Chefs Super Concentrates Single Flavor Tests by SessionDrummer -- Testing Now !!

Super huge thanks out to Leah @Chefs_Flavours  for sending out these BRAND NEW Super Concentrates under the Chefs label.  These are BRAND NEW, and no information was available, but their website suggests mixing rates of 0.2-0.5%.  Going to mix these all at the higher end of 1.5%, after at least a 1.5 week steep to allow me to get through the recent new FA flavors on deck.

I had considered adding this entire run to the original Chef's Flavors Tasting Notes thread, but those flavors were being used at 20-30% ?? !!!   Clearly these brand new flavors appear to be Super Concentrates, and hence their own, new area.  All tested at 1.5%, 70/30, using the beloved SteamCrave RDTA v.1, with fresh cotton and burned coils between all tests.

MIXING NOW !!!!


https://www.chefsflavours.co.uk/collections/chefs-super-concentrates-retail

**Apple (Toffee Apple) (CSC) 1.5% (6-11-21)**  --  First one on deck from Chef's.  My very first thoughts were, this was one of the better green/red apple flavors I have tried.  Nicely acidic, with a perfect mix of sweet and tart.  At 1.5% it felt really good, and in no way hitting the ceiling.  The toffee was much lower in the mix, and some times almost avoided detection.  You could tell it was there, as it was more complex than just a simple green apple.  For my tastes, I would have preferred more toffee, but as it would, that portion of this flavor was fairly low in the overall mix.  The apple continued to present as fresh till the end of the tank, and it never grew fatiguing.  Even with the very low toffee notes, this one stayed interesting, fresh, and tasty.  Take offs only for the low toffee notes.  Felt really good and freshly green @ **8.1/10**.

**Biscuit (Speculoos) (CSC) 1.5% (6-12-21)**  --  Living in the US, we have a much different meaning for "biscuit", than across the pond where it is more of a cookie.  A Speculoos Biscuit is actually a spiced biscuit (cookie), and man was it good.  Regardless on which side of the pond you reside, my tastebuds nailed this as an almost pumpkin spiced cookie, WITHOUT the pumpkin.  The ingredients appear to vary from country to country, but seeing repeated mentions of *cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, ginger and clove,* yup, yup, yup.  With this little gem floating in between an almost pumpkin spiced, to an almost gingerbread spiced cookie (biscuit), it was a TREAT.  At 1.5% it was perfect, and was fairly complex with all of the spice elements floating around, with none taking center stage.  You could EASILY push/pull this DIRECTLY into a full on pumpkin spiced, or a gingerbread by adding one or the other, but as it stood, a VERY good flavor.  During the testing, I had to FIGHT the urge to run to the rack, and grab some FLV Frosting, or LA Cream Cheese Icing.  Wow, if you like, want, or need a spiced cookie (biscuit), this one WILL get it done.  Nothing off putting, and the fact that the spices continued to shift, and morph around, it stayed interesting throughout.  I went into this flavor expecting a Bisquik type biscuit, but found a deliciously complex spiced cookie instead.  Complex-edly set at a **9.8/10**. 

**Blackberry (CSC) 0.25% (6-19-21)**  --  OK, this one was STRONG.  Started out at 1.5%, 0.75%, and 0.50% and it folded over on itself, and went full soapy.   Reduced to 0.25%, re-steeped, and it can NOW be evaluated.  Even at this much reduced weight, the blackberry was still present, and just at the very end, I will still getting that off, soapy note.  VERY reduced, and almost undetectable but still there.  The blackberry itself was a mid to dark berry, that had some nice sweetness and a tart bite at the end.  An actual sparkly blackberry of sorts.  Because I reduced to 0.25% and I was still getting a lil' soap, you will have to use caution when using this, and it will have to be used very low.  As it stood, at the lower 0.25% rate, with the plusses and minuses, felt fair @ **5/10**.

**Blueberry Cheesecake (CSC) 1.5% (5-12-21)**  --  Yum, yum, yum.  I have a Blueberry Cheesecake as one of my ADV's, so any BBC will have a hard road to plow with me.  This one was yummy right at the start.  Creamy cheesecake, crust, and some blueberry.  The cheesecake was velvety smooth, with no sharp cheese notes, and the graham cracker crust reminded me of TPA's CGC.  The BB was more recessed in the mix, and harder to nail down, but the bits I got seemed to a a Wild/Fresh mix.  You could easily push the BB with your BB of choice.  At 1.5% it was full, and plenty creamy, and I could find nothing out of place.  At almost mid-level sweetness, and only minor takeoffs for a slightly recessed blueberry, it was hard to fault this one.  Solidly placing it at **9.2/10**.

**Cake (Sponge Cake) (CSC) 1.5% (6-13-21)**  --  Classic sponge cake isn't overly complicated, with eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, and sugar, but I've found it harder to reproduce as a flavor.  Chef's did a pretty good job doing it however.  All of the profiles here combined to a pretty realistic sponge cake.  At times I almost got a hint of AP, but, it was subdued and in no way detracted from the delicious cake.  About mid level sweet, and tasting fine at 1.5%, this one was a blank slate with which you could easily push it up with some strawberry, and/or whip cream, and really let it shine.  As it stood, pretty convincing with no off-notes, and as exciting as a sponge cake it, they pretty much nailed it.  If you're needing a cake, that's spongy, this one should be on your rack.  Easily **9/10**.

