Here are my initial thoughts after a 6 day steep:
FA Strawberry Green 3%
A very familiar medium sweet strawberry flavour, reminiscent of FA Strawberry Juicy but with an interesting green/tart edge. The green detracts from the natural sweetness slightly which may confuse some palates. It is not so much an unripe strawberry but rather a potentially confusing melange of sweet strawberry notes with a semi/tart edge. This is a very interesting/brave flavour experimentation but I am not sure whether ‘regular’ mixers will embrace it. One for the adventurous.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, if open to experimentation
FA Raspberry candy 3%
A sweet hard candy with light raspberry notes. The raspberry is nondescript and will be difficult to be identified as such by Joe Soap. This is a good hard candy base and must be bolstered by additional raspberry/red fruits to make it stick. There is a slight perfumey note but not off-putting. I get a dark sugar exhale which makes this very alluring.
Recommend to a friend: No
FA Mulberry 3%
I have 2 mulberry trees in my garden and must confess that this does not taste of mulberry at all. They either have a complete different species of mulberry in Europe or my taste buds broke. I get an undistinguished red fruit/berry with a slight perfumey note. It is not unpleasant at all, it is just not mulberry.
Recommend to a friend: As a mulberry, No. As a confused red berry, Yes.
FA Banana candy 3%
I was very surprised by this one as I expected the inevitable - another failed banana nightmare. The basics:
Yes, this is banana runts. Yes, it is a ‘fake’ banana. No, the banana flavour is not overpowering. No, this is not gag-worthy. Yes, they tell you on the bottle what it is and that is exactly what it is: a pleasant sweet banana candy with no discernible off-notes. Give it go, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Pineapple Kenyan 3%
A ripe, fresh pineapple with slight acidic notes. There are glimmers of fleshy pineapple goodness which may be coaxed out by pushing the % but it nay unbalance the essence of the flavor.
Sweet, flesh, slight watery cordial This is not a fresh & pulpy in your face pineapple but rather a subdued pineapple cordial.
Recommend to a friend: 50/50
FA Pineapple Costa Rica 3%
A sweet & ripe pineapple flavor but devoid of natural pineapple acidity. The lack of acidity results in an unbalanced flavor which makes it taste like tinned pineapple.
It is sweeter than FA Pineapple Kenyan but lacks authenticity. This will work well in fruit mixes where a tropical vibe is required
Recommend to a friend: 50/50
FA Pina Colada Brazilian 3%
An interesting blend of sweet pineapple ‘juice” and white rum with a slight creaminess. A fundamental part of Pina Colada is however absent or it is too slight to detect = COCONUT.
At 5%, there is a glimpse of coconut but it is too nondescript to transform this into greatness. The fundamentals are there but it requires some help.
The addition of FA Coconut and a helping of a strong pineapple will take this from good to great.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, but as a base to work from.
FA Mango green 3%
A familiar, semi-sweet & authentic mango with realistic textural characteristics. There are fantastic notes of the fibrous pip and skin that set this apart from most other mangoes.
There is however a musty inhale which somewhat taints the overall experience. Interestingly though, the mustiness disappears on the exhale and relaced with a delightfully sweet mango taste.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Papaya Indian 3%
This represents the deep orange flesh of an “almost ripe” papaya. It has the characteristics of a firm, inherently bitter, papaya without the express bitterness.
Because this papaya is not yet fully ripe, it feels as if something is lacking, perhaps some sweetness? It does however provide a familiar ‘dark’ papaya base note, ideal for more sophisticated tropical recipes.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Vanilla Cookie 2%
A delicious, fresh, soft-baked cookie with a pleasant vanilla flavor. The texture is unbelievably satisfying & familiar and (I predict) will soon become the go-to cookie!
The sweetness is spot-on and will be well-suited as a cookie/biscuit base for most mixers. There is no discernable difference at 3%.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, yes, yes.
FA Cookie Premium 2%
A rich, textured shortbread-type cookie with oodles of buttery goodness. Perfectly sweetened with subtle vanilla notes enhances the taste experience to be a sublime cookie, and then some.
