I think it was @robrrt1 that first mentioned these flavors, and having never heard of them, and there not being much information about them, I thought we should correct that.
www.flavorartists.com
They seem to be either partnered with or part of EC Blends, and have a very interesting Creme Collection.
Because there was SOO little good intel available on them, trying to figure out where to start testing them was a challenge, and I finalized it at 3%. All are just mixed, and will be steeping for at least 1.5 weeks. As always, they will be tested in a 70v/30p/3mg base, on the SteamCrave RDTA v.1 with dual Kanthal vertical coils, and fresh KGD cotton.
Stay tuned ..............
**Bavarian Cream (Flavor Artists) 3.0% / 4.0% (10-5-24)** -- FIRST ONE on deck with this new (to me) MFG. I started out at 3.0%, and I wanted to see if increasing it to 4.0% saturated it any more, and it did, but only somewhat, so 3.0-3.5% might be the upper SFT range on this one. This one was really good, and interestingly so. It tasted like a very smooth, clean Bavarian Cream, with no burnt overtones that I get from a few of the other BC's. Very creamy, with some custard elements, but sans any heavy egg notes. The smoothness was harder to define but it was obvious from beginning to end. I also got hints of a light whipped cream thrown in as well.
At the higher weight it was very creamy, and had some good mouthfeel. There was also an interesting caramel-y undertone that seemed to bridge all of the notes together. After 3 testers, I couldn't nit pick any complaints out of it, and actually blew through all of the bottle before I realized it. If your current BC has left you wanting, this smooth, caramel-y one might just work out for you. Rating it very high, at a **9.6/10**.
**Blueberry Cheesecake Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-6-24)** -- My first thought on this one was, "Wow, this is the WHOLE package". Yes, it was. Most times one of the big three always seems to be missing, i.e. Blueberries, Crust, Filling. This one was surprisingly rich and full at 3% with no need to increase. The blueberry was nice and jammy, with some nice tart pectin notes. The filling was very tasty, creamy, and leaned towards the "sweet and smooth" as opposed to the "tart and sour" side, but with just enough sour lower in the mix to sell it. The crust finished out the flavor, and had some nice bakery weight to it, and it was graham centered.
All in, it really did cover ALL the bases, and did it well. At 3.0% it was damned good, strong, creamy, and delicious. No off-notes to be found, and sweetness was just below mid-level. FA did a good job of contructing this as you could really taste all of the elements, instead of being blurred together. The crust and cheesecake filling were about even in strength, with the blueberry falling slightly behind. It wasn't lacking the blueberries, but if you wanted it more in the front, you could easily spike it up. It was so well put together, I couldn't pick a favorite part. Only slight "wish" would have been for a smidge more BB, but, only a smidge. Rating it high (again), as it was too good not to, and leaving it at a solid **9.0/10**.
**Brandy (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-13-24)** -- Having had good brandy before, I could try and compare this with that, even though it's been a while. After 3 testers I was no closer to figuring out what "type" of brandy it was, or whether it was grape based, or fruit based, BUT, hehe, it was good. It had some light(er) alcohol notes which gave it a little bite, but maybe only a 4/10 on the strength scale for the alcohol portion. Still good, and added to the authenticity of it. It had a moderately rich body to it, which carried over after the vape, which was nice. Sweetness was pretty close to authentic, at a tick or two below mid-level, but after my third tester, I decided it might have been just a TOUCH too sweet, but only a little.
At 3.0% it was perfect strength wise, with no needs for more. No off-notes, sour-ness, or bitter, and about my only want, would have been maybe a little more of the alcohol, just to "spice" it up another notch. All in, having never vape tested a brandy, this one was a good one to start with, and with only one small complaint, I left it fairly high at a **9.1/10**.
**Butterscotch Apple Pie (Flavor Artists) (CC) 3.0% (10-6-24)** -- This flavor was the FIRST from the Creme Collection (CC) that I tested, so I did want to see what was what with it. My first thought on this one was, "Did they try and do TOO much with this one". OK, sounds dire, but not really, as it was a GREAT apple pie flavor, with just about everything you would want, great tart-ish apple pie filling, and crust. Now I got SOME butterscotch, but not a lot, and there WAS indeed an overall very creamy-ness to this one. Was it too much in one flavor ?? Hard to say.
