OK new mixers, this is your thread to ask any questions you want of the DIY eJuice community. All posts are allowed, but we still encourage you to use the sidebar and search features before asking any questions.
- Placing your first DIY order and want to make sure you have all you need?
- Not sure about how to mix your first bottle?
- Want to get started but aren't sure how?
- Any other questions? ... then this is the thread for you. FWIW, the answers to the first three questions will eventually be found in the wiki (still in development); link at the top of the page.
Ask away!
Anyone know anything about DIY cbd juices? Recently started vaping cbd ejuice. Want to get into making my own because A) it's expensive, & B) I'm leaving university to go home for the summer & won't be near this shop. I have a decent idea of how to do it but would welcome input if anyone has any. Thanks! I've also never made my own nic juice as well so my understanding isn't that great.
Damn I just seen this post but my eyes are closing fast. I've been using cbd for years and I'll hook you up with everything I know later today.
Okay thank you!
I have been using cbd in my diy eliquids for a few years now. I only buy the 1500mg+ cbd in vg. For 30ml of high grade cbd I pay around £70 for 30ml. I wouldn't recommend Vaping high grade cbd without some dilution first. I currently use 2 different strengths depending on how much pain relief I need. In a diy mix I use 3ml cbd to 27ml eliquid. I also use double strength as well so 6ml to 24ml eliquid. The first bottle using 3ml cbd to 27ml eliquid is around half of the daily recommended dose at the time I started mixing but that may have changed now so just a little research on that. After trial and error I find I get the most benefit from cbd if I only use it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If I use cbd all day I get used to it very fast and become somewhat immune to the benefits at these strengths. Always make sure you shake the hell out of cbd concentrate before adding to any mix because some separation will naturally occur. Anything I can help with specifically just hola.
ok i have an actual question this time that isn't me just existentially whining about things: what's the deal with chocolate and melon flavors not leaving my atomizer? literally- i basically have to rebuild for chocolate flavors and i at least have to rewick, sometimes a couple times, for melon flavors.
last night i played around with two FLV chocolates that was i was really excited about. i felt good about what i'd made, went to bed, the end. this morning i tried rewicking and putting something else in and all i could taste was like a weird, burnt pencil chocolate-esque thing that reminded me of the chocolate i'd vaped last night but somehow was terribly off. i rewicked again, wiped down the atomizer on the inside, more of the same. i finally said fuck it and took the coils out and left for work with my other tank.
i feel like i've already gathered that chocolates are notoriously hard to work with and can have off flavors. these two FLV flavors seem to have outstanding reviews and i like it when i was vaping it, but trying to vape anything else after it in that atomizer was one of the most disgusting things i've experienced in my limited vaping/diying experience. is this normal? should i just have a separate atomizer for chocolate flavors only?
Some flavors linger for a long time after you finished vaping the flavor. The flavor aromas are stronger than others. Pretty normal for flavors to linger in your tank/RDA afterwards. It's not just chocolates or, I'm assuming, TFA Honeydew that linger.
If it bothers you so much rewick after you're finished with a flavor or have a different RDA/RTA for every different profile you vape. Not much you can do otherwise.
What % were you using them and which ones? Chocolates and other dark concentrates can leave a trace of build-up on your coils; also some flavors can be coil stainers so you will need to recoil. Are you dry burning the gunk off or cleaning the atomizer between rewicks?
FLV chocolate deutsch and milk chocolate both @ 1.75% i do dry burn the coils during the rewicking stage. over the weekend i didn't even fuck with that atomizer anymore for fear of experiencing the bbq pencils flavor again. i'm gonna rebuild it tonight and try my recipes again and see how it goes. one thing i didn't include is that i dripped some cbd concentrate (meant for vaping) in with the chocolate recipes and it's pretty gross smelling by itself. i'm hoping that after rebuilding and not using the cbd it goes differently.
I'm looking to start making eliquid and was wondering since I only like fruit flavors should I even bother buying anything like banana cream? Can it be combined with other flavors to make it not taste creamy? Or should I buy only exclusively fruit flavors?
Buy flavors for recipes that sound good to you. After that then start trying new flavors and experimenting with stuff like that. TFA banana cream is dope though. Only you know what you like, and the only way to find out is to try stuff; however, reading flavor reviews helps.
How do companies create "topping" tobacco flavors?
/u/T_Mace recommended some topping tobaccos for me and I ordered 9 of them but while I wait for them to arrive I've begun to wonder what they are. Do flavor companies start with real tobacco? Do they mix flavors like vanila with a small amount of another tobacco flavor? Is it just chemicals mixed together that give a taste they call "tobacco"?
Unless it says it is an NET or Tobacco Absolute, it's just chemicals. Here's a post I made to collect some info on some of these molecules. Some may taste like tobacco, and some may taste like something that would mix with tobacco. Topping tobacco probably isn't going to have much, if any, of a tobacco taste. They will probably be things like cherry and vanilla that would be used on top of a tobacco base to make a cherry or vanilla tobacco. What are some of the flavors you ended up getting? I might be able to suggest something to use them with.
Thanks man. The flavors I bought were:
INW Am4A
INW Captain Jack For Pipe
HS Arabic Tobacco
HS Deluxe Tobacco
SC Island Tobacco
SC Parlay
TFA Black Cherry Tobacco
TFA RY4 Double
FA RY4
> INW Am4A
Try this recipe by DIYorDIE. I copied it into my library and wrote some pretty extensive notes on it. If you read Wayne (the creator's notes), he thinks it tastes like a cig. But I promise you it does not!! Check it out, it's lovely and dessert-y. http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/715460/Marble%2027%20by%20%5BENYAWREKLAW%5D%20*my%20notes
And this one is for Island Tobacco. But I recommend you skip the DNB if you don't want ash. I have not personally tried this recipe but Kinnikinnick knows what he's doing and his recipes are tasty. http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/702830/Island%20Time
> Is it just chemicals mixed together that give a taste they call "tobacco"?
