Greetings and apologies to all DIY'ers out there!
/u/Apexified had taken over for my thread where our community could post their short thoughts on the tests they'd done for sampling the flavor (aroma) concentrates. I personally had slowed down in this... not able to test them out like originally planned way back when. Another apology there and for not posting one yesterday.... YET...
Noted episodes on YouTube go into discussion of various concentrates. They're usually grouped by flavor profile. There are nearly 200 eppys now (173 to be more precise). With this series plus the ability to look at past SFT results *AND* full-blow reviews, there is probably more than enough information out there for even the newest of DIY acolytes. Yes, this is almost a religion for some. And here I am a back-slider. :P
While there are new flavors that are coming out which people haven't really discussed or maybe the more obscure/harder-to-get ones that people are wanting information on those; it isn't necessarily going to help the "mainstream".
For those of you unawares, https://link.diyejuice.org/Facts000 should be your go-to for starting to look into various profiles or vendor/company offerings. It's almost the one-stop shop for those that want to have a resource handy when throwing together an order online. It's a bit cumbersome but once you figure out how to use the tabs at the bottom, it makes life SO MUCH EASIER.
Should mixers simply use a flair for SFTs? And people can add to those or start a new post?? Or is this something better suited to every 2 weeks or once a month?
SIDEBAR: I have enjoyed the interaction with some of you. It hasn't been as big of a passion as it used to be. Sometimes we fall into familiar patterns with a few recipes, thus not exploring as much as we had. Kudos to everyone that does post reviews, SFT results, safety information and to the Noted crew. They deserve more than a pat on a back for all of their efforts.
Posting on this subReddit regularly is a truly daunting undertaking. I’m not sure anyone who hasn’t tried it really understands. Flavor notes, niche or otherwise, are easier ways for people to spread the word and engage. I’ve loved these threads and try to participate when I can. I truly believe it’s up to the community to step up and keep threads and the sun vibrant and interesting, which is a little hard to do on a topic so subjective. Yet how interesting the FotW threads have become when the giveaways started. 🤷🏽♂️ nothing should be on the shoulders of one. Anyway, I appreciate anything anyone does that puts effort to make this place awesome. Stay safe!
I think the SFT Thread needs to continue - with a few tweaks or course. Currently, we don't have people like /u/Chrisdvr1 /u/mysticrosell or /u/ConcreteRiver regularly posting full Flavor Reviews. A regular SFT Thread helps fill in the gap.
Of course linking to posts on Reddit is not the best way to handle SFT's. You can say the same about Flavor Facts. But it's the best format we have NOW! A data driven website or app would be a MUCH better way to handle all that info. But Reddit and Google Sheets is what's available right now - so that's what we use. I imagine in the future all of these things will evolve into some "Higher Form". But until that happens, we shouldn't stop trying to produce and archive useful information. I'm sure /u/Apexified would agree - he started compiling lists and tables on papyrus! (hahaha)
But how do we improve what we currently have? Here's my thoughts . . .
- Schedule
I think weekly is a little too often for SFTs. Most people don't order THAT often. If the thread was monthly, it would drop off the front page and be forgotton before the next thread was posted. So my vote is for posting every other week or twice per month (1st and 16th?).
- Rewards
As /u/isuamadog stated earlier, the FOTW thread got a big boost when the good guys at /u/Flavorah stepped up and started giving away Flavor Packs. Perhaps the SFT thread could do the same with the fine folks at BCF ( /u/ROUNDH0USE ) and/or Chef's ( /u/VapeLewB ). Maybe two winners for each thread - one from each side of the pond! Do you think more people would post if there was a chance to win a gift certificate? I do. And I don't think it would be too hard to twist /u/ID10-T 's arm for a second giveaway drawing on Noted - giving the SFT Thread a nice dose of exposure.
