I love the fact that I can make my own liquids and slowly I've been building up my collection of flavouring agents to reflect my tastes. Some have been "Okay, this is actually nice" to "What on earth was I thinking?!"
But, since I've only recently gotten into mixing I'm curious what your "must have" flavours are... And if you were to compile a list of maybe 10-20 flavours that you'd suggest people go for right off the bat (including souring, sweetening and mentholated if that's how you roll.)
Things that you think are flavours that people may not necessarily get on their first order but what you'd consider your "Go to" flavours that you find you've used the most and that you find are the best ones. (I understand that taste is subjective so I guess if it helps, maybe put what your personal favourites are... So, if you're a fan of the creamy or a fan of the tart or a fan of the sweet... that kinda thing.)
Personally, now that I've had a chance to figure some things out I'd list the following in my "try to aim for these on your first order."
My personal favourite flavour profiles I'd say are a mix between sweet and tart.
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Sweetener (either Ethyl Maltol/sucralose or "marshmallow" flavours... Ethyl Maltol for the standard "Sweet" but "Marshmallow" for the "creamyness" that it seems to impart as it matures.)
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Sours (Malic acid and maybe some citrus-like sours like lemon, lime and/or grapefruit.)
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Soft and juicy fruits like Peach, Grape, Strawberry and maybe others like Guava.
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Strong fruits like Lychee, Lemon, Granny-smith Apple.
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Vanilla, Chocolate and maybe caramel or butterscotch (though the caramel or butterscotch could be classed more as sweeteners but I've noticed that some caramels aren't always going to give you a very strong sweetness in as much as they give the caramel profile.)
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Mints (Spearmint and wintermint mainly.)
So, what are your "what you'd suggest for someone just getting into mixing" flavours?
Honestly, get two or three of the following:
Bavarian cream
Sweet cream
Marshmallow
Malted milk
All of them work quite well with fruit flavors and can pull double duty with dessert flavors.
Menthol is another good one to have on hand. At very small amounts, it can really bring out fruit flavors.
Sour/malic acid is great with fruits and also bakery flavors. Citric acid can make fruits really pop, too. I usually use a lemon flavor in tiny quantities instead of citric acid, though.
As for fruits, I always recommend people go with what they like. I'm still searching for a really good cranberry, though. I've heard Capella's sweet strawberry is delicious, but it would have to be divine to get me to stop using tfa's strawberry ripe. I'm also getting some good results with quince and having fun toying with grapefruit. I've yet to find a grape I really like, though.
I actually try not to use sweeteners, instead I use flavors that are "naturally" sweet. Sweet cream, marshmallow, caramel original (tfa).
As for chocolates, I'm partial to tfa's bittersweet and dark chocolate. I'm still figuring out their double chocolate (clear), but I'll get there.
As for something to add a but of sharpness or bite, champagne can work wonders.
And for the love of god, DO NOT ORDER BLACK SESAME!!!
WizardLabs is out of Sweet Cream and Bavarian Cream from TPA. I kinda wanna wait to place my order until that's back, as it seems cheaper to buy smaller samples of flavors from WL vs TPA. I believe WL is 8ml for $1.99 and TPA is 4ml for $1.40.
But I also want to get started with DIY :s
At those smaller quantities, wl is definitely cheaper. However, pretty much every flavor I mentioned is worth ordering in a 4 oz bottle or even larger straight from tfa. Sign up for their bulk sizes. Completely free and so damned cheap.
Also, if you're looking for someplace to get pg and vg, go straight to the source at essential depot. Cheaper than wl at larger quantities and the same quality. Hell, it is the same pg and vg, wl just rebottles it.
Wl is great for nicotine, and they do make things simpler by carrying pretty much everything you'll need to diy. You can save on shipping that way, but you may pay a little more for certain things is all.
> I've heard Capella's sweet strawberry is delicious, but it would have to be divine to get me to stop using tfa's strawberry ripe.
it is divine. You need ti try it. Its very strong though. Anything over 10% can be too sweet.
Did you ever figure out the double chocolate? How does the bittersweet work for making sweet chocolatey mixes? Im starting development of a sweet chocolatey mix and was wondering if you think maybe just throwing a hint (0.5-1%) of marshmallow on top of it can smooth out the bitter? Or am i wrongly assuming that its more butter than the name would imply - i know the names dont often accurately describe the profile.
The bittersweet, to me, is closer to a real chocolate flavor. It does sometimes need something to soften it up and the marshmallow can help with that. I don't really use it at higher than 3-4% if it is the only chocolate in the mix though. I'd say it gets a bit closer to a baking chocolate than to a tootsie roll. The later is what I find most chocolate lean towards, more of a candy chocolate than a true chocolate if that makes sense.
Just ordered a small sample of the sweet strawberry from ecigexpress tonight, as well as a number of different things to try out. Definitely curious how this batch of flavors will turn out.
strangely cola is my go to. i never would have thought that would be the case. most people don't think much about cola, but its actually a very full robust and balanced flavor spectrum with lemon, lime, orange, cinnamon, vanilla. i usually don't add sweetener, so i get all those notes without it being cloying.
Ever have any tank problems with Cola (clouding or cracking)? I was thinking on it but saw it on the "warning" list. I want to make a grape cola.
i have not. i don't make it very strong though. the flavor goes a long way, and i think most people add way too much flavoring. i have primarily used evods, and never had a problem. also cola is such a good base flavor. i have added chocolate, vanilla, cherry, strawberry, lemon, lime, and even red wine flavor to cola, with great results.
You got me at the part where you mentioned "grapefruit".
I love grapefruit, never found juice with grapefruit only (mixes with other citrus stuff is alright) so I'll just ask here, what is some known juice that has a predominant grapefruit flavor? I have yet to mix juice myself but if I do not find any grapefruit juices in a month, I'll most likely do this stuff myself.
So far I haven't found any... However, if you like it, I would suggest getting lemon and some key-lime flavouring with a bit of sour (maybe malic acid?) It won't be "the same" but in the right mixes it can give you that nice, tart and musky flavour that grapefruit has (not the "musky like a skunk" kinda thing, more like "musky like a lime/peach" kinda thing.)
Though, if you like straight up grapefruit I'd suggest learning to mix. Best way to get just the right liquid is to make it yourself (and you will save a shit-ton of money... sure, a tiny little bottle of flavouring can cost you a couple bucks but that one little vial will do you good for many, many, many bottles of liquid assuming you don't just pour it straight into your vape.)
I'll give you an idea how long a little vial lasts. I have a small 3ml sample of Lychee from TFA and even with making at least 5-7 10ml bottles that feature it heavily (and one that was straight-up lychee) I haven't even gone through 3/4s of it. (yes, i purchased a bigger one to replace this one... I'm hoping to get a mix out to some testers soon.)