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Sobucky Super Aromas (SSA) Single Flavor Tests by SessionDrummer

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I received more than a few requests, so I'm posting all of my Sobucky tests in one thread for easier navigation.

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Thanks out to @wllmc from @BullCityFlavors for sending these out for testing. Not a lot of information out there on these, so decided to start LOW with these.

All mixed at the percentages listed, @ 3mg, 70v/30p, tested on a SteamCrave RDTA v.1, with dual vertical, 7 wrap, 24ga. Kanthal coils, with fresh cotton and dry burned coils in between tests. Steeped for 1+ week.




**Apple Strudel (SSA) 1.5% (9-18-20)** -- Sugar, and Spice, and everything Nice is what this one had. As far as the strudel portion, your take on a strudel will dictate what you think about it's inclusion here. I got a solid bakery from this one, that paired perfectly with the sweet and full, slightly spiced apple. The apple(s) were of the "filing" type, and similar to FLV's Apple Filling, but with less spice. There were some spice notes, but very low in the mix, and in no way obtrusive. At 1.5% it was very even, full, and satisfying with little to no concern of over or under flavoring. The bakery element did waver to and from a strudel-ish note, but was so evenly paired with the apple it was hard to nit pick it.
Sweetness was right about mid level, and expected in a desert type flavor. Pretty good one here, with not much to take off for. If anything might need to be boosted, it might be the strudel, but that would be a toss up. For a very natural tasting (not artificial) Apple Strudel that is mid sweet, and quite full at lower percentages, this one can get it done for you. Far better than most of the "Apple Pies" out there.
**9.2/10**.

**Bubble Gum (SSA) 1% (10-9-20)** -- Another FIRST for me, as I have NEVER solo'd a Bubble Gum before, so your mileage may vary. I typically have countless flavors to make comparisons to, contrasts, rankings, etc., so breaking new ground. In the tank this one smelled, well, almost exactly like your typical American Bubble Yum. No fruit flavorings, just good old pink Bubble Gum. At times it wandered around, but never really left it's profile. Having used BG's a lot, mostly pairings with WM's or Looper recipes, it was interesting to finally solo one. It stayed fairly true to a BG throughout the tank with no perceivable wintergreen or anise that others sometimes have, and interestingly, was right about mid level sweet. @ 1% it felt pretty good, with no signs of being over/under powered, and at times, it almost had that white powdered sugar they sometimes put on the pieces to prevent sticking to the wrapper. Not being a BG aficionado, I was still impressed by how accurate it was overall, despite wandering about a bit at times. I could see this working out with my WM and Loopers nicely. I will play around with this one a bit after the review, and see how it fares and pairs. As it sits, a pretty accurate Bubble Gum, with no fancy fruits, that does the job well. **8.5/10**.

**Butterscotch (SSA) 1% (10-9-20)** -- First one, second series on deck !!! How many Butterscotches have I tried ?? Probably all of them, and most have their plusses and minuses, with probably MF's being the top current pick for comparison. This one came across as a somewhat more relaxed flavor @ 1%, so it's possible stepping it up, might pull it forward more, but it was quite good, even at 1%. This one didn't hit you as hard up front (relaxed), but you could feel the sweetness and buttery-ness begin to build on the inhale, and it peaked near the end of the exhale. Almost a meshing of a buttery, caramely-ness that carried through most of the vape. Because it was more relaxed, it was harder to pick certain elements out, and it def. was not a candied BS, and therefore left it firmly in the more natural camp. Very clean, very authentic, and further testing above 1% will have to be done to see if it can be pulled more forward. For a somewhat relaxed, more natural tasting BS, this one does it right. No real take-offs, off notes, etc., and sweetness was about mid level. Somewhat subdued @ 1%, but very good none the less. **8/10** .

**Compote Cherry (SSA) .75% (9-19-20)** -- Let's admit it, cherries are the DEVIL of DIY IMO. I have had, and been let down by MORE cherries than I can remember. We've all had them, the medicinal, soapy, perfumey, and just plain baddies. Is there reluctance every time I try one ?? Ummm, YES. Sniff tested all of these while trying to decide on the strengths to test as, as there was LITTLE to no info on them. Settled on 0.75% for this one, and ............ (suspense) ........................ it worked out GREAT. NO of the aforementioned cherry issues were found here today. Whew, what a relief. At this testing weight, it was very full, BUT, with none of the ceiling hitting side effects, so I'm going to go with a 0.50-0.75% rec. on this one. As it stood, a very unique cherry, which just means, it tastes like none of the other ones I've tried, and the "compote" may be partially to blame for that. A compote is where whole fruit is cooked down in sugar/water, unlike a jam wherein the fruit is typically cut up. They DO taste different, and am trying to decide if the uniqueness of this one is the compote. The cherry was very broad spectrum, and didn't reside in just one specific cherry, but I think the overwhelming profile leaned towards maraschino, but it's more than just that. Didn't really pick up on a black cherry, but let's just leave it at a full bodied mara for now. There was this little peppy BURST that I got on every finish on this one, that was very interesting. Almost like a sharp little Fuji Apple kicker on the tail end, but I don't want to pigeon hole it to that specific, but it's LIKE that. Sweetness was a click or two above mid level (duh, compote), and it did not appear too high, for the flavor. The overall profile was exactly as it was named, with no change throughout the tank. Having been wacked (possible over flavoring on my part) by many cherries before, this one was a welcome relief on my quest FOR the cherry. I'm QUITE sure, if this one was overflavored there COULD be some issues, so GO LOW, and I suggest a 0.50-0.75% starting point. It might not carry ALL of your cherry weight in mixes, but it damn sure could, and I think I'm going to let @alfredpudding know about this, as his Cherry Bomb was utterly brilliant, and insanely good. What an impressive Cherry this was to try, and if you've been hurt by cherries before, you def. want to add this one to your list. Something feels unholy in giving a cherry a 10 out of 10, so for religious reasons, I will cap this off @ **9.9/10**.

**Creme Brulee (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- OK, I think @woftam might have been the first one to mention this, but this one (like a very few others) is dark, and soulless. Now, some people will be scared off, others will embrace it's darkness. At 1% (4-5 drops) in my 10ml tester, the mix was (duh), very dark. OK, but how'd it taste ? Brulee is a burnt cream, and caramelized sugar desert. There were aspects of the aforementioned in here, but in somewhat reduced quantities. There was an almost coffee note on the lower end that added to the burnt note. I will check the coils/cotton after the tester tank, but I suspect it will be quite dark as well. Overall the flavor was good, but more of a caramelized sugar coffee with some cream elements. At 1% it was fairly strong, and mid level sweet, and the burnt note(s) seemed to increase somewhat throughout the testing. Continued testing, and an increasing burnt note led me to believe that it may have been fouling the cotton/coils more than originally suspected. Good flavor, but the extreme darkness and perceived increasing burnt note will make this one harder to use. Because of this, leaving it at **5/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Crisp Waffle (SSA) 1.0% (9-19-20)** -- When smelling in the bottle, this reminded me of the original INW Waffle YC. Having never solo'd that one, I could not directly compare the two. Vaping this one, revealed a very rich, and full waffle, BUT, with no distinct butter or maple syrup, which was GREAT. That way you could use it in far more recipes, but alter with B and MS if/as needed. Outstanding. I wasn't sure where to test this one, and it's POSSIBLE that 1.0% may have pushed it too far, but read on, and you decide. At the testing weight it did not feel like it was hitting the ceiling, but the "toasted" or "burnt" notes that I was getting, along with a peanut were emerging on the back end of the vape. Now that's not to say that they got in the way OF the waffle in any way, shape, or form, they did not, but they were present. I will probably have to re-test this lower at maybe 0.50%, just to see. Even with the very small (not offensive, but present) alternate notes, this one WAS indeed a super delicious waffle. It had some dark, rich undertones, which may have been from the burnt/toasted element, but overall it did not taste burnt, like burnt toast, but merely had some of it, in the finish. Belgian, American, Wheat ?? Hard to say, but it leaned mid to darker, and away from a lighter, and not towards a wheat, so we'll settle on a mid-dark waffle. Sweetness was just below mid level, and despite looking HARD for any butter or maple syrup, it was not to be found here. There was a certain richness/fullness that almost implied butter was in there, but you couldn't pick it out. Even at 1.0% with some of the burnt/peanut push at the end, it never left focus on the waffle, so your tastes will dictate the effect of them, and/or if lowering the rate would reduce them further. All in, for a naked waffle, with some impressive almost bakery grainy-ness, this one's got it. I will amend this review if I get time to test lower, and at this testing weight, it feels good at **8.5/10**.

