Hello, I just got some new flavors and I started playing with them yesterday so I decided to try to make some sweet raspberry juice, something sweet and light, non necessarily an ADVbut something to enjoy every once in a while. So I made this recipe in my mind thinking what would work together and I was pretty happy with the first batch. Probably the only time since I started doing DIY that I was actually satisfied with something I created on my own, that of course needs refinement but it's not bad to start with (wich often happens to me when I try stuff just out of my mind), the juice flavor is good, very smooth but it needs something more, and this is the reason why I'm here: the recipe is this:
Raspberry sweet TPA 5%
Sugar cookie CAP 2%
Dragonfruit TPA 2%
Strawberry INW 1.5%
Biscuit INW 1%
Cactus INW 1%
Now I really like the first puff on the juice, the overall fruity flavor combination is good for me, I just think is missing some body, some roundness. In my mind I think I have 2 different options, which are both worth experimenting in my opinion and that is why I'm asking you guys some advice.
1 option: Forget the cookie part of the recipe and just go all fruity, in that case I'll get rid of the sugar cookie and biscuit and I'll add some sour/tartness to the mix(lemon sicily?citric acid?), trying to make the raspberry pop a bit and maybe increase the strawberry to add sweetness. I also enjoy the weird effect of the cactus, that I feel is giving freshness. The result might be interesting but it might lack some intensity in the end and it could be bland.
2 option: pair the fruits with a cookie, biscuit type of vape. In my head looks like a sweet raspberry with on a shortbread cookie made of butter. not a cream, like a hard biscuit with a raspberry on top, a lot of them. In this case I would make the "bakery" element of the recipe more prominent, maybe adding a slight graham crust effect on it and some yellow cake maybe?? The risk her in my opinion is to either mute the fruit too much and not making it pop and risk that the biscuit part to be too dry and harsh. So i have to work to keep the balance between the bakery and the fruits. and I would like it to be sweet as well. In this case I think I'll not put any sour/tarntess to it, but it might be a bad idea.
The main point in either option is that I don't want to go with a custard type of flavor or a cream, It's just not what I'm looking for in this recipe. I know that those fruit will pair good with bavarian cream, custard etc, but I want to create something different where the raspberry/ strawberry is the king not the cream. I'm not asking for a specific recipe either, just good advice because you are way more experienced than me. I don't know if what I'm doing is the correct process to create a recipe either, so really any kind of comment or advice would be great. note: I'm just speaking my mind here and I will like to have constructive advice from your experience, especially on the flavor pairings/ effects on the balance of the recipe. I just started a few months ago DIY and I love it but there is definitely a lot to learn in creating your own recipes.
and also THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Option 1 suggestions; add Lemon Sicily and INW Raspberry at 0.5%. Alternately you could try adding TFA kiwi & FA or TFA marshmallow.
Option 2 suggestions; Replace Cap Sugar cookie with FA Cookie and TFA Graham Cracker Clear. Alternately you could replace the sugar cookie with CAP NY Cheesecake and add FA Fresh cream. You could also try pulling the cactus and adding FA Cookie or FW Yellowcake, make it a strawberry scone type bread thing
option 1-unfortunately I dopn't have INW raspberry but I'll try the lemon. I'm out of marshmallow too, in only have Lorann's marshmallow, do ypou think it would work? I think It might too add sweetness overall
option2- good idea. I would for sure pull the cactus from this version, the second option sound very good. do you think it's either cheesecake+cream or cookie+cake or a little mix of both would give me a more complex flavor? Thank you for your input
I think LA Marshmallow is a little flat, might need some Fresh cream or sweet cream added.
Cactus is a wild card here to me. You might keep it in and come up with something unique and awesome. The only thing close to a jumping off point in my brain is kiwi marshmallow, but its totally up to you. I would start making smaller test batches at this point and maybe even try 2 or 3 different directions between the all fruit/cactus mix, a creamy marshmallow or cheesecake blend, and a bready tart/scone. Then narrow it down from there, because there is a lot going on here already for a recipe that just needed body.
