As always, the purpose of this thread is to gather the community to explore a category of flavor and its many uses.
##⭐ This week's flavor is . . . Flavor of the Year 2021
>>requested by Popular Demand
#This week, we're doing something a little different.
This is the 4th annual Flavor of Week "Flavor of the Year" post. Typically, we ask you to post your own recipes containing this week's Flavor of the Week, as the star or in a supporting role, with or without development notes. Talk about other people's recipes that use it. Share flavor notes. Compare and contrast different manufacturers' versions of the FOTW. Ask for help using a flavor in general or to achieve something specific, offer advice, brainstorm ideas, consider substitutions, suggest pairings... really anything at all as long as it's on topic. But most of all, remember to have FUN
All of that still applies, but this post is also an invitation to reflect and share your reflections. Think back over 2021.
#What are the best (and worst) flavors you tried for the first time over the past year?
What was the best flavor you tried this year, and why was it so good? What was the worst or most disappointing, and what was wrong with it? Or if you're one to look forward rather than backward, what flavor do you predict is going to get a lot of mileage in recipes, be it yours or others, in 2022? What overlooked flavor would you like to see get a little more love, or what flavor would you prefer to remove from existence because it's overused, overrated, or just plain bad? Do you have an unpopular opinion about a particular flavor or two and want to get those off your chest as we head into the new year?
This is the place where we're practically begging you to share all of that and more. Tell us all about it!
###🎉 Also, YOU COULD WIN A GREAT PRIZE!
It's easy - all you have to do is join the conversation for a chance to win! Everyone who posts a comment will be entered into a prize drawing. The winner will be chosen during the Noted Podcast this Monday at 10pm Eastern.
>>The winner will receive . . .
>>###$20 worth of FOTY 2021 flavors
>>courtesy of the Village IDIOT 🤡
- The winner may choose up to $20 worth of flavors from the Noted Collection on Bull City Flavors
- Delivery limited to addresses that BCF ships to (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, South Africa, and Bhutan)
###🔗 USEFUL LINKS
GENERAL INFO
ON REDDIT
FOTY - 2020 | FOTY - 2019 | FOTY - 2018
PODCASTS
Noted - FOTY 2020 | Noted - FOTY 2019
ARCHIVES
FOTW Listing | FOTW/Noted Compendium | Flavor Facts
LAST WEEK
Herbs - FOTW | Noted | 10% off at Bull City
🗓 COMING ATTRACTIONS
Here's a peek at what's on the schedule . . .
|DATE|FOTW|DATE|FOTW|DATE|FOTW|
|---:|:---|---:|:---|---:|:---|
|Jan04|Huckleberry|May10|OFF|Sep13|OFF|
|Jan11|Pretzel|May17|Corn|Sep20|Malt|
|Jan18|Banana Nut Bread|May24|Pineapple|Sep27|Toasted Marshmallow|
|Jan25|Sesame |May31|Fruity Custard|Oct04|🍂 Hilly Tobaccos|
|Feb01|Toffee|Jun07|⭐ FOTQ IX|Oct11|🍓 Strawberry Bakery|
|Feb08|Wild Cherry|Jun14|🍂 Black Tobacco|Oct18|Brulee|
|Feb15|Blueberry + Bakery|Jun21|OFF|Oct25|OFF|
|Feb22|Blueberry Candy|Jun28|Plain Custard|Nov01|Peach|
|Mar01|⭐ FOTQ VIII|Jul05|🍓 Strawberry & Cream|Nov08|⭐ FOTQ XI|
|Mar08|🍂 Gold Tobacco|Jul12|Vanilla Custard|Nov15|Donut|
|Mar15|🍓 Strawberry Lemonade|Jul19|Jackfruit|Nov22|Roasted Nuts|
|Mar22|Blueberry Jam|Jul26|Rice|Nov29|🍓 Chocolate Strawberry|
|Mar29|Bilberry|Aug02|OFF|Dec06|Avocado|
|Apr05|Pink Lemonade|Aug09|⭐ FOTQ X|Dec13|OFF|
|Apr12|Clove|Aug16|Cinnamon Danish|Dec20|Toasted Almond|
|Apr19|Blueberry Blends|Aug23|🍓 Strawberry Milk|Dec27|FOTY 2021|
|Apr26|Just Blueberry |Aug30|Bakery Custard|Jan03|Wintergreen|
|May03|Plain Lemonade |Sep06|Cinnamon Roll|Jan10|🍓 Beer|
####Q: How do flavors get put on the schedule?
