First off, I’d like to apologize because yes, this is yet another strawberries and cream profile…oh god no, not another one… but wait! could it be that this is the one that you have been longing for? Could it be the one that you can actually taste the strawberry in strawberries and cream? The one that is not too sweet, but sweet enough and not too creamy but creamy enough? The one that is so smooth, so delicious, that you can't seem too put it down? The one that could be your next ADV? Well that is a choice you will just have to make after you down your first 30 ml tester and double up on the next run!

Presenting my take on one of the most mixed profiles….

 

Strawberry Dream

Manufacturer | Flavour | % ---------|----------|---------- TPA | Strawberry Ripe | 4% JF | Sweet Strawberry | 3.25% DIYFS | Holy Vanilla | 1.5% FA | Fresh Cream | 1.5% FA | Vienna Cream | 0.5% FW | Hazelnut | 0.5%

Steep Time:

1+ weeks

Profile:

Sweet strawberry inhale followed by a smooth milky exhale and a strawberry finish that lingers.

 

The breakdown:

Strawberry:

My new favourite strawberry combines Sweet Strawberry (JF) and Strawberry Ripe (TFA), especially since I have a hard time tasting strawberries and this I taste! Together these two work wonders together. Sweet strawberry is sweet, syrupy, and perfect for this profile. After 7 days it makes its way past the creams and sits on top of this recipe. It is enhanced and balanced by Strawberry Ripe’s realism of a fresh, greenish strawberry. SR is the back bone that carries SS and allows the two to harmoniously play together, creating what I feel is a sweet accurate and very present tasting strawberry.

Milk/Cream:

I wanted this to be more a milky blanket of cream for which the strawberry can sit on. Balance was key in creating this part of the recipe. With so many different rich, thick, creamy flavourings to choose from, I felt FA was the way to go. I’d like to add that it wasn’t before many variations of different combinations of Bavarian Cream, Custards, Sweet Creams etc. that I decided to go with FA. Cream Fresh (FA) at 1.5% and Vienna Cream (FA) at 0.5% have been my long favourite authentic cream combination. Fresh Cream is smooth, velvety, mellow, and almost has a slight sour cream note, which works well with strawberries by adding some tang. It is the body of the cream for which the other flavourings layer onto. Vienna Cream on the other hand is rich, sweet, and starts to fill out the cream profile. It does not have any eggy notes that can weigh down a mix. The next ingredient is one I hold closest to my heart, I use it in a lot of recipes to add sweetness and an authentic vanilla note, Holy Vanilla (DIYFS). It isn’t too creamy or heavy at 1.5% and combines with Cream Fresh and Vienna Cream, by adding more depth and sweetness and really fills out the cream profile. The last ingredient is Hazelnut (FW) and at 0.5% it is used to transform the creams into a milky-cream by adding an additional sweet, creamy, malty, nutty note, which really is the cherry on the top to finish the cream profile.

 

So, that’s that, my strawberry milk to add to your collection of strawberry and cream recipes. I like this a lot because it is incredibly smooth, not rich or complex, and just satisfyingly delicious! Give it a mix and don’t say I didn’t warn you when you finish your tester and begin to panic when it’s all gone.

 

P.S. If you want that "Premium" taste and can't fathom trying to steep this, try adding 1-2 drops of Super Sweet (CAP) per 30ml. It'll make the strawberry pop, but I honestly recommend a steep to let the inherent sweetness of the flavourings come out because it is there.