**Cereals (CSC) 1.5% (6-13-21)**  --  A generic cereal base, would be what best sums this one up.  Nothing fancy, nothing stand out, and fairly neutral cereal-ish base.  Got a few of the same notes here from their Sponge Cake, but in far reduced amounts.  Hints of AP, and no real grainy-ness to speak of.  Didn't feel heavy @ 1.5%, and nothing off-putting to be found here.  Could easily be used as a "baser" and tweaked as needed.  Minor take-offs for some missing grains, but overall, was an effective cereal base.  Felt good at **6.5/10**.

**Coconut Macaroons (CSC) 1.5% (6-13-21)**  --  Many people don't actually even know what's IN a Coconut Macaroon, and they're not complicated.  Coconut, sweetened condensed milk, egg whites, vanilla, and salt.  Did Chef's nail this flavor ??   YES !!!  ---END of REVIEW----.  Kidding.  Wow, talk about an IMPACT from merely 1.5% of a flavor, this one has it, and it's great.  I think many times, peoples tastes regarding coconuts vary wildly, so keep that in mind any time you read a review of coconut flavors.  For my tastes, this one had a perfect pairing of both a creamy-ish coconut, and almost a raw coconut.  A tick above mid-level sweet, with a super delicious sweetened creamy back end.  The coconut had no "greasy-ees", or "oily-ees", and at the very end it finished with a nice astringent, acidic note, which really carried the entire flavor home.  Had the coconut been purely creamy, this wouldn't have been there, and it WOULD have been missed.  Tasting this flavor, really had a beginning, middle, and end.  Quite interesting, and super delicious, and despite emptying two testers, I could find NO fault with this one.  If you like coconut, this one might just end up on your short list.  Unquestionably **9.8/10**.

**Crazy Rainbow (CSC) 1.5% (6-13-21)**  --  As a general rule, I do not use any cooling agents, and despite trying them all, have never enjoyed them.  This is a disclaimer, as this flavor HAS cooling in it, so please keep this in mind.  It's a shame, because the flavor(s) are actually quite good, BUT, if you are an anti-cooler like me, the cooling can just get in the way.  I would wish that Chef's would carry this exact flavor, but without the cooling as an option.  As far AS the flavor/profiles, they're actually quite good, but somewhat obscured from me due to the aforementioned.  I checked Chef's product page, and didn't see any mention of the cooling but they billed it as a Lemon, Black Currant, Red Fruit medley, and that sounds about right.  The lemon, and red fruits are the two main profiles, with possibly some currant in there.  The cooling is fairly prevalent and persistent throughout, and your like/dislike will obviously come into play here.  The red fruit/lemon pairing is actually really good, and felt perfect at 1.5%, and with below mid level sweetness, was interesting, non-fatiguing, and damned fine tasting.  It would be nice if Chef's stated the cooling on their page, and I'll contact them about that.  As it stood, from a flavoring perspective, the pairings, were quite unique, fresh, and damned good, so I'll rate on that aspect of it.  If you're a "no cooler" like me, stay away, but if you're not, and you're in need of an interestingly unique pairing of Lemon, Red Fruits, and a smidge (maybe) of currant, you should try this one.  **9.1/10**.

**Creme Brulee (CSC) 1.5% (6-13-21)**  --  A rich custard base, topped with a crisp, caramelized sugar, who wouldn't like that ?? !!!  The first thing that struck me with this one, was how well Chef's did the caramelized sugar.  Custards are plentiful, but a good caramelized sugar, almost burnt, but not bitter can be hard to get right, and they did.  Underneath it, was a nice somewhat relaxed vanilla custard.  Eggs and vanilla were present, but it wasn't overly eggy.  The sugar topping was ALMOST the star of the show here, but not entirely.  The custard held it's own, and worked flawlessly with the topping, and what a one-two punch it was.  Above mid-level sweet, and it tasted nicely full at 1.5%.  Nothing off-putting, just a great tasting experience.  The overall creamy level was about a 6/10, so it was not a super dense creamy flavor, but honestly, after you start tasting it, that won't matter.  Further testing revealed that the vanilla did take front seat from any egg notes, which was nice as opposed to a heavier egg-centric custard.  Again, perfect pair between the custard and topping.  More than rich enough to get your attention, but not oppressively so.  All in, this might JUST be the best Creme Brule I've tasted.  I could find NO faults with this one.  Handily a **9.9/10**.

**Custard (CSC) 1.5% (6-14-21)**  --  If anyone knows how to completely ignore DAAP concerns, and dive RIGHT into the Custard pool, head first, it's me.  Matter of fact, I still need to try @woftam's Custard Slut now that I think about it !!!!!  OK, what in the hell do we have here.  Hero / Zero ??  I'm leaning towards HERO people !!!!  Now, we don't have to re-hash all the "What type of custard do you like" conversations, as we ALL have different tastes.  I've got hundreds of uses for Custards thus far, and I use a wide array of them.  I prefer a LESS heavy eggy custard, most of the time.  This one presented as a rich, semi dense, not overly eggy custard, paired with an almost delicious pudding, BUT, there was something else.  What in the hell ??  It's almost like a lighter donut/fried dough profile.  I thought I smelled donut when smelling the bottle, but wasn't sure.  Yup, that's what I'm getting, BUT, at a much lower ratio, as opposed to the Custard/Pudding.  At first I wasn't sure, but now, I think it just works.  I stopped focusing soley on it, and the sum total of the profiles, and it just works.  Simple, lighter, but still heavy enough to grab your attention.  Nice and tasty at 1.5%, and at about mid level sweet, having a hard time finding issues with it.  For you numbers people, it was like 40% Custard, 40% Van. Pudding, and 20% Donut, and that's what you get.  If you like those three profiles, and ratios, you'll love this flavor.  For MY palate/tastes, I can't go lower than **9.75/10**.

