Something that turns me off on some of these FJ one shots, like this one, is their use of cartoonish characters on the labels and web pages. I know DIY among youth is nonexistent, but it’s still a bad look in an industry that has to constantly fight the accusations that it is marketing to youth.
I agree with you on that, we have all lost enough with the dumbass marketing. And that dern Birthday Cake is looking at me like it wants to sex me up or something, creepy. I havent been on their site for a very long time, since they had the old name. On the flip side i like most of the tobacco bottle artwork.
People never learn tho. I live in Michigan which mostly legalized weed and the absolutely stupidity with some of these brands is baffling. They all saw what happened with vaping yet they are doing the same thing. Cartoons, stolen IP, idiotic strain names…
Today i saw some company selling live Rosin in the shape of cartoon animals, the actually rosin was shaped like teddy bears, stegosaurus, cuties dolphins, baby sharks, etc… Another company selling THC cartriges with Goku, Vegeta, Fred and Barney, Luigi and the Pink Mushroom critter. I love Dragon Ball, im in my 50’s, but i wouldnt buy one if they were a penny.
The absolute stupidity of it, we are so bad at learning from our mistakes.
EDIT: Not trying to bash on FJ but please tell the cake to stop smiling at me like that.
@robrrt1 their labels aren’t that bad. Their art dept. clearly has a theme they use, but I wouldn’t call it “kiddie” art. BUT, with that said, some are/were great, and some were NOT. I’m testing one now, and it’s falling into the “not” great category…
Specifically…
Now imagine the sh*tstorm if a Bloomberg-funded vape jihadist (or journalist, but I may be repeating myself) exhibited these labels to the public.
Hehe @robrrt1 I guess in comparison to the ones I posted, those are at least, a little questionable.
Strawberry Crusher (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 7% (10-20-23) – After letting this one settle, again I was not sure about whether it worked, or not. From the MFG…
Strawberry Crusher: Where Sweet Peaches, Cherries, and Creamy Dreams Unite in Flavor Fun!
Sounded good, and testing it did reveal some Strawberry, some White Peach, and just maybe some Cherry undertones, but they were very weak. There was indeed a creamy carrier that the fruit rode on, but it was more of a non eggy, generic vanilla base. Sometimes fruit DO pair well, and accent each other, and other times not. During most of the test, it presented as a fruit mashup over a creamy vanilla base. Not great, not terrible, but just ehh. It was full @ 7%, and no off-notes except for a slight “twang” on the finish. Again, not terrible, but just not stellar. All in it was a fruit mashup, with overtones of SB, hints of peach, riding over a creamy vanilla. Finally decided on a 6.5/10 for this one.
Sweet Strawberry Cream (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 15% (10-20-23) – Oh no, ANOTHER Strawberry Cream ?? Hehe, yes. This One-Shot is (I believe) the most popular shot in FJ’s lineup. Granted many of the high reviews may be from non-DIY’ers, but it was still worth a look, to see what was what with their Top Seller. Out of the gate, I got a very familiar Jammy Strawberry with some deliciously thick Butter undertones, which immediately reminded me of One On One’s SB Jam. Maybe some INW Shisha SB tossed in for a brightener, and a surprisingly decent milky cream. The cream was the most interesting part here, as it wasn’t a thick, rich cream, but seemed to straddle a milk, and cream. The very present (and delicious) buttery undertones from the SB worked veyr well to CONCEAL some of the creamy-ness, keeping it shrouded at bit, mostly to perfectly identify it, but it was the carrier that the SB’s rode on top ot. At 15% it was very full, and just about mid-level sweet, with no off-notes. The best two parts for me, were the Jammy-ness of the SB’s, and the milky, creamy carrier. As a whole it DID work, and it did it well. Sure, sure, you probably have at least a half a dozen recipes for SB Cream already, but maybe you want a “quick fix”, or some inspiration on making one. Even though the SB Cream profile has been pretty well flushed out already, this one was a good one, and not a bad one to pick up. Jammy, punchy, with a really good, milky cream undertone. Leaving this one high at a 9.1/10.
