Made a juice need some advice if anyone can help please?

[Merty21]

72 Mg/ml Nicotine

This is the liquid I'm using and the recipe I have followed is


Nicotine base (VG) 0.83
Flavor 1 (PG) 1.5
VG 5.19
PG 2.48

this is the measurement is ml that I'veused to try and achieve a 60/40 vg/pgblend. this is using a 72mg solution in VGbase. I'm aiming to produce a 6mg endproduct.

The liquid itself vapes well but the overal taste isn't as great as I planned!

I've used 2 flavours sweet mango and blue raspberry cotton candy

Both the flavours taste pretty generic on the inhale but you get the flavour at the end of the exhale.

Is there anything I can do to enhance the flavour on both inhale and exhale?

I've tried adding more flavour but it hasn't seemed to help?
I'm wondering. If steeping will help bring out the flavour or if there is anything else I can potentially add to make it an overall better end result?

Thanks in advance

 

[herb]

Steeping is key , unfortunately steeping makes the biggest difference after a few weeks.

 

[Merty21]

I few other people have said that they use a shake an vape method? I was wondering this this is a possibility if I used extra ingredients? As if the balance isn't right I wouldn't like to steep for a few weeks to no avail but if that is the case then I would happily make more so I can have a back log rather than waiting so long for the next batch!

 

[chadbrochilly]

Hi Merty, definitely keep at it! My juice always takes a week or two to really come out in full flavor. Shaking and mixing helps. I would also recommend giving it a "hot water bath" (just heat up a bit of water on the stove and let the juice sit in the heat for a while). That can help speed up steeping in the short term.

Also, consider using Ethyl Maltol. It can really bring out the sweet and fruity flavors in small amounts.

Hope that helps.

 

[Merty21]

Great thanks for the advice! I was told that if the water is to hot it can ruin the nicotine in it? Is ethyl maltol the sweetener you can buy? Home much would you recommend using for a 10ml batch?

Thanks in advance

 

[chadbrochilly]

I've never had a problem with nicotine degradation from hot water. Nicotine doesn't degrade that easily. Here's some factoids:

Rate of degradation.
Nicotine in PG solution is noted to be stable at room temperature (20°C) when exposed to air and (indirect) sunlight for up to 2 months with only a 2.1% drop in concentration.

This indicates that an open container of Nic/PG base at 54mg would degrade to approximately 52.8mg.
An open container of PG e-liquid at 18mg would degrade to approximately 17.5mg.

Similar minimal degradation (2%) is noted to have occurred after storage in a domestic freezer for around 18 months.
(I only have one source for this, numerous others all appear to cite or plagiarise the original).

Various tests carried out at 40-80°C for up to 20 days appear to show no degradation of Nicotine in PG within a sealed container.

Breakdown of the chemical structure of Nicotine is noted to begin at approximately 300°C in an oxidizing environment.

For Ethyl Maltol I usually use around 3-7% in my fruit flavored liquids. Also, when you're starting out I would suggest making liquid in larger quantities than 10ml batches. The reason being your margin of error is much lower when making smaller samples. For example your 1.5ml of flavoring needs to be much more exact than say if you were making a 30 or 50 ml batch. Keep in mind too that different flavors will have varying strengths depending on the flavor itself. My pomegranate for instance only needs about 10% flavor while my cantaloupe is much better around 35%. Try different percentages with the same flavor until you find something that you like.

 

[Merty21]

Cheers that's really a helpful! I'll try adding it to some hot water and see if that helps. I only started with a 10ml solution purely because I made errors with a large batch i thought it would be a bit of a waste. How do you work out how much flavouring to use or it it just a case of trial and error?

 

[Heybilox]

Merty I like to liven up most of my juices with a good squirt of Great Value liquid Stevia.
Take in consideration I make 60ml batches, so Stevia is pretty potent.
And remember patience is a virtue, so let most juices steep; it does enhance most mixes.

 

[chadbrochilly]

It's definitely trial and error for a while. No DIYer worth their salt hasn't dumped their fair share of bad liquid down the drain. Check out some of the recipes other DIYers have posted especially those that use the same flavor brand as you have. In my experience LorAnns require much less flavor percentage than TFA or really any other brands. Again though, it's going to come down to what you like and not necessarily what works for someone else. Of course it can take a while to figure out what you like, lol

 

[chadbrochilly]

This thread has a bunch of links to good recipe lists/sites. About 7 or 8 posts down.

 

[Merty21]

Thank you again for the help! Really great advice!