**Donut (CSC) 1.5% (6-16-21)**  --  Of ALL the donuts I've tested over the years, it seems like there's really only THREE things that come into play.  Yeasty, oily (fried dough), and frosting.  It's much harder than it seems to get it right, or there'd be MORE good ones.  Chef's donut seemed to lean more heavily to the fried dough side, as opposed to the yeasty side.  Right there, that may define it as a hero or zero already, but that's for YOU to decide.  The FROSTING on this one, was STELLAR, and really stood out during the testing.  I did NOT get any Play-Doh which was a huge plus (Glazed Donut you know I'm talking about you), and I struggled to come up with a describe-able fried dough to yeasty ratio.  It leaned so heavily towards a fried dough, that I barely got any yeast notes.  Maybe 80 fried dough / 20 yeast, if even that, maybe even higher.  Regardless of the exact ratio, suffice it to say that if you prefer a fried dough donut, you will like this one, if not, well, hehe, you know the deal.  The frosting was almost really the star here, as it would appear that I prefer a more yeasty base, than a fried dough, BUT, those are MY tastes, not yours.  At 1.5% it was very strong, and could PROBABLY be dropped to 1.0% with ease, at least for SFT, mixing weights will always vary depending on your goals, and supporting flavors.  To try and sum up the THREE parts with this one, I would have to guess at 60% fried dough, 30% glazed/frosting and 10% yeast.  Continued testing verified that to be pretty close.  I did not get any off notes at this testing weight, and sweetness was above mid level, and the frosting/glazed and I became fast friends during this test.  While preferring a more yeast based approach, this one was fairly convincing, and felt good at **8/10**.

**Lemon (CSC) 1.5% (6-18-21)**  --  For me, lemons always fall into one (or more) of the basic three types  Natural, Lemonade, or Candied.  The lemonade style would be half way between natural and full candied.  Chef's was a pretty interesting Lemon, because it seemed to straddle all three.  At 1.5% it was fairly full, and didn't taste overflavored, so you won't have to worry about micro drops LOL.  Sweetness and tartness were both on point with just enough of each, but not too much of either.  Because it kind of straddled the fence on the three types, it was an interesting flavor, as sometimes it shifted around to more of one or another, but stayed true to all 3.  Depending on your needs this one should prove to be very versatile, and allow for broad usage, as it wasn't pigeon holed into just one category or profile.  It was actually surprisingly good, on it's own.  All in, for a broad spectrum lemon this one was pretty good, with nothing out of place.  Felt solid @ **9.2/10**.

**Marshmallow (CSC) 1.5% (6-19-21)**  --  I was immediately struck by how good this one captured the powdered sugar on the outer layer of a marshmallow, maybe even better than most others.  The vanilla twinged mallow followed behind that, with a fairly clean finish.  I wouldn't say it was overly heavy in the mouthfeel dept., but still present.  Fairly neutral except for some vanilla notes, and it leaned more towards the smaller "cereal" marshmallows than anything else.  Tasted just fine at 1.5%, and COULD even be used a smidge higher if needed.  It's sharp edges tempering will have to be checked when mixing obviously.  All in, a very accurate, almost small, cereal type marshmallow that excelled at the outer, powdery finish more than anything else.  No off notes, and was actually quite good as a solo.  Powderly placed at **8/10**.

**Milk Fresh (CSC) 1.5% (6-20-21)**  --  Milks, milks, milks, the bane of my testing hehe.  Why ?  Solo'd they can be fair non-descript, and their true power is in mixes wherein they temper/smooth/cream up recipes.  Chef's as a solo was fairly non-descript, and almost presented as more an almost powdered milk.  This aspect could be smelled more than tasted.  Just at mid level sweet, it didn't feel overpowered at 1.5%.   Semi creamy, with a slight mouthfeel, and did not have a strong dairy note like TPA's.  All in, this was a relaxed Milk flavor, that had aspects of a powdered milk.  **7.9/10**.

**Mint (Fresh (CSC) 1.5% (6-20-21)**  --  Whew, we've got some cooling in this one (coming from a non-cooling guy).  As far as a "fresh" mint, I didn't get an entirely "fresh" from this one, but also got more of a candied mint, or almost a Wriggley's Double Mint Gum mint.  It presented as almost a 50/50 mix of the two.  Initially the cooling was pretty intense, but as the test wore on, it subdued a bit.  Sweetness was slightly above mid level, and that might be what helped pull the candied mint profile more forward.  Tasted good at 1.5%, and nothing off-putting, and I was continually reminded of Wriggley's gum.  Not a gum flavor, but the flavor profile(s).  Minor take offs for the fresh/candy split, but it was good as it stood.  **8.7/10**.

**Mojito (CSC) 1.5% (6-20-21)**  --  Ironically while testing this Mojito, I was HAVING a Mojito, so this was going to be interesting.  Having just tested Chef's Mint Fresh, I had assumed it would be in here, and it was.  This flavor had the same nice mint, somewhat sweetened, paired with a great lime.  Missing however was the Rum, unless it was so low in the mix as to be undetectable.   It tasted perfect at 1.5%, and was above mid level sweet, and the pairing of the mint and lime were nicely done with neither overpowering the other.  As a virgin Mojito, wasn't bad at all, and clearly you could spike up some rum if needed.  Minor takeoffs for the missing rum, as the rest was very spot on.  **9.1/10**.

