Help please, I've created Nyquil

[Blackbeard]

Ok, so I've read and read and read.....

So far, I've been able to create a mild Caramel, a terrible Bavarian Cream, a mild Peach, and a cherry-flavored Nyquil nighttime cough medicine. Seems like nothing I do ever meets my expectations. I guess you could say I've created some form of expectorant, though.

I make all my stuff starting with 24mg Nic 50/50 and shoot for 12mg 75/25, so this is an easy proportion allowing half of my total ml to be PG and flavors. I start with 10% flavor and 40% PG and 50% Nic solution. None of these seem to be up to the stuff I buy premixed. Sweeteners and more flavor doesn't seem to help much. For now, I'm just using single flavors to experiment with.

So am I just not made for the DIY juices or can someone throw some real good advice?

For instance:

Using 10ml Nic, 8ml PG and 2ml LorAnn Peach makes a mild peach. Reducing PG to 7ml and adding 1ml Sweetener doesn't change anything that I can tell. I let everything sit for at least 24 hours before I sample it.

I realize it takes a lot of practice to master this stuff, but I'm not getting a clue as to which direction to start changing things since I'm not distinguishing differences resulting from my changes.

How should I be able to determine whether to add flavor, sweetener, other additives when most changes seem to only make things worst?

I'm about to give it up and stick with Premixed. Thanks for clues.

 

[Levitas]

Have you tried maybe using lower amounts of flavoring? Sometimes less is more

Also, where do your flavorings come from, are they all LorAnn?

 

[purelyscientific]

Ummm...I'm not sure what you're doing wrong.

Give us a list of your flavors. If I've tried any of the ones you have I'll give you my recipe for it.

Try making cherry at 4%

If the flavor is overpowering, add less. If its mild, add more.
If you find a test batch isn't good, tweak it instead of just moving on to a new flavor. I have never had a test batch come out perfect the first time I made it.

Don't give up!

 

[Blackbeard]

For now, all of my flavorings are from The Flavor Apprentice or LorAnn. I get them through MyFreedomSmokes. It's not so much that what I make is bad. They just aren't great. Now I realize that first timers must experiment. The problem seems to be that my adjustments don't seem to make a difference. And it's not like I'm trying to dial in that final tweak to the flavor, because I know that with the small batches I am making, that would be hard to do.

I thought that maybe starting with a very small batch I could determine which variable to change, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

For now, I have LA-Peach, TFA-Caramel, TFA-Bavarian Cream (this was my only real failure), TFA-Cinnamon Red Hots, TFA-Black Cherry, TFA-Sweetener, TFA-Ethol Maltol, TFA-Milk Chocolate, and TFA-Double Chocolate. The chocolates are for secondary flavorings when I get around to tobacco primaries. I haven't used all of them yet, but the Peach, Bavarian Cream, and Black Cherry are my first testings of single flavor juice. I've tried Sweetener and EM in low doses.

I use an eGo-C system to burn up these juices.

Thanks for the help.

 

[zapped]

Ive only dabbled in DIY but sounds like youre making it really complicated on yourself.Have you tried getting the nicotine strength down to exactly where you want it and THEN adding the flavoring?

 

[Levitas]

Well, if I may make a suggestion or two. Those flavors that you have, for the most part, all look like mixer flavors (my opinion). Check out Wizard Labs https://wizardlabs.us/ and pick up some Double RY4, and maybe some TFA Blueberry Extra (if you like blueberry), and perhaps some Black Honey Tobacco.

These flavors mentioned, once again in my opinion, require very little tweaking, and are good from the get go. I find that I usually vape on 2-3 of my solid flavors while still experimenting with the rest. Double RY4, Banana Nut Brownie, Blueberry, and sometimes Black Honey French Vanilla.

Anyways, just some suggestions. Wizard Labs is affordable and the selection is nice.

 

[BakuPeg]

ok, put the red hots away for now. That stuff will blow your tastebuds off. The bav cream is really a good one, but as Lev stated, it is used as a mixer.

The LA peach is ok, not as good as TPA's juicy peach.
I can't give a good suggestion for your chocolates. I have not yet mastered chocolates.
I can suggest some good teas you can make. TPA Chai tea is great on its own.
Almost any fruit plus 5-6 drops of FA Black tea is awsome, Some with Superconcentrate black tea (but 3 drops this time)

Since you are starting out, give us some suggestions on what you are looking for?
Are you into fruits? Bacco-fruits? Mints? Teas? Tobaccos? etc. Don't give up on DIY yet it sometimes takes a little while b4 you get a vapeable mix you like, tweak that and your flavors will bloom!