**Dessert Chocolate (SSA) 0.85% (9-16-20)** -- FIRST ONE on deck, and I chose a DARK ONE at that. Don't be AFRAID, just because something's dark, hehe, but you might change your cotton more often, depending on the flavor. Upon FIRST vape, I KNEW this was a KNOCK OUT flavor. Chocolates are hard to get right, whether it's Band Aids in Milk Chocolates, or Dark and Bitter/Dry in Dark Chocolates. This one had NO off-putting notes whatsoever. I can't think of a direct comparison, but at first FLV's Red Velvet came to mind, as it had some very good almost cake elements to it. No Band Aid, no dryness, no bitterness. At this testing weight, it was very nice, rich, and full. It could even be used lower if needed, so we are talking Ultra concentrates at this level and lower. Tested this at 65 watts, with no scorching or burning that I could detect, which was another plus. The chocolate leaned darker, but wasn't a full "Dark" chocolate, and the cakey-ness could not be denied, and it really pulled it into a desert type flavor. You could almost solo vape this IMO, because of the great pairing of the choco and cake. The cake notes (or whatever you deem them to be) really pulled this into a unique category all it's own, much like Wonder Flavor's Smores Cupcake did. All in, this first one, was far better than I expected, AND, at a very low mixing rate. Because of the added richness (cakey-ness) I could DEF. see this in quite a few desert, smores, etc. recipes. While not a "pure" chocolate per se, it's damned good, and should be on your "must try" list, if you are new to SSA flavors. **9.9/10**.

**Guava (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- Last one on deck for the end of Series II. I think we're going to finish it with a BANG. Haven't vaped a lot of Guavas, but that didn't stop this one from basically nailing the profile. Pink, fleshy, and punchy were the initial thoughts, with an almost slight fermented kick that really added to the authenticity. Very clean and full at 1%, and that felt really good, not under/over powered. Sweetness was about mid level, and the pink punch factor on this one can not be overstated. Most of the flavor remained in the mid region, with a smidge of low end, and some nice high end punch to finish it off. It stays fairly true and natural throughout the tank with a hint of candied, but only a hint. NO take-offs to be found with this one, and you could obviously go lower for accents, and possibly higher for main notes if needed. Clean, fresh, and accurate were the big take-aways on this one, and it just plain worked. **9.25/10**.

**Ice Cream (SSA) 2.0% (9-20-20)** -- I had to finish TWO tester tanks on this one, to try and nail down what was going on here. First things first, probably the BEST Ice Cream flavor I have tried to date. Not vanilla, not chocolate, no pepper, no BA, none of the typical creamy aftertastes that most of the other players have, BUT (ain't there always a BUT ?), it was fairly subdued. I smelled this one in the bottle, and knew I'd have to mix it higher, and I did. Even at 2.0%, it was still very laid back. You could say weaker, but it felt laid back. As it stood, a delicious sweet ice cream, with no offensive notes, no heavy creameries, and very neutral. Now, despite this being as great as it was, it would be easy to overpower this in a mix, so mixing wise, some caution would be need to be used. It reminded me of a Chic Fil A (for you US members) ice cream. Very natural tasting, sweetness was a tick above mid level, and had an absolutely clean finish. Because SSA has a Vanilla Ice Cream which I have not tested, am wondering if it was as good, but stronger, maybe a pairing of the two to solidify, and anchor the base might work. Minor take offs, but ONLY for it's laid back nature, NOT the flavor profile. Two tank fulls, and haven't found an off note yet. **8.0/10**.

**Ice Cream Vanilla (SSA) 1.5% (10-11-20)** – Deciding on what strength to mix this at after testing SSA’s Ice Cream @ 2% proved difficult. It smelled stronger in the bottle, so decided to drop 0.5% from the original Ice Cream. Even mixed down from their Ice Cream, this one presented as much more forward, and fuller. A lot of similarities to SSA’s Ice Cream but with more presence, and some nice Vanilla notes thrown in. The vanilla seemed close to a vanilla bean that was high enough in the mix to make itself known but not overpower the profile. Clean, accurate, and I actually think better than their Ice Cream. I love the fresh approach to an Ice Cream SSA has taken, as none of the somewhat off-putting sour or typical cream notes found in many other IC’s. One of the best I have tried. Even presenting stronger/fuller/richer than the regular Ice Cream, it isn’t as heavy handed as say LB’s VIC. Sweetness was lower than mid level, and I could see numerous uses for this one, as was the case with the Ice Cream. Moving this up on the scale for a fuller, richer, more flavorful experience than the regular IC. **8.95/10** .

**Irish Cream (SSA) 1.5% (9-20-20)** -- Having never vaped an Irish Cream, but had it in quite a few drinks before, I knew what I was in for. At 1.5% it felt fairly strong but not overpowering. I did not get any Whiskey from it, but I did get a fair amount of coffee, cream, some chocolate, and quite probably a vanilla cream in there. As a whole it was very good, and the coffee note remained throughout the vape. Almost a toffee coffee with some cream. Sweetness was lower than mid level, and despite having a cream element, it didn't feel overly creamy. No bitter, or off-putting notes, and despite finishing the tank, I kept returning to my coffee with toffee and cream. It is very possible that IC's may not fully be in my wheelhouse, but this was a good vape. Because the coffee element was present throughout the vape, it struck me as more of a coffee drink. All in, with the forward coffee element, feels good @ **7.0/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Juicy Cherries (SSA) 0.75% (10-10-20)** -- Oh no !!! Did Sobucky just come out with ANOTHER great Cherry ?? !!!! Yes, ........... yes they did. As with their other cherry tested, I was slightly scared to load this one up into the Vapesled, but I did indeed do, just that. YES, this one is ANOTHER Great Cherry from Sobucky. PLEASE take note of my sub-percent testing strength, as more and more of these ARE proving to be Ultras (Ultra-Concentrates(ed), and this one is no different. If you test this at 3% and blow up, I warned you. :) OK, this one is just as good, if not better than SSA's Compote Cherry, but the "better" part will be up to you, the end user, and what profile you're looking for. This again (I know, repeating), had NO medicinal, floral, cough syrupy notes of any shape, kind or form. EMBRACE the madness of that for a second. That makes TWO from these guys. OK, at this ultra low 0.75% it was a VERY satisfying Cherry Vape, with NO signs of hitting the ceiling, but it was so rich and full at this weight, I wouldn't go much higher, for fear of (bad things). I was having a hard time quantifying exactly what type of cherry/cherries this was, let the wife try, she seemed to think more of a Luden's lozenge, BUT, again, NOT a cough drop medicinal style. To me, this was somewhat of a darker cherry than the Compote, but not totally towards a Black Cherry. Confused yet ?? Good, me too, hehe. It did have some aspects of a Maraschino in there, and some of a Black Cherry, but it was more than the sum of them. Sweetness was actually below mid level, and honestly, I could not find any take-offs. I know, it's a CHERRY, there's GOT to be something wrong with it, right ? Not really, except maybe the name. Juicy Cherries had me thinking of TPA's Juicy Peach, or FA's Juicy Strawberry, but I didn't get an overwhelming "juicy" from it. Wasn't dry, and was a great darker, somewhat black cherry-ish flavor, but maybe the name is the ONLY thing wrong with this one. Had some slight tartness, but only slight, and maybe you could almost taste the pit a little. All in, despite it not presenting as overly "juicy" this is the second great cherry vape from Sobucky, and if you are in need for a darker cherry, with aspects of both a Mara and a BC, you should get this one. Start mixing it LOW though, 0.5-0.75% range, or you're on your own. Feels great at **9.5/10**.

