Are most juices bad?

[legacygone]

It's funny how when you smoke analogs, you only want to smoke your brand. Other brands just don't do it. And people will smoke the same brand for 50 years.

Now then...

This is my second time being a vaper. The first time I quit analogs, but ended up going back after a few months. I am hoping this time I will succeed. Analog free for 2 weeks now.

I find that trying new stuff (juices, batteries, gear) is the trick. So I been ordering away.

However, I find that every time I order a batch of juices only one or two are good and the rest are unusable. Is this normal?

Sometimes I will re-order a juice I liked and it's not the same. Usually worse. This has been true for me across many vendors.

I have 2 mods (Lava tube and GLV), 808s, 510, DTC, all kinds of cartos and attys. I usually try the juice on all of these before I throw it out.

I'm curious what other people's experience is in this regard, and if there is a way to fix my juice buying failures.

Thanks!

 

[wv2win]

I think the most consistent eliquids are the ones from DeKang, Hansen (sp) and Janty, especially Janty. Since they make large quantities, I believe that lends itself to consistency. I've found the same issue as you have with many eliquids but never with Janty.

 

[JudeD]

I'm a noob, so I don't have much experience to draw on, but I have about ten juices so far and many more being delivered this week. Of the ten I have, none are unusable to me. I have my favorites, of course, and some that are just okay, but I could use any of them in a pinch. I really, really like OMG from Kick Bass Vapor. I can vape it all day long. It's not too sweet, but it's got a nice light caramel/vanilla flavor. I can't do anything too sweet first thing in the morning and OMG hits the spot for me.

Does the flavor taste burnt or chemical-tasting to you or what?

 

[Ratchet]

I have OMG, got it yesterday, trying to let it sit for a bit before trying it but it's HARD to keep my hand off of it. LOL!

 

[JudeD]

I have OMG, got it yesterday, trying to let it sit for a bit before trying it but it's HARD to keep my hand off of it. LOL!

Send it up my way and I'll guard it for you until it's ready.

 

[legacygone]

I'm a noob, so I don't have much experience to draw on, but I have about ten juices so far and many more being delivered this week. Of the ten I have, none are unusable to me. I have my favorites, of course, and some that are just okay, but I could use any of them in a pinch. I really, really like OMG from Kick Bass Vapor. I can vape it all day long. It's not too sweet, but it's got a nice light caramel/vanilla flavor. I can't do anything too sweet first thing in the morning and OMG hits the spot for me.

Does the flavor taste burnt or chemical-tasting to you or what?

Not some much burnt... here's an example: (i wont name the vendors)

Banana Mania - Only the slightest hint of banana, but overwhelming bitter taste.
Caramel - tastes like kasha
RY4 and 555 - Varying degrees of kasha
Tiramisu - Burnt coffee
Hopscotch (was my favorite about 12 months ago) - Almost no flavor.
WyatErp Tobacco - like an over-used ashtray

Sounds like I'm being too picky and I know taste is subjective, but at least I want the juice to taste like it's supposed to, even if I don't end up liking it.

Here are some good ones:

Cured virginia tobacco - hard to explain, but tastes like you would expect a tobacco to taste
Soda - Tastes exactly like coke
BannanaStrawbery - Just like the name says, very tasty
Watermelon Frost - Watermelon+menthol. I usually don't like menthol, but this one is great.

I have about 30 more juices that I'm likely to throw out.

 

[Vchick]

I don't think juices are bad per se, but taste is subjective. We tend to change up nic levels, pg/vg ratios, extra flavor, sweetner, no sweetner, etc. We see all the time where people weren't fond of something go back to re-visit it and find they like it. Maybe check out the diy section and take a stab at mixing your own?

 

[elfstone]

In the very beginning, I was amazed and a little suspicious about the juice reviews describing flavors in detail and so forth. Most juices felt bland, with some faint, barely noticeable taste, and some vague fragrance. Cinnamons and menthols were there, for sure, but other flavors... nah, not really.

As my taste buds recovered and/or my brain started to process vaping in a different way, tastes started to pop out of hiding. Some juices I liked because i could taste something became tacky and excessive, some that I would have sworn were just unflavored base, started developing a fine taste. Now... every couple of days or so, I'd go on a "taste off" period, where nothing tasted like anything anymore. It took about two months, for me, to stabilize. For others, it seems there's a great variability. So that could be a factor.

