Im going to go ahead and order from nicotine river for diy supplies. They have several different brands of flavor concentrates to choose from and most brands have pretty much the same basic flavors to choose from. My question is which brand (s) make the best flavors. I do realize flavors are subjective and everybody's taste is different so my question is basically which brands are of better quality?
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It tends to go by individual flavor more than brand. One brand could have great custards but so-so tobaccos, etc..
Like bombastinator said different flavors different companies. I have had very good luck with Nic River Purilum flavors though. Everyone I tried tasted like it's name and very clean tasting with no chemical tastes.
If you wait, they will probably have a good % off sale shortly for xmas
If you wait, they will probably have a good % off sale shortly for xmas
Aaagh! Santa has six fingers! He IS an alien! (or merely holding one. It’s so confusing)
1.)The first thing I would suggest, is to find a few well-reviewed recipes, that seem to be in your wheelhouse. Then order those ingredients. Too many first time DIYers order flavor concentrates without having any real idea how they want to use them. Instead they order because they "sound good." Then they get the flavors; only to find that they have NO IDEA what to do with them. Them they start looking for recipes, or asking on the forums, and quickly find out they are missing needed supporting ingredients. Established recipes help to make sure this doesn't happen.
2.)IF you are going to order "blind," or already mix and are just looking for other options; read as many user reviews for each concentrate you are considering as you can. Nicotine River has a fair number of reviews on many of their products. Bull City Flavors, and ecigexpress, also have pretty good user feedback attached to many of their products (and both share many of the same concentrate lines that Nicotine River carry). Look not so much at individual opinions, but more for repeating themes. As an example: 15 people might think a particular fruit tastes "candy-like," while only 3 people say it tastes "fresh/real," I would be expecting it to most likely taste more like candied fruit verses fresh-picked fruit.
(Of course taste is always subjective; and just because 100 people taste something one way, doesn't mean you won't taste it differently. That is why is never hurts to write down a few notes for each flavor as you build your order: why you ordered it; possible starting percentages; what other flavors others are using it with; maybe even a second choice in case this one doesn't work<saves you from doing the same research all over>.)
3.) I also encourage you to post your DIY questions and comments in the DIY E-Liquid forum; and not in the General E-liquid forum (primarily about/for commercially made e-liquids). This will get your posts in front of the audience you desire (fellow DIYers); and hopefully receive a greater number of helpful/useful replies. Many(?) people who DIY, stop paying attention to the commercial juice discussions, and may be wholly unaware of your requests for assistance.
IMO, it's really impossible to select a vendor that is "best" especially with the wide variance of flavors out there. I usually go with tester sized bottles first to see how I like things. If I find I am preferring a particular DIY mix, or going through it more quickly that tells me which flavors to order in larger amounts. Although, I have to say other than "Joy" (I think it's FA) and an orange creamsicle (I really though I could enjoy citrus in my vape this way if at all but I don't) I've been pretty satisfied with my selections so far.
Good luck, some people prefer to start with DIY recipes they copy, I started by making one flavor mixes and combining them in my tank to get a sense of what went well with what. I am now up to 3 flavor mixes (with a tiny bit of sweetener at times) that I've created myself, and I enjoyed doing things that way though it was a slower start up for me. I also wanted to try each flavor singly and see what it did to my palate.
I am a fairly happy DIY-er, and have just ordered a bunch of new flavors that I am quite excited about.
Anna
Good luck, some people prefer to start with DIY recipes they copy, I started by making one flavor mixes and combining them in my tank to get a sense of what went well with what. I am now up to 3 flavor mixes (with a tiny bit of sweetener at times) that I've created myself, and I enjoyed doing things that way though it was a slower start up for me. I also wanted to try each flavor singly and see what it did to my palate.
I am a fairly happy DIY-er, and have just ordered a bunch of new flavors that I am quite excited about.
Anna
I 100% agree with the above!
Checking out recipes will also hopefully help you notice that there are flavorings that are primary ones (the most dominant & therefore are usually those used at the highest % in a recipe), some secondary ones (the "blenders" used at a lower % in most), and accent ones (that could be thought of as being like the spices or sweeteners in food recipes, and are used at the lowest % in a recipe). Many who are new to DIY, and just pick and choose flavorings that "sound good to them"...end up with most, if not all, just primary ones. Then they wonder why their eliquids don't taste very good to them.
I'll give a big plus on test sizes! When I placed my first order, I got flavorings from where I bought my nic. But their smallest size was 4oz, but not knowing just how big 4oz is (and how long it would last
), I ordered 4 flavors that now mostly sit gathering dust awaiting disposal. Now, hopefully a little wiser, I don't mind trying a $2 or $3 tester bottle now and then.And welcome to DIY! Don't take it too serious and have fun with it!
