Inawera Purple Rain
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: INW Purple Rain @ 1%, 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 21 days.
Flavor Description: Inawera bills this as violet and vanilla. It's definitely in the neighborhood. Tastes a whole like violet top notes on top of a vanilla base instead of one cohesive flavor. The violet flavor is actually pretty nice, less aggressively floral than FA Violet. Vanilla is a warm middle-of-the road vanilla without anything too sharp or distinct. Overall effect pushes towards an elderflower cream. Really interesting.
Inhale is floral, some perfumey bitterness with a light green note. The violet is right in front of the exhale. Starts off a little green and then has a high perfumey violet almost elderflower top note. Vanilla comes in underneath that a bit later in the exhale and warms up the concentrate substantially. Really neutral vanilla, more in line with a whipped cream instead of a straight extract or candy vanilla. Lingering perfume on the exhale but fairly restrained for a floral. Really light pleasant sweetness throughout the entire exhale with some moderate density coming through with the vanilla.
Off-flavors: Nah. Violet and vanilla, just like Inawera says.
Throat Hit: Light. Mostly with the floral notes. Nothing major.
Uses & Pairings:
So this was probably intended as a one-shot, and that is probably the best use I can think of. The warm vanilla tames the floral violet quite a bit. The overall effect is pretty solid.
This would be a good sub for FA Violet at a slightly higher percentage. I can't think of a use for violet where the vanilla would be unpleasant or flagrantly out of place.
This should pair well with a sweeter citrus. It would add a really interesting dimension to something like a tangerine cream, with maybe a shortbread style of cookie.
I can also see value in cocktail vapes, as it would be a good stand-in for a creme de violette and the florals would work well FA Gin. There is a recipe for an aviation cocktail on ELR that looks super interesting.
Notes:
Like most Inawera, this is pretty potent stuff. I feel like it's a bit indistinct under .5%, with a pretty full floral and vanilla coming through at .75%. Vanilla picks up quite a bit at 1% and over, but 1.5% is the limit for me before the violet gets too perfumey. I'd mix at .75% and use 1.5% either as a solo flavor or a primary note.
I like florals, but I'm assuming you do too if you're still reading. Overall, a really nice concentrate. It's going to be a pain to mix with, but probably less so than most other florals. A really solid one-shot at 1.5%.
Second Opinions:
Some test reports on Inawera's forum. Posts have an english translation along with the polish.
One note on ELR, very floral but the mix of vanilla and violet is good.