S1 | and the winning valerian formulation is

Talking sofi: We're in this together
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There’s a reason we activate three different flavoured plant pods in each of our Pioneer Programs! :s1_n01: :s1_n02: :s1_n03:

Not only does it provide us with fun options when it comes to choosing which formulation to pair with our sofi stick next, but it also allows us to gauge which flavour is most acceptable (dare we say enjoyable when it comes to valerian :laughing:) to the widest number of Pioneers for the longest period of time.

We know taste is so very personal and we want you to love your journey with us (or at least be able to stomach it)! We also made a conscious choice to test valerian as our very first plant because we know it is the toughest plant to work with. After all, we are delivering the roots of valerian which are strong in smell - so our strong hope was that if we can get through valerian we should be alright with say…passiflora or chamomile!

And on that note, the winner of the S1 valerian formulation poll is… drum roll … n.03! :s1_n03:

n.03 - aka citrus-y grapefruit - was selected the most times by S1 Pioneers as the preferred flavour of our three plant pod formulations, and was voted the least number of times as the least favourite pod (another way of thinking of that is even when it wasn’t the Pioneer’s favourite, they didn’t mind it as much as the one they struggled with!).

S1 valerian formulations - poll results
S1 valerian formulations - poll results1920×1073 252 KB

While n.01 (mint) wasn’t far behind at all as a majority favourite, it ended up being quite divisive - we seemed to either love it or hate it for the S1 - with over 36.5% of Pioneers selecting it as their very least favourite, just behind formulation n.02 at 37.8%.

It is safe to say that our taste experience is truly unique. Just check out the range of words we used to describe them all throughout the course of the S1!

S1 valerian word clouds (from journaling data)
S1 valerian word clouds (from journaling data)1920×1079 707 KB

Thanks to your incredible ongoing feedback, we have chosen n.03 as the flavour we will activate on the sofi system for future sofi pioneers.

Overall, we are so excited to be moving forward with the most “loved” flavour of such a stinky plant and can’t express enough how grateful we are for your perseverance there. The fact that “manure” ranked as one of the most mentioned descriptors of this plant (can anyone spot it in the word cloud?!) is plenty of proof and has definitely made my day - LOL!

Please keep the honest feedback coming, and we can’t wait to explore what passiflora has in store for us!

Alex
xx

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Thx @alexwalkerjones loving the word clouds! It was funny for me I really thought I would dread the blue one so I left it to the end … oddly I think I got really used to it and could have sworn it may have been my favourite … at the end I was probably happy with any of them! I think @pamelaspence our purist is going to be upset!! But I can live with grapefruity valerian! Thx for this analysis again. xx :pray:

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Amazing to know we have been part of the elimination process very interesting

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@alexwalkerjones ‘stinky plant’??!!! :rofl::rofl: Our beloved valerian?!!! :flushed::flushed::smile:

@Kaveh I like the grapefruit. Also - I can raid my dispensary if i feel the need to be purist :grin::herb:

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Hah! So fun to see the word clouds :slight_smile:

And interesting to see nr1 was so divisive! Personally I didn’t mind it. Won’t say I loved it, but let’s say I got used to it.

Thank you so much for sharing all these amazing results. It’s great to see our Pioneers in action and using their results of S1 to make out decisions. Love it :heart:

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I liked the mint until it aggravated my reflux.

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Incredible!!it is so different.defo has more layers to hide the musky valerian
I drink alot of camomile tea,i grow it too,im wondering if i wont get alot out of pure camomile.i only drink passionflora tea now amd then and havent tried as tinc .it will be intetesting to see!so proud of you guys

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I agree!!i got used to them,but fid eat mint or brush my teeth after as i could smell my breath!:rofl::rofl:

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I love some of the descriptions pods received. On a personal note I voted for mint as taking statins I’m not sure i should be using a grapefruit compound (tiny as it may be). As for a description of Manure for valerian, I’m almost shocked. When i was a boy my dog was given a daily tablet that smelled very strongly of yeast (to me similar to valerian). I think that aroma reminded me of better days long gone. I still love the aroma of warm yeast. Perhaps that’s why I worked for breweries most of my working years. Happy days.
:sleeping_bed::sleeping::kissing_heart:

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I agree @CjaJose. It’s amazing how having memories tied to certain smells can completely alter our perception and associations related to them!

Out of curiosity, are there any flavours in particularly you’d like to see? I’ve always loved the really artificial grape cough medicine taste - that one definitely brings me back… but I might alone in that :rofl: :innocent:

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Hi, @alexwalkerjones difficult to pin one down but have always been partial to strong tastings such as liquorice and ginger root and am currently making cold drinks using star anise mixed with lemon tea and allowing it to cool right down. So perhaps something along those lines might suit me.
Colin :innocent::sleeping_bed:

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Oooh :heart_eyes: cold lemon tea with anise sounds delicious!! I will have to try this over ice for the summer and report back! I tend to eat a lot of spices during the winter (anti-inflammatory and good for digestion, right @pamelaspence :raised_hands: :white_check_mark:) but this would be a great way to incorporate them daily in the warmer months when I forgot. Thanks @CjaJose!

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@alexwalkerjones
You’re probably already aware but be sure to only use the Chinese :cn:version as the other star anise is not suitable. I usually just crush one star and use the pod, shell and all.
Colin​:tumbler_glass::innocent::sleeping_bed:

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Well done my young paduan :rofl: :raised_hands:
Also warming for the digestion so help in cpld weather and with cold foods. :herb:

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Thanks, I think @pamelaspence. Padawan indeed, read about the star anise online and was looking for a carrier to use with it and there was this lemon tea on my kitchen shelf.
Colin :man_mage::sleeping_bed:

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Good for digestion and reflux. I think best sipped in the a.m.
:man_mage::tumbler_glass:

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Oh! @CjaJose that Padawan comment was meant for @alexwalkerjones who tagged me in her reply! Sorry - you must have thought I was being very rude :see_no_evil::laughing:

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@pamelaspence not at all, I thought it was very funny but now I know it was for someone else :sob::joy_cat::sleeping_bed::sleeping:
Keep up the great work.
Colin🧙‍♂️

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Oh no! Now I feel doubly bad :rofl::rofl::see_no_evil:

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Sorry @pamelaspence, drown your sorrows with a calming star anise and lemon tea cold drink.
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:man_mage::tumbler_glass:

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