I bought several flavors this month when I started vaping. They sounded good, but some are not so great. Some are going into a drawer for a few months to try later, because they have some redeeming qualities. Some flavors are usable if I mix in another strong flavor. Some are lost causes. Is there any way to add another overpowering flavoring to the "lost causes" juices so I can *maybe* not eventually throw them out? Or is this a bad idea?
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It is no longer commercial e-liquid. What would you classify it as? Maybe DIY "Lite," but it is not general/commercial e-liquid.
The use of flavor concentrates (the ingredients that add taste to an e-liquid) are firmly in the domain of DIY... not commercially ready-to-vape e-liquids. By definition; they are "good to go."
That is exactly how I stumbled upon DIY. I purchased commercial e-liquid, at a higher nic content, and diluted it down to my preferred level. The dilution got the nic where I wanted it; but the flavor became washed out. So, I started adding flavor concentrates, to try and boost the flavor back to where it belonged. I soon realized, that is was more tinkering to "tweak" back to "normal," than just do it from scratch. I have not purchased a commercial e-liquid in more than three years.
Deny it all you like; but you have just placed your first foot onto the the very slippery slide of DIY.
Kidding aside; DIYers will be most likely to offer more useful/helpful information about what can resurrect an uninspired e-liquid. DIYers are the ones that use specific concentrates to get specific results. Be sure to describe what the beginning flavor tastes like, where you might like/think it should go, and any missing/excessive flavors it already has.
Best wishes.
Triacetin which is sold as aaa magic mask by FA will reduce the tartness/sourness in your ejuice if that is the problem and round out any harsh edges.
MTS vape wizard contributes toward softening any acidic/sour perception as wll, and it also it assists in making vapour thicker, and gives more body and depth..
Smooth by TPA is the same thing.
You can also try adding vanilla.. that can sometimes help.. or just add sweetener.. that can some times help too..or dilute the heck out of it by mixing some unflavored and mix it together.
You didn't say what the exact flavor problem was so i gave generic choices..
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I did do this years ago before I started real DIY. Sometimes it worked, other times it did not. You do have to stay in the same flavor family. Opinionated gave you some great examples/options
Sure you can Do That. In fact, that is what got me into DIY way back in the Day.
I couldn't find Strong Enough/Sweet Enough retail e-Liquids for my tastes when I started Vaping. And I had e-Liquids I was going to Toss, so I figured I would try to Fix them. So I would Add Flavoring(s)/Sweetener to them.
Some came out Good. Some were OK but Vapeable. So just couldn't be saved.
It Taught me a Lot about the Effects of what One Flavoring can do to Another. And also how Important Detailed and Accurate record keeping was.
You got good advice so far.
For me, there’s only two things that can’t be saved, ones that just taste bad, and ones that taste perfume/chemical.
Other flavors can be boosted if not strong enough, steeped or tweaked if unbalanced, added to to enhance or take the rough edges off.
Personally, when I was buying commercial juice, I would taste them, and if they weren’t great, I’d put them in the cabinet and check them every so often.
Especially if they were a big seller, they’re not always properly steeped when you buy them, and some benefit greatly from even a week or two.
I wouldn’t even mess with them sooner.
What and how much to add to what are all variables, but imho you can add vanilla of your choice to about anything, layer likes ( strawberry to strawberry, tobacco to tobacco) and use EM, cotton candy, or sweetener to knock down the rough edges. Start low, like .5%, and give it a few days to see what happens.
For me, there’s only two things that can’t be saved, ones that just taste bad, and ones that taste perfume/chemical.
Other flavors can be boosted if not strong enough, steeped or tweaked if unbalanced, added to to enhance or take the rough edges off.
Personally, when I was buying commercial juice, I would taste them, and if they weren’t great, I’d put them in the cabinet and check them every so often.
Especially if they were a big seller, they’re not always properly steeped when you buy them, and some benefit greatly from even a week or two.
I wouldn’t even mess with them sooner.
What and how much to add to what are all variables, but imho you can add vanilla of your choice to about anything, layer likes ( strawberry to strawberry, tobacco to tobacco) and use EM, cotton candy, or sweetener to knock down the rough edges. Start low, like .5%, and give it a few days to see what happens.