Tiger’s Blood Reloaded (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 8% (10-20-23) – Breaking into the LAST One-Shot in this series, with the “Reloaded” version of FJ’s Tiger’s Blood. I had tested the OG version, and while I wasn’t 100% sure on the Cherry, Kiwi, and Mellon profiles, I scored it fairly high to it’s different approach to a TB. This one, was much more to my liking, and it presented as FAR more “Red” than the OG. Tastes vary WILDY in what makes the BEST TB, so use your own tastes above all else. This one just plain worked for me, having the juicy red watermelon up front, with a ripe red strawberry falling right behind it, with lighter notes of Pineapple and Coconut lower down in the mix. To my tastes, the ratios were almost spot on to make the “right” TB. Having the SB just behind the Watermelon, it allowed it to enhance the WM without fighting it. The lighter PA and Coconut worked to round out the mix without overshadowing the two predominant players. Sweetness was ust above mid-level, and there was JUST enough tart from the SB (and maybe the Pineapple) to jazz up any smoothness from the WM. All in, a great “re-do”, errrr “Reloaded” version of their Tiger’s Blood. Because I prefer a much juicier “red” TB, going to leave this one pretty high, at a 9.8/10.
I will continue to post these reviews here, and below in this thread, and UPDATE the OG thread up top as well.
Avalon (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 20%
Awaken (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 20%
Cherry Limeade (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 14% (6-24-24) – Every time I’ve ever tried to make a Cherry Limeade, I’ve always struggled to get the right RATIOS. Not sure why, but I think it’s safe to say that FJ nailed the ratios with this one. It tasted almost exactly (no carbonation), like an actual, you guess it, Cherry Limeade. The spot on pairing of the two main elements (Cherry, Lime) were done soo good that it was hard for me to completely isolate the Cherry. I think a juicy, red, maraschino would be accurate. The Lime actually tasted very natural, and in keeping WITH the actual drink, the Lime almost coated your palate, just a bit, and lingered after the finish. I don’t know which cherry/cherries they used, but they did a great job, as there were no medicinal, or ugly florals to be found. No off-notes in the entire mix either. Sweetness was somewhat high, and a few ticks above mid-level, which while helping it pop a little, may have been bordering on too sweet, BUT, that’s a matter of personal preference, and in no way a deal killer for me. No fizz, no carbonation, and (thank God), NO COOLING !!! All in, it was an impressive, accurate, natural tasting CL, with about my only two wants being maybe a slight increase in the cherry, and a slight reduction in sweetness, but that’s about it. Not bad, not bad at all. Leaving this one very high, at a 9.7/10.
Grape Bubblegum Reloaded (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 12%
Key Lime Pie (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 9%/12%/16% (6-16-24) – If you looked at the pics, you might have wondered why I picked THIS one up in a 120ml jug. @Ken_O_Where tipped me off that he had picked some up, and although sweet, was pretty damned good, so 120ml it was. I run THREE percentages, because the label on the bottle stated 16%, the MFG website stated 9%, but I found 11-12% to be the sweet spot. With all of that said, this was a VERY good Key Lime Pie.
I believe Ken said he went “graham cracker blind” after a while, but it stayed present till the end for me, so your graham cracker mileage may vary. The graham (crust) was just about perfect, and similar to CAP’s LMP graham cracker. Crusty, without any cinnamon to muck it up. The filling in this one was ALMOST the star of the show, as it was very accurate, creamy, tangy, and with almost the perfect amount of lime. It was like there was a lime IN the filling, and another that kicked in, during the finish. Sweetness was above mid-level, maybe a few ticks, and it could stand to be lowered a bit, BUT, it wasn’t cloying, or a deal breaker. I blew through NUMEROUS testers before I finally sat to write this (yeah, it’s pretty addictive), and I could find NO off-notes, or anything out of place. About all I had were two “wants”. A little more key lime, and a little less sweetness, but THAT, was IT. While very well balanced and blended, I was pretty sure I got some meringue from it as well (hint), and it worked. All in, a VERY good KLP, with a great, accurate graham crust (that didn’t fade for me), a delicious creamy filling, with some punchy key limes. Taking off only for the above average sweetener, and leaving this one very high at a 9.85/10.
Peach Cobbler (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 12% (6-15-24) – This one smelled great in the bottle, and most of that was present when testing. My two main take-aways were “bakery” and a “light peach”. The peach almost got lost at times in the mix, so it could have been a little stronger. The “cobbler” notes felt like they were about 65% of the way there, but could use just a little push to the finish line. At times it presented as more of a general/generic pastry/bakery, BUT, with some great biscuit like nuances. Between the light peach, and bakery notes was a creamy-ish center note which acted like a carrier for the peach, and a smoother for the cobbler if that makes sense. 4 testers into this one, I was still unable to fully flesh out and identify the peach because it was fairly light in the mix. The small bits I did get tasted juicy, and yellow, BUT, it was fairly overpowered in the mix, with the cobbler/bakery taking the lead. At the suggested weight of 12% it was very full, and sweetness was just about mid-level sweet. No off-notes, and only my aforementioned nit-picks to complain about. All it, it felt like it really needed a peach boost, and in total, it felt about 65-70% of the way there. Leaving it at a 6.9/10.