**Mascarpone Cream (SSA) 1.5% (9-23-20)** -- Getting near the end of this trial run batch, and the Mascarpone Cream is on deck. Creams can be hard to SFT, as by themselves, they can be hard to taste sometimes, quantify other times, and their EFFECT cannot always be fully realized in SFT's, but test we shall. First things first NO BA in this flavor. It presented as a very even keeled cream, with some sweet undertones. Undertones, because it tasted lower than mid level sweet, but it peaked at the end of the vape, interesting. The flavor itself was hard to quantify, and didn't taste like a vanilla, but it was in that ballpark. Nice mouthfeel, and did impress as a cream. Maybe the best way to describe it was a fairly thick-ish, filling cream type flavor. Due to the nature OF SFT's I cannot gauge it's impact on other flavors, but I can see using this to fatten up mixes, round them out, and take off some sharp edges, without burying the mix. It's light enough where I think that will work easily, without being a BA rich, heavy handed cream assault. While testing creams, milks, dairies isn't the MOST exciting thing to do, most of us use creams in a lot of our mixes. For it's non-heavy handed approach, and neutral flavor, I give it high marks because it will increase it's usefulness on your rack. Not a milk, not a dairy, but a very good, semi-sweet filling cream. **9.25/10**.

**Mocca Coffee (SSA) .75% (9-27-20)** -- Bet you guys thought I forgot about this one with all the things going on this week. Bad news, I DIDN'T !!!! Finishing up this series on the Sobucky Super Aromas, this one WAS one of the darker ones (4th from the left in the pic), and even mixing it low @ 0.75%, it was fairly dark in the tester bottle. Now although I was getting an almost coffee-ish flavor fro their Irish Cream, THIS ONE, nails it down, and buries it. WOW, this one WAS that good. OK, for perspective, the hands down BEST coffee-ish mix I have ever tested has to go, hands down to The Italian Vaper at DIY Flavor Chaser with his [Italian Cafe Gelato](https://www.diyflavorchaser.com/product-page/italian-cafe-gelato). Granted this one is but a single flavor, it was nearing the ballpark of the aforementioned, and THAT, is some rare air. This one was surprisingly rich, full, and delicious at this testing weight, and you could probably even reduce to 0.5% (ultra), and still have plenty of flavor. Smelling it was exactly like vaping it, and it was a velvety smooth, seemless roller coaster ride of a coffee, some caramel, and some chocolate. It was not bitter, and had no sharp edges, so there is a full on cream element in there, but it takes a backseat to the tripple punch coffee/caramel/mocha. Despite being as strong as it was at this weight, it was in no way hitting the ceiling, sweetness was mid level, and despite CHAIN vaping this one, I could not make it reveal anything that was unpleasant. The way the compounds were combined just really worked, and seamless just kept coming to mind. Mid to darker coffee, with no acidic tones, and tasted VERY authentic. If you are looking for a GREAT Mocca Coffee, that is spot on accurate, seamlessly melded, nicely sweet, that is authentic, this one NEEDS to be on your list. I'm going to recommend that our resident coffee guy @Rocky02852 take a look at this one, to see if he could use it. As it stands, for a single flavor, to present MORE complex and enjoyable than most coffee one shots, this is an impressive way to end the series. Hands down, no contest, **10/10**.

**Nectarines (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- This one smelled almost spot on in the bottle, and vaping it revealed a very light, airy nectarine flavor. I almost got more of it smelling off the bottle than I did in the vape. Maybe I'm test blind to Nectarines ?? Actually added 2-3 drops directly into the tester tank, mixed, and it improved slightly. Either I'm partially blind to this flavor, OR, it's just a very light flavor. It did taste very natural with some good citrus notes, and almost some citrus oil (but only a smidge), and plenty of juicy-ness. Sweetness was lower than mid-level, and I kept thinking of how clean it tasted, but that could have been from it's light airy-ness. If any of you test this, and get a more full on nectarine, reveal the secret to me. As it was, it was indeed a very clean, accurate nectarine, but for my tastes, it was just very light, and airy, and would be easily overcome in a mix, unless boosted. Very good, but very light and delicate at the same time. Punching it at **6.75/10**.

**Raspberry Syrup (SSA) 1.0% (9-17-20)**
-- As sometimes happens, the moment you start a new flavor, you get an impression, that you can't shake throughout the entire test, and it happened again. First thoughts were INW Raspberry Malina meets MF Wild Raspberry. Let's start out with what this one wasn't. I didn't get a huge "syrup"-ness from this one, BUT, that's about the ONLY bad thing I COULD find with it. At 1% it was nice and full, and probably COULD be run lower, but in no way was it hitting the ceiling @ 1%. Super damned delicious, with about ZERO of the issues that I've had with most other RB's. It centered around a mid and somewhat dark raspberry, with surprisingly low sweetness (hence the "where's the syrup"). It had a really nice tart-ish finish that really drove an already GREAT raspberry flavor, all the way home. Tasted very natural with zero off-putting notes or characteristics, and almost seemed to have a smidge of seeds in there. Currently (but not with MF's Wild Rasp) I have to combine multiple players to get a great RB, but this one, can really hold it's own, and leave you wanting more. Second one from SSA that I've tested, and thus far, VERY impressive. If you have tried MF Wild Rasp, and INW Malina, then invision the two of them combined, and that will get you very in the ballpark of this one. Despite being named a "syrup", the lower than expected sweetness would allow far greater uses of this one, and you could spike the sweet up if needed. I hate to say it so early in the testing here, but this one also, could/should be on your must try list from SSA. Very clean, accurate, and natural tasting Raspberry, that encompassed almost everything you'd want FROM a Raspberry. **10/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Ripe Banana (SSA) 1% (10-11-20)** -- I think many people's perspective on bananas might depend on how they actually like to eat them (or the profile they want too LOL). I like mine leaning to the green side, and if they're over ripe, I can't really eat them. Long is the list of nanas out there, and most favor a ripened, or creamed profile. This one actually captured how I like to eat mine, with a little bit of green in it. You may hate that profile, so be advised, that is what I got from this one. Fairly full @ 1%, with lower than mid-level sweetness, and an almost puree of a banana with hints of the green on top. It had a somewhat creamy texture, but didn't appear creamed if that makes sense. The green portion really tasted accurate, and got most of it on the tail end of the vape. Because of the green notes, and the somewhat laid back nature of it, it might not carry the main nana freight, but could be very useful in many recipes where you need to flush out a fuller banana. I did not get any candied or runts notes from this, and tasted roughly 50/50 natural/artificial. Not the strongest or most natural nana out there, but for my tastes, this one seemed very unique, and could take a space all it's own on your rack. **8.75/10**.

**Ripe Coconut (SSA) 1% (10-9-20)** -- I know I've said this before, but there are some really bad coconuts out there, some are oily, some are suntan lotion-y, and some are almost floral. It is never without hesitation that a new coconut is tested hehe. Great news is, this is one of the good ones. NONE of the aforementioned notes, characteristics, or attributes in this one. It does appear hard to make a rich, full, accurate Coconut without it pushing into suntan lotion-ville, but somehow, Sobucky did it. Very, full, rich, and almost (not totally) creamy coconut here, that came across as quite natural without any candied aspects, or off-putting notes. It was plenty full @ 1%, and you could probably go a little higher or lower as needed, and what I really liked about this one (beyond the obvious) was that it smelled exactly like it did in the tank, as vaping it. I have had countless flavors wherein they smell great in the tank, but when vaping are NOT the same lol. Presented as a very even mix of almost the milk, flesh, and you could almost detect some flakes in there !!! Chainvaping it didn't reveal any issues or changes, which was nice. Overall, a very rich and full, natural coconut that didn't lean to candied, that was mid-level sweet, and non-fatiguing. Your personal tastes may dictate whether or not you mix at, above, or below my testing weight. Did directly contemplate running to mix up a Coconut Cream Pie and a Dragon's Blood, BUT, after I get through all these testers. **9.4/10**.

