Sobucky Single Flavor Tests Series V: TESTING NOW !!!
That’s right people, as I finish up the Medicine Flower reviews, and then the NEW Flavorah reviews, these are getting mixed up AS we speak, and steeping so I can run into them as soon as the queue is empty.
Because my experience thus far with SSA’s has been that they ARE fairly strong, I decided on a starting point of 1% again, with some minor adjustments as needed. All will be tested at their listed percentages, and in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier. As always, will be tested in the SteamCrave RDTA v.1 running dual 24ga. Kanthal vertical coils, at 65 watts, and using Koh Gen Do cotton. Fresh coils installed before the start of the tests, with dry burned coils and fresh cotton before every test.
Stay tuned !!!
Chocolate Mousse (SSA) 1% / 2% (11-16-23) – Starting this series off of new(er) Sobucky flavors, with the Chocolate Mousse. I started the test out at my typical 1% and it felt a little thin and lacking, so I doubled it, let it re-steep and it was MUCH better. Every CM that I’ve ever eaten has always used a bittersweet chocolate, and Sobucky followed suit. Darker, slightly dry, but not bitter, and it fit the bill perfectly for a CM. No scorching, band aids, or rubber bands to be found in this one. The main mousse body was rich, and fairly thick, with some pretty good mouthfeel. Surprisingly it wasn’t overly creamy, but 3 testers later, I just don’t know if I missed it or not. Even doubled it still had a somewhat airy quality (not thin-ness) that represented a whipped mousse very well. To be fair, I was surprised it got as good as it did after doubling, as I had expected a “little” better, but it almost seemed TWICE as good as at the lower 1% rate, so increasing this one DOES increase the fun. Sweetness was actually below mid-level, and there were no off-notes to be found, and I was looking for them. As the last tank ran dry, I was just a little bummed out (yes, I can make more). All in, a VERY impressive mousse showing from SSA, with an almost perfect bittersweet chocolate. The choco wasn’t just on top, or in there, it was completely blended into the mousse. It was NOT a pudding, but really a mousse. My only nit-picks would have been maybe some more mouthfeel, and maybe some creamy-ness, but but minor nit-picks. Def. a keeper, and it def. worked better solo’d at 2%. Minor take-offs only, and it was too good to go below 9.5/10.
Crumbly Cookie Flavor (SSA) 1% / 2% (11-18-23) – When I was first mixing this one up, I could already tell it shared a lot with SSA’s Shortbread Cookie, and Shortbread Biscuit. Testing it, revealed that was correct. Now, I’m not calling this a “re-hash”, but, if you’ve already got either (or both) of the two aforementioned, you won’t need this one. This one had the same great buttery, somewhat grainy bakery elements as I had gotten before, and with a nice underlying vanilla note. When I started testing it at my typical SSA 1%, it felt like it needed a little more, and I doubled it. It did get somewhat richer, but not double in richness, so the single flavor sweet spot might be 1.5-1.75%-ish. While not truly “crumbly” it did have somewhat of a dry-er, almost crunchy cookie texture, as opposed to a moist/chewy one, so that’s probably the “cumbly”-ness. Tasty as hell, and VERY much a cookie, just not breaking NEW ground let’s say. Sweetness was just about mid-level, and it tasted good at that level. All in, a new (but not new) cookie from Sobucky that shared a lot with it’s previously release Shortbread Cookie and Biscuit, that still worked really well. No off-notes, or anything out of place, and hard to nit-pick except for the slightly weaker (in comparison) flavor, and similar profiles. It felt nice and buttery @ 9.0/10.
Lemon Pound Cake (SSA) 1.5% (11-22-23) – Wow, I HAD to take some extra time with this one. 9 tester tanks later, MORE wow. I have to start this out by thanking @lukeloop who told me a WHILE ago, to get this one, and finally, I see why. Yes, this IS the Pound Cake to get, period, hands down, just buy a BIG bottle now. I know in the dark underbelly of the baking scene, the whole “Yes or No” to the Baking Soda is a REAL thing, BUT, I can tell you, every time I’ve “pounded”, I’ve always used it, AND, I got some of it with this one. With this flavor, although HAVING some Lemon, the Pound Cake is/was/will always be the star of the show. It IS the most accurate, spot on PC I have ever tried. It had basically every nuance of a PC that you would ever need. Dense, rich, somewhat buttery, and with a grainy-ness that wouldn’t quit. It really captured how a PC is supposed to taste, without being overly “cake-y”, like a Birthday Cake for example. NOW, the Lemon, was no slouch either, as it tasted very natural, and honestly, PERFECTLY paired with the PC. Not only did Sobucky pick the RIGHT Lemon notes, they nailed the ratio as well. Sure, sure, you Lemon HeadZ out there, could dose it up with some MO, but you might find, it’s almost perfect, as is. To say this would NOT be a One-Shot would be incorrect.
