I was my pleasure to be on the Lemon episode of Noted tonight sharing my thoughts and notes on 29 different lemons, my favorite lemon recipes, and other ideas. I also ranked them from best to worst in my opinion. I thought I'd share.
Recipe I created from my SFT work
Bill D. Lemonade - A super simple 3 ingredient, 5% flavor, sweet/tart lemonade base without using any lemonade flavors. This has a really natural base up front with a sweeter powdered lemonade finish. Very tart and sweet. Add your own berries, iced tea, or creams to your liking.
Lemon Trinity
From Luke Loop (wadeyloops on ATF) HC Lemon , VT Sour Lemon and FE Lemon
Guessing 2% FE Lemon, 2-3% HC Lemon, and 1% VT Sour Lemon
My favorite lemon recipes
Cajolery by kindground
I've probably vaped 2 gallons of this over the years). Uses the old Inawera Lemon. You can sub with Health Cabin Lemon, FE Lemon, MF Lemon, or even Hangsens lemon. Hangsen has an orangish twist.
Lemony Custardy by Liam Davey/Chef's Group
LMN# by RuntDastardly
Lemon Tart Remixed by dazcole
The Flavors
Inawera Lemon OLD @ 2%
Sweet bright lemon. Slightly tart. No harshness whatsoever. Bright lemon top notes. It reminds me of lemonheads candy but not exactly because it leans just a bit more natural. It also reminds me of Country Time lemonade. It has a slight bit of some sort of thicker berry like notes that thicken it up and hide beneath the brighter candyish lemon top notes. It almost has a slight bakery vibe (custard) going on underneath there that fattens it up too. Juicy creamy mouthfeel on the end of your tongue and lips.
Conclusion
This is absolutely my favorite lemon of all time. It's perfect for that artificial lemon flavor in a ton of recipes: candy, lemonade, cereals, and unnatural tasting puddings/custards. It doesn't taste like furniture polish at all. I've pushed it as high as 4% (oh the humanity) and it only gets slightly harsh. The mouthfeel is perfect for juicy fruit candies and creamy bakeries. I've used it to create lemon frosting layers. I'm sure it will fit into a lemon meringue pie. Inawera reformulated this about a year ago, so if you don't have an old stash like me (3oz), you're missing out. Hopefully it has a nice grave marker right next to Inawera Waffle somewhere deep inside Poland.
Inawera Lemon REFORMULATED @2%
Well this ain't lemon. It's more of an orange/lemon/lime. It has the top notes of mostly some kind of bitter orange that tries to fill in with musky lemon then leaves you with lime zest/rind. Sweet. Still silghty creamy sticky candy mouthfeel. Really can't get around that slightly peppery musky off note in the middle trying to be lemon. No harshness.
Conclusion
To me this totally is not a lemon. It's more of some sort of tart citrus mix and it has a musky slightly peppery off note tossed in the middle to confuse you. It's like lemon juice filtered through an old shoe. It makes you think that there's something wrong with your cotton. The mouthfeel is similar but it's not as creamy. It's more wet/sticky. Inawera ruined this. At least they did a fantastic job at ruining it. I can't see this being useful for much. Maybe a citrus type cocktail. The musky/peppery note I get may play well with a booze flavor.
Inawera Shisha Lemon @ 2%
Same bad lemon notes that are in the reformulated lemon. Mixed citrus. Musky zest strangeness. Trying to be more natural but failing. Really sweet for a lemon but I understand it's shisha. It's tolerable and doesn't taste like sweetener. It carries that same creaminess/juiciness on the tongue and lips on the front. Like candy. No harshness.
Conclusion
I bought this about a year ago after the reformulation round 1. IDK if this has changed. It's trying to be a realistic sweet lemon and in doing so it goes mixed citrus with funky lime zest notes for me. It's noticibly sweet and reminds me of powdered lemonade drinks but then it kind of fades off into a sprite. It has the same candy vibe as original lemon but it's definitely not a replacement. This may be one to look at if building a sprite from scratch (MB Green Lime too). It's not as bad as the reformulated lemon and is probably actually a tool for lemon and/or lime drinks and cocktails. You'll have to work around the built in sweetness.