 

[Blackbeard]

Ive only dabbled in DIY but sounds like youre making it really complicated on yourself.Have you tried getting the nicotine strength down to exactly where you want it and THEN adding the flavoring?

That's what I basically do. I dilute my unflavored NIC (24mg 50PG/50VG) by 50% of PG and flavor. The result is 12mg 75PG/25VG (assuming that most of my flavors are 100 % PG). That allows me to mix the 50% of PG+flavorings without initially worrying about resulting NIC levels. For example, if I make 10 ml of juice, 5 ml are pure NIC and 5 ml can be any combination of PG plus flavorings. Hopefully this isn't causing problems.

Well, if I may make a suggestion or two. Those flavors that you have, for the most part, all look like mixer flavors (my opinion). Check out Wizard Labs https://wizardlabs.us/ and pick up some Double RY4, and maybe some TFA Blueberry Extra (if you like blueberry), and perhaps some Black Honey Tobacco.

These flavors mentioned, once again in my opinion, require very little tweaking, and are good from the get go. I find that I usually vape on 2-3 of my solid flavors while still experimenting with the rest. Double RY4, Banana Nut Brownie, Blueberry, and sometimes Black Honey French Vanilla.

Anyways, just some suggestions. Wizard Labs is affordable and the selection is nice.

I agree that most of these are "mixer" or as I called them, secondary, flavors. The peach and red hots are the only real single flavor juices I was interested in. The others I thought I would just mix a batch up to see what they taste like.

My initial premixed juices were tobacco. I still like them a lot. I was a pipe smoker 20 years ago, and would like a nice pipe juice that mimics my old Blend Eleven pipe tobacco. This meant adding flavors to some form of tobacco flavor, so I figured I'd try some fruit and other flavors to see where they might suggest addition. I haven't started making any of the tobacco flavors yet.

Can you suggest a starting point, percentage wise, for the flavors you suggested, please?

And BakuPeg: the Red Hots are my break-the-monotony juice. When I need a break from the premixed tobaccos I vape, I usually do a tank of red hots. It brings the taste buds to life at first, and adds a nice aftertaste to the next juice I vape.

 

[BakuPeg]

Ok, then. The recipe part of this forum gives real good suggestions, and I will show you one we've tried.
E-Liquid Recipes

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-liquid-recipes/278064-str8v8ping-napom.html
Str8's Napom
12% tpa redhots
2% Pomegranade
4% EM

I bet you could swap out the pom for LA peach, raise it a bit `cause the LA peach is a little weaker tham TPA pom

It is usually a good thing to allow the mixes to steep a bit to allow the flavors to mix.

 

[Blackbeard]

BTW, I took your advice and ordered some of the suggested flavorings plus a few more. The generic percentage suggested for each flavor that I saw on Wizard Labs web site was 5%. Should that be the starting point for tobacco flavorings? I thought 1% was the normal starting point for tobaccos. Is Double RY4 considered a tobacco?

Thanks so much everyone.

 

[glassmanoak]

BakuPeg gave you a really good recipe that works with TPA Redhots. You might also try 10% Peach and 5% TPA Redhots.. this works for me

 

[Hoosier]

Don't let me interupt, but I saw the title and before I clicked it I said to myself, "Somebody has been playing with cherry flavoring again."

OK, I'm out. You folks are doing a great job here. This new mixer will be on track in no time.

 

[purelyscientific]

Lmao^

I thought the same thing! hahahaha
xD

 

[Blackbeard]

Don't let me interupt, but I saw the title and before I clicked it I said to myself, "Somebody has been playing with cherry flavoring again."

OK, I'm out. You folks are doing a great job here. This new mixer will be on track in no time.

I read the "Blue 3" the other day after you suggested I do so. Part of that reading was what prompted this thread. Following what your blogs provided was not happening with my results. That's not to say I'm indicating anything is wrong with what your blog info is telling me, it's more like I can't follow directions, or 60+ year old taste buds are not what they used to be, or something of that nature.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. It'd be a shame if I ended up going through all of this just to revert back to premixes, or even further back to the need to get my Zippo back out. I've got a taste in my mind that I just can't get to my tongue and nose.

