Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that NomNomz has RESURRECTED the Super Concentrate line from Chefs, AND, added even MORE flavors to the lineup. More than a few of you tipped me off to them, and thank you very much for that, as I was a HUGE fan of the OG Chefs SC’s.
I talked back and forth with Richard from NomNomz, and he was more than kind to send out every flavor from that line, that I had not tested previously. Thanks out to @iLardyboy for getting them stateside, damned quick.
This post is THE holding area while I get them sorted, and mixed up. I plan on steeping them for around a week, and running them at the standard weight of 1.5% which has proven to be a great testing point.
If you can’t wait, hehe, then GET your shopping on …
For the rest of you, stay tuned.
Testing (as always) will be done on the beloved SteamCrave RDTA v.1, running dual 24ga. Kanthal vertical coils, with fresh KGD cotton, and fresh, or dry burned coils before every test. All mixed using a 70v/30p/3mg carrier, and tested at 65 watts.
Apple Donut (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-9-24) – FIRST ONE ON DECK !!! At 1.5% this one was damned full, and didn’t need to be increased, which was in line with my 1.5% on the previous SC’s. I always like to remind people there are (typically) TWO kinds of donuts, one a lighter, deep fried Krispy Kreme style, or a slightly darker, yellow cakey donut. This one favored the lighter, deep fried KK style. A fairly generous helping of “fried” and “dough” were in store for you with this one. I wouldn’t call it overly “greasy”, but def. a fried doughy donut. The apple was layered in nicely, and was at times either even, or just lighter than the donut, and it leaned towards an apple filling, BUT, not completely. Not so bright like a Fuji, but there were some brighter notes punching through the “apple filling” type notes. The two were actually paired very well without either running over the other. I didn’t get any darker notes, or crispy edges with this one, and/or any powdered sugar. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and it worked well for this flavor. I think you’ll have to decide whether or not you’re in the lighter, deep fried camp, or the darker, yellow cake-y camp, and that will decide whether not not this one is in YOUR donut camp. Some light bakery notes, but no grainy-ness, which you would expect in the (other), yellow cake-y styled donut. No off-notes, at this percentage, but at times I almost wished for a slight dialing down on the deep fried, and a slight increase in the apple. Minor complaints, and take-offs only, and leaving it still at a high 8.95/10.
Apricot (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-10-24) – I love me some Apricots, but the good ones, are far and few between. This one did present as a fairly good one, but it was somewhat relaxed. I did try spiking it up a bit at the end of the test, with no real increase, so I’m not listing that as an official second testing percentage. It wasn’t weak per se, but I kind of just wanted a little more. Deep orange and yellow Apricot nuances were in there, and it tasted very natural. At times I kept tasting a very light almost citrus oil note in there, but it came and went. Overall it was a very “smooth” flavor as well, and I think it could have used just a bit tart or sourness to really help it pop. It was soo smooth to my tastes, I wanted to describe it as an “Apricot smoothed by Honey”. Not because it tasted overtly LIKE honey, but it had that type of smoothness to it. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and despite aforementioned honey and citrus oil notes, they worked, and I didn’t log as off-notes. Natural, very smooth, with very light citrus notes, and a honey like smoothness is what this one was. Def. an Apricot, but it didn’t SCREAM Apricot. Hard to fault as the natural Apricot I got was great, I just wanted more of it. I finally settled on a 8.7/10.
Asperule (Woodruff) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-28-24) – Wow, what the heck was THIS flavor ?? I’ve never heard of, tried, or ever eaten (or drank) Woodruff, so this review will reflect that, with utterly NO comparisons to give you guys. Now I can GUARANTEE that this one was NOT in my typical wheelhouse, BUT, that didn’t stop this test, or it proving to be a VERY interesting flavor. Wow, I don’t know where to begin. OK, there was a certain floral-ness to it, along with some almost earthy undertones, some sweetness, and an indescribable spicy note. Light “almost” cinnamon maybe ?? After researching this one a bit it seems like “teas” are one of the typical uses of this, and strangely enough, I could see that.
Further testing did reveal a persistant, but recessed vanilla note as well. This was like NO OTHER flavor on my racks, and I’m toying with possible uses for this one. It smelled a bit different in the tester, than when TESTING the tester, which added to the mystery. Maybe “chai” like would also be a somewhat accurate description. Vanilla chai with light florats, and a hint of spicy-ness is about as close as I can get. Very nice at 1.5%, and sweetness was just below mid-level, and off-notes, LOL, I have no clue. The floral-ness/ notes were light and actually non intrusive, as the spicy, light vanilla-ish came out as the predominant profile. It actually grew on me, which is quite interesting. Now, as stated above, Scoring this was going to be tough, as I can’t begin to tell how accurate it was, or not, but from what I could read up on the plant, it appears to be accurate, and I have to say, once it settled in, was very tasty. I’m going to go out on a limb, and leave this at a 8.75/10 folks.
Banana (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-16-24) – I have to admit when mixing this one up, I was anxious to try it out, as it smelled really good in the bottle. Testing it proved exactly the same !!! This one surprised me as it was actually fairly complex, with a lot of different nuances/notes to it. It had some green, and more yellow banana(s), but not browned, or overly ripe. I think the first TWO thoughts I had were, “Fresh”, and “Mashed”. Throughout the testers, I almost got hints of a light banana liquor mixed in. At 1.5% it was nicely full, and sweetness was just below mid-level. While def. not a banana cream, it had a creamy-ness to it that was hard to explain. Not sharp, but as creamy as you could get without being a banana cream. Tasty, fresh, and a def. mashup (LOL), of some green, more yellow fresh bananas, with a somewhat creamy texture, and hints of banana liquor. Overall it tasted very natural, with no runts, and only slightly artificial. This one will be VERY easy to use, and mix with. With no off-notes, complaints, or “wishes”, leaving this complexified banana at a high 9.8/10.
Banana (Candy) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-25-24) – I had ASSUMED this was just going to be a full on Banana Runtz candy before testing, BUT, that didn’t prove entirely accurate with this one. There was some LIGHT runtz notes in there, but overall it seemed more like a relaxed mashup of the OG Banana, and a bit of the Banana Flambe. It was somewhat sweet, but still below mid-level. At 1.5% it tasted a bit less present that both the previously tested nanas from Nomz, and did have a creamy undertone. No off-notes, but I can’t say that it completely took off as a banana candy. It was somewhat candied, but never took shape as a candy. Tasty, very different than expected for sure. You could use this IN a runtz / candy mix, but it wouldn’t be the driver in the mix. No off-notes, and again, a nice different approach, just not sure if it hit the mark. Probably about the best comparison I could make would be a somewhat smooth artificial/natural, lighter banana. Tasty, but can’t give it the high marks for a candy banana. It was good enough to still drop at a 6.9/10.
Banana Flambe (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-19-24) – I didn’t want to test this RIGHT after the Banana, so I could get a fresh take. I think it was @Mikser that asked if we needed this one as well as the Banana. It depends. This one was quite a bit different than the OG Banana, as it did not have the green, or mashed notes, but def. more of a somewhat “boozey”-ness to it. Every time I’ve ever eaten Banana Flambe it’s always been with Dark Rum, and this one DID have a nice booze overtone. The banana notes were cooked/fried, but without any greasy-ness or notes. I think there was some light brown sugar-ness, hiding below the booze, as it peeked out from time to time. It was far less creamy than the OG Banana, and somewhat more acidic, which made it more authentic. I didn’t pick up any overt butter or cinnamon, but it’s possible they were buried lower in the mix. All in, a pretty authentic, boozey, fried banana flambe, with light brown sugar notes. At 1.5% it was very full, and I couldn’t pick out any off-notes. I didn’t get any ice cream in this one, and that’s actually fine, add it if you want it. All in, a good showing, and hard to mark down, with my only “wants” being maybe a smidge more butter and brown sugar, but minor “wants” at that. Finishing up the 3rd tester while writing this, it felt good, very high, at a 9.5/10. If you have, want, or like the OG Banana, this one is plenty different to pick up as well.
Biscuit (Buttery) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-19-24) – This one was a strange one out of the gate, and at first I thought I had borked the mix up. Re-mixed it, and YUP, it is what it is. What it was, was a rather mish-moshy sweetened, bakery, with some biscuit, some cookie, maybe even a loose graham all mashed up. In comparison to the other biscuits I’ve tried from NomNomz (and Chefs), this one never really took shape, and/or took off. At 1.5% (and other percentages), it was full enough, and was just below mid-level sweet, and there were no offensive notes, just not a clearly defined “biscuit” or even “butter”. It probably had some butter in there, but most times something is billed as a “butter” it’s got THE BUTTER coming at you. Sadly I could not see this pulling the “biscuit” freight, and would be perfect as a mixer/baser in bakeries, etc., but not the main note. Not terrible, but it just never really came into focus, and it felt like a “fiver”. Leaving this one at a 5.0/10.
Biscuit (Graham Cracker) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-11-24) – Being a graham cracker enthusiast, I was looking forward to this one. Right out of the gate, it reminded me of FW’s, and FLV’s. They both have a somewhat not too subtle coconut undertone, and this one had it as well. YOUR tastes are going to matter here, whether you like that, or hate it. It did have some nice graham undertones, with some almost crispy-ness to it, and no cinnamon to speak of. It was very full at 1.5%, and sweetness was just below mid level. I might have compared it to more of a Honey Graham, if it weren’t for the persistent coconut undertone. As stated above, you’ll have to decide whether you do, or don’t want the coconut in your GC’s. I didn’t find it intrusive, but it was always present. For my not so much on the coconut graham tastes, I decided to kick it down a bit for that, and with no other off-notes to complain about, left it at a still very high 8.5/10.
