My ejuices barely taste at all! Help!

[MC Vape]

I pretty much have the same problem. I DIY for a year and barely made 2-3 juices that taste good. Even those juices people claim are mix and vape need at least a week to pop. Even if most people say to go low on flavor I need to go high to taste something but still depends on flavor. For example they told me strawberry FA is great at 3-5% and I feel nothing at that percentage. It smells good when I open the bottle but barely any flavor while vaping. Im still trying to find out where is the problem and will try to go higher on flavor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djsvapour]

I'm using the Vaporfi Vox TC mod 60 with the vSix tank, the vShock tank and recently the Viper tank. .

You have my sympathy.

(Please do find you what I am talking about.... it's not rocket science what your choice of hardware re-seller does).

Now, flavoring.
Almost no flavor exists that really works at the absurdly low % suggested by the makers.
For example, one of my flavor 'houses' makes flavor supposedly to mix at 2,3,4,5%. They start to get good at nearer 10% and many come up to 15%.
Adding more to a mix rarely produces results unless you then leave the new % mix for good few days. (steep, whatever...)

Here's an interesting story. There is a famous DIY mixer known to many on this forum. A UK company has the rights to sell his mixes in what we call a "one-shot" concentrate.
When these concentrates arrive on your doorstep, you get a suggested mixing % printed on the side of the bottle. Those are usually things like "mix at 10%" or 12.5% etc.
I have mixed all these juices at the suggested concentrate level and compared them to the original recipes published on e-liquid recipes.com. In some cases I have bought the 'real' liquid too.
Guess what... those % are simply not enough to replicate the flavor.

So... what we learn is a few things.

E-liquid makers will often use far more flavor than they are prepared to say.
One-shot recipes are under-estimated so you can add more... which is a golden rule of mixing but conversely marginally suspect business practice. Telling someone "our flavors are very strong and require only 2%" is yet another marketing gimmick.

...and to round it off, if we are talking marketing gimmicks then you really, really do need to understand more about your hardware brand.
A $59 tank with green O-rings is just a $25 tank with red O-rings.
A $199 box mod that leaves the factory in China for $17.46 is still a $17.46 box mod.


Good luck.

 

[Carl2]

I read through this post and remember having the same problem, I could see the vapor I inhaled but felt there was no flavor. I used a different approach and bought a RBA tank and began making coils. I blamed the lack of flavor on the e liquid and the Kanger atomizers but was able to stop burning tobacco because I got the nicotine. I wanted a spare unit so I tried an E leaf pico with the melo 2 tank, I think it has much better atomizers and delivers more taste.
I'm planning on making e liquid some day, for now I'm still making coils, also I like temp mode.

 

[JMC17]

Mixing juice is an odd creature. Not enough flavoring and you get nothing, to much flavoring and you get nothing.

I've been seeing this quite a bit around, although in my short experience, Neither the low or the high percentages tasted anything at all. I mean, I can still tell the difference between a tasteless PG/VG mix and one that has flavor in it. But it's not impactful, not like ejuices that I purchased. I don't even care if it taste good or not, I just want it to taste something. I remember when I first purchased a licorice ejuice, it was so awful but it tasted quite a lot!
My most recent ejuice purchased was from Vaporfi with the 3xApple and it tastes SO much it's insane.
I'm actually vaping that juice right now.

For example they told me strawberry FA is great at 3-5% and I feel nothing at that percentage. It smells good when I open the bottle but barely any flavor while vaping. Im still trying to find out where is the problem and will try to go higher on flavor.

This is my exact situation. I try to keep a high morale and still hope that I can find out what's wrong.
I might be looking into dripping, although I go through a vape tank so quickly it makes me nervous to spend on dripping..

You have my sympathy.

(Please do find you what I am talking about.... it's not rocket science what your choice of hardware re-seller does).