At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time, staying well hydrated makes all the difference with juice taste.

Still, flavors like caramel or coffee have the strangest, usually unpleasant taste for me in juice. They're either a burnt bitter nastiness, or some unfinished, sweet-ish hollow taste. I don't know if it is me or the juices.

Lately, since I haven't bought any pre-made juice in five weeks or so, I enjoy playing around with flavor mixes as my fancy flies much more than sampling those overpriced nasty plastic bottles. If you're anything like me, you'll figure that while most would probably not appreciate them, the flavors of your own making are the only ones that suit you. So go lurk in the DIY forum for a while (make sure to read all the warnings and stickies) - that might just be the right (and certainly far cheaper) way.

 

[DeviantDe]

Some juices are great right from the start.
Some are premixed and have had time to sit on a shelf so they have already steeped.
Some juices that are mixed to order need steeping time. basically time for the flavors to blend and develop.
Some need steeping time with the cap off if they have a heavy chemical taste.
I've had some that the chemical taste never goes away, even with the cap off steeping :/

Steeping involves letting it sit for anywhere from one week to 2 months on some of my flavors. From what I have found so far, the more basic the flavor the less steeping time it needs. A single fruit flavor is usually ready to go when I get it, or at least within a week. A bakery flavor(several flavors to make it taste like a cake or cookies or whatever) 2 weeks to 2 months with the cap on. Shorter time with the cap off.

I see you like at least one, Kick Bass Vapor is my go to vendor for juice. Some of their's need longer steeping, I usually buy Troll Bridge Cookie from them 2 months before I'll need more that way it has time to steep. To me it tastes far better the longer it sits. Rice Crispity Treat is great within a week. My bestie says the OMG is great as soon as she gets it, she says the Chocolate Cake is perfect after 3 days of cap off steeping.

 

[IronAP]

I've been a non-smoker for almost a month now and have ended up with a couple of juices that well--suck. I have a root beer that no matter what atty or carto I put it in it tastes like burning nasty puke. Yes that bad. I have a 18 dollar bottle of 555 that tastes and smells like old sweaty socks. I won't flame vendors here, but probably won't buy from again. I have a bottle of ry4 that rocks, my favorite so far. When I reordered it wasn't the same.
I guess in short, we are buying from small vendors without any consistency. Time to start mixing our own?
And I am really hating the Joye ego-c. The 1000 mah passthroughs are nice but the tank/atty system sucks. The boge lr carto's make a huge difference.

 

[Mdemon]

What issues are you having with the eGo-c IronAP? Mine works beautifully. Maybe its a prob that can be easily solved.

 

[dragonladee]

I've tried LOTS of flavors I didn't like that I was sure I would. I have a serious sweet tooth but I have hated every one of the dessert-y or fruity flavors I have tried, with the exception of cotton candy. Even that I can't vape more than a little while before I'm sick of it so it just isn't worth buying and stinkin' up a carto with it. The idea of vaping chocolate malt or strawberry shortcake sounded like heaven. The reality was disgusting to me.

I think it is definitely important that you find a juice you want to vape all day to make this something you can stick with. It has to be hard to not pick up an analog while you are still going through withdrawals while disliking the taste of what you have to vape.

One thing I can say I've learned is that you can read descriptions of the specific tastes of flavors to get an idea of what you might like, but opinions don't matter much in the end. One person saying a flavor is great has no bearing on whether or not you'll think so. Taste is too subjective. Lotsa folks say broccoli is great. Doesn't make it any more tolerable to me.

To anyone starting out I'd advise trying some simpler "mainstream" flavors first to find something you can vape all day before you try any of the crazier flavors. There are hundreds upon hundreds of possibilities and you will likely only truly enjoy a few. Once you have a hang of the transition to vaping then experiment away by all means, that's part of the greatness of it. Not to mention the fact that after you've quit smoking for 2 or 3 months your tastes WILL change because your sense of taste and smell will be better recovered.

