Thank you to everyone who participated in Flavor of The Week last week.
As always, the purpose of this thread is to gather the community to explore a flavor and its many uses. And it's also to have FUN!
Post recipes containing this week's Flavor of the Week, as the star or in a supporting role, with or without development notes. Talk about other people's recipes that use it. Compare and contrast different manufacturers' versions of the FOTW. Ask for help using that flavor in general or to achieve something specific, offer advice, brainstorm ideas, consider substitutions, suggest pairings... really anything at all as long as it's on topic. And if this week's flavor doesn't interest you, take this opportunity to suggest one for the week after next that does (or send me a PM to do that).
This week's flavor is: CRANBERRY
Past FOTW posts can be found here.
Prepare yourselves, next week's FOTW will be: PLUM.
Still haven't gotten around to ordering any cranberries despite intending to for some time (other priorities keep cutting in line), so all I have for this week is a handful of questions:
Is there a bitter cranberry flavor that tastes like raw cranberries? I could use that with white chocolate to make a vape version of my favorite cranberry treat.
Is there a juicy cranberry flavor that I should have if I want to open up a whole new world of cocktail-inspired recipes?
Is there a cranberry flavor that tastes like Craisins which are so good in cookies?
Who has a Thanksgiving cranberry sauce juice to go with this one for Corn Pudding?
Has anyone tried /u/Apexified's suggestion for turning a cranberry into a lingonberry? FLV Cranberry 1.5%, TFA Huckleberry 2%, TFA Raspberry (Sweet) 0.5%
Two variations on a Cosmopolitan cocktail, after /u/TheCatHimself and I couldn't come to an agreement on which one was better. :v I think Cat posted these in a separate thread ages ago, but since they fit the thread theme I figured why not revisit them.
Where's Wanda? v1
TFA Cranberry 5%
TFA Champagne 2%
FW Blood Orange 2%
TFA Key Lime 1%
FA Lime Tahity Cold Pressed 1%
Where's Wanda? v2
TFA Cranberry 9% (not a typo, that's somehow where we landed and it worked.)
TFA Lemon Lime 4%
TFA Key Lime 2%
FA Lime Tahity Cold Pressed 1%
TFA Champagne 1%
FW Blood Orange 0.5%
TFA Orange Mandarin 0.5%
When we came up with v1 we both really liked it but Cat complained after a few days of vaping it that it was really 'heavy' and almost syrupy so he wanted to make it lighter. The addition of Lemon Lime and Orange Mandarin to v2 as well as taking down the percentage of Blood Orange helped to lighten the body. Cat likens v2 to making the drink with the traditional triple sec and v1 to getting fancy and making it with Grand Marnier.
For the record, I still prefer v1 because I have an insatiable sweet tooth, and I have a friend who goes through a 120 of it every week and a half. Both are great though and if you're craving a cocktail vape it should scratch that itch thoroughly.
What ever happened to Cat? I don't see him as often anymore on Reddit.
Computer trouble for the last month and change. I think he just got his rig back up and running tonight.
My go to Cranberry is currently FLV. It's good, but maybe a bit too mellow. It's a nice full cranberry flavor, but as others have said it's a bit more a cranberry juice.
CAP Cranberry is rough. It's all high notes, which tend to disappear after a steep. I don't really get a plastic taste from it, but it's impossible to plan a mix when your top notes are too prominent then completely disappear.
TFA Cranberry is rough too. It's way too warm for cranberry. Apparently it uses ethyl alcohol, which could explain some of the warmth. It doesn't steep particularly well either.
HS Apple Mix is interesting, and it definitely has some cranberry in there. I'd keep that in mind as a concentrate to support a full cranberry flavor.
Cranberry pairs really well in general. Ginger, Whiskey, Citrus, Raspberry, Grape, and Apple all come to mind. The only thing I'd avoid, really, is anything that will play up the astringency of cranberry although I just got an insane urge to try Cranberry-Rhubarb.
FLV Cranberry, in particular, will go with damn near anything you want to throw at it. I'm working on a juice with whiskey, cranberry, and chocolate and have found that its distinct, while blending with anything I throw at it. I really like it with FA Raspberry. Like a lot. It works well with textural additives like FW Hard Candy, FW Salt Water Taffy, and CAP Jelly Candy.
Thanks! These are excellent cranberry comparison notes! Am I crazy, or would mixing cranberry and with a little rhubarb make it taste less like cranberry juice and more like a raw cranberry?
I WILL DO SUCH A THING FOR SCIENCE. WILL REPORT BACK SHORTLY!
tfa cranberry tfa raspberry sweet and some cream = Delicioso
what % do you mix them at?
tfa cran 1%
tfa raspberry sweet 2%
tfa bav cream 1%
Cap NY Cheesecake 5%
fw hazelnut 1%
And ive been experimenting with different vanillas. They all come out delicious so you can add you fav vanilla. shisha van, vanilla swirl.etc..
FLV Cranberry is pretty decent, 4% seems to be where I mix it at, but I am sure it can go up to 7% and still not punch you in the face. I made a Mango/Cranberry yesterday, so I did CAP Sweet Mango 3% and FLV Cranberry at 4%, friend seems to really enjoy it. Pretty weak for being FLV but all around pretty solid one to get.
Where does it fall on the sweet/tart spectrum?
Not really getting any of it from it, it has a earthy kind of like raw cranberry juice taste, very bitter and dry, needs sweetener or even cactus to elevate it. Mango and Raspberry seem to really take it up to the next level.
