Why Produce
Flavoreeds?
 In the founders’ retail music store, band directors
complained that their students were not wetting their reeds thoroughly before
placing them on the mouthpieces. Students did not like the taste of cane reeds.
The company’s goal was to produce a premium cane reed that played well,
eliminated the wood cane taste, and gave the reed a pleasant flavor. After
eight years of research, Flavoreeds perfected a method without changing the
playing characteristics of a premium reed. Some players have suggested that
Flavoreeds play better due to the process, which fills the pores of the
reed.
Flavoreeds are produced in 10 different flavors, in five
different degrees of strength for Tenor Saxophone.
Tenor sax reeds are
packaged in a tripak.
What are the most popular
flavors?
 Shortly after we introduced Blue Raspberry, we
discovered that some of the blue was bleeding on the lips. We didn't want that
so we stopped producing it. However, the small amount in the dealers' inventory
was soon depleted and the demand was such that we had to bring it back. It
became our best seller. It became "cool" to have slightly blue lips. All the
red flavors are the next best sellers: Strawberry, Bubble Gum, Cherry Red, and
Watermelon. Cinnamon, which does not have a color, is used by students of band
directors who do not want a colored reed in the band. Mint Green and
Piña Colada are the more adult flavors. (There is no alcohol in any of
our flavors.)
How long does the flavor
last?
 It is similar to chewing gum. The flavor
gradually dissipates. If the student can't taste the flavor anymore, the band
director will usually suggest that it's time to use a new reed. Do Flavoreeds
have sugar in them? A small amount of sugar is used as a sweetener. The amount
is so small that the amount a player would ingest in one year would be less
than the amount of sugar contained in one bowl of corn flakes. All the
ingredients used in flavoring Flavoreeds are natural food additives found in
baked goods in any supermarket.
Will Flavoreeds harm
the instrument?
Flavoreeds should be handled and treated like any other reeds. If the player
swabs the instrument and washes the mouthpiece regularly, the instrument will
smell clean and there will be no problems. Pads will stick if the instrument is
not swabbed no matter what kind of reed is used. How do Flavoreeds compare with
other reeds? Because Flavoreeds are especially attractive to students and
priced competitively, the assumption is that Flavoreeds are student level
reeds. The fact is that Flavoreeds are premium quality reeds. Most of our reeds
are made by a well-known manufacturer in Paris from premium cane grown in
southern France. Because of the large quantities that we use, we will also buy
elsewhere to assure a continuous supply. We only purchase premium cane reeds.
Flavoreeds are slightly stiffer than regular Van Doren reeds.
How can the life of a Flavoreed be prolonged?
Rotate
the reeds so that there are two or three reeds that have been broken in and
ready to play. When a reed is discarded, replace it with a new reed in
rotation. Use a reed guard. |
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