Inawera Lemon Mix @ 2%
Very realistic bright natural lemon. Seems like the name says, a combo of lemons. Slightly sweet with a good bit of sourness right up front that lingers on the tongue nicely. Small amount of funky waxy zest that tries to push it's way into an off note but doesn't quit.
Conclusion
Really great natural lemon. Tastes like lightly sweetened fresh squeezed lemonade to me. There's more than one lemon note in this which makes it quite complex and quite useful. The slight waxy zest is really workable and easily covered with another lemon and sweetener. I feel like it lends to it's authenticity. This is great in a lemonade base as ID10-T has done before. Must have lemon.
Inawera Juicy Lemon @ 2%
Very Harsh. Slightly sweet. Reminds me of nail polish remover to start then finishes as some sort of cleaning product. It's not lemon pledge, it's almost acidic and just harsh. Minimal zest notes are peppery. Only a very chemical lemon.
Diluted down to 1%
Slightly peppery zest notes. Thin on lemon body. Not incredibly sweet. Oily and waxy lemon zest. The lemon top notes are still like a lemon cleaning product. Pepper isn't as bad.
Conclusion
I wouldn't bother with this one. It's really bad. I can't imagine it being of any use as a lemon at all. I steeped it for at least 3 weeks an it's just as harsh the last day as it was the first day. It tastes of chemicals and is quite relatable to pine-sol or lemon Mr. Clean.
Flavor Express Lemon @ 3%
Very natural tasting lemon. Sweet. Not incredibly strong. No real off notes. Has the bright tartness of a fresh lemon that lingers on the tongue. Not full on sour but very natural. It has just a touch of sharp zest on the end. No harshness.
Conclusion
This is a great lemon. Very natural and just a bit sweet. You can use it as an accent low or the star of the show high. u/ID10-T uses it in Viserion at 0.25% to brighten the blueberries. Two of my favorite lemon bakery recipes up at the top of these notes use it at 3% and 4%. It works well in every area that a lemon should work. You can use it with other fruits as an accent. Build a Lemonade with it. You can push it forward in a bakery as a main lemon note in cookies, cakes and custards. It's a great tool to have in your box.
The Flavor Apprentice Lemon @ 4%
Weak, sweet, candyish lemon. No real body at all. A tiny bit of musky zest is barely noticeable. Lack of brighter top notes. Moderately harsh. A tiny bit juicy. Not a terrible lemon at 4% but not great either. No off notes after a 2 week steep. They probably all faded away.
Conclusion
Some people get lemon cleaning product from this. I don't. Maybe I didn't push it high enough. Maybe I don't taste that way. It's not a terrible lemon but it fades a lot. It's almost unusable because it fades so much. It tends to fade into a watery candy lemon lacking brightness and body. May be good backed up with other lemons if you have to use it.
Medicine Flower Lemon @ 1%
Strong, bright, natural lemon. Has a good amount of sourness but is balanced with some sweetnesss. A touch of slightly bitter zest on the end. Juicy but not juicy enough. Ever so slight bit of harshness. Really nice lemon top notes, body and finish.
Conclusion
This has been my favorite lemon replacement for Inawera Lemon. It's bright, strong, has a natural lean with a touch of candy sweetness. It's a tiny bit harsh but not terribly. It's juicy but not as juicy as I'd like. The only thing it doesn't have is that awesome mouthfeel that Inawera had that pushes it more candy/creamy. It fits well wherever Inawera used to fit. I've used it up to 1.5% in fruit, candy and bakery recipes.
Hangsens Lemon @ 3%
Very natural, slightly tart, slightly sweet, lemon juice. No off notes. Finishes with a very authentic, slightly waxy orange zest note. Reminds me a whole lot of a Meyer Lemon.
Conclusion
This is a really great natural lemon. It's totally a Meyer Lemon. You could probably push this up to 4% without any off notes or weirdness. This would be fantastic in lemonade and cocktail recipes. The orange zest note is a tiny bit bitter but that can be worked with and lends to it being very authentic and natural.
Jungle Flavors Lemon @ 3%
Strong bright lemon. Trying to be candy without the sweetness. Only barely sweet. Kind of a lemon custard/cake vibe instead of going full candy. No real zest or juiciness. Slightly creamy. No harshness or real off notes. Tartness is minimal.