The creamy-ness was actually very good, and present, and worked to soften the overall flavor, and bathe it in, you guessed it, a nice creamery bath. I didn't get an ice cream, or a whipped cream, but more of a fairly neutral creamy carrier that the apple pie rode on. At 3.0% it was very good, and full, and there were no off-notes to complain about. My only wants would have been maybe a little more butterscotch, and possibly tamping down the cream just a smidge, to let the pie show through better. NOW, with that said, I DID buy it from the "Creme Collection", so keep that in mind. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and it WAS hard to put down. For my tastes, the apple pie filling, and crust were the show stoppers here. I had to blow through 3 tanks before even trying to figure out a rating, as it was one of the better apple pies I've had, but with my two aforementioned wants. I finally decided to leave it JUST south of a 9, at an **8.9/10**, and that was ONLY for my wants, as this was one of the better flavors so far in this series.
**Caramel Macchiato (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-6-24)** -- I remembered @robrrt1 saying Flavor Artists Espressos were good, so I was anxious to get into this one, my FIRST coffee-ish flavor from FA. It smelled great in the bottle, and that DID continue when testing. The fairly dark Espresso notes were basically spot on, with a deep rich, dark roasted flavor, NOT to be confused for a coffee. It even had a touch of acidity that really authenticated it, even more. As with most macchiatos I did get a little vanilla cream from this one, hiding underneath the delicious layer of Caramel. The two were blended really well, and I couldn't fully pick them apart for deeper analysis. Underneath all of that, was a creamy milk undertone, which was the carrier for all of the aforementioned notes.
Very well designed, and ratio'd, with everything being about exactly where it needed to be in the mix. At 3.0% it was pretty full, and I did catch myself wondering if a little more, would BE more, but, hehe, I blew through all of the testers before I knew it (always a good sign), and never got to try a higher mix rate. Needless to say, it was damned tasty at 3.0%. No off-notes, and it did present as very natural and authentic, with sweetness coming in a few ticks below mid-level. As an added bonus, the espresso note lingered, which was nice. I could find no issues or complaints, with maybe wanting a smidge more, as my only want. Leaving this very high at a **9.6/10**.
Flavor Artists - Flavoring Concentrates
Liquid Flavor Concentrates Flavors used for Multi-Purpose uses. Baking, Beverages, Candy Making, Coffee, Tea and more! Use anywhere you would use flavoring.
www.flavorartists.com
They seem to be either partnered with or part of EC Blends, and have a very interesting Creme Collection.
Because there was SOO little good intel available on them, trying to figure out where to start testing them was a challenge, and I finalized it at 3%. All are just mixed, and will be steeping for at least 1.5 weeks. As always, they will be tested in a 70v/30p/3mg base, on the SteamCrave RDTA v.1 with dual Kanthal vertical coils, and fresh KGD cotton.
Stay tuned ..............
**Bavarian Cream (Flavor Artists) 3.0% / 4.0% (10-5-24)** -- FIRST ONE on deck with this new (to me) MFG. I started out at 3.0%, and I wanted to see if increasing it to 4.0% saturated it any more, and it did, but only somewhat, so 3.0-3.5% might be the upper SFT range on this one. This one was really good, and interestingly so. It tasted like a very smooth, clean Bavarian Cream, with no burnt overtones that I get from a few of the other BC's. Very creamy, with some custard elements, but sans any heavy egg notes. The smoothness was harder to define but it was obvious from beginning to end. I also got hints of a light whipped cream thrown in as well.
At the higher weight it was very creamy, and had some good mouthfeel. There was also an interesting caramel-y undertone that seemed to bridge all of the notes together. After 3 testers, I couldn't nit pick any complaints out of it, and actually blew through all of the bottle before I realized it. If your current BC has left you wanting, this smooth, caramel-y one might just work out for you. Rating it very high, at a **9.6/10**.
**Blueberry Cheesecake Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-6-24)** -- My first thought on this one was, "Wow, this is the WHOLE package". Yes, it was. Most times one of the big three always seems to be missing, i.e. Blueberries, Crust, Filling. This one was surprisingly rich and full at 3% with no need to increase. The blueberry was nice and jammy, with some nice tart pectin notes. The filling was very tasty, creamy, and leaned towards the "sweet and smooth" as opposed to the "tart and sour" side, but with just enough sour lower in the mix to sell it. The crust finished out the flavor, and had some nice bakery weight to it, and it was graham centered.
