My vg juice tastes awful

[CallmeB]

I just mixed some TFA Caramel Cappuccino in a mostly VG mix and it tastes horrible, like vaping cardboard. I've noticed that most of my VG mixes are terrible. Do I need to let these steep in VG?

This was my mix

nicotine 2.4ml 24%
VG 5ml 50%
PG .1ml 1% (to try and thin it a little)
distilled water .5ml 5% (also to thin the vg)
Flavor 2ml 20%
(5 drops sweetener, and 5 drops spearmint)

I'm starting to think an entirely VG mix is unrealistic.

 

[flowerpots]

I just mixed some TFA Caramel Cappuccino in a mostly VG mix and it tastes horrible, like vaping cardboard. I've noticed that most of my VG mixes are terrible. Do I need to let these steep in VG?

This was my mix

nicotine 2.4ml 24%
VG 5ml 50%
PG .1ml 1% (to try and thin it a little)
distilled water .5ml 5% (also to thin the vg)
Flavor 2ml 20%
(5 drops sweetener, and 5 drops spearmint)

I'm starting to think an entirely VG mix is unrealistic.

Someone may come along and correct me on this, but I think the TFA Caramel Cappuccino needs a lot less concentration, like a few drops per 10mls max. Does it seem strong? I opened my Caramel Cappuccino last night and am not thrilled with it either - very fake tasting and the coffee note is bitter. I hear mixed reviews on the VG juice thing - some say VG mutes flavors, others say no, it doesn't. I would let that one steep a few days myself - the test batch I made of it is steeping and I won't touch it again for a few days.

 

[CallmeB]

I just tried to mix it at nearly 40% and it was unvapable. Absolutely nauseating. Tasted like asprine. No more of this high VG nonsense for me. I just opened my brand new coil and it was caked with black goo. None of the juices I've vaped on it have had hardly any color, so I'm assuming this is the VG. I just tried a 70/30 pg/vg with the caramel Cappiccino and it was equally horrible. I'm starting to think that is a dud flavor. Most of my flavors though are at best muted. I don't know what's going on. I'm definitely going to mix all testers at 30% from now on though. It's almost as if none of my flavoring has any flavor to it. I'm getting nothing. I just put a brand new coil in and saturated the wick after I replaced it with a cotton wick which I have been doing for well over a month no less than 20 times (practicing)

Is this calculator ok to us? eJuice Recipe Calculator In a minute I'm going to mix some simple spearmint 30% 50/50 pg/vg and see what happens. If it doesn't come out comparable to the stuff I buy from the e cig store, I'm gonna be worried and have to do something to figure this out.

 

[xCJack]

I just tried to mix it at nearly 40% and it was unvapable. Absolutely nauseating. Tasted like asprine. No more of this high VG nonsense for me. I just opened my brand new coil and it was caked with black goo. None of the juices I've vaped on it have had hardly any color, so I'm assuming this is the VG. I just tried a 70/30 pg/vg with the caramel Cappiccino and it was equally horrible. I'm starting to think that is a dud flavor. Most of my flavors though are at best muted. I don't know what's going on. I'm definitely going to mix all testers at 30% from now on though. It's almost as if none of my flavoring has any flavor to it. I'm getting nothing. I just put a brand new coil in and saturated the wick after I replaced it with a cotton wick which I have been doing for well over a month no less than 20 times (practicing)

Is this calculator ok to us? eJuice Recipe Calculator In a minute I'm going to mix some simple spearmint 30% 50/50 pg/vg and see what happens. If it doesn't come out comparable to the stuff I buy from the e cig store, I'm gonna be worried and have to do something to figure this out.

You're buying bad VG juice, the stuff I order is delicious.

 

[flowerpots]

I just tried to mix it at nearly 40% and it was unvapable. Absolutely nauseating. Tasted like asprine. No more of this high VG nonsense for me. I just opened my brand new coil and it was caked with black goo. None of the juices I've vaped on it have had hardly any color, so I'm assuming this is the VG. I just tried a 70/30 pg/vg with the caramel Cappiccino and it was equally horrible. I'm starting to think that is a dud flavor. Most of my flavors though are at best muted. I don't know what's going on. I'm definitely going to mix all testers at 30% from now on though. It's almost as if none of my flavoring has any flavor to it. I'm getting nothing. I just put a brand new coil in and saturated the wick after I replaced it with a cotton wick which I have been doing for well over a month no less than 20 times (practicing)

Is this calculator ok to us? eJuice Recipe Calculator In a minute I'm going to mix some simple spearmint 30% 50/50 pg/vg and see what happens. If it doesn't come out comparable to the stuff I buy from the e cig store, I'm gonna be worried and have to do something to figure this out.

Have you recently quit smoking? You may be experiencing vaper's tongue, which is very common for people when they first quit. It causes you to basically have a dull sense of taste, or your normal good juices just don't taste right. This will pass, but in the meantime, keep hydrated. With cotton wick, you should be getting decent flavor. If not, you can try a basic 510 threaded dripping atomizer. You can get the atomizer and drip tip for under $10 from most vendors and I've found this is the cheapest and easiest way to test flavors, as well as the most flavorful. I would try the 50/50 base before going with a high PG base, but that's just me. See how the 50/50 works for you. But, keep in mind about the vaper's tongue thing and maybe wait a few weeks for that to completely pass before you make any permanent changes in base preference.

I think this Caramel Cappuccino may be a dud, but I'll keep testing it to be sure. I started with 1 drop in 5mls of 50/50 base. I will test it on a dripping atomizer after it steeps a few days.

