Liquid Barn Sour Gummy
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 @.14 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Liquid Barn Sour Gummy, 9 and 17% @ 1g/ml, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 28 days.
Flavor Description: Sour-ish, "red", and waxy but doesn't really come across as an actual gummy for me.
The gummy in question in here is a bit indistinct. I don't pick up much here beyond a vague "red" kind of flavor. It's almost like a swedish fish kind of red, but not nearly as vibrant as that sounds. There's something juicy, mellow, and sort of neutral like an apple to it, but the finish has some of those really familiar red fruit / cherry plastic notes. It's not particularly saturated or intense, even up at that monster 17%. It's definitely a kind of candy flavor, but the base is undersweet and thin.
This actually feels a bit sour. Given how the watery the base here feels after a steep, I'm inclined to say it's probably something pretty normal like malic or citric acid. With that said, it suffers from the same issues as using normal sour additives. It isn't really a true puckering kind of sour, it's more just a sort of interesting tartness. The combination of the plasticy notes from the candy here and that acid up front is a bit harsh as well.
The texture isn't quite there for a gummy for me. The mouthfeel is definitely waxy, which is part of a gummy profile, but the body is really flat and thin. It doesn't have the chewiness and density of a gummy flavor. The mouthfeel is more like licking gummy bears, with all of that weird caranuba wax kind of coating but none of that actual body.
Off-flavors: The actual candy flavor here has some red fruit plastic notes on the finish. A bit hollow from the "sour" with no body.
Throat Hit: Moderate. It's not unbearable after a steep but it's really intense right off a shake.
Percentage testing: At 9%, I'm getting mostly waxy, red, and thin. Some sour notes, but not much body for them to really hang on to. Sort of watery, with a moderate plastic off-note at the back of the flavor.
At 17%, this feels way too red and those plastic off-notes are pretty intense. Very sticky and waxy, but still no real body. Doesn't actually taste much more sour.
Liquid Barn suggests 17%, which is a whole lot of off-notes for me. I'd be well below that, at maybe 4-5% solely as an additive. This doesn't seem to work as a solo for me.
Uses & Pairings: I'd skip this one solo, or even as a primary flavor in a mix if you're at all sensitive to plastic-ish off-notes.
I'd probably trying this out with some pre-existing gummy or candy concentrates, and using it to try to convey some of that sour. Should pair reasonably well with stuff like the new SilverLine 27 Bears and 27 Fishes.
Outside of use with existing gummy concentrates, you could probably throw this in with FA Blackcurrant and some sweetener to fill out the red gummy direction this seems to want to go in. Maybe some TPA Red Licorice too.
Second Opinions:
Here's the ELR Page. User "jojo" writes: "SnV - Plasticy, slightly waxy, and chemically. A little bit of a sour gummy though. 1 week - Still reminds me a little more of a wax lips kind of a candy than a gummy. I guess I’m getting a little gummy in the background. Not super sour, more bright and fruity. 2 weeks - Same. Bright and fruity, maybe a little more sour/bitter, very gummy/waxy. 3 weeks - Same. 6 weeks - Same. Sour, waxy, fruity, gummy. Not bad for what it is but I don’t see myself using it all that often."