Starting this NEW Capella Series out with a big shout out to Allan at Capella Flavors, who actually landed over 7 pounds of flavors before many resellers had received them. In some ways, this review is in large part due to his generosity, super fast shipping. These flavors were sent for the purposes of this review, but as is always the case, if I taste it, you’ll know it.
Having had great success with the last CAP release at a testing weight of 4%, I decided to continue that percentage here. All will be steeped at least 1.5 weeks, and were mixed in a 70v/30p/3mg NIC carrier. All tested in the SteamCrave RDTA v.1 running dual Kanthal 24 ga.vertical coils. All tested at 65 watts, using KGD cotton and fresh, or dry burned coils before every test.
After I had already mixed these up at 4% I talked to @lukeloop who said these might be a little weaker than some of the other newer releases, and that they might need to be tested somewhat higher. I decided to leave the entire series at 4%, and increase PER flavor, if needed. Thanks out to Luke.
4U Blend (CAP) 4% / 6% (12-22-23) – Alright everyone, the wait is OVER, and let’s get INTO THESE !!! FIRST new CAP flavor on deck was this, the 4U blend. Many people actually don’t know the history of RY4, and YES, this IS a RY4-ish flavor. I started out at 4%, and it was good, but I HAD to have some more, and spiked it to 6%, and it was better. Thanks out to @lukeloop who tipped me off, that these were not as strong as some other recent releases, and up sampling would be required. While not being a “Bacco-Head” or an NET’er, I do like my RY4’s. This one was an RY4 flavor, and a damned good one. Clean, clean, clean was the main take away with this one. It had what I expect out of RY4’s a mid to light(er) earthy tobacco note, caramel notes, and hints of vanilla. The caramel was not overly buttery or rich, but VERY tasty. The tobacco, while lower in the mix (as with most RY4’s) was very good, with a nice smoky/dirty/earthy undertone which helped to sell it. The vanilla was VERY hard to fully flesh out, but it did peak in and out throughout my tests, but the Caramel and Bacco were the main stars.
I called it “clean” and that stayed true till the last tester, with no burnt or scorched notes to be found. Sweetness was about mid level, and I tried (and failed) to find any off-notes or nit-picks. Your typical NET’er will scoff at the RY’s citing “Candied” as a main complaint, but this one, for what it was, was very good. Throughout the tests I kept getting an almost Honey-like richness to it, but without a distinct honey note. It was fairly complex, hard to put down, and just damned tasty. I didn’t get any real bakery out of it like a few other RY’s, but, it was so good, I didn’t miss it. If you like your RY4’s, then I think you’ll like this one. My only wish would have been to buttery up the caramel, JUST a pinch, BUT, that might have thrown off the delicate balance that Capella struck with this one. Too good to down rate much at all, and it was much more enjoyable at 6% as a solo. Easily a 9.9/10.
Berrylicious (CAP) 4% / 7% (12-23-23) – This one WAS delicious. Started out at 4%, and felt like more was better, and almost doubled it to 7%, and it got much better. Not linearly, so maybe 6% may have been the solo sweet spot. Not quite as dark (or strong) as Harvest Berry, and it seemed centered most around a red strawberry, and a raspberry, with maybe hint of blackberry. At times the RB tasted red, others purple, so it was hard to nail down. There was a very authentic ripe, almost pectin like “punch”, along with some tartness that kept it fresh and tasty throughout my testers. Sweetness was a few tick below mid-level, and the way the berries were paired, it did wax and wane favoring one or another, which made it somewhat complex. Overall, I didn’t really get much artificial-ness, as it leaned heavily towards a natural medley. Despite trying VERY hard to exactly nail down any/all fruits, I just kept going back to the Red Strawberry, Raspberry, and hint of Blackberry combo. All in, for a mid-dark berry medley, with some VERY authentic jammy/tart-ed-ness, this one sold it, and sold it well. Authentic, just sweet enough, natural, and with a tart finish. Not the strongest, but one of the better ones out there, and it felt good at a 9.3/10.
