The Flavour Apprentice (TFA) - Concentrate Reviews
- Thread starter Andre
- Start date
If I can make some requests when rating flavour concentrates
1. Please list the percentage you used
2. Please state if it was steeped or non steeped
3. Please state your PG/VG mix
All of these can affect the flavour, so I think it is important to mention
Thanks
1. Please list the percentage you used
2. Please state if it was steeped or non steeped
3. Please state your PG/VG mix
All of these can affect the flavour, so I think it is important to mention
Thanks
The Flavour Apprentice:
1) Apple - similar to Liqua in taste with a twist. As I do not like the Liqua one I also disliked this one, I am a Granny Smith/Apple Streaker kind of guy. The only Apple flavour I have loved is the Zodiac Granny Smith which is simply sublime. Mix was 10% in 50/50 PG/VG mix. No steeping. Will not be using again.
2) M-Type Tobacco ..........very weird taste in the worst kind of way. I immediately cleaned out my dripper and threw the whole batch down the drain. It was so horrific it made me gag, I cannot describe the taste. Kind of like eating cloves. (Would not use again) Mix was 10% in 50/50 PG/VG mix. No steeping.
3) Dulche de Leche - now this is a weird flavour. Very potent smell. Smells and tastes like bitter/burnt caramel. Unpleasant on it's own but could be a secret weapon in complex juices. A background flavour in low concentration could make a good juice a great juice. (Not a staple flavour but I would buy it again). This I added to a Caramel/Vanilla mix (15% Caramel and 15% Vanilla in 50/50 PG/VG mix). At 3% the DDL actually made this taste good. Custardy/Caramel taste in the background. This mixture was not steeped.
1) Apple - similar to Liqua in taste with a twist. As I do not like the Liqua one I also disliked this one, I am a Granny Smith/Apple Streaker kind of guy. The only Apple flavour I have loved is the Zodiac Granny Smith which is simply sublime. Mix was 10% in 50/50 PG/VG mix. No steeping. Will not be using again.
2) M-Type Tobacco ..........very weird taste in the worst kind of way. I immediately cleaned out my dripper and threw the whole batch down the drain. It was so horrific it made me gag, I cannot describe the taste. Kind of like eating cloves. (Would not use again) Mix was 10% in 50/50 PG/VG mix. No steeping.
3) Dulche de Leche - now this is a weird flavour. Very potent smell. Smells and tastes like bitter/burnt caramel. Unpleasant on it's own but could be a secret weapon in complex juices. A background flavour in low concentration could make a good juice a great juice. (Not a staple flavour but I would buy it again). This I added to a Caramel/Vanilla mix (15% Caramel and 15% Vanilla in 50/50 PG/VG mix). At 3% the DDL actually made this taste good. Custardy/Caramel taste in the background. This mixture was not steeped.
Just as a side note and to avoid possible confusion. The apple that you have reviewed is 'TFA - Apple (Tart Granny Smith)' and is different to 'TFA Apple'.
@RezaD If you would like to give the M-Type another go, the recommended concentration is 1-5% and needs to be steeped.
I personally think doing ones own mixes. A proper review should be done after some good steep time atleast one week.this would only be fair towards the vendor aswell as us forumites.
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Yep, we have found the 1% is where it is at, and also I think it is a base for a tobacco mix rather than a stand alone vape. We will probably keep it in our DIY range, but won't release it as a vapable liquid
Thanks for the responses guys.....really appreciate it.
However I will not be giving the M-Type another shot. It is the actual flavour itself that I dislike. Lower concentrations and steeping will improve the results but will not change the actual flavour. I have been mixing and testing various mixes for 3 months now and experience dictates that concentration levels and steeping will not make a batch I dislike because of the taste likeable.
Even though I rinsed my dripper under hot water for 3 minutes trace amounts of the M-Type tobacco still came through for the next hour of vaping other flavours and even though it was very faint it was still a very unpleasant taste.
In many cases what it smells like is exactly what it tastes like and in this case it was true for both the M-Type and the apple.
Hopefully I can add these 2 to the taste box and give others an opportunity to form their own opinions which may differ from mine.