####A: Requests and suggestions from people like YOU!
If there's something you'd like to see, just post a request in this thread. You can request both a specific flavor profile and where it lands on the calendar.
I can’t wait to see how many people comment FA Vanilla Cookie.
For those of you keeping score at home - here's a list of some of the new flavors from 2021. Did I miss anything?
###Wonder Flavors (24 Flavors) FOTW - Noted
Caramel (Salted), Cedro (Fruit), Chocolate Frosting, Cookie Dough, Cotton Candy Jelly Bean, French Vanilla (Thick), Grape Candy (Sour), Gulab Jamun, Hawaiian Punch, Maple Syrup Candy, Margarita Candy, Mocha and Cream, Mora (Blackberry), Nisperos (Fruit), Orange (Citrus Tangy), Orange Cream, Pitaya (Fruit), Plum (Purple), Root Beer Float Gummy Candy, Salmiak Liquorice (Salty), Vanilla Gelato (Italian), Watermelon Candy (Extra Sour), Whipped Cream (Fresh), Wild Berry Gummy Candy
###Flavorah (12 Flavors) FOTW - Noted
Blackberry, Blue Raz, Cactus Apple, Chai Spice, Energy Drink, Mango Pineapple Passion, Mild Tobacco, Mint Candy, Pearesto, RY4, Sweet Mango, Vanilla Tobacco
###Inawera (10 Flavors) FOTW - Noted
Citrus Maxima, Don Vito, Gummy Bears, Holy Grenade, It's A Trap, Joe Boss, Koala High, Lychee Bomb, Woodruff, Yogurtinho
###Chefs (86 Flavors) FOTW - Noted
Absinthe, Almond (Sweet), Apple (Green), Apple (Toffee Apple), Banana (Candy), Biscuit (Buttery), Biscuit (Speculoos), Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry Cheesecake, Brown Sugar, Cactus, Cake (Sponge Cake), Candy Mint, Cereals, Cheesecake, Chocolate (Milk), Chocolate (White), Coconut Macaroons, Cookies & Cream, Crazy Rainbow, Cream (Whipped), Creme Anglaise, Creme Brulee, Custard, Custard Cake, Donut, Dragonfruit (Pitaya), Dulce De Leche, Exotic Fruits, Forest Fruits, French Vanilla, Grape, Grapefruit Pink, Guava, Hazelnut Cream, Honey, Lemon, Lemon Custard, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lime, Lychee, Macaroon, Madeleine, Man Pi, Mango, Maple Syrup, Marshmallow, Meringue, Milk (Fresh), Milkshake Strawberry, Mint (Fresh), Mint (Green), Mint (Organic), Mint Cream, Mint Lemon, Mojito, Natural Citrus, Oat, Peach Apricot, Peanut Butter, Pecan Nut, Pistachio, Plum, Popcorn, Puffed Rice, Raspberry Jam, Red Fruits, Rhubarb, RY Castle, Strawberry, Tangerine, Tarte Tatin, Tobacco American Mild, Tobacco Blend, Tobacco Fire Cured, Tobacco Gold, Tobacco RY4, Tobacco Toasted Pop, Tobacco Traditional, Toffee (Butter), Vanilla Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Vanille (Tahitian), Waffle, Yuzu
###FlavourArt (24 Flavors) FOTW - Noted
Amarula, Banana Candy, Cheesecake Olympus Style, Cherry Juice Sweet, Cider Apple, Cookie Premium, Custard Extra 1, Custard Extra 2, Decano Tobacco, Doughnut Crispy, Ice Cream Italian Special, Jacote Plum, Longan Fresh, Lulo, Mango Green, Mulberry, Papaya Indian Special, Pina Colada Brazilian Special, Pineapple Costa Rica Special, Pineapple Kenyan Special, Raspberry Candy, Strawberry Green, Vanilla Cookie, Waffles Vanilla
Awesomely helpful list, thank you! Chef's silently released 4 or 5 flavors right after we all got our flavors in for the FOTQ Noted, for a total of 89 CHF flavors. I think the newest/ Noted-untested ones are: Mint (Peppermint), Orange, Tobacco Burley + Verbena.
