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Making the perfect Cereal Vape - Or - "Since when do fruit loops contain lemon?!"
submitted over 10 years ago by InertiaCreepingJust another Moderator

Been playing with a cereal/Fruit Loops juice for about a month now, seeing everyone getting all hyped up about them. Tried a few US varieties to see what the hype is (still haven't quite figured it out), and noticed two things:

  1. A distinct lemon flavour, in all of them (I'll get back to this)
  2. All of the decent cereal puns have been taken

The lemon flavour is definitely coming from TFA Fruit Circles , almost a lemon scented cleaner taste- which personally I can't stand.

A good review of a lot of US cereal favours is here, which mentions the lemon in most juices - http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/2wyfsg/motherfucking_fruit_loops_pt_i/ Now the question is, since when does fruit loops taste like friggen' lemon!?! Has the world gone mad?!

ANYWAY, we'll just put that on the crazy American palate, and move onto the "perfect" cereal vape in my eyes.


Moving on!

Hi, my name is /u/inertiacreeping. I occasionally take care of moderating and generally keeping /r/diy_ejuice tidy, and there has been a lot of discussion on how to make tasty cereal juices around these parts.

I'll get the discussion going here by posting two recipes I've seen:

Recipe 1:
2% Hazelnut (FW)
2% Meringue (FA)
1.5% Bergamot (FA)
1% Orange (FA)
1% Sweet Tangerine (CAP)
3% Lemon (FE)
2% Yellow Cake (FW)

Note: This recipe is meant to be really good... so good in fact, that a store in the US supposedly started selling this exact recipe which causes a bit of a kerfuffle. I personally haven't made it, just posting it here for reference.

Loads of citrus, nuts, yellow cake and pastry.

Recipe 2
TFA Fruit circles - 8% 
TFA Berry crunch - 5% 
TFA Lemon 3%

Now, as we can see from both of them, they are pretty heavy on the citrus... which is totally beyond me. In recipe 2, Fruit Circles at 8% will definitely have an over-powering lemon taste, and then they go ahead and add more TFA Lemon!


I'm not going to make a recipe for you, but here are some concentrates I would use if anyone wants to make a cereal juice without that lemon taste (or at least reduce the lemon). Use as many or as little as you like, but I would make sure your juice has at least three components:

  1. The Cereal
  2. The milk
  3. Something else to really make it special.. nuttiness, sugar, more creaminess etc etc

Flavorwest - Yellow Cake
Gunks coils, but smells/tastes heavenly. Good stuff.

Berry Crunch - TFA
Berry flavoured cereal, contains a bit of acetyl pyrazine (roasted flavour, popcorn-esc)

Cheesecake with Graham Crust - TFA
Subtle cake flavouring with acetyl pyrazine 

Malted Milk - TFA
Really, really malt flavour. Use sparingly this to give a milky flavour. 

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - TFA
Very vanilla, very creamy.

Fruit Circles - TFA
Very lemon-ey, very cereal-y. I'm guessing this is the main component in most of the lemon cereal juices out there

Brown Sugar - TFA
Pretty self explanatory, use sparingly (0.5-1%) to add a sugary taste

Acetyl Pyrazine - TFA
A molecule which imparts a very strong nutty finish. Toasted. Popcorn.
Comments
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5 points
 
by neverbeentovegasover 10 years ago

FA meringue is a key component to sugary elements in any cereal vape in my humble opinion.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I fully and wholeheartedly agree.

1 points
 
by vineandvaporover 10 years ago

Absolutely. I got a bunch of this for recipe #1 and was stunned at how spot-on it is. It's the perfect flavor for that crunchy, sugary coating on cereal.

1 points
 
by daathover 10 years agoMixologist

I second that!

1 points
 
by trecentersabout 10 years ago

Just five drops of FA meringue overtook the Lepre's Milk recipe I did. French Vanilla Swirl TFA, Sweet Creme TFA, and Caramel TFA seem to do the trick. I am starting to think that most people like stronger juices then I do though. Almost every juice I buy at a shop I end up thinning by half so I can drip it.

