Since my DIYrepubliq project partner /u/Enyawreklaw just posted his review of the new Artifact Vapor Craft line from /u/fizzmustard, another one of our subs most highly respected mixers, and he's doing an promo right now in ECR, I figured it's high time I post my review too. I wrote this back in May, but I've been waiting until he was ready to launch to share it. As a result, I'm missing one juice in the launch line up, as he replaced one of the ones I tried when an ingredient was found to contain diketones upon laboratory analysis. That kind of tough decision exemplifies his scientific integrity and his commitment to the community, and combined that with his skill and creativity as a mixer and his dedication to flavor science research and experimentation, I think you can already guess what the results are. If not, the answer is delicious... after all, he is the guy who won /r/DIY_ejuice's Best Recipe 2014 for his now-ubiquitous Nana Cream homage. How could you not want to try his own personal juice line? Luckily, he was kind enough to offer to send me the full advance line up a couple months ago. Here's what I thought:   

Fontana: Bartlett Pear, Dairy Cream, Kaffir Lime --- 7/10

>This flavor reminds me distinctly of Adirondack’s Placid flavor in some ways. It’s got a smooth, creamy dairy undertone that’s missing from Placid, but the Lime/Pear combination is very reminiscent of Placid. However, while many will be delighted to hear this, as Placid seems to be universally beloved, I actually found this to be a bit of an issue. I tried really hard to enjoy Placid, but something about the Pear/Lime combination has a sort of sickly-sweet, mildly floral taste that I often get from high levels of ester flavors. It's a taste that I just can’t get past, and that’s noticeable in this juice as well (though not as strongly as Placid at all), which diminishes my enjoyment of what I can tell is a well-crafted balanced juice that most people who are less sensitive to this note will enjoy. If you liked Placid, you can't not love this juice.  

Buckland: Stone Fruit, Candied Nuts, Malted Grain --- 9.5/10

>This is remarkable. This flavor pops with realistic nuttiness and a strong sensation of whole-grain richness. The stone fruit (peaches, plums, apricots are stone fruits) don’t take the lead here, but add a sweetness and fruity richness that fills out the flavor profile. This is a truly different and delicious flavor. It’s hard to describe but it’s rich and nutty, complex and slightly earthy (in a good way). The closest I can come is to compare it to a mouthful of a high-end trail mix — Subtle sweetness of dried plums & apricots, cashews & peanuts, and a bit of Chex & pretzels. I didn’t even expect to like this flavor based on the label, and it’s one of my favorites here and I keep coming back to it.

Skullflower: Lemon Sorbet, Macerated Berries, Kumquat Preserves --- 8/10*

>This is a crazy flavor. It’s got a mild, sweet lemony element to it, without a hint of sharpness or tartness. The kumquat, which is also a type of citrus-family fruit, lends an element of depth to the flavor as well, giving it a strange yet familiar flavor that’s difficult to describe precisely. This is a good combination. I have trouble picking out the individual flavors of the berries in this juice, though I can tell they add something to the whole, it’s not precise enough for me to distinguish their flavors. Overall, while I enjoy this flavor and I think it’s good, I wish it had a more potent flavor with a bit more punch to it, so I could better perceive the individual notes in the flavor. No off notes or clashing flavors, however, so stilll quite a good juice. *Note: Since I reviewed this and conveyed my feedback to fizz, he has adjusted the flavoring level to resolve this concern, so I added 1 point to the score.  

Widow’s Walk: Mediterranean Fruit, Botanicals, Mint Leaf - 8.5/10

>I’ve got no idea what mediterranean fruit is, but it’s a delicious mild berry flavor I'm getting [edit: Artifact's site has pics up now, but I was tasting blind when I wrote this for journalistic reasons]. Another interesting element is the botanicals -- they're tough to meld smoothly into a juice, despite FA having a great lineup of them (I like Zen Garden for pleasant 'green' notes myself). Quite a unique concoction from an obviously creative mixing mind. The sweetness of the fruit melds beautifully with a subtle element of fresh mint sprigs augmented beautifully by the botanical notes, without any menthol-type harshness, just a tinge of minty cooling. There’s a mild ‘green’ element that really bridges the gap between the fruity aspects and the mint without being definitive or distracting, demonstrating the clever use of flavor compounds that augment and complement each other at the chemical level -- rather than perceiving the 'botanicals' separately, they perfectly blend into the overall flavor effect indistinguishably. This is the kind of skill a master mixer learns only through experience and extensive DeeperDIY research, to be able to layer flavors together using their complementary notes and differences to craft an experience that is more then the sum of its parts. This juice may put some people off on the basis of its label, but the flavor itself is mild, juicy,a little sweet and very pleasantly refreshing. Quite a tasty and unique juice overall, and I actually learned a bit about how to improve my own use of 'green' notes from vaping this. Give it a try, you might like it even if you don't think you would -- If I was shopping for juice I'd probably never have bought this flavor from the label's description, unless I'd already tried the other 4 and wanted to complete the line, and I'd have missed out.

The final flavor I tried was Redcaps (Bakery Cinnamon, Caramelized Sugar, Pastry), which was ~~cancelled due to diketone content~~ delayed to resolve concerns about diketone content, & replaced by Genoa in Artifact's launch lineup. However, I included my review of this juice because it was amazingly good, and I ended up rating it a 9.5/10.

> This is seriously the best Cinnamon Pastry flavor I’ve ever had, and I’m saying that as someone who makes and sells a Cinnamon Bun w/ Icing flavor that I think is excellent. This is on another level. It’s got a rich butteriness that really draws out the sensation of buttery, flaky pastry beyond any other juice of this type I’ve tasted. The cinnamon is mild and bakery-style Ceylon cinnamon, not the tingly, sharper kind of cinnamon that you get in some less sophisticated cinnamon flavors. This is better than any cinnamon churro flavor I’ve ever had, and I can’t imagine anyone not loving this. [Note: While this recipe was removed due to hidden diketones found in Artifact's pre-release testing and won't be available from Artifact, I thought I should add that FLV Rich Cinnamon offers some of the notes I loved in this mix, and I cannot recommend that flavor enough!]

I wish I could say that I've tried Genoa, the replacement for Redcaps, which is described as a unique take on a more natural cereal flavor, rather than the common sugary lemon TFA Fruit Circles juices. As a cereal nut myself, that excites me, but fizz never got around to sending me a bottle... I think he's holding out on me because I promised to send him my SMOGjuice lineup for him to give me feedback on, but I've repeatedly forgotten to do it in the midst of everything else I've been juggling this summer. I'd swear it's going out this week, but I'm not going to make you any more promises until I have a tracking number to give you, man! I really appreciated the opportunity to try Artifact's new juice in advance, and I will continue to spread the word about how good it is! Given that this is /r/DIY_ejuice, it should go without saying that I see /u/fizzmustard's DIY mixing success story as an inspiration and example to follow for others who have ambition, talent, and enjoy mixing. In service of that, I'd love to feature a panel discussion about DIY/ juice science / the DIY community in an interview for MakerTalk, or as part of a DIYorDIE feature about the genesis of DIYrepubliq and its inspirations... Lots of possibilities here for me to ponder and talk to Mr. Artifact about, but for now, buy some Artifact Vapor Craft blends now -- you won't regret it! =D