Loss of flavor? Best way to store liquids?

[stormygal]

Ok I have been vaping for almost two months but only recently have I noticed that more and more my eliquid flavors are tasting less and less.

I tend to use RY4, Cappuchino, my own DYI Pralines N' Cream, and a DYI Rum Coffee recipe from here on the forums. I even ordered a grape to switch it up a bit, and that at first was like vaping welches grape juice (I thought it was very good), but now even that has sadly started to loose it's flavor.

I have been reading that it can be anything from my model choice (510), liquid not being stored in the fridge/right, normal vapor taste bud lock, etc. I use a Pyramid tea bag mod in my carts, and regularly (once per week) boil my atmoizers in water to keep them clean. I also turn them over every night to let them drain out.

My question is besides possible taste bud lock, is it a good idea to keep my PG liquids in the fridge to preserve flavors? I currently keep all my liquids in a dark cool closet. All my liquids are PG based. Should I swap to a PG/VG base mix to boost flavors?

Any advice is appreciated! I just want to find out what happened to the flavor.

 

[hittman]

I have to wonder if it isn't your tastebuds changing. I know that I went thru different phases of my tastebuds changing. Some days a liquid would taste good and the next day I couldn't stand it. I still keep 8-12 different flavors on hand because this still happens to me once in a while. As far as storing liquids, I keep mine in a plastic container in my basement that stays at about 67-68 degrees year round. I also keep each bottle in a sealed plastic bag. It is ironic that now I can't stand to vape one flavor all day when six months ago I could smoke 30 crappy tasting cigarettes a day. Also, I have had times that I have tried a new flavor and didn't like it and then a month or so later tried it again and did like it. I don't know if I am helping or just rambling on but this is my opinion.

 

[Mary Kay]

I don't know about that atty boiling..seems a bit iffy to me. I mean how dirty can they get that a good rinse in vodka couldn't cure?
As for flavors, again, I don't think keeping them in the fridge is a good idea. there have been several threads on the juice going vinegary that way. Just storing in a cool spot away from the light seems to be the best thing. Mine are are a bookshelf behind my desk away from the light in a plastic container. I have been vaping almost 6 months and none of mine have lost flavoror gone bad. Some are DIY too.
But I do the same as Hitman, my tastes change on a day to day basis! With the exception of RY4 and Chocolate, I may lose my taste for a flavor only to like it again a week later. The only time I lost flavor was in the first few weeks of vaping, nothing had any flavor..then all of a sudden it did!
try shaking the bottle and vaping only one flavor a day for a couple of days..then try your others.

 

[Kent C]

Your tastebuds should be getting better not worse. I'd say it's the fridge. Cool, dark, dry place.... is all that's needed and how I've had mine for four months.... no change.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Boiling really is not advocated as it has a tendency to ruin the wicking mesh. Try bringing it to about 160 degrees F. --that should rig the old flavors.


Sun

 

[stormygal]

OK so what I gather is keep them in the closet since it's a cool dry dark place (so they shall stay on their shelf). I'll try sticking to just one flavor for several days, and then go back to the others after a few days/week.

I tried the vodka in the atty method, and yeah never again. Did a squirt through, drained and dried for 24 hours and could still taste the vodka afterwards, left a bad taste in my mouth (peppery, and I'm actually allergic to peppers), but it was also super cheap vodka.

Sun you said 160 degrees? Is that just a dry burn?

My taste buds seem to be fine with food now, the molten chocolate cakes I made two days ago were amazing (thought I had died in chocolate heaven), even my soda mt dew is almost too sweet for me now that my taste buds seem to be back to normal. I went through the normal I can smell again routine, etc. Just seems these past two weeks I have lost my flavor tasting ability but only with eliquids, which is what bugs me. So yeah hittman is probably right, just a tastebud lock or something. I'll post later if sticking with one for a bit and then going back to others worked or not.

 

[Kent C]

I tried the vodka in the atty method, and yeah never again. Did a squirt through, drained and dried for 24 hours and could still taste the vodka afterwards, left a bad taste in my mouth (peppery, and I'm actually allergic to peppers), but it was also super cheap vodka.

You need to get the ultra cheap vodka Galen's 151 proof, $12, pure grain, clear, unflavored, charcoal filtered... or Everclear in 191 if it's allowed in your state. Vodka has no taste. If you tasted pepper then it was likely from whatever was left in the mesh of the atomizer. Try soaking for about an hour in clear, unflavored vodka, then blow it out by mouth (canned air contains bitterants), let dry. The 151 proof disipates quickly and any trace would disappear as soon as the coil heats - not true of isopropyl which leaves a film. And then put a couple drops of juice on the atty to start up again. Vodka is for human consumption, isopropyl or rubbing alcohol isn't. water and electronics are a bad mix and dry burning has killed attys. As far as I know vodka has not but don't soak them overnight. On a new atty to get rid of the primer fluid - 15 minutes... for cleaning 1-2 hours max.

 

[stormygal]

Found the 151 everclear (couldn't find the 191 proof guessing we aren't allowed it here in WI, but also only checked one liquor store) and used it to clean them. Soaked them for an hour then blew them out by mouth and inverted to drain dry. That seemed to do the trick. My flavors are back (with no peppery taste), still seemed a bit weak, but on my DYI stuffs I tend to stick to no more then 15 percent flavoring so I prefer a lighter flavor or it's too much for me (goes musty like on me).

The one atomizer I didn't clean is now being cleaned. I sat vaping rum coffee that was tasteless, but after the cleaning tried it in a cleaned atmoizer and it tasted like rum coffee, so guessing it was some residue on the atmoizers. For the life of me I have no clue what did it. Never used can-o-air (knew about the bitterants), only new thing was a menthol eliquid, hmm maybe a bad batch of liquid? Got it to boost flavors so was only using maybe 10 to 15 percent, but was using it in all the mixes. Think I'll vape it straight (ok cut with plain PG 36 is too high for me) on one atmoizer and see if it happens on the test atmoizer, hate to throw away 30 ml of 36 mg eliquid.

I also moved my liquids to the coolest spot in the house (gets to about 60 to 65 degrees with the heat on), don't know if that also helped or not.

 

[pattyjo]

I soak my ttys in rubbing alcahol then rinse them with distilled water, they take a few days to dry but it works, as far as taste goes i usually only vape coffee and I find I loose the flavor unless I switch to another flavor, I change attys for this so I dont mix the flavors. Then I go back to the coffee and I can taste it again, I just ordered some different flavors so Ill switch off as my taste buds seem to get used to the same flavor

 

[Kent C]

Found the 151 everclear (couldn't find the 191 proof guessing we aren't allowed it here in WI, but also only checked one liquor store) and used it to clean them. Soaked them for an hour then blew them out by mouth and inverted to drain dry. That seemed to do the trick. My flavors are back (with no peppery taste), still seemed a bit weak, but on my DYI stuffs I tend to stick to no more then 15 percent flavoring so I prefer a lighter flavor or it's too much for me (goes musty like on me).

The one atomizer I didn't clean is now being cleaned. I sat vaping rum coffee that was tasteless, but after the cleaning tried it in a cleaned atmoizer and it tasted like rum coffee, so guessing it was some residue on the atmoizers. For the life of me I have no clue what did it. Never used can-o-air (knew about the bitterants), only new thing was a menthol eliquid, hmm maybe a bad batch of liquid? Got it to boost flavors so was only using maybe 10 to 15 percent, but was using it in all the mixes. Think I'll vape it straight (ok cut with plain PG 36 is too high for me) on one atmoizer and see if it happens on the test atmoizer, hate to throw away 30 ml of 36 mg eliquid.

I also moved my liquids to the coolest spot in the house (gets to about 60 to 65 degrees with the heat on), don't know if that also helped or not.

Looks like you're good to go. Glad the flavor returned.

 

[Valkerie]

Ok I have been vaping for almost two months but only recently have I noticed that more and more my eliquid flavors are tasting less and less.