DIY is super fun. Also, testers (like 10 ml e-juice mixes) can be a good place to start, although sometimes those wind up with decimal points on the mls, but it's usually workable. Sometimes starting with some mixes that don't require a TON of steeping time can be fun, I usually find berries rather good in that regard (creams, custards, and dessert flavors, especially complicated recipes) can take longer. If you are going with a recipe, don't taste it after 24 hours and add flavor to it, you really need to steep for a while with some flavors to get the results you may be expecting....
DIY is SUPER fun if you ask me I started it, reluctantly, for the savings and since Deeming was still a rather looming thing, I probably got on board with it sooner than I might have, but I am so glad I did. It's really fun to mix to your own tastes and no one else's. I will also note that mixing by weight once you get to larger mixes can be a big time saver....
I am sure you will have a successful time, if not immediately, then soon.
Anna
DIY is SUPER fun if you ask me
I started it, reluctantly, for the savings and since Deeming was still a rather looming thing, I probably got on board with it sooner than I might have, but I am so glad I did. It's really fun to mix to your own tastes and no one else's. I will also note that mixing by weight once you get to larger mixes can be a big time saver.... I am sure you will have a successful time, if not immediately, then soon.
Anna
Agree with most of which has been said. If you are in a hurry, rule of thumb, you often times get what you pay for.
Just because some flavors are more popular than others, does not necessarily mean they are the best. In summary, you have to make your own taste decisions.
I'm sorry,
but I just had to add :12 of the best vape flavors to make e-juice - Vaping360
We Tried the Most Disgusting E-Cig Flavors So You Don't Have To
As others have said, it really depends on the individual flavor. Every one of the big brands has at least a few real standouts.
I do think that a couple of them are generally higher quality across their lines though. While I don’t have anywhere near all of their flavors I have yet to be disappointed by anything from Flavorah (though I have avoided getting their Strawberry because it has, kind of surprisingly for such a critical flavor, pretty meh reviews. Flavour Art ais also pretty consistently good.
Inawera is in kind of an odd spot in this regard. They have a lot of really high quality flavors, but they can also be bit hit and miss in places, and they had to reformulate a number of their better flavors earlier this year.
Another thing to consider is that different flavors of the same name can have different and often complementary qualities. Even very good flavors often benefit from being rounded out or accented by a different brand’s take. If I had to pick only one of FA Pear and Tpa Pear I’d pick the FA without a second thought. But a low percentage of the Tpa can be very useful in a mix where the FA is the dominant Pear.
I do think that a couple of them are generally higher quality across their lines though. While I don’t have anywhere near all of their flavors I have yet to be disappointed by anything from Flavorah (though I have avoided getting their Strawberry because it has, kind of surprisingly for such a critical flavor, pretty meh reviews. Flavour Art ais also pretty consistently good.
Inawera is in kind of an odd spot in this regard. They have a lot of really high quality flavors, but they can also be bit hit and miss in places, and they had to reformulate a number of their better flavors earlier this year.
Another thing to consider is that different flavors of the same name can have different and often complementary qualities. Even very good flavors often benefit from being rounded out or accented by a different brand’s take. If I had to pick only one of FA Pear and Tpa Pear I’d pick the FA without a second thought. But a low percentage of the Tpa can be very useful in a mix where the FA is the dominant Pear.
Im not going into this blind or ignorant. I was just wondering if capella was better than flavor art or is flavor west better than purilim etc. They all make similar flavors, i was just wondering about quality. I already have a good idea what i want to taste and a halfway decent idea of how im gonna make it.
Is Chevy better than Ford or Dodge better than Toyota? It's all personal preference and individual models (flavors). All the ones you listed are mainstream brands used every day by DIY folks and e-juice vendors.
Seriously, there is no "winning" flavor company, given that we are all individuals and all have preferences.
This is how I did DIY. Lots of taste testing at vape shops to get a sense of what I liked. Ordered small amounts of 1 flavor flavorings, mixed them IN MY TANK to get a sense of what I liked best. Recorded my results and started adding/changing, and I'm now up to 2 or 3 flavor mixes (sometimes with a little bit of sweetener, but not always) and I've been consistently pleased with my results. More pleased than if someone had given me a list of the "good" flavor combinations or cloning a recipe. It was a slower start-up but I am pleased to report that I really only had two major fails-- Using "Joy" (I can't remember who makes this flavor but I can't think that I'd ever find it good, in anything, at any percentage) and mistakenly thinking I could make an orange creamsicle work, although I know I HATE citrus flavors. Also kinda how I learned to cook, so the process was familiar.