Yes, actually I was a bit underwhelmed by the feedback for my equipment in this thread, so I went and searched ECF for anything about Vaporfi and boy was I shocked. I nearly shed a tear.
When I decided to start vaping, I looked up review sites to decide what was the best vape equipment around, that was my mistake and I paid dearly.. I just paid another 80$ for 20 atomizers from Vaporfi. Although I did that mostly for testing purposes (I bought all the different atomizers to test if some of them are better flavor-wise)

Personally they've been great, nothing bad to say about the juices or equipment but I did pay WAY too much.
I like going with the popular choice and that was just not it, even though the review sites claimed otherwise.

Here's an interesting story. There is a famous DIY mixer known to many on this forum.

Oh yeah and his nickname probably have to do with clouds and heads, am I right?
I actually based my latest tests on his recipes, he seemed to use about 4 ingredients at about 2% each in his recipes (FA). So I mixed up the flavors for an 8% total and we'll see how they are later this week!
Because so far I had only tested single flavors and wasn't tasting much.

I also stopped bathing them in hot water, in case that was just burning the flavor away.

...and to round it off, if we are talking marketing gimmicks then you really, really do need to understand more about your hardware brand.
A $59 tank with green O-rings is just a $25 tank with red O-rings.
A $199 box mod that leaves the factory in China for $17.46 is still a $17.46 box mod.

If I could turn back time...

Thanks though, I really appreciate the validation.
If I ever change my hardware, you can be sure i'll be posting on ECF and researching the crap out of it.
Vaping is ruining me, but what I wouldn't do to stop smoking.
I hate being taken advantage of.

 

[JMC17]

I read through this post and remember having the same problem, I could see the vapor I inhaled but felt there was no flavor. I used a different approach and bought a RBA tank and began making coils. I blamed the lack of flavor on the e liquid and the Kanger atomizers but was able to stop burning tobacco because I got the nicotine. I wanted a spare unit so I tried an E leaf pico with the melo 2 tank, I think it has much better atomizers and delivers more taste.
I'm planning on making e liquid some day, for now I'm still making coils, also I like temp mode.

Yeah, I'm impatient though. You're doing the right thing by getting the basics right.
I just went all over the place, tried a bunch of stuff and now I feel like I may have overlooked simpler solutions.
That's why I just ordered all kinds of atomizers to test them out.
I've got overpriced hardware so i'm not really in the mood to buy new hardware right after..

It's really frustrating when you paid 300$+ for hardware and someone with a 20$ ecig is getting more flavor than you.
Basically my mindset was, if the hardware doesn't let much taste go through, maybe by making my own ejuices I could get something to taste a lot! I was wrong again T_T

Hopefully I can figure out what's wrong before I go nuts.

 

[dc99]

This may or may not help you. I have never gotten great strong flavor with 8%. There are a few companies that make super concentrated flavors that work at 2 r 3 but I just don't use them. To confusing to keep up with different concentrations. You say your bought juice has plenty of flavor and yours lacks flavor. Most juice companies are closer to 20% or more than 8%. Most say something like 20/80 blend. That is a sign of 20% flavoring since most flavoring is PG based.

 

[djsvapour]

If I ever change my hardware, you can be sure i'll be posting on ECF and researching the crap out of it.
Vaping is ruining me, but what I wouldn't do to stop smoking.
I hate being taken advantage of.

I'm glad we were able to step in... not because it's nice to find out, of course.
I was already down $800 before I turned to a Vaping forum. The worst bit of all was I hadn't stopped smoking.
Nearly all review sites are fake. Many reviews on vendors websites are sketchy. The Vaping 'magazines' are actually charlatans in my book. The web of deceit goes deep, really deep.
Good luck with your flavors.

 

[daviedog]

I always test my juices with Cartos, at 4 volts. With a Vamo V3.
Try to eliminate variables introduced by todays hi-performance RTAs.
I never add water to a mix.
Fruit flavors at 8 to 10% should not have to age.
I only use Inawera flavors these days.
When i first started DIY, just awful. You will pick up a methodology that will work for YOU..

 

[JMC17]

I only use Inawera flavors these days.

