Specs:
- percentage used: 6%
- 36 day steep
- PG/VG ratio: 50/50
- vaped on O-Atty, SS, 28 gauge, spaced coil, 0.6 ohm, 12-20 watts
Type of Tobacco: I'm adding a new category to this section.. Topping Dressing (that's a flavor that's added to tobacco like vanilla, cherry, chocolate, etc.)
- top dressing
Flavor Properties:
- dark sweetness
Relatable Flavors:
- sort of a toffee or molasses flavor
- slight toasted feel
- zero ash content
- zero leaf
Mouth Feel:
- medium density
Off Flavors:
- none
Position In A Recipe:
- top dressing
- low in the mix
Suggested Percentage:
- 3-6%, it's rather weak compared to INW or FLV
Pairings:
- dark tobacco that you want to sweeten
Conclusion:
- not a stand alone tobacco for my tastes
- it's lacks any sort of authenticity and is really only suitable as a sweetener
- it's alright but I feel FA Soho would fit the same niche but add more depth
- full disclosure, I like leafy, smokey tobaccos and I rarely sweeten them.
I want 85% positive reviews or i'll usually pass on it , a 50/50 split of likes to dislikes leaves me as baffled as ever.
Now if it was 51% to 49% favorable it would be a complete no brainer but 50/50 , sorry can't do it , still not convinced .
Did a search on Hangsen Deluxe tobacco and wouldn't you know it , 5 star reviews but T Mace feels differently , i think i will have to support T Mace on this one even though i have no effing idea who T Mace even is .
Doesn't matter though , i stand with the Macemeister on this one.
Haha appreciate the vote of confidence my man. Kinnikinnick, someone I trust almost implicitly when it comes to tobacco, reviewed it completely different.. He said this on ELR, "Nice mild tobacco with a cooling effect and a slight melon or fruit flavor."
Now personally, I got zero melon and zero cooling. Usually I agree with Kinni's reviews, but in this case nah, just nah.
Also to keep in mind, I look for hardcore "holy fuck am I smoking tobacco right now?" type of tobacco flavors. So I'm always mildly disappointed when I don't get that. I try to keep the reviews as objective as possible but ultimately, if it ain't leafy, woody, leathery, smokey, and/or ashy, I probably will never use it. But I'm aware that lots of people like the non-leafy stuff which is why I throw these reviews up still.
Anyhoo, I have some pies in the oven which need eating so I'll be on my way now.
I hope you didn't take what i said as criticism in any way , i myself and others very much appreciate it and your review was very detailed & helpful.
Keep up the great work my friend.
My tastes seem to line up with yours more so than kinns. I got HS arabic, french pipe, and djarum based on his reviews and was a little disappointed in all three
Ya I read all Kinni's reviews cuz he pretty much owns all the tobaccos. I think his palate developed over time because he rates some stuff pretty highly that really doesn't hit the mark. But then I see other ones in similar vein that he literally only writes "meh" haha.
I vape fa soho alone at 10-15% as my ADV, but Im looking for alternatives. I'd really like at least 2 ADV but every other tobacco I try is really leafy. I got some fa virgina last month and couldn't vape it. From your review it seems like this is more in the realm of a soho-ish tobacco, is that right? Do you think my love of soho could translate into enjoying this deluxe tobacco as another standalone adv?
I really like the top dressing category idea, sometimes im relunctant to even call soho a tobacco because compared to a leafy or ashy tobacco, i think there's nothing they have in common.
This flavor might be for you then. Keeping in mind that I only mixed it at 6%, my thought is that it lacks the depth that Soho has. But maybe at higher percentage it would be more robust. Ultimately, every new tobacco flavor is a gamble but if you're a betting man I'd say go for it.
I'm trying to think of other tobaccos that would suit you.. I'm assuming you've tried RY4 Double already. It mixes quite well with Soho and would make a good stand alone too if you like non-leafy blends. There's also SC Parlay which I characterize as Ethyl Maltol and Acetyl Pyrazine and that's it. Hangsen Cigar might appeal to you too. I posted a review on it in this sub which you could find.
>I really like the top dressing category idea
Ya I think it's an important distinction because often times I buy a "tobacco" flavor expecting leaf and I end up with a topping. So hopefully this category will help people who either want or don't want toppings for their future buys.
Cheers.
Sweet thanks man, I'll definitely start here with exploring some other topping tobaccos!
Enjoy! I have a bunch of tobaccos that I didn't write notes for yet which I know are toppers. I'll be sure to post the reviews as I do them. Btw, Chemburn tasted a fruity note with Deluxe so be aware you may taste that. His notes are here in the comment section if you want to check em out.
I didn't go in to too much detail on my Hangsen notes because I was pretty let down by all of them. But here's what I had when I tried this one:
Deluxe Tobacco: fruity in the same way that HS Churchill is fruity. Almost like a watermelon jolly rancher. I'm not sure if it's just me that's getting this fruity flavor from just about every HS I try, but I always seem to. I'm gonna skip on to some INW now to hopefully leave the fruitiness behind.