Labor and time intensive? Yes. But I am a confident DIY mixer who doesn't need a recipe to follow.
Good luck in your endeavors.
Anna
This is how I did DIY. Lots of taste testing at vape shops to get a sense of what I liked. Ordered small amounts of 1 flavor flavorings, mixed them IN MY TANK to get a sense of what I liked best. Recorded my results and started adding/changing, and I'm now up to 2 or 3 flavor mixes (sometimes with a little bit of sweetener, but not always) and I've been consistently pleased with my results. More pleased than if someone had given me a list of the "good" flavor combinations or cloning a recipe. It was a slower start-up but I am pleased to report that I really only had two major fails-- Using "Joy" (I can't remember who makes this flavor but I can't think that I'd ever find it good, in anything, at any percentage) and mistakenly thinking I could make an orange creamsicle work, although I know I HATE citrus flavors. Also kinda how I learned to cook, so the process was familiar.
Labor and time intensive? Yes. But I am a confident DIY mixer who doesn't need a recipe to follow.
Good luck in your endeavors.
Anna
I started to get more serious into DIY this past summer. After being a vaper for several years, I had a good idea what flavor genre's I preferred, and started looking for recipes I might like. +1 if those recipes had favorable reviews by other vapers who had tried them.
Many of the recipes included what brand flavor concentrates they used in their recipes, so that helped. As mentioned by @IDJoel, Bull City Flavors, and ecigexpress have user feedback that you can use to help you decide which flavor brands to purchase. These sites also have a "most popular" filter to help you choose between brands.
You'll also need to decide what size bottle to get. They usually are available in 4ml, 10ml, 30ml, or 4 oz. If a recipe only calls for less than an ml per recipe you can probably get one of the smaller bottles. If your recipes call for a larger quantity per recipe, you may consider a larger bottle. A lot of my recipes called for pineapple concentrate, so I chose a 4 oz bottle for that flavor.
I have a great simple Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe. A 30 ml batch only needs 0.6 ml of Butter so I got a 10 ml bottle. The same batch asks for 3 ml of Vanilla Cupcake, so I chose a 30 ml bottle.
Many of the recipes included what brand flavor concentrates they used in their recipes, so that helped. As mentioned by @IDJoel, Bull City Flavors, and ecigexpress have user feedback that you can use to help you decide which flavor brands to purchase. These sites also have a "most popular" filter to help you choose between brands.
You'll also need to decide what size bottle to get. They usually are available in 4ml, 10ml, 30ml, or 4 oz. If a recipe only calls for less than an ml per recipe you can probably get one of the smaller bottles. If your recipes call for a larger quantity per recipe, you may consider a larger bottle. A lot of my recipes called for pineapple concentrate, so I chose a 4 oz bottle for that flavor.
I have a great simple Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe. A 30 ml batch only needs 0.6 ml of Butter so I got a 10 ml bottle. The same batch asks for 3 ml of Vanilla Cupcake, so I chose a 30 ml bottle.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake (30 ml)
25 ml Nic Base
3 ml Vanilla Cupcake (Capella)
1.2 ml Sweet Pineapple (INW)
1.2 ml Brown Sugar (TFA)
0.6 ml Butter (LorAnn)
Most of my flavors ended up being from Capella or TFA, a few from INW. A select few could only be found by one or two manufacturers.25 ml Nic Base
3 ml Vanilla Cupcake (Capella)
1.2 ml Sweet Pineapple (INW)
1.2 ml Brown Sugar (TFA)
0.6 ml Butter (LorAnn)
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If you are going to be mixing from scratch (not using someone else's recipe), and know what general flavor profiles you are wanting to start with, you might want to share them here. Then we can offer which brands (of those profiles) we prefer. As already stated, just because any of us like a particular flavor/brand, does NOT mean it is going to be right for you; so start with small samples until you know which ones are going to be personal keepers.
If you are going to be mixing to a given recipe then I would stick to the brands called for. Again, as already mentioned; just because two different companies make a flavor that has the same name; does not mean that they are going to taste anything similar, or be used at similar percentages. Just randomly plugging in alternate ingredients is most likely going to give significantly different results.
However, if you are asking about general impressions of manufacturer lines that Nicotine River carries, I can only offer the following (and please keep in mind that this is my perception alone; other may feel quite differently):
- FlavourArt Well respected "big dogs" in the concentrate world. Company originated in Italy, so certain flavors can have a bit of a Eurocentric interpretation. (e.g. Their custard has accent notes of citrus and spice; that US version do not have)
- Purilum I have not tried. But the few reviews I have read are all looking quite positive.
