I have been mixing my own liquid for awhile now, and I can't seem to get successful. I use TFA flavors at the correct reccomended percentages that are posted here and on other DIY websites. I use usually 60vg/40pg blends of very high quality stuff, and usually between 15-20 percent flavoring in complex mixes. Some flavors, like key lime taste good at 10 percent, however when I try to make a unique mix, for example 5 percent TFA mango, 10 percent TFA strawberry, 5 percent TFA pineapple flavor, the liquid has little flavor even after being steeped. I cannot seem to get any flavor in the vapor, I sometimes get very light notes of flavors, but I never can produce a tasty juice like the ones I buy at my vape store. What could I be doing wrong? I have tried complex mixes and they always smell good but when vaped even on a fresh cotton wick, there is little to no flavor.
Some TFA flavors I use that I cannot get any flavor out of: strawberry mango pineapple hawaiian drink watermelon candy honey (very light flavor at 5 percent) swedish gummy fish gummy candy cinnamon sugar cookie (smells amazing, no flavor) raspberry tutti frutti caramel hard candy cotton candy (no flavor even at 20 percent) bubblegum (juicy) smells great, no flavor
It's not my tastebuds, I even let my friends sample the mixes and they all say they taste like candles or something weird.
Even my single flavor mixes never come out too good, for example bubblegum juicy at 15%, strawberry at 15-20 percent, watermelon candy at 15%, mango at 15-20%..
Basically, some flavors produce a very light flavor, but it is never like strong flavor..
Any suggestions would really be helpful. Thanks in advance
P.S., all my formulas/percent mixes are accurage and correct.
EDIT: I made one batch at 2% mango, 2% pineapple, 8% strawberry, 2% malic acid(sour flavor) and there is improvement in flavor. I dont really taste the actual strawberry or pineapple, but a light mango is present.
I made another batch at 5% mango and 2% malic acid. Better flavor of mango from when I mixed it at 15%.
While taste is obviously subjective, and some people prefer more flavoring than others, I would recommend cutting your flavor percentages back by about half. Several of the flavors at the percentages that you mentioned are likely so high that they almost cancel themselves out... It can overwhelm your senses and make it taste very muted and odd.
It's a simple thing to test, however... Just dilute some of your current mixes with some nic/vg/pg and try them out!
Try to find a few recipes that are well received here in /r/diy_ejuice or elsewhere and recognized as being solid recipes. It can be helpful to see what kind of ratios others use in more well known recipes.
Hi,
I took your advice today and made a 3% mango blend with a drop of sour flavor (malic acid in pg). I also made a 13%, 7% and 5% mango.The flavor in the 3% mango was better than all the higher percentages, however it's not like the mangos that I try at my local brick and mortar. Those mangos are very in your face juicy mango. Mine is just a subtle mango taste on the inhale. I also mixed tfa pineapple at 5%, 10% and 15%. The 15 percent has no flavor, and the 5% had the best flavor, however like the mango there is no powerful flavor, theres just a slight pineapple taste. Even when adding cotton candy (ethyl maltol in pg) or sour flavor(malic acid), I don't see a big difference.
You need the secret ingredients that the pros use.
Example: Tfa smooth Tfa cotton candy (EM , Ethyl Maltol) Acetyl pyrazine Tfa vanillin Malic acid Citric acid There's more...
These are the things that round out all mixes. There isn't a mix I make that doesn't contain one of these. There like the glue that holds it all together.
This, I can't say there is NO recipes I make that don't use these. but a LOT of my recipes use them to some degree or another. I just got vanillin to play with and I still need to order AP
In your recipes, do you ever combine EM and malic acid or citric acid? Or is it bad to add more than one due to the muting affect? Also, can you share your best recipe that uses tfa cotton candy as a sweetener or malic acid?
Would anyone be willing to comment on these additives on when to use each (e.g.: Citric acid - Helps fruit flavors "pop")?
I've been making juice for about 8 months, but I haven't used any of these. My juice is OK, but I realize it's still not at it's full potential. I'm about to put in my 2^nd large flavor order, and I'd like to put more work into my flavors and recipes.