Blackcurrant (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-25-24) – “Darker”, and “Complex-ified” were the two take-aways with this flavor. While this flavor might not have 100% of the tart kick that real BC’s have, it was def. in the ballpark. With just below mid-level sweetness, and just enough tart on the finish it was a tasty one. While hard to classify, it’s core revolved around a darker berry, with slight earthy tones, and just a hint of floral-ness. I know, I know, “But florals are bad” !!! In this case they were minimal, and added to the authenticity. Hints of dark(er) raspberries, blueberries, and light wine notes, kept this one mysterious, dark, and complex. At 1.5% it felt like 85% of the way there strength wise, so not overly strong or overpowering. If you like delving into the darker, more mysterious berry blends, this one will work for you. Having very few “eaten” BC’s to compare this to, it was fairly convincing, and authentic. I struggled with the final score, but with no off-notes, take-offs, or “wants” I decided to leave it fairly high at a 9.0/10. Dark and mysterious.
Blueberry (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-23-24) – I decided to spend some extra time on this one, as it was proving to be rather hard to completely nail down. This is because it WAS pretty complex, especially for a Blueberry. I got all KINDS of notes, and nuances from this one. For starters, it didn’t seem to delve as much into the darker notes of the BB, but more so the mid-dark, mid, and brighter notes. At times I felt it leaned more artificial than natural, and other times not. Some times I got more of a sweetened almost candy-like nuance from it, but not candied like you would think, but more of a blueberry rolled in sugar crystals. Some times I even picked up on a VERY natural tasting musky-ness, which often times is a BAD thing, but in this case (and some other BB’s), was a PLUS, and added to the natural-ness of it. Basically, this one was a very good BROAD spectrum BB, which covered all of the things mentioned above, and did it actually, quite well. Because of where it fell on my “BlueBerry Spectrum”, it seemed like it would be stellar in Milkshakes, Muffins/Bakeries, and def. in Cheesecakes, to name a few, with numerous other uses. Although it didn’t delve into the deeper, darker notes, it covered most of the “must haves”, and presented differently at times, which made it all the much better. This one really covered a LOT of bases. I finally had to place it, and doing so at a high(er) 9.6/10.
Brownie (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-29-24) – Alright, something was going on with this one, and it took me a bit to finally figure it out. I smelled chocolate in the bottle, but I wasn’t really tasting it in the tester. Maybe light, to VERY light, but hehe, I know what this is. It’s a BLONDIE, not a BROWNIE !!! Now I only know this because I’m not a real choco-head, and actually almost prefer Blondies. Very light cocoa/choco taste, which was almost completely overshadowed by a pretty decent bakery base, that did resemble a blonde brownie. At 1.5% it was a little underpowered, and felt llike maybe a bit higher for solo’ing would be better, and at about mid-level sweet. I didn’t get an overwhelming taste of brown sugar, which is very indicitive of a blondie, but some light buttery and caramel notes. Maybe the more accurate name would be a “Blank Slate Brownie”, because you could EASILY push/pull this one directly INTO a brownie, or better, over to a full on Blondie. I did get some very convincing baking powder from the bakery, and it just sold it perfectly. Very tasty, super easy to turn into whatever you wanted, but not really a brownie. Despite the “not brownie”-ness of it, the bakery elements were so good and accurate, I think I’m going to get a bigger bottle. Knocking this one down only for the lack of the needed cocoa/chocolate to push it into a true brownie, but that’s it. Leaving this one at a 6.0/10 only for that reason. Tasty.
Candy Floss (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-10-24) – This one smelled like a fresh spun cotton candy in the bottle, and the room note on it, was the same if not better. Literally, you start clouding a room up with it, and you’d think you were at a Carnival. Now, hehe, what was ODD with this one, was the taste, was EXTREMELY light. Wispy thin. There was an initial sweet on-rush, but after that, it just all but disappeared. Very light at 1.5%, and what little flavor I did get was almost like a very light vanilla, and hints of cotton candy, and not much else. Tasting it directly off the finger it had more ooomph, but testing it, it just evaporated. There was a very light scorched note, but it came and went. No off-notes, but sadly not a lot of ON-notes either. Maybe increasing it might help, but unknown. Great room note, and air freshener. 4.9/10.
Cherry (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-18-24) – To this day, I still get anxious when testing new cherries, as many offer up healthy doses of soaps, perfrumes, florals, even medicines. Guess what ?? Not THIS ONE !!! Nope, nadda, zip. I even torture tested this one for you guys (at the end of the review). OK, this one was a damned delicious RED Cherry, that was surprisingly below mid-level sweet, with NO off-notes. Very accurate, clean, and RED were the big three here. Trying to nail down exactly the cherry comparisons was tough, BUT, it tasted like 50% maraschino, 35% cherry juice, and 15% cherry Jello. Now that’s an over simplification but you get the idea. At 1.5% it was good enough to not want to increase it, and it was a natural/artificial split, and ball parking it at 50/50 felt good.
The lower than mid-level sweetness was a surprise, and I wondered if adding a few drops would help or hurt, but I didn’t. It was soo good and tasty, with no off-notes, I HAD TO crank it, because SURELY it would blow up, right ? NOPE. Doubled it to 3.0%, and still, it did NOT go sideways. Clearly that was PAST the ceiling, BUT, no florals, soaps, medicines, none. So, it is a very friendly Cherry to work with. 1.5% should really be the solo limit for your sanity. Now it was a complex cherry with the big 3 profiles I listed above, and at times I did get some Compote notes, but it was absent of any Black Cherry notes, leaving it squarely in the Red red camp. There was just a smidge of tartness on the finish to help round it out, but only a smidge. Color me impressed. If you want a red maraschino-ish medley-ed cherry, with cherry juice notes, and a hint-o-cherry jello, this one will work for you. I don’t think it was perfect, but it was getting REALLY close. Leaving it at a very cherry 9.75/10.
Chocolate (Dark) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-17-24) – Starting out the new Chocolates with this one. From the start this one was def. a Dark Chocolate, with no confusion. It was in the ballpark of TPA’s DCC, but a little bit darker, and better. At 1.5% it was perfectly full with no need to increase. No band aids, rubber bands or any overt off-notes, which is always a risk with chocos. There were some VERY slight bitter, and dry notes, but I am not taking off for them, as they added to the authenticity of an actual dark choco, and were not intrusive. It wasn’t quite as rich as say, MF’s DC, but it held it’s own pretty damned good. No mid, light, or milk chocolate notes in this one, just mid-dark, and dark notes. While not really creamy, and nowhere near a Milk Chocolate, there was a certain smooth-ness to this one, but just a bit, and it worked well here, and kept it interesting. Somewhat complex, and was good enough to run solo, but clearly you could temper this into a few different chocos if needed. All in, a very respectable Dark Chocolate that stayed true to it’s darkness, with slight bitter and dry notes that tasted like a mix of natural / artificial. With little to no take-offs, or complaints and true to it’s name, leaving this one high at a 9.1/10.
Chocolate Hazelnut (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-10-24) – Having recently tested NomNomz Roasted Hazelnut and loving it, wanted to see what was going on with this one. Now, I did get some of it in here, but not all of it, and probably because of the pairing with the Chocolate. It tasted like 50% Hazelnut, and 50% Nuts, so the tempering came at a cost. The chocolate tasted almost like a mashup of NomNomz Milk, and Dark Chocolates, which leaned towards the MC. At 1.5% it was nicely strong, and a few ticks below mid-level sweet. No off-notes, and/or out of place. I think my only “want” would have been, you guessed it, MO HazelnutZ. Now, this may not be everyone’s perception, but for my tastes, I would have liked the Hazel just a bit higher. As it stood however, no dryness, bitterness, and much of the earthy, darker tones from the Hazel managed to pull through, despite the choco pairing. All in, a good showing, but needed just a bit more Hazelnut. I struggled to score this one, marking down solely for the light(er) Hazelnut, but finally decided on an 8.95/10.
Chocolate (Milk) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-27-24) – Despite some confusion, this is not a Chocolate Milk, but a Milk Chocolate, … kinda. First the good, there were NONE of the somewhat typical rubber bands or band aids in this one, and that’s always a plus. It was very clear in the tester, and didn’t seem to gunk, so more plusses. BUT, it was only a “so-so” Chocolate, and not very “Milk” Chocolately to my tastes. It was more of a mid to almost dark chocolate with a FEW lighter choco notes, but missing was much of the creamy, dare I say “milky” tones that typically fatten, and smooth-en up MC’s. There was a very slight amount of creamy-ness, but only very slight. It literally teetered on JUST almost having some bitterness, but not quite, and there was a somewhat dry, almost astringent finish to it. It seemed to be a combo of a natural and artifical choco, and actually wasn’t bad as a chocolate, but I don’t think it sold the “Milk Chocolate” very well. I know I could EASILY fix it, with some cream, and bavarian cream. Sweetness was quite a bit lower than mid-level, and off-notes would be limited to the aforementioned somewhat dry, astringent finish. It actually wasn’t a terrible chocolate, and I’ve used far worse, but expecting to roll right out onto Milk Chocolate goodness with this one, would take a little help. I finalized this one at a 6.5/10.
Chocolate (White) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-13-24) – Took a little extra time with this smooth one, just to make sure. Just in case not everyone knows what White Chocolate really is, it’s not even really chocolate !!! I have had some very bad, chalky White Chocos before, and thankfully this one wasn’t one OF them. This is probably one of the BETTER ones I’ve tested. Even with that, it wasn’t a spot on replication, but it got further than most others. The cocoa butter was actually very accurate, creamy, smooth, and delicious. Now despite not having ever tasted explicit Milk Solids, suffice it to say, they were IN here. They clearly added to the creamy, smoothness of this flavor. Sweetness was surprisingly a few ticks below mid level, and I got NO off-notes.
Now, quite frankly, when dealing with White Choco’s whether or not they completely hit the mark or not IS important, but the OFF-NOTES are what kills most of them. 3 testers later, I couldn’t find any, and THAT, is a big damn deal, or at least in the world of WC’s it is. Not quite velvety smooth, but very close TO it, IMO. I could think of a plethora of uses for this one from Chocolates, Deserts, Milk Shakes, Dairys and much, much more. At 1.5% it was fully present, and didn’t feel, or taste lacking. I couldn’t hope to quantify exactly what was missing, but it was close to hitting the mark. Very close to nailing it, AND, with NO off-notes, dryness, bitterness, nothing. Going to mark this one up a bit, for the complete lack of offensive off-notes, and leave it at a 9.5/10.