This, pretty much. You might want to stop in to Deeper DIY and do some searching about flavor molecules if you're really interested. I don't know much about it but afaik most companies don't use actual tobacco in the process of making tobacco flavors. There are some exceptions.. anything with "Tobacco Absolute" in the name is derived from tobacco I believe. There's also "NETs" (Naturally Extracted Tobacco" but that's not something you'll find from TFA, Inawera, Flavorah or any of the usual companies.
My classification system for synthetic tobaccos is based on real pipe and cigar lingo but it doesn't denote any change in how the flavoring company makes the flavor. It's just so people know what to expect when they taste it.
Maybe some others want to chime in on this.. /u/abdada perhaps will donate some knowledge?
I guess I'll just ask here, is it common for diy juicers to create your own raw flavors? Or do most of you consider it far too much work and prefer to just order from the usuals (FA, FLV, etc)?
I'd like to try condensing some dark roast coffee, and perhaps strawberries (via slow boil-down).
Thanks in advance for any advice/instructions!
I'm wondering if anyone can help me with my first original mix. I want to make a Mountain Dew Voltage-like mix. So I bought FW citrus soda and FW blue raspberry. I was wondering if there's anything else I should add to this mix and what my percentages should be for a 30ml bottle. Thanks for the help
Try 4% and 1% for those. Don't be discouraged about mixing if you don't like it. Those two flavors don't seem to be rated highly.
Is there a better choice for it of the flavors? I'm like brand new so I haven't really gotten a feel for everything yet
Research before you buy. Not doing so will probably leave you with a bunch of crap that you don't want to vape. No idea about the dew flavor, I've never seen nor looked for a recipe of that type. Blue raspberry is TFA Raspberry Sweet + a tiny bit of TFA Juicy Peach
What's the most random, odd flavour concentrate you've ever seen in a recipe, and thought it would never work. but it did?
Do ATF have "FW j fruit bubble gum" flavour? Can't find it to include in my flavour stash. ELR have it http://e-liquid-recipes.com/flavor/157146
I suggested flavour to ATF, but still no response from them
Flavor West doesn't even have a flavor by that name. They may have had to change it a while ago. It's probably this one.
If this helps, I learned from the Shurb chronicles that FW had a juicy fruit gum flavor called "Juicy Fruit" or "Juicy Fruit Type" that was name changed to "Beetle Juice". I wonder if this is the same thing or something else.
Hi everyone! Recently I've been toying with the almighty TPA Bavarian Cream. While it's a really good creamy flavor, I found that if used in fruity mixes, it tends to completely take over, at least in the first week of steeping, even at low percentages. For example, in a mix with 5.5% of TPA Strawberry Ripe and only 0.75% of Bavarian Cream (along with 1.5% menthol), all I can taste is the cream, the strawberry is nowhere to be found. I've mixed this like three weeks ago, and today it's still the same as the day I mixed it.
My question is, how do you manage to mix with TPA Bavarian Cream for it not to overtake the flavor profile? I'm completely fine with mixing it on its own, it's a great thing to vape, but I'd like to know how to make it interact with other flavors, specially fruity flavors, those are my go to.
I think if you threw another strawberry in there along with the ripe, it would be much better. Try FA strawberry or CAP sweet strawberry at like 1-2%. Strawberry ripe usually needs reinforcements, at least for my taste.
Strawberry Ripe needs another supporting Strawberry. Also, why do you have menthol in that mix?
I put menthol in nearly all my mixes. I love the freshness of the vape (I live in a VERY HOT place, it's HOT like 11 months a year here) and the throat kick that menthol gives. If it's fruity, then I add menthol.
I'll see about adding another strawberry. Thanks!
So I usually make an all tfa mother's milk clone with bavarian cream, sweet cream, vanilla custard, cheesecake Graham cracker, and sweet strawberry. Now I ran out of cheesecake Graham cracker and am unable to procure more. I'm thinking of this recipe and would like some input. Tfa VBIC~ 4% Tfa strawberry ripe~10% Sweet cream~1% Tfa dairy milk~2% Tfa meringue~1% I liked mustard milk but the regular strawberry in it is too sweet and I loooovvveee strawberry ripe. I don't wanna screw this up and it's kinda off the top of my head.
I'd use less milk or no milk honestly otherwise it looks great
Well shit lol. I literally just poured the milk and looked at my phone to see the next flavor amount and saw this messages notification lol. Well it's only a 10 ml sample and if I think it's too milky I'll leave it out next time lol. Thanks though.
Anyone have a link or screenshot to a good excel sheet for tracking and taking notes on my mixes? I assume someone has already created a much more efficient/practical one then the one I threw together.
I just use https://alltheflavors.com/my/batches
I need to buy a paid subscription? What, do you own stock?
Just kidding, I'll try it out. It may be worth $14.88/yr
I'm not sure whether you have to buy a paid subscription to save batch histories or not. There are some things you can do there without one and the only things I'm certain you have to have one for are sharing more than two public recipes and reviewing recipes. But those batch histories are convenient for letting me know how long things have been steeping and I can leave notes on the batches.
ELR is free.
Hey guys!
I'm pretty certain this may have been anwered in the past but here we go.
I bought 100% VG with 50/50 nic and some flavours from thebrokevaper.
Im having a hard time keeping a bottle to keep the flavour. It mixes ok at first but the further along it goes theless it tastes to being almost flavourless once im down to the last 25% of the bottle.
I started at 10% flavour and upped to 20% and still no change.
Oneof the recipes had the flavour sitting on top of the base inside my RTA (kind of like oil and water not mixing and doing a seperate layer).
I mix it thoroughly once everything is inside my bottle and everytime before pouring it. Am I missing an ingredient or a step?
Thanks
What flavorings are you using? What are the recipes?
