I do the INW Custard at 4% solo, but have had it as high as 6% to test. For me, the extra 2% wasn’t really worthwhile as I get a good, solid old style English custard form the 4%. For me, it’s like a thick egg based custard, sort of similar to a baked custard.
I don’t think the Americans really know the style our mums used to make. What they call “custard” I would class as mass produced, eggless, almost flavourless, thin pouring custard. Like the crap in the tetra packs at the supermarket (homebrand especially).
Blood Orange (FLAVRZ) 8% (6-30-23) – Alright people, breaking into the THIRD series from FLAVRZ flavors with this, the Blood Orange. Now admittedly I don’t use BO’s very often, but when the need arises, it’s got to be authentic. This one smelled REALLY close in the bottle, and got even closer in the tank. Like a traditional Blood Orange it wasn’t as bright and punchy as a navel orange, but it had more of the darker, almost raspberry-ish notes. Now I didn’t actually get raspberry from it, but it was the closest comparison I could think of. Darker, and almost rich if you could believe it. It presented as very natural, and had a subtle yet very good almost citrus oil note (in a good way) on the finish, that really helped seal the deal for me on it’s authenticity. Now the last thing of note is/will be hard to explain BUT, it was almost like a little bit of an effervescence on the finish, which again, added some “sparkle” to the finish, and kept it interesting. It was actually fairly complex, and one of the FIRST things I thought of when testing it, was how I NEEDED to add this to my orange creamsicle recipe. At 8% it was very full, without being over, or underpowered, and didn’t leave you wanting. No off-notes and just below mid level sweet. All in, a very fresh, realistic Blood Orange, with a nice citrusy oil note on the finish, along with some effervescence. With nothing to nitpick, and/or complain about, I had to leave this one high @ 9.5/10. If YOU are working on an orange creamsicle, you may want to ADD this one, because I think it would work out GREAT.
Blueberry Ripe (FLAVRZ) 8% (7-1=23) – I think a lot of times when I’m testing things like “Ripe”, or “Fresh”, or “Wild”, I never know how each MFG will decide/define those terms. In the case of this one, I think “ripe” actually worked, as it mainly focused around a ripe, juicy blueberry. I almost thought of a “Royal Blueberry” when testing it. While having some nice “ripe”-ness, there was a slight jammy-ness to it, with just a pinch of fermented-ness on the finish. No overt florals, or soaps, and it did taste pretty natural with a 70% natural / 30% artificial split. At 8% it was very present, but not in a heavy handed way. No off-notes, or any easy to find take-offs for this one. At times I did remind me of TPA’s Blueberry Extra, paired with a natual ripened BB for comparison. It was an interesting one to test, as it did present as fairly complex, with ripened, juicy, and slightly jammy/fermented notes swirling around. All in, it was fairly unique, and to build something like it I would have to pair two or more from my racks to do it. Going to leave this “royal” blueberry fairly high, and it felt good at 9.1/10.
Blueberry Wild (FLAVRZ) 4% / 8% (7-1-23) – WHEW, this one WAS Wild. I started this one out at 8%, and it tasted like it was indeed going sideways. I did get some fairly present florals at 8%, but they weren’t TOTALLY off-putting, as it DID (kind of) work towards the “Wild”. Now, interestingly enough it tasted a little heavier than JUST a fruit, and I got an almost FW Graham Cracker out of it. YES, you read that right. I changed the cotton and reduced to half @ 4.0%, and most of the florals abated, BUT, the underlying (I know it sounds crazy) Flavor West graham cracker-ish undertones persisted. The blueberry itself shared some of the jammy-ness of the previously tested BB Ripe, and seemed to be more of a 50/50 natural/artificial split here. About mid-level sweet, and it was still pretty present at the halved weight of 4.0 %. What I couldn’t shake was the FW GC undertones, and they were fairly distracting from the BB. It’s possible that further reductions MIGHT have reduced them further, and if time persists after finishing this series, I may re-visit this one @ 2.0% to see. As it stood at 4% and 8%, I’d have to push it down a bit for the bakery-ish, almost FW GC notes that were present from start to finish, and leave this one at about a 5.0/10.
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.
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.