There are more new flavors in 2021, but those haven't been mentioned in Noted yet (still, maybe someone has tried them already).
New SSA: Strong Strawberry, Premium Strawberry, Premium Raspberry, Mango Pulp, Double Cream, Double Watermelon, Cola Candy, Candy Liquorice, Red Apple, White Grape, Lemon Pound Cake
New CAP: Fresh Pinpple, Nut Muffin, Shortbread, Sticky Bun, Vanilla Milk Froth
New JF: Ultimate Strawberry, not sure about Passion Orange Guava
MULBERRY?! Anyone know where I can pick that up? I've been looking for one and couldn't find anything anywhere!
I'm lazy so I'm going off of u/OdieDoodah's amazingly helpful list of new releases this year. First up are my favorites, followed below by flavors bad enough to leave a lasting ~~impression~~ PTSD.
- WF: Caramel (Salted), Maple Syrup Candy, Plum (Purple), Salmiak Liquorice (Salty), Whipped Cream (Fresh)
- FLV: Blue Raz, Chai Spice, Mint Candy (amazing but similar to PUR Buttermint). I have the new RY4 + Vanilla Tobaccos but tbh I haven't tried them yet.
- CHF: Apple (Green), Apple (Toffee), Biscuit (Buttery), Blackcurrant, Blueberry Cheesecake, Cheesecake, Chocolate (Milk), Custard, Exotic Fruits, French Vanilla, Guava, Lychee, Man Pi, Meringue, Mojito, Peach Apricot, Peanut Butter, RY Castle, Tarte Tatin, Tobacco Gold, Toffee (Butter), Vanilla Ice Cream, Yuzu
- FA: Amarula, Cheesecake Olympus Style, Decano Tobacco, Doughnut Crispy, Ice Cream Italian Special, Jacote Plum, Longan Fresh, Lulo, Papaya Indian Special, Strawberry Green (I can taste it even as a SB mute), Vanilla Cookie, Waffles Vanilla.
The worst flavor I tried this year was by far TPA Honey (it was sent to me by accident instead of FA + I regrettably decided to try it since I never had before). FA Mulberry, Raspberry Candy + CHF Forest, Red Fruits were all disappointingly soapy. CHF Almond (Sweet) tasted like a disgusting vinyl shower curtain (disclaimer: it wasn't bad at all after a month or so of steeping which shocked me).
WF Salted Caramel, WF Salmiak Licorice, CHF's RY4 Castle, and FA Strawberry Green all made my list.
So did TFA Honey and FA Mulberry.
great episode last night! and i think that super awful, disgusting CHF Tobacco that u/mlNikon was referring to fairly on in the show just may have been CHF Fire Cured. that one was pretty nasty too lol.
My current favorite flavor for 2021 was Flavourart's Mangosteen.
WTF is Mangosteen?: Super-weird tropical fruit that looks like an albino orange was shoved into a giant grape. It's classy enough to be called "the queen of fruits." It's very sweet and slightly tart, and it's taste is like a complex mix of peach, banana, and pineapple plus a chef's kiss of something else -- maybe grape or orange or cherry or strawberry?