 

[Hoosier]

I read the "Blue 3" the other day after you suggested I do so. Part of that reading was what prompted this thread. Following what your blogs provided was not happening with my results. That's not to say I'm indicating anything is wrong with what your blog info is telling me, it's more like I can't follow directions, or 60+ year old taste buds are not what they used to be, or something of that nature.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. It'd be a shame if I ended up going through all of this just to revert back to premixes, or even further back to the need to get my Zippo back out. I've got a taste in my mind that I just can't get to my tongue and nose.

Ah, so you found a few ways to not make what you wanted? That's the right way to go about it, or at least, my way to go about it.

I don't think I stated it in my blogs, but I started DIY because I wanted one specific flavor. It took me about 5 months to get that one recipe figured out. (What I call Cuban Cigar now if anyone is interested.) If anyone thinks I ordered a few flavorings and started making vapable mixes in a couple of trys, they are way off base. I'll wager I have thrown more crap juice away than anyone currently active on this forum. I still make crap juice and it's always a step in learning a way to not do what I wanted to do when I started.

From my quick read of this thread, you are reworking your approach. That's good. You've learned that cherry is a bugger and three halves to work with. That's good. I'd say you are going along better than me as a newbie as I tend to run headlong into walls with more tenacity than yourself.

Want a quick, no way to screw it up, easy to make vapable juice? Grab a bottle of Capella's Sweet Tangerine flavor drops. Throw 1.5ml's of that into 8.5ml's of USP PG. Shake and vape. It will be a nice smooth orange flavor, not baby asprin or drink-mix-y. (Then most nutcases on here will then throw that into a bunch of different bottles and start adding different flavorings to see what else can come of it. That can lead to some amazing stuff and crap, but it's all part of the process.)

I found all kinds of good flavors while I was searching for the one I wanted. I'll bet you will too. Now stop hitting yourself and try something different like that tangerine, or PG plain, or VG plain. (Seriously plain PG is a great way to clear the senses and clean a testing atty.)

 

[Jim Bob]

The TFA "Double " is an RY 4 (Tobacco, caramel and vanilla) so 1% IMO wouldn't be a good start, 5-10% is what most seem to find to be VERY good.

 

[Blackbeard]

The TFA "Double " is an RY 4 (Tobacco, caramel and vanilla) so 1% IMO wouldn't be a good start, 5-10% is what most seem to find to be VERY good.

Thanks Jim Bob,

I thought that part of the post might have got lost. Everyone's being so helpful that I didn't want to ask for any more help. Sort of overstaying my welcome, so to speak.

 

[Levitas]

Can you suggest a starting point, percentage wise, for the flavors you suggested, please?

BTW, I took your advice and ordered some of the suggested flavorings plus a few more. The generic percentage suggested for each flavor that I saw on Wizard Labs web site was 5%. Should that be the starting point for tobacco flavorings? I thought 1% was the normal starting point for tobaccos. Is Double RY4 considered a tobacco?

Thanks so much everyone.

I really like the Double RY4 at ~4-5%. At 10%, it's a little much, for me personally. It is considered a tobacco, but if I were to categorize it, I'd call it a light tobacco, with sweet caramel deliciousness.

If you went with the Blueberry Extra, I really like that at ~10%. Could be a potential mixer with a good vanilla, but I haven't went on a vanilla search as of yet.

The Black Honey Tobacco I have used exclusively at 4%, and this is because it was the first % I started at, loved it, so kept it the same. I like to mix French Vanilla at 10% with it, and also, EM (ethyl maltol) seems to work great with this blend as well.

 

[Quoiyaien]

I find 10% for RY4 double to be perfect. It is also a good base if you want to play with it. There is a recipe here somewhere called Rwhy4 that I tried and quite like. I am going to continue to play wiht the ry4 double, and see what I can come up with. Next is ry4double 10%, bavarian cream 2%, french vanilla, 3%, and caramel, 5%. Close to rwhy4 but with some of the bavarian cream subbed with french vanilla. Small tweaks here and there to see what different additives do to a juice..

Its a fun process! I love all the experimenting. I am new to this, but had pretty good luck mixing single flavour juices out of the gate.

Cheers!

 

[uba egar320]

Best thread title I've seen in months!