Last try was: 20% banana ripe (6mL) 3% 48mg nic(50/50) (+/- 1mL) Rest is 100% VG (67% or 23mL)
Lots of times certain flavours change names vendor to vendor. I'm Looking for a flavor west "natural Cherry"
My choices are cherry crush, Swiss cherry, wild cherry, cherry blast. Any of these it? Or are they all different?
Wow thats a lot of cherry.. sometimes the description can help you procee by elimination. Maybe one has menthol or something special you know? If not then thats a pretty crappy situation. Are all those Flavor West?
If you need to sub Oba Oba (FA) in a mix what would you use? The flavour note I can find tell me that "I get a weak vanilla (not subdued by any means, but intentionally weak) and a tinge of citrus tartness, perhaps even a small bit of spiciness." and "a bit of oba oba and it will brighten up your mix and add a creamier mouth feel.". So I was thinking French Vanilla Creme (TPA) and a lemon. Thoughts?
I don't think Oba Oba has a suitable substitute, or group of flavors that can create a substitute. It's just one of those flavors.
Thanks. That was the conclusion I was coming to. Just thought I would ask. I was really interested in mixing up Zen Shine - by Kopel but I am missing the Oba Oba. Never mind. Could you suggest something that might fill the space in the mix? I know it would not be the same but I'm really interested in the combination of the other ingredients.
i going to mix grean tea kit kat
how many FW white chocolate should i use instead of TPA white chocolate? (have them both, but TPA version smells awful (IMO). FW really smells like chocolate)
What do you think about this recipe? Its just ok to me and my friends.
TFA Fruit Circles 5%
TFA Crunch Berry 5%
FW Blueberry 2%
TFA Meringue 1%
TFA Lemon 1%
Cap Juicy Lemon 2%
TFA Sweetener(sucralose) 1%
TFA Ripe Strawberry 1%
I tried some EM at 1% in this and it muted it and added a harshness. I tried the meringue at 2% and it tasted cheap. Kind of like cereal icing/sugar but cheap and stale. The blueberry doesnt really come through as much more than sweetness at 2%. Might try 3 next time. The lemon is not overpowering and the juicy lemon adds a bit of lemon candy/sweet. Of course the ripe sb. Its in there cause its always been in my cereal. Im not sure I even taste it anymore. If I take it out, though, the recipe is lacking something. Of course it has to have a little bit of sweetener.
I have tried all kinds of different ratios with the cereals like (FC/CB) 3/4 4/3 5/3 4/5. I once tried 3/7 and the Crunch Berry just took over. It was too captain crunch.
Any notes or suggestions are appreciated.
Adding lemon to TFA fruit circles seems like the worst idea ever, and I've had a lot of terrible ideas.
>of course it has to have a little bit of sweetener
You could not be more wrong, my friend. If you focused more on the cream base, you could impart sweetness and give the fruit flavors a platform to stand on.
Don't increase FW blueberry, 2% is already intense for a cereal that isn't Booberries. 5% TFA fruit circles, 1% TFA lemon and 2% CAP juicy lemon seems like it's ruining your recipe, muting the blueberry, muting the sweetness, and (when EM is added) adding a ton of harshness. Drop fruit circles to about 2% and keep the lemon; drop the lemon and keep fruit circles at 4%, or drop both of them and get FW fruit rings. TFA Crunch Berry at 5% is undoubtedly muting a lot of your flavors, and I can only imagine adding a strong mushroom-y offnote along with harshness. Drop it entirely.
My suggestion: throw away your TFA cereal flavors. They're fucking trash. Buy FW fruit rings, FA cookie, FW hazelnut, and FA meringue and you can make a cereal base for anything your heart desires.
So what you are saying is that I need to start over entirely?
If you want some advice on what you have then I can give you some. Skiddlz is correct, you need better flavors for what you're going for but he also hates TFA Fruit Circles and Berry Crunch.
Drop all the lemons, sweetener and EM. You really need FA Meringue to coat the cereal in the sugary taste you're looking for. I've never mixed another fruit with TFA Fruit Circles so I can't comment on the addition of FW Blueberry but try keeping at 2% and if it over powers the mix drop it down to 1%
TFA Fruit Circles - 5%
TFA Crunch Berries - 2%
FW Blueberry - 2%
TFA Meringue - 1%
TFA Strawberry Ripe - 1%
This is still probably going to be mediocre but better with what you have to work with.
I don't dislike fruity vapes, but i can't even vape or try anything ''known'' because local B&M sells bad juices (VaporArt in primis).
Does someone have good tobacco recipes i can start doing DIY?
I just posted this in the recipe thread. You could also lurk my ELR page, or search the sub for some stuff. I'm pretty bad about mixing recipes that aren't mine, so I can't really vouch for anything, but I'm sure there's some good stuff out there.
how many % "CAP Super Sweet" or "TPA Sweetener" can i use instead of 2% "FW Sweetener". Is FW sweetener significantly different from CAP/TPA versions?
Cap is 4x stronger than TFA. 2 drops in 30ml is all I can take.
but what strength has FW sweetener compared to TPA/Cap? I need to sub FW with one of those.
1:1 with TFA. Or better yet, try it without any sweetener first. I very seldom use any, so I cant answer your question specifically.
If you still wanna know for the sake of knowing, ask FW. It may be on their site. TFA is 5% sucralose, while cap is 20%.
Edit: This made me curious too, but after several clicks I still can't find their dilution rate. An email to them directly MAY get an answer.
FW and TFA Sweetener are the same thing: 5% Maltol* (edited, initially said EM) and 5% Sucralose.
CAP Super Sweet is 10% Sucralose and no Maltol.
*Edit: So, I was going off forum posts and an article I read when I researched this exact question for myself last month. I found a number of discussions, even older posts in this sub, that said "Cap is 10%" and "Cap is 2x TFA". So I said this to help. But the guys here are saying it is higher. I am new and still learning, and I trust their expertise. See reply below.