Coffee (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% / 1.75% (2-11-24) – This one goes out to @Rocky02852. My first thoughts on this one were, “Yeah, I’d drink the HELL out of this one”. In coffee form that is. Yes, this one tasted VERY real, authentic, and tasty. It wasn’t a singular coffee, so nailing it down completely was fairly impossible, but a darker roasted coffee gets close. There were no light, or blonde coffee notes here, just mid-dark, and dark blended notes only. With that said, it was not bitter in any way, and stayed very authentic till the end. While dark, and rich, it was not an Espresso, but there were some light espresso-ish nuances in there too. Quite the complex coffee here folks. There were no overt dairy, milk, or cream elements that you could taste, but it tasted like it was tempered by some, but just a bit. Just enough to thicken it up a bit, and add just a touch of smoothness to it overall. Sweetness was well below mid-level, but there was a light bit of sweetness in there. It was SOO good at 1.5%, I decided to push it up, just a bit, and it DID get better, but it’s safe to say as a solo, 1.5-1.75% would be the top end. No off-notes, nothing out of place, and literally nothing I would change, and/or complain about in this one. A VERY good, dark, roasted coffee medley with very light creameries, and slightly sweet is what this one was. It was so close to perfect for my tastes, it was scary hehe. Going to leave this one, just barely off of perfect, at a screaming high of 9.9/10. Be warned the lingering aftertaste, will only make you crave MORE !!!
Coffee (Irish) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-3-24) – If you’ve never tried a “true” Irish Coffee, you should. It’s only got 4 ingredients, and one HAS to be Jameson’s. Well it doesn’t HAVE to be, but it SHOULD. All four ingredients were here, Dark Coffee, some Cream, Sugar, and Whiskey. The only thing I couldn’t tell was if the sugar was brown or not, but I think it was. The coffee was bold, and centered around mid-dark/dark, with just enough sweetness to carry it, but not overload it, just enough creamery to take the acidic edge off, and a splash of whiskey. This flavor captured everything it needed to, and it was perfectly balanced. At 1.5% it was very full, and sweetness were just below mid-level, and I had no complaints, off-notes, or “wishes”. Very tasty, simple yet complex, and very hard to let go of for the next flavor test. Struggling to find anything to nit-pick, I could only dredge for wishing for a HINT more of the Whiskey, but even that, was almost too minor to bring up. If you like Irish Coffee, this one’s for you. Another JUST almost perfect, and leaving it at a 9.9/10 as well.
Cranberry (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-10-24) – Two things jumped out immediately with this one, the first was, there was some Cranberry in there, and the second was a musky-ness. It was almost like the true muskiness you get from authentic blueberry flavors, and I’m not sure if it helps, or hurts here. Once I tasted it, I couldn’t stop tasting it. It wasn’t off-putting, and you could probably work with it in a mix, but solo’ing it, it did distract from the Cranberry notes somewhat. The cranberry felt like it was maybe 50-60% of the way there, and it tasted stewed, not freshly picked. There was some sizzling tart-ness on the finish, but only a bit, and it was overshadowed by the sweetness. I wouldn’t call it candied, but it was a tick above mid-level sweet, which helped keep it in the stewed camp. A bold flavor choice for sure, and I’m sure not easy to create. Overall, it could work in a mix, but it would need some help. The muskiness was present till the end, although somewhat recessed. This bold flavor felt good at a 6.5/10.
Cream (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-31-24) – Wow, how exciting IS testing Dairies and Creams ?? Kinda lol. The thing that makes them hard, is that solo it’s impossible to figure out exactly what they’ll do in mixes. Mouthfeel, mouthfeel, mouthfeel is the name of the game with this one. It was somewhat bland as a solo, but with some light whole milk, and actual dairy cream notes, but LIGHT was the operative phrase. The creamy, dense mouthfeel however, was a force to be reckoned with. It was quite thick, and coated the palate, and it did it in a GOOD way. Very creamy (duh). At times I got light notes similar to TPA’s DairyMilk but very light. Sweetness was there, but fairly low, and well below mid-level. I didn’t detect any off-notes, sourness, etc. While it was somewhat lighter on actual flavor, it was flush with a rich creamy mouthfeel that would almost surely cream up mixes, soften sharp edges, and add a smoothness. An impressive showing, and about the only take-off would be the somewhat light flavor aspect, nothing else to complain about. Creamy, mouthfeel, with light whole milk, and dairy creamery notes was what this one was. Too much mouthfeel to take this one down much, and leaving it high at 9.5/10. Creamy Keeper.
Creme Anglaise (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-28-24) – This one was quite the interesting one to test. Unlike much heavier, denser Custards, this one was actually very true to a pouring custard. YES, a pouring custard. Def. going to push this to the other end of the Custard scale, as it was much lighter, smoother, and more refined than the heavy custard pack. It was very similar to a thinner vanilla pudding with just a HINT of eggy custard. Somewhat creamy, smooth, and with some super clean vanilla accents. The vanilla wasn’t spicy or overpowering, but always there, and riding on the sweetened, creamy carrier. It was a somewhat (not entirely), lighter flavor, and I briefly considered up’ing it past the 1.5% weight, but enjoyed it so much, I didn’t bother. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and there were no off-notes, or even a single complaint that I could come up with. All in, it was a VERY accurate CA, with some very nice creamy-ness, and mouthfeel, pudding elements, a hint of eggy custard, and clean vanilla accents. I guess my only “coulda, shoulda, woulda” would have been just a pinch more, AND, that may have been resolvable by increasing it slightly. As it stood however, almost perfect. Easily a 9.5/10.
Cucumber (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-28-24) – After a slight break, BACK into these with the Cucumber. This smelled, and tasted very natural and accurate to a real cucumber. Mostly the body, with some hints of skin. On the finish, it rounded out with a slight honeydew, which was an interesting twist. Overall it was a fairly sweet flavor, and I’m not sure if that helped or hurt it overall. Not candied, but still fairly sweet, and at about mid-level sweet. No off-notes, with the exception of the aforementioned slight honeydew finish. At 1.5% it was very full, and might be able to be reduced 0.2% or so. Not oversaturated, but 1.1-1.3% might be the better solo weight. Fresh, juicy, natural, accurate, and tasty. Hard to nit-pick, BUT, I’ll throw in a minor take-off for the higher than expected sweetness, and the ever so slight green honeydew-ish finish. Leaving it still VERY high at a 9.0/10.
Custard Cake (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-17-24) – I knew I was going to cut this one in the line, and couldn’t wait any longer. In a nutshell this one was a BANGING flavor. Period, hands down, full stop. BUT, hehe, there was a but. The “buts” were that I only got some cake from it, and not a lot of custard from it. BUT, what I did get was a mashup of a light Yellow Cake, Biscuit, Graham Cracker, and either a Cream or possibly a light Vanilla Pudding. YEAH, that’s what I got. This one (like a previously tested flavor) was similar in style to Lucky Shot, in so much that it was a bakery mashup, with a TON of uses.
The yellow cake was lighter in the mix, but did have some baking soda notes (excellent), the biscuit favored JF’s Biscuit, with hints of INW Biscuit, the Graham Cracker was just an approximation with no direct comparison, and then the Custard (Cream ?). It was clearly in there, fattening up the mix and adding a creamy smoothness, but I never got an overt “Custard” from it. Maybe a cream, maybe a light vanilla pudding. Now maybe I am/was looking at this wrong as a cake smothered in Custard, as opposed to a yellow cake with custard baked in ?? Either way, I’ll knock it down a point, but ONLY a point just for the custard confusion, but it was too damned delicious to deduct any more. On flavor alone, I WOULD release the Kraken for a 10/10, BUT, with the slight “where’s da custard” I’ll reluctantly place this at 9.0/10. Almost a one-shot, big bottle approved, TONS of uses.
Dragonfruit (Pitaya) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-1-24) – Right away, I could tell this wasn’t JUST a Dragonfruit. I did get some DF in this flavor, but it was only a PART of the entire flavor. There was a fairly present note, that was fairly distracting, and NOT from the DF persuasion, and it almost resembled a cantaloupe melon. An odd profile to have in a DF, and it didn’t entirely mesh well WITH the DF. At times, I also got hints of Kiwi in there as well. This one, despite being very unique, seemed all over the place most of the time, and was fairly distracting, and wouldn’t work out well, as a solo, or main driver DF. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and the off-notes were more than present, and fairly distracting. All in, more of a mish-mosh of a DF with some other fruits, and somewhat of a cantaloupe. Marking down for the off (distracting) notes primarily, and leaving this one somewhat lower at a 4.3/10.
Energy Drink (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-3-24) – As a rule, I don’t drink Energy Drinks, and am not entirely sure why more and more MFG’s are making this flavor, BUT, they are. For any of you “Energy Heads” who DO try this, feel FREE to chime in, as I can’t compare this to Monster or any other ED. As expected this one WAS a medley of flavors, so get out your pen and paper, because I got a few in here. After three tanks, this was the closest I could get. I got a non-fizzy mountain dew-ish flavor, paired with a Flintstones chewable vitamin, along with a nice red, candied apple, and possibly another “red candied” berry fruit. And THERE it is, that’s as confusingly close, as I can make it. Now the chewable vitamins flavor wasn’t overpowering, nor bitter, so it wasn’t off-putting. Sweetness was at about mid-level, and it was (I don’t drink these things) fairly good, and present at 1.5%. Off-notes ?? Hehe, I have no clue what’s supposed to be in here LOL. Let’s say no. All in, it actually wasn’t bad, and I didn’t grow fatigued after 3 testers, and it was fairly unique, at least as flavors on my racks. I can’t directly compare it to any ED’s on the market, so scoring this will be a wild guess. Because it was tasty, interesting, and non-fatal (LOL), I’ll leave this one higher on the scale, and leave it at a 9.2/10. Interesting, non-medicinal, with good, light chewable vitamins notes, and more.