Custard Cream (CAP) 4% / 6% (12-24-23) – Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, EXCEPT for Capella’s NEW Custard Cream that is !!! Merry Christmas Eve out to you guys. Alright, what in the hell, is this one ?? Damned GOOD, that’s what. I literally spent quite a bit of time smell comparing this to CAP’s VC, and they were similar, BUT, different. I think it was the pairing with the Cream that pulled the Custard into a different dimension. YES, I love the Custards, so read this review knowing that. There WAS a time, wherein I felt CAP’s VC was a little TOO eggy for my tastes, hehe, but THAT time, has passed. This flavor seemed to be a pairing of the VC, but with a nice, blank slate, creamery cream. YES, you read that right. The net effect, was that I still got almost all of the rich Custard, but with some reduced heavy eggy-ness, and some of the buttery-ness, and got a VERY smooth creamy-ness in exchange. Duh, right “Custard Cream”. Because Custard-Heads ARE a fickle bunch, AND often times, FEAR change, Capella had their work cut out to do it right, and I think they did.
Still plenty of the Custard notes, and an increased creamy mouthfeel. As stated, not as buttery rich, BUT, I have to say, I didn’t miss it in this flavor. The pairing of the Cream and Custard was well done, and feels like they put some time into it. as opposed to a “mashup”. I did start out at 4%, but I KNEW I wanted more, and bumped it to 6%, and it got much creamier, fuller, and just more present. Don’t worry, there’s still some eggy-ness in there, just reduced a little bit. I think this one’s going to get a LOT of play as it’s going to open up usage for many people who loved the VC but maybe felt it was egg/butter heavy. I am anxious to hear what @Ken_O_Where thnks, as I’m fairly sure he had an IV bottle with CAP VC1 hooked up at one point. NO off-notes, nothing out of place, just a perfect pairing of CAP’s VC, and a creamery cream. You could solo this all day long at 6%. I know, because I am !!! You might even be able to go higher if needed. Sweetness was just at mid-level, and I was already toying with some Graham Cracker, and Cookie renditions already. Release the Kraken, because it’s getting a 10/10 from me.
Fresh Guava (CAP) 4% / 6% (12-25-23) – Decided to get into this one on Christmas Day. Fresh, seemed to be fairly accurate with this one. I think my FIRST two thoughts were “Fresh and Fizzy”. Now it wasn’t REALLY fizzy, but it had a nice almost tarty-ness to it, almost fermented, BUT, in a good way. I started out at 4%, and knew it needed a little more, and at 6% it was great for testing. You could really taste the juicy red-ish fleshy fruit, minus the seeds of course. Not candied by any means, and it tasted very natural. Sweetness was just about mid-level, and no florals, or off-notes could be found. About my only complaint would be wanting JUST a bit more out of it. It’s possible it could be pushed higher for solo’ing, but I left it at 6%. Authentic, somewhat juicy, and with just enough “zing” to round it out. A very good fruit showing from Capella in this new series, and with the only complaint being just a smidge relaxed, it felt fresh and tasty @ a 9.5/10.
Green Strawberry (CAP) 4% / 6% (12-25-23) – This one was an interesting flavor, and hard to fully flush out. I had assumed it would have been closer to FLV’s Alpine, but that was not the case. I did indeed, portray a nice, semi-juicy Strawberry, but with green, and white accents. It really did taste NOT red, if that is possible. There was a certain “smoothness” to it that I couldn’t nail down, and although it was NOT “candied” it was almost like it had a hard candy shell, like a Skittles. Hard to explain, but NOT candied. At 4% it was good, but 6% did make it better. Not overpowering at the higher weight, but fully present. Overall, it tasted very natural, and despite the “smooth candy shell”-ed-ness to it, it was just below mid level sweet, and also had some pectin like sharp accents on the finish. Not the most powerful SB, but a fairly unique one. Trying to compel people to buy “another strawberry” is hard, but this one’s unique-ness will help with that. Somewhat sweet, green, and white, with a candy coated shell smoothness is what this one was, WITH a little tart on the finish. No off-notes, florals or complaints. Not sure if it was strong enough to be the main SB or not, but a major player, yes. It felt good at 9.0/10.
