Decadent Vapours Kiwi
ConcreteRiver
Disclaimer: I didn't pay for this, shoutout to Decadent Vapours for sending this to me.
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 12 wrap 24g 3.5mm SS316 @.31 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Decadent Vapours Kiwi, 5% and 10%, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 18 days.
Flavor Description: Candy Kiwi, all the way.
Pretty solid kiwi base flavor here. Starts off with that pretty normal melon mixed with candy strawberry thing. Definitely reads as kiwi, and honestly doesn't seem all that different from most of the other available kiwi flavors. The finish on this is interesting though, ends on something that reminds me a lot of TPA Pear Candy. This is maybe a bit flatter than the other kiwi flavors I've tried, with a really subtle green pear tartness instead of something kind of tangy and bright.
Texture here is heavy, slightly warm, and syrupy. Fairly dense for a fruit flavor. Texture isn't anything like a real kiwi, feeling more like a slightly warm hard candy flavor. Pretty heavily sweet, and gets a bit sticky and cloying at least for my joyless DIY palate.
This feels like an even more syrupy and candied version of FW Kiwi with less tartness. If FW Kiwi was a soda, this feels a lot like the syrup they would use.
Off-Flavors: Not really a bright, realistic kiwi. More flat and candied. Nothing offensive or weird though. The more I vape it, the more the pear thing comes through.
Throat Hit: Nah. Smooth AF.
Percentage testing: At 5%, this is definitely still candied kiwi, but it doesn't really have that thick, syrupy base. Still feels warm and thin, but maybe a bit dry.
At 10%, I'm getting more of that pear accent at that end. Thick, sticky texture. No off-notes for a candy fruit flavor. Pear vibe seems to be picking up.
The blanket DV 20% isn't quite as insane with this one. While I'm getting a pretty full flavor out of this, there is nothing weird, floral, or chemical that makes me think it couldn't work higher. Just based on these tests, I'd be using this as a primary flavor in a non-complicated mix around 6-8%.
Uses & Pairings: Decadent Vapours' flavors are more formulated to be ran solo or in relatively simple mixes, and this bears that out. Seems pretty well balanced if you want a sweeter, solo kiwi. Adding some WS-23 would help to clean up some of the stickyness and warmth here.
Outside of running this solo, should stand up well to a really, heavy, syrupy strawberry like INW Shisha Strawberry. This is also flat enough that it could take some tarter fruit or even citrus without getting too tangy and acidic. Or maybe just add a watermelon candy type flavor.
Or hey, accentuate the pear candy thing and add some more pear. Should work well with candy texturizers. Actually kind of reminds me of a juicy pear jellybean, so maybe figure out a jellybean texture and dump in a brighter pear like INW Pear. And then share it, because I'm not actually sure how you'd do that.
Second Opinions: Again, we're flying mostly blind here.