Why do the majority of all popular recipes include some form of dairy cream? Because it's a pleasing texture that is easy to achieve. However, the discerning palate demands variety beyond just switching back & forth between cream and juicy fruit. Below is a list of texture notes, begging for expansion.
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Non-dairy creaminess: Apart from the hundreds of dairy cream flavors available, there are a few flavors that provide a creamy texture without adding dairy notes or excess sweetness. Most notably, FLV Avocado. I wish I had a good coconut milk flavor to list here, but I haven't found one yet. FE Soy Milk is nice and creamy, but starts to taste like creamed corn if you use more than a little. FE Taro is somewhat similar, having the same creamed corn notes, and is starchy as well as creamy. Others also suggest FLV guanabana, NF Malt.
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Juiciness FA Pear and INW Cactus are the obvious choices here. An often overlooked alternative that adds juiciness without sweetness or floral notes is TPA Cucumber (it doesn't really taste all that much like cucumber, but is fantastically juicy.)
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Bready: I have no good ideas here. I've tried all the popular bakery combos, and none of them give me the impression of baked dough. I guess there's something different about how my palate perceives AP compared to most people. Others suggest WF Croissant, FLV Starch Base, FLV Wheat, CAP Cereal 27, INW Biscuit, RF Baked Bread, CAP Sugar Cookie, OOO Corn Bread.
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Starchy: I can't say enough good things about FE Sweet Rice. Solo it tastes exactly like a freshly cooked pot of rice smells. It's not as sweet as the name would seem to imply. At 1%, the flavor is not very prominent in mixes but the beautiful starchy texture sure is. Others suggest FLV Starch Base, OOO Corn Bread
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Fluffiness: TPA Cotton Candy (ethyl maltol), TPA Dragonfruit, INW Pitaya (Dragonfruit). Also suggested: TFA Whipped Cream.
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Waxy: Not generally considered a desirable texture, but a hint of waxiness is sometimes just what's needed to perfect the texture of a recipe. I use LA Coconut. Other coconuts are either too sweet or get oily (which is an entirely different texture, that I find completely undesirable.)
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Syrupy: FLV Sweet Fig, FLV Honey Bee, FA Liquid Amber. Others suggest VT Golden syrup
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Effervescence: Big question mark here. I've tried many flavors that are supposed to impart a "fizzy" sensation, but found none that do so for me. Others suggest FLV Citrus Soda and VT Fizzy Sherbet, combined at a 2:1 ratio.
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Grainy/chewey: Others suggest INW Biscuit, CAP Cereal 27
Edit: Incorporated suggestions from discussion below.
Bready: INW Biscuit with a tiiiny bit of TPA Kentucky Bourbon.
I haven't worked with either flavour for a long time, but reading this reminded me of that from back in the day. It gave a very strangely strong bread flavour, very yeasty. Anything more than an absolutely tiny about of Kentucky Bourbon and it'll taste like garbage but I hope someone enjoys playing around with that combo.
Haven't heard that before, will definitely give it a try. Sounds promising. How tiny an amount are we talking about...1 drop in 10ml? 1 drop in 20?
Sorry I can't remember exactly, I think less than 1 drop per 10ml though. I remember diluting it to 10% but I can't remember where I ended up at. It may be something like:
- 1.5% biscuit
- 2 drops of 10% TFA Kentucky Bourbon per 10ml
Just a note though, I dropped this after a while because of the overwhelming difficulty to actually make it taste good. I made some glazed treats with this in it and although sometimes I'd taste it and go "yeah wow, I'm onto something here", 30 seconds later I'd be swearing I'd never take another taste. From my experience there's nothing down this rabbit hole but if you do dive in, I'd love to hear if you manage to find anything beneficial from your downward spiral!
Have you tried CAP Fizz Pop? It doesn't quite nail effervescence, but I combine it with CAP Energy Drink or CAP sweet tangerine and WS23, still not quite there but it tastes great. Maybe Fizz Pop in combination with a citrus soda flavor?
Have you tried FLV Citrus Soda? It really does have an actual effervescence to it. It’s the only flavour I’ve tried that’s really nailed it.
FLV Citrus Soda with VT Fizzy Sherbet, about a 2 to 1 ratio (with FLV Citrus the higher of the two), captures effervescence about the best I've ever tried and I've tried FA Aurora, CAP Fizz Pop, RF Soda Base and a couple other obscure 'fizzy-likes'.
I've tried FA Aurora and several other "soda pop" flavors, as well as TFA Champagne and INW Sparkling Wine. None of these felt at all effervescent to me, though some have other merits.
I've not tried FLV Citrus Soda nor VT Fizzy Sherbet yet, will add your suggestion above.
Non-dairy creamy to me is encapsulated in FLV guanabana, or really most of the custard apple flavors. FLV sweet coconut can admirably add a bit of creaminess as well.
Bready, I like WF croissant with FLV starch base together for something of a baked bread vibe. You could also probably get a lot of breadiness from FW waffle if the maple isn't out of place in your recipe.
I can't say I agree with TFA or INW Dragonfruit adding any measure of fluffy texture though.
TFA dragonfruit smashes everything down into a singular flat flavor, and it takes texture with it to me.
INW pitaya just doesn't read fluffy to me. It's maybe on the dry side so I guess I could see why that might read fluffy but it feels too assertive and lacks that etherial bit to it that would register as fluffy.
> FLV guanabana
Added above, and to my shopping list.
> INW pitaya just doesn't read fluffy to me. It's maybe on the dry side so I guess I could see why that might read fluffy but it feels too assertive and lacks that etherial bit to it that would register as fluffy.
I definitely get a mouthfeel sensation from it that is smoother, lighter and more ethereal than creaminess. Perhaps "fluffiness" isn't the best word to describe that sensation, but I can't think of a better one.
To the best of my recollection TFA Dragonfruit has the same mouthfeel, though I haven't really used it at all since discovering INW Pitaya.
I've always found INW Pitaya to be a blessing and a curse in its lack of a texture overall. it's always presented to me as a flavor without much texture.
TFA Dragonfruit reads really soft, less so fluffy to me. Particularly when it's in a mix since it kinda neuters everything around it's ability to be distinct.
I could agree to call them "texture softeners", as they both do that. I said "fluffy" because somehow, the texture of dragonfruit invokes the sensation of something foamy, like the crema on a good espresso, melting in my mouth...but that may not be the case for everyone.
Depending on what I'm going for in the mix, I combine multiple of each category.
Non-dairy creaminess: FLV Avocado, NF Malt, ECX Taro
Effervescence: VT Fizzy Sherbet with WS-23
Bready: WS Croissant, FLV Starch Base, FLV Wheat, CAP Cereal 27, INW Biscuit, RF Baked Bread, CAP Sugar Cookie, OOO Corn Bread
Syrupy: VT Golden syrup
Starchy: FLV Starch Base, FE Sweet Rice, OOO Corn Bread
I've added your suggestions above, though I've tried most of the flavors you list as bready and don't get that sensation from them.
Interesting that you list NF Malt as creamy, I've not tried it but wouldn't have expected malt to be creamy. Adding to my shopping list, because I've been looking for something to go with my FLV Yakima Hops.