Is it because of their potency or is it just a better taste?
Right now, I don't mind if the ejuice don't taste so good, I just need it to taste strong.

I made some solutions yesterday, namely Citric Acid, Ethyl Maltol, Menthol and Ethyl Vanillin.
I heard that Ethyl Vanillin needs 3 or 4 days to steep so i'll be trying the other ones for now.

Since last I tried, my ejuices didn't taste much, I expect menthol to completely take them over.

Fruit flavors at 8 to 10% should not have to age.

When you say they should not have to age, do you mean you mix them and vape them right away and still get strong flavor?
Can you give me an example? Like, which flavor merchant (Inawera,FA, TFA..), which flavor you used and at what percentage? Was it a single flavor?
I usually mix at 70PG/30VG since I find that VG mutes the flavors, what's your preferred ratio?

I'm glad we were able to step in... not because it's nice to find out, of course.
I was already down $800 before I turned to a Vaping forum. The worst bit of all was I hadn't stopped smoking.
Nearly all review sites are fake. Many reviews on vendors websites are sketchy. The Vaping 'magazines' are actually charlatans in my book. The web of deceit goes deep, really deep.
Good luck with your flavors.

Hehe thanks!
I used review sites for a lot of other things like keyboard, mouse and headphones and thought they were pretty reliable. I thought those sites were sent hardware so they can test them and tell their honest opinions. I always want the opinion of someone who tried all sorts of things and have experience.

I don't think i'll be visiting another review site in the future!

 

[Carl2]

I'm surprised I haven't seen this mentioned so I put a link in : eJuice Me Up
which is a calculator for making e juices.
I think the basic purpose of vaping units is to deliver nicotine which they seem to do very well since I had no problem getting away from burning tobacco. One of the weaker points seems to be delivering flavor which is important to many users. Since I'm trying to replace tobacco I've settled on the RY4 tobacco flavor which seems to be working for me.

 

[daviedog]

Is it because of their potency or is it just a better taste?
Right now, I don't mind if the ejuice don't taste so good, I just need it to taste strong.

I made some solutions yesterday, namely Citric Acid, Ethyl Maltol, Menthol and Ethyl Vanillin.
I heard that Ethyl Vanillin needs 3 or 4 days to steep so i'll be trying the other ones for now.

Since last I tried, my ejuices didn't taste much, I expect menthol to completely take them over.




When you say they should not have to age, do you mean you mix them and vape them right away and still get strong flavor?
Can you give me an example? Like, which flavor merchant (Inawera,FA, TFA..), which flavor you used and at what percentage? Was it a single flavor?
I usually mix at 70PG/30VG since I find that VG mutes the flavors, what's your preferred ratio?
All flavors unless Stated otherwise are artificial containing up to 30 or more chemicals to mimic a strawberry as an example. This can create the chemical/candy taste we deplore,,hence Aging.
Do try immediately, some are Shake/bake.
I'm Not a chemist, when i acted the part, i sucked. And so did the juice. Don't just throw in ancillary components unless there is a reason.
70PG/30VG for me.
Work with your base, tweaking, one flavor at 8% should give good taste. If not check out atomizers & effects on taste.
I don't know if inawera flavors are natural or not. Using a simple peach, when smelling, i got the sensation of peach fuzz on my nose..



Hehe thanks!
I used review sites for a lot of other things like keyboard, mouse and headphones and thought they were pretty reliable. I thought those sites were sent hardware so they can test them and tell their honest opinions. I always want the opinion of someone who tried all sorts of things and have experience.

I don't think i'll be visiting another review site in the future!

 

[NealBJr]

I seemed to have missed this entire thread. I'll put my worth....

I mix juices depending on how I'll vape it. If I drip, I put less flavor, less nicotine, and more VG. I am primarily a RTA/Subohm tank user thought. I have recently started adding some more PG to help with wicking the tanks. My last batch is about 60/40 (vg/pg), and I've been vaping in the 85/15 range.

