was SOME tartness, but only just some, as the smoothness seemed to really be part of the show here. Somewhat complex, and unmistakably grapey, this one really bridged the gap, convincingly between the green and purple. Fairly juicy, but never overbearing. It was a smooth grape experience to say the least. Finishing out this triplet of grapes from FLAVRZ, this one was smooth, and tasty with no real take-offs. If you’re in the mood for some grapes, but can’t decide on green or purple, sign yourself up for this one. Placing it higher, at a 9.3/10.
Lemon (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-6-23) – Out of the gate, I could tell this wasn’t really just a Lemon. At first I started to feel it was more of a Lemonade-ish flavor, then at times, almost a Lemon Candy. Not fully either, but it leaned both those directions. It also tasted far more artificial than natural, and sweetness was at about mid-level sweet. It was actually fairly complex, and tasty, BUT, despite having some Lemon-ness in it, I wouldn’t call it a full on Lemon. No off-notes, and it was very full at 8%. At times I thought I got hints of some nice zest, and possibly some citrus oil, but only hints. Very crisp, and refreshing, but again, I felt it’s artificial-ness, and sweetness helped it into heading towards a lemonade, or a lemon candy. Not bad at all, and after 2 tanks it was still crisp, and refreshing. It might not carry the main freight for a natural Lemon, but I could see many uses for it beyond that. For a “Lemon”, I’d have to rate it down a just a bit for the “ade” and “candy-ness”, and leave it at a 7.5/10.
Lemon Sicily (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-8-23) – Now we were getting into MO Lemonz. This one immediately reminded much more of a Limoncello. Not exactly, but heading that direction. A fair bit LESS sweet than the previously tested Lemon, and there were some very nice citrus oil notes, and almost some of the peel. NO bitterness, and to my tastes, was much more natural tasting than the Lemon. No off-notes, and this one was pretty full @ 8%. I think the main take aways from this one would be the citrus oil notes, and the bright, sparkly notes on the finish. Sweetness was still present, but at a much lower level than the Lemon, and that helped to lean it heavily towards the natural as opposed to artificial. No lemonade, or candy here, but much more of natural lemon. The flavor was just slightly relaxed at this testing weight, but I could find no off-notes to complain about. All in, rating this one a bit higher than the Lemon, and it was good enough to pull a 8.9.10.
Lemon Sponge (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-10-23) – Back into it, with this, the Lemon Sponge (cake). I did want to get into this one, as it smelled hella-licious in the bottle. Testing it, continued that trend, and I was greeted by a pretty accurate Lemon Cake. Now, missing was some or most of the almost baking powder-ish undertones that I often associate with a “sponge” cake. Needless to say, even devoid of those, the yellow-ish cake notes were spot on, and accurate. It was baked, but no brown, or burnt edge notes, and it didn’t feel lacking because of that. The lemon was still tarty and punched through the cake with no issues, which isn’t always easy to do, especially when pairing it with cakes/bakeries. It presented as a natual/artificlal mix, of maybe a 70% natural / 30% artificial ratio. Tarty, with some sweetness, and a touch of sour (tart). As a whole it worked really well as a lemon cake, but I wasn’t 100% sold on the “sponge”. Call it a nit-pick at best, as people’s definition of “sponge” will vary. It was very good at 8%, and overall sweetness was just below mid-level, and I will admit to getting lost in it, and nearing the finishing of the third tester, I had almost forgotten to get NOTES lol. For a “sponge” cake, it was just need a bit more, and only minor take-offs for that, and it felt super solid @ a 9.0/10, as it presented as much more of a lemon cake. Still QUITE good. Don’t let the lack-o-sponge stop ya.
Malaysian Mango (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-11-23) – Now I’m not sure exactly which Malaysian Mango this one was, BUT, it was good. It wasn’t as bright and sparkly as some Mangos I’ve had, but it did taste like more of a orange/yellow/green mango mashup. The majority of it centered around a yellow/orange tone, but I kept getting little hints of some fresh and green undertones. Sweetness was below mid-level, and strength/saturation levels felt like an 8/10 at 8%. Could stand to maybe be a bit stronger, but not much. It had an overall fresh, and natural taste and wasn’t sickly sweet and fatiguing, or boring. Somewhat complex, and it felt like it could just almost carry the full freight in a Mango mix, but it might need just a pinch of help. Very good, fresh, and tasty. The only take-off was a minor dryness from the middle to the end of the vape. Rating it higher due to the perceived orange/yellow/green-ness, with only the slight dryness as a markdown. It felt fairly placed at 8.5/10.
A few more to test and next up is Strawberry Jam Toast. As soon as I saw this flavour I knew I was going to order it, not because Flavrz website mentions Jam Monsters juice as a comparison, but because I would like something better. Personally I thought Jam Monster was ok but not worth all the hype I bought into.
It’s been a while since I had JM Strawberry Jam and Toast and from memory I believe this one could be similar but I also wouldn’t call that a compliment. I originally mixed Flavrz @13% but subsequently realised I’d made a mistake as this particular flavour is a one shot with a recommendation of between 25-30%.