3 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

Actualy I'm going to try today a recipe with the main flavor being Berry Crunch (TFA).

The Breakfast at Teleos - Crunch seems to be one of the best cereal type ejuices I tried so far. What I have in mind is something like:

  • Berry Crunch 8%

  • Bavarian Cream(TFA) 4%

  • Whipped Cream(TFA) 2%

  • Vanilla Custard (CAP) / Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (TFA) 2%

  • Marshmallow (CAP) 1~2%

Some people I know can't stand the lemon-y flavor in cereal type of ejuices, so I'm going to try this one.

2 points
 
by kylecinaover 10 years agoMixologist

I've tried one using Vanilla Bean, found it too strong a vanilla flavor for a cereal vape IMO. The whipped cream is a nice mellow flavoring, similar to marshmallow. I've seen some recipes with Bavarian cream as well, and tried Flavor West's Milk, and a few other creams. Best combo I've found yet is TFA/Capella sweet cream, TFA Marshmallow, and LA Marshmallow. I know it sounds dumb, but it works for me.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Report back for sure. I've made a similar mix, but with some berries thrown in. and it comes out quite decent. Still finalizing the recipe though.

1 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

what kind of berries did you add? I was thinking of adding a bit of Sweet Strawberry but I'm not quite sure.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Sweet Strawberry should be a good choice. I used 2:1 ratio of TFA Strawberry Ripe/Blueberry Wild in my last attempt at the Cap'n's "Oops! All Berries" Crunchberry mix.

1 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

forgot I need to add some Marshmallow too. Maybe 1%? /u/returnity

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Start at 1%, I haven't used CAP MM but less is generally more with MM. In my cereal vape I sell, I blent 50/50 MM/EM for sweetening and smoothing.

1 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

Yeah, I'm headinh home right now so I'll try it later.

-1 points
 
by clancy6969over 10 years ago

Curious how this will turn out.

3 points
 
by jl2121over 10 years agoMixologist

> "Since when do fruit loops contain lemon?"

Froot Loops has always contained lemon. It's the yellow one

9 points
 
by InertiaCreepingover 10 years agoJust another Moderator
What if I told you

All froot loops are the same flavour
7 points
 
by jl2121over 10 years agoMixologist

And they all contain lemon ;)

-1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Mind: blown. Ok, not really.

3 points
 
by The_Perrycoxover 10 years ago

This is still the best that I've seen as far as non fruit loops go. I originally saw this on here, and have made some tweaks to the percentages/vanilla a bit. Still seeing how light I can go on everything without it becoming too bland. Where it's at now, it's good in a Tank or RDA. Definitely not a fruit loops type, more crunch berries.

  • 8% TFA Strawberry Ripe

  • 6% TFA Bavarian Cream

  • 5% TFA Cheesecake Graham Crust

  • 2% TFA Vanilla Swirl

  • 1% Ethyl Maltol (10% Solution)

  • .75% A.P

1 points
 
by texasstrover 10 years ago

If you cut down the strawberry in this, do you think it would taste more like crunch and less like berries??? I'm trying to get something closer to cap'n crunk by boss sauce.

2 points
 
by captaincannibalover 10 years ago

Just throwing my opinion out there - for me, "The Prince" by Monarch eJuice is my definitive "Fruit Loops" vape. It is really strong on the lemon/citrus. There is a dry cereal flavor behind that and barely any milk/cream. I have yet to figure out how they do it. It's obvious that Fruit Circles is the main ingredient but anything I try with Fruit Circles tastes so.. bland. I barely notice any lemon despite everyone else calling it "lemon Pledge". It tastes more like someone spilled their lemon water on a piece of cardboard and made me lick it. I dunno. I'm definitely in the minority though.

