How many creams?

[JoJosNMustard]

I'm starting up my mixing "lab" stockpile, and I've got a list of flavors I've put together from top rated recipes found on ELR. I'm noticing i have a lot of different cream base flavors:


TFA - Cheesecake (Graham Crust) - 30ml
TFA - Sweet Cream - 30ml
TFA - Bavarian Cream - 30ml
TFA - Vanilla Custard - 30ml
TFA - Marshmallow - 30ml
TFA - French Vanilla - 30ml
TFA - Dulce de Leche - 30ml
TFA - Vanilla Swirl - 30ml
CAP - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 30ml
CAP - Creamy Yogurt - 30ml
FA - Cream Fresh - 30ml
FA - Meringue - 30ml
FLV - Milk - 15ml
FLV - Cheesecake - 15ml

I'm wondering how many of these I really need? Do they all give something different to a mix, or can I get rid of some that might be redundant?

 

[Frenchfry1942]

They are not all creams. I looked each one up on the internet for a description and then got a mix. Only one is used per recipe in my book. But, the differences do make a slight difference. Off the top of my head, Fresh, Sweet, Bavarian, and Vanilla Swirl. I have some of the others, but they aren't creams...to me. I would get two creams because you not only have to taste them with a primary ingredient, but how strong does it need to be added?

I have about 4-5 and then 2-3 custard. I do use them, particularly with fruits, but different fruits can be better enhanced with different creams. I like creamy Hawaiian and citrus punch, but not with a sweet cream. Gets too sweet. Custard is not a cream, but is good with some fruit. Just different.

Take lots of careful notes if you are going to experiment. Oh, they need steeping.

Good luck.

 

[JoJosNMustard]

Thanks for the input. Ah after the edit your comments became a good bit clearer and more helpful

 

[IDJoel]

ONLY my opinion; but...

They are indeed all different. Some more significant than others; but each is its own critter. Could you find acceptable substitutions among them? Yeah; probably. But that is a question only you can answer for yourself. Can recipes taste good with substitutions? Sure; maybe even taste better to your own palate. But, just remember, you are not tasting the original that the creator made. If that is okay by you; then there is no reason not to.

The only pair that I see being fairly close "apples for apples" the same is the TFA Sweet Cream/FA Fresh Cream. To my palate you could lose one of those. I have no idea if your palate would agree.

The CAP Creamy Yogurt, and the FLV Milk, are both kind of niche flavors. Yogurts (in general) are often either something you like or hate. I haven't heard anyone being ambivilent about yogurt flavors and recipes(haters say it makes them think "dirty socks"). I can best describe Milk flavors (again; in general) as watery creams. They provide a thin dairy note that does not contain the "richness" of more traditional creams. Most commonly found in cereal recipes; but I am not aware of much beyond that. Might be useful for "thinning" creams that are too much for a given recipe. If these are both in the center of your "tried & true" vaping pleasures; keep them. Otherwise, I would put them on the short-list to go. (Note: I am one who does like yogurts; but I have yet to use the CAP Creamy Yogurt so I can't offer an opinion specifically)

Meringue, and Marshmallow are not creams. Not even close. To be honest neither offers little to nothing in the way of flavor (to me). Instead, there greatest contribution is in building mouth-feel. Each creates a different "thicker" kind of mouthfeel. I would keep both.

The rest; I really can't say. I have all of them (or another mfg.'s equivalent) in my stash. I don't use all of them frequently; but when I need them, I would not want to be without.

 

[JoJosNMustard]

Thanks IDJoel, that was really helpful

 

[PJReid]

Are you new to mixing? I assume you are since you are building a "lab stockpile." As it has already been pointed out, most of the flavors you are calling creams are not creams. I agree with @IDJoel completely. You can probably lose the Milk and Yogurt and never miss them. As for the TFA Sweet Cream, and the FA Creme Fresh, you can easily lose one. To me, TFA's Sweet Cream tastes a little cheesy. Some love it, and others taste what I taste. I would suggest that you add a Whipped Cream and drop one of the Creams you have on your list. Whipped Cream has a cleaner flavor to me and also provides the thicker mouthfeel. (IMO, there isn't a lot of difference between TFA's Whipped Cream and FA's Whipped Cream - FA tastes a touch thicker, but I am not sure I could tell the difference if I didn't know one was used in place of the other.) You need both Meringue and Marshmallow for the mouthfeel they bring to a mix. Texture is an important component in a good recipe. I have a 30ml bottle of TFA French Vanilla that I have never opened. Vanilla Swirl and VBIC seem to fill my vanilla needs.