NY Cheesecake is buttery goodness. Im going to take out DF and cookie, put in 3% NY. I've never tried cactus, idk how it plays here...
Btw, if you like raz a lot and havent tried INW, I recommend it. Heavier berry flavor
How is inw raspberry compared to FA? I love how realistic fa's is. Less sweet more earthy and berryish
I find INW to be a little sweeter than the almost bitter FA raspberry. They complement each other quite well in my opinion, the INW adds sweetness and a little juiciness/tartness, while the FA provides the solid, realistic raspberry base.
I haven't used it really at length, but Cactus is really juicy at lower % and like an aloe soft candy at higher %. Great with all those fruits, but I can't see it helping the biscuit. Fruit only, the flavours you have sound fine, a small amount of citrus might help lift those other flavours, but sounds pretty good as is.
CAP Cake Batter / Vanilla Cupcake / FW Yellow Cake would all help bolster the soft doughy cakey feel. Either CAP NY Cheesecake or TFA Cheesecake GC Crust sound good too, especially the GC Crust if you're planning on using biscuit. But again, Cactus with this, it might be lovely, but it sounds like the two flavours want to do different things. I don't know though, haven't tried them together.
thank you for your input, that is exactly what i thought. for the all fruit version cactus helps a lot. I think I'll drop it for the cake version. I'm wondering how the Yellow cake doughy cakey feel plays with let's say an harder cookie part (biscuit, sugar cookie etc), will they compliment each other or fight each other?
For the all fruit version, what would you suggest to use to add sweetness even more without changing the basic profile too much? I was thinking bubblegum in low % for a more candy type of vape or brown sugar for a more "natural" taste. I was also wondering if in you opinion a coconut note will help round it up (in my head is like a little shredded coconut on top of the fruit blend), maybe 1% FA coconut would help?
thank you so much
/materoxxx everything you're suggesting sounds spot on. Bakery flavours all tend to get on pretty well, just variations on the main flavour with different notes in the back.
All your fruits sound spot on as they are - adding coconut, bubblegum for sure, they'll work, depends what flavour you're hoping for, but they'll all work together. Not sure about the brown sugar. Could work with the strawberries and the cake for a baked dessert maybe? For 'natural' tasting, the cactus at 0.5% will make it juicy and if you have it, a little bit of cucumber can work wonders too.
FWIW, the worst jarring of tasty flavours I ever put together was spearmint in a chocolate cookie. It was so wrong. Who knew. It was like pouring gravy on your ice cream, it just didn't work. Down the plughole it went, lol. Peppermint was great though. Just takes a bit of playing about with your flavours
TFA Vanilla Swirl is great for adding body and lift to a recipe, without adding a lot of flavor. Try 1-2% to start
great advice, do you think it would work just for the 2 option (cake type) or also fro the fruit? I'm asking because on the fruit version I was planning on adding citrus notes and in my head citrus + dairy doesn't sound good but I might be wrong
UPDATES:Thank you for YOUR GREAT ADVICE. following your advice I did 2 new batches trying to getter a better fruit version:
V1
Raspberry sweet TPA 5%
Dragonfruit TPA 2%
Strawberry INW 1.5%
Cactus INW 1.5%
Added
Bubblegum CAP 2%
Lemon sicily FA 0.7%
The lemon note helps bring out the fruits, but the bubblegum is almost non existant, maybe because is really too low, I just get some sweetness but not much more, I feel I still need more "wet" mouthfeel, maybe I'll try to increase the strawberry
V2
Raspberry sweet TPA 5%
Dragonfruit TPA 2%
Strawberry INW 1.5%
Cactus INW 1.5%
Added
Lemon sicily FA 0.7%
marshmallow LA 1%
cocount FA 1%
sweet cream TPA 1%
This version is better than the one above for sure, maybe I should swap the Marshmallow for TFA Vanilla swirl and give it a go, overall is balanced but I wopuld like it sweeter..
anyway just want to give a followup, thanks again. I'll report here whan I start mixing the Cake version of the recipe