**Oats (CSC) 1.5% (6-20-21)**  --  I think it's safe to say I was COMPLETELY unprepared for this flavor.  Not a lot of oats out there, because it's HARD to get right.  I assumed this would be some general bakery with grains, passed off as a "kinda close" flavor.  Boy was I wrong.  FULL on, OATS !!!!  No puffed wheat, not corn, not AP, OATS !!!!  It made me immediately think of Quaker Oats, no questions, no hesitations.  Below mid level sweet, and the best part, it wasn't FLAVORED.  Blank slate, spot on oats.  That's it, that's all.  Was delicious at 1.5%, and man, the opportunities to use this one will be endless, and you could tweak to your hearts content.   This, ladies and gentlemen is an impressive flavor, and I'm glad I added this one to the list.  If you want some spot on oats, nicely sweetened, this is the one you should get.  Full stop.  **10/10**.

**Peanut Butter (CSC) 1.5% (6-22-21)**  --  Good Peanut Butters are out there, but they can be hard to find.  Typically PBs fall into two categories, Dry and Salty, or Creamy and Sweet.  Chef's seems to have figured out how to MERGE the two !!!   Yes, an almost perfect combination of a creamy, sweet, salty, peanut butter with some dryness which added to the complexity.  At 1.5% it was full, present, and delicious, with nothing out of place.  It was about mid-level sweet, and leaned slightly towards the creamy sweet, but only slightly.  No bitterness could be found, and there was a certain earthy-ness that kept it grounded.  Soup to Nuts might just be applicable here, as this one covered a lot of bases, and checked most of the boxes.  I think it could be best summed up like a Creamy Jif peanut butter paired with crunchy salted nuts.  With it's authenticity, complexity, and dual personalities I could see many uses for this one.  Easily **9.75/10**.

**Vanilla Ice Cream (CSC) 1.5% (6-24-21)**  --  2nd to last on deck in this huge series of Chef's new SC's.  My initial reaction to this was, "This might be the BEST Vanilla Ice Cream" I have ever tried.  10ml later, that hasn't changed, and that's kind of a big deal.  At 1.5% this one was a real show stopper, which had all the notes needed to convince you of it's namesake.  Missing were some of the commonly found dairy notes in some flavors, that were dairy, but not really Ice Cream.  Chefs did a really bang up job on this one.  Incredible mouthfeel for an ice cream, and while not "buttery" like another well known VIC, it didn't need it, you didn't miss it, and actually you didn't even WANT it.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one, but needless to say, all the players were here, creamy, rich, present, but not overbearing vanilla, and loads of mouthfeel.  A few ticks above mid sweet, and no pepper, no off notes, no nonsense present.  For a great, clean vanilla ice cream that truly captured all aspects of a VIC, this one should be on your rack.  For anyone else, it should be on YOUR rack too !!!!  I would rate it at 10.1/10, but I promised I'd never do that again.  Easily, **10/10**.

**Waffle (CSC) 1.5% (6-27-21)  --**  With this Waffle, this massive first run of flavors from Chefs will be completed.  I have tested more than a few Waffles, and when I smelled this one, it immediately reminded me of a now discontinued INW Waffle-YC.  Having never solo'd INW's I can't do a direct A/B comparison, but suffice it to say this one was very good.  Missing were some of the almost cake-y notes that some waffles have, and in turn this one had some great mid and dark tones to it.  It was more like a whole wheat waffle than a lighter one.  No overt wheat, but the grainy notes, and slightly thicker, darker-ness was easily observed, AND enjoyed.  No sharp edges, or off notes, and was a little below mid level sweet.  No overt butter or syrup, and that left it as a deliciously blank waffle canvas to work with.  I really enjoyed the darker richness of this one.  At 1.5% it almost felt like it could use a smidge more, but was in no was lacking.  All in, this one presented as a great, somewhat darker, almost whole wheat waffle with some smoother, lighter notes.  High points given for no obvious butter or syrup, leaving it ready to work.  Easily a **9.5/10**.

Wow, after completing this series, I have to say I was impressed, and there were quite a few unique flavors, some of which I could think of no direct comparison.  Thanks again out to @Timwis for alerting that Chefs was releasing this, their own line of Super Concentrates, @lukeloop for figuring out realistic testing percentages, and of course thanks out to Leah @Chefs_Flavours, for sending these out for review.  

Very impressive lineup, and some real winners.  If you've made it this far down, then I thank you for hanging in there for this entire series.  With the run that I tested, I think I can highly recommend hopping over to Chefs and picking up some for your racks.

https://www.chefsflavours.co.uk/collections/chefs-super-concentrates-retail

S.D.

https://vapingcommunity.co.uk/t/chefs-super-concentrates-single-flavor-tests-by-sessiondrummer/5174

For this second round, I’ll be testing at the same 1.5% that worked out great on the first round, using a SteamCrave RDTA v.1, with dual 24 ga. Kanthal 7 wrap coils. All testing done at 65 watts, in a 70v/30p/3mg carrier. Steeped approx. 1.5 weeks before testing.

Apple (Green) (CSC) 1.5% (7-23-22) – With this flavor being the first, in Round II of the Chef’s Super Concentrates line, I was anxious to get into it, and them, as I’d had some unexpectedly great results in Round I. My biggest current issue with Green Apples has always been harsh notes, and almost a chemical taste that I get from some of the brands. Thankfully for me, neither were present in this one. Chef’s actually did a GREAT job with this one, balancing out the three big nuances, Tart, Sweet, and Crisp. It had just enough of each, without having TOO much of any of them. This presented as a fresh, crisp Green Apple with an equal share of sweet, and tart. At 1.5% it wasn’t overpowering, and could probably be pushed a bit higher if needed. Sweetness was a few ticks below mid level, and it leaned heavily to a natural green apple. No off-putting notes, no heavy handed artificial or chemical notes could be found. I think getting green apples right, isn’t easy, but Chef’s did a pretty good job, and if your current green apple is leaving you wanting, this one might just solve your issues. Placing this first flavor in Round II handily at a 9.3/10.