However I will not be giving the M-Type another shot. It is the actual flavour itself that I dislike. Lower concentrations and steeping will improve the results but will not change the actual flavour. I have been mixing and testing various mixes for 3 months now and experience dictates that concentration levels and steeping will not make a batch I dislike because of the taste likeable.
Even though I rinsed my dripper under hot water for 3 minutes trace amounts of the M-Type tobacco still came through for the next hour of vaping other flavours and even though it was very faint it was still a very unpleasant taste.
In many cases what it smells like is exactly what it tastes like and in this case it was true for both the M-Type and the apple.
Hopefully I can add these 2 to the taste box and give others an opportunity to form their own opinions which may differ from mine.
Oh I'm with you on the M-type @RezaD, but I don't like tobacco flavours - for those that do not want to give up on it just yet, from ECF and other forums, it seems it needs like a month of steeping (yikes), and then people use it to give the various RY4 type mixes a more tobacco flavour
TFA spearmint:
Warning - this stuff is corrosive to certain plastics. Melted the bottle within 24 hours. Damaged plastic placemat. Also damaged the top coat on my dining room table.
After that I decided to discard it entirely. Too risky for me. Flavour is incredibly authentic though. I would think it would definitely be a tank breaker.
Warning - this stuff is corrosive to certain plastics. Melted the bottle within 24 hours. Damaged plastic placemat. Also damaged the top coat on my dining room table.
After that I decided to discard it entirely. Too risky for me. Flavour is incredibly authentic though. I would think it would definitely be a tank breaker.
Looks more like you've been experimenting with nuclear waste than DIY E-Juice
Which TFA flavors are known to be peppery? So far the 2 that I have came across were TFA custard and TFA VBIC
TFA cheesecake graham crust
My top shelf flavor, smooth, crunchy and just plain awesome. I use this in a lot of my mixes between 2 - 6%
I always make sure I have at least 20ml of it around at all times.
My top shelf flavor, smooth, crunchy and just plain awesome. I use this in a lot of my mixes between 2 - 6%
I always make sure I have at least 20ml of it around at all times.
TFA White chocolate is also peppery (to those that are sensitive to it)
Some advice from experience that is meant to helpul.
In general a problem with concentrate, even premade liquid and DIY reviews IMO is it is all speculative, to personal taste. So I seldom do reviews on any of them. Just because they work for me doesn't mean they will work for anyone else.
Concentrates... with some of them there are lists for most if not all of a companies offerings that suggest percentage ranges for each concentrate, list those that are tank crackers, those that are so intense you need to tread lightly, those that contain diacetyl or other additives that are under suspicion, etc. TFA/TPA is one that a full list of percentage ranges with notes about the other things is available on-line from several sources. TFA/TPA is also what I started with over 3 years ago... but there is better out there for my tastes of many flavors. I'm from the school that you need to learn each flavor alone before you try to do complex recipes with them. Learn two alone then see how they work together, and so on. The bonus at the end of the rainbow is you get so proficient that few of your new concoctions will be battery acid that is not vapeable.
Premades... entirely personal taste. I can't count the heavily hyped premades that I bought and threw away - hundreds. Few mixologists share all that is in them, let alone what their recipe is. A well schooled DIYer can often clone them if they were good enough to them to do the work for.
DIY... done to personal taste. What works for the DIYer may not work for just anybody, especially those that are in-your-face recipes (like many of mine are). In part why I don't share recipes. I don't clone, I make my own idea of a balanced recipe and tweak it if needed to my taste.
The easy road is to keep buying premades until you find ones that get it done good enough for you. The road to the perfect vape every time comes at the price of learning how to make your own to your own personal taste "in the gear it will be ran in". I did the research myself, the R&D myself, have 3 years doing yet I am still learning. Even so I get "my vapes of choice" fairly easy now days.
In general a problem with concentrate, even premade liquid and DIY reviews IMO is it is all speculative, to personal taste. So I seldom do reviews on any of them. Just because they work for me doesn't mean they will work for anyone else.