Guarana (CAP) 4% (9-18-24) – Having never eaten a Guarana, nor being a big fan of energy drinks where it is used frequently, this one was a very interesting flavor to test. This flavor was actually quite unique, and presented as a very light, somewhat fruity apple, with an almost soda like fizzy-ness, and a slightly bitter citrus finish. Now the finish was really hard to nail down, as I called it a citrus finish, but it didn’t taste like lemon or lime, but strangely enough, more like a blank canvas citrus finish. VERY hard to explain, but it was a great finish for the flavor. At 4% it was still a somewhat light(er) flavor, and could benefit from a slightly higher single flavor percentage. The apple was fairly red, but not a juicy red delicious, but really more like an apple soda, with a very slight, but good fizzy aspect. Sweetness was just below mid level, and it was an interesting flavor. I don’t think I have any on my shelves quite like this one. Tasty, fresh, somewhat soda-like, and with a citrus edge, with some fizzy-ness is what this one was. Even though it was a somewhat lighter flavor, it was hard to fault this one, with no off-notes, and about the only “want” would have been a little more presence, which might easily be remedied by a slight strength increase. Very good, and decided to leave it at a high 9.0/10 rating.
Juicy Kiwi (CAP) 4% (12-26-23) – Alright, had my FIRST flavor in this new series where I STOPPED at 4%. Well started and THEN stopped LOL. OK, your personal preferences ARE going to come into play here. The elephant in the room for this flavor was COOLING. I can’t swear it had a cooling agent in it, but there was a perceivable cooling effect with this flavor, AND (as previously, always, …stated), I am NOT a fan of anything cooling. I could detect the cooling effect, and the somewhat chalky-ness that I always get with them, so for my tastes, it’s IN there (or here). The flavor wasn’t entirely juicy, and as far as a Kiwi, it didn’t portray it very well. There WAS some Kiwi in there, but it was a lighter, almost candied version of it, and it missed the mark on a lot of the “pizzazz” and “sparkle” that a real Kiwi has. I got mostly mid-body notes with this one, and much of the high end sparkle was missing. No off-notes at 4%, save whatever the cooling-ish effect/agent(s) were. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and although it wasn’t terrible, it just really never took off for my tastes. Leaving this one squarely at a 5.5/10.
Luscious Strawberry (CAP) 4% / 6% (12-27-23) – I think that Cambridge’s definition of Luscious really worked in regards to this flavor. Granted, it IS getting harder to describe the “Next New Strawberry”, especially in relation to the crowded field of SB’s out there. This one presented as a fairly juicy red strawberry, that was nicely sweet. Sweetness was just about at mid-level, but it was in no way candied. It’s good to see Capella offer up yet another SB that was fairly different than their Sweet Strawberry. This one was smoother, and less candied/artificial than the aforementioned SSB, and it worked well. Far more natural tasting as well. It had some ripedness, but I wouldn’t classify it as a “ripe”. Juicy, red, and natural tasting were the three big take-aways. As with most of the other in this series, I started at 4%, but quickly moved it up to 6% where it improved. Into the second and third testers, I DID start to pick up on a little bit of jammy-ness, which stayed lower in the mix, but consistent till the end. Slight tarty-ness on the finish, and no off-notes could be found at either testing weight. All in, a very natural tasting red strawberry, with some smoothness, jammy-ness, and a kiss of tart on the finish. Despite owning too many Strawberries, it was hard to find fault with this one, or apply any real take-offs. Leaving it fresh, and jammy at a higher 9.7/10. Whether or not it was Luscious, will be up to you guys.
Maracuja (CAP) 4% (9-20-24) – Having never technically eaten a Maracuja, and researching it a bit, it seemed like there was a lot of confusion that Maracujas were Passion Fruit. It appears as if there ARE some differences. Needless to say, they were similar, but the Maracuja had some interesting profile differences when testing. It did taste somewhat like a typical PF, but it had a very good, citrus-y, and slightly acidic back note to it. This one tasted a lot more fresh, and refreshing than a regular PF. The citrus aspects never fully pulled Lemon or Lime, but were clearly there, and really did have a little acidity/tart which helped kick it off. At 4% it was still a somewhat light flavor, but didn’t scream for more. No off-notes or complaints, and sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level. All in, it was a lighter, fresher, and tarty-er version of a PF. Freshly placing this one fairly high at a 9.5/10.