French Vanilla (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-26-24) – As most of us know, French Vanilla isn’t about a specific vanilla bean, but the inclusion of egg yolks, and a rich custard flavor. Yeah, NomNomz got this one right !!! Some vanillas are very flavorful but are also fairly thin, and light, NOT with a true FV like this one. It had all of the typical vanilla bean goodness, BUT, just ladled in a rich eggy, custardy bath. Rich, rich, and more rich. This one was rich, and dense enough to really have some mouthfeel. Custard lovers rejoice, as you could almost solo this one, and get your fix on. The vanilla wasn’t overshadowed by the eggy custard, but it DID play second fiddle to it. Not so much that it was imbalanced, but I’ll crudely place it at a 45% Vanilla, 55 % eggy custard ratio. This one had quite a bit more “weight” than a thin vanilla, so much so that I wondered if there was a light bakery in there, lower in the mix. Tasty, somewhat creamy, not a full on custard, but with plenty of eggy notes, this one just worked. No off-notes, and at about mid-level sweet. Although I don’t typically migrate towards eggy-er custard type flavors, this one was too good to ignore. Again, very close to perfect, and it’s not always about what I PREFER, but what i TASTE !!! Another 9.9/10 here folks.
Fresh (Koolada) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (5-18-24) – Ok, ok, ok. I know, you know, we ALL know, … I DON’T do cooling agents !!! I pushed these two till the very, bitter end, JUST because, hehe, I don’t ever use them. With THAT said, if you want a granular deep dive of cooling agents, this AIN’T it, BUT, I can give you the quick low down. Alright, at 1.5%, surprisingly this Fresh (Koolada) did NOT blow my face off. The cooling effect wasn’t overwhelming at all, and it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. It was fairly taste/profile free, and had minor/modest cooling on both the inhale and exhale. It was somewhat sweetened, and just about 2 ticks below mid-level, and at times, reminded me of a candy cane, without any peppermint, or flavors. Crude, but in the ballpark, only less sweet. I didn’t get any mint(s) from this one, and I could see uses for it (probably even at higher rates), to add a neutral cooling effect ot mixes. All in, it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared, nor was the cooling (at 1.5%) chokingly chilled. As a cooler, and a non-offensive one at that, I’ll leave this one high(er), and at a 9.4/10.
Fresh (Polar) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (5-19-24) – Finishing out this HUGE series from NomNomz with this, the Polar. As stated, cooling just isn’t my thing, so again, if you want a REAL cooling review, there are probably some out there. With THAT said, the Polar seemed to have a somewhat more intense cooling than the previously tested Koolada, at the same testing weight. Both more on the inhale and exhale, with an increase on the exhale. Like the Koolada, it was pretty neutral, and didn’t have any mint or other descernable profiles. It was also somewhat sweetened, but still well below mid-level. Their was an interesting lingering of the cooling that wasn’t present with the Koolada, so it stayed around for a bit afterwards. There was also a slight dryness on the finish, which may have been the lingering cooling. Not intrusive, but still there. Still fairly non-offensive, even to the “Not Cooling Guy”. Rating it just a bit below the Koolada, due to the slight dryness. All in, a neutral cooler, slightly sweetened, with an increased cooling effect over the Koolada, a slight dryness on the finish, which lingered a bit at the end. It felt chilled @ 9.0/10.
Guava (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-17-24) – How DO you describe a Guava ?? Cross between a Strawberry, and a Pear ?? Maybe. This one did capture a lot of what a Guava tastes like. You could indeed taste the pink-ish fleshy notes in this one. Now, they were somewhat relaxed at 1.5% and possibly bumping it up, MAY yield a more saturated flavor, but as it stood, not out of the ballpark at 1.5%. It was fairly sweet, but not candied, and tasted like a tick or two above mid-level. There were hints of the slightly funky, slightly fermented-ness that you get from real Guavas in there. No off-notes, and no florals (thank God), perfumes, or soaps in this one. Fairly accurate, natural, and tasty. Because the sweetness was somewhat high(er) it felt like it detracted a little from the overall flavor saturation, so my “wishes” on this one would be slightly less sweet, but with more saturation. No complaints on the actual flavor though. For my tastes, the little bit of fermented “zing” on the finish helped keep it’s score higher than without, and it felt solid at a 8.9/10. Just needed a little more saturation, and zing to complete it.
Hazelnut (Roasted) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-3-24) – Holy HazelnutZ !!! Wow, this one required NO break in time in the tank, and was 100% spot on from beginning to end. Having previously tested Chefs Creamy Hazelnut I was interested to see how, or if they differed, and they DID. This one was NOT creamed, but still had a slight creamy-ness, and it was very true to the natural creaminess. Earthy, darker, and slightly toasted undertones swirled around with this one, and on the finish, you almost got a hint of the paper skin on the actual nut(s). Sweetness was about a tick below mid-level, but was in no way overpowering, or out of place. This one was a VERY well constructed Hazelnut, and with the actual nut profile, along with the earthy, darker, slightly toasted notes, along with the slight natural creaminess, it was the whole thing. I will admit to not using Hazelnut as often as many other flavors, but this one, may just be the new King. The more I tested it, the more realistic it became, and even from a “Not Often Hazelnutting” guy, it was impressive. Sounds weird saying it, but I’m going to RELEASE the Kraken on a HAZELNUT ?? !!! Yes. 10/10. To authentic, natural, and complex NOT to.
Hibiscus (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-18-24) – Wow, this one was a PUNCHY lil’ one. I have to check, but I’m pretty sure I have all of ONE Hibiscus flavor on my racks (well, TWO now), and that’s saying something, so keep that in mind. This one DID hit me with some Florals right out of the gate, BUT, in the case of this flavor, that wasn’t off-putting, or a negative. It was a VERY strangely interesting flavor, and it seemed to revolve around two main notes. The first was a light, sweet floral that was bright, and very light on the palate, and the second was a darker, almost tart berry-ish note, that was similar to a pomegranate mashed up with a cranberry. And THERE you go, hehe. Trying to explain these notes was actually a challenge, or at least making them make SENSE was a challenge. Together, the light floral along with the dark/er tart berry-ish tones was QUITE an interesting combination. I think it was a little dark(er) and tarty-er than the only other one I’ve ever tested. Now the light florals may or may not be for everyone’s tastes, but in this case, they really seemed to play well off of the darker, tart notes. No off-notes with the exception of the light florals for some people, and at 1.5% it was really good. Because it wasn’t in my normal wheelhouse I’d have to think about some good uses for this one, but as it stood, it was a VERY unique one, and am going to place it high, as it seemed to do what it needed to do, and it did it well. Light florals, sweetened, and with a darker, tart berry low end. Leaving this one high @ a 9.6/10.
Kiwi (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-19-24) – I love Kiwis, and I knew something was "different’ with this one, when mixing it up. First off, I didn’t get a lot of Kiwi from it. There was some in there, but it was NOT the dominant note. What WAS, was actually a pretty good Honeydew Melon. YES, honeydew, with maybe another “green”-ish flavor mixed in, but unsure exactly what it was. Hehe, WAIT a minute, I think it might have been a Cucumber ?? OMG, what IS this flavor ?? OK, ok, it was BARELY a Kiwi, let’s get that out of the way (again), BUT, hehe, it was rather a very interesting, and GOOD flavor. I’m going to have to bang it pretty hard in the score area, BUT, if you are interested in a Kiwi, Honeydew Melon Cucumber mashup, you may wan to pick this up, because, it was strangely addictive, and dammit, it tasted good. OK, at 1.5% it was very present, no “off-notes” (please see above) per se, and sweetness was a few ticks below mid level. While I cannot recommend this as a Kiwi flavor, as a cool Honeydew/Cucumber (with a hint of Kiwi), I can ABSOLUTELY recommend it. Wow, this one WAS a surprise. I did actually blow through all 3 testers, so it was actually pretty good, refreshing, and actually, very natural tasting. Just not a Kiwi. Marking this one down solely for the Lack-O-Kiwi, and leaving it at a low 4.5/10.
Lemon Meringue Pie (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-1-24) – This one smelled great in the bottle, and couldn’t wait to test it. Out of the gate, it had all of the big 3, crust, lemon, and meringue. The crust was fairly present, accurate, and good. The meringue tasted below the crust and lemon in the mix, and while nowhere near dominant, managed to somehow stay alive in the mix. The lemon seemed to really accurately portray the lemon filling. Now I wish it had just a bit more “punch”, but trying to keep lemons punching has always proven difficult to say the least. As a whole, no mistaking it was a LMP, and the ratios were well done with just enough of each. Sweetness was a tick or two above mid-level, and that worked here. No off-notes, or anything out of place. As I worked through the 3 testers (as I often do), I kept thinking, “What would I add”. I might add a smidge of INW Biscuit, and just a touch of a bright Lemon to add some punch, and a little more “bite”, as overall it was a smooth flavor overall, and a little “zing” would help it pop a little. As a whole it worked, and was better than many LMP’s out there, with no real complaints, but only two minor “might adds” for my own tastes. Leaving this one higher, and finally settled on a 9.0/10.
Milkshake (Strawberry) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-19-24) – From the start this one tasted like it was 80% of the way there. The Milkshake profile was there, BUT, it was also kind of “milky”, and it felt trapped in between a shake and milk. The strawberry was mostly artificial, and while good, lacked a little bit of punch that would have helped it POP on the finish. It was plenty full @ 1.5%, and didn’t feel like it needed to be increased, and it was a few ticks below mid-level sweet. Mouthfeel was fairly present, but felt like it could be increased just a bit, along with the “shake” notes. All in, this could easily be tweeked, and while not terrible, it just felt like it needed a little help. In keeping with the 80%, finalized this one at a 8.0/10. Tasty, just not complete.