Concentrates... with some of them there are lists for most if not all of a companies offerings that suggest percentage ranges for each concentrate, list those that are tank crackers, those that are so intense you need to tread lightly, those that contain diacetyl or other additives that are under suspicion, etc. TFA/TPA is one that a full list of percentage ranges with notes about the other things is available on-line from several sources. TFA/TPA is also what I started with over 3 years ago... but there is better out there for my tastes of many flavors. I'm from the school that you need to learn each flavor alone before you try to do complex recipes with them. Learn two alone then see how they work together, and so on. The bonus at the end of the rainbow is you get so proficient that few of your new concoctions will be battery acid that is not vapeable.
Premades... entirely personal taste. I can't count the heavily hyped premades that I bought and threw away - hundreds. Few mixologists share all that is in them, let alone what their recipe is. A well schooled DIYer can often clone them if they were good enough to them to do the work for.
DIY... done to personal taste. What works for the DIYer may not work for just anybody, especially those that are in-your-face recipes (like many of mine are). In part why I don't share recipes. I don't clone, I make my own idea of a balanced recipe and tweak it if needed to my taste.
The easy road is to keep buying premades until you find ones that get it done good enough for you. The road to the perfect vape every time comes at the price of learning how to make your own to your own personal taste "in the gear it will be ran in". I did the research myself, the R&D myself, have 3 years doing yet I am still learning. Even so I get "my vapes of choice" fairly easy now days.
I agree with you, to a large extent, but I do think there is a middle ground.
If you look at percentages recommended two years ago, sure, they will be far off, just because of the more "potent" equipment we are using nowadays.
Then with regards to recipes, I personally speak (sponge) info, ideas etc. from who I know, know what they are doing, even though I have a personal and distint taste.
I believe in sharing and absorbing of knowledge, whether I use it or not.
As I have said here before, I build gear to the juice in that gear. But tweaking builds or juice or both is easy to adjust for any gear when you know them both thoroughly.
Ye fair enough.
My skills in both departments are not honed enough to be able to do so
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Ye fair enough.
My skills in both departments are not honed enough to be able to do so
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It'll come in time if you make notes and stay at it, honest.
Dragon fruit at around 10% paired with marshmallow at around 4% is a bomb
TFA Strawberry Ripe
TFA Strawberry ripe is the goddess of strawberries. It is a vibrant sun-ripened strawberry with a wonderful spicy, tropical overtone. The best description I have come across for this flavoring sums it up beautifully:
The flavoring resembles the ripe red flesh of the strawberry with a hint of the bland white bits found at the top. I pick up a hint of earthy greens: stem, leaf and a little of the seed.
TFA Strawberry ripe has one flaw; it mutes significantly with the steep (noticeable after about 4-5 days). The flavoring is best enjoyed on the shake.
Suggested single flavor use rate: 5% - 8%
Throat hit: None
TFA Strawberry ripe is the goddess of strawberries. It is a vibrant sun-ripened strawberry with a wonderful spicy, tropical overtone. The best description I have come across for this flavoring sums it up beautifully:
"Strawberry Ripe is like the last overripe strawberry left at the bottom of the punnet that you didn't want to eat, but glad you did!"
The flavoring resembles the ripe red flesh of the strawberry with a hint of the bland white bits found at the top. I pick up a hint of earthy greens: stem, leaf and a little of the seed.
TFA Strawberry ripe has one flaw; it mutes significantly with the steep (noticeable after about 4-5 days). The flavoring is best enjoyed on the shake.
Suggested single flavor use rate: 5% - 8%
Throat hit: None
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Great review. For Straw.Ripe I can recommend sucralose (in VERY tiny amounts) to keep it alive just a tad.
I always love how tastes are different. I am in the unfortunate group of people who struggle to taste strawberry flavors. TFA Strawberry Ripe serves zero purpose for me. Tastes like nothing with a sweet edge. Which makes sense considering it has between 1 and 10% Maltol in it.
Off topic its amazing what they use to create this strawberry flavor
I had a similar experience the other day with FW lemonade, tried to give the 50ml bottle a squeeze and the plastic cracked under my fingers.
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