So with the mail ban coming up I've decided to dive head first into DIY and am really excited to start mixing up some flavors.
I made my first order from river supply which should be here in a couple of days. Got all the basic necessities and about 10 flavors, mostly CAP/TFA custards and creams, I like dessert juices
But after watching some of Wayne's videos, I realized he almost always uses sweeteners. And I didn't order any sweeteners :(
So, are sweeteners really that important for bakery type flavors? I'd have to pay shipping again just for a few bucks worth of sweetener, I'm not sure if it's worth it. Would love all your inputs!
Some flavorings, but not all, already have a sweetness to them. Personally I find recipes a touch flat without a tiny amount of sweetener. Imagine baking your bakery goods without sugar. Pretty much your ejuice will taste like the sugar free version of food, but vapor. Plenty of mixers don't use sweetener though.
Hmm baking goods without sugar doesn't sound great lol. I may have to find a way to get some sweeteners, I'll try mix up some basic recipes without them first once my supplies get here and see how I like them
It just depends on what you like when it comes to diy. Some of the flavors already have a sweetened note, some don't. It also depends on how sweet you like things.
When I first decided to diy and placed my first order, I ordered one of those 40 flavor 5ml variety packs to get my feet wet and experiment (I don't know if those are still a thing) but I found that I didn't use a good 80% of the flavors because I prefer simple shake and vape mixes. I'll still order a random flavor to try occasionally, but found that there are only about 10 flavorings I use and of those, only 5 or so get used regularly and I don't use any added sweeteners.
You'll wind up making some BAD shit because the concept sounded good, but will eventually land on a couple of blends that are your go to mixes. Have fun and good luck.
40 different flavors seems like a lot to me, I probably would end up in the same boat of not using most of them. I think I'm gonna mix up some recipes without sweetener and then decide where to go from there depending on how they turn out
Thanks for the advice, looking forward to getting past the bad mixes and finding some killer recipes for myself
I don’t think sweeteners are absolutely necessary but for some recipes they can really make things shine. A lot of people automatically remove additional sweeteners from recipes because commercial juices are loaded with it. I personally don’t use sweeteners because I don’t want to vape sucralose. But new mixers trying to make the transition from commercial stuff to mixing their own stuff find there something missing, which is sweeteners. Over time, you yourself will probably choose to not use them at all
Yeah that's what I keep hearing, that they help recipes shine. Which is what I'm worried about missing out on. I guess the only thing to do now is actually try what I ordered and go from there, cause I'm gonna have to save up a bit for more flavors plus shipping
I never, ever use sweetener, but I make max VG mixes pretty much exclusively.
Hmm the vg probably helps with sweetness, I'm planning on making 50/50 for more flavor because mtl. But the bitterness of pg may make me change up the ratios
The VG is very sweet, and some of my flavorings do have sweetener (Capella flavors mostly) but not excessively, and the amount of sweetener in them seems lower than if I added a sweetener alone. I don’t like the taste of PG at all, and I haven’t found a sweetener that when added doesn’t taste gross. Also, PG messes with my asthma where VG doesn’t seem to trigger any symptoms.
To answer your original question, I make a strawberry vanilla cupcake juice with Capella sweet strawberry and Capella vanilla cupcake plus a couple other flavorings, and I don’t add sweetener to it, so I don’t think sweetener is necessary for bakery flavors. Of course, you might feel they do depending on your tastes, but I know it can be done without adding any.
It really depends on your own taste preferences. Are you acclimated to commercial eliquid? If so, probably a good idea to order some Super Sweet.
That said it's not "necessary". I mixed some of my best work without sweetener.
In terms of development, I find sweetener makes things 20x more present without the months of dedicated crafting to replicate without it. It's a cheat code that can quickly turn to a crutch. Fruits, candies, bakeries, desserts, all benefit from just 0.5% of sucralose sweetener.
but...once you go sweet, it's hard to go back.
VG is inherently sweet, most flavors have some amount of sweetness to them as well. From my experience it is very seldom important to add sweetener unless you're used to very sweet commercial juices, but even then as your palate resets you'll regain your ability to taste things with less sweetener.
Hi. I‘m pretty sure you‘ll be placing a second order soon. It seems like you chose random flavors that you think you like. That’s one of the most common mistakes when starting out with DIY. I highly recommend you read the FAQ. And yes, you‘ll most likely want CAP Super Sweet or FW Sweetener coming from commercial eliquid. Before you continue, please read the info provided here and, if you need support, join the Discord.
I did read through the FAQ, I chose flavors from the list of recommendes beginner flavors, but only the ones that sounded appealing to me, cactus for example doesn't sound like my thing lol. We'll see how it goes, I'll probably make a second order once I know a bit more about my DIY preferences, I'll throw some sweetener in that purchase too
When you end up ordering sweetner, get you some 10% em as well. It's a cotton candy flavoring, but is AMAZING at small doses to add sweetness to a recipe. I mix a lot with .5 cap super sweet and .5 em.
The best I have heard sweetner explained is that without it all of the vaping experience is through it's smell. Adding sweetner really activates the taste of the juice in the mouth. Some may not agree with that, but it pretty much nails my experience.
Yes I've heard good stuff about em, in fact I was thinking I could probably just use em in place of sweetener. I guess it all comes down to experimenting, so getting both shouldn't hurt.
I'm a mtl vapor, so I don't get much flavor as it is. Debatable, but I find mtl gives me more aroma than actual flavor. So maybe no sweetener might just be my thing. Can't wait to get my supplies and test things out!
You might want to do the sweetener test to see which product works best for your taste:
- CAP Super Sweet is sucralose and some preservatives
- TPA Cotton Candy is 10% ethyl maltol
- CAP or TFA Marshmallow contain EM and vanillin and are a good low level alternative
- Rick's Sugar Daddy [Original | Ice | Vanilla] Sweetener
- Sweetener by TFA/ FW/ Great Lakes/ LB/ SC by WF
What is a sweetener test? And what would you say is a better all round sweetener between ethyl maltol and sucralose?
If you've been vaping commercial juice, you have most likely been getting your fill of sucralose.
Some of us turned to DIY to get away from that sickly overload, but found that some recipes need something. Unfortunately, that something is subjective and not easily defined.
So, you need to decide what level of sweetness you want. The sweetener test is simply test batches of various sweeteners and then you decide which gives you the level of sweetness you want. For me, it's CAP Marshmallow in fruit mixes or TFA Marshmallow in my custards.
Don't care or think it's too much hassle? Don't bother then: it's your juice.
I personally do not use sweeteners in my own mixes. If a recipe I think looks tasty includes it I will use it.
One thing to note, you can always add more if a recipe isn't sweet enough for your liking, but you can't take it out once it's mixed so start low, especially if you're using CAP Super Sweet. I feel like .25% is the sweet spot for CAP Super Sweet. Any more than that, and it's too sweet for me.
Hello and welcome. This question is really more appropriate for the stickied thread Here.
I'm glad you've gotten some responses already.
If you like the sweetness of commercial liquids its a must. Personally, I find juice without sucralose to be seriously flat and dull, and i cant stand it. It ends up tasting like lightly flavored air. Even using very little like half a percent makes a world of difference.