Conclusion
The custard vibe in this makes it pretty unique for something that's supposed to just be a lemon. Tastes like a really nice lemon custard/pudding without a ton of tartness. I could see this boosting a lemon meringue nicely and layering very well with it. The creaminess reminds me of original INW Lemon but pushes custard instead of candy.
Jungle Flavors Lemon Juicy @ 3%
A little harsh, slightly sweet authentic lemon. It's missing some of the brightness that better lemons have. Either faded or is weak. Tastes like lemon water really. It's a bit juicy as it should be. Kind of thin and one dimensional. No real zest notes to lend authenticity.
Conclusion
This is a decent lemon though pretty one dimensional and weak. It does deliver on the juiciness but the harshness kind of blocks that a bit. It either fades terribly or is super weak. You may be able to push it to 4% but it may get harsher. This will need some help of some lemon top notes from something like FE Lemon or INW Lemon Mix.
Flavour Art Lemon Sicily @ 2%
Sweet, natural lemon. Plenty of brightness with a slightly tart finish. A little bit harsh. Zest notes are there but pretty subdued. Relatively juicy.
Conclusion
This is a great lemon for just about anything where natural lemon is wanted. Lemonade, cocktails, bakeries, to boost brightness in berries. There's a reason this is a staple. It's authentic, natural and easy to work with. The only con is that it can get a bit harsh when pushed high and there aren't other ingredients to tame it.
Flavorah Lemon @ 3%
Slightly sweet, with plenty of lemon brightness. Starts off candyish and tries to be natural but finishes candy. Waxy zest up front that goes a bit lemon cleaner but doesn't linger there. Just a little harshness at 3% but not terrible. Sweetness and tartness linger on the tongue quite a bit like a lemon candy should. Fairly juicy mouthfeel.
Conclusion
This isn't a bad candyish lemon. The juiciness is welcome but seems to push it more candy. The zest off note is minimal and workable. Although this has a slight cleansing product off note it doesn't go full blown off. This works well as a lemonhead type candy with some layering of another candy lemon and additives like Capella Hibiscus or FA oba oba, or a small amount of Ethyl Maltol (cotton candy).
Flavorah Lemongrass @ 2%
Bright lemon notes with a touch of ginger. Slightly sweet but not much. Not juicy but not dry. No waxy zest. The peppery spicy taste from the ginger lingers on the tongue as the lemon brightness fades.
Diluted to 0.75%
Still get a peppery ginger note. A green hay note. Bright lemon still there. Not any sweetness at all. Very floral in a lemon/ginger way still.
Conclusion
This will make a fantastic lemon ginger tea. The ginger note is pretty forward in this. The lemon is there but fades quite fast. I've never eaten raw lemongrass so I'm not sure if this is accurate. If you're looking for ginger and lemon for something I'd choose this. It's a pretty authentic ginger. It even numbs the tongue a bit.
Capella Juicy Lemon @ 5%
Odd. No lemon brightness. Tastes like old lemon zest dropped in old stale tea leaves. No sweetness. No tartness. No juiciness. Musty and kind of grassy. Very thin and doesn't linger much.
Diluted to 2.5%
Still odd. I get an old stale taste from it still. Tastes like tea leaves and cardboard. No real brightness or juiciness at all now.
Conclusion
This is pretty bad. I may have pushed it too high. It doesn't even resemble a lemon at all. It seems like it's trying to be a lemon tea but misses that mark too. The off notes are kind of grassy like stale green tea with a weird black tea musty note. I don't know if I pushed this too high @ 5% and broke it or what. Everyone else seems to find this a generic sweet lemon.
Capella Lemon Sicily @ 3%
Dry. Harsh. Not potent at all. Faint sweet lemon. Fairly natural but no real body. I fear upping the percentage will make it harsher. No zest notes really. May have faded. It almost seems like a bakery lemon. Suitable for lemon meringue pie.
Conclusion
A lot of people like this in bakery recipes. I can see that. It's a fairly workable sweet lemon. Not an FA replacement though. It's not as natural and full flavored. It's more a generic sweet lemon. Like a lot of lemons it fades. It's fairly dry instead of juicy and pushing it higher brings out more dryness. Doesn't pack a lot of flavor and is generally pretty weak.
One on One Lemon Natural @ 4%
Slightly sweet natural lemon. Lacks brighter notes. Has a nice natural tartness up front. Like a natural lemonade without a lot of sweetness. No real ZEST or off notes. Moderately juicy. No harshness at all.
