Flavorah Dragon Fruit
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: FLV Dragon Fruit @ 3%, 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 7 days.
Flavor Description: Dead on for the hibiscus infusion flavor you find in teas. Light, floral, and pleasant. Reminds me of rose hips, not 100% on the flavor but the way the taste actually works.
Thin and soft sweetness on the inhale. Floral exhale with a more pronounced sweetness. Still relatively thin for how saturated this flavor is. Doesn't quite cross the line into overtly perfumey. Distinct hibiscus tea type of flavor. Exhale is really clean, with very little lingering on the palate except a slight bitterness.
Off-flavors: Very slightly bitter. Sweetness is short-lived, and it tends to have a light sucralose edge left over.
Throat Hit: Light throat hit. A bit thin and a slightly bitter sting. Nothing crazy, but I definitely feel this with prolonged vaping.
Uses: Green Tea. It should work a lot like Jasmine in that kind of mix. It could be used as an exotic replacement for citrus in fruit blends. It's relatively thin and occupies the same space on the palate. It would also make a decent sub for TFA Honeysuckle if you find that too sweet or aggressive. Would shine in floral mixes for added complexity without turning everything into a perfumey mess.
Pairings: FE or TFA Green Tea. Bright, non-floral fruits like strawberry or richer apples like FA/JF Fuji or FA Kiwi. Sweetness will get a bit aggressive in this application, so temper it back down with some Cream or INW Cactus. Someone suggested pairing CAP Hibiscus with CAP Blue Raspberry Cotton Candy, and I think this would work better than the CAP Hibiscus there. Should work to bolster FA Rose into something truly special. Too floral for really heavy thick creams, I'd keep it relatively light like FA Fresh Cream or FLV Cream. Along the same lines, TFA Vanilla Swirl. Coconut would be great, for cream without dairy notes for this to clash with. Brings out some top notes in juicier pineapples like CAP Golden Pineapple or FLV Pineapple.
Notes: I can't really comment on authenticity here, as all of my dragonfruit experience has been with a really abstracted commercial flavor added to fruit blends. This nails that. Less body than INW Dragon Fruit, although a more subtle take on the same kind of taste. More subtle and less chemical than TFA Dragon Fruit but without those magical emulsifying properties.
I wouldn't use this as a primary note in a mix. It doesn't have the body to be a star. As a component, 3% definitely isn't overbearing. Seems to drop off substantially undeneath that. I'd go with a mix at 1% for a slight floral hint. 2%-3% seems to be sweet spot for a recognizable flavor.
Overall, not a great full fruit, but an outstanding floral accent.
Shoutout to /u/apexified for sending this my way for review.
Second Opinions:
Almost nothing.
No real info but a couple of five star reviews on diy-ejuice.com
One 3-star review calling it bizarre on BCF