TFA Sweetener contains Maltol, not Ethyl Maltol and I'm almost positive CAP Super Sweet is closer to 20% sucralose. CAP SS also contains citric acid and a few preservatives.
Does nicotine need to steep? I'm asking because I'm about to make a 300mL batch of what I'm pretty sure is about to be my new ADV. BUT, I fluctuate b/w 1.5, 3, and 6mg, so I don't want to make it all at a certain strength and not be able to just grab 30mL of it to refill a bottle. So, can I just make the batch and add nicotine as I see fit?
Hey guys is there a good solution for tasting that doesn't involve re wicking to taste everything?
Drip straight VG on the coil and dry hit until the cotton is dry. There is a caveat... many flavors will stick to the cotton and you will always be able to taste them until you re wick.
someone needs to invent a tasting machine 1 or 2 hits rinse blow dry drip lol
Make a bottle of unflavored vg/pg in your preferred ratio and vape a tank of it or for an hour in an RDA. That will get you the closest to clean cotton without having to re-wick.
surly re wicking is easier than vaping vg/pg with no flavor. but thanks for another option.
To the veteran Mixers is it better to buy 10 ml or bigger like a 2oz when getting a couple flavors ? In the long run per say
If you use the flavor all the time then it's worth getting an ounce or 4.
New flavors are always 10ml for me, ones I like will be 30-120ml depending on potency and how often I use them.
The only things I buy 4oz of right now are Vanilla bean ice cream, CAP sugar cookie and TFA strawberry ripe, got a 4 oz of FW Hazelnut but I think 30ml would've been fine, I use it often but not above 1%
60ml: holy vanilla, FA kiwi, TFA Vanilla swirl (use them a lot but I don't think 4oz was necessary, I rather have fresher ingredients than stuff sitting around for too long)
30mls: FA strawberry, JF sweet strawberry, JF biscuit, JF ry4 double, and a shit ton more probably too many and many that I learned the hard way about and could've gotten 5 or 10mls.
10-15mls up the wazoo ... Stuff that's super potent I never buy huge amounts no matter how much I like em: FLV rich cinnamon, FLV pink guava, FA passionfruit, I won't go on but you get the idea
Always buy the smallest size of something you have never tried before. If you like it then you can buy a larger size.
So I'm using liquid Barn nicotine it's a VG based I had a recipe I followed exactly and used in E-liquid calculator I have a 48 mg base and I added it to my mix exactly what the calculator said to get 3mg and my nicotine is still harsh and giving me a really hard core buss why would that be?
-
Hot-spots - you didn't shake it enough and higher concentrations of nicotine have formed pockets which you pulled out and put into a mix. VG nicotine is more known for this as it is a lot harder to mix and shake together. This is why I only use PG based nicotine.
-
Low Quality - LB Nicotine isn't bad but far from the best. Low quality nicotine is known to be harsh and not as smooth as some of the higher quality ones out there.
-
Miscalculation - Maybe you simply messed up the calculation on the calculator.
4. Punctuation- "And" is not a suitable replacement for a comma or period.
So i saw something somewhre about doing half nicotine salts half freebase so you get some instant satisfaction and some that kicks in later - does anyone know what im talking about or have a link to it?
Hello all, I am fairly new at DIY and whipped up 4 different batches using some of the flavors I had.
Unfortunately, my experience with all of them is rather disappointing to say the least.
All of these batches were made max vg and with 6%-10% flavorings and not exceeding 25% overall flavor.
My first batch was an exact copy of a recipe I found at eliquidrecipes.com using all TFA flavors... (Strawberry ripe, koolada, pineapple, and watermelon candy, no nic).
This batch, while smelling amazing was very very muted to me. At that point I drew the conclusion that maybe the recipe was geared towards a more subtle flavor.
After that I did 3 more batches with and without koolada and varying percentages on my flavorings. Still no luck, same muted taste.
I am beyond frustrated right now and am turning to the reddit gods for answers.
edit: here is the link to the recipe... http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/471484/Tropical%20Breeze%20%28Sherps%29
And my other recipes were modifications off of that.
Remake them but at 70%VG or 60%. That's the main problem here in my opinion. 70%VG is the highest I go because of how bad it mutes.
Really high VG ratios only work for heavy custards for me. Also, don't use 3% koolada. That's for people who apparently don't have tastes buds. Try .50-.75%.
Do you have any other flavors? The recipe you posted should be giving you a very prominent flavor.
Thank you for the quick response. Yes I have quite a few of TFA flavors. I have been getting their smallest sizes to test DIY and seeing if it was for me. My flavors are...
TFA: Watermelon Candy
Mango
Strawberry Ripe
Coconut Extra
Ethyl Maltol 10%
Pineapple
I have just ordered a 250ml bottle of pg and some other flavorings by TFA. I will report back when I am able to mix a 70/30 batch.
Ok, I've finally been able to sit down and mix something with my vg and pg. I decided on a 70/30 base.
My first mix was: 70/30 3mg nic 30ml TPA Mango 5.3% TPA Cantaloupe 5.3% TPA Papaya TPA Ethyl Maltol 0.5%
This has been steeping for about 3 days. I definitely taste a melony kind've mix. But it seems a little muted and chalky on the exhale.
My second mix: 70/30 3mg nic 30ml TPA Mango 5% TPA Cantaloupe 5% TPA Papaya 3% TPA Watermelon candy 0.5%
With this mix, I took EM out completely to see if the flavor would be more pronounced. After about a day and half of steeping, I find the flavors very muted.
I am starting to wonder if TPA is just not a very good concentrate to use or if I need a sucralose based sweetener to make those flavors shine more.
Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you.
I'm new to making my own e juice, but I bought a few flavours from tfa and need a good recipe to start vaping!! I have:
TFA Apple TFA Blueberry TFA Pie Crust TFA French Vanilla TFA Sour
Please help...