**Biscuit (Shortbread) (CSC) 1.5% (7-23-22)**  --  After reading @NeonKoala's thoughts on this one, I was indeed anxious to see what was what with it.  Now every time I review a "shortbread", "cookie", or a "biscuit" I have to keep in mind my audience(s), and many are in the US, and some are in the UK, and depending on where you are located, the three aforementioned can take on VERY different profiles.  Because this is from Chefs UK, I assume that the "biscuit" part of this is more of what we'd call a "cookie" in the US, as I did get a super delicious, somewhat sweetened cookie element in this one, AND, it was perfectly paired WITH, you guessed it, a shortbread.  Now wait just a minute, why not call it a "Shortbread Cookie" ??  Well, hehe, it's actually just a bit more than that.  There was a very nice, authentic bakery, almost grainy element in this which almost reminded me of a pecan sandy-ish type cookie, and then there was a much more of a shortbread wash that finished it out.  There was some butter, but I wouldn't call it overtly "buttery", but it was in there.  About mid-level sweet, and tasted perfect at 1.5%, and continued testing, kept me thinking that it could really just be solo'd and it really didn't leave you wanting.  Despite getting no obvious "pecan" tones from this, I kept going back to the pecan sandy-ish cookie as a great comparison.  Wow.  This one was great, and I didn't feel like anything was missing, and more importantly, I didn't feel the need to ADD anything to it to fix it.  Always a great sign.  Not a true vanilla cookie, but there may have been some Van elements floating around in the mix.  All in, this one was about as perfect as it could get, for a Biscuit/shortbread.  I could see numerous uses for it, and it almost SCREAMED to be jammed up with some delicious jam to take it off in another direction.  If you would like to pick up a pretty damned unique biscuit/cookie/shortbread, I don't think you can go wrong with this one.  **9.9/10**.

**Cheesecake (CSC) 1.5% (7-24-22)**  --  The FEAR is real, and it never goes away when I'm testing CC's, because you never know.  Right out of the gate, I could tell this one was quite crust/graham heavy, and the filling was going to play second fiddle.  The graham crust, might just be one of the best ones I've tried to date, with some moderate hints of coconut, wrapped into a fairly dense graham cracker crust.  The pie or filling portion was not quite as stellar, and although I did get some minor cheesy notes, and some rich creamy-ness, it didn't always sell me on a cheesecake.  At times I almost got more of an eggy-ish custard which had a slight astringent-ness to it, much like a Coconut Custard I had tested before.  Not terrible, but not great, would be fair here.  No wet socks, or curdled cheese to offend you, but just a bit of ehhhh.  Now, surely you could push/pull this filling as you saw fit, and let the graham crust ride as it was, but as a whole, the cheesecake could use a little work.  At 1.5% it had a super rich, creamy mouthfeel, and did not feel overpowered at all, just somewhat lacking.  I detected no over BA coming through with the creamy-ness so that was a plus.  All in, stellar graham crust, with a healthy dose of coconut, and a somewhat lacking cheesecake topping/filling.  It felt good @ **7.10**.

**Cream (Whipped) (CSC) 1.5% (7-24-22)**  --  Oh yes, this IS whipped cream.  Or Cream (Whipped), hehe.  I had suspected this one was going to be good while smelling it when mixing, and that assessment was correct.  Whipped Cream flavors are typically very light, and can be hard to judge, and this one made it a little easier, by being more present than many others.  Nicely sweet, and pretty spot on were my initial take away on this one.  VERY accurate for a light, whipped cream in about every sense.  Mouthfeel was above mid level, as was the sweetness, and that worked out just fine.  Slight hints of Vanilla could be found, but in no way overshadowing the cream, so this was NOT a Vanilla Cream, it just had slight aspects of it.  I am not sure if it has Triacetin like TPA's does, nor how well it would fare as a blender, but solo'd this really didn't leave any stones un-turned, and you were not wanting in any regard.  Creamy, light, sweet, and really did convey the light and airy "whipped"-ed-ness in a convincing way.  Nothing off-putting, and it was pretty spot on @ 1.5%, and almost impossible to mark down.  **9.8/10**.

**Dulce De Leche (CSC) 1.5% (7-24-22)**  --  I remember the FIRST time I used a DDL, it was for the "Grant's Custard" recipe.  I use it from time to time, but NEVER solo'd it, so HERE goes !!  Think that DDL is just Milk and Sugar ??   Think again.  Some have vanilla, and others cinnamon.  This one presented as a very accurate DDL, with an almost light cinnamon sugar kiss.   Very complex, very good, and very authentic to my tastes.  Just below mid level sweet, and surprisingly rich, and full at 1.5%.  Some milky undertones, caramel-ish notes, but the cinnamon sugar kiss off on the end really made it unique.  Nothing off-putting, and I had a hard time putting this one down, and I think you will too.  I could see numerous uses including baccos, deserts, bakeries, etc.   Right up my alley, and just too damned good to not **10/10** this one.

