BURLY BOiZ

I haven't released a recipe in a while, here's an idea I'd been playing around with literally since the Beginner Blending competition. Inspired by my boy RiFF.

A tobacco vape with notes of vanilla bourbon throughout, and a nice little slap of banana on the inhale. Notes and all that shit below, as always.

FLV Banana / TPA Banana Cream - y'all know how much I like TPA BC, but I usually pair it with LA Banana Cream to create a more interesting and full flavoured banana note. However, after using FLV Banana, I found much more success. FLV's banana option carries a lot of the same flavour properties of LA's option, so if you're like me, expect some of that more candied, banana runts type note from it. However, I noticed more body to this option. There was some silky mouthfeel to it, a little less banana candy, and more of some sort of unholy creation that is a super sweet banana. I prefer this combination over the TPA/LA approach. We end up with something that is truly reminiscent of some sweetened banana cream, almost reminds me of banana milk or yogurt. This creates some nice sweetness to balance out the recipe, while also giving us some boost to the tobaccos in both flavour and mouthfeel.

TPA Kentucky Bourbon / FLV Bourbon - this is my go to bourbon/whiskey flavour combination. Usually I would keep TPA's option higher in the mix, but the more I've messed with FLV Bourbon, the more I realize this is the better front note for a bourbon. We're still missing some of the depth needed for a good bourbon flavour, but the TPA comes in to provide some of that bite and warmth, while FLV keeps those dark, sweet, oak notes prevalent.

FLV Red Burley - okay. So the more I've messed with FLV Red Burley, the more I realize it's almost not a good tobacco for me. I find it sickeningly sweet and thick, and while it carries a lot of wonderful flavour, I can't get away from that overt sweetness. However, this is why I thought it'd be a good match for this recipe. All of these flavour profiles have a tendency to carry some sweetness, just in different ways. The Red Burley hits us with some notes of sweetened peanut butter at times, while still giving that sense of a full bodied, yet sweet tobacco. The banana plays with these notes very well to bring some neutral fruit note as well as that earthy sweetness we get from bananas in general. And as always, the bourbon acts as a counterpoint to all of that sweetness. While it does carry some, it's still a more sharp and pronounced note that helps accent everything else.

FLV Eggnog / FLV Oak Barrel / FLV Virginia Tobacco - these act as our accents and support for the recipe. I am falling more and more in love with FLV Eggnog the more I use it. It is simply what is claims to be, a straight up eggnog with notes of fall/winter spices that accent the tobacco and bourbon quite nicely, while the thick mouthfeel boosts the bananas to a new level. The best thing I can compare it to is a cooked or fried banana/plantain flavour. The FLV Oak Barrel is here to add some more depth and complexity to the bourbon, for one thing I always find missing in our options for whiskey and bourbon is that wood note. Oak Barrel is perfect for that, and keeps the bourbons from feeling too sugary or sweet. Finally, FLV Virginia Tobacco, I know there are better options out there for a more dirty tobacco flavour, but I simply don't have them yet, so this was the option. Virginia Tobacco balances out that overt sweetness and syrupy note from Red Burley, while still pushing this recipe to be a tobacco forward profile. I love these three accents in this recipe, for all of them act as both supporting notes to certain concentrates, while being counterpoints to others. A perfect symbiotic relationship.

Steep time - While this is good on a shake, give it at least a week to let the flavours get to know each other. As it continues to age, the flavours start to pronounce themselves more noticeably, our banana notes take the inhale, the bourbon carries us through the vape, and the exhale gives us all of those complex tobacco notes.

This recipe has been a labour of love of the past few months, and I'm happy with the result. While the use of RiFF RAFF as inspiration is in name only, I woud like to think that the Neon Python himself would enjoy something like this while he's kickin it at the Kodeine Kastle with his pups.