Mint Cream (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-18-24) – It’s NO secret that I’m not a huge fan of mints (or cooling), but THIS one, I liked. Wow, what an interesting idea, approach, and implementation. It’s like NomNomz decided to make a Mint, for people who might not love da mints !!! The mint profile was very accurate, clean, and natural tasting, with maybe a hint-o-peppermint, but couldn’t be sure. The slight cooling I got wasn’t off-putting to me at all BECAUSE, of the deliciously paired cream. The cream here, was more than just a simple cream/creamery, it was almost like a Werther’s hard Butterscotch candy, BUT, without the butterscotch. So simply just calling it a “cream” didn’t seem close enough. The pairing of both the mint and “cream” was perfect, such that neither ran over the other, while both being present. At 1.5% it was spot on, delicious, and full, and I could not find a single off-note or complaint, and this is coming from the NOT Mint Guy. While not overly complex, it tasted like it should, and could actually be solo’d, which is a growing trend with these NomNomz SC’s. Having a hard time putting this one down, and leaving it very high at a 9.8/10.
Nougatine (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-21-24) – Well there was no confusing this one with a Nougat, as there was no egg whites, or candied fruit. Roasted nuts, butter, and caramelized sugar is what this one was. Wow, yet another “TAH” (Tasty As Hell) one here people. It was very accurate, and convincing with no off-notes, distractions, or anything out of place. At 1.5% while very rich, and full, was still a relaxed flavor. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and that was a surprise given it’s IRL ingredients. The caramelized sugar was just about as close to perfect as you could get, and with no scorched or bitter notes. The nut(s) were somewhat of a mystery but tasted like a hazelnut/pecan mashup, which were present, but not dominant in the mix. At times I got hints of actual butter, other times not, but the buttery richness, and smoothness were always present. I couldn’t come up with any complaints EXCEPT for wanting MORE !!! Often times, sweetened, rich flavors like this can grow fatiguing after a while or loose some of their pep, but this one stayed tasty till the last tester. The pairing of the nuts, butter, and caramelized sugar was very well done, and that kept it balanced. There was an almost honey-like quality to it, without any overt honey notes. All in, a very accurate Nougatine with just about perfect levels of roasted nuts, caramelized sugar, and butter. Very hard to nit-pick other than the somewhat relaxed satuarion. Easily a 9.3/10.
Orange (Blood) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-9-24) – “Blood, blood, blood makes the grass grow”. Sorry, hehe, I work with a guy who was 82nd Airborne. This indeed was an orange, and it was somewhat leaning towards a Blood Orange. Plenty of citrus, and with hints of a nice citrus oil which improved it’s real-ness. It was less sharp and edgy than a regular orange which was in keeping with it’s “Bloodline”. I often think of Blood Oranges like regular oranges, somewhat tempered by a Raspberry undertone, and this one had some of that, but not fully. At 1.5% it wasn’t overly strong, but not weak, somewhere in the middle. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and as mentioned, some of the tart punchy-ness of a regular orange were gone, which was realistic. Tasty, fairly accurate, and also fairly smooth. I didn’t pick up any off-notes or anything out of place, but I wished for maybe some more intensity, would be my only complaint. Accurate, kind of bloody, but just kind of recessed. Possibly increasing the percentage, or even adding a drop of sweetener might help. It felt like it was just almost there, so I settled on a 7.5/10 for this one. Good, and close.
Papaya (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-20-24) – My first thought on this one was, “Is this a Papaya Custard” !!! Wow, didn’t see this one coming. This one was tasty, and CREAMY !!! I am now finishing the third tester, and I’m still stuck on that first thought. At 1.5% it was very rich, full, and (repeating), creamy. It was soo creamy, that I’d swear that it was paired with an almost vanilla custard. Now I didn’t get overt eggy-ness like you would from a stiff VC, but dammit, it sure almost tasted like it. The Papaya had a sprinkling of bright, top notes, but was far more centered on the mid to almost mid-dark notes of the Papaya. The bright, orange, fleshy notes hit you up front, and then for the remainder from the middle to the finish there it slid into a deep orange, rich and creamy-ness, that really almost rivaled some good VC’s. I’ve had somewhat creamy Papayas before, but nothing like this one. Wow.
The Papaya notes were fairly accurate, rich, and natural tasting, and unless you can call a cream, cream, creamy-ness an off-note, I couldn’t detect any. Sweetness was below mid-level, and there was a nice little tarty punch at the VERY end, that added some zing to the finish. I have never had a Papaya like this one before, and the only hard part on scoring this one, was to determine if the creamy, almost VC like main carrier note overshadowed the Papaya or not. It was really hard to judge this, and judge it for ALL of you, BUT, in the end, I decided that it did not, and finalized this one very high. Accurate, natural, and the creamiest Papayas I have ever tested, and so much so, that I wanted to call it a Papaya Custard. If you like Papayas, Custards, or Vanilla Custards, you SHOULD run out and get this one. About the only people this might not appeal to would be those in need of a “light and bright” only Papaya. I’ll take some more of this one, and will leave it very high at a 9.85/10.
Passionfruit (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (5-17-24) – Getting near the end of this long series, with the Passionfruit. I could tell right away, that this one was not only good, but a very spot on Passionfruit flavor. It had just the right amount of sweetness, tartness, and the characteristic fermented (slight fizzy)-ness. After about 2 testers in, I decided to start writing this, and it stayed consistently good. Fresh, accurate, and very natural were my big three take-aways from this one. At 1.5% it was very full, and I didn’t feel the need to increase the strength at all. Sweetness was almost at mid-level, and that felt right where it needed to be. No off-notes, or even any complaints with this one. All in, a very accurate, tasty Passionfruit, with just the right amounts of sweetness, slight tartness, and fermented fizzyness to sell it’s authenticity, all day long. If you’re a PF lover, you will probably love this one. With no issues, complaints, or off-notes, this one felt good, fairly high at a 9.8/10.
Peach (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-3-24) – Wow, this peach had an interesting profile that I’m not sure if I’ve ever gotten from a Peach flavor before. It almost had the FUZZ nailed down. YES, you could almost taste it, like you were biting into a fresh peach. Now, that was only best way to describe the effect it had, because no, it wasn’t a “fuzzy flavor” LOL. It presented as an almost entirely natural peach, but with notes from both yellow, and white peaches. It had a slight dryness on the finish, and not sure if that was what was fuzzing it up, or maybe even adding a little bit of “ripeness” to it. Probably the latter. At 1.5% it was “kinda” strong, but felt like maybe a bit more, possibly 2.0% might have helped it a bit. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level, and it had none of the “canned” or “syrup” peachy-ness. No off-notes, and it stayed consistent till the last tester with no real shifts. All in, it was a natural mashup of a yellow and white peach, somewhat sweet, with an almost tangible “peach fuzz” nuance. Might not be the star of the peach show, but definitely a big player. It felt good around the 8.7/10 mark.
Peach (Yellow) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-6-24) – Hehe, WOW, I was unprepared for this one, and it was a SHOCKER !!! The first thing that came to mind with this one, was Unapologetic. Yes baby yes. Full on, In Your Face, no apologies, punchy yellow peach. Even if you’ve never heard of Clingstone or Freestone, as a way to categorize Peaches, this one will PUSH what you thought possible, with a Peach flavor. I would call this a HYPER realistic, punchy, yellow peach, that was about as close, and naturally so, that you could get. You could literally taste the different shades of the peach. Very juicy, just sweet enough, tart, punchy, and VERY full at the 1.5% testing weight. Not syrup-ed, canned, or baked here, just a full on, fresh, juicy peach. The very natural taste, and complete saturation levels of this one could not be overstated. At times I got a hint of fuzz, other times not, but needless to say, the ONLY thing missing with THIS peach, was the PIT. Yes, that was it. NO off-notes, complaints, issues, nadda. One of the best things about this one, was NomNomz was able to really CRANK it up, with very nice bright punchy notes, but without leaning on any apricot, or nectarine notes, as it stayed 100% true to it’s name. Wow, this one was a great one, AND, I had no choice but to Release the Kraken, and 10/10 it. Hehe, yeah, unapologetic is just about right for this one.
Pear (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-2-24) – I’ve had some very “so-so” luck with Pear flavors in general, and am always hoping the NEXT one, will BE the one. This one DID have some nice Pear notes in it, BUT, I got some other notes too. As strange as it sounds I got some light Celery, and almost Tea notes from this one. Both of them were light, but I def. got them both. There was an interesting “Honey-like” aspect to this one at my 1.5% testing weight. Not the overt taste OF honey, but somewhat honey-like. It was very full and tasty at this weight, and sweetness was almost at mid-level. I had a very hard time trying to articulate the exact ratio of peach, to celery, and light tea, but maybe 80% pear, 15% celery, and 5% light tea to give you an idea. Mostly Pear, but with some passengers. Were they deal breakers ?? Ehhh, not deal breakers, but take-offs for sure. Like MOST other Pear flavors, I never got the “Sugar Sand” effect, which may be IMPOSSIBLE to replicate in a flavor, and the Pear I did get was fairly natural with some slight artificial notes. While not tart, there was a little sizzle in there, almost like a citrus-y kick to it, which kept this one interesting. Every now and again, I did seem to get a hint of skin, which kept it more authentic, than not. While weighing the take-offs, this one was one of the better Pears I’ve tried, and keeping that in mind, I decided to leave it at a 9.0/10.
Pecan Nut (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-18-24) – 100% of my previous Pecan testing has always been in the “Butter Pecan” realm, so this one was a first. Out of the gate, there was no mistaking this as a “nut” flavor. There WERE some great Pecan notes in there, but they weren’t consistent, nor the star of the show. What pecan notes I did get were fairly natural, with a darker, earthier tone that helped sell them. But, as mentioned previously, they came and went. Whiel nowhere near a “creamed” flavor, there was a certain creamy-ness TO it, with some mid-level sweetness. This one might work better as a nut mixer or baser, as opposed to a main Pecan note. What was there was great, just maybe not enough of it. The most consistent profile, nutty/earthy was very interesting, and would be either a love or hate profile, and because it stayed in the “nutty” range, I didn’t take off too much for it, but more of the "not Pecan 100% of the time. It felt like it was 60-65% of the way there, so leaving this earthy lil’ nutter at a 6.5/10.