**Shortbread Cookie (SSA) 2% (9-18-20)** -- Oh Nooo, another cookie ?? Think again. That's what I thought going into this one, "Do we need another cookie" ?? Well, after trying this one, I think we DO. This review directly followed my review of SSA's Raspberry Syrup, and I immediately wanted to mix the two of these. At 2%, this one was right on track, rich, full, buttery, and somehow, really captured the Shortbread aspect(s). Not sure how they did it, but it is clearly NOT a cookie, or biscuit, but lands smack, dab, in the middle of Shortbread city. One could say it is "similar" to Jungle Flavor's biscuit, which presented almost as a pairing of INW Bicuit, and FA's Cookie, but this one is much more than that. SSA apparently spent some time really nailing the shortbread aspect of this, and it shows. You almost get a grainy bakery in this one, coupled with some buttery goodness. Not topped out at 2%, and it felt great at this weight. Sweetness was almost mid level, with no real take-offs. Surely it could be push/pulled if needed, depending on your American vs. European bakery needs, but you might just find after testing it, that you wont. All in, this is an outstanding, and perhaps the best shortbread cookie (type) that I have tested. Didn't really pick up any vanilla per se, and not 100% sure if I'm getting a smidge of almond or not, but possibly so. If you're in the market for a great shortbread cookie, and/or love your bakeries, you'll have to add this one to your list as well. Sorry guys, I'm trying to go critical on these flavors, but after 3 in, I'm having a hard time finding any faults thus far. I kept teetering on a rating, because you just can't rate everything at the top, but I emptied an entire tester tank on this one as well, and was left with no negatives. A great bakery shortbread cookie here, with butter elements that just can't be denied. **10/10**.

**Whipped Cream (SSA) 1.25% (10-10-20)** – Does anyone get excited to test a Whipped Cream ?? Often times not. This one had me re-thinking that. Because it smelled a little weaker in the bottle, mixed this one a little higher @ 1.25%, and it worked out great at this weight. A surprisingly full, rich, and satisfying Whipped Cream vape. It was far more present than most WC’s I’ve tried, and it was good enough that you could just solo vape this all day if you wanted. Yes, that good. A lot of people have sworn by TPA’s WC for it’s [Triacetin](https://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/componentlist.aspx?sku_search=345030), which helped tone sharp edges, and aided in blending. I could not find any sheets on these SSA flavors, so I can’t comment on that aspect. After finishing an entire tank, and moving on to the second, I was still blown away by how authentic this one was, and very present. No mistaking that you had a WC in the tank here. Light vanilla notes, creamy, with moderate mouthfeel just kept pushing this right to the top of the WC’s I have tried. Sweetness was actually lower than expected, especially for a WC, which would just allow even MORE uses for this one. Authentic, very present, slight vanilla, and creamy goodness is what this brought to the table. After finishing the second tank, I still couldn’t find any faults with this one. Deliciously solid at **9.8/10** .

 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Sobucky Series III:**

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Just got another load of Sobucky Super Aromas. Will be mixing them up as soon as I can, short steeping, and some more testing !!! Same testing setup as before. SteamCrave RDTA v.1 with dual 24ga. Kanthal vertical coils with fresh cotton and dry burned coils before each test. Tested at 65w.

**Apricot (SSA) 1% (10-29-21)** -- First one on deck in Series III of my Sobucky tests. This smelled really natural and accurate in the bottle, and that didn't change much throughout the test. My initial thoughts were a well rounded, middle-bodied apricot. I presented as quite natural tasting with no artificial-ness, and seemed fairly relaxed, and most centered in the mid and lower notes. What did seem to be missing was most of the high end, bright notes. It was actually smooth, but still felt lacking some of the tartness that real apricots have. Not bad at all, but presenting as fairly relaxed, it would appear that it could get overshadowed when mixing. At 1% it was full, and pretty accurate, with about a mid-level sweetness. Even missing the bright notes, and the tartness, it didn't feel lacking. Overall, a good mid bodied, natural apricot, that was fairly relaxed. It felt great @ **8.4/10**.

**Blackcurrant (SSA) 1% (10-29-21)** -- Blackcurrants (i.e. Black Currants) have had a rough time in the US, most notably when they were banned in the early 1900's because of their ability to host a fungus which threatened the US Timber Industry. They are still banned in some states. Very excited to be testing this "Forbidden Fruit" from Sobucky. Exactly like the fruit, this flavor had the characteristic notes, the pectin induced jammy-ness, and a sprinkling of the tartness, just like the fruit. Wow. BC's are high in pectin which makes them perfect for jams and jellies, and this flavor truly captured the almost jammy notes. I think truly defining the "taste" of BC's is complicated, but needless to say, Sobucky did a great job of bottling it up in this one. Sweetness was about mid level, with some (just enough) tartness, and it had a slight musky-ness, much like MF's Blueberry, and don't worry, it just plain WORKED. Very natural tasting, no off putting notes or florals at this weight, and it was actually fairly complex. While running this test, I kept wondering, if I'd ever tried, or made a Black Currant Custard !!!! After emptying the tester, I could find NO faults with this one, and could think of a myriad of berry, and jammy uses for this one. Always a sign of a great flavor. Hands down **9.9/10**.


**Butter Cream (SSA) 1% (10-29-21)** -- Many people don't know there are FOUR different types of Butter Cream. American, Swiss Meringue, Italian Meringue, and French Meringue. Which one WAS this offering from Sobucky ?? I'm not 100% sure, but I AM 100% sure, I love this flavor. Without delving into the complexities of which exact version of a BC this is, it was obvious to me, even upon smelling it, that it was a winner. Very spot on for exactly what I need out of a BC. At 1% it was very nicely full and present, and of course, EXUDED (to ooze forth), a buttery goodness. It was indeed a tick or two above mid level sweet (DUH, frosting), but it seemed to be FAR more than just sweet, and butter. There was almost a cupcake like element present, albeit at a lower level, but it really brought this up to another level. I've had some BC's that were buttery, and sweet, but felt thin, or lacking. NOT the case here. The butter elements didn't favor completely natural or artificial, but with elements of each. You could literally almost use this solo. Not a custard, not a bakery, but it tasted far more substantial than just a mere "frosting". Nothing out of place, nothing off-putting, and the buttery creamy-ness just can't be overstated. If you need a Butter Cream, that's fairly substantial, the almost oozes buttery-ness, this may just be the one for you. Easily a **9.5/10**.

**Candy Floss (SSA) 1 (10-30-21)** -- Alright, this one took me a while to nail down for your guys, but I GOT it. Alright, many of you (like I) may have assumed, just a Cotton Candy, right ?? Well I did. Now it IS a Cotton Candy of sorts, BUT, there's some other things swirling around in here, that I think I finally figured out. OK, just imagine a Cotton Candy, mixed with an almost very light melon, with a hard candy twist. There you go, and that took me a while to really get it nailed down. At 1% it was actually great, but I suspect you MIGHT be able to push it a little higher. Above mid level sweet, and it's hard to fully convey how the almost melon-like notes, and hard candy notes move this one from just a simple CC, but they do. Now the melon as I'm calling it, might differ for you, but I couldn't think of a better comparison, and it's very light, far below the hard candied notes. All in, it really was far more complex than just a simple CC, and it kept you guessing, which made it interesting to test out. Tons of uses for this one, and depending on the notes YOU get from it, would dictate it's uses. For a surprisingly full cotton candy with a twist, this one should work for you. Sweetly placing this at **9.0/10**.

**Caramel Biscuit (SSA) 1% (10-30-21)** -- Damn you Sobucky, ..... Damn you to hell !!!! OK, hehe, let's go with my FIRST thoughts on this one. "Damn, this is a One-Shot". Having not tested Sobucky's Biscuit yet (it's coming), and only tried their Shortbreat (excellent), I had high hopes for this one. Well, they didn't let me down. Absolutely delicious. Completely blown away by how much presence, flavor, and mouthfeel they got out of this one, AND, at 1%. The biscuit and caramel were just perfectly paired, with maybe it being split 55% Caramel, 45% Biscuit. The way they paired them, left both of the two elements free to swirl around and peek out more or less than the other one, as neither dominated, nor got lost. As far AS the Biscuit, I couldn't really think of a direct comparison to it, which was interesting. The Caramel was almost too good, with an almost buttery rich texture, without being overtly buttery. Sweetness was a few ticks above mid level for you "is that too sweet-ers" out there, but even at that, it wasn't sickening, or fatiguing. At times I almost got a small shot of toast much like Solub Arome's Breakfast, but nowhere near as strong. I'll know more when I get to Sobucky's Shortbread Biscuit to see if that is still present. As it stood, it was shockingly good, and full at the low weight of 1%. For you US'ers, it's not a "Bisquik" biscuit, and for you UK'ers, it's like YOUR kind of biscuit, which is more of a cookie. Dry enough to keep it's biscuit on, but not too dry. If you like a European Biscuit, and love it with a Creamy Caramel with an almost buttery richness, this one SHOULD be on your list. I actually double checked myself throughout the test, LOOKING for anything I could nitpick, and I couldn't. Too damned tasty, for even a minor markdown. If you hate this, you'll HAVE to let me know, as to my tastes, squarely a **10/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Cinnamon Apple Pie (SSA) 1.25% (10-30-31)** -- Who doesn't love more pie ?? I love the pies, and couldn't wait to get into this one. In the bottle this smelled more like almost a tart green apple, and when testing it, some of that faded, but it really felt like it was missing the "baked" aspect. There was some "filling" element in there, which kept it interesting, some very light crust, and a hint of spice. The more I tried, the less cinnamon I could detect, which left it a bit lacking, as well as the light crust element. Not a bad vape, but it just didn't seem to really drive it home. Almost mid level sweet, and no off notes could be found. Overall the mouthfeel was very good, and it was smooth, but the all but missing cinnamon, lacking crust, and some missing "baked apple"-ness kept it from being stellar. Felt fairly placed at **6.9/10**.

