Real Flavors Caramel Apple SC

Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.14 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.

Testing: RF SC Caramel Apple @ 2% and 4%, 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 12 days.

Flavor Description: More caramel apple sucker than actual apple dipped in caramel. Tart green candy apple note. The same caramel as in their straight RF SC Caramel and suffers from a lot of the same issues, for me at least. Get's kind of cardboard-y at the end of the exhale. The tart candy apple seems to knock out any of the earthiness, but this still feels pretty flat towards the end. I think this is a pretty full profile solo, I may accentuate the apple a bit and maybe try to clean up the tail end of the caramel. I'd recommend mixing with this around 2% or going solo closer to 3%.

Inhale has tart green apple right up front. Sharp, like a green sour apple candy. Some buttery, soft caramel in the base, but the green apple kind of dominates. Sweet, but not quite cloying. Exhale has green apple candy up front. Total jolly rancher/ caramel apple sucker kind of flavor. A good amount of tartness, but a warm candy sweetness. Caramel comes out quite a bit more on the back end. Same kind of softer-chewy light caramel as their straight caramel. Still tails off a bit and gets cardboard-y by the end but the the tarter green apple does a good job of distracting from any of the subtle earthy notes. Finish is again, pretty clean. I'd kind of hope that a caramel would stick around a bit more, but there's nothing that tastes bad either. Sweetness level is pretty appropriate for a caramel apple sucker. Fairly dense mouthfeel, especially towards the end.

Off-flavors: Apple here is green apple candy, not the actual fruit. Caramel component gets cardboard-y towards the end.

Throat Hit: Light under 3%. I feel like it's mostly the apple here, although that flat volume from the caramel does a lot to smooth it out. Over 3%, it starts to get dry and weird.

Uses & Pairings: There's a lot going on here, and it seems like it will be pretty hard to really mix around. I'd probably run with the caramel apple sucker thing, and just try to clean up the flavor a bit. I feel like a juicier apple like FA/JF Fuji or FLV Apple Pop would help to really fill out that apple note. It'll still be candy, but a bit fuller and more satisfying. The backend of the caramel is still a bit lacking for me, so I'd maybe look to a heavier cream to kind of pull the flavor back a bit and emulsify it over the entire exhale. My gut would be something like FLV Cream at .25-.5%.

Notes: Concentration testing, this isn't really clicking for me at 1%. I feel like the caramel and the apple aren't really stuck together and the whole business is just a bit thin. 2% is better, I still think the apple is a bit thin, but the caramel and apple are cohering a bit better, and the caramel hasn't gone full cardboard on me. 3% is probably my sweet spot. Candy apple is pretty full, and the caramel is thick without being too weird on the tail end of the exhale. 4% is a bit dry on the exhale and the apple is a bit harsh. I'd recommend mixing with this at about 2% if you're punching up the caramel and the apple, and maybe 3% if you're just rolling with it solo.

Second Opinions:

Only one note on ELR, and it's on the VG Version. User "Brian_SFL" says "Green Apple, meh caramel. More candied than I was hoping for."

Here's the product page from Real Flavors. Their take: "The crisp tartness of apple, blended perfectly with the buttery sweetness of caramel, will make you feel like you’re at an autumn fair. Savor the memories this Caramel Apple flavor will stir with every taste."

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