Setup: Tsnami RDA Dual Coil Stainless Steel Round Wire Build. (.5 ohms) 35 Watts. Airflow restricted.
Testing: Real flavors Soda Base (SC) @ .5%-1%. 80/20 VG/PG Liquid Barn Premix.
Flavor Notes
This is my introduction into the Real Flavors lineup so it is fitting that I start with something obscure like Soda Base. In truth I picked this up to investigate its' use in a slush recipe following some of the observations made by Concrete River as a possible ingredient to use in the base flavor.
On the nose I am getting a effervescent and medium bodied soda/candy aroma. Perhaps the effervescent part is "power of suggestion" but it does remind me of putting your nose up to a bottle of ginger ale slightly. It has the same quality that I find with FW Pink Champagne, which falls well short of carbonation but it does suggest it. The actual smell is a little non-descript on the nose somewhere between a lemon-lime soda and cotton candy maybe.
I believe the suggested range for these flavors are 1-2.5% so I started at 1%. It has a medium body with a well defined sweetness on the inhale and a pleasant candy-like bordering on syrup exhale. Not syrupy like Cactus but perhaps the syrup level you get in a soda. Soda base is carbonic acid and corn syrup if I'm not mistaken so this fits pretty well. I wouldn't say it is quite that neutral perhaps more in line with some of the candy texturizes out there. Nothing too distracting and I can't pinpoint it but it does have a flavor to it that I would best described as candy-like. Not bad at all. If I had to guess I would say there is a fair amount of sweetener in here-pretty high but not overload. I'm sensing that even at 1% this is too strong to act as a component in a slush mix so I added some base to my bottle and diluted it by half bringing the concentration down to around .5%.
At .5% this is hitting the sweet spot. It is still round and present but a little more focused. It still retains a medium body to it which is impressive but again due to its nature it is hard to make sweeping declarations about its merits until it finds its way into a mix and serves its intended purpose. While pleasant by itself I don't think it would make a complete vape unless your just weird. It is really hard to describe the actual flavor but all these come to mind: syrup, dragon fruit, lemon-lime, sweet tart....the body is good but the top notes aren't super glaring which again as I think about-sets this up nice for a base. It is mild syrupy but not wet like cactus.
Off Notes Really nothing to speak of...stays in its lane.
Throat Hit At 1% I was getting a little harshness but I went into this with a dry scratchy throat so I'm not confident in that being a property of the concentrate.
Uses/Pairings I picked this up specifically as a base for furthering my slush obsessions but it seems like it could work pretty well as a plug in play with various fruit flavors to make those old fashioned soda shop types. I also think it could work in conjunction with or as a candy base when your looking for something new to get some body in a candy recipe. It suggests a mild effervescence but not too a point that it couldn't be used for other things. I would keep it around .5% or lower in a dense recipe up to 1% if you want to really push on it.
Parting Thoughts Overall I was pretty impressed with this one. Perhaps I will post some sort of follow up as I put it through its paces in some recipes but for me anyway, it passes the single flavor test. You know your either imagining all the recipes you wan't to try it in or your eyeballing the trashcan...this one is the former.
I've been meaning to pick this up forever. I settled on using the VG Version at 8% for that slush grain effect. The VG version doesn't really hit carbonation for me, but it's a very clean flavor and does a good job of a bringing in a grittier texture without screwing with the underlying flavor.
Interesting. I am pretty scared to think what this SC/PG version would be at 8%. I am assuming they are the same flavors at different concentration levels and bases. I suppose I do get some grit in there..there is a density to it that I'm liking.
I should have picked this one up. You wouldn't happen to have any flat cola flavors you could try dropping it into real quick?
Also, how long did you steep these samples, please?
This one sat over night. I will add that info to my reviews for you sticklers : ) I mixed my base into a strawberry slush (sound familiar) and I'm literally heading out the door for the night. I plan to really sit down and make a bunch of mixes with it tomorrow and cola was one of them. I will send you my thoughts when that happens. Did you mean flat cola as in....not LB Cola Freeze??? Did you try it?
Do you get any effervescence with it?
Hahahahha I'm glad you didn't use another word that starts with carbonation.... I would say if you bring it to the top of its range 2.5% it suggests it on the exhale. CR calls it gritty and that might be a good way to describe it...it suggests fizz more than I get from something like FW Pink Champagne. It has more texture. With the right flavorings and cooling agent I think you can get something "soda" like happening. They have a baja version I'm interested in grabbing now. It does have a flavor to it that I think you might have to build around...it isn't offensive or unworkable but I wouldn't consider it an entirely blank canvas like RF's describes it. I could taste exactly like soda base does I suppose..I've never tried it in that form.