**Forest Fruits  (CSC) 1.5% (7-25-22)**  --  Of COURSE I was thinking of another brand's FF when waiting for this to steep, wondering, would they be similar ??  Absolutely NOT !!!  Chefs billed this one as a mix of black and rasp berries, currants, and plum berries ?  I've no clue about plum berries, but I can tell you this was a DELICOUS new take on Forest Fruits for me.  Any time you consider picking up a new one, it's helpful if they are unique, and not like others on your shelf, and this one will probably fit that bill.  This one presented with the main notes of both currants on the top, but there was something else going on beneath the surface, and I assume maybe the black, rasp, and plum berries, bu they remained fairly hidden, but their impact in the overall mix was still there.  Tart, punchy, somewhat sweet, this one really WAS a good, newer take on a fruit medley.  Perfectly strong at 1.5%, and with no off-putting notes, this one's complexity is what kept it interesting.  It leaned towards a more red-ish berry flavor, but tempered with the darker berries.  Wow, smartly done, very interesting to taste, and it stayed that way.  It's really a perfect pairing of red and black currants, with some subtle darker berry undertones.  Easily a **9.8/10**.

**Grapefruit Pink (CSC) 1.5% (7-29-22)**  --  As soon as I got into this one, the first thought was, "Wow, Chef's is really getting these fruits right", and that feeling never waned during this test.  Smelling it first, just screamed "authentic", and you could almost literally taste the oil from the skin.  NOW, I don't mean it was oily, but when you peel one, it releases some of the oils and zest from the skin, and THAT was what revealed during smelling it.  Testing it revealed that aspect, and even more.  It really did convey a delicious pink grapefruit, that leaned slightly to the sweet, but had just enough tart backing to round it out.  Much like a real Pink Grapefruit there wasn't really any sour or bitter notes, but just a few ticks above mid level sweet, tart, and about everything grapefruity you could want.  At 1.5% while full, still felt slightly relaxed, and there were no off-notes, or anything that remotely resembled artificial.  I don' think I've ever tested a "pink" before, and if you need one, this one is the one.  Minor take-offs for slightly relaxed-ed-ness, and NO take-offs for flavor comp.  Take this one to the bank, @ **9.25/10**.

**Hazelnut Cream (CSC) 1.5% (7-29-22)**  --  If you've ever eaten, or used, a great Hazelnut, you know that they can have very nice creamy undertones throughout.  This one actually improved on that, by adding MORE creamy-ness into the mix.  The hazelnut note(s) were on point, BUT, lacking any of the sometimes unwanted bitterness.  The creamy-ness carried through from beginning to end, and was about perfectly balanced, to accentuate the hazelnut, but without overpowering it in any way.  Chefs stayed just below the threshold to where it would turn into an ice cream, or milkshake, which worked perfectly, as the hazelnut stayed the star of the show.  Throughout the test, I continued to get almost chocolate-y undertones, and that just made things even better, more enjoyable, and interesting.  This one could DEF. be used as a choco booster/enhancer.  All in, it was probably one of, if not THE, creamiest Hazelnuts I have ever tried.  It was below mid-level sweet, and felt perfectly full at 1.5%.  If you could use a deliciously creamy hazelnut, with zero bitterness, delicious chocolate-y undertones, you may want to add this one to your racks.  With only a very slight dry-ness at the finish, this one had no off-putting notes.  Easily placing this one high @ **9.75/10**.

**Lemon Custard (CSC) 1.5% (7-30-22)**  --  I know I had more than a few people waiting for the review on this one, and I was as well, as who doesn't love dah Kustad !!!!!!  OK, this one was kind of a mystery to me, as I couldn't always tell what it was trying to be.  More often than not, it presented almost as a Creamy Lemon, or almost a lemon cream filling.  Perhaps I expected a heavier, more IYF (In Your Face) Custard.  The custard-ish notes were much lighter than expected, and somewhat comparable to FA's Custard.  The lemon favored more of an FE Lemon, but not entirely, but it was heading in that direction.  It took quite a bit of testing to try and determine that it leaned more towards an artificial lemon than natural.  It DID however hold it's own in this flavor, and stayed front, center, and present throughout all of the testing, and at 1.5%, the flavor as a whole felt plenty strong, without any off notes of fatigue.  At times, the custard was almost more pudding like, as there were no heavy/ier eggy notes, which I typically associate with custards.  Now obviously YOUR tastes will decide for you, not mine hehe, but was it a show stopper ??  Not really.  Not terrible by any means, and I could see countless uses for it.  Sweetness was at about mid level, and it suited the flavor perfectly.  If your Lemony Custard needs fell more into a lighter custard style, similar to FA's custard, with slight pudding notes, and with a solid mostly artificial Lemon, this one will work for you.  For my tastes, it seemed pretty solid at **7/10**.

**Madeleine (CSC) 1.5% (7-30-22)**  --   I wish I'd ever tried an actual Madeleine cake so I would have something to compare this to, but I have not.  Going by taste alone, this one presented as a somewhat generic yellow cake-ish cake/cookie.  The bakery elements were very nice, and had an almost grainy-ness to it, that added to it's authenticity.  Maybe some light butter, maybe some light vanilla floating around in there, but fairly light.  Having never tasted them, I had to do some research and found that they were indeed a fairly generic cake with almost cookie / darkened edges.  Not burnt, but you could really get the darker outer edges in this flavor.  Sweetness was at about mid level, and it felt perfectly strong at 1.5%.  All in, it was a very good, yellow cake-ish cake/cookie, that perfectly portrayed the slightly darker edges.  It felt solid at **7.1/10**.

