Flavour Art Maple Syrup
ConcreteRiver
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.17 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: FA @ Maple Syrup %2, 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 8 days.
Flavor Description: Fairly dry maple-flavored sugar, mouthfeel is too gritty for a syrup. Maple flavor is nice and warm, but a bit closer to a pancake syrup rather than actual maple syrup, but pretty accurate overall.
Inhale is moderately dense and dry sweetness. Exhale starts strong with that maple in the middle and kind of migrates into the top notes as the exhale go on. Sweetness really comes in on the back of the exhale right as the vape gets flat and dry, so the overall effect is a lot like gritty sugar with maple top notes. Warm and sort of floral but not-really. A whole lot like vanilla that way. Not quite as round and cloying as something like a pancake syrup, but not as complex as real maple syrup. The maple here can taste a little astringent solo. A lot of volume, but a drier density.
Off-flavors: Dry/gritty mouthfeel solo.
Throat Hit: Light to moderate on the exhale solo, mostly because of the dry gritty texture. Haven't noticed an issue in a juicier or creamier mixes.
Uses & Pairings: Maple is one of those flavors that is pretty easy to pick out in a mix, so anything you pair it with is probably going going to have a pretty identifiable maple note. With that said, it's a nice warm flavor that's not quite a spice and not quite a floral, a lot like vanilla. Also like vanilla, this is going to have a lot of pairings.
In terms of fruits, apples are the one that jumps out immediately. Should also work well with pears. I'd stay away from brighter fruits like grapes, berries in general, and kiwi as well as tropical fruits like mango or pineapple. Works really well with coconut though.
Obvious breakfast kind of vibe with your bakeries, but will punch up pies when the filling is appropriate. You can use this as a sweetener for apple, pumpkin, or even the elusive sweet potato pie recipe to add some warmth and depth. Also works well with oats in real life, so maybe an oatmeal raisin profile as well.
Mixes well with your traditional holiday spice flavorings like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Also works really well vanilla.
Natural fit with whiskey's as well. u/xxsirx/ posted a recipe in the FA Whisky thread that uses cap's maple, and it hits a ton of these pairings.
Works well with heavier creams and custards. Probably going to have to be a primary note, but pretty damned tasty.
Lastly, should pair well with tobacco, assuming that you are after that in your blend. This will sweeten a mix considerably, so watch for that. Also sort of related, flavor will complement nuttier, roastier mixes but you'll have to watch the overall dryness.
Notes:
S&V Concentration testing, starting at .25% I don't get much at all. Maybe a slight maple taste, but I'm mostly just tasting the pg in my test mix. .5% has a watery, astringent maple tinge but no real body or sweetness. Sweetness is starting to creep in at 1%, and it feels like a full maple note at 1.5%. Sweetness gets a bit grainy by 2% but that maple note is still filling out and getting a bit richer. Maple seems pretty topped out by 2.5% and that mouthfeel is getting a little distracting. 3%, it's started to get solidly dry and gritty. 4% solo is just falling apart and reading as really scratchy sugar with a more bitter maple note.
I've read a lot of talk about this being super strong, and I don't really get it. It doesn't strike me as all that aggressive. My taste buds seem to be largely intact, so I'm not sure what the disconnect is. I purchased my bottle from ECX within the last 6 months, so who knows? Weak batch, different formulation maybe? Or maybe I'm just missing something. I've had this at 4% in /u/thattswhatshesaid 's Oaked (also a great example of using this with a rich, creamy base) and loved it, so It can be definitely be done. Oaked was a /r/mixersclub submission and none of the feedback complained about the maple being out of whack there. Based on this testing, I'd suggest starting at 1.0% as a mixer for fruit, tobacco, or whiskey and about 3% with a thick, creamy or custard base. So, I guess YMMV. Maybe start lower than that and work up, most people suggest this at .25% to work in conjunction with other sweeteners like Caramel, Honey, or Butterscotch.
Maple is a tricky flavor. It's a nice change of pace for me, but I hit flavor satiation really quick with it. I kind of enjoy it up until the moment I don't and there isn't much of a grace period there. I suspect a lot of people are the same way, so I guess keep that in mind in your recipe development. Also, it does make a room smell like maple syrup... so if you're into /u/ID10-T 's (patent pending) seduction via scented cloud technique, this deserves some serious consideration.
Second Opinions:
ELR notes have some useful bits among the copies of the HIC Notes.
User vahrheit notes: "lovely maple note @ 4% , a bit too dry, could use a creamy partner. I think it has to be used in a mix. Experimenting with apple / apple pie / cookie / whiskey / vienna cream, among others"
User EWS Notes: "Excellent flavor of sweet maple syrup. I can't imagine vaping it plain; it's always an ingredient for me."
User Mofogger: "Yup, it's maple syrup... This is Chuck Norris strength syrup, it'll knock your teeth out, go easy. Start at 0.25%"
User authormichellehuges: " .50 With this Maple for me or it dominates the entire mix."
So, if ELR is telling me to tone it down, I could be wrong here. I just sort of figure why use maple if you don't want the mix to taste like maple?
"Excellent flavor of sweet maple syrup, ideal for touch of Maple Syrup in fancy coffee recipes, some bakery recipes, and candies. Excellent in cookie recipes. If mixing with bold flavors, adding 0.25% Maple Syrup or less can act as a sweetener.If you have a major sweet tooth, try Maple Syrup with some Caramel and Fresh Cream. Adding a very tiny bit of FA Honey makes the most flavorful, sweetest honey-maple vape ever, with no weird artificial-sweetener aftertaste. It's so sweet, you might want to brush your teeth after vaping that.If you're looking to make a maple tobacco or mix with boozy flavors, be aware this is a syrup flavor that will sweeten the recipe, and start with just 0.5% Maple Syrup."