DuraSmoke Blackberry Champagne

DuraSmoke sent me this flavor for review.

Setup: Wasp Nano. 6 wrap SS Clapton coil with cotton wick. 32 watts. 60VG/40PG. Flavor @ 2, 4, and 6%.

Notes: I didn't have the highest expectations for this flavor. I'm finicky when it comes to blackberry concentrates, and I've never had a champagne flavor that's impressed me. This flavor, while maybe not 100% accurate, turned out to be more impressive than I had anticipated, though. The blackberry and champagne are evenly blended; you taste an actual blackberry champagne, not a separate blackberry and champagne.

The champagne taste is really strong and noticeable right off of the shake, and it loses some of its edge with a steep. It has the authentic champagne dryness, but it seems like it can get a little heavy at higher percentages. At 4%, there's a boozy note that comes out of the shadows. This, coupled, with the heaviness, makes the flavor seem like more of a wine than a champagne. If you're looking for any sort of effervescence, you won't find it here. I don't view that as a negative, seeing as how almost all flavors that claim to be able to mimic the feeling of carbonation fall short as well.

The blackberry here reminds me of FW Blackberry. It's borderline artificial, lighter, and candy-like. I didn't pick up on any of the floral components that are strong in other blackberry concentrates (namely TFA). At higher percentages, the blackberry slightly muscles out the champagne, but not too aggressively; it just stays more noticeable than I would have expected. The berry provides a small amount of sweetness, but at higher percentages, the champagne flavor overpowers it. I wouldn't call the flavor bitter, but it's not incredibly sweet either.

Mouthfeel: There isn't anything that't too remarkable about the mouthfeel. The flavor is maybe a bit thick for a champagne, but it's not a significantly dense flavor. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the heaviest, I'd put this at about 4 1/2. It's kinda sticky feeling at lower percentages, but not in a way that takes away from the flavor's authenticity.

Off-notes: When vaping on this for longer periods of time, there's somewhat of an astringency that clings to the roof of your mouth. For what it's worth, I couldn't pick up on this as much at lower percentages, but if you're sensitive to chemical notes, you may find this off-putting. Also, I'm not sure that I would consider this an off-note, but the blackberry takes on a grape-like quality when you bump up the flavor percentage. It doesn't completely morph into a grape, but it makes the flavor seem more like wine than champagne.

Suggested percentages and pairings: 2% would be fairly suitable if you were to use this as an accent. I personally wouldn't go higher than 4% if using this with other flavors, but 5-6% seems like the ideal solo range. It's a beverage, and it's going to work best in that profile. It'll be compatible with other berries, and it shouldn't clash too much with citrus flavors. The biggest limiting factor is going to be the blackberry note. If a flavor clashes with that, you're going to have a hard time going far with this.