First DIY Attempts

[jonniemac]

Started some first experiments with DIY e-liquid. I have tried about 50 different flavors but seem to stick with Mt Baker Butterscotch and ECBlends Vanilla Malt. So my attempts are in getting something similar to those that I can make myself.

I always order 50/50 PG/VG 18mg eliquid from commercial liquid vendors. With that in mind I set out to replicate that basic mix.

First I mixed up some single flavor batches at various percentages with no nicotine and 50/50 PG/vg using some LorAnn flavors. Hated them all! Did learn that a little ethyl malto goes a LONG way though.

Next I ordered up some Flavors West flavorings. I seem to prefer these so far. So after some testing I jumped in and mixed up a couple of flavors with nicotine.

My base is 36mg VG and I mixed two different combos at 12% total flavoring. Used the eJuice calculator on my iPhone to get the measurements.

First:

25ml VG nicotine base
19ml PG
3ml Flavors West Butterscotch
2ml Flavors West Caramel Candy
1ml Flavors West Marshmallow

Second:

25ml VG nicotine base
19ml PG
4ml Flavors West Vanilla Swirl
2ml Flavors West Malted Milk

Gave them a 30 minute heated shake in my Crest heated ultrasonic as well as 3 hot water baths. Next let them steep for 2 days uncapped in a cool dark cabinet. Shook them up good about twice a day before uncapping and letting them sit again.

They both smell good and I was excited so I decided to load up a couple of T3's and try them out. Well the flavor is still a bit light but what really got to me is the throat hit on these! Way more than any commercial juice at what should be the same basic pg/vg ratio and nic strength.

My nic base and pg came from ecigexpress. Flavors West stuff came from OneStopDIYShop.

Is this just the difference in nicotine bases? Do they need to steep longer? Any other suggestions or ideas?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Renolizzie]

I have no idea but good luck

 

[Hoosier]

what did they taste like before all the steeping and breathing?

 

[jonniemac]

what did they taste like before all the steeping and breathing?

I did simple flavor tests with no nicotine and a 50/50 PG/VG mix. Same percentages as listed above except just 5ml batches. Flavor was ok but no throat hit at all. Since the flavor was ok I decided to proceed to the next step and mix some up with nicotine. Probably should have mixed less than 50ml bottles but I got over confident.

I chain vape 18mg liquid most days and can run through an easy 6ml a day. I think my mixing percentages/amounts were correct to dilute the 36mg VG nic base to 18mg. Well accustomed to the equipment I use, just the harshness of the throat hit caught me off guard.

I really like the Vanilla Malt mix, close enough to the ECBlends one I like, but the Butterscotch mix is lacking in sweetness. Maybe a little EM would help with that one.

Need to get the stuff to do a nicotine strength test because I am just assuming what I received was truly 36mg.

 

[BobInSD]

First DIY recipe to make it to a 15ml bottle: Pumpzilla!

I like spicy vales, so I was going for Pumpkin Pie. What I got isn't really pie flavor, but I like it a lot. It's not really crazy sweet, but is both spicy and creamy. I went for a low 6mg nic on this one; since I never was much of a smoker, and don't crave nic, but wanted some TH to go with the spice.

5% Pumpkin Spice
5% Vanilla
5% Sweet Cream
10% Graham Cracker
a few drops of sweetener

You'd think it would be crazy sweet, but it's not. Only been shaken and left for 5 days, so it likely will change on me a bit. Ultrasonic is on the way.

 

[BillLouisiana]

I did simple flavor tests with no nicotine and a 50/50 PG/VG mix. Same percentages as listed above except just 5ml batches. Flavor was ok but no throat hit at all. Since the flavor was ok I decided to proceed to the next step and mix some up with nicotine. Probably should have mixed less than 50ml bottles but I got over confident.

I chain vape 18mg liquid most days and can run through an easy 6ml a day. I think my mixing percentages/amounts were correct to dilute the 36mg VG nic base to 18mg. Well accustomed to the equipment I use, just the harshness of the throat hit caught me off guard.

I really like the Vanilla Malt mix, close enough to the ECBlends one I like, but the Butterscotch mix is lacking in sweetness. Maybe a little EM would help with that one.Need to get the stuff to do a nicotine strength test because I am just assuming what I received was truly 36mg.

To me, EM just dulls taste and adds very little sweetness. I prefer Sucralose for sweetening.
BTW, I haven't found a satisfactory Butterscotch flavoring yet. All I've tried are too weak and not smooth and rich enough.