Pineapple (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-6-24) – This one smelled great, and tasted great. A bright, juicy, yellow pineapple. It tasted fairly sweet, at about mid-level with no “candied” notes, and overall it tasted like a 50/50 mix of a fresh sliced pineapple, and a slightly baked pineapple. It was not browned, singed, or sauteed but just baked. Now at 1.5% it wasn’t an “in your face” flavor. The initial on-rush was quite intense, but it fell off somewhat quickly. I tried increasing it slowly to see it it would “bloom” a little more, but it stayed fairly consistent until I pushed it too high into muting. The muting was entirely expected, as it was doubled at that point. 1.5% seemed to be the sweet spot. No off-notes, no florals, and at about mid-level sweet. The somewhat noticeable fall off appears to be “baked in” as it were. I would have rated much higher it it had stayed consistent all the way through. Now, even with all of that said, it WAS a juicy, flavorful pineapple, that could be used a lot, but lacked some of the brighter “punch” that might be required. It’s probable that the “baked”-ed-ness might have been responsible. All in, a tasty, juicy one, but might need a little boosting. What I did get, was too flavorful to down-rate too much, and I decided on a 7.0/10. Good, just not the star of the show.
Popcorn (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (5-15-24) – It’s safe to say that “Popcorns” are tricky, or everyone would be making them. This one was in the “ballpark” of a Popcorn, but it was fairly light, and not entirely all of the way there. Clearly there were some popcorn elements in there, but I don’t think it could be the star in a popcorn mix. There were no overt butter notes, but there was a certain richness that implied there was some in there. It was somewhat sweetened, but quite a bit below mid level. Smelling it, there was an almost light AP note, and an almost toasted popcorn kernel smell that was very accurate, but it didn’t fully translate when testing it. With no real off-notes to complain about, I think this one would def work IN a mix, but would need some pairings/boosting to fully work. All in, a good, light, “some of the way there” popcorn flavor, that would work great, with some support. Because I score heavily on accuracy, I’m going to push this one up a bit, but not near the top, and leave it at a 6.9/10.
Praline (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-1-24) – If you’re not sure what a Praline is, it varies somewhat, depending on where they’re made. This one did remind me of an American “Down South” version, as I got a nice little pecan nutty-ness from it. Now in conflict with that, I did get a very light chocolate at times, not typically found IN the American version, so perhaps it was a mashup of versions. Sugary, buttery, caramel-y, and nutty were what I got from this one. At 1.5% it tasted VERY good, BUT, was still somewhat relaxed (sorry). Perhaps bumping it to 2.0% would help. As I made my way through the testers, the buttery richness on the finish increased, making it even tastier, and with some lighter toffee-ish notes. The underlying nutty-ness was hard to nail down, as one minute I got more of a Pecan, other times, a light, non-bitter hazelnut !!! Yes, it was a deliciously confusing flavor to try and describe. I will say, even somewhat relaxed, it was HARD to put down. No off-notes to be had, and sweetness was about a tick below mid-level. All in, a VERY good candy-ish flavor with light nutty-ness (pecans/hazelnuts), sweetness, butter, and light caramel/toffee notes. It was a very accurate representation, even if it straddled one or more type. Too good to not leave this one high, and finally decided on a 9.6/10 with the only issue being the somewhat relaxed nature at my 1.5% testing weight.
Puffed Rice (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-4-24) – Is Puffed Rice the same as Rice Krispies ?? No. Krispies have malt flavor, sugar, and salt, whereas MOST Puffed rice, is just that. This flavor is probably the MOST accurate PR that I’ve ever tested. It literally smelled, and tasted JUST like a fresh bag of PR cereal. No malt, no salt, and only marginally sweet. It also had that almost dry-er cardboard-y note that the real cereal has, and no, that’s not an off-note, it’s an accurate note. While there were SOME similarities between say TPA’s Rice Crunchies, and FE’s Sweet Rice, it was still quite different and unique. No real off-notes to speak of, with the exception of a very slight AP note, but it was very light, and I almost didn’t even mention it. PRC (Puffed Rice Cereal) is ALL you need to know about this one. Very barely sweetened, and it was pretty full at my 1.5% testing weight. Just SUPER accurate. That’s all there is people. Marking down only very slightly for the very slight AP note, but that was IT. Tasty, accurate, and true. Easily a 9.9/10.
Raspberry (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-3-24) – BACK into the Raspberries from NomNomz with this one. The thing I liked best about this one, was it was just different enough from all of the RB’s on my racks. It tasted a little like this one, and a little like that one, but no direct comparisons. It seemed to be a 50/50 mix of natural to artificial with neither taking the lead. It was fairly candied however, and at about mid-level sweet, it seemed somewhat “smoother” overall. There was just a hint of tart on the finish, but only a hint, as the “candied” washed over it fairly fully. No florals, medicinals, or perfumes present, and no off-notes to complain about. My tastes lean heavily towards all natural RB’s, so keep that in mind regarding my scoring. As far as “colors”, it tasted like some red, more black, and no blue for comparison. Tasty, semi-complex, and fairly candied was what this one was, and it did taste good. The somewhat “candied”-ness of it could (not assured) limit some uses, or at least as the primary RB driver. Very tasty, and my only “wishes” would have been a little more natural, and a little less candied, BUT, that’s on MY list, hehe. Still a good one, and hard to fault, and finalized it @ a still very high 8.9/10.
Raspberry Custard (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-7-24) – With this being one of my favorite profiles, I was anxious to dive into it. As always, your definitions of Custards or Puddings may vary. This one plain worked for my tastes, BUT, yours might be different, so READ on. The Raspberry notes were on point, and were very evenly paired with the Custard making it hard to pick it out completely, but it still had some sharp punchy notes helping it shine through. It also had some light jammie-ness, which also helped it to stand out a little. The Custard was much more like an American Pudding, as some of the heavier, egg-ier notes were absent. They were there, just not in a heavy handed fashiot, so if you need the Eggy-iest of eggy custards, this may not be Custardy enough. The “custard” (pudding) was sweet, creamy, and smooth, with some great Vanilla accents, which favored a Madagascar.
The pairing of the two was very nicely done, leaving them both playing center stage. Beyond that great taste, and perfect ratios, the interesting thing was the Custard, and Raspberries stayed seperated enough that they did seem like two different elements, as opposed to a blurry mashup if the two, if that makes sense. The reason why I think this flavor (and other’s like it) are so valuable is that they can easily be push/pulled into YOUR favorite profile. Need more RB, add it, need mo egg, add it. I suspect there are going to be a LOT of people, who might just solo this silly as is. Plenty full at 1.5%, sweetness was at mid-level, and I had NO complaints, issues, or off-notes. I literally bled the third tester dry, before finally giving up, and writing this. A very good RB Custard that ticks most of the boxes, and can easily be tailored to any specific needs. Not perfect, but MAN, it was close. 9.8/10.
Raspberry Jam (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-17-24) – Out of the gate, you KNEW this one was a Jam. BUT, was it jammie enough ?? Yes, it was. This one actually took a little bit to settle down in my tester, so I gave it a little extra time. Once it did, it rocked all the way till the empty-ness of the third tester. I can’t say for sure, but similar to Nomz OG Raspberry, but better. At 1.5% it tasted fuller, richer, and with, (you guessed it), some very nice jammy undertones. It had some nice pectin-ish tarty notes that convinced you it was a jam. Some bright, some mid, and a few darker RB tones in this one. Sweetness was at about mid-level, and down near the bottom there was an almost buttery light note on the finish, but only slightly. The RB was convincingly natural, and none of the “candied”-ed-ness that I got from the OG RB, which is/was to my RB liking. Sweet(er), jammed, authentic, and with no off-notes to complain about. IMO, this was was quite superior to the OG RB, and I could use this one, all day. DId I find it hard to “move on” after the third tester ran completely dry ?? YES. As far as “wishes”, maybe just a hint more of the jam would have been my only wish, and a small one at that. Very tasty, hard to put down, and dare I say, damned good, all on it’s own. Slight take-off for just wanting a HINT more of jam, but only slightly, and leaving this tasty little jammer at a high 9.8/10.
Raspberry Wafer (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-25-24) – When mixing this one up, I had two thoughts. “Wow, this smells great”, and “I know this flavor”. Turns out that the Wafer was stronger, but almost identical to the OG Wafer from Chefs that I had tested previously. As was, and still was the case with it, I still didn’t get a lot of “wafer” from it, but that’s probably a matter of wafer opinion, but I got much more of a FW Waffle Cone, some other bakery/ies, and maybe a touch of AP. Now, having NOT tested the four OTHER Raspberries from NomNomz yet, I can only assume that one of them was in here. AND, the two profiles paired perfectly together. With the whole wafer/biscuit/cookie debate aside, the Raspberry had JUST enough sweetness, and tartness to break through the bakery elements, It tasted mostly natural, with some jammed, and candied accents. The two main profiles did pair very well, and it was damned tasty. No off-notes, or complaints other than the definition of “wafer”. Minor take-offs for that, but that was it. Too good to mark down much, and decided to leave it super solidly at a 9.5/10.
Raspberry (Wild) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-17-24) – Sadly for ALL Wild Raspberries, they have a high bar to meet, so all WRB’s I test, I can’t NOT compare them. This one presented as a “different” raspberry, and while tasty, I wasn’t 100% sold on the “Wild”. Now while I can’t fully quantify exactly what makes a Wild a wild, I can always tell if it’s “In There”. This one presented almost like a candied Raspberry, with some interesting accents, and it took me QUITE a while to figure it out, but I did (again). I think the paired profile was similar to that of a grape. It was VERY hard to tell when riding around with the Raspberry, but it seemed more purple than green, but maybe a hint of green grape in there as well. NOW, this was not a straight mashup of a grape and raspberry, but the grape was almost slid in, underneath (undertone) below the more dominant Raspberry. The raspberry stayed fairly candied, and partially artificial throughout my tests, and that damned interesting grape-y undertone never left. It tried to stay hidden below the RB, but once I tasted it, (you know), I couldn’t UN-taste it.
Now, overall the flavor WAS very good, and it was nicely full at 1.5%, and was just below mid-level sweet. No off-notes, florals, soaps, or perfumes, and about the ONLY thing I wasn’t 100% sure of, was the grape-y undertones, and/or if that sold the “Wildness”. In the end, I couldn’t decide, so I decided to take-off just a bit as to my tastes, it was a grape, and although a VERY tasty flavor, didn’t sell me on the “wild”. All in, a fairly candied Red (guessing) Raspberry, tempered by a super interesting grape undertone, which when combined, yielded a very interesting flavor. Even without selling me entirely on the wild, it still was too good to go below a 9.0/10.
