Liquid Barn Coconut Milk
ConcreteRiver
Disclaimer: I didn't pay for these, they were sent to me by Liquid Barn. Shout out to Liquid Barn
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.18 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Liquid Barn Coconut Milk, 4 and 7% @ 1g/ml, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 25 days.
Flavor Description: A heavy, waxy coconut cream, with an errant spiciness.
The coconut here skirts the line between coconut cream and the coconut from a pina colada mix. While I do get some smoother, more realistic coconut in here, there's something that feels a lot like artificial coconut backing it up. It's not an overwhelming suntan lotion vibe, but it definitely has some of that heavy fake coconut going on.
For the most part, the texture here is pretty great. It's intensely thick and creamy. It's not as full-on buttery as FLV Coconut, but it's thicker and richer than a lot of other coconut flavors. Some of the second opinions mention this feeling a bit oily, and I can totally see it. There is a waxiness here that combines with the richer coconut cream, and it can definitely come across as a scoop of hydrogenated coconut oil. This is also substantially sweeter than straight coconut milk, it's not unpleasant but it sort of bumps the artificial factor.
I'm also getting something spicy out this, and I'm going back on forth on whether it's a sort of cinnamon note or just some of the ethyl alcohol not completely having calmed down. My testers here are 3.5 weeks deep into steeping, so if it's the ethyl alcohol thing then it's definitely persistent. Comparing this to a freshly mixed sample, that spicy note is a little less pronounced after a relatively long steep, but it still feels too prominent to just be a steeping issue. The spice shows up mostly in the top notes and as the inhale builds. Sort of feels more like cinnamon rather than having a distinct cinnamon taste to it.
Off-flavors: That spiciness (or raw ethyl alcohol nearly a month out, i guess) sticks out quite a bit against the coconut milk. Overall texture is heavier and waxier than actual coconut milk, and the flavor skews a bit artificial.
Throat Hit: From that coconut milk part, not really. That part is very smooth. That spicy bite is moderately harsh though, especially at higher percentages.
Percentage testing: At 4%, this actually feel fairly full. It's still a bit on the waxy side, but it isn't as intensely heavy and creamy and the coconut feels a bit brighter. It does taste a little artificial here, but that weird spiciness is fairly subtle.
At 7% this is quite a bit heavier. The coconut doesn't feel too much pronounced than 7%, but the cream around it feels thicker, richer, and oily. I'm also picking up more of that spicy bite.
Just based on these tests, I'd probably be using this an accent flavor to back up more neutral creams at around 2-3%. Liquid barn suggests mixing at 7% but it's almost too assertive for me up that high, and that coconut oil thing is distracting.
Uses & Pairings: This doesn't really work all that well as a single flavor. Without something else going here that weird spice and wax thing is fairly distracting from the creamier coconut base going on here. Unlike most of the liquid barn stuff I've tested so far, this definitely feels more like a component for more complex mixes.
I'd primarily be using this as a coconut cream enhancer. Should work well at small percentages to thicken up custards and creams without absolutely dominating them with a coconut flavor.
This should also work well behind brighter tropical fruits like mango and pineapple. Might be a good jumping off point for a coconut cream for a pina colada.
If that spiciness isn't just ethyl alcohol, this would also work well in horchata type recipes.
Because of that waxiness, I think this would be a good base for a coconut frosting along with INW Shisha Vanilla, FLV Frosting, or CAP Vanilla Cupcake.
Second Opinions:
Here's the ELR Page. User "jojo" writes: " 4% (SnV - a decent coconut, a little plastic. 1 week - Little sunscreen but mostly creamy coconut flavor. Pretty good 2 weeks - very tasty. 5 weeks - no idea what happened to notes for weeks 3&4. This has pretty much just gotten better.)" User "Crago44" writes "The coconut could be a a little less thick and oily but that could get better with time/steep The milk is a thick like a cream or light ice cream but this is overall to thick to be a coconut milk. It taste just like the coconuts oil I use to cook." User "Chachi Vapes" writes: "Smells like banana boat tanning oil. Has a good creamy coconut flavor though."