**Man Pi (CSC) 1.5% (7-31-22)**  --  OK, I'll admit it, the whole time this was steeping, I WAS thinking about Custard PI.  This however, was NOT a custard LOL.  According to Chef's it is

> Strong raspberry red fruits with a touch of citrus and lychee.

That was pretty spot on.  The red raspberry took the lead, with NO florals or off notes common to raspberries, with the lychee playing second fiddle, and finishing with a light citrus punch.  Now, the Lychee MAY add just a smidge of funky-ness at the end, and that may be a decider for you, but to my tastes, it just worked.  It was an interesting flavor medley, and not a profile I have tried before.  The citrus finish was very light, but just strong enough to provide an interesting kiss-off at the end.  The raspberry/red fruits were very clean, natural tasting, and tasty, and the lychee was accurate, WITH, a slight amount of funky-ness.  All in, this was an interesting combination, and probably not like anything on your racks currently, and could find a unique place there. It tasted nice and full @ 1.5%, and sweetness was a few ticks below mid level sweet.   I struggled over the lychee slight funky-ness as to the rating, and throughout two full testers, I decided that little "twang" just worked, and therefore, this one felt great @ **9.0/10**.

**Mango (CSC) 1.5% / 3.0% (7-31-22)**  --  Not EVERY one can be a winner, right ?  Well, this one, rather underwhelmed at 1.5%, and it did so in a CURIOUS way.  Now it's POSSIBLE that doubling this MIGHT fix some issues,.  This one didn't have much smell when smelling, and on the inhale, had a very rich, "yellow-ish", sweet, and tart-ish taste, but upon exhale, it was BLANK.  Yes, tested, and re-tested, and the same effect.  Very LITTLE taste on the exhale.  Doubling this to 3.0% did improve it SOMEWHAT, but it was still a "low lier".  Fairly fresh, nicely sweet, with some good fleshy notes, BUT, it was still very, very relaxed, even at the doubled rate.  Not terrible by any means, but if you were looking for the Mango ONRUSH, it wasn't here.  Felt fairly placed at **5/10**.

**Meringue (CSC) 1.5% (7-31-22)**  --  Wow, this one WAS a wow-zer right out of the gate, but let's see why.  Could this be the ONE, that could UN-perch FA Meringue from it's Ivory Tower ??  Maybe, just maybe.  There are plenty of Meringues out there, and much, much fewer GOOD ones.  This one did present as almost THE most spot on Meringue out there, BUT, for one thing.  There was a distinct almost cereal note thoughout, and during the finish.  Very diminished, but it was always there.  I typically don't read other reviews before testing, but I did this time, to see if anyone else got this note, and only ONE person did.  The cereal note was a faint, almost looper-ish note.  Overall it was fairly low, did not distract, and added some weight, and almost grainy texture to the Meringue.  Light, fluffy, accurate, and with some mid-bodied heft (the cereal note), it was VERY hard to mark this one down.  After extended testing, I think the cereal note DID work in it's favor, and that kept this one, in a very rare air space, with maybe only ONE other, possible two.  With lower than mid level sweetness, no off notes, and a almost grainy aspect, this one was literally JUST almost perfect.  Leaving it at **9.9/10**.

**Peach Apricot (CSC) 1.5% (8-2-22)**  --  This one took a bit to settle down in the SteamCrave RDTA before I could get a good look at it.  Once it did, WOW.  Simply, it was a perfect juicy, yellow peach, just ripened enough, and tempered with (you guessed it) a great Apricot.  The pairing of the two was done pretty smartly, so the Peach was maybe 75% with 25% Apricot which really allowed the Peach to shine with JUST enough assist from the Apricot.  Succulent, yellow, and juicy were my take always from the Peach, and the Apricot was very fresh, and had just enough punch to assist the peach.  I've been using apricots to boost peaches for years, and it works really good if done right, and Chefs did it right with this one.  Almost mid level sweet, felt really good and full @ 1.5%, and no off-notes could be found.  The sweetness level was just below a "syrup" which would allow for even more uses.  Overall it tasted VERY natural, with no artificial-ness.  Even though it had only two main profiles, it could be solo'd without boredom or fatigue.  Simply, and nicely done, and again, hard to mark down.  If you're in the market for a pre-boosted peach, you should try this out.  To good to fault, and felt right @ **9.75/10**.

**Plum (CSC) 1.5% (8-5-22)**  --  After a little Jury Duty delay, BACK on track with these reviews.  I know @NeonKoala was waiting on this one.  Good news was, it was WORTH the wait.  This flavor really pushed what could be done, with a realistic Plum flavor.  Very accurate, and natural tasting with nothing artificial about it.  It centered more around the fleshy body of the Plum, but there was JUST enough of the slightly tart darker purple skin to keep it interesting.  It was just above mid level sweet, and rock solid @ 1.5%.  While suffering through my Jury summons LOL, I had time to really get into this one throughout multiple tankfuls, and it just stayed consistently accurate, tasty, and non-fatiguing.  Again, Chef's proves they can really get the fruit flavors right, and this one was more proof of that.  No take-offs, with only a SLIGHT desire for a smidge more of the dark purple, tarty skin, but that was it.  Easily a **9.5/10** here people.

