Disappointed... what am I doing wrong?

[Lessifer]

Lots of great advice here, sorry you're having problems. For the juices that have a chemical or perfume taste, take the cap off and the dropper part of the bottle so that the liquid is exposed to the open air and let it air out a bit(no more than 24 hours, probably less) that will help a lot. Also, dripping right off the bat can overwhelm your taste buds IMO, if I remember correctly you got a couple clearos with your first order, throw some of the lighter colored juice in one of those and keep your voltage low. Anything more "complex" like with multiple flavors, or the tobacco flavors, will need to sit for at least a few days before they start tasting good.

 

[Terre]

I started in December and bought from a vendor that a lot of people raved about.... Yuck!!! I tried all 18 flavored and hated all but one. I wasted $180. Then I went and found mtbakervapor and bought the butterscotch and fell in love!!!! You need to steep them. I steep all of mine at least 2 to 3 weeks and shake twice a day during that wait.

Good luck!! Don't give up

 

[ChaoticRamblings]

Hi Jenny, welcome to the wonderfully adventurous world of Vaping. It really is a wonderful world even though we all end up with bad experiences along the way. I promise you... It Will Get Better!

MBV is my go-to juice store now. I love many of their juices, dislike some of their juices and acquire a taste for a few juices.

I would love to help with your situation. If you could list the juices you purchased, I (and others) can probably help you tailor them to fit your 'taste' much better.

Also, a great tongue cleanser (lol) is Ruby Red Grapefruit juice. It saved me big time when I first started vaping. Kept jolting my tastebuds back to life and cleansed my palate.

Again, welcome to Vaping. I know it can be really hard, sometimes, to find the perfect fit. But don't give up. You have a lot of people here who support you and would love to help.

 

[DJ RyckRak]

Hi Jen...
Sorry about that...I know you are excited and anxious...(and the extra shot of nic didn't help )

Steeping and Mending of the MBV Juices 101: for you
Mt Baker makes GREAT, inexpensive ejuice....
but they make so much of it everyday...
they can hardly keep up... it is 'fresh" !

All of it must steep for awhile for the flavorings to 'mend' into the base...
this can take 10 days to two weeks.
First, if you open the cap and it smells 'perfummy', leave the cap off for a day or two, only putting it on to shake the heck out of the bottle once or twice a day. Then put them in a cool dark place to mend...shaking every day or so.
In 10 days, take em out and try one or two at a time...some may need more time...a few should be all right to Vape.

The 'I must Vape NOW' Method:

Boil a few inches of water in a pan, after boiling, turn off heat and wait two- three minutes (take pan off the stove). Put uncapped bottles in the hot water....making sure that bottles will not fall over. Wait until the water is cold...like tomarrow. Put caps on and skake...shake...skake...shake your bottles, shake your bottles. This can speed up the mending process so they should be vapeable in a day or so. I would only do this with one or two bottles- just to get you started !

I hope this helps...
Vape well, My Friends.

 

[Stoneface]

The 'I must Vape NOW' Method:

Boil a few inches of water in a pan, after boiling, turn off heat and wait two- three minutes (take pan off the stove). Put uncapped bottles in the hot water....making sure that bottles will not fall over. Wait until the water is cold...like tomarrow. Put caps on and skake...shake...skake...shake your bottles, shake your bottles. This can speed up the mending process so they should be vapeable in a day or so. I would only do this with one or two bottles- just to get you started !

I hope this helps...
Vape well, My Friends.

This is good advice.
One tip for "speed-steeping" multiple bottles like this is to put a rubber band around several (or all) of your bottles. They are much less likely to tip over.

 

[RT88]

how much nicotine did you get and PG/VG? i also got a batch of MBV at 18mg with various PG/VG mostly 65/35 and 1 with 70 VG/30 H2O Mango. will try that later

but i just loaded 11mg butterscotch that i got with my equipment at myvaporstore i like it

also, i'm hesitant to try the hot water method cuz i think it might leech BPA. but who knows

 

[Terenceg]

could it be that you're totally not into sweet tasting juice. I found a few "marlboro" "Dunhill" Juice that kinda resemble the actual analogs and the strength controlled by you.

why don't give these a try, they are not sweet at all.

 

[Jenny of Oldstones]

Thank you all for the excellent advice.. You've given me hope! I promise I will not give up.. I will remember the first commandment of e-juice.. thou shalt not vape fresh e-juice straight from the mailbox.

For those of you who are wondering, these are the flavors I picked and the strengths:

The tobacco flavors were all 24mg and 80/20 houseblend:

555
RY4
Vanilla Tobacco
Rum Tobacco
Coumarin Pipe Tobacco
Butterscotch Tobacco

The fruit/dessert flavors I got at 18mg strength and 50/50 blend:

French Vanilla
Blueberry
Green Apple
Caramel Coffee
Banana Nut Bread
Pear

My bonus flavor is Razzle Dazzle at 12mg in a 50/50 blend.

So, I'm going to try all the excellent suggestions you've given me. A couple questions thought - firstly, I don't think I have a bridgeless atomizer. I look inside and there is a u-shaped wire coil. Should I stop dripping on that? Secondly, the cartomizers that I've already filled.. will they steep and get better or do I have to throw them out?

Thanks again so much for all of your support.

Jenn

 

[Stoneface]

...also, i'm hesitant to try the hot water method cuz i think it might leech BPA. but who knows

You should be safe doing the hot water steep. Make sure that the water is not boiling and take it off the stove as advised above. I believe the bottles that MBV uses are LDPE, which should not leach in a short period of time (weeks). If you plan to keep your juice for many months, I suggest glass dropper bottles like this. You don't have to buy these specific bottles, the link is just a visual reference (though some do buy their bottles at this site).

Thank you all for the excellent advice.. You've given me hope! I promise I will not give up...A couple questions thought - firstly, I don't think I have a bridgeless atomizer. I look inside and there is a u-shaped wire coil. Should I stop dripping on that? Secondly, the cartomizers that I've already filled.. will they steep and get better or do I have to throw them out?

Thanks again so much for all of your support.

Jenn

You're welcome, and good for you, that's the spirit! 18 mg is a good nic strength when you are first starting out if you smoked a pack a day or more of regular strength stinkies. So, that's a good start. The 80 PG/20 VG might give you more "throat hit" (TH) but it can also be a bit more irritating to some. I prefer the 50 PG/50 VG like your fruit blends. I still get TH, but it's not as drying for me. I think you have picked a couple of good variations here as well.

As far as the flavors go, I'm not a tobacco vaper and I'm sure one of those folks will step up here and advise you. However, from what I've read, those vapes need at least a week to steep and it seems that they are even better 2 or 3 weeks out. I will say that you have chosen some popular tobacco varieties with lots of fans, so I hope they work out for you. I believe that your vanilla and banana bread are also both steepers. I suggest trying to give them at least a week. Blueberry, green apple, and caramel coffee should not require a long steep, but they will definitely be better soon. I'm not at all familiar with the pear, so I can't really help there, sorry. I would guess that the razzle dazzle was pre-mixed, so it might be safer to try immediately (MBV mixes some "samples of the week" ahead of time. I know 2 people who received that same flavor this week).

I would like to offer one more thing on flavors, and this is just my personal experience...I found that mints and menthols were easiest for me to tolerate in the beginning. Any flavor that resembled gums or mints for fresh breath were the ones that offended me least, and it may be that they are such familiar but strong flavors that they were just what my taste buds needed. I was never a menthol smoker, either. Just a thought for you...

Don't throw out the cartos...yet. Part of the steeping process is oxidizing the juice. This can still happen in the carto. It might steep in the carto, but I don't know since I haven't tried it. But, you can keep it and try it in a week or so - if it still sucks, then toss it. If you toss it now, you may have wasted something good. This way, you have a chance to "save" it.

You can drip on the atomizer. I personally had big difficulty getting the hang of it in the beginning. If you can get your hands on some PG, it helps to change flavors to drip some in the atty in between flavors. I don't inhale it at all, just drip a few drops into the atty and vape it out of the atty without inhaling. It helps clean out the flavor. I personally have a very difficult time getting coffee or menthol out of any atty. If you drip those flavors, they should have a dedicated atty (in my opinion). If you order again from MBV, you can buy some PG in their DIY section of the website, or you can request a 15ml bottle of plain PG instead of the free sample. Likewise, if you order from MBV, they sell bridgeless atomizers. I would suggest picking up a couple of them, and maybe pick up a couple of drip tips.

You may also be able to find most or all of these things at a Brick and Mortar (B&M) near you as well. You might pay more, but you wouldn't have to wait for shipping.

I have subscribed to this thread, and we are a supportive community rooting for you. Please ask any and every question you need answered. Someone will answer you, guaranteed. Good Luck.

 

[jenmurray116]

. I would like to offer one more thing on flavors, and this is just my personal experience...I found that mints and menthols were easiest for me to tolerate in the beginning. Any flavor that resembled gums or mints for fresh breath were the ones that offended me least, and it may be that they are such familiar but strong flavors that they were just what my taste buds needed. I was never a menthol smoker, either. Just a thought for you...

I couldn't agree with this more! I didn't try any tobacco flavors either - I more wanted vaping to feel like smoking (throat hit, big clouds of vapor) but I didn't want it to taste like smoking at all. So I started off with some butterscotch and caramel thinking I would LOVE the desserty ones! I also started at 70/30.... and all I was left with was an irritated throat and lots of coughing. I couldn't believe the sweet one's weren't for me. When I was ready to try again, I tried a peppermint juice - it was perfect! I never would have expected it, but for me, that's what works. Literally I randomly tried HHV's Peppermint blast one Sunday when I was out of cigs....and almost 4 weeks later, I have yet to buy that new pack. The Peppermint blast was so good! It's still my ADV. So much of this is trial and error and lots of experimenting. I have two tupperware containers in my cabinet - one filled with juice I love, one filled with juice I don't - they both have about the same number of bottles. But, through that trial and error, while I have branched out a little, it seems everything I get will always have a tinge of mint. (Vanilla Ice from MBV being one of my favorites right now)

And I second what everyone has said about MBV - I order knowing I'm going to steep them for 2 weeks. After a month of this, I now know myself and what I need better - 65/35 for the sweeter ones, 12 mg during the day (down from 18) and 6 mgs at night (I vape more and worry about it affecting my sleep). I like 2 to 3 shots of extra flavoring and still prefer something with mint though I really like sweet and mint mixed (like vanilla ice - YUM!) I still experiment (Moo juice is fantastic though 50/50 doesn't give me enough throat hit). But, it took time to figure that all out. Their prices and customer service are fantastic though. I just started using VV and being I use clearo's, trying different heads for lower ohm's - more trial and error. But remember, you are learning, not doing anything wrong!!

I don't know where in Northwest NJ you are, but if you need juice quickly, Quantum Vapors is in Rockaway and they will make appointments for pick ups (they are not a b&m). After an equipment failure (all of it!) they were outstanding in helping me and my hubby drove there to pick up my new batts. I haven't tried their juice yet but thought they might be close to you.

Good luck!!

 

[Stoneface]

...I started off with some butterscotch and caramel thinking I would LOVE the desserty ones! I also started at 70/30.... and all I was left with was an irritated throat and lots of coughing. I couldn't believe the sweet one's weren't for me. When I was ready to try again, I tried a peppermint juice - it was perfect! I never would have expected it, but for me, that's what works. ...So much of this is trial and error and lots of experimenting. I have two tupperware containers in my cabinet - one filled with juice I love, one filled with juice I don't - they both have about the same number of bottles. But, through that trial and error, while I have branched out a little, it seems everything I get will always have a tinge of mint. (Vanilla Ice from MBV being one of my favorites right now)

And I second what everyone has said about MBV - I order knowing I'm going to steep them for 2 weeks...Their prices and customer service are fantastic though. I just started using VV and being I use clearo's, trying different heads for lower ohm's - more trial and error. But remember, you are learning, not doing anything wrong!!

I don't know where in Northwest NJ you are, but if you need juice quickly, Quantum Vapors is in Rockaway and they will make appointments for pick ups (they are not a b&m). After an equipment failure (all of it!) they were outstanding in helping me and my hubby drove there to pick up my new batts. I haven't tried their juice yet but thought they might be close to you.

Good luck!!

LOL, I was just searching for B&Ms in northwest NJ. Thanks Jenmurray.

I was surprised at what I liked and disliked as well. Keep the juices you don't think you like and revisit them in awhile. You might like them, you might not. If not, you can give them to someone else who does...especially if you are like me and actively convert the unexpecting smokers around you. Other options are selling them in the classifieds on this site (once you're verified) or giving them away in the Pay It Forward forum of this site. You might even be able to pick up some juice there now yourself if you look.

I also forgot to mention that you can live chat with their reps online or even call them. They are helpful people and will try to assist you in selecting flavors. They have done this for at least one friend of mine.

All of this advice is correct in that you will have to do some experimenting. Don't think of it as waste at all...it is an adventure and an education. Whatever expense you incur will likely be better for you than spending it on analogs, in my opinion.

 

[Jenny of Oldstones]

Thank you Jenmurray and stoneface.. I am not far from rockaway at all, actually, about 30-40 minutes? so I might just look into that.. thanks so much for finding that for me, I had no idea there was any place in this state I could pick something up in person.

So, I've got everything steeping in a dark place.. the good news is, the green apple is somewhat vapable. Someone else mentioned in this thread that they didn't think it would have to steep as long, and they were right. It's got better flavor than the others, and thats what I'm sticking with now.

Also, I'm definitely going to try some mint flavors. I was never a menthol smoker, but I think that might be something a bit more familiar, and might give me the "dryness" than I need.. I'm not sure if I'm really into sweet flavors, now that I've tried them. I know things will change as they steep, but I find myself longing for something more crisp and unsweet, green apple fits this bill closest. So thanks for the suggestion.. my next order will include some peppermint, or wintergreen, or straight-up menthol.

So, I got my vape kit around 2 pm, and I only smoked two analogs. That's really good for me. If I can get some juice I really like... I think I can definitely make the switch.

 

[Stoneface]

Thank you Jenmurray and stoneface.. I am not far from rockaway at all, actually, about 30-40 minutes? so I might just look into that.. thanks so much for finding that for me, I had no idea there was any place in this state I could pick something up in person.

So, I've got everything steeping in a dark place.. the good news is, the green apple is somewhat vapable. Someone else mentioned in this thread that they didn't think it would have to steep as long, and they were right. It's got better flavor than the others, and thats what I'm sticking with now.

Also, I'm definitely going to try some mint flavors. I was never a menthol smoker, but I think that might be something a bit more familiar, and might give me the "dryness" than I need.. I'm not sure if I'm really into sweet flavors, now that I've tried them. I know things will change as they steep, but I find myself longing for something more crisp and unsweet, green apple fits this bill closest. So thanks for the suggestion.. my next order will include some peppermint, or wintergreen, or straight-up menthol.

So, I got my vape kit around 2 pm, and I only smoked two analogs. That's really good for me. If I can get some juice I really like... I think I can definitely make the switch.

You're welcome and congrats. Many don't make the switch immediately, so don't pressure yourself over that. Once you find a few things that you like, you can branch out from there. I would suggest calling or emailing Quantum Vapors...they might be able to help you more than we have here. It is much much easier to have a conversation than type back and forth, plus building the rapport won't hurt either. Post again and let us know how it goes for you.

