@IggyZ I couldn’t read your notes until AFTER I tested it, but now that I have, yours seemed pretty on track with what I got. I got more of a white watermelon flavor, with some honeydew, and a light cantaloupe mashup more than anything else. A VERY slight perfume-y note, which would easily be buried in a mix. Not a stand alone WM, but still pretty useful in fruity, melon mixes with some help.
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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.
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I agree with your review completely. I know from your previous notes that our tastebuds are quite similar, so I usually wait until you’ve tested something before buying it. In this case, I saw a new WM flavor from my favorite flavor vendor, and took a shot in the dark. I’m still not giving up hope that maybe someone else will come up with a good recipe for it, as this flavor definitely has potential, so let’s just wait and see.
Thanks as always for all your hard work, @SessionDrummer!
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Well I appreciate that @IggyZ, and you stated we do appear to have similar tastes. I’m always a little apprehensive to have anyone definitely buy or not buy a flavor based solely on my reviews. I would hate to have anyone NOT experience a flavor that they might taste differently, BUT, I understand where you are coming from.
Ahhh now you’ve hit on the “One Big Thing”, and I’m glad you did. I always Single Flavor Test in a vacuum, meaning I focus solely on the flavor and how it presents by itself. This does NOT guarantee how it can, or will perform in a mix.
You’re very welcome, and thank you.
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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.
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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.
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Excellent review SD I have the same feeling on this flavor. I tested slightly higher @2%, but I got similar results. The Wafer is very reminiscent of the CSC Wafer just slightly turned up. I think due to the nature of the wafer being a super light bakery (almost like a rice cake type of texture) that it needs a little bit of assistance (body). And yes the raspberry is really good, to me it’s a really good raspberry cream. Almost a raspberry meringue type of flavor. I will wait to see your reviews on the nomz raspberries to see if there is one in particular one that can assist in boosting that raspberry note.
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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.
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When I saw your description of this my first thought is an EGG NOG base without the spice. Is it possible?
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I’m not sure. Maybe with enough work, as it is solidly in the eggy custard realm. It’s not that it was sharp, but my best nogs have always been smoother, maybe creamier. Not to say it wouldn’t work.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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@Lynda_Marie did you guys test this one ^^^^ ?? Did YOU get an almost Chai, with florals, light vanilla, and light spicy-ness ??
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Lol you should hear what they all said on noted…I think , spice , woody , floral , dryer sheets were words described oh and tea…
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Yes! I said woodsy, floral, a tad of spice, would probably go well with tea. No vanilla that I could taste, pretty close to what you said!
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Daniel said dryer sheets and compared it to Cloud 9 Fa. Lmao
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Ya that was funny…
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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.
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