Maqui Berry Wild Jam (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-2-24) – BACK in the saddle in 2024, AND, with this the MBWJ from Capella. Admittedly I am NOT a “fruit guy”, just in full transparency, BUT, that is what makes flavors like this, all the more impressive. This flavor people, WAS a show stopper. Like many of the others, I started at 4%, loved it, and cranked it up to 6%, and it just got even better. This WAS a complex berry medley, and honestly, like no other on my racks, and I have a lot of bottles on my racks. To start out, it had hints of quite a few elements, and I can only offer a close comparison at best. I got hints of Blackberry, a light Cherry, some Wine elements, and a delicious Red Currant. YES, that’s what I got. It presented overall as a mid to somewhat darker complex berry medley, and it did have some nice jammy-ness to it, mostly on the finish. Sweetness was surprisingly a few ticks below mid-level, and that really allowed all of the berries to stay a little darker, more mysterious, and quite frankly, tasty. Sure, sure, you could dose it up if you wanted to, but you might loose some of the darker berry goodness.
TBH I’d never heard of a Maqui Berry before, despite eating a lot of the other Super Fruit berries. Because darker berries, especially Blackberries are absolutely KNOWN for going floral if pushed, I pushed this one even HIGHER, and NO FLORALS, no off-notes, not one thing to nit-pick about. WOW. Let’s just say at the lower 4%, and 6% weights, there was NO squirrel-y-ness going on. This flavor, in total, was a powerhouse darker berry blend, that hammered your senses, in a GOOD way. I struggled to find a dominant note here, but the most consistent was the Red Currant, but only barely, with the Cherry, Blackberry after that, and lastly, the light wine notes. Wow, just completely impressed with this one. So much so, that I couldn’t NOT release the Kraken again with this one, and leave it at a 10/10. Big Bottle Approved.
Mint (CAP) 4% (8-12-24) – For the record (as always), I do NOT use cooling agents, and I am NOT a fan of them. With THAT outta the way, it’s no secret that Capella has some really good mints, Spearmint, Cool Mint, and Peppermint, some of which I’ve used a lot, though typically NOT for personal use. This one will probably go up there with the rest of them, BUT, there’s a but. BUT, hehe, it was almost more of a Mint Candy, than a pure Mint mint. When I first started testing, I was HIT with an onrush of what appeared to be cooling, but it calmed down after a little bit. Continued testing revealed there did seem to be some in there. Let your personal cooling preferences decide for you on that fact. The Mint itself was fairly clean, and was fairly sweetened, but it wasn’t JUST a sweetened Mint, it almost tasted candied. Not entirely, but it leaned more heavily towards that, than just a sweet mint.
Being a HUGE drinker of Mojitos, when I hear “Mint”, I’m thinking Fresh Mint. Now this wasn’t terrible, but I think it was fairly sweet/candied, so again, let YOUR thoughts on that decide for you. I can’t rate/compare the cooling in it, but from a “Not Cooler”, I would say it was fairly cool, on both the inhale/exhale, so it was in there. A nice mint, with a lot of uses, just not a pure, or completely natural mint, and with some cooling. Trying to leave my cooling feelings aside, and not rate on that aspect, it felt good at a 7.0/10, and as a somewhat sweetened, chilled mint.
Nut Muffin (CAP) 4% (8-11-24) – Cakes, muffins, or cupcakes, how DO you make them, TASTE, like what they’re supposed to ? Capella, did a pretty good job, and somehow, it seemed more like a Muffin, than either of the cakes. This presented as fairly cakey, BUT, CAP added some darker, not really burned notes, but darker, maybe similar to molasses, which really pushed this one pretty solidly into Muffin-Ville. The darker notes, persisted (in a good way), and that way, the “cakes” never came to the forefront. Still cakey, but NOT a cake, or cupcake, if that makes sense. The nut(s) profile was harder to nail down, and while obviously there, exactly WHAT nuts, remained a mystery. No AP, no Los Fritos, or any of the typical off-notes, and the nut profile was lighter, non-bitter, and made me wonder if it was Pecan. No peanuts, or walnuts, so I’ll just leave it at “nutty”.
Continuing through the test, it almost reminded me of a bran muffin, but only somewhat, not entirely. Combined the light nuts and muffin did play nice together, with no off-notes or complaints. At 4% it was very full, but not overpowered. It might even be able to be cut by 0.5-0.75% without issue. Sweetness was about two ticks past mid-level, which left it fairly sweet, but in comparison to most mass marketed “muffins” it tasted about right. About my only “want” would be just a bit more nuts. Small want, for a big, tasty muffin flavor. Right before I started working on the scoring, I decided that a sweetened, nut and bran muffin was
about as close as I could get to describing it. With only the light nuts to “want” for, I settled on a high 9.1/10 for this one.