You did the opposite of what you should have done. You need to look for some good recipes first, and then order flavors based on those. Otherwise you end up with flavors that are just not very good or ones you do not like. There are also multiple Apples and Blueberries from TFA. Without some other flavors, there isn't much to make from what you listed. In the future, for recipe suggestions by flavors, we have a thread for that.
I've been looking in amazon eBay bull city flavors and ecig express where do you guys get 120 ml bottles for mixing from ?
I use the square ones from BCF. Compact and pocket friendly, they are PET which rinses clean pretty easily. Beware tho, capacity IS 120ml, but that is full to the max. I mix 100ml so I have headroom for shaking. Don't forget to pick up yorker spouts!
I'm sure that there are much better deals pricewise, but these work for me.
The first time I mixed in those was quite a surprise. I looked at how much room I had left and how much I still needed to add and just had to go for it. Close one.
When they first started using those for rebottling, I thought "hey, quite a bit extra product". But then I used one, and like you say it's close as to whether it will hold it all.
But I do love how they rinse right out with hot tap water, and how compact they are. I just picked up their new 60ml rounds, but haven't tested one yet.
Heartland vapes has good prices but I use Amazon
Any specific vender for amazon ?
I've bought from ieasysexy, 10ml bottles and 50ml bottles.
And I got 30mls from vktech and they were also good.
Both quite cheap and I got them with prime shipping
Edit: the vendors change their name or stop selling all the time. Just search for whatever size and put dropper bottle: 10ml dropper bottle
Like these
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01COLW9IS/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1493932010&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=10ml+dropper+bottle&dpPl=1&dpID=41n1EBDRWCL&ref=plSrch
It depends on how many you want to buy
percentages
i just need to get this out/ talk for a bit and i'm unsure if i have a real question or i'm looking for a discussion, but i didn't feel it warranted a post on the main feed so i'm putting it here. i did search around in the sidebar, and i also feel like i've gained some marginal knowledge about this just from irl experience and basic time spent here and elsewhere reading recipes- but- sigh...
there's something that's not making sense to me. and it's irritating. why do i see recipes with total flavor percentages exceeding 15% and then i see recipes with 5-8% total? well i sort of know, i guess, that it's partially because people who use RTAS and not rebuildables prefer stronger tasting juices, or that some flavors just need to be used in higher percentages, but why isn't there some recognizable and universally agreed upon way to keep track of the flavors that need higher percentages and the recipes that are meant for RTAs and not drippers- why is there no identification system or symbol or something for this stuff. it's irritating to me in a way that i can only describe as "triggering my control issues in a way that makes me self conscious about my own limitations but also simultaneously frustrated with a system that doesn't seem to have rules"
i feel like- there isn't much that can be done but continue on- trying. and as kocanada likes to say- fucking up. i've been diying for a little over 2 months and still feel like a gigantic flailing fool. is this normal? i have already amassed around 100 flavors, maybe more. i find myself having days where i feel like diying is my favorite hobby ever and then also having days where i think- jesus- this has gone too far. i'm lucky enough to not feel that the startup cost and flavor orders are much of a burden, it's not money i'm feeling like i'm missing- it's time. this takes a lot of time. and space. i get absorbed in it sometimes and realize my whole evening after work is gone because i started fiddling with juice stuff as soon as i got home and now it's fucking 11 WHAT. flat surfaces in my dwelling keep becoming sparse and my boyfriend wants me to get a specific desk just for vape shit. i had to buy and install a shelving unit inside a cabinet for fucks sake.
i think i'm looking for some emotional validation. this is weird. *kicks can and wanders off
> why do i see recipes with total flavor percentages exceeding 15% and then i see recipes with 5-8% total?
Not all flavorings share the same strength. Some flavors require higher percentages to achieve the taste you want, others you barely need any. RTAs these days are essentially drippers so most people mix for either. You're thinking about this way more than you need to be.
As far as your second paragraph goes...welcome to having a hobby.
Mostly, percentages are about the strengths of the concentrates, which tends to be directly related to the brand. If your recipes are dominated by weaker brands such as TFA, you can hit 15-20% total flavoring. If you rely more on INW for example, you can get stronger flavor than the TFA recipes while using less than 5% flavoring. It's just a matter of getting to know your concentrates.
As for time spent, there's plenty that can be done to speed things up. Premixing your PG/VG, keeping your supplies in order, but most importantly, storing your concentrates in a way that allows you to just reach out and grab the right bottle out of hundreds. Oh, and don't overcomplicate things. Start out with a few simple mixes and improve on those one step at a time, rather than mixing 20 bottles of 20 ingredient experimental recipes in one sitting.
ok- the brands are something i've only recently realized vary so much. like the fact flavorah seems to be great for SNV stuff but doesn't age well, or the fact that flavorwest does niche flavors well like butter pecan and salted caramel but some of their basics (ie sweet cream) are weird/off. i have never heard anyone say that tfa's were notoriously weaker, but that makes sense somehow. when i look at most of my favorite recipes, where i know things work, tfa's percentages are definitely higher than others. INW confounds me. almost everytime i use anything of theirs i'm dissappointed, and yet most people seem to regard them as one of the better flavor producers.
edit: and another thing- i think that somehow i'm just really wishing i could have a teacher or a guru or a mentor, or even just more irl friends who vapes and diyed. i have ONE friend who vapes and he is the one who literally set me up with my gear, gave me some websites to look at and turned me loose. he's great, but he's only one person and i'm the type of person who doesn't like to wear out my welcome so i text him occasionally and we talk about it in person when we hang out but most days it's just me and my computer.
Absolutely, each brand excels at different things, and fall short where others shine. If you pay attention to what brands people prefer to use for certain flavors, like creams, desserts, spices, fruits etc, you'll start to see trends.
