Liquid Barn Cherry Blossom Tea
ConcreteRiver
Disclaimer: I didn't pay for these, they were sent to me by Liquid Barn. Shoutout to Liquid Barn
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.14 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Liquid Barn Cherry Blossom Tea, 3 and 6%, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 20 days.
Flavor Description: Fairly solid cherry blossom with a tea accent.
I feel like the cherry blossom is firmly in the drivers seat on this flavor. If you check the second opinions, I may be in the minority, but I get very recognizable and saturated cherry blossom right up front. Pretty standard cherry blossom. There is a floral component to the cherry blossom, but it feels fuller and more fleshed out than a chalky, bitter perfume that you get off really intense florals. Overall, it's a really full take on a cherry blossom that works well.
The tea seems more like an accent. I do get some light earthiness, but I'm not sure I'd pick it out if the label didn't say "Cherry Blossom Tea." Theres more a black tea warmth to the flavor rather than a heavy tea leaf flavor. I'm not picking up anything grassy like green tea, and with the relative subtlety of the tea note I'd almost call it a white tea. There's also a lightly tannic astringency here that does the tea thing pretty convincingly.
This feels like a warm tea flavor. I'm picking up some of that waxy texture that I've got from some of the other liquid barn flavors, but it feels like a fit for the profile and the flavor here is full enough to carry it. Sweetness level seems pretty dead on, present enough to support that fruitier cherry blossom without being too overbearing or cloying.
The Cherry Blossom here is really similar to TPA Cherry Blossom. Same kind of floral cherry note, with the same lighter version of normal cherry off notes. The tea accent here actually pulls the liquid barn version a bit further afield from a straight floral and adds some earthiness for contrast making the entire thing seem a bit more balanced. I feel like the biggest difference here is going to be in mouthfeel. TPA Cherry Blossom leans toward chalky and powdery and this is a bit thicker and more waxy than dry. I'm not sure this is essential if you've already got TPA Cherry Blossom, but it's different enough to be worth picking up if you're super into the profile and want a fuller version of the same type of flavor.
Off-flavors: Standard for cherry blossom, it does have a (relatively light compared to normal cherries, for sure) bit of off-gassing plastic cherry off note thing. Not in the same ballpark as the worst cherry flavors, but it's there if it bothers you. A bit waxy and warm, but it seems to be working fairly well the profile.
Throat Hit: Moderate. I do get some harshness out of this but it sort of contributes the tea vibe.
Percentage testing: The composition of this seems just a bit more skewed towards tea at 3%. I'd still call it cherry blossom forward, but the tea is coming through a bit clearer with less of that cherry blossom going on. I'm getting less cherry than 6% but the actual flavor seems fairly similar and I'm still getting the same light off notes.
At 6% the cherry blossom here is a bit bolder and sweeter and moves forward a bit more in the mix. I am getting a bit more weirdness off the cherry but it's reasonably. Tea feels more like an additive at this percentage. Also noticeably sweeter here.
Just based on these tests, I'd probably be around 5% with this as a solo or primary flavor. As an accent or just part of a base you could probably drop that around 2-3%. Liquid Barn suggests 6%, so their percentages are seeming fairly solid so far.
Uses & Pairings: I'm pretty sure you're locked into tea profiles with this. While I don't find the tea to be too overbearing, it does show up enough to lock you into that kind of profile. Personally, I could stand a heavier tea in here so I'd look at FA Black Tea or FLV Lemon Tea for some added citrus as well. I don't this tastes too dark to work with green teas if that's more your thing.
In terms of accents, I can't think of too much beyond lemon or maybe a lighter touch with a realistic-ish raspberry like FA Raspberry or FLV Red Raspberry.
Second Opinions:
Here's the ELR Page. User "jojo" writes: "6% (SnV - a little strong, kinda dirt tasting. 10 days - still pretty earthy, I think from the cherry, but kinda tasty. 2 weeks - interesting, not sure. 3 weeks - better. Maybe lower % but I think I can use it. 5 weeks - still some dirt and medicinal cherry, but I think with a lower % and some playing it might be really good.)" User "kohl" writes "Not bad, sort of tart, mild sweet moderate cherry flavor." User "Ricky Ree" writes: "Floral, perfumy flavor. Nice on its own, but not a substitute for cherry fruit. "