Red Currant (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-3-24) – Tart, Red Berry Bliss !!! Wow, this was spot on, and the added tart, and acidity made them possibly the best RC I have tried to date. Very natural tasting with little to no artificial distraction. You could taste the little red berries from beginning to end, and it never let up. The flavor was so accurate, I didn’t get a HINT of any other non currant flavor in this. The tart, sweet, and acidity were perfectly paired, which left it hyper accurate, and zingy. I wish the RB had this much pop. No off-notes, florals, or soaps here people, just clean, zingy, red currants. It was perfect at 1.5% without needing any changes, and sweetness, while tempered by the tart, and acidity, stayed just below mid-level. Often, when I’m testing “currant” flavors, they are in the ballpark, or “kinda”, but not this one. Full on, all go and no quitting here. Even though this flavor was a stellar one, I did look hard trying to find anything out of place, or off, but I couldn’t. If you’ve never tried currants, or been let down by other flavors, you should buy this one now. This one, was a perfect 10/10. Release the Kraken again, and that’s TWO in a row now.
Rhubarb (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-9-24) – I have had some BAD Rhubarbs before, so I am always cautious when testing them. This one smelled very rhubarb-y in the bottle, and that continued on to the testing. Slightly floral, and had some nice tartness on the finish. At 1.5% it was full, and sweetness was just below mid level. It had a certain “cooked” overall taste however, that seemed to detract from a fresh rhubarb that was hard to quantify. It’s like it was partially blanched or cooked out a bit. It was def. a rhu, but not all the way, and at times I got an almost plasticky undertone. Very light, and would be easy to cover/hide in a mix, but I did get it. I think making Rhubard flavors is very hard, and credit out to NomNomz for getting it squarely in the ballpark. After rolling through 3 testers of this one, it still presented more as a cooked or partially blanched rhubarb, with some nice sweetness, and a tart finish, with that slight off-note that came and went. It felt fair to leave it at a 7.0/10.
Rum (Brown) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-13-24) – Getting into this one, for my mixing mentor @Mikser. Tasting this one in the bottle was SPOT ON, for a Darker Rum. Testing it, it seemed to loose a little in translation. I tried to boost and cut it, and it stayed roughly the same, so there are no “official” other percentages. The initial onrush was very good, and had a slight sweet undertone, but there was no mistaking it was a dark rum. No real spicy-ness to speak of, so no Captain Morgan here folks. I think I was MISLED into thinking that because of the slight sweetness, but no spice, just dark(er) rum. After the initial onrush however, it kind of faded out. I kept comparing it to what I tasted on the finger, and was wishing that was how it presented when testing. It was so accurate on spot on, off the finger it was scary, and I couldn’t pick out anything off, or out of place. About my only nitpick would be the fairly rapid “decoupling” after the initial onrush. Again, flavor wise, it was a very accurate, natural tasting rum which leaned completely into the “dark” side, with far below mid-level, but still present sweetness. Great, but just lost some in the translation. It felt fair to still place this one at an 8.0/10.
Strawberry (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-14-24) – Red, Perky, and Sweet were my three big take-aways on this one. I know, I know, another strawberry ?? Hehe, yes. It’s a crowded field for sure. This one presented as a damned natural Red, somewhat juicy Strawberry. Red seemed to be the “center” of it, but there were hints of white, and maybe just a smidge of green floating around in there as well. Just at face value, it was pretty complex. At 1.5% it felt like it might benefit from a little push, maybe 0.5% higher. I got much more of the middle body notes, than the bright sparkly notes, so I’ll just call it “Mid Centered”. There was some bright high notes, but far lighter than the main profile in the middle. There was some nice tart-ed-ness mixed in, but just enough to mimic a real strawberry. What was odd about this one, was it wasn’t “thin” or “watery-ish” like many fruit flavors, and it had some “weight” to it. Hard to explain, but I think it was the focus on the middle range of the SB, rather than just the higher/brighter notes only. Throughout all 3 testers, it stayed just as natural tasting as it did in the beginning,so no muting or fatigue. Even with that said, I think a smidge more of the brighter, sparkly notes would have worked here. Sweetness was about mid-level, but it was not candied, or jammed. All in, an impressive natural, fairly complex strawberry, which was centered around a juicy red strawberry, with minor white, and green accents. No off-notes, but just felt like a little more sparkle would have helped it pop more. Leaving it at a 9.1/10.
Strawberry (Wild) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (5-14-24) – Getting back in to the few to finish off this series with this one. At 1.5% it was fairly strong, but felt like it could use just a little bump, so 2.0% might be the better SFT weight. As it was, it was an interesting Strawberry. I actually got a mix of both a Wild SB, and a slightly candied SB, with light artificial notes. It was somewhat smooth, and not what I would call a “ripe” SB. No jammy-ness or pectins here, and it had some tartness on the finish. The “wild” part was harder to quantify, but I think the second slightly artificial/candied note was what handled that more than anything else. Overall it was natural tasting, with some hints of candied. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid level, and there were no off-notes to complain about. I couldn’t decide if the two different notes worked together or not. Overall, it was a very “smooth” strawberry. I think having some more bright end punch would have helped it pop a little more. As it stood, a good smooth SB that was fairly natural, with some slight candied/artificial notes. It felt good at a 7.9/10.
Sweet Lime (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-1-24) – Cold Pressed, or Distilled, I have no clue, BUT, it tasted pretty limey to me. It was not the strongest Lime I’ve tried, or at least a 1.5%, and it felt like it might have needed about 25% more “oomph”. It was sweetened, but not in an overpowering way, and it landed at about mid-level sweet. Depending if you wanted/needed more sweetener in your mix(es) may, or may not include/exclude this one because of that. As far as the actual lime to sweet ratio, I might put it as high as 55% Lime / 45% sweet to better explain it. What was interesting was the sweetness offset any tart or sour to it, which left it as a rather “smooth” or “not sharp” lime, which again might, or might not be what you were looking for, depending. Taste wise, it was accurate, and fairly natural, and there were no off-notes, but I have to admit to missing some of the mouth pucking tart-ed-ness that limes can often times bring. Even with da sweetz, I could see tons of tea, drink, even desert uses for this one. All in, it simply tasted like 75%-80% of the way there, and I decided to leave it squarely at a 7.5/10. Very tasty, just slightly subdued by some of the sweet.
Tobacco (Gold) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-10-24) – Being an avid NOT-toabacco-er, I won’t be able to break this one down or compare it to most other tobaccos, and NO, I don’t NET. My tobacco reviews typically go something like this, so read on at your own risk. No doubt, this was a tobacco. It presented fairly complex, to my non-bacco tastebuds, and had a nice “fresh cut” taste to it. It had hints of fresh straw,very light chocolate, nuts, and coffee if you can believe it or not. There was a certain “dirty-ness” to this one, not ashy, but a nice grungy, dirty undertone.that really worked with this one. It was fairly sweet, but still a few ticks below mid-level. There was an almost creamy-ness to it, but it wasn’t creamy, if that makes sense. Yeah, I got ALL THAT from this one. Hopefully a NET’er, or BACCO’er will chime in, and give you a better perspective on this one. All in, it was a convincing tobacco, with a very natural overall taste, with some very complex undertones. Having little to nothing to compare this to, AND being the “Not Bacco Guy”, I’m going to leave this grungy, little dirty one at a 9.5/10…
Tobacco RY4 (SC) (Nomz) 1.5%/2.0% (3-23-24) – Breaking into another RY4 with this one. I’ve tested more RY’s lately, so this one will be added to the list. I tested at two weights, and started with 1.5%, and felt it needed a little more, and increased it to 2.0%, with minimal gains, so this one did seem to top out around the 1.5%-1.6% as a solo. This one was fairly caramel dominant with some lighter, maybe golden tobacco in the background. The caramel was very good, sweet, rich, and with some VERY nice darker notes. The darker notes might have been scorched, but not burnt or bitter, and blended directly into the tobacco notes, so it was hard to nail down exactly. While the Caramel was rich, I didn’t get any overt butter from it, but rich it was. Sweetness was fairly high, and just at, or slightly above mid-level, but not cloyingly so. Candied-ish, maybe, but def. a sweeter RY4. Although the bacco played second fiddle to the caramel it tasted natural, with some darker tones, but no ash or grit, which led to a smooth(er) overall experience. All in, this was a broad spectrum, rich, sweetened caramel with light scorching, paired with a somewhat lighter tobacco which seemed golden, with some darker notes. No off-notes, and my only “wish” would have been a slight reduction in sweetness, and an increase OF the bacco. Still very tasty, and finalized it at a flat 9.0/10.
Toffee (Butter) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-2-24) – Right out of the gate, there was no confusing this for anything other than a Toffee. Buttery, sweet, and much darker than a caramel, which was exactly what a Toffee cooked to the higher temp “Hard Crack” stage should taste like. I got hints of butter, but much more of the buttery smoothness. Obviously not as creamy as a caramel, but it still had a creamy-ness to it. Continuing to test this one, just revealed even more buttery-ness, and rich darker notes. I didn’t get any overt chocolate or nuts, but that was a NON issue because this one was that tasty, AND, a blank slate, if you wanted either of the two. As far as off-notes, there were none, and it was just a tick above mid-level sweet. VERY hard to put down. Overall, it covered a fairly full spectrum of Toffees with some light, more mid-dark, and even more DARK-dark notes. At times I thought I caught a hint of burnt in the darkness, and instead of that being a negative, it just worked to sell it’s authenticity even more. If you like Toffee, you will like this one. At the end of the third tester, I was convinced, it was perfect as is, with no choco or nuts, and was easily be run as a solo. Just short of perfect IMO, and leaving it at a sky high 9.9/10.