Perfect Vanilla Cupcake (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-3-24) – I have to admit, whenever I see a flavor billed as “Perfect”, or “Ultimate”, etc., I’m even HARDER on the flavors than normal. Well maybe not entirely, but it’s a challenge, so I can nit-pick them maybe JUST a bit more. When I first smelled this one in the bottle, it had a somewhat “squirrel-y” under note, that had me concerned about testing it, BUT, after steeping at both 4%, and 6%, it had dissappeared. Testing at 4% was good, but (I know), at 6% it was better. A very smooth, and tasty vanilla overtone, with a more mysterious undertone. I directly compared this to CAP’s previously released Smooth Vanilla, and this one was darker, and richer. I did seem to taste a familiar taste that I’ve gotten from another Capella flavor, but it was hard to exatly nail it down. After much side by siding, I did find it similar to their French Vanilla, but it was still not exactly the same. I think the BEST way to explain/compare it would be merging CAP’s Vanilla Cupcake with some French Vanilla.
NOW, what about the cakey cupcake ? I did get SOME cupcake here, but it never fully took shape, nor completely was convincing AS a cupcake. It wasn’t bad by any means, but because it really tasted like a V. Cupcake AND French Vanilla, it seemed like it reduced the actual cupcake part just a bit. Still there, but not as pronounced as I would have liked. The overal vanilla experience however WAS powerfully tasty, with more mid-body notes, with a few darker/lower notes, but not very many brighter, higher notes. Not a lot of bakery elements present, but it WAS hard to put down. Sweetness was at about mid-level which was fine for a desert flavor, and no off-notes to complain about. The lingering after note was similar to alot of CAP Vanilla flavors, and wasn’t a negative. My only complaint would be wanting some more cupcake from it LOL. All in, a great Vanilla showing from CAP, just not entirely cupcake(d). Marking down, just for that one reason, and leaving it still fairly high at a 8.5/10.
Pistacho (CAP) 4% (9-22-24) – Last one on deck from Alan at Capella. Right out of the gate, I could tell this one was going to be good. Smelled very authentic in the bottle, and that continued throught the testing. Wow, Capella did a really good job capturing a natural Pistachio with this one. I could almost taste the “green” in it. Now, about the only issue I had would be it was just a bit sweeter than I would have liked, but THAT, was it. P’s can be somewhat sweet, but not sweetened. This one was just at about mid-level sweet, and while I couldn’t call it sweetened, or candied, it leaned just a bit on the sweet side. Beyond that single “thing”, the rest of it was stellar. Sweet, savory, nutty, and with a hint of earthy-ness that did help sell it. Not too heavy in any of the aforementioned, but just enough, and all the nuances worked in harmony.
It wasn’t creamed, or creamy, but there was a lighter, almost creamy aspect to it. No shells, no skins, but beyond that, it WAS in here. Very authentic, and natural tasting with no off-notes or complaints, with the exception of the slightly sweeter-ness of it. I spent extra time with this one, trying to find something to complain about, but I couldn’t. At 4% it was very rich, and full, and didn’t feel like it needed any more. It was on the higher “mid” level of saturation. Having bled the last tester dry before writing this, I think I’m going to mix up two testers with some custard, and sugar cookie, just to enjoy it even more. Very good, and rating it high, with only the slightly higher than expected sweetness to complain about, at a 9.6/10. Put it in your cart, and get your “green” on.
Shisha Raspberry (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-5-24) – Starting out the new “Shisha’s” with this one. This one presented as a pretty good Raspberry, that some interesting Natural, and Candied accents to it. It tasted actually, very fresh, that leaned heavily natural on the front end, and the back end seemed to be more of a candied Raspberry. An interesting one to test, and to witness it’s shifting from one to the other. The front end RB was centered on a mid-dark Raspberry, with some high end notes thrown in, and was fairly convincingly real. The pairing with the back end more candied notes really was an interesting idea, and would allow it to used more widely as it seemed to almost cater to BOTH types, as opposed to one. Not to heavy with either, but still a combination of both.