Sobucky did a great job of covering the entire PC, with lighter “yellow” notes, and some of the darker, more cooked elements, and just ladled it in the grains, which gave it a palatable “weight” and “feel”, which was impressive. As I continued to test this one (yes, I just kept re-filling the SteamCrave), I could not find ONE nit-pick, out of place note, or even a slight complaint about this one. It was VERY rich, full, and tasty at my 1.5% testing weight, and it was just below mid-level sweet. Again, thanks out to Luke, who DID hit me up about this one earlier on, and I only wish I had gotten into it sooner. If you want the MOST realistic LPC out there, you should pick this one up. Release the Kraken people, because it’s THAT good. 10/10. Thanks Luke, you were right mate.
Marshmallow (SSA) 1%/2% (11-23-23) – Happy Turkey Day !!! I initially started testing this at my typical (past tests) testing weight of 1%, and it came across as fairly thin, and unimpressive. Doubling this to 2% however, CHANGED the game. WOW, as I was UN-prepared for how much better this one would become. On my racks I typically bounce between FA, TPA, and LA depending on what I need, and/or a combination of the three. All are great, but serve single purposes. I will admit to TWO thoughts, the moment I tested it at 2%, “Wow, this is what FA’s MM should have been”, and “This may now be the best marshmallow out there”. Review over, right ? This seemed to pick up all of the pro’s from the 3 aforementioned MM’s and did it in ONE package. A very authentic Marshmallow flavor encompassing every aspect from the light vanilla, mallow, gooey, AND, the dry powdered sugar finish. YES, all in ONE package. At 2% (possibly higher) it is an impressive flavor to test, and enjoy. As of this writing, I’m struggling to think of a MM use, where this would NOT fit the bill.
At 2% it was fairly thick, rich, and had a solid mouthfeel, and just did not leave you wanting. And coming from the S’mores Guy, THAT is impressive, as I tired of stacking multiple MM’s just trying to get it present, and tasty in my S’mores recipes. While not the strongest SSA flavor, once tested at the correct weight, it was a gooey force to be reckoned with. I blew through 3 testers before giving UP on trying to nit-pick this one, with no off-notes. It’s blending/softening is outside the scope of this review, but I can tell you two things. I’m getting a much bigger bottle, and I"m mixing up some S’mores. If you feel your current MM’s fall short, or require tempering with other MM’s, you SHOULD pick this one up. Realizing I JUST released the Kraken on the previous flavor, and do NOT want to diminish it’s value, I cannot in good conscious, NOT slam this one at a 10/10. Keep the Kraken out people !!!
Marzipan (SSA) 0.90% (11-25-23) – I don’t recall ever actually eating Marzipan, but I’ve used it from time to time in recipes, most often in cherry/cranberry mixes, or Apple Pies, and it’s worked great. Testing this one would be kind of a first for me. Most times, I can’t taste much Almond unless it’s dark and bitter. That continued with this one, for the most part, as I did get SOME lighter, earthy nutty-ness, but it was fairly low in the mix. This could mean I’m Almond blind ?? The main note did resemble a nice Cherry, riding on a somewhat creamy carrier. Now this was NOT a full on, in your face Cherry, just for clarity, but it did have somewhat soft, yet very distinct cherry overtones. I didn’t get an overt bakery element from this, but it had some weight to it, so perhaps that was it. The aforementioned creamy-ness while not to the level of a cream, did seem to soften, or temper the overall flavor. Being a huge fan of everything Cherry this one appealed to my tastes, and I could see using it often. Because it smelled stronger in the bottle I did test this just below 1%, and after 3 testers, it was clear it wasn’t overpowering at this weight, and could even be increased a little bit. No off-notes, and it was a few ticks below mid-level sweet. All in, it was a great flavor, with clear Cherry overtones, and a nice creamy middle, with some light nutty undertones on the bottom. This one is harder to rate, as I strongly suspect I don’t typically taste Almonds, regardless of the flavor, but with that said, it felt right at a 8.75/10.