 

[Merty21]

I've never had a problem with nicotine degradation from hot water. Nicotine doesn't degrade that easily. Here's some factoids:

Rate of degradation.
Nicotine in PG solution is noted to be stable at room temperature (20°C) when exposed to air and (indirect) sunlight for up to 2 months with only a 2.1% drop in concentration.

This indicates that an open container of Nic/PG base at 54mg would degrade to approximately 52.8mg.
An open container of PG e-liquid at 18mg would degrade to approximately 17.5mg.

Similar minimal degradation (2%) is noted to have occurred after storage in a domestic freezer for around 18 months.
(I only have one source for this, numerous others all appear to cite or plagiarise the original).

Various tests carried out at 40-80°C for up to 20 days appear to show no degradation of Nicotine in PG within a sealed container.

Breakdown of the chemical structure of Nicotine is noted to begin at approximately 300°C in an oxidizing environment.

For Ethyl Maltol I usually use around 3-7% in my fruit flavored liquids. Also, when you're starting out I would suggest making liquid in larger quantities than 10ml batches. The reason being your margin of error is much lower when making smaller samples. For example your 1.5ml of flavoring needs to be much more exact than say if you were making a 30 or 50 ml batch. Keep in mind too that different flavors will have varying strengths depending on the flavor itself. My pomegranate for instance only needs about 10% flavor while my cantaloupe is much better around 35%. Try different percentages with the same flavor until you find something that you like.

So following your advice if order some ethly maltol! Hopefully that'll help! I've also been steeping the juice continually in warm water since last night! Fingers crossed its helping but I'm yet to try them as of yet!

 

[dannyv45]

Theres a bit more to DIY then adding flavoring and steeping. There are many additives and flavor combinations that will enhance a mix. A little research goes a long way in perfecting a mix.

My blogs will give insight into all aspects of DIY, from steeping to what supplies to have on hand to a basic walk through mixing your first E-juice.

E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

Then read hoosier's blogs. These blogs concentrate on fine tuning your mix and give insight on additives.

E-Cigarette Forum - Hoosier - Blogs

Then read Boletus's blog's. These blogs concentrate on formulation of nicotine bases regarding proper calculations methods for figuring Nicotine concentration as well as safety.

E-Cigarette Forum - Boletus - Blogs

Then read Ginger's book "E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid". It is a book which I've contributed to that delivers an in depth easy to follow guide in the art of DYI.

E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid

I recommend viewing VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety and bookmark it for future reference. It explains safety in all aspects of DYI.

VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety

then read the stickies at the top of the page.

this will explain a lot of the how's and why's.

 

[Merty21]

Theres a bit more to DIY then adding flavoring and steeping. There are many additives and flavor combinations that will enhance a mix. A little research goes a long way in perfecting a mix.

My blogs will give insight into all aspects of DIY, from steeping to what supplies to have on hand to a basic walk through mixing your first E-juice.

E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

Then read hoosier's blogs. These blogs concentrate on fine tuning your mix and give insight on additives.

E-Cigarette Forum - Hoosier - Blogs

Then read Boletus's blog's. These blogs concentrate on formulation of nicotine bases regarding proper calculations methods for figuring Nicotine concentration as well as safety.

E-Cigarette Forum - Boletus - Blogs

Then read Ginger's book "E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid". It is a book which I've contributed to that delivers an in depth easy to follow guide in the art of DYI.

E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid

I recommend viewing VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety and bookmark it for future reference. It explains safety in all aspects of DYI.

VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety

then read the stickies at the top of the page.

this will explain a lot of the how's and why's.

Hi Danny! I did try and look through your blog before I began but I must have missed the walk through for making the first batch of juice? Is there anyway you could directly link me to the relevant post that may be of some help as I'm feeling a little lost in translation with there being so much to take it all at once!

Thanks

 

[retired1]

Go slow and take your time. It takes a while to get DIY down pat to where you're awfully happy with your results. Even the more common recipes that people rave about may need tweaking for your individual tastes.

 

[VNeil]

The Flavor Apprentice Flavoring Thread

That is a good thread with great TFA recipes, and the dominant posters there favor High Flavor Mixes, at 20-30% flavoring, and mostly at 30%. I followed that for most of my mixes and was very happy with the results at time of mix. Which is the whole point of that philosophy. I learn more in one day than I can in 3 months, waiting for low flavor mixes to steep. MOst of my stuff settles down pretty much after only a day or two, and the results after a quick mix and shake tell me what I need to know. Enjoy the journey!

 

[Susan~S]

I did try and look through your blog before I began but I must have missed the walk through for making the first batch of juice?

Here is the relevant blog post.

Mixing 101, The Basics - A simple walk through on mixing a favorite standard... RY4