How do you find flavors you like without breaking the bank?

[cryptic]

Local shop has a limited selection and I've tried most of them. Only a couple hit the mark. So started reading flavor reviews and ordering samples online. I think I'm like 2 for 20. The 2 are about gone and waiting on some others to come in. There are a couple tolerable ones that I don't really enjoy but would do the job... the rest I honestly can't imagine anyone liking.... Threw all those in a drawer to try again in a month or so.

Anyway, with the high number of misses just hoping someone has some advice on finding some flavors that work for me. Tired of throwing $ out the window...

 

[Baditude]

If you have a local vape shop that has a juice bar or sample tasting area, that is the best way.




If not, many e-liquid vendors offer sampler packs of small bottles of their flavors, with the hope that you will find one or two to your liking and choose to order larger sizes later.

For those vendors who don't offer samplers, they often will have smaller size bottles that you can use as a sampler.

Don't take a gamble on 30ml size bottles of juice that you may not care for. That's a potential waste of your money.

Be aware, some custom-made flavors will require 1 - 2 weeks or more to "steep", or mature before they reach their optimum flavor. Steeping merely means allowing the juice to age in a cool dark place. Heat or refrigeration is not required nor recommended. Occasionally shake the bottle contents. If alcohol is part of the base liquid, keeping the cap off for a day or two will allow it to evaporate. Some vendors will provide instruction somewhere on their website if steeping is necessary or not.

Finding a great flavor you enjoy vaping is as important if not more so than finding the right gear setup. Most of us end up going through a large number of flavors before settling on a few that we find worth buying again. Hense buy only small bottles when trying a new flavor or vendor.

 

[williebb123]

there are a million flavors and almost as many vendors take it a step at a time i found price to be irrelevant in several cases , with the holidays around the corner keep a lookout for coupon codes also get on several vendors email list not all coupon codes hit the forum that way your trial and error will cost a little less

 

[madqatter]

I've been pretty fortunate with my choices, some of which I tasted before buying and others I purchased online after carefully considering the flavor descriptions and reviews. The only things I'm buying completely untasted must have at least two of the following qualities:
(1) clearly marked as flavors I love (e.g. I love tea or coconut, but I only sorta like graham crackers or grape)
(2) have excellent user ratings/reviews (e.g. the majority say something like "I love green tea and this tastes just like green tea with a hint of mint! 5 stars!")
(3) be rather inexpensive or come in small sample sizes.

I've only picked one flavor I wasn't really wild about so far... but after shelving it for a while, it's starting to appeal to me again. I haven't yet found something I just want to trash.

 

[bobbyh3342]

sorry my man . Sometimes ya gotta roll the dice! find a juice reviewer with similar tastes as you, sampler pack,coupon codes,vape meets,juice bar, besides that,,,,, roll it !!!!!!!

 

[nmackan]

I had bought my first set of device and liquid from a place where the clones and replcas can rarely be found better all around the world. They are notorious cheaters. Alas I got a liquid (Joytech parliament) I dont know whather genuine or not but I liked it very much. (Could not be found any after I tried) Than they gave me e-liquid marlboro written on label. well it was good too but again unavailable after trying to get more. After that I found cheaper liquids which caused me to smoke 3-4 analogs (Because no nicotine in these liquids) And bought a really expensive Dekang big ben. ($10 for 10ml) passable but coincidence I saw dekang liquids in my wife's cigarette seller. I bought again expensive ($7.50) Number 5 (Jackpot) In turkish forum there are people who have been selling e-cigs and liquids under the assurance of forum. They give very cheap prices and genuine. So I bought a lot of Number 5s from one ($3 only). But as I was getting number 5s I tried to get 1-2 pcs any resembling liquids together. This information I found by followingother people's inclinations. One who likes number 5 would like3 usa mix, desert, doff. Now I cant find any number 5 but I am content with Doff I have been vaping.
If you worry on budget try my way.

 

[linkywins]

Hello.

At the risk of sounding like a shill for these guys. You may want to give E-Liquid Samples - Cheap 1mL samples of boutique e-juice a try. I've ordered ~18 samples from them and i can’t imagine how much money i'm going to save in the long run

Hope this helps!

 

[mojozip]

The e liquid thread has some very detailed and very interesting reviews by many veterans. I found that to be a great starting point. I haven't been disappointed by any of the choices I've made after reading them.

 

[Screamin Eagle]

I simply make my own. At around $.40 per 10ml bottle I can't go wrong. If I don't like it, I chalk it up to experience and dump it. I have come up with some really good simple mixes that I love. And if I'm running low, I can simply make more. As long as I have flavoring, VG, and time, I'll have juice.

