Vape Train Australia Honey Pomelo
ConcreteRiver
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 12 wrap 24g 3.5mm SS316 @.32 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Vape Train Honey Pomelo, 3% and 7%, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 21 days. Flavor Description: Like a pomelo, but sweeter.
The pomelo here seems fairly accurate overall. Starts off as a sweeter take on a white grapefruit, with some moderately aggressive lime notes creeping into the top end on the exhale. The body of the flavor is heavy and sweet, bordering on syrupy. Gets maybe a bit oversweet and cloying solo, but it’s balanced fairly well by some tartness. Not as tart as something like INW White Grapefruit or FA Grapefruit for me, but there is enough acidity to do the citrus thing well enough. I’m not really picking up anything too bitter here, but there is just a bit of a zest note going on as well.
Doesn’t have that really heavy waxy note I usually get with thicker citrus flavors, so that’s cool. Overall, harshness is pretty decent for a ctirus. Base of the flavor feels more candied than juicy, and that sweetness can get a bit dry with extended vaping. Something about the combination of lime and grapefruit can come across a bit like a cleaning product though, at least at higher percentages.
The only other pomelo flavor I’ve tried is Purilum Pomelo, and this seems to be a bit more useful. I’d almost call the Purilum a bit more realistic, but this is brighter, fuller, and doesn’t have the weird musk of the Purilum.
Off-Flavors: Can get a bit of a cleaning product vibe solo, but pomelos kind of have that going on. So not really?
Throat Hit: Light to Moderate. It’s there, but it’s relatively mellow for a citrus that is actually bright.
Percentage testing: At 3%, this is a bright, lighter take on a sweet citrus. Doesn’t really read distinctly as a pomelo here, feels a bit more like a more generic citrus mix. Not particularly harsh while still being fairly vibrant.
At 7%, this is a pomelo. Something about the component citrus parts has cohered a bit and I’m getting a clear pomelo. Still not super harsh, a touch acidic, and pretty bright overall. Feels sweet and saturated, although it’s starting to taste a bit like a cleaning product.
Vape Train suggests mixing with this at 2-4%, and solo from 5-7%. That actually seems about right. Just based on these tests, I think I’d be around 1-2% as an accent or 5-6% as a primary note.
Uses & Pairings: As an accent, this is going to be a pretty good general purpose citrus that has some sweetness, body, and brightness. Should stand up well in most fruit mixes and work as “citrus” to play off most anything you want to bounce off of it.
Seems the most like a grapefruit, so you may be able to use it in conjunction with a more zest heavy grapefruit to fill out a grapefruit vape without the overall mix being super aggressive.
At higher percentages, it’s a strong and relatively clean citrus flavor, but it’s a bit harder to get away from that industrial vibe. As a primary flavor, I’d aim more at beverages or candies, where those lime notes aren’t going to drag a mix into tasting like cleaning products.
I’d probably stay away from anything dairy-ish just because of those vaguely astringent lime notes going on in the top end.