I went down a similar path when I started searching for DIY tobacco mixes that suited my tastes. I l also prefer a tobacco with a bit of sweetness in the background. I’d try a particular tobacco flavor, and then try and bring up the sweetness in the background, by adding traditional ‘sweet’ flavors to the original tobacco, like chocolate, vanilla, caramel, etc. They just never hit the spot for me.
What got me pointed in the right direction (for my tastes) was trying more than one tobacco in the same mix. I also tried to stay at 5% or less, of total flavoring in a tobacco recipe. Tobaccos each have their own profile that they bring to a recipe. Some are light or mild, some bold, some on the sweet side, etc.
By experimenting with different percentages of each, in the same recipe, you might be amazed at how the overall profile of a recipe changes, just by altering the percentages slightly. Try and stay at 5% total flavoring.
For example. Tobacco A is a light, mild flavor. Tobacco B is a bolder tobacco. Tobacco C has a bit of sweetness.
Tobacco A 3.5 %
Tobacco B 1 %
Tobacco C .5 %
Not enough ‘tobacconess’? Drop A to 3% and raise B to 1.5% and note what happened, overall. With just 3 tobaccos, all bringing something a little different to the party, you will be able to ‘tune’ the recipe, and create a profile that suits you. It will take time, and experimenting, you’ll feel the recipe profile changing as you get closer (or further away) to what you’re looking for.
For the record, I find RY4’s and RY4 Double rather disgusting, but to each their own. I do however like Hangsen RY1. Hangsen’s RY system starts with RY1 (least sweet) and goes up to RY4 (sweetest). RY1 is the only ‘RY’ I like, personally.
Don’t give up. Experiment, read, and experiment more, and read some more. Your combos are out there.
This is an outstanding thread, about tobacco flavors & tobacco recipes. There’s an incredible amount of info in it.