 

[dice57]

When I'm trying a new flavor, I usually order 30ml at a time. Can't imagine pay ~$1.50 for a 1ml sample. That's not saving money imho. I usually try new flavors from MBV, since they are pretty inexpensive and fast shipping. I find it takes at least two 4ml tanks of the same juice to make a valid decision on, to me a 1ml sample isn't enough to form an honest opinion of a new flavor. Plus if it needs to steep at all. If it's a flavor that I'm not crazy about, I'll add some other flavor to it to make it more acceptable to vape. Or use it to extend a flavor I'm getting low on, if it's compatible. After trying a dozen flavors or so, I'm down to my favorite top 4, and will stick with them till I need a change. Also, when I buy $15 or more from MBV, they send a free sample 10ml bottle, so I get to try something new, each time I order one of my favorites. I have my preferred pg/vg and nic level dialed in, next step is DIY. Still reading up on that.

 

[Star995]

I was wondering the same thing. When I first started out for the first month or so I ordered small 10ml bottles from a bunch of vendors and found one to get me off analogs and figure I would just give up while I was head and be happy I found one. needless to say I now have a ton that I don't plan on using. It was getting to be more in cost then a carton of Cig's which defeated the whole reason I quit. Till one person I helped switch over to vaping had a local vape shop and she told me what flavors she like so I order from her place and I am so glad I did because i found some I really like so figured maybe there was hope. I been reading on this forum too and decided to try Mister e's and I think I am back in love again and ready to get back on the horse and try this tasting thing again. The moral to my story is read the juice reviews on this forum and try maybe some more samples. Where I went wrong is going off on my own and then going to some not so know places and getting crap juice and I did not have a local shop to go too so I was at the mercy of the Internet.

 

[exnihilo]

MBV. Good and cheap.

cg

 

[jefsview]

research, research, research.

Also, ask pointed question about flavor to those that have been vaping awhile and share a similar palette to you.

Also, order samples from various vendors.

Be warned, however: your tastebuds will begin to change and what's fantastic the first few weeks might taste vastly different to you by the first months end of quitting smoking. Your taste buds recover, and you'll begin to taste again.

 

[Brass]

There's a local vape lounge 20 mins from where I live. Really nice folks, very helpful. They have close to a hundred you can sample. One of the best shops I've been to actually. This is how I decide before purchasing.

 

[cryptic]

The research hasn't seemed to help. Most all of what I've bought has good reviews from reputable sites. I know some is my pallet and potentially taste buds. Mostly, the flavors just taste nothing like described or have some other odd flavor in the mix. Bought a bunch of caramel and butterscotch varities from different vendors and I'm sorry but not a single one tastes at all like caramel or butterscotch. One caramel tasted exactly like butter (which was quite gross honestly). Letting most of those sit for a good while before I try again. A couple of the lighter fruit flavors seem ok. Gonna just stick to the mint family mostly while I continue to experiment. Hard to screw those up

 

[DannyOcean]

The sample packs most vendors offer is a good choice when you are starting out. Once you've been vaping for a while, you'll pretty much have a good idea of what flavor profiles you dig. I've been ordering from Mt. Baker lately, and they are really reasonable. Usually around $11 for a 50ml. So I order a couple of flavors I'm pretty sure I would like, and then 1 wild card each time. If I don't like one, no big deal. I've also found that flavors I don't like at all grow on me once I run out of other juices and start vaping them regularly out of necessity. It's kind of funny how often this is true.

 

[TrentTC]

I have done almost the same thing. Has taken me a while to find anything I want to vape consistently. I've also found that things I thought I would enjoy have often times not worked out. Started out with fruit Flavors and soon found that I much preferred tobacco, vanilla, and creamier Flavors were much more palatable for me

 

[MamaKat85]

Another forum turned me on to MBV, reasonable prices and excellent juices. Good place to start I think.

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

All said before, but I think there are three ways that worked for me:

1. Sampler packs (MyFreedomSmokes was my first, there are many others),
2. Juice Bars - don't normally find much I like, but often find a "direction" for my own juices,
3. DIY - so frustrated about "others" juice, even those highly recommended, that I decided to make my own. Not inexpensive initially, and not easy either (to make something really good), but eventually, after about six months, I can make some pretty tasty ADV's. Single ingredient juice is pretty easy, but learning the more complex formulations takes a while to learn about a little of this, a lot that, etc.

Unfortunately, it takes a while to find some great vapes that really satisfy you. I was lucky that I found one in my first, say 40 concoctions, my first week of DIY. I still vape my cinnamon Danish today, though I have several ADV's now. As many have said, or will say, finding a good ADV is one of the most difficult things to find in vaping. Certainly much harder than finding good hardware, imho. Good luck to you in your VapeQuest/JuiceQuest. Power up and vape on!

 

[Jazzi Mike]

Ordering 30ml at a time is a huge gamble. If you don't care for a flavor, you are stuck with a lot of it. For the OP, you should try ordering 10-15ml bottles initially to try samples. Make sure you are steeping the flavors before actually making a decision. It strikes me as odd that only 2 out of 20 are all you like. I have my definite favorites, but there are only a few different juices that are completely un-vapeable to me.

Again, steep juices for at least a week before you give them a decision. Read reviews before you buy a juice. See what people on the eliquid forum are talking about. Shop at more premium juice vendors.