Raspberry Cheesecake (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 12% (6-20-24) – This one smelled GREAT in the bottle, and was kinda “ehhhh” when testing. It’s hard to explain but when smelling it, the fairly creamy cheesecake was there, and the raspberry was present, but when testing it, it reduced into a rather bland-ish, creamy mix with SOME raspberry in there. Somewhat blurred if that makes sense. The cheesecake seemed centered most around itself, and I didn’t get much crust from it, and raspberry I could pick out was fairly recessed, and hard to fully identify. The cheesecake seemed like a creamy, NY style, and the raspberry was similar to INW’s Malina for comparison. All in, it was an “Ok” showing, but in no way, a showstopper. Because it was centered around the creamy cheesecake, I would probably crust it up a bit, and def. spike up the raspberry with, well, something just like INW Mainla !!! No off-notes, or BA that I could detect, and it was moderately present at the advised 12%, and sweetness was just below mid-level. I finally settled on a score of 6.2/10 for this one.
Space Monkey (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 17.5% (6-23-24) – From the MFG …
A delicious blend of cream, bananas, vanilla, and brown sugar. For a bakery One Shot, the taste and convenience is out of this world
This one presented to me like a pretty good banana cream. There may have been some slight vanilla notes floating around in there, but they were somewhat light(er). I did get some hints of brown sugar as well, so their billing it pretty spot on. The banana(s) tasted almost over-ripe, and had a “taffy” twinge to them, as well as a slight funk. Not a bad funk, but the curling notes you get from over-ripened nanas as opposed to the green ones. Creamy-ness was actually very good, smooth, rich, and was seamlessly blended into the nanas. At the spec’d 17.5% it was rich, full, and tasty, and sweetness was just above mid-level. No complaints or off-notes with the exception of the slight “funkyness” from the nanas, but even that was somewhat minor. All in, a pretty good “Banana Cream” from FJ. With my PERSONAL preference leaning much more towards a “greener” banana, (and yours may be different), decided to leave this one at a 8.5/10.
Strawberry Cream Bar (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 19.5%
Sugar Cookie (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 12%
Vanilla Custard Leaf (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 10%
I just noticed this after all this time. The one shot chocolate chip cookie dough @flavor jungle was created by Folkart. He told me about it just before it released. It’s still one of my favorite one shots. Folkart did the cookie dough and I believe the Strawberry Bliss which is his remix of Pony on Acid.
Peach Cobbler (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 12% (6-15-24) – This one smelled great in the bottle, and most of that was present when testing. My two main take-aways were “bakery” and a “light peach”. The peach almost got lost at times in the mix, so it could have been a little stronger. The “cobbler” notes felt like they were about 65% of the way there, but could use just a little push to the finish line. At times it presented as more of a general/generic pastry/bakery, BUT, with some great biscuit like nuances. Between the light peach, and bakery notes was a creamy-ish center note which acted like a carrier for the peach, and a smoother for the cobbler if that makes sense. 4 testers into this one, I was still unable to fully flesh out and identify the peach because it was fairly light in the mix. The small bits I did get tasted juicy, and yellow, BUT, it was fairly overpowered in the mix, with the cobbler/bakery taking the lead. At the suggested weight of 12% it was very full, and sweetness was just about mid-level sweet. No off-notes, and only my aforementioned nit-picks to complain about. All it, it felt like it really needed a peach boost, and in total, it felt about 65-70% of the way there. Leaving it at a 6.9/10.
What would YOU add to boost the peach?
Any yellow peach, with maybe a hint of apricot. SSA’s Sweet Peach is a newer fav of mine.
Key Lime Pie (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 9%/12%/16% (6-16-24) – If you looked at the pics, you might have wondered why I picked THIS one up in a 120ml jug. @Ken_O_Where tipped me off that he had picked some up, and although sweet, was pretty damned good, so 120ml it was. I run THREE percentages, because the label on the bottle stated 16%, the MFG website stated 9%, but I found 11-12% to be the sweet spot. With all of that said, this was a VERY good Key Lime Pie.