At 13% it was definitely too weak for me and what I tasted was a subdued strawberry but very little to no jam, which didn’t surprise me if, as I assume, they’re using the same strawberry jam that I’d already tested. However, I was hopeful that it could be something more than a subdued strawberry because I was sure I was getting the butter, not a strawberry cream but the actual butter.
It was screaming out to be tested stronger and as I promised to post my thoughts on all the Flavrz I received and had already tried it lower I decided to kick off my next Flavrz session with this flavour.
REMIXED @25%
At 25% it was definitely more flavoursome and superior tasting than my original mistake of 13% but it still just wasn’t jam to me and I also believe could do with being a little sweeter too. To be fair I have no idea how any manufacturer is going to be able to obtain an actual toast flavour in a juice but in my opinion Flavrz haven’t been able to either.
So I don’t taste toast and only a very subdued unjammy (not a word I know) strawberry, so what do I taste? To be honest I don’t know but it is vapeable and not bad! I believe the predominant taste is the buttery aspect which leaves an almost butter type greasy aftertaste and kept pushing me to take another vape to try and get my head around the flavour in general.
To summarise I found it extremely hard to articulate this flavour but one thing I can say with certainty is that to me it isn’t strawberry jam and toast. It’s predominantly a buttery taste with the slightest hint of strawberry but not strawberry jam. There is a little more to it than that which I presume is supposed to be the toast but I definitely don’t taste anything remotely like toast. The closest I’ve got is perhaps something similar to a plain unsweetened biscuit (Arrowroot/Rich Tea) without the crunch? I appreciate my words will not be of much use but I can only comment on what I taste and try and compare those thoughts.
So to finally wrap this one up I’ll give it 4/10 and wouldn’t buy it again.
Maple Syrup (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-12-23) – Maple-y goodness WAS the word of the day with this one. In the bottle, in the tank, it was about identical. In the past I have tested some MS’s that were very heavy handed, and some, left a heavy aftertaste, but thankfully this one had neither of those issues. It tasted JUST maple-y enough, but without being overbearing, or saturated at 8%. Very realistic, tasty, and just sweet enough, without any cloying sweetness. It was surprisingly rich, and full, which were unexpected, AND, a huge plus. The maple center was actually somewhat complex, and at times, there were some light coffee and/or mocha undertones, which kept it very interesting. Because of those, I could actually see this working in some unexpectedly great ways IN some coffee mixes. Natural, full, and rich were the main take-aways on this one. It could easily work on pancakes/waffles just as well in coffee mixes. A very true to form Maple Syrup that tasted very rich, and with just enough sweetness. No butter notes, just the maple, and it was solidly in the “syrup” region, but (repeating), without the heavy, cloying sweetness. No off-notes, or take-offs that I could find, and leaving it high @ a 9.5/10.
Raspberry Jam Toast was the obvious flavour to continue with which I mixed @25%, steeped for 15 days and was a (big) freebie with an order.
And I mean big
After my initial mistake of mixing strawberry jam toast too low I knew to mix this one a lot higher and therefore mixed it at the same percentage as strawberry jam. I know I’m being dense but to be honest one shot or flavour shot is still confusing me but this one is a flavour shot. As I was disappointed with the strawberry version I was unsure what to expect from this, especially as I don’t seem to like other raspberry flavours very much. It’s not one I would have picked but I have been pleasantly surprised.
As mentioned above I was a little worried about this flavour but I actually prefer it to strawberry jam toast. It tastes more on point as the flavour is fuller with more depth to it. Although raspberry isn’t my favourite it works well here and is definitely more flavoursome and the predominant flavour.
Personally I thought the finished juice could do with a little more sweetness but I suppose that’s reasonably easily fixed. Similarly to strawberry I can taste the buttery aspect but it takes more of a back seat to the actual raspberry which is what I would have expected. Of no surprise was that I still taste bugger all toast but in hindsight perhaps that’s not a bad thing as possibly that could have delivered a bit of a burnt taste overall? Perhaps a little to compliment and bring the overall taste nearer to what I expected given the description? Don’t know but what I can say with certainty is that the toast is not there. However the ‘something else’ flavour that I got in strawberry is there but again it was more subdued and seemed to help the finished flavour. I’m afraid I’m no nearer explaining the ‘something else’ but I’m sure it was lurking. I believe 25% is about right for me and think taking it any higher could make it start to taste a little off.
To summarise I was a little surprised that I enjoyed this flavour as much as I did and personally I can easily vape it solo. Considering it’s a one shot/ flavour shot that’s probably a good thing, but either way it’s a fact. Although I haven’t tasted that many raspberry flavours it’s the best I’ve tasted to date but it is more than just a raspberry to be fair. I can still taste the buttery aspect but with the elusive ‘something else’ working in the background. I think I’d be safe in saying if you like raspberry flavours you’d like this one.
I’m a little on the fence in regards to if I’d buy it but that’s only due to raspberries not being my preference but am edging towards yes I would. I’m also struggling to arrive at a number due to this but think 7/10 is fair as for me to actually enjoy a raspberry juice is not commonplace.