But hey, awesome post Inertia! And I fully agree with everyone about FA Meringue - I refuse to attempt a cereal recipe without it. Whoever suggested that for the Cereal Killa recipe was a fucking genius.

1 points
 
by InertiaCreepingover 10 years agoJust another Moderator

No worries! I'm thinking I need to get in some FA Meringue...

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

You do!

1 points
 
by djataraxover 10 years ago

You are not alone! I too share your same love for Prince Pinesol. I've had the same issue with the bland factor. I have gotten the "effect" a little closer by using around 8% Fruit Rings (Flavor West), and 1-1.5% FA Bergamot. The last round I made, I also used CAP lemon sicilly. It seemed to help kick up the zest factor. When I smell the real stuff, I get a blueberry undertone, especially on an empty bottle. I have used 1% Blueberry extra/blueberry candy and had a pretty positive result. Still trying work out the sweet cream base. It's so subliminal.

2 points
 
by catdumplingover 10 years ago

Fruit Loops is all good and fine, but someone needs to do Honeycomb cereal. Or Corn Pops...

...wait, I think I just figured out what TFA Kettle Corn might be absolutely perfect for!

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Golden Grahams in the works over here, son.

I'd love to see a Kettle Corn recipe for Corn Pops or similar, if you wanna try that!

1 points
 
by catdumplingover 10 years ago

Hey now, I'm not a "son". ;)

But yeah, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards working on a Corn Pops recipe. I think Kettle Corn would be the perfect base to start from. Unfortunately I don't have any milk-y flavors right now, so it'll be sort of a leisurely project. I do like the Kettle Corn flavoring though, so I think this will be a good use for it.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Sweet Cream (TFA), Fresh Cream (FA), and a dash of Dulce de Leche (TFA) will work magic. For when you're ready to order.

1 points
 
by Enyawreklawover 10 years agoMixologist

I'm working on a Lucky Charms flavor. So sick of all these fruit loops clones.

2 points
 
by Nickilasover 10 years ago

I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but to me, 9souths cereal killa is the definitive cereal vape. I know, I know. Many don't like it. The thing about cereal killa is that it's got to have been made without TFA fruit circles, or for that matter any cereal flavor. It tastes and smells exactly like fruit loops. Everything else I've tried has that chemical fruit circles taste. It's incredibly complex, and I honestly have no idea how they went about making it. It's to the point where I would want the recipe just to see what they use, rather than to make it by the gallon for myself. The thought of knowing that a recipe for this juice exists somewhere, either taped to the wall in the back room of 9south vapes, or on an employees phone drives me crazy. I've gotta know how they do it.

Yes, I've tried the cereal killa clone posted in the OP, while good, it tastes nothing like cereal killa.

2 points
 
by Enyawreklawover 10 years agoMixologist

I live right by 9south. Every time I went there I asked the recipe. The vapetenders didn't even know, they get bottles shipped in from the main headquarters and only the owner and a couple of his friends know the recipe. It's their cash cow so they're aren't gonna let that get out. There was a rumor going around that one disgruntled employee leaked the recipe on Facebook but was met by law to take it down before anyone with any diy knowledge saw it. I don't believe it but I know they do churn through a lot of disgruntled employees. I used to vape that shit for months now I can't even taste it anymore no matter how long the break, so I know at least there is a shit load of flavoring in it. Maybe around 30-35%

2 points
 
by Nickilasover 10 years ago

Man, that's really interesting to me. Cereal killa is my unicorn. I've tried for months and months to clone it, with no avail. It's getting to the point where it's all I vape, and the only juice I buy anymore ( I mainly vape my own stuff ). It's driving me insane. Id be willing to pay anything for a list of flavors used. Just knowing that I could make it myself with flavors I can buy for a couple bucks it's slowly making me crazy.

