Solub Arome Italian Bergamot
ConcreteRiver
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.13 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Solubarome Italian Bergamot @ .5%, 2% 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 9 days.
Flavor Description: Earl Grey tea, minus the tea. Functionally very similar to FA Bergamot, although the SA seems to be a bit more herbal with an almost lavender note. The FA seems to have a bit more of a green citrus to it. Other people have noted that in the FA version, but I've never really noticed it. Tasting them side by side it's a lot clearer and I'm starting to get what they are talking about. I'd maybe take advantage of the more herbal note here and use it in earl grey teas, probably at .25-.5%.
Inhale is on the floral side. Higher lavender and violet type florals without much in the way of citrus peel. Some deeper, almost chalky candy sweeteness but it's pretty mellow compared to that floral note. Exhale is a bit more complex. Spicy bitter lemon / orange dried peel notes, bordering on an almost black pepper kind of heat. Clearer lavender floral kind of flavor towards the tail end of the exhale. Same kind of powdery dry sweetness. Seems a bit oversweet touching on cloying solo. No real green, leafy sharper citrus flavor like FA Bergamot. On the thin side overall, but feels appropriate for a bergamot. Moderate harshness, primarily from the dryness and spicier notes.
Off-flavors: Not really? I feel like there is some kind of lavender-esque herbal quality to this. Still seems accurate to the bergamot you find in earl grey tea.
Throat Hit: Moderate. Not crazy for how aggressive this flavor is. Maybe a bit less harsh than FA Bergamot at comparable percentages.
Uses & Pairings: I'm really only aware of two uses of Bergamot in mixes, earl grey tea and citrus backup for cereals. I think Solubarome Bergamot may be a better option than Flavourart for the earl grey applications. It tastes a little flatter and definitely more herbal. Seems a bit smoother too, and should work well with black tea and there are less sharp citrus edges to clash with lighter creams.
For cereal applications, I still feel like the flavourart bergamot is the better choice. I still don't get a ton of green citrus peel out of it, but it's definitely more prominent in the Flavourart than the Solubarome.
Notes: Chef's is back up to a 13-15% recommendation with this one. Nope, just nope.
I'd say this is just a hair less potent than FA Bergamot. .25% is definitely present but thin, useful as an accent. .5% is a pretty solid bergamot flavor, herbal just bordering on peppery. 1% takes that herbal note and goes full black pepper. 2% is unpleasantly sharp and spicy, with a chemical bitter taste. I'd recommend mixing between .25-5% depending on how aggressive you want the bergamot note in your mix.
Second Opinions: