diy liquid tastes bad help

[dox95]

Hey guys, I've recently started mixing my own juices I use tfa flavours... they always seem to come up harsh except one mango,peach cinnamon mix.
These are 2 mixes I'm having problems with
Mix 1:
70/30 vgg 6mg
Mango 5%
Peach juice 5%
Dragon fruit 5%
Passion fruit 5%
4 drops of caramel

Mix has almost no flavour, is harsh and a bit burnt like taste

Mix 2
70/30 6mg
Blueberry 7%
Marshmallow 3%
Also harsh and bit of burnt taste but less and only notes are from the marshmallow.

I have clean wicks and coils and this burnt/harsh taste problem seems to be with my DIY only.
I let both steep for a day after 30mins in warm water before trying

 

[salemgold]

Trying reducing the amount of flavor in number 1 by half. That is too much for those flavors IMHO and I could see why it would be harsh. Using too much flavor can also lead to tasteless liquid.

TPA Blueberry is a very light flavor. I could easily see mixing it with 3% marshmallow and the marshmallow taking over.

It could also be the specific PG and / or VG that you are using. Possibly nic if you are using any.

 

[dox95]

I tried vaping with no flavour and it seems fine, slightly sweet, a very slight throat hit nothing major...
Just tried a
10% double chocolate
5% caramel
2% cinnamon red hot
I think I'm throwing it away seems way to powerful/ harsh without even steeping.
TPA recommend 10% for the double chocolate but they must be wrong

 

[dox95]

Currently these are the flavours I own can someone maybe recommend a mix
Bavarian cream
caramel
cinnamon red hot
double chocolate
Dragon fruit
peach juice
Strawberry ripe
ripe banana
mango
marshmallow
passion fruit
wild cherry Capella
blueberry Capella

 

[Frenchfry1942]

A fruit and cream is simple. Also, the Bananas and Strawberries and some cream. The Double chocolate, I would try by itself. I see about 10 test samples right off the bat.

 

[ghola1was]

I would try

TFA Peach 8%
TFA Bavarian Cream 6%
TFA Marshmallow 2%
Steep time = 1 week

 

[northhar]

@dox95 There might be a few things going on here.
First.. How high watts, low ohms are you vaping at?
Second.. most juice recipes need steep time.. week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks depending on the flavor and the amount of flavors..
Third.. Just because it dose not taste right.. do not throw it away.. label it include the date and steep it.. sometime time fixes the issue.. Then try it at a lower wattage it may taste okay.. you can also dilute it with a non-flavored mix to fix it..

DIY is fun but it is work and needs to be researched..

And Welcome to ECF!

 

[dox95]

Thanks for the recommendation guys

 

[dox95]

@dox95 There might be a few things going on here.
First.. How high watts, low ohms are you vaping at?
Second.. most juice recipes need steep time.. week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks depending on the flavor and the amount of flavors..
Third.. Just because it dose not taste right.. do not throw it away.. label it include the date and steep it.. sometime time fixes the issue.. Then try it at a lower wattage it may taste okay.. you can also dilute it with a non-flavored mix to fix it..

DIY is fun but it is work and needs to be researched..

And Welcome to ECF!

Thanks, everyone seems really helpful compared to the Alfa Romeo forum hahahahaha
I'm using a cuboid 2 mod, avocado tank, single coil at 1.2 ohm and 19-22 watts

 

[Ablonz]

I tried vaping with no flavour and it seems fine, slightly sweet, a very slight throat hit nothing major...
Just tried a
10% double chocolate
5% caramel
2% cinnamon red hot
I think I'm throwing it away seems way to powerful/ harsh without even steeping.
TPA recommend 10% for the double chocolate but they must be wrong

Cut # 2 in half as well. I use 3% for my main flavors. I have never gone with suggested %'s. I can see it being alone as a single flavor. You very well could be a low percentage user like myself. I would suggest using no more than 3% for the main flavor if your going into complex mixtures. I have a blueberry muffing mix that is 11 different flavors with a total of only 9.1% total flavoring. Kind of looking at this whole thing as a cook would. Less most of the time equals more. You should just be able to make out the flavor that you want when you mix the flavors together. Then you let it steep a day or 3, week, 2 weeks depending on the flavor. Here are a few Great reads for DIY: starting out with this snippet from one of them that made the lightbulb go on above my head after reading. "Disclaimer: Hoosier's DIY blogs are to only be read and understood by folks who have read all the sticky's in DIY E-Liquid and are based off of my experience with mixing my own juice for over a year.

Hoosier's levels of flavoring from too little to too much:

1. Nothing (Did I forget to add the flavoring?)
2. Something Odd (This does not taste like the flavor I put in there.)
3. I Can Taste Something Kinda' Like It (I can detect the higher or spice notes, but not the actual taste)
4. Hooo, It's There, but Real Light (Getting close now, let it steep before adding any more)
5. Bingo (Duh, we have a juice)
6. Hmmmm, That Is Close, But Has A "Je Ne Sais Pas" of Oddness (Dang didn't let it steep and I overshot)
7. Kinda' Close, but the Perfumey/Chemically Kills It (Going into the too much realm here and may be due to ignoring the steep part of #4.)
8. Whoo, Did I Forget to Put the Flavoring In? (Too much flavoring can actually make things impossible to taste.)

Note that the first tier and last tier are much alike, the only difference is the way the unvaped juice smells. If it smells fairly close, but has no flavor then it is usually too much. (Usually, not always as there are exceptions.)

Steeping means leaving the capped bottle out of sun light for a period of time to allow time for the components time to reach an entropic state. If you think steeping is something else, or don't know what an entropic state is, please talk to someone else about your issues. I have a closed mind on steeping and have not taught basic physics since my freshman classes when the professor gave up trying to counter my arguements and left the class to me. " Here are a couple more great reading material as well. 1.) Hoosier's blog | E-Cigarette Forum 2.) dannyv45's blog | E-Cigarette Forum and 3.)DIY tips from Str8 | E-Cigarette Forum

Hope this helps and I will look at your flavors and help out with a mix for you.

 

[dox95]

Cut # 2 in half as well. I use 3% for my main flavors. I have never gone with suggested %'s. I can see it being alone as a single flavor. You very well could be a low percentage user like myself. I would suggest using no more than 3% for the main flavor if your going into complex mixtures. I have a blueberry muffing mix that is 11 different flavors with a total of only 9.1% total flavoring. Kind of looking at this whole thing as a cook would. Less most of the time equals more. You should just be able to make out the flavor that you want when you mix the flavors together. Then you let it steep a day or 3, week, 2 weeks depending on the flavor. Here are a few Great reads for DIY: starting out with this snippet from one of them that made the lightbulb go on above my head after reading. "Disclaimer: Hoosier's DIY blogs are to only be read and understood by folks who have read all the sticky's in DIY E-Liquid and are based off of my experience with mixing my own juice for over a year.

Hoosier's levels of flavoring from too little to too much:

1. Nothing (Did I forget to add the flavoring?)
2. Something Odd (This does not taste like the flavor I put in there.)
3. I Can Taste Something Kinda' Like It (I can detect the higher or spice notes, but not the actual taste)
4. Hooo, It's There, but Real Light (Getting close now, let it steep before adding any more)
5. Bingo (Duh, we have a juice)
6. Hmmmm, That Is Close, But Has A "Je Ne Sais Pas" of Oddness (Dang didn't let it steep and I overshot)
7. Kinda' Close, but the Perfumey/Chemically Kills It (Going into the too much realm here and may be due to ignoring the steep part of #4.)
8. Whoo, Did I Forget to Put the Flavoring In? (Too much flavoring can actually make things impossible to taste.)

Note that the first tier and last tier are much alike, the only difference is the way the unvaped juice smells. If it smells fairly close, but has no flavor then it is usually too much. (Usually, not always as there are exceptions.)

Steeping means leaving the capped bottle out of sun light for a period of time to allow time for the components time to reach an entropic state. If you think steeping is something else, or don't know what an entropic state is, please talk to someone else about your issues. I have a closed mind on steeping and have not taught basic physics since my freshman classes when the professor gave up trying to counter my arguements and left the class to me. " Here are a couple more great reading material as well. 1.) Hoosier's blog | E-Cigarette Forum 2.) dannyv45's blog | E-Cigarette Forum and 3.)DIY tips from Str8 | E-Cigarette Forum

Hope this helps and I will look at your flavors and help out with a mix for you.

Thank you very much this is very helpful especially the flavour to sent scale... so I should target a 5 to 10% flavour with no more than 3/main? I've read that tfa is not very concentrated that's why I should use more, ur opinion?

 

[Ablonz]

Mix 2
70/30 6mg
Blueberry 7%
Marshmallow 3%
Also harsh and bit of burnt taste but less and only notes are from the marshmallow.

I would cut that mix in half easily and make it 3% blueberry and 1.5% Marshmallow. An FYI: blueberry flavor comes out more mixed with .5% English Toffee as an enhancer. Also, blueberry likes to come out more on a tighter draw. Does not like too much air. I had a Blueberry Bavarian cream mix that wide open, Bavarian cream flavor dominated. Closed tighter, Blueberry would dominate. I could control what I tasted by changing the amount of airflow only.

I'm using a cuboid 2 mod, avocado tank, single coil at 1.2 ohm and 19-22 watts

Try backing it down to 16-19 watts. Hope these help.

 

[dox95]

I would cut that mix in half easily and make it 3% blueberry and 1.5% Marshmallow.

So less flavour, steep for a week min then... I guess my main problem was I was trying to vape them right away after a day of steeping...

 

[Ablonz]

Thank you very much this is very helpful especially the flavour to sent scale... so I should target a 5 to 10% flavour with no more than 3/main? I've read that tfa is not very concentrated that's why I should use more, ur opinion?

As a preference, I like to hover around 10% total for complex mixes (5+ flavors). Simple mixes usually hover around 4-5% (2-4 different flavors). Single flavor mixes I use anywhere from .25% to 3.5%. I have read that about them (TFA) as well but I personally do not find that to be true on my end. Taste is subjective. That is why I always recommend starting low on percentages and work your way up. It is ALWAYS easier to add flavor than it is to take out.

 

[dox95]

As a preference, I like to hover around 10% total for complex mixes (5+ flavors). Simple mixes usually hover around 4-5% (2-4 different flavors). Single flavor mixes I use anywhere from .25% to 3.5%. I have read that about them (TFA) as well but I personally do not find that to be true on my end. Taste is subjective. That is why I always recommend starting low on percentages and work your way up. It is ALWAYS easier to add flavor than it is to take out.

Alright seems like solid advice... any good mixes stand out to u from my flavours? Would be much appreciated...

 

[Ablonz]

So less flavour, steep for a week min then... I guess my main problem was I was trying to vape them right away after a day of steeping...

That one could be good right away for you to a couple days or a week for the marshmallow. I personally would vape it right away. Here is what I would mix myself with your flavors. 3% Strawberry Ripe, 1% Ripe Banana, and 1.5% Marshmallow. Shake and vape. Take notes on the flavor that you taste right away. Then try it the next day after sitting all night, then in 3 days, then a week if you can make it.

 

[Ablonz]

Currently these are the flavours I own can someone maybe recommend a mix
Bavarian cream 1-2%
caramel 1-2%
cinnamon red hot 1 drop per 30 ml - .25%
double chocolate have not mixed yet
Dragon fruit 1-3%
peach juice .5-1.5%
Strawberry ripe 1.5-3%
ripe banana .5-1.5%
mango .5-1.5%
marshmallow 1-3%
passion fruit 1-3%
wild cherry Capella 1 drop per 30ml - .25%
blueberry Capella 1-3%

I added highlighted in red to your post what percentages I would use on those flavors. Hope this helps.

 

[Ablonz]

@dox95 BTW, Hello and welcome to the forums!!! As you can see, there are a lot of wonderful people here willing to help out when we can. All you need to do is ask. Remember, you can always bump it up a notch to suit your taste preference. These are only a guide to help you get started. I do not taste things the same way you taste them. Enjoy your journey into DIY. I know I have and never looked back. I have only bought a total of 2- 30 ml premium juice and 2 - 10 ml house blends before I got into DIY Since I started vaping. Good old Unflavored is my 75-85% go to juice as I will never get let down to the taste of nothing. Maybe the reason I use lower percentages. Who knows? Maybe just my palate.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

Oh, yes, no steeping is ruinous. Jim Beam sits in a warehouse, fine wines lay in cellars...e-juice, same thing. I do minimum of two weeks. Never have an issue. There are some that need longer, too.

At first, I was making 2-3 little 5ml test bottles each day. After two weeks, each day, I had 10-15ml to vape test. Then I remade them with changes and steeped again. Doing little samplers and 2nd generation samplers had me rolling in juice in a month. And I was still making initial 5ml test samples.

Take a lot of notes.

My cellar is...heaven

 

[salemgold]

I tried vaping with no flavour and it seems fine, slightly sweet, a very slight throat hit nothing major...
Just tried a
10% double chocolate
5% caramel
2% cinnamon red hot
I think I'm throwing it away seems way to powerful/ harsh without even steeping.
TPA recommend 10% for the double chocolate but they must be wrong

I always try a new to me flavor as a stand alone mix before adding anything to it. I find that gives me a feel for each flavor. Have you considered doing this? I always start low (%depends on flavor. stronger they smell, lower I start) and move up from there if needed.

Everyone is different and have different tastes. The TPA Dragonfruit is a harsh flavor for me. I actually can't vape it without getting a sore throat from it. Many people love it so I am in the minority with that flavor it seems.

There are 2 different Cinnamon Red Hot flavors you can get from TPA. One is PG based and not as strong. The other is alcohol based and stronger. I use this flavor to create TH for those that can't seem to get enough from other flavors.

There you have my Good luck to you.