Sobucky (SSA) Single Flavor Tests by SessionDrummer Series V -- Steeping Now!

Maybe lemon merenge if its sweet enough.

2 Likes

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.

9 Likes

Yeah I didn’t get Premium out of that, actually pretty weak for a SSA imo

5 Likes

I think the worst thing is, you KNOW what Sobucky can do, especially with the RB Syrup (and others), so in comparison, it didn’t come across as Premium. When you (they) set the bar very high, it’s hard to NOT compare others to them.

4 Likes

For myself SSA premium raspberry just seems to complete every raspberry I’ve paired it with. Haven’t sft’d it but don’t want to ever not have it. For whatever reason it just seems to elevate anything I add it too.

5 Likes

@Letitia I think that would be the PERFECT way to describe it.

I personally haven’t paired it yet, but I think you nailed it.

5 Likes

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.

10 Likes

It’s been so long since I used it but I see that I used it in quite a few of my popcorn mixes, so I must have liked it or at least found it useful. It looks like I liked to use it with Butter Toffee Base (VTA).

4 Likes

Fill in the blank for me.

2 Likes

Speaking of French Toast RFSC, I just found a bottle of Pure Raw French Toast 2. It may have been piffed to me. I don’t see it in the database. Do you know anything about it? All I know is that the Pure Raw line is great stuff!

2 Likes

@muth I don’t know what you mean by Pure Raw, but if you mean Real Flavors Extracts …

5 Likes

Raw french toast with a side of salmonilla

2 Likes

I believe before SC there was Raw Extract line that seemed to be different than the SC. Then they went to the SC line and the extracts disappeared completely

This thread talks about ot a bit…Pay attention to PVs comments , he seems to have the facts from Walt

4 Likes

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.

10 Likes

@fidalgo I remember when they came out, and I still have OG bottles, which are both RAW and SC !!!

Regardless of what name they threw on them, the biggest different seemed to be the carrier and strenghts. The VG’s were much weaker, and took much longer to steep, which is why most of us went the Extract or SC route.

5 Likes

SD, I see you’re playing with SSA at 1% and i was wondering at what percentage do you use them later in your mixing adventures? Just curious, because (to me) except a few, they all work better at 2-3% for solo testing (and i think i am more able to recognize their usage potential if pushed higher).

Also, if SSA used as the main flavor in a recipe i nearly always push them way higher than 1% (asking because for other brands we are pretty close at percentage used for solo testing, often you test them even higher, well except here where the difference is huge, 100% or 200% yuuge).

5 Likes

Damn, that C&C… can’t get it anywhere in Europe for years. I would easily put it in my top10 flavors of all times. No… it would be in my top5, completely irreplaceable.

4 Likes

Thanks for asking @Mikser. I think for almost 3 years, Sobucky’s have (or had) proved to be more of an actual Super Concentrate, and I had been testing them at 1% with no issues previously.

Now granted, I could have tried to nit-pick each individual flavor, and try to use individual percentages for each, but that would blow up the backlog. Mixing with them, I would say typically 0.5%-2.5% on average.

With these new(er) flavors (some, not all), they are indeed working out better higher, and that was unexpected, given the years of testing them previously.

:slight_smile:

4 Likes

@SessionDrummer have those bottles look at this one compared

And then there were these …

I knew i had at least 1…I can still smell the alcohol when i open this

Yes @SessionDrummer please flip the pic

3 Likes

I was going to reply but I think Fiddy answered already.

2 Likes