Milkshake Dairy (SSA) 1%/2 (11-26-23) – I LOVE da Milkshakes, but I find, or HAVE found it to be very hard to find one that checks all the boxes for me. Most have had some sort of an off-note, or something that just pulled it sideways, most times, just a bit. Could this offering from Sobucky, knock my recently crowned “King of the Milkshakes” ?? No, BUT, it gave it a run for it’s money. I got a note from this one that I think I got from Molinberry’s as well, but it presented as a bit cleaner. Just in case you didn’t know about the whole Sobucky/Molinberry/Chemnovatic thing, they’re all related, and Monlinberry is ceasing to exist. Joint Ventures, etc, etc. Regardless, I did get some of the same notes that I did from the Molinberry. I started testing this one at 1%, but it felt under powered, so I doubled it, and it tasted much fuller, with much improved mouthfeel.
This one was presented as a fairly rich and creamy milkshake, with a light vanilla undertone, BUT, it had the slight aftertaste that I mentioned above, and have gotten from a few others. At first I thought a dry malted note but it wasn’t malted, maybe it was a dry powdered milk note. Hard to completely nail down, but once I taste it, I can’t not taste it. Very creamy, with great mouthfeel, and the creameries lingered on the tongue. Sweetness was actually a few ticks below mid-level, which was impressive, so you could sweeten if needed. My only nit-pick, WAS that damned note, hehe. Now, we ALL taste things differently, so I STRONGLY suggest picking this one up, and post YOUR comments, just to see how YOU view it. All in, at 2%, it was a damned fine milkshake, lightly vanilla’d, with a very impressive mouthfeel, and richness. For my tastes, it wasn’t as clean as either Sobucky’s other Ice Creams, nor CAP’s Milkshake. BUT, tastes vary. After about the third tester, I decided that the “off-note”, or the dry powdered milk note I was getting was fairly low, AND, could probably easily be overcome in recipes, so I reduced the take-offs for it, and decided on a solid 9.0/10 for this one. If you DO pick this up, please add your comments.
Milky Caramel Fudge (SSA) 1% / 2% (12-11-23) – I spent a LOT of extra time on this one, and ended up doubling it from 1% to 2%. At 1% I got a faint creamy, maybe milky-ness to it, but not much else. I doubled it, and re-ran it, and although it did get a LITTLE stronger, it wasn’t much. Having been completely blown away by SSA’s Caramel Biscuit, I was somewhat let down by this one. It was a very light flavor even at 2%, and although I did get SOME milky-ness, the caramel and fudge were even lighter. For my tastes, it felt like it just wasn’t enough of either of the three. As an added bonus, hehe, I got an almost “baby powder” off-note. At 2% this was a very light flavor, and caution would have to be used, as I could see it being driven over in a mix. There was some mouthfeel, but again, (you guessed it), it was fairly light. All in, it wasn’t an off-putting flavor, but it just tasted like all 3 of the main profiles never really took off, at least for my tastes. A very light milky flavor with just a bit of mouthfeel, and slightly sweetened, with an even lighter caramel, and maybe a hint of fudge. Scoring this was going to be painful, BUT, it needed to be done, and I finally settled on a flat 5.0/10. Probably NOT on my “buy again” list. Please test for yourself, and report back.
Premium Raspberry (SSA) 0.90% / 2.0% (12-13-23) – I started this one out a little lower fearing florals, BUT, there were none. It tasted fairly light so I pushed it up to 2.0%, and it got stronger, and better. Even at the 2% weight, it still felt a little relaxed, but far more present than the lower weight. I don’t know if I’d say it screamed, “Premium”, but it was pretty good. It presented as a sweetened, bordering on candied Red Raspberry. The “candied”-ed-ness of it was greater than the actual sweetener level for clarity. I didn’t pick up on as many of the darker lower notes, or higher brighter notes, and it seemed centered more on the middle body of a Red Raspberry. Not overly tart, but there was a twinge of it on the finish, and that helped keep it interesting. At times, the “candied” part of it reminded me of a Ludens cough drop, not the medicine/medicinal, but the actual flavor profile. I don’t think it will bump SSA’s Raspberry Syrup off it’s perch anytime soon, but it was still a good RB flavor. I don’t think it could carry the main freight in a RB mix, but def. be used as an additive, filler, builder. Nice, more candied than fresh, and with just a hint of tartness on the finish. Overall, it was a very smooth raspberry for my tastes. No real off-notes, or florals, and it was just at about mid-level sweet. It felt good at an 8.0/10.