Toffee (Candy) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-10-24) – Having had STELLAR results with NomNomz Toffee(Butter) , I had VERY high hopes for this one. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I actually got little to none of the delicious buttery toffee mentioned above, and instead got a very slight HINT of it, and I think they paired it with a butterscotch-ish flavor, but it went sideways, and ended up throwing a somewhat “Play-Doh” note. Not as much as CAP’s Glazed Donut, but once I tasted it, I couldn’t un-taste it. I also picked up on a somewhat creamy Vanilla swirling in around in there as well. For me, as soon as I didn’t get much of the OG Butter Toffee, it was already sliding downward, but the Play-Doh-ish element pushed it even further. It wasn’t a terrible flavor, but I don’t know if I’d have thought Toffee Candy though. At 1.5% it was full, and just below mid-level sweet, and that pretty much about sums that up. I DO think I’ll be getting a BIGGER bottle of the Toffee (Butter) though. Dropping this one down a bit, to a 4.5.
Vanilla (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-17-24) – I have to admit to being quite interested in this one. “Vanilla ?? What KIND of Vanilla ??”. Well it’s a Frenchie !!! A French Vanilla variant to be exact. But it wasn’t named that, so what’s up ?? Well, it was tempered by something, and it took me a while to figure it out, but I DID. It tasted like a French Vanilla tempered by candy (small) marshmallows. There you go. Took you a few seconds to read it, but FAR longer for me to figure it out. Now, this was NOT a Vanilla Marshmallow, but literally a Vanilla with small type marshmallows jammed in. Overall it was an interesting flavor, and the MM worked to soften up the vanilla quite a bit, which may, or may not work for your Vanilla needs. Most times on the finish, I could even pick up on the powdered coating ON the mini marshmallows. As a mixer, or baser, I could see a lot of uses for this one, but as the primary driver in a Vanilla mix, not so sure. There was a note near the middle, and finish that reminded me of CAP’s Vanillas, and whether or not that’s an “off” note or not is up to the individual, and I didn’t count it as one. Sweetness was somewhat high, and was a few ticks above mid level sweet, which I either attributed to, or added credence to the mini-marshmallows. No off-notes, with the exception of the aforementioned “CAP Vanilla” thing, and it was full at 1.5%. I could see a lot of uses for this, as it did double duty as a Frenchie and a Mini Marshmallow at the same time. I am going to kick it down a few, because the inclusion OF the mini MM’s did somewhat detract from the pure(r) Vanilla notes, softened the flavor overall, and probably was to blame for the hightened sweeteness. Tasty, but leaving it at a 6.9/10.
Vanilla (Bourbon) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (4-6-24) – Bourbon Vanilla aka Madagascar Vanilla is always the darker of the Vanillas. Some think it’s name implies Bourbon notes, but the name actually refers to where it is grown. This one did a good job of reproducing many/much of the darker vanilla notes, and it also had an underlying richness, almost creaminess to it. While typically one of the strongest vanillas this one seemed to be a little lighter, and had a very short half-life. It was pretty rich, and full, but once exhaled, it was GONE. A very interesting “gone” effect, with no lingering. While it was “on” it was dark, and rich, with some light caramel notes, and it tasted very natural with no overt “extract” or artificial notes. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and there were zero off-notes to nit-pick. About the only issue would be the disappearing act, RIGHT after the exhale. I’m thinking only minor take-offs for that, because when it was “on”, it WAS on. Full, rich, with a light creaminess, plenty of darker shades of Vanilla with light caramel-y undertones, and very natural. It felt fairly placed at a 9.2/10. Good, natural, accurate, but might need a little push from another vanilla in some cases.
Vanilla Cupcake (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (3-5-24) – Trying to explain or define a “cupcake” is quite hard, and I’m sure making one is equally hard. This one had a great vanilla overtone with SOME cupcake-y undertones. It was def. not cake-y, and much more cupcake-y. No baking soda notes, or frosting that I could pick up on, but it was still tatsty. While somewhat creamy, it was not a vanilla cream, and if the “cupcake” could have been a bit higher, I think it would have worked a little better. Sweetness was about mid-level, and no off-notes, baby powder or otherwise (long story) present. Maybe increasing it a bit might help, but I suspect as far as the cupcake, it was, where it was. Very tasty, and not off-target, and the somewhat softened vanilla was damned good, just not 100% sold on the (you guessed it), cupcake. At times, I got light almost “batter” notes, which I think helped it out a bit. No “bakery” notes, which worked, as that would have pulled it into a cake instead. Good, tasty, vanilla-y, just needed a little more cupcake-ry. Leaving this tasty one at a 7.5/10.
Watermelon (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-24-24) – By POPULAR demand, well kinda, hehe, diving into the Watermelon. I knew when mixing this one up, that it would be a "different’ watermelon, and that continued during the testing. The big take-away (for me at least), was it was not centered around the “red” juicy watermelon much at all. It did taste more like a mashup of the “white” part of the watermelon, along with some fairly present honeydew, and almost cantaloupe notes. In order of strength and ratios (guessing), I’d say 60% white watermelon, 30% honeydew, and 10% cantaloupe. There were some very light “red” wm notes, but the “white” and other melon notes were far more domiant. If I’d tested it without knowing the name, I probably would have thought it was a “Melon Medley”. It was a mix of natural and artificial, and did have some lighter candied notes. This was interesting as it was below mid-level sweet. It was very smooth, with no reat tart-ed-ness, or sour, and no overt off-notes, but there was a just ever so slight perfrumy-ness to it. Now, it was soo minor, that I almost didn’t think it necessary to mention, or take down for it, but just ever so slightly, it was there. It was so light that in a mix it would disappear. Overall, not a bad “Melon Medley”, but as a stand alone Watermelon, not so much. Not terrible, and still very useful, just not a stellar stand alone. It seemed like it was in the 5.0-6.0 range for my personal rating system, so I finally settled on the higher score, and left it at a 6.0/10.
Whiskey (Cream) (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (2-10-24) – BREAKING all of my typical rules, AND, as promised … skipping into the W’s, from the A’s. I really wanted to get into this one, and no sense making you guys wait all the way to the W’s. Let’s start out by calling this one DELICIOUS !!! OK, let’s put the cards on the table for you Whisky Creamers. You guys will be in TWO camps. “Mo Whiskey”, or “Mo Cream”, so this one MAY not be for ALL of you. No weak a$$ alcohol here people, the Whiskey was front and center, and about EVENLY paired with the cream. So RIGHT there, you CREAMHEADS, might find it TOO Whiskey-ish (is that really even a THING ??). The cream itself paired beautifully with the Whiskey. It was hard to fully flush OUT the cream(s), because the Whiskey was front and center, but it almost reminded of VSO’s Barbarian Cream, or a Bavarian and Vanilla cream mix. In keeping with true Whiskey, the whiskey here was fairly acidic, and nicely tempered by the smooth(er) creamier creams. All in, I had a VERY hard time NOT repeatedly refilling the testers on this one.
It was very solid at 1.5%, with no need to increase it, and the sweetness was a few ticks below mid-level. I looked, and LOOKED for anything I could nit-pick on this one and came up short. About my only “like” would have been a little more of the creams, BUT, as mentioned in the beginning of this review, that was based on MY cream/whiskey ratio tastes. I literally blew through the entire bottle before I knew it. Handily a 9.5/10.
Yogurt (SC) (Nomz) 1.5% (5-19-24) – Alright, it’s a fact that I fear testing Yogurts, because you never know if it will be overtly “sour” or not. Luckily this one proved that to NOT be the case. Now it DID have a little “twerk” when smelling it, but testing it, that wasn’t present. It presented as a fairly accurate plain yogurt, that was slightly sweetened. Semi creamy, semi rich, and with just enough dairy to make it convincing. It smelled a little sour, but tasted rather smooth, and almost creamy. I’m not sure why anyone (LOL) would solo a yogurt, hehe, but someone’s gotta do it. Rather than a stand alone, I think this one’s strength will be in the mixing, as I could see countless “smoothie” uses, even added to milkshakes, and even Key Lime Pies to “fatten” up and add richness to mixes. No off-notes (thank God), other than the slight whiff of sour when smelling. It was slightly sweetened, but not sweet, and was a blank canvas yogurt. I didn’t detect any overt BA notes throughout the test. At 1.5% it was probably as full as it was going to get, and it did have some mouthfeel to it. Fear not, as this yogurt won’t blow your face off. As a blank slate yogurt it was convincing, but again, it’s true strength will be in the application in mixes. All in, a pretty solid blank slate yogurt, that didn’t offend. It felt good at a 8.0/10.
As a reminder, these flavors ^^^^ are NOT the entire NomNomz SC line, these are only the ones I have NOT tested before. If you missed my Chefs SC tests, please check them out here, to fill in the gaps.
Ahhhh, OK I remember this review. Has Nomz not replicated it or did you just not get it? Not that I am really looking for anything more but I like to stay informed on custard stuff
Wow what a gift THIS is to ME @SessionDrummer !!! I guess I’ve been living under a rock.
Now I know I can still get my Mint Cream and Toffee (Butter) plus others I’ve always liked as well. Thank-you so much for undertaking a review of this line’s flavors. That’s a lot of work. I’m so looking forward to your remarks on all this. Thanks again!
@iLardyboy since your here I would love to know which flavors are ones you wish would have turned out to be a bit better… We all know there isnt a perfect line of flavors right
I’ve always used CSC Toffee (Butter) at least at 1%…sometimes up to 1.5%. Gorgeous buttery flavor. Also goes well with chocolate like the candy bar. I use VSO English Toffee along with it. They pair well. Steeping a recipe right now using both. Best steep for me has been from 5-7 days, so not bad.
Iv been looking for the right toffee for years to clone backwood brews malty toffee. I know its mostly em but there is a toffee in it just could never find one to fit perfect
Added this to the OG post as a reminder. These tests, are NOT the entire NomNomz SC line, but only the ones I have never tested before. To fill in the gaps, please check out my previous reviews of the Chefs SC line here …
Alright, I’m PROBABLY going to regret asking this, but beyond the Whiskey Cream, are there any other flavors you guys are fiending for, that I could MAYBE move up in the list ?