All in, it really did cover ALL the bases, and did it well. At 3.0% it was damned good, strong, creamy, and delicious. No off-notes to be found, and sweetness was just below mid-level. FA did a good job of contructing this as you could really taste all of the elements, instead of being blurred together. The crust and cheesecake filling were about even in strength, with the blueberry falling slightly behind. It wasn't lacking the blueberries, but if you wanted it more in the front, you could easily spike it up. It was so well put together, I couldn't pick a favorite part. Only slight "wish" would have been for a smidge more BB, but, only a smidge. Rating it high (again), as it was too good not to, and leaving it at a solid **9.0/10**.
**Brandy (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-13-24)** -- Having had good brandy before, I could try and compare this with that, even though it's been a while. After 3 testers I was no closer to figuring out what "type" of brandy it was, or whether it was grape based, or fruit based, BUT, hehe, it was good. It had some light(er) alcohol notes which gave it a little bite, but maybe only a 4/10 on the strength scale for the alcohol portion. Still good, and added to the authenticity of it. It had a moderately rich body to it, which carried over after the vape, which was nice. Sweetness was pretty close to authentic, at a tick or two below mid-level, but after my third tester, I decided it might have been just a TOUCH too sweet, but only a little.
At 3.0% it was perfect strength wise, with no needs for more. No off-notes, sour-ness, or bitter, and about my only want, would have been maybe a little more of the alcohol, just to "spice" it up another notch. All in, having never vape tested a brandy, this one was a good one to start with, and with only one small complaint, I left it fairly high at a **9.1/10**.
**Butterscotch Apple Pie (Flavor Artists) (CC) 3.0% (10-6-24)** -- This flavor was the FIRST from the Creme Collection (CC) that I tested, so I did want to see what was what with it. My first thought on this one was, "Did they try and do TOO much with this one". OK, sounds dire, but not really, as it was a GREAT apple pie flavor, with just about everything you would want, great tart-ish apple pie filling, and crust. Now I got SOME butterscotch, but not a lot, and there WAS indeed an overall very creamy-ness to this one. Was it too much in one flavor ?? Hard to say.
The creamy-ness was actually very good, and present, and worked to soften the overall flavor, and bathe it in, you guessed it, a nice creamery bath. I didn't get an ice cream, or a whipped cream, but more of a fairly neutral creamy carrier that the apple pie rode on. At 3.0% it was very good, and full, and there were no off-notes to complain about. My only wants would have been maybe a little more butterscotch, and possibly tamping down the cream just a smidge, to let the pie show through better. NOW, with that said, I DID buy it from the "Creme Collection", so keep that in mind. Sweetness was just at about mid-level, and it WAS hard to put down. For my tastes, the apple pie filling, and crust were the show stoppers here. I had to blow through 3 tanks before even trying to figure out a rating, as it was one of the better apple pies I've had, but with my two aforementioned wants. I finally decided to leave it JUST south of a 9, at an **8.9/10**, and that was ONLY for my wants, as this was one of the better flavors so far in this series.
**Caramel Macchiato (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-6-24)** -- I remembered @robrrt1 saying Flavor Artists Espressos were good, so I was anxious to get into this one, my FIRST coffee-ish flavor from FA. It smelled great in the bottle, and that DID continue when testing. The fairly dark Espresso notes were basically spot on, with a deep rich, dark roasted flavor, NOT to be confused for a coffee. It even had a touch of acidity that really authenticated it, even more. As with most macchiatos I did get a little vanilla cream from this one, hiding underneath the delicious layer of Caramel. The two were blended really well, and I couldn't fully pick them apart for deeper analysis. Underneath all of that, was a creamy milk undertone, which was the carrier for all of the aforementioned notes.
Very well designed, and ratio'd, with everything being about exactly where it needed to be in the mix. At 3.0% it was pretty full, and I did catch myself wondering if a little more, would BE more, but, hehe, I blew through all of the testers before I knew it (always a good sign), and never got to try a higher mix rate. Needless to say, it was damned tasty at 3.0%. No off-notes, and it did present as very natural and authentic, with sweetness coming in a few ticks below mid-level. As an added bonus, the espresso note lingered, which was nice. I could find no issues or complaints, with maybe wanting a smidge more, as my only want. Leaving this very high at a **9.6/10**.
