Beginner DIY E-Liquid Flavor Problems

[syzygy314]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping to get a little guidance. My local vape shop sold and started selling online only so I thought it would be a good time to start trying to make my own eliquid. So I bought a big bottle of PG and VG. Bought three bottles of flavor concentrate - watermelon, energy drink and almond amaretto. Some nicotine salts as well.

The problem is I'm just not getting any flavor out of any of the concentrates after mixing. I can smell them but after mixing and trying them, I get nothing. I made the mistake of starting large and used up most of my flavorings so I repeated my flavor concentrate order. Thought I would take it to the basics with just PG, VG and single flavor.

Started with the following:
40% PG
50% VG
10% Watermelon

2ml PG
2.5ml VG
0.5ml Watermelon

Shook it all up and tasted no flavor.
Added another 0.5ml of watermelon. Shook it up again and tasted nothing.
Repeated again with another 0.5ml watermelon and tasted nothing.

Flavor concentrates are PG. Did the same process with the almond amaretto. Tried VG only with the only PG coming from the concentrates.

Even gone as far as thinking it was my coil/wick so I built a new coil and put a new wick in my rda.

I get the whole steeping thing but should I at least taste something without steeping?

I'm at a loss. Unless I just got a bad batch of VG that's overpowering everything (if that's even a thing) but I'm hesitant to spend more money at this point.

PG, VG, flavor concentrates are all from Central Vapors.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[chanelvaps]

I do not have much to add other than what others told me. Use a liquid calculator and it will figure out all percentages for you and give it time, at least a week, before adding anything more. Shake shake shake.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Welcome to ECF, syzygy314.

 

[zoiDman]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping to get a little guidance. My local vape shop sold and started selling online only so I thought it would be a good time to start trying to make my own eliquid. So I bought a big bottle of PG and VG. Bought three bottles of flavor concentrate - watermelon, energy drink and almond amaretto. Some nicotine salts as well.

The problem is I'm just not getting any flavor out of any of the concentrates after mixing. I can smell them but after mixing and trying them, I get nothing. I made the mistake of starting large and used up most of my flavorings so I repeated my flavor concentrate order. Thought I would take it to the basics with just PG, VG and single flavor.

Started with the following:
40% PG
50% VG
10% Watermelon

2ml PG
2.5ml VG
0.5ml Watermelon

Shook it all up and tasted no flavor.
Added another 0.5ml of watermelon. Shook it up again and tasted nothing.
Repeated again with another 0.5ml watermelon and tasted nothing.

Flavor concentrates are PG. Did the same process with the almond amaretto. Tried VG only with the only PG coming from the concentrates.

Even gone as far as thinking it was my coil/wick so I built a new coil and put a new wick in my RDA.

I get the whole steeping thing but should I at least taste something without steeping?

I'm at a loss. Unless I just got a bad batch of VG that's overpowering everything (if that's even a thing) but I'm hesitant to spend more money at this point.

PG, VG, flavor concentrates are all from Central Vapors.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi syzygy314. Welcome to the ECF.

It sounds like you have some Watered-Down Flavoring(s). Because at 10% you should be able to at least taste a Hint of Flavor.

This is where buying Rebottled Flavoring can be a Problem. Because you don't know what Brand it is? Or If/How Much it has been Diluted? My advise would be to Buy some Name Brand flavorings. And to buy from One Brand until you get the Hang of DIY.

You will get a Ton of Replies if you ask who makes the Best ______? And can end up with Dozens of Brands that can vary in Strength. Whereas a Single Brand stay to stay Closer to each other within Flavor Families.

So if you mix a Great Watermelon at say 12% from Band "X", chances are 12% Flavoring of another Fruit Flavor Brand "X" will probably work.

When I did a lot of DIY, most of the Flavorings I use were from FlavourArt. They seemed to consistently have flavors I liked. And can be found at Many DIY Sites.

Concentrated Flavoring-FA

www.bullcityflavors.com

The Flavor Apprentice also makes a Nice Line of Flavorings.

Concentrated Flavoring-TFA

DIY Concentrated Flavoring-TFA

www.bullcityflavors.com

Last thing, If you were going to make Watermelon Candy you would need a Watermelon flavoring, right? But wouldn't you also need a Sweetener? Can you Imagine a Jolly Rancher or Starburst with a Sweetener in it? That what doing doing Sweet Flavor DIY with a Sweetener is.

What type of Sweetener and How much Sweetener to can be the Topic of Hot Debate. So I'll leave that up to others to Hash Out. I like this ...

Super Sweetener Flavor-TFA

Largest selection and best prices on flavoring

www.bullcityflavors.com

But once again, that's just what I like.

TL/DR

Use Name Brand Flavorings.
Limiting the number of Name Brands you use when you're Starting Out can Simplify things.
Use a Sweetener in Sweet Recipes
ABOVE ALL ELSE... KEEP DETAILED AND DATED NOTES ON EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING.