For flavoring, I usually calculate %15 flavoring for my RTA's.. it has been working well for me. for dripping, I will mix somewhere just under %10 by my guess. I usually mix fruity blends (strawberry/guava, etc) but almost always add some sort of vanilla or custard to it to give it a creamy taste. Flavor has never diminished.. I've been all out mixing for 2 months now, and pseudo-mixing for about 2 years (adding flavors to pre-made juices/diluting pre-made juices).

Nicotine, I keep at %6 for the tanks, %3 for dripping. I have a theory that higher nicotine levels tends to mute the tongue a bit.

Steam-engine.org seems to be my go-to place for my vaping calculators. I've been getting my juice supplies from My Freedom Smokes., but will occasionally buy some flavorings from Mount Baker Vapor.

Gear:... where to begin.. This past month, I've "re-discovered" my Kanger Subtank Nano on a Cloupor Mini.. been vaping at 30 watts. I also use a Orchid V6 on a Cuboid at 35 watts. For a flavor change, I vape a caramel based flavor on my TFV4 on my Releaux @ 60 watts, and for dripping I use my derringer with a .4 ohm build on various devices.. but usually at around 60 watts, or mechanical.

A SMOK Guardian III is in the mail along with a solid black Griffin RTA clone (I might regret getting the black glass, it may be hard to see the juice control).

That gives you an idea of my Vape style, and settings for comparison.

 

[JMC17]

That gives you an idea of my Vape style, and settings for comparison.

Thanks! I'm wondering what's the flavor vendor you're using, FA/LA/TFA/FW/Cap?
I just mixed up some new batches, I didn't bath them in hot water this time and used a proper calculator (Easy DIY E-Liquid Calculator for mixing your own juice).

Got FA 5ml Watermelon bottles 70%PG/30%VG at 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 50%
I did that because by my estimate, my second batch was about 14% and my third was about 24%, I think.

I also mixed up LA flavors at 10% and 20%, 70%PG/30%VG 5ml bottles.
All single flavors, with Blueberry, Peach, Bavarian Cream, Cheesecake, Cream Cheese Icing.
The LorAnn flavors smells SO good, I hope they'll taste a lot!

On the 8 September (6 days ago) I mixed two FA blends at 8%, 70%PG/30%VG 10ml bottles,
no hot water bath, and used the flavors Vanilla, Banana, Strawberry, Melon for the first bottle
and the second got Vanilla, Custard, Bilberry, Hazelnut. All of them 2%.

I still haven't tasted them but they don't smell much, so i'm not very hopeful.

I tried Ethyl Maltol at 10% solution on some of my old juices but it needed a lot of drops to even get a little bit sweet so I was a bit underwhelmed, I might try to strengthen it by adding about 10% more Ethyl Maltol.
I also tried Citric acid but unless the juice itself blows on your tongue, it really doesn't taste sour or much different. The vapor doesn't seem to be affected much by it.

The menthol was as expected, very strong, very nice.
Just a single drop is enough to change the taste of the juice.
I dropped 5 drops in some 3ml juice and it was like vaping ice, pretty impressive.

I haven't tried the Ethyl Vanillin yet, but the solution is made and has been steeping!

 

[djsvapour]

The menthol was as expected, very strong, very nice.
Just a single drop is enough to change the taste of the juice.
I dropped 5 drops in some 3ml juice and it was like vaping ice, pretty impressive.

Menthol is normally very strong. I find 10 drops per 10ml too much. Currently in the 5-7 drops per 10ml area depending on recipe.
(drops from this particular bottle is about 30 per ml)....

 

[JMC17]

Menthol is normally very strong. I find 10 drops per 10ml too much. Currently in the 5-7 drops per 10ml area depending on recipe.
(drops from this particular bottle is about 30 per ml)....

Haha yes! Menthol is fascinating in so many ways.
I love how aggressive it is and dissolving those huge menthol crystals was a fun experience!

My entire kit smells like menthol now and I was thinking about storing the menthol crystals somewhere else just to be safe.