Sweetness was at about mid-level, and there was some nice tartness in there, but I couldn’t tell from which profile. No off-notes or florals, and when comparing 4% to 6%, it was better, and somewhat fuller at 6%. Tasty, and not like any RB that I had already, which was nice. Because it was mid-dark and with brighter notes, it presented as much more of a Red Raspberry, and a pretty good one at that. If Shisha is supposed to mean “Finished”, or “Stand Alone”, I don’t know if this was truly that, but that’s up to the individual. Whether or not you want/need a 100% all natural, candied, or a mixture (like this one was) will decide for you how to rate it best for your needs. I’m leaving it fairly high, as it wasn’t billed as a pure “natural”, or “candied”, and it really did a good job of both. Easily a 9.0/10.
Shisha Strawberry (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-6-24) – Reminding you guys again regarding the whole “Shisha” and “Finished”, or “Stand Alone” meanings, are always going to be subjective. This one slammed me RIGHT out of the gate, and didn’t let up, until I polished off the last tester. By “tester”, I just mean tankful. Just like everyone else, I have SB’s that just work for me, and some others that do not. This one, just plain worked. “Jammed”, “Jammy”, and “Punchy” were my BIG three take-aways on this one. Although this one was not 100% a SB Jam, it had a LOT of great jammy-ness to it. It reminded me a lot of INW’s Shisha SB, if that helps. If you love, or use that one often, you SHOULD get this one. Very fresh tasting, that WAS very Jammy. Sweetness was just about mid-level, but it was NOT a “candied” SB. It was fairly juicy, red, ripe, and after the initial juicy red onrush, rode on a jam-tactular carrier mid note all the way to the end. I was also reminded somewhat of Flavor Labs SB Jam. Again, this was not a FULL on SB Jam, but it’s jammy qualities, aspects, and nuances, could NOT be overstated.
At both 4%, and 6% I didn’t pick up on any off-notes, florals, or perfumes, and the interesting thing was that although it did increase in intensity when pushing it, the gains were only marginal, making this one’s sweet spot solo to be around 5%. There were some nice tarty nuances in there, which only worked to better serve up the jammy-ness of this one. I can already think of numerous uses for this one, and I’m anxious to see how it pairs with some creams, and milks, just to see how the jammy holds up. Obviously YOUR needs/tastes may vary, and your preferences to a “jammy” SB will weigh heavily into deciding on this one or not, but for my tastes, it really worked, and was squarely in my wheelhouse. Very hard to nit-pick, and I couldn’t think of any way I would try to improve it, and decided on a very high 9.9/10, for an almost perfect jammy SB. If you like jammy SB’s, you’ll love this one.
Shisha Vanilla (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-6-24) – Having only ONE other Shisha Vanilla (INW), and have never solo’d it, I did want to see how CAP decided to design theirs. At 4%, I could tell it was a Vanilla (LOL, duh), but it felt thin, and underpowered, and I upped it to 6%, and it did improve. I had a VERY hard time trying to nail down, and quantify this one, and had to run 3 testers before giving up, and writing the review any way. It was a medium darkness vanilla, that even at 6% was still somewhat relaxed. The exact TYPE of vanilla was very hard to classify, but maybe in the French Vanilla family if that helps. It wasn’t an “in your face” vanilla, because it was somewhat tempered with some other elements. I did pick up on some light caramel at times, and others, there was an almost distinct bakery note, maybe even a cake batter-ish note, very low in the mix, but it stayed present throughout. Some times, I also got a very light, slight spcy-ness, which again, I believe was down in the bakery/batter undertones. I anxiously await someone, ANYONE to review this one, and try to identify the other notes/nuances better, if they can.
Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and there were no real off-notes EXCEPT for one, and it WAS buried down in the bakery/batter notes, and it almost presented as a very light Play-Doh. Now, hehe, I know how that sounds, but I got it more than once, and am noting it here. It was in no way as offensive as CAP’s Glazed Doughnut, but still present. Not a bad flavor, but not stellar, nor the star of the show. Despite liking the bakery/batter undertones, will mark this one down a bit for them, and the very slight play-doh-ed-ness. It felt fairly fair, at a 7.0/10.
Strawberry Bubblegum (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-8-24) – Alright, cards on the table, I don’t use a lot of Bubblegums (or any gums for that matter) very often, as I don’t find the need to “gum” things up, EXCEPT for “enhancing” mixes. Most specifically Watermelons, and Strawberries. If you guys need a “Bubble-Head” review, this ain’t it. NOW, with that said, this one DID present as a VERY accurate pink bubblegum, paired almost perfectly with a red strawberry. Whenever I test a BBG, especially if it’s paired with another fruit, the MOST important thing for me is that the BBG is accurate, and tastes like a bubblegum. The second would be how WELL it’s paired with whatever the fruit (most times) is. The pairing here or ratio between the BBG and SB was VERY well done. Each were allowed to shine without either taking over, or masking the other.