Conclusion
This is a really good lemon that would be perfect for lemonades with the help of some brighter notes. Lemon Mix would make this pretty full flavored. The tartness is very natural and lingers quite a bit. I could see this making a really good Strawberry Lemonade.
One on One Sweet Lemon @ 4%
Sweet, fairly authentic lemon. Not necessarily candy. Lacks brightness. A bit of waxy tart zest but not enough to fill it out. Sweetness lingers with the zest leaving me with more of an orange juice vibe. Not a
Conclusion
This is an interesting sweet citrus. It has an orange zest/juice to me at the end. The sweetness and zest push it towards a Meyer Lemon or sweet lemon with a bit of orange. It reminds me of FA Lemon Sicily with a sort of sweet orange at the end. I could see pairing this up with a lemonade that wasn't too pushy and some TFA Sweet Tea. Instant Arnold Palmer.
One on One Lemon Round Candy @ 5%
Waxy, tart/bitter, pine-sol. Slightly sweet Top notes are total household cleaner. Tart/bitter on the tail end. No harshness. Kind of oily on the finish. Not juicy at all. Not very candyish.
Conclusion The top notes of this are totally pine-sol cleaner. This is definitely not a lemonhead. Oily mouthfeel carries the tartness and makes it linger on the tongue. This should equate to zest but instead equates to a cheap stale gummy or stale hard candy. This is not good.
One on One Lemon Square Candy @ 4%
Strange musty vanilla pepper note up front. Waxy sweet finish on the mouthfeel has that same sort of paraffin thing going on as a starburst. No real bright lemon notes. Slightly tart. No harshness. Sweetness is fairly up front and doesn't linger.
Conclusion
Meh. This is kind of disappointing. The mouthfeel is there but the strange peppery vanilla is very forward and kills any lemon brightness that might be there. The candy lemon tartness is also non existent and it's not sweet enough to be a candy.
Vape Train Australia Sour Lemon @ 3%
Fairly zesty waxy tart lemon. The tartness lingers on your tongue quite a bit and carries that tart and sour. Moderate sweetness. Not juicy but not dry. The tartness seems to override any juiciness. There's a bit of sweet at the end but I think it helps push the tartness on the tongue more forward.
Conclusion
I like this flavor a lot. It seems to have that fizzy sherbet thing going on with the tongue. It will linger there kind of numb and carry flavor with it. If you were trying to make something lemon and were reaching for fizzy sherbet, I'd grab this instead. It's a fantastic lemon zest that seems like it would get better instead of weird if you push it higher. The sweetness is fairly moderate so you can build your own in with other ingredients. It's totally is like chewing on slightly sweetened lemon zest to me. Really authentic tart/sour in an oily/waxy zest way that finishes sweet enough to brighten the tartness.
Delosi Lemon @ 3%
Very light on flavor. Authentic lemon but thin with not a lot of brightness. Slight tartness that lingers on the tongue. Has a pretty authentic zest note. Not waxy or oilythough. Zest note is a tad funky but not unpleasant. Hardly any sweetness. Only a little bit of harshness. Not juicy, but not dry either. Seem like it faded or I didn't push it high enough.
Conclusion
This either faded, needs a higher percentage or is pretty thin. It would be a really great lemon if it were more potent/didn't fade. I may try it at 4% because it's pretty authentic and could be useful. The zest note is a little different than other lemons in that it's slightly funky. It definitely needs more tartness and lemon brightness. Its a pretty good lemon that may work well as a modifier/accent for berries and fruits.
Real Flavors Super Concentrate Lemon @2%
blahhhhhh Couldn't taste anything even at 4%
Conclusion
blahhhhhhh Couldn't taste anything even at 4%
Nature's Flavors Lemon @ 2%
Sweet. Strange vanilla up front that turns peppery and sort of a touch of anise. I get no bright lemon notes or zest. Slight tartness left on the palate. No harshness. Creaminess but no juiciness. It's just weird.
Conclusion
This is a strange one. It's not lemon at all. It's like a vanilla ice cream with a touch of lemon and kiss of anise. The peppery note from the vanilla fades into anise to me which I'm not a fan of. Not harsh at all like lemons can be. Just strangely creamy and sweet.