One more thing-keep in mind that vendors tend to use the same base for all their flavors, so if you don't like several from them it might behoove you to try someone else entirely. I once ordered a huge batch of several different flavors from a vendor I'd never tried because the sale was just too good to pass up, but every single one had a burnt corn smell and aftertaste even after 2 months steeping. Lots of folks say that a certain vendor's juices all have dishwater undertones lol. The base can have just as much to do with the end result as the flavorings.

 

[JudeD]

The first PV I bought came with pre-filled tobacco carts that were actually not bad, but it also came with one bottle of juice, buyer's choice. I chose vanilla. I am a vanilla freak--perfume, hand lotion, candles, cupcakes, ice cream, whatever--if it's vanilla, I love it. I almost gave up on vaping and probably would have if the tobacco carts weren't decent, because this vanilla made me sick to my stomach for hours. It left a cloying chemical taste in my mouth that I couldn't get rid of all night. I felt like my mouth and throat were coated with barium or something else sickening.

When I said I had ten bottles that I am okay with, I forgot that wretched eleventh bottle. Yuck.

IronAP, I have an eGo C and I'm not having any problems. I have used both the carts that came with it and Stardust cartomizers and both have worked fine. What problems are you having with it?

 

[ohai]

(...)

Still, flavors like caramel or coffee have the strangest, usually unpleasant taste for me in juice. They're either a burnt bitter nastiness, or some unfinished, sweet-ish hollow taste. I don't know if it is me or the juices.

Totally agree. And I thought for sure the caramel type flavors would be perfect for me- I love caramel, just not to vape, apparently- they all taste weird and somewhat scalded and cloying to me.

On the other hand, I'm not a huge chocolate candy fan, but I love to vape it. Chocolate juice reminds me of the chocolate scented lip balm and scented candles you used to get when you were a kid- not precisely chocolate, but pleasant to me for some reason.

And I never thought I'd like fruit flavors, but most of my favs so far are fruity (peach, banana, blueberry). I really thought I'd prefer less sweet things, but I dislike all the nonsweet flavors I've tried so far (mostly from Virgin Vapors). I'm letting them steep to see if it helps, but I don't have much hope for them, which probably isn't because the juice itself isn't good, I just picked the wrong flavors for me and tried them too soon.

Most of the juice I've gotten from MsT's Bakery has been awesome (snickerdoodle, peach, licorice, chocolate coconut bar, blueberry crumble, vanilla custard, cinnamon danish banana, peppermint hot chocolate, new watermelon), and I didn't have to let them steep first, but I'm willing to bet they'll improve with time if I can stand to let them. The only one I'm worried about is the Marachino- tastes like chemically awful nothingness. It has to get better with time, because it really could not be worse. Still, there was only one real dud out of ten flavors, which has to be some kind of record.

 

[legacygone]

Wanted to report back, I got some OMG, and it is OMG. Really good.

Hummingbird nectar is good too, and contrasts well from OMG to go back and forth.

 

[Astatine]

Good for you!

I have had the same experience when I started: most juices were not in the "usable" category.

Two things happened:

1- My taste actually changed over time. Not drastically, I still like the same basic type of flavors, but I now happily vape juices that I didn't consider or really appreciated when I started.

2- I got into DIY. I still make mistakes, but I am getting better and better I making mixture that suite my personal tastes.

 

[dchest02]

Finding your favorite juice does take a while. Lots of variables to take into consideration. When I started vaping I bought a kit from a local place (Echo-E) and a bottle of USA mix juice. I HATED the juice, almost gave up vaping. That was in January. I've had that bottle just sitting in my collection since then, and just tried it again, and it is actually vapable now. Not all juices need steeping, but others do. The way I go about things is to try juice right out of the mailbox, and if I don't like it I put it in my case for a month or so, and revisit it. If it is still not vapable after a month, it will never be vapable, then I chuck it.

 

[Reidus]

Also, at first, you probably want to order extra flavor, at least until your taste buds recover.

 

[elfstone]

And you never really know what you're going to like. Not based on descriptions or on reviews. That's the fun in mixing your own - you can experiment with anything without paying a premium on jucie and shipping. You wake up with a crazy idea, and go for it My current all day vape is a weird mentholated concoction heavy on black cherry. Would have never guessed!

 

[Fisty]

I've been at it about a week and a half and found a few that I like okay, a lot that I hate, and one that I love. But who knows, in 3 months I'll probably love and hate totally different ones.