Jungle Flavors Tiramisu
ConcreteRiver
Disclaimer: I didn't pay for these, shoutout to ECX for sending them 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: Jungle Flavors Tiramisu, 1 and 4%, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 14 days.
Flavor Description: A drier and less funky take on Tiramisu.
So, this is fairly coffee forward. It's a darker espresso style coffee. It tastes a little burnt, but not wholly incinerated like the worst offenders in the burnt-popcorn kind of off-flavor category. Espresso is at the front on the concentrate, and occupies most of the top notes. There's theoretically some cocoa in here, complicating some of that darkness in that coffee, but I have to go looking for it. Mostly works as an added dark note against all that espresso.
The rest of the tiramisu is a little more subdued. I do get quite a bit of pretty accurate ladyfingers kind of bakery in here. It's a bit dry but it mostly stays in its place and doesn't seem to fluffy or dominant against the coffee. I can't really find much in the way of cream here. There's a light tartness that maybe feels like the start of a pastry cream, but it doesn't really have much thickness or body to it. I don't pick up any distinct vanilla or eggyness to that cream, but there is a lot going on here and it may just be getting a bit lost.
This isn't an overly sweet concentrate, which is probably a fit for the profile. There's definitely some dessert style sweetness, but it's tempered pretty effectively by that aggressive coffee and the dryness of the pastry. Because of the lack of cream, this actually comes off a bit dry. The darker parts of the coffee and the cocoa lean a little dry, and that drier ladyfinger base doesn't really help. Mostly dry in comparison to FA, but probably worth noting.
Comparing this FA Booster / Tiramisu, their definitely trying to hit similar profiles. Both have that darker, espresso kind of coffee note although I feel like the espresso in the JF version is a tad lighter and a bit less overdone. While I'm definitely still getting a bit of that burnt popcorn it's not as prominent as it is in the FA Version. If FA Booster is a 7 out of 10 for coffee weirdness, I'd call this maybe a 4. I do feel like the rest of tiramisu is maybe a bit more developed in the FA version though. The cream note is much more prominent in the FA, and I feel like the actual pastry component seems a bit more fleshed out because of it. Their isn't much cream to the JF and it sort of feels more like dry ladyfingers as opposed to a full, composed dessert.
Off-flavors: It's fairly coffee-forward, so theres a bit of that weird buttery burnt off-note to it, but it's relatively restrained compared to some of the darker coffee flavors. Beyond that, a bit dry for a tiramisu and missing some of the creamier notes. I know ragging on bakeries for having lemon in them is a FA thing, but there is some tartness here that feels a bit out of place.
Throat Hit: Light. The pastry part of this can get a bit throaty and dry, but nothing too major.
Percentage testing: At 1% this is strangely tart and a bit thin. Coffee flavor here is light, and I get some dry pastry notes, but I'm not getting much distinct cocoa and almost no creamier component. Feels pretty underflavored.
At 4%, this is quite a bit more pleasant. Coffee is a bit deeper and you pick out some of the cocoa nuance. Pastry base feels thicker and somehow less dry, but that doesn't really equate to a more discrete cream component.
Just based on these tests, I'd probably be around 1.5% as an accent or 3% for a primary flavor.
Uses & Pairings: I think maybe FA is a better single flavor tiramisu flavor, but this might be a bit easier to mix with.
The coffee here is a bit less burnt, so it should fairly well in actual coffee beverage profiles with a whole bunch of cream to kind of soften up those ladyfingers. I think the lack of eggy notes from a heavy custard is actually a good thing for usability in coffee beverage profiles, as those tend to bring the burnt notes in coffee up a bit by contrast.
If you wanted to turn this into your own tiramisu, I'd look at heavier custards like CAP or INW, and bonus points if you bring in some HS Italian Cream for some of that marscapone flavor.
Pretty solid choice for the base of a coffee bakery.
Second Opinions: Again, I'm not finding much out there.
Here's the product page from ECX. Their description: "Enjoy a pick me up with Tiramisu from Jungle Flavors! Tiramisu’s flavor is that of coffee -flavored custard with hints of cocoa. Whether by itself or paired with other dessert flavors, Tiramisu is an excellent addition to any DIY inventory." User "Shellany" gives it 4 stars in a review titled "A-": "Like the his flavor with a little bit more bakery taste, and just a drop or two of a frosting flavor. Otherwise good flavoring and recommend."