The BBG was very accurate, and captured the pink BBG very well, including hints of the powder on the outside. The strawberry seemed perfectly suited TO the BBG, and accented it well, without being jammy, or candied, but more of a real/artificial mix. At 4% it was good but, (you guessed it), it was better at 6%. No off-notes, nothing squirrel-y, or out of place, and sweetness was about mid-level. Despite this one not being in my normal wheelhouse it was hard to nit-pick, as it tasted like it was supposed to, with no real complaints. Maybe it could have used just a PINCH more gum, but even that was a minor complaint. Rejoice bubble-heads, this one tasted like a real SB BBG, and leaving it high(er) at a 9.5/10.
Succulent Watermelon (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-12-24) – I love great adjectives in flavor names, BUT, it does almost beg for MORE scrutiny.
succulent /sŭk′yə-lənt/
adjective
- Full of juice or sap; juicy.
- Having thick, fleshy, water-storing leaves or stems.
- Highly interesting or enjoyable; delectable.
Alright, I can go with the “full of juice, … juicy” on this one. At both 4% and 6% (it was improved at 6%), it did present as a fairly juicy, tasty Watermelon. It leaned heavily towards a candied WM, with some VERY interesting sweetness, that was almost like sugar crystals, along with some tartness. Now saying this was simply a candied WM, with some Sweet and Tart would be an oversimplification, but still kind of accurate. It tasted like a 75/25 ratio with 75% candied, and 25% natural WM, washed over by a nice candy sweetness, and a hint of tart on the finish. At both weights it was still surprisingly light, but didn’t taste “thin”. Your natural vs. candied tastes/needs will weigh heavily on whether you love this one or not. Personally I was kind of 50/50 on it, and felt like it was 80% of the way there, and with SOME improvement when moving from 4-6%, I’m unsure if cranking it higher would yield any more saturation or not. Tasty, juicy, and fairly candied were my take-aways, and with no off-notes to nit-pick, I would only mark down for the candy-ness, BUT, that’s MY personal preference/taste, and yours may be different. Nicely done, and somewhat lighter, it did hold my interest for 3 testers, which is never bad. If you want a sweetened, and tart-ened WM, this one will do it. It felt good at a 8.0/10. Your “succulence” mileage may vary…
Sugary Cereal (CAP) 4% / 6% (12-26-23) – Mixing these up, to break up some of the fruits. Being a cereal junkie, I did want to get into this one. Right OUT of the gate, I liked this one, and it WAS a cereal. I could def. taste some Cereal 27’ish notes in there, but it also had a more generic cereal overtone. Somewhat sweetened, but still a few ticks below mid level. Now I didn’t get any distinct dairy or milk, but there was a certain richness to it, along with a nice almost smooth mouthfeel, that made me think of a dairy. Again, no overt dairy, but it almost tasted like it was in there, smoothing it out, and adding some depth. The cereal had some grains, and had SOME corn flakes undertones, but with the other cereal notes, it could easily be push/pulled into whatever you wanted. At 4% if was pretty good, but 6% was better. No off-notes, or sharp edges were present. While loving almost everything cereal, I tried to keep that in check before rating this one. I could/can see a lot of uses for this one, including the obvious cereal mixes, bue bakeries as well, so am going to rate it fairly high. While not quite a one-shot, it tasted like it was named, and it felt very good at a 9.8/10.
Tropical Mango (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-15-24) – Finishing out this NEW Release Series by Capella with this one. I have to admit when I read “Tropical” I was intrigued. You’ll have to read on to see if this one is a trainwreck, or a superhero. 3 testers later, I’m STILL not 100% sure if this one works/worked or not. Starting off it WAS a mashup/medley, so if you’re looking for a Mango mango, this ain’t it. It was pretty hard to nail down EXACTLY what was going on with this one, as Capella did a great job of balancing notes with this one. I finally settled on a three-way mashup of a Mango, Pineapple, and Coconut. Coconuts can be an “oily” or “suntanny” bunch, so like most others, it was lower in the mix with this one, and the Mango and Pineapple were fairly even, riding over the Coconut. They WERE indeed mashed up pretty damned good, which helped conceal some of the finer details I could normally pick up. At times it worked pretty good, others, not so much, but an interesting design none the less. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and no real off-notes, except an occasional sour that did wax and wane, and didn’t stay constant. Like most of the other new Cap’s 4% was good, but 6% was better. Mostly natural with no real candied-ness, and the bits and pieces I got OF the individual fruits did taste fairly accurate. I will admit, it DID have a “tropical” vibe to it, BUT, the Mango wasn’t really the star, so, that may or may not make it one for you. All in, it seemed that it didn’t work for me, more than it did work, so I decided to leave it a little lower, at a 6.75/10. Not a bad tropical medley, just never really took off for me.