**Classic Oat Flakes (SSA) 1% (10-31-21)** -- "These are not the oats you are looking for". Yeah, but not every one can be a winner, right ? I've had corn flakes, and oatmeal, but never Oat Flakes. This one I would call "Barley a HINT of Oats". I looked long and hard FOR the Oats, and every once in a while I got just a whiff, but other than that, this was kind of a non-descript hodge podge of sorts, with the added bonus of every so often getting an almost medicinal off note. On the bright side, it was fairly smooth, nicely sweet, and had a hint of creamy-ness to it, but beyond that, I just didn't get any grains, oats, or flakes. The good news is, that the not so great ones, make you appreciate the great ones that much more.
**Oats (CSC) 1.5% (6-20-21)** – I think it’s safe to say I was COMPLETELY unprepared for this flavor. Not a lot of oats out there, because it’s HARD to get right. I assumed this would be some general bakery with grains, passed off as a “kinda close” flavor. Boy was I wrong. FULL on, OATS !!! No puffed wheat, not corn, not AP, OATS !!! It made me immediately think of Quaker Oats, no questions, no hesitations. Below mid level sweet, and the best part, it wasn’t FLAVORED. Blank slate, spot on oats. That’s it, that’s all. Was delicious at 1.5%, and man, the opportunities to use this one will be endless, and you could tweak to your hearts content. This, ladies and gentlemen is an impressive flavor, and I’m glad I added this one to the list. If you want some spot on oats, nicely sweetened, this is the one you should get. Full stop. **10/10** .
With that said, will have to leave this one at a paltry **2.9.10**.


**Cola (SSA) 1% (10-31-21)** -- Wow, whatta Cola Sobucky has done here. Just outstanding, and then some. After having spent quite a bit of time with this one, I think it's safe to say it's the BEST Cola I have ever tried. It's not that the other colas are terrible, but when you try most of them, you often times find yourself saying, "Yeah, that's kinda close, but ......". Well with this one, you won't. To my tastes, it is like a pairing of Pepsi, and RC Cola, at about a 60% Pepsi, 40% RC Cola. I didn't really get any Coke from this one. Probably one of the most amazing things, is somehow Sobucky figured out how to get FIZZ in the Cola. Don't know how they did it, and most, if not all others, seem to fall flat (literally). Well combining the fizz with an accurate Cola, just leaves you wanting nothing. Both myself and @Psycho_316 have been playing around with some ....
.... with great success. Sweetness was a little above mid level, and it was very present at 1%, but I've seen even higher usage rates. The fizz was slightly stronger off the shake, but was still present after steeping. If you want a fizzy cola, that's accurate, this is the one. **10/10**.

**Cranberry Jam (SSA) 1% (10-31-21)** -- Having seldom tried anything Cranberry, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Out of the gate it was unmistakably Cranberry, but shifted to the somewhat sweeter jammy side. @ 1% it was full flavored, but somehow still felt fairly restrained. The tart and sourness were present, but fairly reduced from a full Cranberry, possibly because of the Jam aspect. Throughout the test, the dark berried notes continued with a somewhat tart, jammy finish. Overall it was a convincingly natural taste with nothing off-putting. It's relaxed nature could be supplemented by another Cranberry or berries. Possibly increasing above 1% might help some. About the only take offs would be for the somewhat relaxed nature of it, with no other oddities. Overall, a convincing natural tasting Cranberry, that was jammed up enough that some of the expected tartness/sourness was not present. Decently placed at **8.8/10**.

**Dark Blackberry (SSA) 0.5% (10-31-21)** -- WHEW, this one got away from me in a HURRY. When smelling these prior to testing I could tell this one was going to get squirrely, and decided to mix it @ 0.5%, and even at that rate, I was getting an almost lavender soap ?? !!! Rinsed, flushed, diluted to 0.25%, and about the same effect. Sorry guys, I was looking for a dark, tart blackberry, but instead I was greeted with a lovely shade of Lavender Soap. If you DID wish to attempt to use this one, you may have to go even lower than 0.25%, but at my final reduction, it did not feel over flavored, or ceiling smashing. You were forewarned. Sadly, this one will ride the **1/10**.

**Fruit Hard Candy (SSA) 1% (11-1-21)** -- Well this one turned out to be a surprise. I had expected more of just a hard candy flavor, but it also had a brighter, somewhat citrus, nondescript fruit medley going on. Nondescript didn't mean bad, it just meant that defied an exact description. Sometimes citrusy, other times more fruity, but it leaned towards the brighter side, but always had a nice, smooth fruity base. Hard to nail down, but needless to say, don't think I have a flavor exactly like this, and I have a lot of flavors. The hard candy portion did keep peeking out, and was smartly paired with the fruits. At 1% it was very good, with sweetness a tick above mid level, as expected for a candy, but not fatiguing. Thankfully, unlike the previous Dark Blackberry, this one was full steam ahead in deliciousness, and had nothing off putting. Sobucky advertised the flavor as ...

Snap 2021-11-07 at 19.06.51.png

and that was pretty close, with some high end punchy, almost citrus notes tossed in. Nicely done, refreshing, and pretty good on it's own. Felt solid at **9/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Golden Apple (SSA) 1% (11-2-21)** -- Now other than Apple Pies, I don't really spend a lot of time Apple-ing, so let's see how this goes here, hehe. At 1% this really slammed home, a strong, accurate Golden Delicious Apple. Golden Delicious apples are fairly distinct in the apple world, and Sobucky did a GREAT job of capturing it. Eating a Honey Crisp apple while writing this, just to keep it apple-y. At this testing weight I was getting an almost boozy note, and it was subdued enough as to not take away from the main apple-ness of it. Slight fermentation wafted in and out during the test, but very low in the mix. Sweetness was about mid level, and the tartness levels were accurately on point as well. Nothing off-putting, and overall it tasted very natural. Your needs will vary with apple flavors, and this one holds a unique spot in between CAP's Double Apple, and FA's Fuji, and that would allow for different apple tempering with it. Fresh, crisp, some tart and sweet, and a great representation of a Golden Delicious. Squarely placed at a **9/10**.

**Grapefruit (SSA) 0.8% (11-3-21)** -- This one is another first for me. I think I have ONE Grapefruit, and I've used it in ONE recipe (more on that later), and I have NEVER solo'd one. Because of it's citrusy nature I decided to mix this one down at 0.8%, and after trying it, I think I could have gone up to 1.0-1.2%. At the testing weight, it WAS delicious !!!! Very natural tasting, nice citrus punch, BUT, tempered by some nice sweetness, which seemed to push it into more of a Red Ruby Grapefruit. Although tempering some of the tart citrus the sweetness was just below mid level, and helped to smooth out what sometimes can be a sharper flavor. You could almost taste the body, and skin (not the peel), and again, it presented as fairly natural tasting. Having no solo GF's to compare it directly to, I could test this at just face value, and I think it really worked. I mentioned above, I have only ONE Grapefruit recipe that I have ever tried, and it's a GREAT one at that, and will try to sub this GF in for it. With a great natural, smooth, tempered GF taste, that leaned heavily to natural, I found it hard to fault, and before I knew it, the tester was gone. That's NEVER a bad sign. Very nicely placing this at **9.4/10**.

