Adding Flavoring

[shopgirl284]

I don't want to get into serious DIY. at least not yet, but I have seen others discuss adding in the flavoring from places like Capella to premixed eliquids they had previously purchased. I was reading through the DIY forum, most of the instruction and discussions are for making your juice from scratch, or adjusting nic levels. I did get from their research that it is best to use PG or VG based flavorings that are water soluble. But they do not talk about the proper way to add flavoring only to an existing premixed liquid.

So I am curious about how you mix the straight flavoring into your existing premixed eliquids to intensify flavor or add an additional nuance to the taste? Does it have to be done in a very precise way? Or can you just play with it within moderation? Do you just add a drop to your cart? Do you add a few drops to your premixed bottle? Do you use a spare bottle to mix the two?

And if all of the above are options, what are the pros and cons of each? I can see how the difference in potency of the flavors from different suppliers can make a difference mixing methods you may choose.

Also, since you are just adding some drops, the flavoring would not decrease the nic level by much would it?

 

[quasimod]

Of course, after you've made 15 posts, you can ask this question in the DIY e-liquid sub-forum (2 more posts and you're in!), where you can get better answers. Meanwhile, I'm no expert mix-ologist, but...

[...]
So I am curious about how you mix the straight flavoring into your existing premixed eliquids to intensify flavor or add an additional nuance to the taste? Does it have to be done in a very precise way? [...]

Only if you want to be able to (reliably) repeat the formula that you're concocting, or reproduce a recipe. I commonly "eye-ball" simple tweaks to my juice. For example, I know that I vape 36 mg., so I'll fill a 15 ml. bottle slightly more than 1/3 full of 100 mg. non-flavored juice, then top it off with 0 mg. flavored juice that I like, but thought was too strongly flavored. It's not rocket science, but don't get carried away: even if you have a little experience, you can easily screw it up so bad you'll want to pour it down the sink. Careful measurements are best, but not always necessary. Experiment with small amounts, so you don't ruin $30 worth of juice. Keep your mistakes, and label them precisely, because you may be able to mix small amounts into other juices to get rid of the awful-tasting failed experiments without wasting them.

[...] Or can you just play with it within moderation? [...]

Yes, but "moderation" is the key word there. You can put more in, but you can't take it back out.

Do you just add a drop to your cart? [...]

Some do exactly that, just to experiment with different flavor combinations in a non-exact way.

[...] Do you add a few drops to your premixed bottle? Do you use a spare bottle to mix the two? [...]

Mix small amounts in small bottles to experiment with, so you don't risk wasting a bunch of juice. If you keep careful records of what you're doing, you can then use the same recipe to make larger batches of the stuff you like.

[...] Also, since you are just adding some drops, the flavoring would not decrease the nic level by much would it?

That depends on how many drops into how much volume. It's simple math. I suck at math, so I use a free calculator available in the DIY section, or one of these:

eJuice Recipe Calculator

E-Recipe Calculator

Also, vapor is produced by VG and/or PG. Flavorings do not produce vapor. More flavoring = less vapor, unless you add more VG, which dilutes the flavor... etc.

And LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Only experiment with juice that you are not counting on to last until your next order arrives. Screwing up your only juice supply is a very bad idea. That's experience talking to you, right there.

 

[shopgirl284]

Thanks for the advice especially the don't mess up your tide me over till the next order arrives thing, that would be miserable.

One Question. About the loss of vapor w/more flavoring. I know for example, the Capella flavors are PG based (their eliquid flavorings). Is it just that the percentage of flavoring to PG is lower?

 

[Pegasus7]

Thanks Quasimod for the Calc links... It'll help for shopping list. I have found others out there, but seemed to complicated for a noob.

 

[quasimod]

[...] About the loss of vapor w/more flavoring. I know for example, the Capella flavors are PG based (their eliquid flavorings). Is it just that the percentage of flavoring to PG is lower?

It's just that adding non-vapor-producing liquid like flavoring, booze, distilled water, etc. to a vapor-producing liquid like VG or PG will reduce the amount of vapor that liquid can produce.