Flavour West - Concentrate Reviews

[rogue zombie]

Candy Cane

• This is one of my favourite mints, but I don't use it as a mint to support other flavours. I like this one on its own (or with a touch of Menthol and Lime) because of its texture. The texture, and taste, is exactly like a Candy Cane mint (rock candy). And its very good therefore. Its a subtle mint, juicy and easy on the pallet.
  
• It can be paired with other flavours, like fruits, but to make a Mint Candy Cane juice. So what I mean is, if you wanted to make a Strawberry Mint, this is not the mint as it will turn the juice into a Candy flavour. There is no mint leaf taste, its straight up candy.

• With a 70VG juice I use it at 8%, but you can easily go to 10% if you like a "fuller flavoured" juice. Note though, the 'mint' part of it is always subtle, so you will need to spike it with another mint if you want a strong mint. I personally don't like it above 10%, as I only drip, the texture can start to get a little "grainy" (rougher), like many mints tend to.

• I leave it for a couple of days before cracking open the bottle.

Rating 4/5

 

[rogue zombie]

Absinthe

• Another great and accurate one from Flavour West. A unique Aniseed, fennel, medicinal'sh tasting liqueur taste. Of coarse not for everyone though, but if youre looking for something a little different...
• The Absinthe flavour of coarse is a bold taste, but this concentrate is not overpowering, as I thought it may have been.
• It also works great in small percentages to compliment other flavours - for a smooth, gentle hint of Aniseed.
  
• Absolutely great with Peppermint.

• With a 70VG juice I use it at 8% with 1% Peppermint (I'm sure Spearmint could work too). This is for a lightly flavoured juice.

• I leave it for a couple of days.

Rating 4/5

 

[Silver]

Thanks for the reviews @rogue zombie !

 

[kyle_redbull]

Awesome reviews thanks @rogue zombie

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Christos]

Fruit rings:

Very disappointed in the flavour as the lemon aspect is very strong and tastes synthetic. Originally mixed it at 4% 80VG with berry crunch and yellow cake.
Steeped for 3 weeks.

Moved it down to 1% and the lemon taste is still prominent but it seems the artificial taste has been subued.
I would give the flavour 2.5/5 as it's still better than the TFA fruit circles IMHO.

Not too be mixed on its own but rather blended with milks or creams.
Just my 2c.

 

[Christos]

Yellow cake:

Known to be the elixir of the gods by many reviewers but the catch is it gunks up coils.

Nice flavour that reminds me of eating cake batter. I get a uncooked cake batter taste on the inhale with a cooked cake on the exhale. 7% is the highest I have mixed this 80% VG.
Wouldn't use it on its own as I feel it is a nice enhancer as the flavour is rather plain in its own but still good.

I would give this 4/5.
My other 2c

 

[Christos]

Thanks for these threads @rogue zombie , it's nice to experiment with different brands as I'm tired of TFA and it's difficult to get something else since all we seen to do is buy the familiar and tried and tested.

 

[rogue zombie]

Thanks for these threads @rogue zombie , it's nice to experiment with different brands as I'm tired of TFA and it's difficult to get something else since all we seen to do is buy the familiar and tried and tested.

And thank you!
Its always good to hear other people's opinions on concentrates.

I am trying to try the lesser popular stuff, but am doing so slowly.

 

[method1]

FW Sweet Cream:

Profile:

This is one of the most underrated creams out there, a rich sweet cream that lives up to it's name.
It has a thick, silky mouth feel (thank you acetoin!) without any of the off cheesy notes found in the more commonly used TFA sweet cream, and beats Capella hands down in the mouth feel department.
One of the few creams that doesn't have to play a supporting role and can be used as a main profile.

Excellent for adding a sweet, smooth creamy texture and flavour to recipes.
It has a definite way of not getting lost in mixes and retaining it's sweet cream personality, so it's very useful for layered recipes.
This is a very fun flavour with lots of potential.

Pairs very well with other creams and custards.
Pairs well with various fruits (strawberry, honeydew, blueberry, apricot, peach to name a few)
Excellent in bakeries and a good pairing for brown sugar/caramel type flavours.

Although it has a delicious sweetness of it's own, this cream can benefit from sweeting with EM or sucralose.