 

[JMC17]

Thanks to ECF and personal experience, I didn't trust that supplier. I'm glad a moderator deleted that post.
I've read enough on ECF to know I can only trust the known and popular vendors.

Also, I just tried one of my 8th September blends. The one with Vanilla, Banana, Strawberry, Melon at 2% each for a total of 8% with FA flavors, it has been steeping for 11 days.
Still barely taste anything. I'm not surprised since they didn't smell much.

I'm a bit more hopeful with the other bottle, the Bilberry blend, it has a strong smell.
Although that's all I can smell, I'm pretty sure the Bilberry flavor took over all the other flavors, even the Hazelnut.

I think i'm gonna start trusting my nose, if a juice smells strong, it'll most likely taste strong too.
After i'm done with these two blend bottles, i'll try the melon bottles I mixed.
I'm fairly certain the 2%,4%,6% and 8% bottles are going to be tasteless because they don't smell much.
The 50% on the other hand, smells really strong so i'm really looking forward to taste that one.

The LA bottles i've mixed, smells incredible, especially the 20% ones.

[Edit] I just tried the Bilberry and it has a light flavor, definitely tastes more than the other blend but still not as much as i'd like to.

 

[Bonskibon]

I'm fairly certain the 2%,4%,6% and 8% bottles are going to be tasteless because they don't smell much.
The 50% on the other hand, smells really strong so i'm really looking forward to taste that one.

Normally with lesser flavor it will have some taste, but the 50% flavor is way to much and may not be what your hoping for. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[MC Vape]

Thanks to ECF and personal experience, I didn't trust that supplier. I'm glad a moderator deleted that post.
I've read enough on ECF to know I can only trust the known and popular vendors.

Also, I just tried one of my 8th September blends. The one with Vanilla, Banana, Strawberry, Melon at 2% each for a total of 8% with FA flavors, it has been steeping for 11 days.
Still barely taste anything. I'm not surprised since they didn't smell much.

I'm a bit more hopeful with the other bottle, the Bilberry blend, it has a strong smell.
Although that's all I can smell, I'm pretty sure the Bilberry flavor took over all the other flavors, even the Hazelnut.

I think i'm gonna start trusting my nose, if a juice smells strong, it'll most likely taste strong too.
After i'm done with these two blend bottles, i'll try the melon bottles I mixed.
I'm fairly certain the 2%,4%,6% and 8% bottles are going to be tasteless because they don't smell much.
The 50% on the other hand, smells really strong so i'm really looking forward to taste that one.

The LA bottles i've mixed, smells incredible, especially the 20% ones.

[Edit] I just tried the Bilberry and it has a light flavor, definitely tastes more than the other blend but still not as much as i'd like to.

Agh welcome to my world. Those are the same problems I have after a year doing DIY. Mostly they blame on me telling me either I dont know how to mix or my taste buds are bad blah blah. How come when I buy a juice I can always taste it?! Thats why I said I think vendors add something in their juice which is a secret and who knows is it safe to vape. Maybe thats why they are freaking out about FDA law? FDA only wants to know whats inside and if they use all I use in my DIY I dont see a problem there.

 

[djsvapour]

That's why I said I think vendors add something in their juice which is a secret and who knows is it safe to vape.

It's fair to say that vendors keep the true % (high % concentrate use) of flavors well hidden.
One Vendor accidentally let it slip they were using 28% in one recipe... and yet DIYers are talking about 5% this and 2% that.

 

[MC Vape]

It's fair to say that vendors keep the true % (high % concentrate use) of flavors well hidden.
One Vendor accidentally let it slip they were using 28% in one recipe... and yet DIYers are talking about 5% this and 2% that.

Thats why when I was doing 100 drops test recipe I added 15% cheesecake graham crust even if everyone say to use only 15% and 10% strawberry. I feel rich cheesecake flavor but no strawberry at all. After I lowered cheesecake to 10% I felt almost nothing.
Maybe there is really something wrong with my taste buds since most of the people use 2-5% of flavors and say its amazing but honestly I dont think so.