INW like FA doesn't stand that well on its own, but combine them with other brands and you can mold the flavor to your liking. Use them very sparsely, 0.5-1% is usually the sweet spot for INW, 1-3% for FA, although there are great variances within each brand too.
As for the mentoring, I've had no one to teach me and only recently had a friend pick up vaping. I think most here will have a similar story. I do wish someone had guided me when it came to gear and juice, it would have saved me a ton of money. The DIY bit however would require a silly amount of time to teach. There's just so much to learn and the vast majority of it is the perception of flavor, something that is honestly best explored on your own. It does take time and effort, but it's worth it. Don't try to single flavor test your whole stash at once though, start with just a few. Get to know them, try to combine them, see what works and what doesn't. Browse this sub, ATF, DIYorDIE, youtube, etc for guides and don't be afraid to ask more questions. Having the right attitude helps too. Don't get discouraged by failure, have a laugh as you pour that abomination of a mix that you thought would be great down the drain. We've all been there. Countless times.
About INW: I don't know about their fruits, but tobaccos they have a good amount of great flavors. Some misses, but the hits are great. I think the only other things of theirs that I've used are Biscuit and Peach, but I don't do fruits, so I can't really say how it compares.
As for the teacher/mentor/friend thing, I would suggest sticking around here and finding someone that seems to be mixing the same stuff you like mixing and talk to them about it. I don't know anyone IRL that mixes, so I use this sub to fill that void.
As for time and space, I can't really help. As soon as the kids are in bed, I'm in the basement messing around until I go to bed. And I've got bottles of shit everywhere. Very disorganized, but I know where most things are.
> somehow i'm just really wishing i could have a teacher or a guru or a mentor
You've got dozens of them right here in this thread, you can ask anything. You can PM me anytime; my virtual door is always open. You can check out /r/mixersclub , where you can get detailed critiques of your stuff from both experienced mixers and other newer mixers.
Because that's just how it works. Some flavors are stronger than others, sometimes you want a recipe to come out a certain way (layering different flavors), most setups are the same nowadays (unless we are talking about high nic MTL devices). But really, the answer is just because. Learn your flavors and you will learn how to use them
Your first point has been beaten to death, but I'll give you the same advice I gave Cokecan when he started out:
Share your fuckups. You'll learn a lot from others pointing out your mistakes, and will receive tips and advice on how to avoid fucking up again. Now, this subreddit isn't very receptive to unfinished recipes being posted, so feel free to join the DIYorDIE discord for immediate feedback from a large group of mixers, including Kocanda. https://discord.gg/uU8xBMg
I've been mixing one recipe for my wife for almost a year straight (pink lemonade) and she loves it. I stopped mixing for myself until this week. Just made my first batch of a "Thug Juice" clone (never had Thug Juice but it sounded good). I haven't let it steep, but all I can taste is Koolada. I mixed it with a hand mixer for 3 minutes and was spot on on my measurements. The recipe was:
- 4% LA Watermelon
- 2% TFA Grape Candy
- 2% Koolada (10%)
I'm hoping it will taste better after a few days? The pink lemonade I make for my wife is spot on right after mixing.
Second question is more of a request. I'd like to find a really good recipe for cereal or a dessert. Not sure how I feel about custard, but I'm open to pretty much any other suggestion.
That's a lot of Koolada. Not to mention, some people(like myself) are sensitive to koolada. It's all I can taste in a recipe, down to 1 drop/10mL. I'd say get something that's a bit "cleaner" that will ad a very straightforward, non-sweet mint, like INW Eucalyptus Mint. It's less of a mint, and more like the sensation of vaping a cough drop. Phenomenal in fruit mixes.
Check out Cereally Easy on alltheflavors, it's the easiest and cheapest cereal recipe out there. If you want something a bit deeper and better tasting, I also made a recipe titled "Lupe" that is a very accurate dry froot loops.
I made a big batch of this juice unfortunately. I don't mind the koolada taste, I just can't taste the grape or watermelon very much if at all. Maybe I should add a few more drops of those flavors to the bottle?
I will definitely check those out. Lupe sounds delicious. I think the milkiness can take away from cereal juices.
First time mixing from recipes and I have a few questions - I made the following juices that seem to be really popular around here, but I'm having trouble finding recommended steeping times: Grack Juice, Coop's Kiwi Bourbon, Mustard Milk, Bare Necessities, Vampire Blood.
Also, can someone help me understand the science behind steeping? I assume there's more to it than just letting the liquid mix entirely, given that some people do heated steeps and things like that. I know that creams/bakery flavors need longer than fruits, but I want to understand WHY. I mix in glass bottles, and I'm not sure if I should leave the tops on or steep with them open. How often should I shake them up?
Lastly, I wrote down this recipe, but can't find the original post. Anyone know who this belongs to?
TFA Bavarian Cream 2% TFA Dragonfruit 7% TFA Ripe SB 2% TFA Vanilla Swirl 2%
Thanks, this sub is fucking awesome.
Steeping is the process of the flavor volatiles combining and dispersing throughout the base of the liquid.
As a general rule:
-
Fruit only mixes: SnV to 1 day
-
Bakery/Desserts: 3-5 days
-
Custards: 2-3 weeks
-
Tobaccos: 3 weeks to a month
Of course this can change depending on the flavors used, so testing is recommended. Refer to the recipe pages on ATF. They should list steep time.
DO NOT heat steep your juice and DO NOT leave the cap off. Breathing juice is only for the quick release of alcohol that certain flavors contain, and will evaporate during normal steeping time, anyways. Shaking when you mix and when you go to vape it is enough.
The recipe is Mother of Dragon's Milk from u/ID10-T, if my memory serves correctly.
A recipe without steep time, is like a cake recipe without directions. The ingredients are there, and you can get similar results, but you will fail at reproducing the same results. This is why I include steep time and any mixing instructions in each and every recipe I post. Sadly, the new hipster mixers and websites who like to charge you money for recipes, can't be bothered to list steeping times.