I tend to use RY4, Cappuchino, my own DYI Pralines N' Cream, and a DYI Rum Coffee recipe from here on the forums. I even ordered a grape to switch it up a bit, and that at first was like vaping welches grape juice (I thought it was very good), but now even that has sadly started to loose it's flavor.

I have been reading that it can be anything from my model choice (510), liquid not being stored in the fridge/right, normal vapor taste bud lock, etc. I use a Pyramid tea bag mod in my carts, and regularly (once per week) boil my atmoizers in water to keep them clean. I also turn them over every night to let them drain out.

My question is besides possible taste bud lock, is it a good idea to keep my PG liquids in the fridge to preserve flavors? I currently keep all my liquids in a dark cool closet. All my liquids are PG based. Should I swap to a PG/VG base mix to boost flavors?

Any advice is appreciated! I just want to find out what happened to the flavor.

Have you been shaking your bottles of juice vigorously before using them? I lost flavor by not doing this, as the flavoring seem to sit at the top of the bottle.

There is a long thread about refrigeration on the forum. I remember Sun Vaporer saying he lost juice by refrigerating it. Someone else said the ideal storage temp for juice is 60 degrees. So wine cooler yes. Refrigerator no.

Cool dark place was the #1 recommendation.

 

[Less is more]

Have you been shaking your bottles of juice vigorously before using them? I lost flavor by not doing this, as the flavoring seem to sit at the top of the bottle.

There is a long thread about refrigeration on the forum. I remember Sun Vaporer saying he lost juice by refrigerating it. Someone else said the ideal storage temp for juice is 60 degrees. So wine cooler yes. Refrigerator no.

Cool dark place was the #1 recommendation.

I discovered that shaking was somewhat helpful too. I've experienced a bit of a taste let down of late. Maybe it's because I AM storing in the fridge. I'll have to check that out. I'm guessing too cold is better than too warm. What do you all think? (I don't think there is a 60 degree place in my house.)

I also ordered Lorann's (sp?) to try to perk up the flavor, but have had limited success due to it becoming more watery.

 

[stormygal]

I have always shaken up my bottles, but I also do a decent amount of DYI so the shaking it up has just become habit.

My flavor loss was in everything both premade and DYI, it was something on the atomizers. The menthol eliquid in question (what I think did it, with only popping in a drop or two per 3ml of liquids) got cut and tested. It now resides in my garbage bin. It tasted like menthol for several hours and then began to 'lose' it's flavor, after about 7 hours it was gone to me. Had my hubby taste and he asked if I was trying to make a mild mint flavor, that was how weak it got. Something in that liquid was coating or doing something to my atomizer. Oh well lesson learned any new premade will be tested before getting mixed in with my other stuff.

I thought maybe it was due to my storage choices, but after following Kent C's advice the flavor returned. Huge thank you to Kent for that key phrasing that got my brain working! His mentioning a residue made me stop and go hmm ok the pepper is gone after the hour, but remained when only squirting through, time to figure out what is leaving that residue. Hence got it pinned down to the new eliquid.

I discovered that shaking was somewhat helpful too. I've experienced a bit of a taste let down of late. Maybe it's because I AM storing in the fridge. I'll have to check that out. I'm guessing too cold is better than too warm. What do you all think? (I don't think there is a 60 degree place in my house.)

I also ordered Lorann's (sp?) to try to perk up the flavor, but have had limited success due to it becoming more watery.

I honestly don't know about the fridge, but went with the recommended dark cool place.

I have used flavorings with premades, however it was not to boost flavor but to change it up a bit, like chocolate in my cappuccino, so I would imagine you can easily boost the flavor. With the watery thing maybe add a drop or two of VG to thicken it up a bit. I use VG for more vapor, but it does add a bit of thickening properties, both from what I read and in my personal experience. I'd give that a try, but maybe someone else can suggest something, I feel I am still too new at this to give much advice.

 

[pattyjo]

(I just fired up a brand new atty and the flavor and throat hit is back in full force I am beginning to think that after several weeks of using the same atty even tho cleaned they just dont produce the good flavor and throat hit as they get older, I still get alot of vapor but its just not the same as a brand new one