**Juicy Orange (SSA) 1% (11-5-21)**
-- Having not tested Sobucky's Orange Juice yet, I'd heard that this one was MUCH better, and NOT to be confused with it. This one was soo good, I might never even pick up the other one. Bright, punchy, orange-y, and fairly natural were my big take-aways on this one. Somewhat juicy, but it had a bit more of a candy/jello finish, but only slightly, so it didn't fall into a "candied" category. At 1% it was solidly in your face orange without being overbearing, fatiguing, or over flavored. Sweetness was about mid level, and did have an impressive citrus oil-ish nuance (without being bitter) that really pushed it from the good, to great level. As far as oranges go, this is one of the better ones, possibly top tier. For a very authentic orange, with some juicy-ness, nice citrus notes, and a smidge of tart, this should be on your shelf. Felt perfect at **9.3/10**.

**Lemon Cheesecake (SSA) 1% (11-6-21)** -- First things FIRST, if you are BA sensitive stay AWAY from this one. A very definite Butyric Acid note from this one, and being not BA sens. it didn't throw me off. Unlike other reviewers, I really didn't get a lot of Lemon from this one, and for my tastes it was overwhelmed by the creamy, and BA notes. The cheesecake was more of a creamy style like LA's Cheesecake, and although BA was in there, it didn't convincingly portray the sour/sharp notes. I did get some graham crust notes, but again, lower in the mix. The main note (beyond the BA) was a nice creamy body that COULD be cheesecake-ish, depending on your tastes. The flavor wasn't terrible, but it never really took off for me, or my tastes. It was plenty strong at 1%, mid leveled sweet, and was certainly very creamy with good mouthfeel. The sum of it's parts, just left me rather "Meh". Again, not terrible, but not great, and would surely work in mixes, but probably not as your main Cheesecake player. Going to meh it @ **6.4/10**.

**Milky Strawberry (SSA) 1% (11-6-21)** -- The FIRST thing I thought of when testing this one, was to get some to @fidalgo_vapes, as he has an obsession with RFSC's Strawberry Milkshake. Now this one wasn't "billed" as a milkshake, but it had some aspects OF one. The word of the day with this one is SMOOTH. A very smooth creamy strawberry, and it wasn't really a SB Milk or a SB Milkshake, but somewhere nearby. I struggled to decide exactly where the split was, meaning how much SB, and how much creamy milk, and it was actually hard to decide. Maybe 50/50, but it's smoothness helped to hide that. I'd seen mention that it was similar to a Lifesavers "Creme Savers" and that actually might be more right, than not. The SB was def. candied, and the more I think about it, Creme Savers, might just be as close as you can describe this one. The smooth creamy-ness was almost the center star here, but tempered with a nice candied SB. Was I getting any BA (Butyric Acid) ?? You could smell it, but you couldn't really TASTE it if that makes any sense, and nothing wrong with that. The SB had just enough brightness and sweet to carry through, but not PUNCH through the mix, and it kept it rather interesting. All in, an effective, very smooth milky/creamy strawberry, that didn't have a direct equal. Smoothly done from Sobucky, and it felt pretty good at **9/10**.

**Natural Lemon (SSA) 0.75% (11-6-21)** -- This WAS a GREAT Lemon. Now, what that out of the way, "Natural" ?? Mmmmmm, not exactly. I didn't want anyone to skip off, if I led with that. This Lemon from Sobucky DID favor Lemon Heads, BUT, I think it was cut WITH some natural lemon. I feel it's really a 65% Lemon Head / 35% Natural Lemon mix. Now, it's up to you if that's a winner or not. As it stood, it was quite good, just enough sweet, and tart, and lots of Lemon Heads, but swirling around in there were some natural and almost punchy notes. I don't know if "smooth" is a word used to describe Lemons often, but this one was almost smooth, with no bitterness. At times you could almost get a whiff of a citrus oil note, which just added to the whole Lemon experience. If you were looking for a pure natural like Medicine Flower, well, this ain't it. Is it damned good ?? Hell yes !!! Everyone has different needs, but if the aforementioned appeals to you, get Sobucky on the phone and get you some !!!! With only minor take offs to the somewhat lacking "natural"-ness, but only minor. **9.3/10**.

**Natural Raspberry (SSA) 0.75% (11-7-21)** -- OK, right out of the gate, this doesn't taste like a Natural Raspberry. Full Stop. Now that THAT is out of the way, it's actually an INTERESTING flavor, none the less. It never really screamed Raspberry, and if you want that, you need to go to
**Wild Raspberry (MF) 1% (8-28-18)** – Bing, bang, BOOM !!! Review over, I think you get the idea. I had QUITE a hard time, trying to find faults with this beauty. Vaped 3 tank fulls trying to find any faults, and couldn’t. Wow, I’m glad I got the Wild one as it was great. Just about every other raspberry I’ve tried, I’ve had issues with in some way or another, but not this one. Massively delicious, darker raspberry, full, rich, and just the right touch of bright on the finish. Could you taste the seeds even ?? Almost, just almost. Sweetness was perfectly balanced in this one, some hints of sour and brightness, but the smooth and darker deliciousness just washes over you when you vape it. What’s it like ?? Hmmmm, I did get some similarities to Inawera’s Raspberry, but without any of the heavy handed sharpness that it can present. Similar, but this one is far superior. I’m wondering if adding a smidge OF the INW might add a little punch to this one or not. Honestly, after 3 tank fulls, I’m not sure I would dare to try as it is just too damned good, solo. Not candied in any way, very full and impactful at this percentage, and too good to put down. The first thing that I thought, literally on the first test, on the first tank was, “I’ve got to throw this in some custard” !!! Very fresh and natural tasting, with just the right amount of darkness (wild perhaps), and very hard to put down. **10/10** without question.
Now, what WAS this one ?? More of a mid bright, non-descript berry (now wait for it), that had a particularly odd finish. Light graham ? Caramel ? Brown Sugar ? It's hard to tell, but it's there all day long. THAT is what kept this interesting, "What the hell IS that note" ?? I reduced this to 0.75% and it felt ok here, with below mid level sweet, and an overall smooth feel. Raspberries should have some tart, maybe a smidge of sour to authenticate them, but this one was actually smooth, so I think that hurt it overall. Not a terrible flavor, and probably NOT one you should buy if you were in need of a natural raspberry, BUT, if you're a curiosity seeker, pick it up, and see if YOU can figure out that finish note. As named, can't go too high on this one, so leaving it at a **5.5/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Purple Plum (SSA) 1% (11-7-21)** -- If you really knew how many different types of plums there were you'd probably go PlumCrazy !!!! Yes, there's a lot. I won't delve into which particular one this is, but suffice it to say, this Purple Plum tasted pretty good, and accurate (hint, Purple). Fairly accurate, and mostly natural tasting, it did give a good sense of "purple". Nicely present @ 1% and at about mid level sweet, Sobucky did a really good job of capturing this elusive fruit. I got mainly the fleshy body of the fruit, and no tart skin in it, and that would have really pushed this one into super delicious. Even missing the tart skin, this body only plum was convincing, accurate, and tasty. Nothing off-putting or out of place, no florals, etc. I couldn't help but wonder if a smidge of TPA Sour might just even make it better. As it stood, a solid, plum delicious contender from Sobucky. Minor take offs for the missing tart skin notes, and it felt deliciously plated @ **9.2/10**.


**Ripe Cherry (SSA) 0.6% (11-7-21)** -- With this, the third Cherry from Sobucky (I know I'm repeating), surely this one, would be the poison, soapy perfume, right ?? Ummm NOPE. THREE great cherries in a row from Sobucky, and many MFG's can't even get ONE right. The Compote Cherry was more of a jammed (compote) Cherry, the Juicy Cherries was a darker, almost Black Cherry for comparison. This one favored more of a Maraschino Cherry, but it had some DARKNESS in it, hehe, JUST to keep you on your toes. Above mid level sweet by a hair, a few tart notes, and a delicious mid body of a Mara, but with a slightly darker finish. Like most Cherries (please heed my low testing percentages on ALL three Sobucky Cherries), you could go TOO high, and blow your face off. Luckily I've already DONE THAT for you guys years ago, and learned my lessons. In the words of the famous Flavorah Goddess @SmokyBlue, "Start Low". I think I saw another review of this one, wherein the tester got some "plastic shower curtain", but it was tested FAR too high @ 2.0%. At 0.6% this one was perfect, non-fatiguing, and had NO off notes, florals, or soapy-ness. Because this one smelled SOO good in the bottle (as did Sobucky's Cola), I mixed it up into a delicious Cherry Cola, so feel free to try it in action. All in, a third delicious cherry from Sobucky, that centered around the maraschino, with a darker finish, which worked to round it out, and give it some weight. Hands down, damn near perfect, and leaving it at **9.8/10**.