Why have I never heard of Mangosteen?: They were illegal to import into a lot of countries -- especially America -- until fairly recently, because they often have some crazy fruit fly. I was told they're irradiated now, but they're still hard to find fresh. Asian stores often carry the "nectar" in a can, which is basically juice and sugar water, or a canned version of the actual fruit.
Why do you love this as a flavor?: It's really versatile and brings complexity without mixing a gajillion flavors; it's a delicious tropical vibe plus something extra without the coconut. It'll sub for berry in a simple milk/custard recipe, or take the place of multiple flavors in a tropical mix. I've had luck with bourbons, other fruits to add complexity, standalone, and even a spicy tobacco. A favorite is mangosteen/white peach/tobacco. I'm currently trying to dial in a mix with it on the low-end with peanut butter, and another with cactus, and another with tea, and another with yogurt because I'm odd.
What do you suggest it's mixed at?: It's strong, at 0.25-0.5% it's an exotic backbone adding some of the unctuousness of dragon fruit/cactus, and up to 2.5% it's just exotic deliciousness. Above 2.5% it started to get hints of floral, and at 3% I could definitely taste the floral. With steeping, at 2.5% the floral will likely not even have hints, but the hints will be there at 3%. I'd suggest 1-2% for a start depending on if it's a larger mix and vape setup.
What's the bad news? I can't find this at some of the usual sites, nor my preferred vendor. I looked around to see if it was discontinued, but couldn't find anything. I'm hoping not, because with tweaks here and there like upping the strawberry or upping the coconut or upping the creams it's hard to imagine anyone who likes fruit not loving it. This isn't papaya, this is the queen.
They asked for your least favorite flavor too!: FA Yogurt. It's awful. I'd tried mixes with it before from others, but whatever I bought was either reformulated to include tinea pedis or blue cheese but this shouldn't be used for vaping at any concentration.
FA Yogurt is so nasty 🤮 pickled foot mayonnaise
The best flavor I tried this year was the JF Ultimate Strawberry. The juiciness is exactly what I expect from a realistic strawberry. Is it the ultimate strawberry? I can’t say, but it gained enough of my love to work a little bit more with strawberries in the future.
I would have to agree with Steve TC on the JF Ultimate Strawberry as the best I’ve tried this year and I’m not big on SB so that’s saying ALOT.
Worst flavor I tried (new to me) was the OOO Golden Sponge Cake 🤮, I don’t get it with that one, horrid imo….
VSO fruits are kicking the door in on my many fruits recipies like fruit ices,medlys,creams n desserts..their almost one shot fruits as they cover all the bases when i used to have to stack some fruits like strawberry in particular.Vso no fade strawberry at 6-7% is all many of my recipies need if its a Strawberry forward vape.That just scratches the surface,im not a blueberry fan but VSO blueberry huckleberry bilberry watermelon pineapple raisen apricot..WHAT?? So authentic to me I can't ! 😂
I have different categories because best doesn’t really tell the whole story for me.
I think WF Plum, FLV Energy Drink, and WF Caramel (Salted) will forever change the way we mix recipes needing those types of flavors.
I think WF Salmiak Licorice made that profile more accessible to everyone which was killer to see.
I think FLV Vanilla Tobacco or WF Maple Syrup Candy would be my favorite, even though they are the biggest fucking bitch to fit into a recipe.
I wouldn’t say that this is a new flavor for this year but it’s one I’ve been using all year. WF Vanilla Cream Extra (SC). It’s very thick, creamy and DAAPY. I Find myself putting it in everything even if the recipe doesn’t call for it.
It’s an excellent flavor, I recommend everyone has it, and I have been throwing into my bakery mixes all year
The jury is still out on the new Capella stuff. Initial thoughts on the Shortbread is that it smells amazing and comes through off the SNV . . . if it holds up, I see it getting a ton of traction in 2022. Several of the new CAP flavors seem promising.
