For context, I have not been doing DIY for all that long. I started back in September of last year, fiddled with it for about a month, put it down, and have just recently come back to it.
In my search for recipes that I may enjoy, I started noticing that Biscuit by Inawera is not only commonly used, but pretty positively reviewed for what it can bring to an overall flavor profile.
My experiments with it so far have lead me to conclude one thing; it is one of the flavors out there that is responsible for giving me a very harsh throat hit. That burning/scratchy unpleasant feeling in the back of my mouth/throat that will completely turn me off of a juice.
Is this just an Inawera thing? Because I'm also fairly certain that Shisha Strawberry is guilty of the same thing. Now, I have a bitch-ass throat...seriously, there is way more out there than I'd care to admit that makes my throat feel the way I described enough. I've been on a quest to try and figure it out (I've thought it was PG, VG, Nic, etc...lol, everything but actual individual flavorings). Now that I've had this experience with Biscuit and Shisha Strawberry, I'm inclined to think it's an Inawera thing. Anyone else have this experience? I've never found that that particular feeling/reaction ever steeps out of a juice, or goes away if combined with the right flavors. It's very frustrating!
What percentage did you mix at?
They're POTENT flavors.
They also contain EtOH in many concentrates which does require a longer steep time for that to air off.
Here's some threads in common:
- https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/is-inawera-flavouring-extremely-harsh.604335/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/3nl1nd/inawera_throat_hit/
The recipe I was using only called for 1%...I suppose I could try cutting it. But thank you for the links, I will check those out!
You may just be sensitive to EtOH or some other volatile common to both flavors you didn't like.
How long did you steep it for?
I just recently tried it again yesterday, which was 8 days. Still had that effect, same level of intensity.
I definitely have a sensitivity to something, and man what a quest it has been trying to figure out what. If it ends up being this EtOH, I suppose that will at least help in my DIY efforts, as I would assume its fairly easy to discern whether a flavoring has it in it or not?
I only use it at .5%. In the small amounts it adds an airyness, kind of like the bubbles in fresh bread. Too much biscuit can ruin a flavor.
I get a bit of a scratchy throat from both FA and INW biscuit, it's bearable for me though.
The big thing I don't like with either of those (although more so FA's) is a pretty prominent, vegetal, celery-like flavour.
The celery is pronounced if you look for it. I have no idea what it might be, the only thing I can associate it to would be limonene or gamma-terpinene. Neither of which should be in a biscuit flavor.
OP - if you are willing to take the time, you can figure out what is causing the problem.
Simply start with pure VG. Vape for 1-2 days. Add nic. Vape 1-2 days, Add ingredient #1... you get the picture. When you add "the culprit" it will be quite evident. Please report your findings back to the sub.
And don't be dissin on mah biszkopt. That is some wicked good stuff there.
I was messing around with INW Pineapple and Cherimoya a lot over the weekend and I didn't notice any inherent harshness (I wasn't using any nic though). I'll have to mess around with some more of their stuff and see if it's there. I do get a very unpleasant throat sometimes and it's really off-putting. I notice it much more so in my tank than I do my dripper.
>Now, I have a bitch-ass throat...
I LOLed... Have you tried many Flavor Art or Flavor West flavors? I like the FA flavors but it seems they suck all the throat hit out of a mix. Hell, you might be able to counter a harsh Inawera flavor by pairing it with something like FA Vanilla classic.
You have not tried FA fuji if you think FA removes throat hit. It's possibly the harshest flavor that I love.
Ha! I have not, but it's on my radar since everybody seems to dig it. I like FA so far, but most of the ones I have tried, (Cuban Supreme excepted,) seem to soften TH and even cut vapor production a bit.
I've kind of purchased all over the place...didn't start with just one flavor company or anything. I have to admit, I'm not a great DIY'er, and don't take great notes. I suppose now more than anytime is a great time to start
Ditto, but I've been fucking up DIY for over two years, so I've gotten pretty good at guestimating.
In your defense, I don't take notes down either. When I do flavor notes for the sub, I sit with a new post page up and vape said flavor. Takes me about 4-5 hours to do my big flavor note posts, and about 30 minutes to do a single flavor. From there, I just remember what I thought about the flavors because I have a great memory. If you can, this is by far the easiest way to test flavors and keep notes that I've found.
Biscuit tastes like plastic to me. I have never had a good experience with using it. Even in small percentages it dominates my recipe and just kills every other flavor and I am left with a yucky plastic taste. I guess I am sensitive to it as well.
I don't DIY yet, but I am curious about one thing. the feelings you are describing are exactly what happens to me whenever I vape a juice with acetyl pyrazine in it. I know that it's responsible for toasty, bready, biscuity notes, so I'd assume it's in an actual biscuit flavor. I might be totally off here, but, it's a thought.
I have never even heard of that chemical (?)... But if it's something that helps to eliminate, I'll try anything. Is there information generally available about what does/doesn't have it?
www.shop.theperfumersapprentice.com/specsheetlist.aspx
Click list to see the chemicals in a flavor. Bookmark the page, it's a great tool for learning.
edit: it's for TFA flavors only, no other vendors have this amount of transparency, sadly.
Didn't they just stop selling it?
Nah, it's always out of stock though because of its popularity.