**Ripe Peach (SSA) 1% (11-9-21)** -- Getting closer to the end of this, Series III in the Sobucky line, but we're NOT slowing down yet !!!! Peach, my old friend, how are you ? Ok, first things first, WAS this Peach Juicy ? Kinda. When I think of a "juicy peach" I really like how TPA did it, and although it's not a super peach, it is very juicy. This one had much less of the juicy, but what it DID have, MORE than made up for it. This, is a beautiful, yellow peach flavor that once you start, you will find hard to put down, even as a solo. @ 1% it felt almost perfect, below mid level sweet, and presented as very natural tasting. I almost hate to say that is has almost some "canned" peach elements in it, as that may conjure up images of sickly sweet, syrupy peaches, which this is not, but it has some elements of that, paired, with a nicely ripened yellow peach. While not overly "juicy" it was not dry, and there were no offputting notes to distract you from it's yellowy deliciousness. If you love peaches, and don't need a super juicy one, or a white one, this will most def. work for you. Just delicious. Is it "Ripe" ?? Sure it is !!!! It was very hard to find any negatives with this one, so leaving it fairly high @ **9.75/10**.


**Ripe Pear (SSA) 1% (11-10-21)** -- Moving in TO the Pear. This one smelled grrrreat in the bottle, but it tasted somewhat different when testing. My three initial thoughts were: Somewhat dry, slightly astringent, and VERY relaxed (light). Throughout the entire test, these three things stayed in the forefront. Sometimes, flavors DO smell great in the bottle, but either shift completely when tasting/testing, and/or loose a lot of perceived strength. It started out like a "green" nondescript fruit with hints of pear, which slightly increased in strength, and finished fairly sweet, but again, with a HINT of Pear, but more nondescript. NOW, we always talk about the evil "overflavoring" as the bane of flavorings, and it's always POSSIBLE that increasing the flavor percentages, MIGHT increase the flavor. I may re-run and re-test this one @ 2%-2.25% but I don't think it will increase is presence much. Not bad by any means, but for my tastes, I need a certain level of presence, to really be able to appreciate and/or use a flavor. It would need a lot of boosting to survive in a mix IMO. FA's Pear however, would not, and could maybe use it's strengths to boost this one. Not a bad flavor, but would need a lot of help, and boosting. For it's accuracy, as a Ripe Pear I'd rate it fairly high, but with such a subdued overall impact, will have to drop it a bit. Felt accurate at **6.5/10**.

**Shortbread Biscuit (SSA) 1% (11-11-21)** -- Having tested Sobucky's ...
**Shortbread Cookie (SSA) 2% (9-18-20)** – Oh Nooo, another cookie ?? Think again. That’s what I thought going into this one, “Do we need another cookie” ?? Well, after trying this one, I think we DO. This review directly followed my review of SSA’s Raspberry Syrup, and I immediately wanted to mix the two of these. At 2%, this one was right on track, rich, full, buttery, and somehow, really captured the Shortbread aspect(s). Not sure how they did it, but it is clearly NOT a cookie, or biscuit, but lands smack, dab, in the middle of Shortbread city. One could say it is “similar” to Jungle Flavor’s biscuit, which presented almost as a pairing of INW Bicuit, and FA’s Cookie, but this one is much more than that. SSA apparently spent some time really nailing the shortbread aspect of this, and it shows. You almost get a grainy bakery in this one, coupled with some buttery goodness. Not topped out at 2%, and it felt great at this weight. Sweetness was almost mid level, with no real take-offs. Surely it could be push/pulled if needed, depending on your American vs. European bakery needs, but you might just find after testing it, that you wont. All in, this is an outstanding, and perhaps the best shortbread cookie (type) that I have tested. Didn’t really pick up any vanilla per se, and not 100% sure if I’m getting a smidge of almond or not, but possibly so. If you’re in the market for a great shortbread cookie, and/or love your bakeries, you’ll have to add this one to your list as well. Sorry guys, I’m trying to go critical on these flavors, but after 3 in, I’m having a hard time finding any faults thus far. I kept teetering on a rating, because you just can’t rate everything at the top, but I emptied an entire tester tank on this one as well, and was left with no negatives. A great bakery shortbread cookie here, with butter elements that just can’t be denied. **10/10** .
.... over a year ago, I did want to see how this one fared. Granted, when you test as many flavors as I do, a YEAR, is a lifetime LOL. I would like to remind my American friends, that "biscuit" many times refers to a European biscuit, not a Bisquick (INW Biscuit) American style. This one WAS the European biscuit, which was actually really good. It presented as a nice below mid-level sweet, fairly neutral cookie, with some very good buttery notes. The first two things that jumped out were the butter, and the bakery/grain notes, as they were most prominent, and accurate. Most times I've eaten great European biscuits, they were very simple, Butter, Sugar, Flour, and this flavor perfectly captures that. Simple, not overly sweet, and buttery delicious. [Waterbridge](https://waterbridge.net/blogs/news/english-biscuits-vs-cookies-whats-the-difference) really helps to break down the Cookie vs. Biscuit differences. Before I knew it, the tester was gone, and that's always a good sign. What's most interesting about this one, was it's simplicity, and how well it did it. Butter, flour, and sugar, maybe a smidge of almond, a hint of ever so slight vanilla maybe, but you get the picture. Nothing out of place, and at 1%, it WAS a keeper. Another one, that was hard to fault. Easy to build on, or simply use, as is. **9.85/10**.
 
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Jimi D

Gold Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Looking forward to your next reviews. The Ripe Pear is a tough one to get the right percentage. I definitely couldn’t taste at 1% and was dry at higher percentages.
Hope the Watermelon is great.
**Purple Plum (SSA) 1% (11-7-21)** -- If you really knew how many different types of plums there were you'd probably go PlumCrazy !!!! Yes, there's a lot. I won't delve into which particular one this is, but suffice it to say, this Purple Plum tasted pretty good, and accurate (hint, Purple). Fairly accurate, and mostly natural tasting, it did give a good sense of "purple". Nicely present @ 1% and at about mid level sweet, Sobucky did a really good job of capturing this elusive fruit. I got mainly the fleshy body of the fruit, and no tart skin in it, and that would have really pushed this one into super delicious. Even missing the tart skin, this body only plum was convincing, accurate, and tasty. Nothing off-putting or out of place, no florals, etc. I couldn't help but wonder if a smidge of TPA Sour might just even make it better. As it stood, a solid, plum delicious contender from Sobucky. Minor take offs for the missing tart skin notes, and it felt deliciously plated @ **9.2/10**.


**Ripe Cherry (SSA) 0.6% (11-7-21)** -- With this, the third Cherry from Sobucky (I know I'm repeating), surely this one, would be the poison, soapy perfume, right ?? Ummm NOPE. THREE great cherries in a row from Sobucky, and many MFG's can't even get ONE right. The Compote Cherry was more of a jammed (compote) Cherry, the Juicy Cherries was a darker, almost Black Cherry for comparison. This one favored more of a Maraschino Cherry, but it had some DARKNESS in it, hehe, JUST to keep you on your toes. Above mid level sweet by a hair, a few tart notes, and a delicious mid body of a Mara, but with a slightly darker finish. Like most Cherries (please heed my low testing percentages on ALL three Sobucky Cherries), you could go TOO high, and blow your face off. Luckily I've already DONE THAT for you guys years ago, and learned my lessons. In the words of the famous Flavorah Goddess @SmokyBlue, "Start Low". I think I saw another review of this one, wherein the tester got some "plastic shower curtain", but it was tested FAR too high @ 2.0%. At 0.6% this one was perfect, non-fatiguing, and had NO off notes, florals, or soapy-ness. Because this one smelled SOO good in the bottle (as did Sobucky's Cola), I mixed it up into a delicious Cherry Cola, so feel free to try it in action. All in, a third delicious cherry from Sobucky, that centered around the maraschino, with a darker finish, which worked to round it out, and give it some weight. Hands down, damn near perfect, and leaving it at **9.8/10**.