- Nicotine River I have not tried. I know nothing about.
- Wonder Super Concentrates I have not tried. Reviews are generally positive, though they seem to have a few flops among many hits. Seem like they are going to be another solid mfg.
- Capella Another well respected "big dog" mfg. Many solid flavor profiles and sold at reasonable price points.
- SilverLine by Capella The newest line from Capella. As far as I can tell this was made to be a "less expensive" product line. Reviews have not been particularly positive (the few I have seen). I have felt zero interest in exploring; as their regular line(s) are already inexpesive, and have a better track record.
- Flavor Apprentice Another well respected "big dog" mfg. Tends to focus more on making single flavor "note" concentrates vs. flavor "blends," which can be a bit of a double-edged sword. It aids the user to add only the note(s) desired; but it also requires adding more concentrates, to get the desired profile. Can be a bit tricky/frustrating for the new DIYer.
- Flavorah Good reputation; horribly overpriced (as far as I am concerned). Because of cost, I have only tried a few, and they have not been game changers. I can find "as-good" options through other, less expensive, mfgs.
- Euro Flavor Concentrates Never heard of them. I have not tried. I don't know anything about.
- Flavor West Another "big dog" mfg. Generally require higher mixing percentages than most other big players in the concentrate game.
- Flavor Revolution Never heard of them. I have not tried. I don't know anything about.
- LorAnn One of the earliest concentrate mfgs. used in DIY. The company does make a lot of their concentrates using oil as a carrier (bad for vapers), and food coloring (coil gunking; and questionable for vapor safety). That said, some of their concentrates are considers "must haves" in a DIYer's kit (e.g. Banana Cream, and Cream Cheese Icing). Many of their concentrates are suitable for vaping, and some have even been offered in colorless versions. There are a couple of good threads on ECF that list vape-safe lists.
- Hangsen Chinese mfg. that has a fairly large following, and solid reputation, among tobacco flavor chasers. Some fruits are also done very well. Tends to be more expensive than most, though not as bad as Flavorah. I have liked what I have tried from them.
- Inawera Polish mfg. that has a solid "big dog" reputation. Similar to FlavourArt, Inawera can have a Eurocentric twist on certain flavors.
- Real Flavors Super Concentrates New(er) US mfg. that seems to be vapor focused. Not a a big following yet (though growing), and those that use them appear to like them a lot. I have only tried 3 or 4 of their concentrates and they have been quite good. They also tend to be VG based concentrates, which is good for people trying to avoid PG, though does tend to require some mandatory aging for all flavors.
I'm glad it helped. Just please keep in mind, it is more a matter of "concentrate compared to concentrate," instead of "brand compared to brand." I started out as a pure TFA DIYer; as it made sense to limit my options (and it was the only brand my local brick & mortar shop carried), and therefore the choices I had to make. It was only after some time, a lot of frustration, and a lot of mediocre juice, that I finally began to understand that "good brands" do not necessarily equal "good concentrates," 100% of the time. 2+ years later (of DIY mixing exclusively), TFA only makes up about 25-33% of any of my given recipes. And some; not at all.
Today, my preferences break down more like this:
For tobaccos: Hangsen, Super Concentrates (another China mfg.), and a few Inawera.
For fruits: Capella, Inawera, TFA, and FA.
For custard: Inawera Custard only. (many swear by CAP Custard V1; but I'm not a fan)
For creams: CAP and FlavourArt.
For bakeries: CAP, Inawera, and FlavourArt.
There's a bunch that don't fall into these categories; but they aren't coming to my mind at the moment. DIY is not hard, and it does not need to be expensive; but it does require some patience, and a willingness not to give up. Finding the "sweet spot" for any given concentrate takes time, and repetition. I liked what @stols001 said, about using concentrates individually, in order to understand how they best work for her. DIY is not the same as popping a Stouffer's frozen dinner into the microwave for two and a half minutes and getting the same results each time. It is more like cooking from scratch. My apple pie is going to taste completely different, depending on what variety of apple I use, fresh made pie dough or premade, and the type of topping (solid crust, lattice, or streusel), with or without nutmeg... you get the picture.
This is why so many of us are gun-shy about offering generalized "better than" questions. Ask us "what is you favorite (insert flavor name here) is?" and you will get a million opinions. Ask "what's your favorite manufacturer?" and you are going to listen to the crickets chirp.
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