Credit to u/TheCatHimself for this one:
Dark Cosmo
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5% TFA Cranberry
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2% FW Blood Orange
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2% TFA Key Lime
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1% FA Lime Tahiti Cold-pressed
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2% TFA Champagne
Found this one a couple of months ago and it hasn't been out of rotation since!
Mixed it for a couple of other people, but they get an off taste from it, I think it's great though!
Link to original thread: Cosmo Two Ways
Theres another version in there too, and some great flavour notes.
I haven't worked with Cranberries at all but would like to know:
Is there a juicy type flavour out there? I don't want the authentic taste you associate with raw cranberries, I want cranberry juice or cooked in a muffin type cranberry.
I need to create a Rum & Raisin Ice Cream recipe for a colleague and was thinking Cranberry may play a good supporting role to TFA Raisin in this context. Any ideas for which would do that well?
Thanks in advance
FLV Cranberry is the juiciest I've come across. It works well with a bit of Liquid Amber if you want a cooked cranberry flavor.
I'm curious about Raisin. Does it really taste like a raisin? If you had the right cranberry, could you mix a cranberry with it to make a Craisin?
I haven't tried it yet to be honest. I'll do a single flavour test and let you know what it's like
Now THIS one I'm excited for. I'm working with a few cranberry recipes right now so hopefully I can post something up.
Right away I can say, FLV cranberry in amazing, I find it to be a fairly true tasting tart cranberry. I haven't used TFA's or CAP's, but I've used OOO which I got when I first got into mixing. It's terrible, weak and plastic tasting.
YAY! I'm glad I picked one that someone is excited about!
> a fairly true tasting tart cranberry
Have you ever eaten a raw cranberry? Or are you referring to cranberry juice, cranberry sauce, or cranberries cooked into things?
I've eaten raw cranberry, and personally I like them. But I would actually probably say this is closer to cooked cranberries, similar to a cranberry sauce. But not SUPER sweet cranberry sauce. It's got sweetness to it for sure, but it doesn't kill that bright, tart cranberry taste.
Sounds like FLV is definitely the one I want. I can't eat raw cranberries all by themselves without doing the bitter beer face but every year my brother makes "Cranberry Crack" which is just raw cranberries with molten white chocolate poured over them and hardened into a bark. I cannot possibly get enough of that stuff. Maybe a vapeable version would help keep my post-Thanksgiving pants size increase down to just one size instead of two.
FW Cranberry above 2.5% tastes way too floral.
Haven't found a good use for it yet.
Thanks for this! I'm working on a mixed berry muffin recipe right now, and while the muffin base is still (sorely) lacking, the berry note is pretty great, and could really benefit from some FLV Cranberry, which this thread just reminded me of.
That's great! What's going on with the muffin base?
It's just flat and nonexistent. :-( There's just this vague bakery whiff, but no real muffiny texture to it. I've got JF Yellow Cake on the way, so, hopefully that'll be the fix for it.
The good news is that there is definitely a nice tangy moist dough thing happening like when berries bake into a muffin and soak the cake with berry juice thanks to a tiny bit of FA Liquid Amber, but, just not enough cake. Needs moar cake!
Everyone keeps saying raspberry and apple, so I thought wow, I need to add some cranberry to rhodenite. So far I took the recipe to a T but added 2.5% flv cranberry, and it's really nice, even shake and vape, can't wait for a week out on this. I'll play with the percentage a bit but it's already a hit.
From what precious little I know of FLV cranberry it sounds like a winner to me. When playing with the percentage, will you be trying to find the best % of cranberry to add or lowering the apple and/or raspberry to sort of "make room" for cranberry in the profile?
The rasp and Apple are already pretty low in rhodenite, and I feel are more accents to the amazing cookie base. I will just have to wait and see. I know I like regular rhodenite best after about two weeks, but truthfully I might go up to 3-3.5%, because as others have said, this is one of the weakest flv flavors. TBD.
So far the cranberry really rounds out the fruit flavors, and you no longer get that, "yup this is Fuji apple" taste.
Edit: I'm also looking at this like it'll be a holiday themed vape, and it might go cranberry overboard a bit, fwiw.
Cranappleberry Ice Cream v2
TFA Cranberry - 1.5%
FLV Boysenberry - 0.5%
JF Fuji - 2%
FW White Chocolate - 1%
FW Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 3%
FA Vienna Cream - 1%
FA Vanilla Classic - 0.5%
Sweet but tangy cranapple front with a creamy, sweet ice cream base..
My second version but getting closer to how I want it but since its Cranberry day, I figured I'd post it up lol.
So I just ordered FLV cranberry and FA raspberry thanks to this thread. I'm thinking of making cranapple raspberry just not sure what cream to use to smooth it out. 4% cranberry, 2.5% raspberry and FA fuji, 1% ???
Because I haven't tried FLV Cranberry (yet!) or FA Raspberry, I don't know what cream will work with them, but in case no one else comes along with a better answer, try CAP Butter Cream.
Has anyone tried CAP cranberry? How does it compare to TFA or FW?
Haven't tried TPA or FW, but have extensive experience with CAP. In short, forget it. There's only one cranberry flavor worth noting, FLV. If you like cranberry you need this flavor.
What are your notes on CAP? I'm just curious because Charlie Noble has a new cranberry flavour out that I'm almost certain uses Capella.
Don't have any formal notes on it, the actual scent and flavor are decent, can certainly detect some cranberry in there, but it's much too sweet and candy-like. Also it's almost unusable due to harsh throat hit and a plastic sidetaste that doesn't disappear with steeping. FLV on the other hand is straight up mildly sweetened actual cranberry juice, with a very mild throat hit.