 

[ShamrockPat]

When I did a lot of DIY, most of the Flavorings I use were from FlavourArt. They seemed to consistently have flavors I liked. And can be found at Many DIY Sites.

@syzygy314 I use more than a handful of diiferent brands, and IMHO FlavourArt is the most consistent for usage consistency and great flavors. If I had to limit myself to only 1, this would be it.

 

[zoiDman]

Hi syzygy314. Welcome to the ECF.

It sounds like you have some Watered-Down Flavoring(s). Because at 10% you should be able to at least taste a Hint of Flavor.

This is where buying Rebottled Flavoring can be a Problem. Because you don't know what Brand it is? Or If/How Much it has been Diluted? My advise would be to Buy some Name Brand flavorings. And to buy from One Brand until you get the Hang of DIY.

You will get a Ton of Replies if you ask who makes the Best ______? And can end up with Dozens of Brands that can vary in Strength. Whereas a Single Brand stay to stay Closer to each other within Flavor Families.

So if you mix a Great Watermelon at say 12% from Band "X", chances are 12% Flavoring of another Fruit Flavor Brand "X" will probably work.

When I did a lot of DIY, most of the Flavorings I use were from FlavourArt. They seemed to consistently have flavors I liked. And can be found at Many DIY Sites.

Concentrated Flavoring-FA

www.bullcityflavors.com

The Flavor Apprentice also makes a Nice Line of Flavorings.

Concentrated Flavoring-TFA

DIY Concentrated Flavoring-TFA

www.bullcityflavors.com

Last thing, If you were going to make Watermelon Candy you would need a Watermelon flavoring, right? But wouldn't you also need a Sweetener? Can you Imagine a Jolly Rancher or Starburst with a Sweetener in it? That what doing doing Sweet Flavor DIY with a Sweetener is.

What type of Sweetener and How much Sweetener to can be the Topic of Hot Debate. So I'll leave that up to others to Hash Out. I like this ...

Super Sweetener Flavor-TFA

Largest selection and best prices on flavoring

www.bullcityflavors.com

But once again, that's just what I like.

TL/DR

Use Name Brand Flavorings.
Limiting the number of Name Brands you use when you're Starting Out can Simplify things.
Use a Sweetener in Sweet Recipes
ABOVE ALL ELSE... KEEP DETAILED AND DATED NOTES ON EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING.

BTW - Hope Everyone has a Good Christmas.

 

[Letitia]

Adding a small percentage of raspberry gives watermelon a nice pop. That can be said of most fruits. I never try a mix before 10 days if its just fruit; more often a couple weeks. Usually a few weeks for everything else.

 

[syzygy314]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday.

Perhaps you're right and the flavoring is the problem. Central Vapors just happened to be the first site I clicked on when looking for ingredients and the reviews we're good so I went with them.

I'll try ordering some TFA and FlavourArt flavors and see what happens. I assume both use PG for their flavor concentrates? Not sure if VG flavor concentrates are a thing.

 

[zoiDman]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday.

Perhaps you're right and the flavoring is the problem. Central Vapors just happened to be the first site I clicked on when looking for ingredients and the reviews we're good so I went with them.

I'll try ordering some TFA and FlavourArt flavors and see what happens. I assume both use PG for their flavor concentrates? Not sure if VG flavor concentrates are a thing.

Unless things have changed, the Vast Majority of TFA and FlavorArt flavoring are PG based.

I done Many Mixes using FA Watermelon. It is fine as a standalone. But it Shines as Latitia mentioned if you add a Tad of Raspberry. Or Strawberry. Or one of my Summer Favorites, Watermelon with a Few Drops of Pineapple.

 

[syzygy314]

Unless things have changed, the Vast Majority of TFA and FlavorArt flavoring are PG based.

I done Many Mixes using FA Watermelon. It is fine as a standalone. But it Shines as Latitia mentioned if you add a Tad of Raspberry. Or Strawberry. Or one of my Summer Favorites, Watermelon with a Few Drops of Pineapple.

Funny you say that. I have FA Watermelon, raspberry and pineapple all sitting in my cart right now.

 

[zoiDman]

Funny you say that. I have FA Watermelon, raspberry and pineapple all sitting in my cart right now.

I think one of the Main Reasons people struggle when doing Fruit DIY is they get caught up in chasing different Brands trying to find that perfect _____ flavor. When in actuality, the perfect flavor Doesn't exist. The Perfect Flavor is really a subtle blend a Two or more Flavors.

I've did a Lot of DIY. And there are VERY FEW flavors that could (to Me) be used as pure Standalones. Without needing a Dab of this or a Dash of that.

This is the One Exception...

https://onestopdiyshop.com/products/30ml-blue-ras-slush?_pos=3&_sid=62cbbb883&_ss=r

Just Sweeten to Taste and Away you Go!

 

[Coyote628]

In my strawberry mixes I used 2 or 3 different strawberry flavors, i.e strawberry ripe, juicy strawberry, etc. Flavor Art is good, like everyone has said.