1 points
 
by Enyawreklawover 10 years agoMixologist

Have you tried the official cereal kills clone here on /r/cerealkillaclone ? From what I hear it's pretty close although I've never done it myself. There a few flavors I KNOW are in it, such as FA Meringue and FE lemon. as well as AP to get out that more cereal note.

2 points
 
by daathover 10 years agoMixologist

Great post! Wow, recipe 1 is very similar in thinking as one of my recipes are - I'm still working on it, and I'll release it when I feel it's ready. I've vaped a lot of it already, and it's bloody delicious :)

2 points
 
by Aggressor-kunover 10 years ago

I tried this. It came out alright.

  • TFA Fruit circles 4-5%
  • TFA Berry crunch 6%
  • TFA Dragon fruit 3.5%
1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I will say /u/tet5uo posted "Tonguefuck" which is a pretty good starting point for DIYers aiming to perfect a Fruit Circles/Berry Crunch-based recipe for a cereal vape. Probabaly the first good recipe for Fruit Circles I've seen posted here.

Tonguefuck by /u/tet5uo:

  • 7% Fruit Circles (TFA)

  • 3% Fresh Cream (FA)

  • 2.5% Berry Crunch (TFA)

  • 2% Bavarian Cream (TFA)

  • 2% Marshmallow (TFA)

  • 1.5% Sweet Cream (TFA)

2 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

the problem in this one is the Fruit Circles. If you taste the juice to be too lemony, I think Fruit Circles should be dropped to about 2% and Berry Crunch to about 6~8%

2 points
 
by DrSnakensteinMDover 10 years ago

I've noticed when making this flavor, that at first the Fruit Circles is REALLY prominent - like you say - just too lemony. But after about a week, that mellows out quite a bit to be pretty well rounded.

Berry Crunch when used at the amounts you mention 6-8% gets pretty harsh, in my opinion. If it weren't for the harshness, I'd like this flavor on its own.

0 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

I did that recipe too, and it's the best one out there, but it needs work

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I don't think this is too lemony, personally. I'm not claiming it's a finished recipe, but it's the best Fruit Circles mix posted here. I made this by request for someone once, and it's pretty damn solid -- no lemon pledge flavor here.

Personally, I wouldn't mix Berry Crunch at anything more than 1:1 ratio with the Fruit Circles if I were aiming for a Fruit Loops-type juice, but taste is of course subjective.

1 points
 
by xrofaover 10 years agoMixologist

oh yeah, don't get me wrong, I still think this is one of the best cereal ejuices recipe, but as I said, it needs some work done.

2 points
 
by The_Perrycoxover 10 years ago

Was not a fan of this recipe, as others have said the Fruit Circles is still front and center. I just can't get past dat lemon pledge effect. That said, it's probably one of the better recipes that uses fruit circles.

1 points
 
by soad2237over 10 years ago

No need to dangle that big juicy carrot in front of us. You could have just omitted the first part of that first sentence.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I just wanted people to know I'd be willing to answer questions and make suggestions from a place of experience, not trying to tease anyone or anything. =( I usually will share my recipes if they're relevant, so I felt like this time I should qualify why I didn't.

1 points
 
by peraziniover 10 years ago

I just mix this recipe, is too lemony.

I´ll steep it a week and see what happens.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Definitely needs to age, heat-steep it or wait til it turns amber-colored on it's own for best results.

1 points
 
by xnavyguyover 10 years ago

Recipe 1 is pretty damn good, happen to be vaping some at the moment that I mixed up a few days ago.

1 points
 
by vaparagnoover 10 years ago

Yep - I made 60ml of this the other day and I'm getting low already

1 points
 
by banjo_plucking_furyover 10 years ago

Then perhaps you can tell me, what is "FE" concentrate, or was it a slip of the finger and meant to be "FW"(Flavor West)?

2 points
 
by PuffTheMetalDragonover 10 years ago

Flavor Express

1 points
 
by xnavyguyover 10 years ago

I assumed it was a slip and it should be FW. The last batch I made I used TFA lemon and it still tasted just as good to me.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

It's not a slip. It's a special Flavor Express flavoring sold only at ECX. You can substitute it with a blend of (IIRC) TFA Lemon and CAP Italian Lemon Sicily if you must.

