The Flavor Apprentice Cola Fizz
ConcreteRiver
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 12 wrap 24g 3.5mm SS316 @.33 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: TPA Cola Fizz, 3% and 6%, others noted, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 13 days.
Flavor Description: An additive with just the acid and spicy herbal notes out of cola.
This doesn't taste anything like an actual can of Coke. It's just the actual cola and acid part divorced from the heavier caramel and vanilla body. Accurate, sharp herbal notes that pick up some astringency and green bitterness solo. There's also a pretty heavy tart, almost sour, bite to this as well. Does a good job of emulating that acidic bite from the phosphoric acid in sharper sodas. Doesn't just feel like a more traditional malic/citric acid kind of tartness you get with traditional sour additives. Also doesn't seem to be as corrosive to the underlying flavor as those sour additives, at least on a relatively short steep with another sweeter, fuller flavor underneath.
This is definitely an additive as opposed to a full cola flavor. That's where the "fizz" comes in. This is not a miracle silver bullet to carbonated mouthfeel in a vape, but it does replicate what generally passes as effervescence in other flavors. Basically, if you get something sparkling out of FW Pink Champagne or TPA Ginger Ale, this should work as a fizz. It's a combination of the sharper spice notes and the acidity that doesn't actually produce the tactile sensation of bubbles in a soda but pretty closely replicates the sharp, acidic bite on the palate. At 1%, as an additive, I'll say it's noticeably more effervescent than anything I've ever got off another spicier cola like FA Cola. Not really a foamy, creamy mouthfeel like FLV Root Beer, but it does evoke a solid fizz.
Off-flavors: It has a cola flavor and whatever passes as a fizz to it. Unpleasant as a solo flavor, but nothing chemical or off profile.
Throat Hit: Solo, this is pretty intense. Bitter, hard throat hit. Also adds a bit of additional throat hit to a mix, but nothing too intense up to 1% and it kind of helps sell the acidity of a cola base.
Percentage testing: Probably not a solo flavor. At 3%, this is bitter and herbal and slightly astringent. Heavy tartness. Just the herbaceous parts of a cola with no real body to give any kind of fizz to.
I am not a smart man, and I mixed a solo tester of this at 6%. I would advise against that. Legitimately spicy with intense bitterness. Clearly higher than intended.
After trying this at 6% and being vaguely horrified, I mixed up a couple more testers with LB Cola Freeze at 10%. At .5% cola fizz, it does help to inject some life into the flatter sweeter Cola Freeze. I'm not sure I'm getting too much distinct fizz at that percentage, but it makes the cola more vibrant and adds a more realistic kind of acidic bite. At 2% Cola Fizz, I am getting some bitterness and herbal notes that aren't quite meshing with the cola freeze. Seems to be hitting that fizz thing better, but flavor is probably a bit intense.
Just based on these tests, this is going to be an accent flavor. I'd probably start at .25% if you just a bit of vibrancy and acidity to a flatter cola flavor. I'd probably top out around 1% unless you're specifically going for some of those bitter, herbal notes. If you're trying to get weird with this, I'd probably go for about 2% in cocktail applications with other aggressive flavors.
Uses & Pairings: Pretty obvious to use this as a relatively "fizzy" cola booster to give flatter cola some brightness and vibrancy. FA Cola is already fairly spice heavy, so I'd keep it really subtle with that one, but this should work a whole lot better with something like LB Cola Freeze or TPA Cola Syrup.
Good to get the "cola" in a soda base if you want to build your own. Should work for a root beer with the right supporting flavors.
Would work well for a cola gummy type of vape. The tartness is going to go to bring it more toward a sour cola gummy, but the lack of caramel and vanilla is going to be an asset there. You'd need to use a candy texturizer to get the body right, but this already tastes like the cola from those haribo gummy colas.
Spicy herbal notes for a amaro or other herbal liqueur vape. Would work fairly well as a dash of bitters in a cocktail vape that already had a cola in there.
Second Opinions: Nah, not that I've found.