So yeah, wasn't really a fan. I'm going to try them all one more time (eventually) because I mixed up my tests with some iffy nic that I was just trying to use up real quick. But I'm not expecting much. I was going to write up a review of INW Tobacco Symphony last night, but it had the same iffy nic, so I'm probably going to have to retest that one too.
Related note: don't get nic from Liquid Nicotine Wholesalers. Even if it's a good sale. Pretty sure they were just trying to clear out old inventory.
Your review is inline with what Kinnikinnick said. I didn't get the fruit notes but it sure was sweet. And I totally agree, every Hangsen tobacco I've tasted is at best a topper. I find myself wondering where to go from here, haven't been wowed by a bacco since Black and Dark For Pipe. I own pretty much all the well reviewed leafy baccos already. Guess I'll work my way through the SC stuff that I haven't tried yet. I feel all the good SC ones have the same tobacco base tho so it's kinda like how FLV Kentucky, Native and a few others all taste really similar and not much point in using them all.
Btw, I made a bunch of your recipes a few weeks ago and have been vaping them. Quick thoughts..
Brigade 2506 - My favorite of the ones I tried. Simple and strong. I'm unable to taste TA Cuban in general but it dries out the mix nicely for me. Good stuff.
Cig - Pretty good. Not my favorite SC tobacco but not bad at all. I feel "Real Cig" was a bad name for SC to give that flavor but never the less, it's somewhere in the range of leaf so I ain't mad at it.
Before The Match - Now I'm not a huge 7 Leaves fan, I don't like the anise note, but I wanted to try this to see how it does in a recipe. After a month steep, it was very vapeable, I think you did a good job here bringing some realness to the mix with Garuda. Overall, I can only vape about 5mL before I get tired of 7 Leaves but I do think anyone who enjoys that flavor would have a winner here.
American Politics (original) - This I was digging. I like that it's more complex. To be fair, there was some cross contamination because I poured it into my Siren when it was almost dry after vaping through Before The Match. But I got a good feel for it. I'd put this in more of a desert tobacco category. Found myself "taking sips" of it throughout the day in between my main vape which is a punch-in-the-tongue hardcore tobacco mix.
Fallen Cold And Dead (original) - Another interesting recipe. I vaped through my 10mL tester of this pretty quick. If I made it again, I would exclude the Latakia. Some FA tobaccos have this weird mustard note to me, same as TFA Cubano. But you did use it at such low percentage that it wasn't off putting.
I realize these are not exactly in depth tasting notes but just thought I'd hit you with some feedback.
I think your ballsy-est tobacco is Old English Style (which I haven't made yet but I know it'll suit me well). I have a very similar mix that I circle back on every few weeks. I think I'll try your version soon.
Hey, thanks for the thoughts! I never know if anyone ever mixes anything I put up, so I never know if they are like ugly kids that only a parent could love, or if they are decent. The Cig one I don't think I've even had 10 ml of. Mixed it just to kind of play with Real Cig. Didn't interest me enough to go back for more. Before the Match was a request juice I came up with. I mainly just throw it in the Siren and MTL it because i haven't quite decided if I like 7 Leaves. The INW 7 Leaves seems to be about the same. I never really got an anise taste from it though. I'll have to taste for that next time. If you ever try that Fallen Cold again, I'd add Little Space Drop if you have it. Could probably leave out the Latakia if you don't like it. I mixed up a big bottle of the LSD version and it's pretty tasty. Also kind of feeling a version 4 of American Politics coming on where I swap the Red Burley with Tobacco Symphony. Might mix that tonight. But I kind of sip on that one too. I've got it in my Serpent RDTA that I grab every once in a while to kind of reset my tongue on the dirtier stuff I use throughout the day.
Hook a brotha up with that recipe that's similar to Old E Style. I've been in a bit of a mixing rut lately. Mostly because I started watching The Path on Hulu and it takes up what used to be my mixing time.
>ugly kids that only a parent could love
lol, that's pure gold haha.
>INW 7 Leaves
Even on smell test, I get anise, or black licorice, I can't really differentiate between the two. It's definitely there tho.
>LSD
That's one staple missing from my collection. I held off on it because it's basically a nut flavor right? Like green walnut or something? I may as well pick it up now that I have a recipe to try it in.
>Tobacco Symphony
Remind me, is this a dessert tobacco? It might end up in my cart too since I've heard you talking about it recently.
Hangsen Deluxe is an excellent stand-alone tobacco flavor but it is terribly weak. If you haven't tried it at 10% or more you're missing out, IMHO. To me it sort of tastes like a Cadbury Fruit & Nut chocolate bar. Pairs nicely with menthol, koolada, and beer.
HS Cigar is even weaker. I can barely taste it even at 10%.
Thanks for the review. What tobacco concentrates do you enjoy?
INW Black For Pipe, Dark For Pipe, and Virginia Tobacco Absolute. FLV Red Burley and Kentucky. SC Cohiba, Dunhill and Real Cig. TFA Western and Black Honey. All solid if you want to create some authentic vibes. You can always add top dressing type tobaccos as accompaniment if you're looking to soften up the mix or are going for an aromatic feel.