I use TFA cotton candy (which is ehtyl maltol in PG), and I use malic acid. I use malic acid at 3% and never get any of that sour pucker taste out of it
My experience is that you won't get a sour flavor from it. Primarily it just helps wake up fruit flavors. Also, Im not sure what concentration of malic your using, but 3% sounds really high. Its a coil killer too.
Like the others have said, over-flavoring severely mutes flavors. And it's such a problem with new diy-ers that most of us knew what the problem was from your title alone. Seeing your percentages, it makes sense. 5% mango and pineapple is way too high. Dragonfruit is used at 5%, and it's a much lighter form of Pineapple flavors. I've never tried TFA mango, but if it's like any other mango-flavored anything, it's a strong, overpowering flavor. Try mixing up this recipe as follows:
-
TFA strawberry -8%
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TFA pineapple -2%
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TFA mango -2%
If you want more mango or pineapple flavor in the final product, adjust the percentage by .5 at a time.
Yes! This recipe works. I added a little sour flavor (malic acid) at 2%. I don't taste the pineapple but there is strawberry and mango present. Awesome. So glad I decided to make an account and post in this forum, or else I would of eventually quit DIY. Thanks
Be careful with the malic acid. At that percentage, it's going to mute your flavors as well. It's a slow acting acid, so you won't notice it right away - but as it ages, it's going to mute more and more. You may want to use maybe a drop per 10ml, but it's been recommended at even smaller amounts.
Thanks for this tip. This will probably be very useful information. I will only use 1 drop per 10mL. But does 1 drop make a significant difference for me to even use it? Or is malic acid worth it. If not, what other tfa item could I use to sweeten flavors? I currently have cotton candy and use that at like 2-4 %
I rarely mix above 10 percent flavor, and it usually turns out flavorful. What happens when you use less flavoring?
Hi, Thanks for responding.. To be honest, I rarely mix under 10 percent. Some flavors, such as key lime, creme de menthe(mint leaf), and cinnamon red hotz I mix at below 10 percent because of how strong they are, and they have decent flavor. I don't really try mixing the mango at less than 15 percent because even at 15 percent there is no taste..
I think you should try them at lesser percentages as well, honestly. I've experienced it and seen it a lot around here where over flavoring makes things taste bland or funky, oddly enough, kinda like the candles you were talking about. For me, at least, I hardly ever use anything at more than 10%. My sweet spot for TFA total flavor percentage is usually 11-14% and flavors tend to be robust. I'd definitely try them individually at like 5% and go from there.
Ok, I will give this a try tomorrow! From the list that I had in the original post (sorry I didn;t use commas, I separated them with the enter bar but the reddit format only allows paragraph format) which flavors have you tried at 5% that you get good flavor from?
When I first started DIY, most of my mixes were between 17-20% flavoring. They weren't bad, but as I began experimenting more and researching more, I found out later that keeping my flavor percentages between 10-14% was a much better way to do it. There are 7 juices that I make on a regular basis, and only one of them still uses 20% flavoring. The rest don't go above 14%, and they are so much more flavorful that way. You may also want to use sweetener in some of your mixes. I don't use it in all of my mixes, but using it has made a big difference in the flavor. I use TFA sweetener at .67 - .75%.
Edit: Typo
Premium vendors have dedicated their life and financial well being to the craft. It takes a long time to develop the perfect blend, just as any perfect dish at a restaurant. Lower your expectations and steep longer. For fruits, try adding Citric Acid. It's well known for it's ability to make juice pop.
Good luck my friend and enjoy the ride
I would add try as many different flavor brands as you can afford. TFA is a staple for flavoring but there are so many better ones out there. As the guy above me say Steep as long as your patience will allow. Most of what I make doesn't get vapeable I mean really good until its atleast a month or better old. I don't heat steep nothing myself just age here. I have some juice that's 6 month+ old and its fantastic. Step out away from TFA and sample the waters my friend.