Another idea - get them all in 10ml or 13ml sizes and test the flavors to see what you like before committing to 30ml bottles. In mixing, a little goes a long way with the flavors. You probably don't need 30ml bottles until you have settled on goto recipes and you plan on mixing large quantities of that recipe.

Have fun!

 

[Mr. Relentless]

I like the LorrAnn Bavarian cream over the tfa or cap.

 

[IDJoel]

Another idea - get them all in 10ml or 13ml sizes and test the flavors to see what you like before committing to 30ml bottles.

Good point PJ; solid suggestion! I totally overlooked that.

I know the benefit of cost savings is significant (at least percentage-wise) going from 10/13/15mL to 30mL. But, who wants "more" flavors you don't like? Once you know you like a particular concentrate (and maybe how often you might want to be using it)... then you can get larger sizes.

 

[JoJosNMustard]

All good advice, I'll definitely look into replacing one of the sweet cream/creme fresh with whipped cream.

As for the 30ml sizes, I'm getting all the Dairy* (not "creams") based flavorings in 30ml to compliment the many fruits and bakeries I'm getting. As I can only afford to order flavorings once a year with no chance to restock/try new stuff, I've covered a bit of a range that I've taken from the highly rated recipes on ELR.

Thanks for all the helps folks

P.S: I'm noob-ish to mixing, I do have some previous experience though, and I've watched dozens of hours of recipe videos, mixing instructables, livestream mixings etc from DIY or DIE and Hippy Vapes among others. And a lot of flavor profile reviews from Concrete River. Acknowledging the fact that everyone has their own distinct palette, I think I've got a relatively good launching off point.

 

[dc99]

I totally agree with everything said so far. The cheesecake, if you had to cut the list down I would just get Cap NY cheesecake V1 and drop the rest. They are all a little different if you dont have to drop any. If your going to play with cheesecake you will need tfa graham cracker clear.

 

[stols001]

As stated, not all creams are alike, and those are not all creams. You'll have to experiment with what goes with what, I guess the good news is that you have enough to experiment with (both in number and in volume) but only you will be able to decide if you have preferences or not.

Marshmallow, merengue and cotton candy are three great flavors I use to "sweeten" mixes while adding flavor depth, and I use them quite a bit, but they aren't creams. I am a flavor of FA Bavarian cream sometimes as a stand alone, but it does add a touch of "something" not quite sure how to describe it, in some of my mixes.

Anna

 

[BrotherBob]

how many of these I really need?

When I started out, I mainly used Bavarian and Vienna in different mixes. I have never been a fan of using cream as a primary flavor, secondary, yes.

 

[MacTechVpr]

I'm starting up my mixing "lab" stockpile, and I've got a list of flavors I've put together from top rated recipes found on ELR. I'm noticing i have a lot of different cream base flavors:


TFA - Cheesecake (Graham Crust) - 30ml
TFA - Sweet Cream - 30ml
TFA - Bavarian Cream - 30ml
TFA - Vanilla Custard - 30ml
TFA - Marshmallow - 30ml
TFA - French Vanilla - 30ml
TFA - Dulce de Leche - 30ml
TFA - Vanilla Swirl - 30ml
CAP - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 30ml
CAP - Creamy Yogurt - 30ml
FA - Cream Fresh - 30ml
FA - Meringue - 30ml
FLV - Milk - 15ml
FLV - Cheesecake - 15ml

I'm wondering how many of these I really need? Do they all give something different to a mix, or can I get rid of some that might be redundant?

It's even more fun than that! You can mix them, double or triple up, for different effects.

Get busy!

Good luck.