- Format
Just saying "post your notes" sometimes leads to rather minimal posts with things like "I like it". I think we should create/suggest/provide a template for SFT posts - a minature version of the Flavor Review template that was developed a few years ago. That would push people to include the important info and it might help teach people how to take better notes.
Here's my feeble first attempt at what that would look like . . .
Flavor: Company & Name
Source: Supplier & Date Purchased
Hardware: used to test
Tested: at X %
RATINGS
Sweetness: 1(not sweet) - 5(VERY sweet)
Throat Hit: 1(super smooth) - 5(very harsh)
Thickness: 1(very thin) - 5(very full)
Accuracy: 1(nothing like name) - 5(exactly what you expect)
Off Notes: what didn't taste right?
Your Thoughts: add additional thoughts here
VERDICT: Would you recommend this flavor to a friend?
>Flavor:
>
> Company & Name
>
>Source:
>
> Supplier & Date Purchased
>
>Hardware:
>
> used to test
>
>Tested:
>
> at X %
>
>
>
>RATINGS
>
>Sweetness:
>
> 1(not sweet) - 5(VERY sweet)
>
>Throat Hit:
>
> 1(super smooth) - 5(very harsh)
>
>Thickness:
>
> 1(very thin) - 5(very full)
>
>Accuracy:
>
> 1(nothing like name) - 5(exactly what you expect)
>
>
>
>Off Notes:
>
> what didn't taste right?
>
>
>
>Your Thoughts:
>
> add additional thoughts here
>
>
>
>VERDICT:
>
> Would you recommend this flavor to a friend?
This is a great idea. I've SFT'd some little known flavours myself and am forever meaning to drop a note on them over in the SFT thread but my list keeps growing... You make some really useful points.
A giveaway is another good idea and would surely generate more responses. Visual reminders are helpful to me rather than relying on memory alone so I like the idea of a stickied thread, but I understand you can only have a couple of those in the sub.
Is it not on the sidebar? I usually just click on it if I come across it by chance but I don't go filtering through posts to look for it, it's more opportunistic I suppose.
A template will surely help and I think the one you designed would make a fabulous backbone that I could see myself using. It will help get more detail out of the SFT without being overwhelming :)
> /u/Apexified /u/TeslaDelMar /u/RancerDS - you might wanna see this
I think the reason a template would be helpful is that it makes it easier to post SFT Notes. We can make it even easier by doing a lot of the heavy lifting auto-magically. That's why I created this . . .
SFT Notes Generator
It's not the best solution. If multiple people are editing/using it at the same time things could get weird. If you wanna use it you can click on "FILE" on the menu bar and then click "MAKE A COPY". That'll get you a personal private copy. A better solution would be a form on a webpage - and that's just a hop, skip, and a jump away from storing the info in an online database. But I'm getting ahead of myself (hahaha). Take a look and see what you think.
This is what the output looks like . . .
CAP Frootberry Surprise
>Tested with: SubOhm Tank
>Tested at: 0.175%
>Steeped: 42 days
|RATING|| |:---|:---| |Sweetness|█ █ █ _ _ | |Throat Hit|█ █ █ █ █ | |Thickness|█ █ █ █ █ | |Juiciness|█ █ █ █ _ | |Accuracy|█ █ _ _ _ |
- Tags: - Coil Killer - Fades Fast
####Overall Grade > C+
- Flavor Description
>put some text here to take up space and make it seem like someone actually took the time to type out real info. The copy and paste it a bunch of times to make it look like it's more than it actually is. put some text here to take up space and make it seem like someone actually took the time to type out real info. The copy and paste it a bunch of times to make it look like it's more than it actually is. put some text here to take up space and make it seem like someone actually took the time to type out real info. The copy and paste it a bunch of times to make it look like it's more than it actually is.
- Off Notes
>Add some things here to fill up the space and make it look used. Just keep typing till it looks like a lot of text - because no one reads these things anyway. Add some things here to fill up the space and make it look used. Just keep typing till it looks like a lot of text - because no one reads these things anyway. Add some things here to fill up the space and make it look used. Just keep typing till it looks like a lot of text - because no one reads these things anyway.