1 points
 
by ___on___on___over 10 years ago

Here's my fruit loops. I've been looking at trying out vanilla bean ice cream or a hint of white chocolate for even more of a heavy cream taste/feel. Good after a hot water bath better after a week where the lemon note from the fruit circles really starts to mellow out.

Bavarian C​ream 2 Berry Crunch (TPA) 3 Fruit circles 6 Malted Milk 1 Sweet Cream 2 Toasted Marshmallow 2

5 points
 
by InertiaCreepingover 10 years agoJust another Moderator

For clarity :)

  • Bavarian C​ream 2%
  • Berry Crunch (TPA) 3%
  • Fruit circles 6%
  • Malted Milk 1%
  • Sweet Cream 2%
  • Toasted Marshmallow 2%

That looks like a great recipe (and probably close to mine!), thanks for sharing!

1 points
 
by ___on___on___over 10 years ago

Thanks for cleaning it up, it's very possible yours is the recipe I saw on here and tweaked so thanks for that!

1 points
 
by Enyawreklawover 10 years agoMixologist

Vanilla bean ice cream seemed to completely muddle my cereal. Maybe you'll have better luck but from now on I'm not using it in my cereals.

1 points
 
by ___on___on___over 10 years ago

Thanks for the heads up that saves me some time. I think the condensed milk is a big reason I like my juice and don't want to muddle the milk flavor. I hear just a small amount of white chocolate can have add body so I'll give that a shot once my extract comes in.

1 points
 
by Crylaughingover 10 years ago

There is a great cereal flavor from highlander in Colorado that has a nice guava, apricot, watermelon blend going. I cant reproduce it using the infamous cereal killa clone recipe, mainly because it lacks in the citrus department. Maybe fruit circles is the way to go with it.

1 points
 
by RobocopSuperfanover 10 years ago

Have you tried Botboy's fruity pebbles? It's a unique one, has a little mandarin and lime in it, but no lemon, and it doesn't come off as citrusy.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I have not seen this. Can you link it?

2 points
 
by RobocopSuperfanover 10 years ago

Here is his list, it's seventh from the bottom.

1 points
 
by bloodien0seover 10 years ago

Has anyone tried for a less fruity, more rich Cereal flavor? Something like a Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or most importantly, a Reese's Puffs cereal?

2 points
 
by catdumplingover 10 years ago

Smax's "Sammie Puffs" is supposedly a S'Mores vape, but I think it tastes like Cocoa Puffs (and I'm assuming that was the original flavor profile, based on the name. I wonder if they changed it to avoid legal issues.) Anyway, it's pretty tasty (especially for a Max VG juice) and I'd highly suggest giving it a try if you come across it.

2 points
 
by 1_4m_b1663rover 10 years ago

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that thinks this!

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I've heard a lot of good stuff about this juice lately, curious to try it.

1 points
 
by zylophoneover 10 years ago

I've been obsessing over making Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reese's Puffs lately! I bought both flavors from One on One and I think they're alright as a base, but they lack the cream/milk flavor so I've been adapting.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

  • Cinnamon Crunch Cereal OOO 6%
  • Fresh Cream FA 3%
  • Creamy Milky Undertone OOO 3%
  • Horchata TFA 1%
  • Marshmallow GF 1%
  • Rice Crunchies TFA 1%

I'm thinking of adding Meringue to this one too and maybe vanilla custard and taking out some of the crunch cereal. It's good after a week of steeping but still is a little too cinnamon-y for me.

1 points
 
by Aesaunicabout 10 years ago

Late response but I'd move away from OOO and try Cinnamon Danish Swirl and Cinnamon Sugar Cookie instead (CAP/TFA respectfully) These will get you closer as when I got the CCC from OOO it was lacking in flavor out of the bottle and once used in low percents seemed to really drop off in flavor.