I just got them in and haven’t had a chance to even open the box yet
I think there are some winners in there just based on scent and knuckle testing . . . I know vaping can change the flavor. I've done some mixes with Shortbread and the Custard Cake (because both of those scream out to my wheelhouse). Again, initial thoughts are promising, but only time will tell (along with the refined palates of the Noted crew putting them through their paces).
Yes, I know there's a strawberry next to "Beer." I'll fix it next week.
I was just thinking about the ultimate strawberry wheat beer based on this recipe …
Hopefully, I am doing this right. Some new to me flavors that I really liked this year were-
Chocolate Mousse-VT
Cappuccino Coffee-SSA
Caramel Mocha-VT
Smooth Cappuccino-WF
I ordered a bunch of other ones but haven't gotten around to trying them yet. I used them to make the recipes below with really pleasing results.
I vape fruit flavors all the time so these were a nice changeup for me. If you make the last recipe, I suggest a little more sweetener than the recipe calls for. It's fine as written but can get a little bitter. Bumping it up a little got rid of that bitterness for me. It seemed to help with my vapors tongue too, so I have an extra bottle steeping.
I like when new flavors not only work in the recipe you bought them for but make you want to see what you can do with it. I need to sit down with my collection of caramels and see what I can come up with using these chocolate flavors.
I haven't tried the chocolate mousse cheesecake, but love the other 2 so it's on my next list thanks!
I hope you enjoy them. Just a heads up that caramel mocha is very dark and you will probably need to swap your cotton after. Unless you are going to leave another chocolate-based juice after that. If you're using a sub ohm tank I would wait till it's almost time to swap out your coil before using that one.
I’m very new to mixing so I don’t feel like I’ve developed a favorite flavor yet. Reading the comments though I have to check out the JF Ultimate strawberry as I’m in need of a good juicy strawberry flavor for my mixes. I am very excited for next weeks flavor of huckleberry though. I have some huckleberry flavored candies that are delicious and immediately thought that flavor would work really well in a vape mix.
FLV Blue Raspberry for the win! Also WF Wild Berry Gummy Candy. I love those fruit flavors and they were missing from the catalog in 2020 and much needed.
I can’t say what my least favorite was. I watch noted religiously and check flavor reviews before buying because I’m cheap as hell. So I don’t buy garbage flavors
EDIT: it isn’t new for 2021, but it’s new to bullcity I’d that counts. PUR Buttermint was really promising, but after a steep the anise off note came through. Maybe I’m sensitive to it. But I HATE anise and licorice. That off note made it unvapeable for me.
I started mixing about 2 months ago. Before I started I was looking forward to WF Strawberry Gummy Candy SC. Sadly, with my very first mix in DiY I found out that I am strawberry mute. I am sad that I will never get to taste it.
The best flavors I have tried so far since I found this out is FW Blueberry and TPA Blueberry (Extra).
This is easy. Best flavor for me this year is- FLV Yakima Hops. Bought it specifically to try-
Concrete River's Fiestas and Fiascos
& wow what a fantastic recipe. IDC that it's more of a summertime vape, it's a year-round vape for me.
What a year for new flavors, they just keep getting better
When I made my first pass though all the flavors I tried for Noted this year, I came up with 18 contenders for worst and 34 for best (narrowing them down wasn't easy!). This is the third year of this Flavor of Year thing and I'm pretty sure the number of contenders for worst was much higher than those for best the previous two years. Just a bit of anecdotal evidence for what you're saying, it really was a great year for flavors.
Woohoo the best of the best of the year. Love the show. Thanks Noted crew.
My personal favs, FLV Pearesto I'm working on a pear jelly bean. I finally got the pear part where I want it with the use of WF Thai Apple. The jelly bean part needs some work so far CAP jelly candy and WF candy stick candy with a little WF cotton candy jelly bean. Any suggestions for jelly bean?
FLV blue razz, I'm a sucker for the profile...
WF coconut rum for some reason FA rum doesn't agree with me...
WF Salmiak Liquaorice and CAP licorice really helped feed my black licorice monkey.