I believe Ken said he went “graham cracker blind” after a while, but it stayed present till the end for me, so your graham cracker mileage may vary. The graham (crust) was just about perfect, and similar to CAP’s LMP graham cracker. Crusty, without any cinnamon to muck it up. The filling in this one was ALMOST the star of the show, as it was very accurate, creamy, tangy, and with almost the perfect amount of lime. It was like there was a lime IN the filling, and another that kicked in, during the finish. Sweetness was above mid-level, maybe a few ticks, and it could stand to be lowered a bit, BUT, it wasn’t cloying, or a deal breaker. I blew through NUMEROUS testers before I finally sat to write this (yeah, it’s pretty addictive), and I could find NO off-notes, or anything out of place. About all I had were two “wants”. A little more key lime, and a little less sweetness, but THAT, was IT. While very well balanced and blended, I was pretty sure I got some meringue from it as well (hint), and it worked. All in, a VERY good KLP, with a great, accurate graham crust (that didn’t fade for me), a delicious creamy filling, with some punchy key limes. Taking off only for the above average sweetener, and leaving this one very high at a 9.85/10.
Raspberry Cheesecake (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 12% (6-20-24) – This one smelled GREAT in the bottle, and was kinda “ehhhh” when testing. It’s hard to explain but when smelling it, the fairly creamy cheesecake was there, and the raspberry was present, but when testing it, it reduced into a rather bland-ish, creamy mix with SOME raspberry in there. Somewhat blurred if that makes sense. The cheesecake seemed centered most around itself, and I didn’t get much crust from it, and raspberry I could pick out was fairly recessed, and hard to fully identify. The cheesecake seemed like a creamy, NY style, and the raspberry was similar to INW’s Malina for comparison. All in, it was an “Ok” showing, but in no way, a showstopper. Because it was centered around the creamy cheesecake, I would probably crust it up a bit, and def. spike up the raspberry with, well, something just like INW Mainla !!! No off-notes, or BA that I could detect, and it was moderately present at the advised 12%, and sweetness was just below mid-level. I finally settled on a score of 6.2/10 for this one.
Space Monkey (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 17.5% (6-23-24) – From the MFG …
A delicious blend of cream, bananas, vanilla, and brown sugar. For a bakery One Shot, the taste and convenience is out of this world
This one presented to me like a pretty good banana cream. There may have been some slight vanilla notes floating around in there, but they were somewhat light(er). I did get some hints of brown sugar as well, so their billing it pretty spot on. The banana(s) tasted almost over-ripe, and had a “taffy” twinge to them, as well as a slight funk. Not a bad funk, but the curling notes you get from over-ripened nanas as opposed to the green ones. Creamy-ness was actually very good, smooth, rich, and was seamlessly blended into the nanas. At the spec’d 17.5% it was rich, full, and tasty, and sweetness was just above mid-level. No complaints or off-notes with the exception of the slight “funkyness” from the nanas, but even that was somewhat minor. All in, a pretty good “Banana Cream” from FJ. With my PERSONAL preference leaning much more towards a “greener” banana, (and yours may be different), decided to leave this one at a 8.5/10.
Cherry Limeade (One Shot) (Flavor Jungle) 14% (6-24-24) – Every time I’ve ever tried to make a Cherry Limeade, I’ve always struggled to get the right RATIOS. Not sure why, but I think it’s safe to say that FJ nailed the ratios with this one. It tasted almost exactly (no carbonation), like an actual, you guess it, Cherry Limeade. The spot on pairing of the two main elements (Cherry, Lime) were done soo good that it was hard for me to completely isolate the Cherry. I think a juicy, red, maraschino would be accurate. The Lime actually tasted very natural, and in keeping WITH the actual drink, the Lime almost coated your palate, just a bit, and lingered after the finish. I don’t know which cherry/cherries they used, but they did a great job, as there were no medicinal, or ugly florals to be found. No off-notes in the entire mix either. Sweetness was somewhat high, and a few ticks above mid-level, which while helping it pop a little, may have been bordering on too sweet, BUT, that’s a matter of personal preference, and in no way a deal killer for me. No fizz, no carbonation, and (thank God), NO COOLING !!! All in, it was an impressive, accurate, natural tasting CL, with about my only two wants being maybe a slight increase in the cherry, and a slight reduction in sweetness, but that’s about it. Not bad, not bad at all. Leaving this one very high, at a 9.7/10.
@Ken_O_Where you WERE right about the KLP, it IS pretty good. Tad sweet like you mentioned, but still very good.
Now that I’ve been shaking and baking with it for a while now, I THINK I know what they used for the crust. I don’t think it’s a GC, I think it’s Ultimate Biscuit.