Suggested percentage in a mix:

1-3%

The 1-1.5% range is a great cream accent and at 2-3% the cream really takes centre stage.

Rating: 5/5

 

[rogue zombie]

FW Sweet Cream:

Profile:

This is one of the most underrated creams out there, a rich sweet cream that lives up to it's name.
It has a thick, silky mouth feel (thank you acetoin!) without any of the off cheesy notes found in the more commonly used TFA sweet cream, and beats Capella hands down in the mouth feel department.
One of the few creams that doesn't have to play a supporting role and can be used as a main profile.

Excellent for adding a sweet, smooth creamy texture and flavour to recipes.
It has a definite way of not getting lost in mixes and retaining it's sweet cream personality, so it's very useful for layered recipes.
This is a very fun flavour with lots of potential.

Pairs very well with other creams and custards.
Pairs well with various fruits (strawberry, honeydew, blueberry, apricot, peach to name a few)
Excellent in bakeries and a good pairing for brown sugar/caramel type flavours.

Although it has a delicious sweetness of it's own, this cream can benefit from sweeting with EM or sucralose.

Suggested percentage in a mix:

1-3%

The 1-1.5% range is a great cream accent and at 2-3% the cream really takes centre stage.

Rating: 5/5

Did not know this, thank you.

Only reason I don't often look at FW is I find their flavours either a complete hit, or a complete miss. The ones I didn't like weren't even "okay", they ended in the bin.

 

[Patrick]

FW Chai Tea

Profile:

Black as the blackest night in appearance (like FA Cocoa). In the bottle, some of the usual aromas associated with chai tea - cardamon, anise, maybe a touch of cinnamon. When added to a mix it becomes a gloopy black and wends its way through the PG/VG like a slow virus. After mixing, resting for 5 days, it tastes like a wet dog. I know this for sure because I borrowed my neighbour's dog, chucked it in the pool and licked it. Admittedly the dog had a touch more of the earthy, rootsy flavour but the overall profile was striking in its similarity. I like to keep the concentrate on my desk as a warning against impulse buying.

Suggested percentage:

Tested at 2%.

Rating: 0/5

 

[zandernwn]

FW Fig
Very much a candied fig flavor with none of the earthiness I would expect with a fig flavor. It is light bit it has a very nice spiciness to it. I get a lot of pear tones from this and just the slightest bit of throat hit. It has a nice sweetness to it. I get the faintest wicks gum flavor from it on the tail - which is actually very pleasant. It is such a wonderfully complex profile. Despite the light flavor profile it is actually quite potent and goes chemical when used to high.

Suggested single flavor use: 2% - 3%

 

[RichJB]

FW Pralines and Cream
Tested in the Hadaly clone, 0.65Ω Ni80 simple contact coil at 25W, Cotton Bacon v2 wicks
Tested at 4%

Notes: pralines and cream, like any compound flavouring, is a gamble. The nuts and cream are melded together so if the balance doesn't work, you're up the creek and may have been better off combining your own disparate flavours into a more favourable balance. This is the case here. What I expect from a pralines & cream is a soft chewy filling with the emphasis on sweet and creamy and just a light hint of the nut flavour. FW delivers a very nut-forward balance. There is cream in the background but the nut takes centre stage - and it's not really the nut I'd want. Almonds are commonly used for pralines and this is a realistic almond. Unfortunately it's more of a toasted almond with the bitterness of the skin lingering in the throat.

Uses: depending on what it's paired with, this could make for an intriguing bitter-sweet combination. But I don't ideally want bitterness from a candied nut. Standalone this is surprisingly satisfying. It holds up really well too. This tester is six months old and vapes like it did off the shake. But I'd view it as a toasted almond with a creamy background rather than a pralines & cream. If TFA Toasted Almond is a bit too authentic and toasty for you, I'd be inclined to use this instead. It's the same sort of vibe but just with the edges knocked off into a creamier finish.

Suggested range: 4% is plenty strong enough as a top note for me, even 3% would suffice. As an accent, 1-1.5% should give you a decent nuttiness although the cream aspect will become quite subtle that low.

 

[Silver]

Great insights @RichJB
Thank you for the efforts in documenting your views.