Smooth & satisfying with no off-notes.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, yes, yes.
Vanilla Waffle 3%
A scrumptious, warm & authentic waffle flavor with a well-balanced doughnut type flavor. The traditional “baked” flavor is well executed but may overpower subtle recipes.
Natural baker’s vanilla bolsters the bakery note. Sweetness is medium which provides a perfect base for a vast array of delicious toppings.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
Cheesecake Olympus 2%
Rich, dense & creamy European-styled baked cheesecake without a crust. Rich vanilla notes & medium sweetness completes an unassuming baked cheesecake base.
At 3%, the cheesecake element is more pronounced and well suited as a solo flavour. A perfect, neutral cheesecake base for bakery lovers everywhere!
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Ice Cream Italian Premium 2%
A sweet, creamy vanilla ice cream with delightful vanilla notes. The creaminess here is beyond reproach and a step up from other ice creams in the market.
I detect no butyric notes which will make the people who cant use TPA VIC (myself included) very happy indeed!
Full mouthfeel without residue, akin to a Magnum vanilla ice cream. We have a winner!!
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Vanilla Custard 1 2%
A wonderfully rich, warm, custard with rich, natural vanilla notes. A dramatic improvement on FA Custard Premium which I cannot use due to the butyric notes.
Creamy, smooth, full-bodied custard with little egginess. A comparable analog to ANY recipe which calls for a premium custard…
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Vanilla Custard 2 2%
Similar to FA Vanilla Custard 1 but sweeter and fuller. A delishiously rich, warm, custard with oodles of vanilla notes BUT sweetened/enhanced with a darker sugar akin to demerara sugar.
The mouthfeel is fuller than VC1 which, with the addition of the darker sugar, makes this a more pronounced and dominant custard to be used as a base, rather than a complimentary flavour.
Again, there are no discernable off or butyric notes. This is (to coin a phrase) THE BUSINESS!!
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Strawberry Green 3%
A very familiar medium sweet strawberry flavour, reminiscent of FA Strawberry Juicy but with an interesting green/tart edge. The green detracts from the natural sweetness slightly which may confuse some palates. It is not so much an unripe strawberry but rather a potentially confusing melange of sweet strawberry notes with a semi/tart edge. This is a very interesting/brave flavour experimentation but I am not sure whether ‘regular’ mixers will embrace it. One for the adventurous.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, if open to experimentation
FA Raspberry candy 3%
A sweet hard candy with light raspberry notes. The raspberry is nondescript and will be difficult to be identified as such by Joe Soap. This is a good hard candy base and must be bolstered by additional raspberry/red fruits to make it stick. There is a slight perfumey note but not off-putting. I get a dark sugar exhale which makes this very alluring.
Recommend to a friend: No
FA Mulberry 3%
I have 2 mulberry trees in my garden and must confess that this does not taste of mulberry at all. They either have a complete different species of mulberry in Europe or my taste buds broke. I get an undistinguished red fruit/berry with a slight perfumey note. It is not unpleasant at all, it is just not mulberry.
Recommend to a friend: As a mulberry, No. As a confused red berry, Yes.
FA Banana candy 3%
I was very surprised by this one as I expected the inevitable - another failed banana nightmare. The basics:
Yes, this is banana runts. Yes, it is a ‘fake’ banana. No, the banana flavour is not overpowering. No, this is not gag-worthy. Yes, they tell you on the bottle what it is and that is exactly what it is: a pleasant sweet banana candy with no discernible off-notes. Give it go, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Pineapple Kenyan 3%
A ripe, fresh pineapple with slight acidic notes. There are glimmers of fleshy pineapple goodness which may be coaxed out by pushing the % but it nay unbalance the essence of the flavor.
Sweet, flesh, slight watery cordial This is not a fresh & pulpy in your face pineapple but rather a subdued pineapple cordial.