Molinberry Easy Lemon @ 3%
Definitely some cooling. Feels like koolada (WS-3). Has a slight minty spearmint taste. Not very sweet. Has a cleanser like lemon brightness. Slight tartness turns into a slightly waxy tart zest.
Conclusion
This one isn't one I'm very thrilled about. The lemon is a touch strange and it has coolant and or mint/menthol for sure. I think the coolant/menthol is making the lemon slightly chemical up front leading to the cleanser vibe. It has a good lemon zest finish though. This may be good in an adult beverage. I'm thinking hard Lemonade.
Chemnovatic Lemon @ 3%
Pretty sweet. Candy Lemon that leans a little natural. Pretty one dimensional right in the middle. Lacks a good deal of lemon brightness. Slightly tart finish that is slightly zesty. No harshness. Not incredibly juicy but the sweetness is on point.
Conclusion
This is a pretty good lemon. The rumor that this is just FE/SC rebranded isn't confirmed here. It is definitely more candy than FE Lemon. This would be a really good replacement for the old INW, you just may need to use 4%. The candy lemon note would probably need a little layering because it's right down the middle. A brighter lemon like FE will work. The zesty finish is what pushes this a little bit natural. The sweetness is what keeps it more candy.
Health Cabin Lemon @ 3%
Pretty sweet. Subtle bright lemon notes with candy lemon. Nice tartness. Lemonheads! Pretty juicy in a candy way. Finishes with a touch of zest and sweetness. Slight numbing/tingliness on tongue. No harshness at all. Lacks the INW creaminess
Conclusion
ERRRR-MAH-GEEEEERD! This is a great replacement for old INW Lemon. It's got that lemonhead vibe and sweetness. It kind of leaves a bit of the same effect on the tongue as fizzy sherbet instead of being creamy. This let's the sweetness and tartness carry through nicely to the finish. This is a new one for me but I'm going to try it where I normally use the old INW and see how it works.
Solube Aroma Lemon Cream @ 3%
Dark vanilla. Kind of dry. Mostly a custard pudding. Not a lot of lemon here. No juiciness. A bit of creaminess up front turns dry. No harshness. Lemon top notes are non existent.
Conclusion
This is like if INW made FA Custard. Has that classic INW custard dryness. The fake dark vanilla is like an off brand of vanilla extract. Not good. The lemon is pretty buried here and very subtle. No brightness or top notes. It may work well in lemon meringue pie mixes but there are better flavors to use.
Solube Aroma Lemon Frosted @ 3%
Waxy, oily, very authentic citrus zest. Mostly lemon with a touch of lime. No cooling. Very little sweetness. Zest is quite tart, almost bitter and lingers quite a bit on the tongue.
Conclusion
This isn't what I expected but it's a great mixed citrus zest. It could pass easily as a lime zest. If you layer it with something like FLV Lime Wedge it would be really great in a cocktail. It might even help fix the fade issue. The zest is quite tart, almost bitter. It's pretty "oily" like zest should be and that oil helps it linger on the tongue quite a bit. This isn't a lemon frost if you ask me, but it's a really nice tart/bitter citrus zest.
Ranking 1-29
- Inawera Lemon OLD
- Health Cabin Lemon
- Medicine Flower Lemon
- Flavor Express (or Xpress Flavour) Lemon
- Flavour Art Lemon Sicily
- Vape Train Australia Sour Lemon
- Hangsens Lemon
- Inawera Lemon Mix
- Chemnovatic Lemon
- Flavorah Lemon
- One on One Lemon Natural
- RF SC Lemon
- Jungle Flavors Lemon
- One on One Sweet Lemon
- Flavorah Lemongrass
- Delosi Lemon
- Solube Aroma Lemon Frosted
- Jungle Flavors Lemon Juicy
- Capella Juicy Lemon
- One on One Lemon Round Candy
- One on One Lemon Square Candy
- Solube Aroma Lemon Cream
- Molinberry Easy Lemon
- Inawera Shisha Lemon
- Capella Lemon Sicily
- TFA Lemon
- Inawera Lemon NEW
- Nature's Flavors Lemon
- Inawera Juicy Lemon
Submitted April 02, 2019 at 07:55AM by kindground https://ift.tt/2COsVkZ
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