Hey Guys! Tips & Tricks!? :-)

[nwesource]

So my lady and I have been making DIY juices for awhile and this forum has been very valuable so we finally signed up to contribute ... Our biggest ongoing problem has been a lack of POP to our flavors, dry vapor, and harsh nicotine (compared to store-bought juices). We just found a few more threads today about Saline, PGA (Pure Grain Alcohol), Sucralose / Stevia sweeteners and the Ultrasonic Cleaner (for accelerated steeping), so we're going shopping convinced that between those new additives and device we are going to come up with a new "base" formula that we think is going to alleviate the issues and greatly enhance our success.

So if anyone wants to chip in to a conversation and/or follow along with our success over the next few days, we will be happy to entertain ...

The questions we have still, are:

1. What have you EXPERIENCED DIYers done to reduce the harshness of the nicotine in your juice? We want to run 9s and 12s but so far 4mg has been the sweet spot for not choking ourselves out...

2. Does PGA affect flavor, or just the throat hit aspect? Is the increased TH from PGA a pleasurable experience or is it painful at higher levels? We only want to increase the throat hit if it's a cool/good feeling, not something that cigarette smokers are chasing ... Please only reply if you have experience.
Thank you Vape Geniuses - we look forward to chatting! Vape on!

Charles

BTW I own a web design company if any of you shop owners or juice makers are ready to take that leap or need some help enhancing your existing site or online presence PM me...

 

[Izan]

Hi and Welcome Charlie,
Please provide just a bit more info.
What brand(s) of flavours, nic and dilutants do y'all use?
What flavours/recipes are not popping and what percentage of concentrates do your creations average?
What store bought juice are you trying to replicate?
How long have you been mixing? What mixes are most successful?
Cheers
I

 

[nwesource]

Hi and Welcome Charlie,
Please provide just a bit more info.
What brand(s) of flavours, nic and dilutants do y'all use?
What flavours/recipes are not popping and what percentage of concentrates do your creations average?
What store bought juice are you trying to replicate?
How long have you been mixing? What mixes are most successful?
Cheers
I

Hey Izan, thanks!

We've been making juices for around four months I think. A variety of brands (the regulars) ordered from ecigexpress.com (including 100mg nicotine) and a few from Flavor Apprentice (haven't yet tried all of those). The pop that is missing is really just the sweetness or the polished finish we taste on about a third of the shop & web juices we buy (the better ones). The ones we really like are Presidential Vapes "The General" - flavors from Five Pawns - and then a few select flavors from Two Peas (Juicy Nectarine, Man This Pineapple is Bananas, Strawberry Bliss). Just sounding those out loud I think the thing that really appeals to us is a heavy sweetness. I'm hoping our purchase of Sucralose and Stevia can help us get closer there, Ethyl Maltol just doesn't do it for us. Saline solution we read tonight can make flavors pop noticeably so we are equally excited about implementing that. We're also going to try a Crock Pot or Ultrasonic Cleaner for accelerated steeping so we can test our new flavors quicker. Then we want to experiment with PGA to see how that affects our flavors.

We are currently making 50/50 mixes to use in our Aspire Nautilus tanks and 70/30 flavors for our Aspire Atlantis and drip RDAs. Regarding our percentages, we usually use 3 or 4 flavors between 5-10% each (for the 50/50's) to get the kind of complex balances we're looking for... we'll post a flavor or two one once we feel it is PERFECTED, or we'll go commercial lol...

Just to reiterate, our biggest issue is enjoying the taste of our flavors when we use any higher than a 4mg level of nicotine - it's almost difficult to get a buzz without it tasting like crap lol... so any help there will be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping the Saline, Sweeteners, accelerated steeping &/or PGA will help conceal the nicotine, fingers crossed. We are also going to try 100% VG nicotine base, we read a couple of places that may help a little. Any other expert tips from experience on subduing nicotine pretty please?

Cheers to you! Charles

 

[daleron]

Hello Charles , welcome to ECF. Make yourself at home

All I know to suggest is Smooth ...
https://www.myfreedomsmokes.com/tfa-smooth.html

 

[nwesource]

Thanks Daleron! Is that something you use in all of your blends or just occasionally? Thanks for the tip!

 

[nwesource]

We really want to get there, so I think we're going to start by creating a base by itself that we can puff and handle the nicotine at 9 or 12 FIRST, then add our flavors after that.

A couple other things other people on the forum have said could help conceal the nicotine are:
- 100% VG Nicotine
- Lemon Juice
- Vinegar
- Bavarian Cream
- Capella's Vanilla Custard
- TFA Smooth (Thanks Daleron)

Wish us luck! Any other GREAT nicotine concealing tips would be TRULY APPRECIATED!

 

[Duke Lizard]

Good questions, nwesource. I've been working with 50/50 nic at a 14-16% level. TFA Bavarian Cream and Sweetener have helped some. Smooth is on the way. l hope to see a few more veterans reply.

I have also begun flavor tasting before mixing 10ml test recipes. The flavor matching (drop by drop in 2ml water) allows for a rough idea of who wants to place nice before curing. Some flavors paired have produced some metallic -chemical tastes.....just a suggestion.

 

[sparkky1]

Where do you get your nic ?

 

[nwesource]

Thanks Duke! That seems pretty genius to mix/match the flavors in water first, then do you vape it or just smell it or actually taste the liquid mixed? Seems safe to taste with no nicotine since they are all pretty much food additives, I just don't want to be wrong ...

That's great you have been able to be comfortable 14-16, that's pretty high. In our experience it has been virtually unpalatable, but we already could barely ever handle any store bought 18s and 12s just seem to be too much also long term. We just want to be able to make 12s or 18s that people who like that concentration can enjoy, overall we prefer about a 9 in 50/50 and a 4 in 70/30 for dripping. As of now we are stuck at a 5 in 50/50 to enjoy it. Hopefully that will be cured after this weekend with Saline, Sweeteners, and accelerated steeping - but we'll see.

Does anyone know if the taste of nicotine is reduced with steeping?

 

[nwesource]

Sparkky we got it at ecigexpress.com... 100mg normal stuff, not too much smell, slightly yellow color... have a friend's also he got elsewhere, smells / looks identical... seems like that isn't the problem, but if anyone has located anything truly superior I am definitely interested. Thanks!

 

[The Ocelot]

Hi

Now that you have 6 posts you may want to ask your questions in the DIY section. That's what they focus on and have more experience in that area: DIY E-Liquid

 

[nwesource]

Sounds good - will do!

 

[nwesource]

I have not been happy with Saline at (.9% solution) at 10% or even 5% in our mixes - the salt is strong and it mutes the flavors. Boo :-( I found multiple posts where people used those exact amounts and they said it tasted great. So we are dialing ours WAY back if we use it at all.

 

[Susan~S]

Not all nic base tastes the same: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/298547-nicotine-comparisons.html