The Flavor Apprentice Vanilla Bourbon
ConcreteRiver
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.17 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: TFA Vanilla Bourbon @ 2%, 60% VG, 40% VG, Steeped 30 days
Flavor Description: Dark vanilla extract with a malty edge to it. Reminiscent of the low notes from DIYFS Holy Vanilla, although it doesn't seem as rich or nuanced. Flat flavor, all low sweetness and rich vanilla.
Inhale is slightly sour, malty vanilla. Fairly thin, moderate sweetness but really bottom-heavy and deep. Exhale is again really deep. Malt forward, with a really soft almost roasted vanilla flavor. Thick and creamy, but without any dairy notes. Most of the flavor is down low without a lot of top notes. Moderate dark sweetness here, almost a molasses flavor. Could just be my rapidly gunking coils but this has almost a roasted coffee flavor in there too.
Off-flavors: Surprisingly malty, but not unpleasant. Lots of dark sugar and roasted flavors, but again, that could just be a cry for help from my coils.
Throat Hit: Not really.
Uses & Pairings: Dark rich vanilla, seems suited for heavier mixes. Should work well with richer, buttery bakeries. Tastes quite a bit like vanilla extract without the alcohol note. Adds quite a bit of richness. The lack of top notes here is going to work really well with those heavier flavors.
In the same vein, I could see this working with heavy custards and ice creams that border on frozen custard. Maybe INW Creme Brulee as well. I'd use this for a malty note in milkshakes, where that is called for. It's a dark flavor, so you'd have to use it low and reinforce it with a brighter vanilla.
That roasted malt note is fun, and it shows up low. I'm almost thinking that this would lend a kind of porter-ish note to a cocktail mix. I could also see that malt working well to add an interesting dimension to something like a hot chocolate.
Notes:
Extremely dark, almost black concentrate. Wreaking some hell on my coils.
S&V Concentration testing, I get mostly malt at .5%. Some more recognizable vanilla at 1%, but thin and a bit sour. 1.5% feels like the sweet spot here, as that vanilla fills in and is actually a bit fluffy, while that malt is still there and the overall effect is a manageable sour. The sour malt just builds from there. I'd mix this at .5% if you're just after the malt, and 1.5% if you want the vanilla in there as well. I'd avoid this at higher concentrations both because of the coil gore and the sour part of that malt note.
INW Vanilla Bourbon Flavor Review
FA Vanilla Bourbon Flavor Review
Really simple take on the available Vanilla Bourbon concentrates: INW reads marshmallow, TFA reads malty extract, and FA reads as a warm vanilla additive. I'd use INW for strong, bright marshmallowy vanilla in a fruit mix or over the top rich mixes, TFA for heavy custards and bakeries without spice, and FA for lighter creams and bakeries with a bit of spice as well as nutty or tobacco mixes.
Honestly, I would skip this concentrate if you have access to DIYFS Holy Vanilla. This doesn't do the malty vanilla thing as well, and seems to be a lot worse on coils.
Second Opinions:
Best note I've found is on ELR in portugese, google translation follows:
'Weak vanilla flavor even though it is a fragrance extracted from vanilla bean in 5% alcohol is weak and does not impose itself, easily gets lost in the recipe, had been left with the impression that it would give a strong blow to the throat which is not true Until it is quite soft and does not feel the alcohol, when opening the bottle almost does not have aroma, of dark brown tonality reason why it tends to soil the cotton and accumulate residues in the resistances. As vanilla aroma is very weak and bourbon just the same name, would benefit from more concentration of vanilla and some alcoholic note or wood to be an aroma with personality. To be used if we want a light and slightly predominant aroma the vanilla is however softer than its competitors."
The concept that this isn't related to whiskey seems to be hard for people.
Good quick rundown on Vaping Underground, including some other vanilla flavors.