Premium Strawberry (SSA) 1% / 2% (12-14-23) – With this, the ninth in this series of testing, I was starting to notice a trend with a few of the SSA flavors, where they were a little weaker than expected, and doubling them in strength seemed to suite them better. This one was one of those, wherein I started testing a 1%, and although a Strawberry, it just tasted thin, and underpowered, and after doubling it to 2% it was much better, and still felt like it could use a little more. It presented as a nice, slightly juicy, red, ripe strawberry. “Premium” will be hard to define for all of you, and I"m not sure if I’d label it or that not, but more on that later. At 2% it was fairly full, and it seemed to favor the middle of the SB, while missing out on much of the bright, sparkly top notes. There were a few there, but they were sparse, and there was a nice little tarty-ness on the finish. It had a certain “smooth” quality to it, and I think that was from a candy, almost light taffy-like undertone to it. I wouldn’t call it a “candied SB”, but it did have some of those aspects, so that might limit it’s uses. There were no off-notes, or florals, and it was just below mid-level sweet. All in, a good SB contender, that seemed centered more around the mid body notes of a red SB, missing some of the bright sparkly top end, and with some light candy, almost taffy-like elements thrown in. In comparison to the just tested Premium RB, I am going to rate this one higher, but still not into stellar territory, and leaving it at a 8.9/10.
Smooth Hazelnut Filling (SSA) 1% / 2% (12-16-23) – As was the case with a few of these new(er) flavors, I did have to double this one up from 1% to 2% for an improved experience At 1% I got a very light, creamy hazelnut, with a hint of chocolate, and doubling did increase the overall profile somewhat. It was still a somewhat laid back flavor, and at 2% it was getting a litter darker in my tester tanks. At 2%, I got the same slightly creamy hazelnut with an increased chocolate. I never really felt like it took on a full on Nutella, but it was TRYING to head that way. After a few testers, and doubling this one, it seemed like it would be better suited as a mixer/baser, than the star of the show. I actually tasted more Hazelnut off the finger than when atomized. It seemed like it needed a litte “more” to really pop, but I left it solidly at 2% for the remaining tests. At the higher weight, it was somewhat improved, and with no real off-notes, except a slight bitterness on the finish, BUT, that actually worked to authenticate the hazelnut. Sweetness levels were a few ticks below mid-level sweet, and overall the hazelnut DID seem to be more pronounced than the chooclate. With the chocolate lower in the mix it was hard to fully flush out, and it was more of a mid dark chocolate, which did seem to pair well with the HN. All in, an interesting flavor, but due to it’s fairly relaxed nature, even doubled, I think it would be best suiting for adding as a mixer to a recipe. Tasty, but it just never really wowwed me. Placing it at a 7.5/10.
Strong Strawberry (SSA) 1% / 2% (12018-23) – I had originally thought to run this one much lower, as it was billed as a “strong”, but I left it at the 1% rate, and then doubled it to 2% for the duration. At 2% it didn’t appear to be hitting the ceiling, muting, or bending. It was and interesting blend of Strawberry types, and they were sweet, candied, and jammed, ALL in one package. Even at 2%, while very present, it wasn’t heavy or overpowering, and it was tasty. Because it seemed to straddle a few types, this one could, and will have a lot of uses. Smelling it in the bottle, there was a much higher amount of jammy-ness, and almost pectin, but testing it, they receeded a bit, and the sweet, and candied became more pronounced. 3 testers in, it was still interesting, and fairly complex, and kept my interest, especially with the jammy kick on the finish. I have to admit, while rolling through the testers, I DID have the urge to splash it into some cream, and milk to see how it would “pink” up a milk (I’ll do that after the last flavor in this series). All in, it was a surprisingly complex SB, with hints of sweet, candied, and jammed, with a nice tarty jammy finish. While not supa dupa strong, it was still pretty strong, and tasty. Leaving this one at a high 9.5/10.
Waffle with Butter (SSA) 1% / 2% (12-19-23) – Having picked up QUITE a few waffles for some projects, I WAS looking forward to this one. As with a few of the others, I started testing at 1%, and ended up running it at 2%. At both testing weights, it presented about the same, and that was Butter, with a side of butter, and a pinch of “kinda” waffles. Hehe, yes, sadly, that was it. The butter was very present, and almost greasy, and I initially thought of “movie theater” butter. Maybe margerine or another artificial NOT butter product. It did not present as a fresh creamery butter let’s say. There was some kind of fairly light bakery-ish element HIDING under the “butter”, but it was hard to taste. No real wheat, grains, or vanillas that would tempt you into a convincing waffle, but more of a non-descript dairy with some weight. Because the “butter” element was very forward, I would have preferred a more natual butter, and of course some real waffle elements too !!! At 1% it was, butter, butter, hint-o-waffle and the same at 2%. Not a real show stopper, and at least if Sobucky had nailed the butter part, it could have been more usable. Sadly they kinda missed both the “real” butter boat, and the waffle boat. Closing out this Sobucky series with this one, and leaving it fairly low, and it felt generous to award it a 4.5/10.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks SD