So i have the Relax Recipe by Eliquid France, vaped it and it's awesome.
I'll soon start to DIY, and i wanted to ask you a question: since the flavors of Relax aren't part of the Big 5, will it drastically change the flavors if i put the same type of flavors but of another company?
( this is the link: http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/596841/RELAX )
Which percentage should I mix these CAP flavours to make single flavour eliquids on a 70/30 VG/PG base? Lemon Meringue Pie v2, Apple Pie v2 and Pink Lemonade Thanks
3-5% as a general rule for TFA, FW, and CAP. Or you can do what most of us do and search each flavor on sites like ATF or ELR. Those sites usually give you an average percentage that people use the flavor at for a good idea of where to start.
For example, CAP Lemon Meringue Pie V2.
I'm looking to get into diying. I just want to get some vg, pg, nicotine, and enough flavoring to make two or three simple, but distinct fruity flavors for under fifty dollars. Anyone got a supply shopping list?
Looks like this will fit your budget. To get the most out of it, I recommend picking your flavors by looking for recipes that both appeal to you and have positive feedback/reviews. The monthly threads/best of threads here are a great place to do that research, as is alltheflavors.com. The flavor reviews in our sidebar makes for some great reading as well.
Welcome!
This spreadsheet is a link from within the sidebar link BobbySavage's Guide to Getting Started
I orderd a starter kit from /u/thebrokevapor, and i cannot wait to recive it! I heard i should make my first flavors as 10mls, is this true for not waisting anything?
Today i ordered 300ml of 72% nicotine. 43 euros, not that bad since the site was one of the few to ship to italy.
The nicotine can be stored in a simple drawer? Can't put it in the freezer or fridge by any reasons.
Looking for CAP,FA,FW or TFA suggestions for very concentrated flavours (need to use few drops-5%). I'm very intolerant to PG so can't go over about 7% flavouring . Only flavour I don't like are artificial nut flavour and tobacco.
JF Honeydew Melon, JF Honey Peach, TFA Papaya, TFA Huckleberry, anything menthol or Koolada, anything by INW, TFA Honey, TFA Juicy Peach, CAP Cinnamon Danish Swirl...actually, you can pretty much try anything if 7% is your limit. You will still get flavor.
Thanks for the suggestion. Are any Real Flavours super concentrates worth trying? A store here in Canada is carrying then soon.
Finally broke down and ordered my first real diy start. Real as in not just basic 4 flavors and only use 2 haha.
I calculated my order to make 120ml samples of recipes I feel I will enjoy. And a few extra flavors to play. If what I make I truly enjoy then I will buy larger bottles.
Hopefully this is a good start. Estimate 6 recipes off the top of my head.
Capella Vanilla Custard V1 10ml
FlavourArt Vanilla Classic 10ml
NR Cream Dream 10ml
FA Rice CRUNCHES 10ml
FA Philippine Mango 10ml
FA Peach Juicy 10ml
FA Vanilla Swirl 10ml
FA Bavarian CREAM 2oz
FA Sweetener 10ml
FA Key Lime 10ml
FA Cheesecake Graham Crust 2oz
FA Strawberry 2oz
Purilum Strawnana 10ml
FA Banana Cream 10ml
LA Banana Cream (Colorless) 10ML
FA French Vanilla Creme 10ml
Capella Sweet Strawberry 10ml
FA Vanilla Custard 10ml
FA Dragon Fruit 10ml
Capella Choc Glazed Donut 10ml
FA Dairy Milk 10ml
FA Toasted Marshmallow 10ml
FA Marshmallow 2oz
Capella Sweet Cream 10ml
FA Double Chocolate Clear 10ml
FA Graham Cracker Clear 10ml
FA Sweet Cream 10ml
FA Strawberry Ripe 10ml
FA 7 Leaves Tobacco 10ml
Dang can't edit it properly via cell.
Oh ya starting by volume due to current funds. ?liking my last 45ml and sadly know I need to stop at a shop and get something before order gets in.
Plan on mixing at 4mg - 4.5mg nic.
Edit to change % to mg for nic.
120 ml mixes aren't samples. 10 mls are though. Always make 10 mls of recipes you are trying for the first time
Of course but after that it goes to 120ml. Only 1 recipe is less then 120ml.
2 recipes are clones of what I vape.
Just for future reference, most of us refer to The Flavor Apprentice as TFA rather than FA. FA is reserved for Flavour Art.
Hey everyone! I feel like the nicotine in my latest batch is too strong, and it was a big batch! How do I downgrade it without losing flavor? Is it ok to make the same mix without nic and add it or do I need to do something else? Thanks!
Yes that's ok. What strength did you make and what do you want to reduce it to?
Believe it or not, it's only 1 mg. But the thing is, I'm getting symptoms when vaping it with clapton coils, because there is so much vapor! Had to change to a regular kanthal and now the symptoms are gone. I'll try doing a mix without nic and adding to it in a smaller bottle and see if it works. Otherwise I'm just gonna vape it in another tank.
I've recently bought a dripper and my unicorn milk (26% flavor) suddenly tastes very peppery to me. Would diluting it help, and can I just add like 20ml of PG/VG to the 30ml I made?
What's the recipe? 26% is very high for a total percentage
So I need some help. I'm trying to make a tobacco flavored juice, but can't seem to find a concentrate that truly tastes like tobacco. I bought Nicvape Turkish tobacco and sweet tobacco, but neither taste like tobacco, they are honestly awful in my opinion. The only concentrate that is decent is Nude Nicotine tobacco, but still not what I'm looking for. If anyone has tried a Juul tobacco pod or MrSalte tobacco flavor that is the flavor I'm going for. No floral flavors, no nutty flavors, just tobacco flavor. Can someone help me out? Thank you
I haven't tried Juul or Mr. Salt E, so I'm not sure what they really taste like. If you are wanting something that tastes like a lighter tobacco leaf, you could try INW Tobacco Absolute Garuda or Virginia. INW Tobacco Symphony is also pretty good in that area. FA 7 Leaves Ultimate is ok, but nothing great.