**Red Fruits (CSC) 1.5% (8-5-22)**  --  If you've read my review of Chef's Forest Fruits, you know that Chef's is getting REALLY good at fruit medleys.  This one DID continue that trend.  They billed this one as a mix of Raspberries, Strawberries, and Cherries.  Dammit, that's EXACTLY what it is.  Now what was interesting here, was that there was NO real start of the show, and that kept it REALLY interesting.  It was like all 3 were equally sized up, and mixed.  Throughout numerous testers, at times you would get slightly more of one or another, and later it would be another one.  VERY smartly mixed if I do say so.  It did have an overal "red" hue if that makes sense, and all of the flavor profiles were very natural, with not a single off note, floral, or medicinal note to be found, which IS saying something, especially with Raspberries, and Cheffies.  Because they were so evenly combined, nailing down EXACTLY the type of each was almost impossible, but summed together, they worked perfectly, and a sea of Red Fruit.  Sweetness was just below mid level, and it was great @ 1.5%.  I'm matching this score to the aforementioned Forest Fruits @ **9.8/10**.

**RY Castle (CSC) 1.5% (8-6-22)**  --  OK, maybe I SHOULDN'T admit this, but I will.  I loaded it into my trusted SteamCrave RDTA v.1, and JUST started to taste test, and take my notes, and WHAMMO, I put my rig down, and IMMEDIATELY mixed up a 60ml.  Now, why in the hell would I do that ??  Well, in a word, WOW.  This one WAS a showstopper.  Typically I'm not a bacco vaper, and some can argue whether or not RY's are, or are not baccos, but this one really wowed me.  It presented (as billed) as a slightly roasted bacco, with much, MUCH more.  Chef's billed it as having a milky coconut and caramel, and that seemed accurate, but I kept almost getting a delicious grahamy/bakery rush with every taste.  Yes, I could pick out the coco, and cara, but as a whole it really took on an entirely profile.  The bacco did have an almost roasted, slightly darkened note, and at times I almost got a slight nutty undertone.  After two full testers, it became obvious this one one of, if not THE, top flavor in this run.  Absolutely in One-Shot /Standalone territory here.  Just below mid level sweet, perfectly full at 1.5%, and I could find NOTHING I didn't like with this one, not even a teeny nit pick.  The reaction I had to this reminded me of when I tested Sobucky's Caramel Biscuit.  All in, it was a creamy, roasted bacco with light nutty undertones, swirling in a gravy of coconut, and caramel, with some great graham/bakery undertones.  **10/10**, no other choice.

**Strawberry Jam (CSC) 1.5% (8-5-22)**  --  Getting near the end of this series, and a HUGE fan of the Jam, I was looking forward to jamming it up with this one.  Now, with that said, this one did not entirely get me to Jammy Street.   It was a VERY good strawberry, WITH some lighter jammy notes, BUT, the majority of the experience was almost a "fluffy" strawberry.  I know, I know, WTF right ?  Not a whipped strawberry, not creamed, but it had this very light and almost fluffy taste to it.  For my needs (and current favs) I need a sharp, punchy, almost pectin-y note which solidifies something as a Jam, and this one just didn't seem to have that.  There were HINTS, but no main notes to that effect.  A great strawberry still, and it leaned 60/40 from natural to artificial.  Maybe even a somewhat strawberry pink candy will help better describe it.  It clocked in at about mid-level sweet, and was very present @ 1.5%, and no off notes could be found.  For a Jam, I don't think it works well, but as an almost Pink Strawberry Candy, it excelled.  With some take offs for lack of jam, jam, jammy-ness, this felt good at **7/10**.

**Wafer (CSC) 1.5% (8-9-22)**  --  This flavor required some additional testing, to try and fully flush it out.  At first, I did indeed get a Waffle Cone-ish flavor, but there seemed to be something else, that was along for the ride, that was a little tough to nail down.  2 tester tanks later, it really felt like a "weighty" bakery, almost a carrot cake-ish element, that was tempering the waffle cone.  Now it wasn't bad by any means, but it was that "other" element/elements that kept distracting me from the Waffle Cone, errrrr, Wafer.  The waffle cone/wafer flavor was fairly spot on, below mid level sweet, and although recessed in the overall mix, was actually quite good.  A THIRD tester tank down, trying to better narrow down the "bakery element" just kept presenting almost as a carrot cake-ish, brown bread, almost heavy/dense bakery that was swirling around WITH a nice Waffle Cone / Wafer.  Overall it was actually a pretty good, AND interesting flavor, but I have to admit the "other" elements, did distract from the namesake profile.  I have had some great success with Waffle Cones, so I know a great one when I taste it.  This felt fairly placed @ **7.1/10**.

**Yuzu (CSC) 1.5% (8-13-22)**  --  Finishing out this series, and a huge thanks out to @Leah from Chefs in sending these out for review.  This flavor was a great, fresh way to close out this series.  Being fairly unfamiliar with Yuzu, it was a fresh flavor to get into.  A fairly unique flavor for me, and presented almost like a triple pairing of a Grapefruit, Orange, lightly kissed by a Lemon.  What was interesting as none of the three main profiles were dominant, and the overall effect was a perfect, evenly matched paring of the three.  The grapefruit notes easily pulled this away from simply being a Lemon Lime, and kept it very interesting from start to finish.  Because of the three pairing the grapefruit was hard to nail down exactly, whether yellow, or pink, but probably a mix of the two would be close.  The orange notes favored a nectarine primarily, and the Lemon while light, presented as a fresh, natural one.  The sum total was perfect at 1.5%, with below mid level sweetness, and was PERFECT for a summertime vape.  Just enough sweet, and tart to keep it freshly interesting without too much of either.  Fresh, and natural tasting were the two aspects that I continued to get from this one throughout.  I could see numerous uses for this one, as it really did span across three different citruses, and with no off-putting notes, and a very fresh, lighter taste, it did so very well.  Freshly finishing this series with the Yuzu, and placing it squarely at a **9.5/10**.