1 points
 
by Playcate25over 10 years ago

As respectfully as I can say this, those recipes are not Fruit Loops clones. They are clones of Cereal Killa, which 9 South does not state it is a a Fruit Loops/pebbles flavor. The fact that those cereals may or my not contain any lemon flavoring is irrelevant(Kelloggs does not list any flavorings so any assumption about containing any flavor is purely subjective), as these recipes are not clones of any specific cereal, but some kind of cereal.

Anyways I don't think it's fair to hate on those recipes containing lemon since they are not Fruit Loops clones. Even then, you wouldn't know what's in FL, since they don't list any flavors.

It is fair however to hate on them because they are not nearly as good as CK, and I love me some Cereal Killa.

1 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

I think a lot of people feel that CK is a Fruit Loops vape. People who've vaped the original in this very thread say it's 'fruit loops perfected'. I'm not arguing the point, because I've never had CK (especially not the old, original CK before it got mass-produced, which many argue changed the flavor). However, your point is only valid for the first recipe. The second recipe posted, and similar versions here like the one I posted, are not attempting to ape CK but rather make fruit loops-type ejuices.

Additionally, can you tell what's in your ejuice flavorwise? Because I can. If you say we can't know what's in fruit loops, just because GRaS standards allow them to only print "Natural & Artificial Flavors" on the side, then you're basically arguing we can't discern flavors in anything that doesn't spell it out with pretty little pictures on the box/bottle. I don't agree with that at all.

1 points
 
by Playcate25over 10 years ago

Some good points, but your scaling my comments to apply to everything in life. If you asked 100 people what flavors are in FL, you would get 100 different answers. Is there lemon in FL?

we can't even agree on that here. So yes , I think you can tell flavors, but not for everything.

1 points
 
by rlaitinenover 10 years ago

I live in Pittsburgh, and a local juicemaker whose one flavor is huge in the area recently started working on a cereal vape and we had this exact same discussion. His cereal has very little lemon. In fact, when he made up the huge batch to fill his bottles, he still only measured the lemon in drops, that's how little he puts in it. And it absolutely the best cereal I've had as a result.

1 points
 
by greatimmortalover 10 years ago

Didn't read. But agree about the nasty pinesol. Cereal killa seems to have less than looper et al. Personally would never have tried to create a fruit loops flavor. Why not any of the much better cereals?

1 points
 
by Tim7423over 10 years ago

Just tried this recipe using berry crunch tfa.

• berry crunch 8% • ripe strawberry 5% • cheesecake graham crust 3% • bavarian cream 3%

All tfa

Its pretty good. I think the ripe strawberry needs to come down a 1% and the berry crunch needs to come up a 1%. Waiting on other flavors to ship so i can bring the milk flavor out a bit as well. Any suggestions are very welcome.

1 points
 
by betajosh711over 10 years ago

Then again a lot of american cereals and candy taste overly odd and artificial, only balanced out with sweetness.

I'm assuming this juice tastes very different from the variety of cereal flavours that are more akin to "milk and honey", " milk and cookies" type mild cereal milk flavours? Definitely no lemon there!

Based in your list of suggestions it looks like your next flavour is definitely on the same track of thought.

0 points
 
by clancy6969over 10 years ago

Nice stuff here. I have tried a fruit loops juice and it is quite lemony, but it does taste very close to the real deal to me. The citrus just seems to come through stronger in the actual cereal, I guess. 2 questions though, what do you think of berry crunch as a standalone? And could you post a recipe of "low lemon" fruit loops?

2 points
 
by returnityover 10 years agoMixologist

Refer to the recipe I posted here already for your request.

For Berry Crunch alone, I find it just doesn't work. At bare minimum, I recommend mixing it with creams/cheesecake/strawberry/blueberry to make a decent Crunchberries.

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