Vanilla Cheesecake (EF)

If you're looking for a New York Cheesecake, this ain't it. With a strong bite and almost brash flavor, this is without a doubt a more traditional cheesecake.

As a SNV, there's an almost overwhelming dark, deep vanilla note that's very reminiscent of a vanilla extract. The flavor isn't far off from the CAP French Vanilla profile in terms of richness. There's a tangy bite that's sticky on the tongue. It's a quick-hitting sharpness that I would expect to be heavy and sour, but it's significantly more sweet and tangy. There's a slight creamy dairy taste but no creamy mouthfeel whatsoever. There's just the slightest hint of what I'd call smokiness. I'm guessing this might be a graham note, but it's weird, and I'm not a fan. On the density spectrum, I'd put it right in the middle- not heavy, not wispy, very meek throat hit. Overall, this tastes like a lot of cheesecake with almost no crust.

After a one month steep, the overall flavor softens up tremendously, particularly the vanilla note. The softer, more uniform taste creates a smoother mouthfeel which is more in line of what I'd expect with a cheesecake. In regards to a cheesecake body, there's a stronger sweet cream note that isn't very heavy. The tang is still there, but it's not as bold or obnoxious as before, and it doesn't leave the unpleasant stickiness in my mouth like it did previously. There is no discernible graham/crust note which means 1) it was never there to begin with (and the slight smokiness that I previously tasted was just an off note) or 2) it completely steeps out. It needs some assistance in that area for sure.

The vanilla remains dark and rich despite softening up, but I can't say the same for the richness of the actual filling. Compared to a NY cheesecake, the body is a lot lighter, and there's a very notable piquant sweetness. The sweetness is more natural than artificial- more of a sweet cream byproduct than an added sugar. There isn't a strong cheesy note which could be both a pro and a con depending on your palate. If someone put a gun to my head and told me I had to pick out a cheese note, I would say this leans in a more mascarpone direction rather than a cream cheese one, but this isn't something that sticks out much.

Overall, this flavor tastes like a crust-less, traditional cheesecake that was just slightly overdone. If you don't like the egginess of CAP Vanilla Custard or the rich vanilla note in CAP French Vanilla, you're not going to enjoy this flavor. I wouldn't say this flavor is eggy by any means, but the creamy dairy note seems to come from the same family as CAP VC, and the vanilla note is very similar to both vanilla profiles.

If you wanted to use this flavor as your lead in a mix, I'd stick to around 2% or so. Anything over 3% became nauseatingly tangy for me. 0.5%-1% is where I'd start if it were going to be used as an accent.