Flavor not coming through

[TheCommuter]

I'm happy to report that my first DIY attempt was (for the most part) very successful. I mixed up 5 different single-flavor 10ml bottles and three of them turned out great.

The Pear and Green Apple, however, have very little flavor. In fact, I have a hard time even distinguishing between them. I initially went with 5% flavoring and let it steep for a few days. I didn't get any flavor from that so I upped the flavoring to 15% and it helped a little, but it is still very very mild, even after a few more days of steeping.

Is this normal for some flavors? Could it be that these two flavors were LA and the other three (that were perfect at 5%) were TFA? Should I try a flavor enhancer (such as vinegar, lemon juice, or even malic acid) to bring out the fruitiness?

Any and all help is very much appreciated!

 

[gunderpersonn]

Hi Commuter and welcome to DIYing,

I've only just begun mixing ejuice too, so my advice will be limited. But I figured you might want a quick response until some the long time DIYers chime in.

I can't comment on the LA because I haven't mixed any of their flavors. I have only mixed TPA and from my experience most of them mix (individually) the best between 7 - 10%. Some of them I could see benefiting from even a bit higher percentages. As always, taste is subjective...yadayada

I have experienced the same problem you are with TPA flavors such as Bavarian Cream. No matter what I mix it at the flavor is really light. I did a search and a lot of people really only use this as a flavor enhancer for a mixture of flavors (i.e. coffee with cream or a smoothie flavor). It appears that some of these flavors that don't come out on their own give a great bang when mixed with other things.

I've also looked at posts where people are mixing ( a variety of brands and flavors) at as high as 20% or more.

One little trick I learned is searching about a single flavor yields a lot of information. Use the google search instead of the one built into this site, I find it to be far superior. It will provide you with a link to the thread and the text in the post that is relevant to your search. In example, google search within the whole site (located at top of page on right hand side) Lorann Peach and it will give you all the posts that include both of those words. You might find the percentage of flavoring people are using for a particular brand or flavor that way. It will give you a sense if you are on or off in your mix.

Another little trick I learned through searching and reading this DIY forum is that testing liquids with pg or vg before using your nic is a money and time saver. That way, by the time you start mixing a final batch you are pretty spot on with percentages of flavor you will need for favorable results.

Don't give up hope. You may just have to try another brand of flavor to get the results you are look for. And at a few dollars a bottle for flavoring you can have a lot of fun.
I hope that helps to begin with!
Dawn

 

[TheCommuter]

Thank you so much, Dawn! Your advice is a huge help to me!!

Use the google search instead of the one built into this site, I find it to be far superior. It will provide you with a link to the thread and the text in the post that is relevant to your search.

This worked very well. I found many posts that talk about LA flavoring being a little bit difficult for newbies - specifically, the strength varies a bunch from flavor to flavor. Using this search method also led me to some great recommendations on flavoring brands to start with. I think I will pick up a few bottles of Capellas and see if I get better results.

Another little trick I learned through searching and reading this DIY forum is that testing liquids with pg or vg before using your nic is a money and time saver. That way, by the time you start mixing a final batch you are pretty spot on with percentages of flavor you will need for favorable results.

I had planned on doing this, however my excitement got the best of me and I jumped in head first. I think this is a tip that I will practice from now on.