Ripe Peach (SSA) 1%
Ripe Pear (SSA) 1%
Shortbread Biscuit (SSA) 1%
Sweet Cream (SSA) 1%
Sweet Watermelon (SSA) 1%
Toffee (SSA) 1%
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
**Sweet Cream (SSA) 1% (11-12-21)** -- As I always complain, testing creams/milks can be complicated, as often times, by themselves, they can be bland, lifeless, and hard to quantify. More often they're EFFECT in mixes can be MUCH more apparent, like smoothing, rounding rough edges, softening, even helping to blend, untamable mixes. I get a lot of questions about creams, and many people don't know that [Sweet Cream isn't really sweet, just an absence of sour](https://mindrightdetroit.com/interesting/what-is-sweet-cream.html). This one was somewhat sweetened, but it actually worked. No BA here, or off-putting notes, and it did impart a very nice mouthfeel. At times it seemed to straddle an almost condensed milk and a cream, but even that, was an approximation. Creamy without being milky, sweetened, without being overly sweet, and it was actually surprisingly good, on it's own. Because it was fairly neutral, and wandered between exact identification, I could see many uses for this one. A really good showing from Sobucky in the cream department, and solidly placing it at a **9.2/10**.

**Sweet Watermelon (SSA) 1% (11-12-21)** -- Going into this one, I was thinking, "OK, here we go, another candied Watermelon". Well, I was WRONG. There was a LOT more going on here, than a simple "Sweet WM". The overall hue, body, and natural fullness of this one, immediately reminded me of one of my ...
**Watermelon (MF) 1% (8-24-18)** – My current go to for WM is LA colorless. This one might just change that. Firstly this is a very delicious, juicy watermelon, and at 1% tasted very full, just sweet enough, and really embodied the best parts of a watermelon. You could really taste just enough of the red and white parts, and maybe a hint of the rind to top it off. As expected (with all naturally extracted flavors) it was not heavy handed, and tasted, well, very natural. In comparison to the LA colorless version, this one just tasted more clean, natural, and no candyness whatsoever. This may influence your use of it depending if you are going for a candied mix as opposed to a accurate watermelon. Strength was very good @ 1%, clean, full, and just plain damned good. I can’t find faults with this one, and this seems to be a growing trend with my MF tests so far. For a very accurate, clean, natural, and full tasting watermelon you cannot go wrong with this one. Strength wise in comparison to the previous MF flavors @ 1%, this one was still stronger than the morello cherry, but behind the Fig and Honeydew Melon. Another winner with no complaints @ **10/10** .

Now it wasn't nearly as deep, and full as MF's but dammit, it was IN the ballpark. Some WM's are one dimensional with mostly the white, or red parts, maybe some rind, but seldom do you get more than one in a single flavor. Maybe a smidge of the rind here, but a super helping of both the red and white meats were present here. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and it was full at 1%, with no off notes, and I couldn't find anything artificial. I find that most really good, accurate WM's have an almost musky note, and that may not even be the best descriptor, but it's NOT off-putting, IS in real WM, and adds to the authenticity, and this one had it. No seeds, was about the only negative on this one, hehe. Now with all natural, super contenders like MF out there, deciding where to place this was challenging. In direct comparison to MF's 10/10, this would easily be a **9.25/10**.

**Toffee (SSA) 1% (11-13-21)** -- Wow, this was a long 26 flavor run, and now, we end it with this one, Sobucky's Toffee. End with a whimper, or a bang ?? When I first tried this one, I immediately thought seven out of ten. Not even sure why, it just stuck. Alright, it did have most of the Toffee elements, but felt somewhat lacking in the rich buttery-ness. NOW, you might say, if it's Dik/DAAP free, a good trade off ? Maybe. The butter and caramelized sugar were there, and it did say Toffee, it just didn't scream it. Maybe 2 dimensional, instead of 3 dimensional ? Now, that doesn't mean it was bad, because it wasn't, it just felt a little lacking in depth. Possibly increasing the rate could help, and it was tested at the low, low, low rate, of 1% to be fair. Nothing off putting, and the caramelized sugar aspect(s) carried the day, and did so, at about mid level sweet. All in, a respectable Toffee flavor. It felt good at (you guessed it), **7/10**.
 

SessionDrummer

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
*Wow, THAT was a big series. If you've made it ALL the way to the bottom here, then I salute you. Thanks for hanging in there, and hopefully some of these notes will help you make better buying/mixing decisions, but as always, never rely on anyone else's tastes, but trust your own. :)*

*Don't forget to stop over at Bull City Flavors, and pick up some for yourselves.*

**S.D.**
 

Jimi D

Gold Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
**Sweet Cream (SSA) 1% (11-12-21)** -- As I always complain, testing creams/milks can be complicated, as often times, by themselves, they can be bland, lifeless, and hard to quantify. More often they're EFFECT in mixes can be MUCH more apparent, like smoothing, rounding rough edges, softening, even helping to blend, untamable mixes. I get a lot of questions about creams, and many people don't know that [Sweet Cream isn't really sweet, just an absence of sour](https://mindrightdetroit.com/interesting/what-is-sweet-cream.html). This one was somewhat sweetened, but it actually worked. No BA here, or off-putting notes, and it did impart a very nice mouthfeel. At times it seemed to straddle an almost condensed milk and a cream, but even that, was an approximation. Creamy without being milky, sweetened, without being overly sweet, and it was actually surprisingly good, on it's own. Because it was fairly neutral, and wandered between exact identification, I could see many uses for this one. A really good showing from Sobucky in the cream department, and solidly placing it at a **9.2/10**.

**Sweet Watermelon (SSA) 1% (11-12-21)** -- Going into this one, I was thinking, "OK, here we go, another candied Watermelon". Well, I was WRONG. There was a LOT more going on here, than a simple "Sweet WM". The overall hue, body, and natural fullness of this one, immediately reminded me of one of my ...

Now it wasn't nearly as deep, and full as MF's but dammit, it was IN the ballpark. Some WM's are one dimensional with mostly the white, or red parts, maybe some rind, but seldom do you get more than one in a single flavor. Maybe a smidge of the rind here, but a super helping of both the red and white meats were present here. Sweetness was just below mid-level, and it was full at 1%, with no off notes, and I couldn't find anything artificial. I find that most really good, accurate WM's have an almost musky note, and that may not even be the best descriptor, but it's NOT off-putting, IS in real WM, and adds to the authenticity, and this one had it. No seeds, was about the only negative on this one, hehe. Now with all natural, super contenders like MF out there, deciding where to place this was challenging. In direct comparison to MF's 10/10, this would easily be a **9.25/10**.

**Toffee (SSA) 1% (11-13-21)** -- Wow, this was a long 26 flavor run, and now, we end it with this one, Sobucky's Toffee. End with a whimper, or a bang ?? When I first tried this one, I immediately thought seven out of ten. Not even sure why, it just stuck. Alright, it did have most of the Toffee elements, but felt somewhat lacking in the rich buttery-ness. NOW, you might say, if it's Dik/DAAP free, a good trade off ? Maybe. The butter and caramelized sugar were there, and it did say Toffee, it just didn't scream it. Maybe 2 dimensional, instead of 3 dimensional ? Now, that doesn't mean it was bad, because it wasn't, it just felt a little lacking in depth. Possibly increasing the rate could help, and it was tested at the low, low, low rate, of 1% to be fair. Nothing off putting, and the caramelized sugar aspect(s) carried the day, and did so, at about mid level sweet. All in, a respectable Toffee flavor. It felt good at (you guessed it), **7/10**.
Nice! I’ll be picking up the Watermelon on my next order.
 

Jimi D

Gold Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Mixed some Watermelon yesterday. Now to steep.
Also threw in some Scandinavian Fruits (cloudberry) in my Dundar Prillan. That will be ready Friday night. Can’t wait to pop that in. 🙂

 

Jimi D

Gold Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Vaping the Sweet Watermelon. I couldn’t taste much at 1%. Was too musky at 1% as well. Bumped it up to roughly 1.5% and now tastes like Swedish watermelon candies. My Son brings these when he visits. It’s my favorite watermelon candy. This is a very nice watermelon flavoring. Thanks dude!
 

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