- Another Topic
>Should we break the flavor description down into Inhale & Exhale? Should we break it down into Dominant Flavor & Background Flavors? Base & Body & Top Notes?
- One More Topic
>This Space for Rent - Cheap Prices - This Space for Rent - Cheap Prices - This Space for Rent - Cheap Prices - This Space for Rent - Cheap Prices
That's quite a nice job you've done there with the template. :)
​
EDIT (Sample after going into Markdown Mode):
FW Butter Pecan
>Tested with: RTATested at: **0.025%**Steeped: 4 days
|RATING|| |:-|:-| |Sweetness|█ █ _ _ _| |Throat Hit|█ _ _ _ _| |Thickness|█ █ █ █ _| |Juiciness|█ █ █ _ _| |Accuracy|█ █ █ █ _|
- Tags: - Standalone Flavor - Coil Killer
Overall Grade > A-
- Flavor Description
>A mellow buttery top-note yet with a background of pecan. Just a slight nutty tartness which makes it seem more accurate.
- Off Notes
>Getting a minor hint of caramel from it.
- Another Topic
>I would have liked a more pronounced pecan flavoring; the reason it doesn't get a higher grade. Yet maybe that's a good thing in that it doesn't overpower other ingredients? I often substitute this in place of caramels when mixing into tobaccos. Makes them seem less dry or harsh.
- One More Topic
>Reasonably price, especially considering it's concentration level. It can be vaped by itself but seems to lack any real body; almost begging to be added to something in the bakery profiles. Not terrible when it comes to being a coil-killer, but it does mean replacing them more often than using other (clearer) flavorings.
A template is a grand idea... as you'd pointed out, it seemed much more informal. Which was actually the idea back when I'd started the thread. It was meant to get a majority of mixers involved in discussion about particular concentrates. It did work somewhat in this sense.
I can certainly agree that product and company name are a MUST. And it's always a good idea to mention the flavor percentage.
AS to hardware used, that's when it starts to feel like an actual review. Some people may be using more than one kind of atomizer or even other types of devices. In this, I'm referring to mouth-to-lung / restricted lung and wide-open, deep lung hits. And that at times gets a bit sketchy as some people will use an AIO that can do both MTL and DL, though not that great at either, granted.
Almost always, I wonder how many people that DIY are still using sub-ohm tanks. It could be that many don't need to swap out cotton to do various flavoring samples/tests.
Sweetness, mouth-feel and throat-hit would be good to include, though that could be highly subjective on the last two. Plus that throat-hit hinges on nicotine and PG levels. Should we try to box in DIY'ers to a certain ratio of VG/PG? And that the tests should never include nicotine? Honestly, I'm unawares if nicotine has a different effect upon a common flavoring, like vanilla, when mixing them together; I do not use Nic in any of my vjuices for vaping.
Accuracy was definitely the key point. :) I think it's daunting to new mixers that they have to choose from half a dozen or more products that claim to be cheesecake. While I've never had NY-style, wouldn't know how it's supposed to taste, so would DEFINITELY want someone to share how accurate they felt it was.
Really appreciate your input on this. And yeah, once a week may be too often.
The objectively best way to organize flavor notes would be a wiki. Reddit threads are not ideal for this purpose, because you can't add new thoughts to a discussion of a particular flavor once the thread is more than 90 days old.
This is a great point. I've had some thoughts about particular flavors, be it from different ratios or extended steep times. Also, it seems to really matter what kind of atomizer is being used because TFA's Turkish tastes quite different on a MTL-style versus lung hits (restricted or not).
Granted sometimes that is skewed when you have condensation build up that leads to vjuice in your mouth.
ADDED in EDIT: And also, you're right that it doesn't make sense to reference multiple Reddit posts.