Wafer Crunch (CAP) 4% (8-16-24) – LAST one in this (kinda) new series. This one smelled great in the bottle, and continued during testing. Even after three testers, the two main take-aways stayed consistent. It was 75% vanilla wafers, and 25% Waffle Cone. At first, I wasn’t sure about the WC, but after more testing, I think it actually DID add some depth, a little crunch, and backing to the wafer profile. The wafer profile was VERY good, and accurate, with a pretty close representation OF a vanilla wafer. There may have been some light cream in there, but it was hard to tell. Not exactly like bighting into one, but the overall effect was pretty close. It was great at 2.5%, with no off-notes, and sweetness was just below mid-level. Tasty, almost crispy, and accurate. Nothing came to mind as a “must have” or “could have” with this one. NOT a pure Wafer, but the addition of the Waffle Cone, DID work here. Leaving this one pretty high, at a 9.5/10.
Wild Raspberry (CAP) 4% / 6% (1-14-24) – All cards on the table, every time I test a “Wild Raspberry” I am always comparing it directly to the king, MF Wild Raspberry. So ANY WR has a big hill to climb. This one seemed to have a few Raspberries present, and it did have a “dirty” slant to it. Now I’m sure most times you hear “dirty”, it is probably a con, but with this one, it was a pro. Dirty, meaning it wasn’t a clear profiled RB, but went in a few directions. Not muddy, muddied, or muddled, but far more complex. The thing I liked the most was it wasn’t like any other RB I had, and that is always promising. It had some hints of a red RB, but also some darker berry elements, and with some slight wine notes, and a good tart finish. It had a few minor aspects of a blue raspberry as well, but only minor, and they added to the mystery and complexity. Even though it was a medley, it still stayed fairly on track for a RB, and sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and the sour/tart was nicely balanced without being overbearing. It leaned more towards a natural, with some light candied elements thrown in as well. Very easy to enjoy, and very hard to explain. At 4% (repeating), it felt like it needed more, and 6% seemed to do the trick. All in, it was a good showing from CAP with a medley of Raspberries, along with some darker berry notes, and a pinch of tart. Although different than CAP’s Shisha RB, I’m rating this one even with it, and leaving it at a solid 9.0/10.
Zesty Lemon (CAP) 1%/2%/4% (12-23-23) – Skipping to this one for @welington, who was kind enough to stop by and drop his notes. I had ASSUMED this was going to be a super strong, face punching Lemon, and if used too high, would be punishing. That, did NOT appear to be the case. I tested this one at the listed 1%, 2%, 4%, and it did only get but so strong, so it appears to be more of an accent lemon, rather than a main, strong lemon note. At the lowest rate of 1% I actually got more of the subtle and accurate citrus oil, and lemon peel notes. At 2% it got marginally stronger, with some reduction of some of the aforementioned citrus/peel notes, and at 4% I was fairly sure I was getting some muting. So, the moral of the story with this one, is to go somewhat lower to get the most out of it.
It was very natural tasting, with some very lemon zest notes. Not candied in any way, and was a fair bit below mid level sweet. Again, it was not a very strong overwhelming flavor, but more of a very natural lemon zest accent flavor, which if pushed too high, would mute. Tasty, natural and accurate, with some fairly unique lemon zest / peel / citrus oil notes not found in many lemons. No off-notes, and / or nitpicks ONCE I figured out how it should be used. Not going to mark down too heavily for the relaxed nature, as at lower usage rates, some of the most impressive notes were revealed. Leaving this at a higher 9.0/10.
& thanks for your reviews so far.
Idk if it’s new but it’s pretty freaking good! Thanks man, for what I would lmagine, is some seriously hard work, for the masses!