If it's a darker Pipe tobacco flavor, you could try FLV Red Burley or INW Black for Pipe.
If you're looking for a simple one flavor shake and vape, go with FLV. Their Cured is a pretty sweet flavor. Native has a little bit of bite to it. Red Burley gets a little darker. In my opinion, those are the only 3 of theirs you really need. The rest I've tried taste close enough. The Arabian is different, but probably not something you'll want to try if just getting in to tobaccos. It's funky and I'm still trying to figure it out. I diluted it down and it ends up at like .1% in the final mix, and it's still pretty noticeable.
I'm going to pick up some INW Virgina, I've always loved Virginia tobacco, I'll probably keep buying different tobaccos until I find the right one. thank you for all the info.
Here's my Juul Tobacco clone. It'd probably be better w/ the FLV or INW versions, but I developed it with OOO.
OOO 555-1.5%
OOO Flue Cured-4%
TFA Acetyl Pyrazine-0.5%
If using in a Juul.
Mix 65vg/35pg @ 55mg Nic, use Nude Nic "hit" @29%, (so all your pg is nic+flavors) and 36% "Smooth". Palatable after 4 days, nice @7 days. Sometimes I add a quater point TFA Marshmallow.
BTW, I took apart the Suorin entirely, modified the airflow around the sensor... Still not like the Juul, but much better! Thanks for the motivation on that one.
Thank you! I didn't know you also had a Juul tobacco recipe. I just finished making an order and then I see this, I bought 3 different Virginia tobaccos, along with a flue cured, but I didn't buy Acetlpyrazine, do you think it is necessary? I also bought the flavors to make your Juul mint clone, which I'm really excited for! Once you opened up the suorin I bet it got much easier to restrict airflow, even though I can't imagine it ever being as tight as a Juul, which sucks.
You'll be ok with what you bought. Just use the flue cured @ 2:1 over the Virginia and start from there. AP can wait, but it's nice to have. As far as my Juul Mint clone, I'm having a problem- I believe my scale has been taking a shit this entire time. I ordered 2 more to verify, but seeing as I make all my JUUL stuff 2-4ml at a time, it's necessary to be precise.
Percentages aside, 2:1 Natural Mint (INW) to Spearmint (FW) than 1% Koolada. Start at the original %'s, but go up if necessary to taste. I believe many of my recipe weights to be screwed because of this scale... I'll know more today.
Hello Everyone, I hope all is well, I have a question about Sweetener, I just placed a huge order with Nicotine River and as I was hitting that "Complete Order" button I remembered Sweetener, I spent over $100 and forgot Sweetener and mine is gone....I don't want to spend another $10 in shipping to order one bottle is there a safe Sweetener I can pick up at Walmart or something? I did send them an email and asked if I could add it to my order but have not gotten an answer it is the weekend so I am not sure if they will see my email before the shipment goes out. In my ADV it is a necessary ingredient, so I just can't live without it. Any advice would be so appreciated....Love to all...Kim
You can cancel the order and make a new one
Great Idea, can I do that even though the money has been taken from my bank already?
I'm looking for a nicotine supplier that ships to Canada (or is in Canada) that won't ship me a bunch of brown liquid.
Also, which sweetener would you guys recommend? I have TFA sweetener right now and I really don't like it.
And for the last question, where should I get some syringes to help me transfer things from one container to another?
Thank you
I don't live in Canada or use sweetener, but it's always nice to have some disposable pipettes for transferring. I have syringes, but never use them. Are you mixing by weight?
I'm not even sure what to use for transferring. And no, I'm mixing by ml
Was looking at Grack Juice and Rhodonite and noticed that they both use Raspberry (Raspberry (Wera Garden) (INAWERA) & Raspberry (Malina) (INAWERA) respectively).
My question is:
- Are they the same?
I saw Wera Garden only on bullcity, but I didn't see Malina for sale anywhere--even on a google search.
I believe most people use Malina, the WG line is a lot more potent and "wild" tasting; harder to work with.
But you can check out this thread about it.
Has anyone ever tried LA mango?
It seems to be the least popular Mango flavor
Nicotine juice 100 mg (100% PG)7.2 g PG dilutant 7.88g VG dilutant 121g Ginger Ale (TPA)2.42 Citrus Punch (Mt. Dew) (TPA)4.84 Black Cherry (TPA) 1.81
I'm trying to make a black cherry Mountain Dew not really getting the Mountain Dew flavor also put a couple extra drops 120ml of the citrus after shake
Sorry for my English any suggestions would help
Please post percentages
About 4% citrus 2% ginger ale 1.5% black cherry
I have tried none of those three. Logical thing to do to get more Mt. Dew would be to increase it by a little bit while decreasing the others. Once you get the Mt. Dew where you want it, then start increasing or decreasing the other flavors until you have exactly what you desire.
I just made my first 15ml! :D How long should I let it settle before giving it a taste?
I give fruits a day or two, creams 3-5 days, custards/pies/cobblers/cakes at least a week, coffee 10-14 days, and tobacco 2 weeks or longer. If it's an original recipe. Keep track of how it tastes after each day. When you get the same taste two days in a row, you'll know exactly when your juice has hit its peak.
Please I need help, any knows some recipe or clone with this flavors or ingredients Tabacco virginia Truffle Cranberries Black Currant Currant thanks
You're looking for a recipe that uses Virgina Tobacco, Cranberry, and Blackcurrant flavors?
What is the smoothest nicotine to use I make a lot of fruit flavors and desserts in the nicotine I have right now just seems a bit peppery and harsh I want a good deal on some very smooth but good nicotine I've heard my Freedom Smokes but I've also heard their peppery I've also heard new nicotine is amazing and vaportek