So far, I have mixed pineapple & orange and doughnuts & chocolate successfully because, alone, some weren't that great (I add chocolate to a lot of flavors and I am not a chocolate eater). The lost causes are all over the map (cotton candy, various cereal & milk flavors, etc.). Not sure what flavor to add to those or even how one would find, order, and add a "flavor shot" to them.
I guess this should go into DIY. Sorry...
I guess this should go into DIY. Sorry...
Cotton Candy is a flavor killer, just set that one back help sweeten other not sweet juices. IMO it would be a waste to make that one better, but could help other problem juices. Are the cereals too citrus heavy? That is fixable.So far, I have mixed pineapple & orange and doughnuts & chocolate successfully because, alone, some weren't that great (I add chocolate to a lot of flavors and I am not a chocolate eater). The lost causes are all over the map (cotton candy, various cereal & milk flavors, etc.). Not sure what flavor to add to those or even how one would find, order, and add a "flavor shot" to them.
I guess this should go into DIY. Sorry...
Some of the lost causes, you could consider a dilution. That gets you even more into DIY territory, but for example, cotton candy is just pretty much all sweetener. You could use that mixed with other mixes if you need more sweet, but adding more flavor to a cotton candy, that would be somewhat backwards, because it's over flavored, or disgusting to you at the strength that you've mixed.
I've "rescued" commercial flavors by using them added (in small quantity) to juices I make. Because I have DIY for a while, often commercial juices don't taste good to me unless I work with them. It can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it, but certainly adding some flavoring to mixes if needed is perfectly fine. Depending on what you add, they may or may not need a bit of steeping time.
I will say, down the DIY trail, my attempts to "fix" failed mixes taught me a whole lot more than my "successful" ones and i still had commercial eliquid as I went down the DIY trail, and you can be sure that many got amended, combined, diluted, added to, and sometimes binned.
Keep notes and let yourself be creative as you want to be! There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I LOVE DIY (I kind of had a hunch I would) and part of it for me is the endless creativity involved. I have successfully vaped every juice "win" regardless of what it may or may not have been, and it's just as fun (sometimes more fun) and just as educational (sometimes, more so) than starting from scratch.
Keep good notes, you will be building your flavoring skills, and good luck!
Anna
I've "rescued" commercial flavors by using them added (in small quantity) to juices I make. Because I have DIY for a while, often commercial juices don't taste good to me unless I work with them. It can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it, but certainly adding some flavoring to mixes if needed is perfectly fine. Depending on what you add, they may or may not need a bit of steeping time.
I will say, down the DIY trail, my attempts to "fix" failed mixes taught me a whole lot more than my "successful" ones and i still had commercial eliquid as I went down the DIY trail, and you can be sure that many got amended, combined, diluted, added to, and sometimes binned.
Keep notes and let yourself be creative as you want to be! There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I LOVE DIY (I kind of had a hunch I would) and part of it for me is the endless creativity involved. I have successfully vaped every juice "win" regardless of what it may or may not have been, and it's just as fun (sometimes more fun) and just as educational (sometimes, more so) than starting from scratch.
Keep good notes, you will be building your flavoring skills, and good luck!
Anna
When I first started vaping I ordered sample eliquid from everywhere that offered them! I kept getting the same problem... yuck! I had my nic level so high the flavors I was trying couldn’t cover it well. ATM I didn’t know fruity vapes are better at this. I’ve since brought my nic level way down. However, I still tried a lot of juice that just didn’t do it for me. There were quite a few I wouldn’t touch. Then I had the bright idea to add a bit of liquid stevia. Online research gave the go ahead. I was astonished by how much it lended the flavor. It gave them a much needed boost! This got me thinking. Apparently I’m not alone in this after reading comments here. I got DIY stuck in my head and that was that! I researched and retained as much as possible and started putting in orders. In the beginning I put sweetener in EVERYTHING, lol! (It was successful w/ commercial!) Long story short, I now don’t add until after I’ve tried the “finish” flavor mix and determine it’s definitely needed. I still have some commercial juices (from before DIY) I might add a few drops of peppermint or something to boost whats there. I know you’ve probably already heard this but if not, the eliquid taste will change to you after you’ve been vaping and not smoking for a bit. DIY is a fun journey though, skys the limit! Best of luck & most importantly, have fun
We need one. I just use the shiny thread even tho diy supplies are exempt.Point me to the DIYitis support group, please.
You could always start one in the DIY forum. I’d definitely belong, hahaPoint me to the DIYitis support group, please.
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