Flavor West Creamy Chocolate Cake
ConcreteRiver
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.14 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: FW Creamy Chocolate Cake, 2 and 4%, 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 8 days.
Flavor Description: It's an attempt at Hostess Ding-Dongs. Lighter chocolate, more noticeable in the actual room note than the vape. There's a sweeter filling here that seems to be pushing around the chocolate quite a bit. Some wax to this, but not the heavy, waxy chocolate you'd expect from a the chocolate coating on a ding-dong. Not a ton of grain to the cake base, or at least it's having some issues with texture coming through that filling. Doesn't really come across as a chocolate cake flavor, for me at least, more of just the filling with a bit of cake accent and that light chocolate. I'd probably stay in the 5-7% range for this as a primary flavor with maybe some help in the chocolate department and texture.
Inhale is sweet, with that filling note kind of taking over from the chocolate here. The combination of whatever chocolate they're using and that sweeter twinkie-esque filling tastes a little bit fruity to me. Moderately dense, with a little bit of harshness. Seems like a fairly warm vape, and responds well to some extra temperature. Exhale has a chocolate cake but it seems a bit on the subtle side. Nothing that really seems like a chocolate coating. Not sure why exactly, but the chocolate really seems to come and go for me. Heavily sweet filling note, no heavy vanilla or anything. Fairly close to profile. Texture is okay, letting you get a little bit of that cake graininess along with that sweeter filling. Some waxiness to this, but with the lighter chocolate it feels like it's working more with the filling than a chocolate coating. This vapor on this smells more like chocolate than it tastes, if that makes any sense. I think the filling is kind of stomping on the chocolate and the combination has a errant bit of fruitiness to it. Fairly clean finish.
This is a fairly dark concentrate, but about 15ml in and I haven't been noticing any drastic coil gunk, so this may actually be fructose or whatever free.
Off-flavors: I'm a getting a light fruitiness from the weaker chocolate and the filling. Nothing overwhelming, it just has a touch of like a black cherry or maybe raspberry edge to it. Also doesn't seem to have a heavy chocolate coating that I'd expect from a ding-dong.
Throat Hit: Light. Nothing crazy, but it's a bit warm and harsh.
Uses & Pairings: To use this as a ding-dong, I think this desperately needs a bit more AP. It should help a bit with a clearer texture on the cake and AP tends to work really well to boost chocolate. I'm partial to FA Cookie in small percentages, but just straight Acetyl Pyrazine would probably work as well.
That chocolate coating is a little harder. This already has some wax, so you may want to go for a more syrupy chocolate flavor that doesn't bug you and hope it latches onto that wax in the filling.
Just enough chocolate here that this would be pretty distracting in an accent role for anything but a chocolate cake/cupcake type mix. Used at a lower percentage it may bring in some of that filling sweetness to a richer, more robust chocolate cake mix..
Notes: Concentration testing. at 2% this actually seems to be a bit heavier on the chocolate, or at least the filling isn't getting in the way. Feels a bit thin though, and it's fairly dry. 4% has a more solid filling note, starting to step on the chocolate. Lightly fruity, but the actual texture and body is pretty good. 6% has a more solid filling note than chocolate cake, at least solo. 8% is a bit too sweet, waxy and warm. Getting really muddy and sweet up that high. I'd use this between 5-7% as a primary note, or maybe 3% as an accent.
Second Opinions:
Nah, still new.