Edit: If you order again from MBV, try White Out (like white Tic-Tac mints) or Double Mint Gum (like the gum), these are softer mints. They have other mints and menthols that you can check out as well, like Extreme Ice (strong flavor). In my experience, these are good straight from the mailbox.

 

[jenmurray116]

giving them away in the Pay It Forward forum of this site.

That is exactly what I plan to do - actually, I feel like it's the least I can do after all the help and support I've received at ECF!!

Thank you Jenmurray and stoneface.. I am not far from rockaway at all, actually, about 30-40 minutes? so I might just look into that.. thanks so much for finding that for me, I had no idea there was any place in this state I could pick something up in person.



So, I got my vape kit around 2 pm, and I only smoked two analogs. That's really good for me. If I can get some juice I really like... I think I can definitely make the switch.

You are welcome!! I had a big learning experience this weekend when I found out my ego kit wasn't the real deal - and I found out by everything dying at once (long story!!). So I went from 3 batteries to nothing - after 3 weeks of vaping without one analog. I was in super panic mode (oh, and this all happened at 6 pm on a Saturday!) My husband got me a disposable but I was miserable... I ordered a twist from MBV but that wouldn't arrive until Wednesday. So....I ordered a Spinner kit from My vapor store, but that wouldn't arrive until Tuesday!! Finally between ECF and my husband (who liked his happy quit smoking wife, not the cranky one he remembered from past attempts!) someone suggested Quantum since it was about 40 minutes away. It was Sunday night when I reached out to them and they said if they had been in the state they would have helped me out that night - but instead, after many emails back and forth that night, my hubby drove there after work on Monday (I'm in the Teaneck/Hackensack area) and by 4 pm, I was a happy vaper again!! All three companies were extremely kind and went out their way to try to help, but especially Quantum. They do have a website too (which I hope is ok to post - mods, please remove if it's not!) Quantum Vapor

Speaking of the peppermint, I keep a 0 mg of a regular peppermint to mix into other flavors if I need that minty kick in a juice that's too sweet for me. I get the flavor I want, but with the peppermint I seem to need!

Congratulations - only 2 analogs, when you are not really set with your juice yet, is amazing! You will do great with this!!!

 

[Blurgas]

This is why I try to buy the smallest bottle(usually ~15mL) a site offers and normally only 2 bottles at a time, while making sure I have something to fall back on
I've gotten a handful of juices that I vaped for a bit and ended up writing them off as lost due to just being horrid, this is despite seeing numerous reviews and comments saying said juices were wonderful.

Unfortunately, when it comes to juice, flavor can be hit and miss. What one likes, another hates
I've gone through a handful of MBV's flavors, some I liked, some I probably wouldn't bother with again even if given for free(and a few that weren't that great at first, but improved with steeping)

 

[Stoneface]

I can also recommend Discount Vapers in CT and Lite Cig USA in PA. They are relatively close, always ship fast, and have great customer service. It's a good idea to have back-up sources in case your favorite place is out of something or if you want to comparison shop.

 

[KalebK]

I can also recommend Discount Vapers in CT and Lite Cig USA in PA. They are relatively close, always ship fast, and have great customer service. It's a good idea to have back-up sources in case your favorite place is out of something or if you want to comparison shop.

+1 for Discount Vapers!!!!

 

[Jenny of Oldstones]

ROAD TRIP!!!! Woo-Hoo!

If this juice situation doesn't improve, my credit card and I are going for a ride, hehe.

 

[jenmurray116]

If this juice situation doesn't improve, my credit card and I are going for a ride, hehe.

About a week ago, my husband said to me "you should open an account to put in the money you are saving up from not smoking, then use it for something you want..."

um, saving? If I didn't buy one more thing, I could probably break even in July or so - but how do you not buy one more thing???

 

[jimboy]

buy some menthol and some sweetener. I like to add one, if not both for some variety.

The only ones I liked from MBV were Ecto Cooler and Extreme Ice. The rest have been steeping for over 2 months. Ill give them another try soon. Good luck with your search.