I occasionally see the addition of anise in recipes but never licorice as the main ingredient, I'm just curious why. I'm not particularly biased towards this flavor, but it does make for a very pleasant vape and is so easily combined with other flavors. Mint, lemon, lime, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, to name a few. I have three different brands of licorice and I just realized they're all European. Is licorice not a popular flavor in the states?
Most of the "licorice" in the US isn't real licorice, but instead cherry or strawberry flavored. We call real licorice "black" and it isn't a popular thing at all.
So it is available, just not popular? Interesting. I'm starting to realize just how much I'd miss "black" licorice if I couldn't just go and buy some =)
I am a swede and i would loove to find a good salmiak flavor, i have tried a couple of licorice, but so far nothing is close to the real stuff.
so quite simply, i could dig it if it was good but most people seem to hate it.
A fellow Swede :) The only salmiak flavor I've come across is this one:
http://www.germanflavours.de/Liquid-Aromen/Bonbon-Aromen/Salmiakpastillen-Aroma.htm?SessionId=&a=article&ProdNr=1647&p=29
It's not salty at all, in fact it's kinda sweet, but the flavor is pretty close, especially when combined with some other licorice. A bit like strawberry where you need to combine several different ones to get the real deal I guess.
So I guess it's a bit of an acquired taste then, we've grown up with it and are used to it.
For a decent salmiak vape try flavors by Danish maker Copsa:
http://pink-mule.com/e-liquid-uk/aromas-essences-flavours-uk/my-juice-by-copsa-made-in-denmark-en
Try at least Black Copsa and Jugo Diablo.
I've been trying to replicate a good salmiak flavor, so far closest I've gotten is FW black licorice and FA licorice with some anise and menthol.
Very interesting, I'll have to check them out! I enjoy adding in a licorice that has probably been relabeled by these guys
http://nordic-e-juice.com/31-aroma-til-selvblander
They used to have a whole line of flavors, now I only see a few in bulk, not sure what's going on there.
My family is European and I can tell you that they appreciate licorice a whole lot more because they always bring it when they visit. Here in the states you can't even find black licorice in stores a lot of the time.
That said, FlavorWest makes a pretty good black licorice.
So the black licorice you can find in the states, is it just as good or is there some difference in flavor?
Oh cool, I'll keep an eye out for that one!
Black licorice from Europe is a lot different. I mean there are so many different kinds there -- hard/soft, salty/sweet, etc. The black licorice in the states is pretty much just the soft & sweet variety with undertones of plastic. FW Black Licorice would be considered American style
This is why most Americans HATE black licorice. Most of what you can find here (when you can find it) is truly awful, but it's the only version 90% of us have ever tried. For one thing, most of our 'licorice' is actually flavored with anise, which is similar, but has a much sharper and less floral taste.
I think licorice is incredibly popular in the Scandinavian countries. The variety of types including sweet or, the more interesting imo, salted type. From those I've spoken to about licorice it seems pretty unpopular elsewhere in comparison.
No idea on flavouring suggestions though.
I'm Swede and never really noticed this before in spite of travelling quite a bit! That's a shame, it really is a tasty and versatile flavor.
Yeah I have a fair amount of Swedish friends, you guys seem to love it with a passion. What you have compared to what we have is worlds apart. Salted licorice is something I haven't ever seen outside of Scandinavia. Had someone send me some, I dislike licorice but man that was a fantastic flavour. Wasn't a huge fan of it but it sure was something.
I honestly had no idea it was a Scandinavian thing haha! Intriguing! Yea, salmiak, the salty version, is very tasty and quite different from regular licorice. And I've tried delicious salmiak and not so tasty ones, so I guess it's a bit of hit and miss if you only try one kind. I'm not a huge fan either, but I'm starting to appreciate it more now, I've always just kinda taken it for granted. Like chocolate.
Most people I know hate black licorice. I personally do not care for it much myself but will randomly on occasion crave it for whatever reason. I've found that the only way I like it is with citrus.
I think it's because anise can be a bit of a pain to work with, because of it's distinctive flavour. Even at 1% it can easily overpower other flavours. I use it as part of one of my ADVs and I've found that anise at 1% can overpower a subtle favour like a blueberry at 8% and even fight with menthol at 5%.
I haven't tried anise in mixing but my other versions of licorice are very potent indeed, a small amount can completely dominate. I guess that is in part what I like about it, it's such a strong yet tasty flavor, plain if you will, to contrast some of the more delicate balances of other mixes. Add some licorice and you know it will taste licorice =)
I had a flavor called "Black Gremlin" for a few months that was a Black Licorice flavor and barely sold a single bottle. I was a little surprised at how unwelcome that flavor was in the states!
I've only tried mbv black licorice, but it's good enough for me. Even better mixed with menthol, I just haven't figured out what ratio I like best.
Two very potent flavors! I've done a few mixes that I've adjusted a bit back and forth, put aside and then picked up again only to be knocked over by the flavor punch! Vaping it too strong for too long really numbs your senses =) I prefer mint to menthol with licorice and putting more emphasis on the licorice. The mint somehow always finds a way of making itself known, haha..
Yeah, definitely more licorice than menthol or mint. Haven't found a good mint yet though...
A while back I visited Zen in New York and bought some of his "Aussie black licorice" from his private reserve stash. It was one of the best damn licorice flavors I've ever had, and I'm dying to recreate something even half as close. At 70/30 PG/VG it was really strong but really sharp and I savored every puff. Tried using FA Anise at I think 4% standalone and it was very unfulfilling. I'm sure I'm missing something here. Maybe I'll try FW black licorice and round it out with a little FA anise. Does anyone here have a good recipe for straight up black licorice?
That sounds awesome! I haven't used licorice as a stand alone flavor that much, the combination with other flavors has been too good, but now I'm starting to crave a straight up black licorice no nonsense vape! I don't think anise is the way to go if you want pure licorice but I can't say for sure since I don't have that flavor.. I'll have to do some research into this :D
Me too! Let me know what you find, I'll do the same. So you've just been doing FW black licorice with different fruit combos or what?
Will do :) Yea I've been mixing with two or three varying flavors, never really aimed for pure licorice. I've mostly been using a small unknown brand, "nordic ejuice", no idea if it's relabeled or something, but their licorice really is spot on. I have toyed a bit with FA Liquirizia Plus which is a pleasant flavor, although much milder and somewhat sweet in comparison. I'll try to get a hold of other brands, like FW, and compare.
I have a few mixes I vape occasionally that are licorice using anise, along with grape, (strawberry/watermelon/mango)+cactus, or tfa molasses
Licorice in the States seems to be either love it or hate it with no middle ground. Personally, I love it and was saddened to find out Altoids discontinued their licorice flavor.
Occasionally I will mix up a black jellybean flavor. I think it's spot on so if you're curious about the stuff we get, it might be worth mixing up a sample. Leaving out the EM would get you very close to our licorice ropes. :P
Ingredients|Ing %| :---|---:|---:|---:|---: Absinthe (TFA)|5.00%| Black Licorice (FW)|2.50%| MTS Vape Wizard (FA)|1.00%| Ethyl Maltol |2.00%|
My only experience with European licorice was with Finnish Gifu. I like it, but cannot find anything similar here. :(
http://www.groovycandies.com/double-salt-licorice
I can't speak for that brand precisely. But I too like salmiakki and there's a pan-asian grocery near me that sells some "double salt" black bits that look like these but in diamond shapes. The ones I get aren't as good as I've had, but they scratch the itch ok.
Actually I think DZ might be the initials on the ones I get. IIRC ammonium chloride is in the ingredients, which sounds scary in a vape context.
edit: confirmed