Recommend to a friend: 50/50
FA Pineapple Costa Rica 3%
A sweet & ripe pineapple flavor but devoid of natural pineapple acidity. The lack of acidity results in an unbalanced flavor which makes it taste like tinned pineapple.
It is sweeter than FA Pineapple Kenyan but lacks authenticity. This will work well in fruit mixes where a tropical vibe is required
Recommend to a friend: 50/50
FA Pina Colada Brazilian 3%
An interesting blend of sweet pineapple ‘juice” and white rum with a slight creaminess. A fundamental part of Pina Colada is however absent or it is too slight to detect = COCONUT.
At 5%, there is a glimpse of coconut but it is too nondescript to transform this into greatness. The fundamentals are there but it requires some help.
The addition of FA Coconut and a helping of a strong pineapple will take this from good to great.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, but as a base to work from.
FA Mango green 3%
A familiar, semi-sweet & authentic mango with realistic textural characteristics. There are fantastic notes of the fibrous pip and skin that set this apart from most other mangoes.
There is however a musty inhale which somewhat taints the overall experience. Interestingly though, the mustiness disappears on the exhale and relaced with a delightfully sweet mango taste.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Papaya Indian 3%
This represents the deep orange flesh of an “almost ripe” papaya. It has the characteristics of a firm, inherently bitter, papaya without the express bitterness.
Because this papaya is not yet fully ripe, it feels as if something is lacking, perhaps some sweetness? It does however provide a familiar ‘dark’ papaya base note, ideal for more sophisticated tropical recipes.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Vanilla Cookie 2%
A delicious, fresh, soft-baked cookie with a pleasant vanilla flavor. The texture is unbelievably satisfying & familiar and (I predict) will soon become the go-to cookie!
The sweetness is spot-on and will be well-suited as a cookie/biscuit base for most mixers. There is no discernable difference at 3%.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, yes, yes.
FA Cookie Premium 2%
A rich, textured shortbread-type cookie with oodles of buttery goodness. Perfectly sweetened with subtle vanilla notes enhances the taste experience to be a sublime cookie, and then some.
Smooth & satisfying with no off-notes.
Recommend to a friend: Yes, yes, yes.
Vanilla Waffle 3%
A scrumptious, warm & authentic waffle flavor with a well-balanced doughnut type flavor. The traditional “baked” flavor is well executed but may overpower subtle recipes.
Natural baker’s vanilla bolsters the bakery note. Sweetness is medium which provides a perfect base for a vast array of delicious toppings.
Recommend to a friend: Yes
Cheesecake Olympus 2%
Rich, dense & creamy European-styled baked cheesecake without a crust. Rich vanilla notes & medium sweetness completes an unassuming baked cheesecake base.
At 3%, the cheesecake element is more pronounced and well suited as a solo flavour. A perfect, neutral cheesecake base for bakery lovers everywhere!
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Ice Cream Italian Premium 2%
A sweet, creamy vanilla ice cream with delightful vanilla notes. The creaminess here is beyond reproach and a step up from other ice creams in the market.
I detect no butyric notes which will make the people who cant use TPA VIC (myself included) very happy indeed!
Full mouthfeel without residue, akin to a Magnum vanilla ice cream. We have a winner!!
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Vanilla Custard 1 2%
A wonderfully rich, warm, custard with rich, natural vanilla notes. A dramatic improvement on FA Custard Premium which I cannot use due to the butyric notes.
Creamy, smooth, full-bodied custard with little egginess. A comparable analog to ANY recipe which calls for a premium custard…
Recommend to a friend: Yes
FA Vanilla Custard 2 2%
Similar to FA Vanilla Custard 1 but sweeter and fuller. A delishiously rich, warm, custard with oodles of vanilla notes BUT sweetened/enhanced with a darker sugar akin to demerara sugar.
The mouthfeel is fuller than VC1 which, with the addition of the darker sugar, makes this a more pronounced and dominant custard to be used as a base, rather than a complimentary flavour.
Again, there are no discernable off or butyric notes. This is (to coin a phrase) THE BUSINESS!!
Recommend to a friend: Yes