That's a good calculator and a common one used here. There are several available both for desktop and cell phone. It's a matter of preference and what you are comfortable with.

 

[Heabob]

Cara Cap is way strong, and will gunk up your coils for sure, and caramel + sweeteners are hard on coils too.

I don't care for it too much.

Nasty taste may be your Nic, so try a 50/50 mix without any nic.

Although some have complained about bad tasting PG or VG...

And the flavorings take a bit longer to meld with pure VG, but it won't help with Cara Capp unless it's mixed very weak, and then steeped.

 

[CallmeB]

I'm freakin out, because something is very wrong here. I'm new to diy, but I should be getting something close to a vapable product when following instructions. I'm not at all. My stuff tastes like burnt Asprin. I have changed the coil 3 times. Nothing. I'm not vaping on some stuff they sent as a sampler. It tastes great! How can I tell if the VG or PG is bad? I definitely think something is very wrong.

 

[flowerpots]

I'm freakin out, because something is very wrong here. I'm new to diy, but I should be getting something close to a vapable product when following instructions. I'm not at all. My stuff tastes like burnt Asprin. I have changed the coil 3 times. Nothing. I'm not vaping on some stuff they sent as a sampler. It tastes great! How can I tell if the VG or PG is bad? I definitely think something is very wrong.

You can just put straight PG or VG into your top/atomizer and vape it to see if it tastes bad. Some nicotine solutions are rough tasting, peppery. It could be your nicotine, as Heabob mentioned. You can also just vape this provided it's down to a safe %, <24mg or 2.4%.

 

[mackman]

Here is a good place to gain valuable info: DIY E-Liquid. Your flavor concentration is way way too high which will make your juice taste like SH@#. I mix nothing but VG juice with PG nic and with some knowledge and experimentation you can make juice as good as any vendor sells. Check out these recipes:E-Liquid Recipes made by E-Liquid Calculator Users at EcigVape.com

 

[CallmeB]

Ok I found out what was wrong. I went to a local e cig store and asked them if they thought my vg/pg was bad and they thought that was highly unlikely. But then I noticed my tank was turning white. The guy at the store caught on quicker than me. It was one of my flavors reacting with the plastic. That is why all my mixes tasted so terrible. I was vaping liquified plastic. Boy you should smell my room. It's awful. I have the window open trying to air it out. Hell I didn't know. I thought this must just be part of the process. Well I bought a Protank 2 which is all glass and metal. I won't be having this problem again.

My mixes aren't great, but they are passable. Just need a little refining to bring out the flavor more. I think most of that is due to trying to use too much VG. I downloaded E Juice Me Up and it is a much better program than the online one I was using. Thanks for the help guys. I'm not out of the woods yet, but at least I'm not vaping plastic anymore.

 

[flowerpots]

Ok I found out what was wrong. I went to a local e cig store and asked them if they thought my vg/pg was bad and they thought that was highly unlikely. But then I noticed my tank was turning white. The guy at the store caught on quicker than me. It was one of my flavors reacting with the plastic. That is why all my mixes tasted so terrible. I was vaping liquified plastic. Boy you should smell my room. It's awful. I have the window open trying to air it out. Hell I didn't know. I thought this must just be part of the process. Well I bought a Protank 2 which is all glass and metal. I won't be having this problem again.

My mixes aren't great, but they are passable. Just need a little refining to bring out the flavor more. I think most of that is due to trying to use too much VG. I downloaded E Juice Me Up and it is a much better program than the online one I was using. Thanks for the help guys. I'm not out of the woods yet, but at least I'm not vaping plastic anymore.

Yeah, no wonder your juice tasted bad. There are generally known flavors that can melt the polycarbonate plastic tanks - it's a long list of vendor juices, but it will give you an idea of which separate ingredients can be the culprit. I have 4 glass tanks, just in case for questionable juices. I'm of the thought these are worth investing in:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/clearomizers/219179-lets-make-list-juices-flavors-crack-tanks-ce2s-clearos-4.html#post9660727

It's all a learning process with DIY. I think the hardest part is making a juice complex as opposed to a juice that just has a bunch of different flavors slammed together lol

 

[CallmeB]

Excellent Idea. Here's a picture of my tank.

http://brentnewton.deviantart.com/art/F-d-Up-e-Tank-455423628

I'm not 100% on it being eaten up by a flavor. It could just be the Spearmint crystallizing, but I'll tell ya it is an awful stink, so I have to lean toward it being dissolved by some flavor. Sadly I tried several today so I don't know which did it. I am conducting an experiment right now with a drop of each on a polycarbonate cup. I'll wait and see which causes a problem. Excellent idea to create a list of tank crackers. I'll get back to you with my results. I can already tell that the TFA Spearmint is doing something, but it could just be crystallizing. I didn't clean my tank out before putting in new flavors today while testing them. I don't know if they can possibly combine and cause reactions that otherwise wouldn't happen.

 

[CallmeB]

Check out this quote from the MyFreedomSmokes website about that Caramel Cappuccino.

"***Warning: this flavor is STRONG! it is a nod to those customers who want really really strong flavors.
so please be forewarned. if you usually dilute to 20%, you might want to skip this one
(you will need to dilute this to 5% or less, or 1 drop per 10ml)
also, although may customers love this flavor, there are also customers who really dislike it, so once again, we recommend you try the small size to see if it will work for you!
Please! be forwarned! this flavor has a very intense black coffee note as well, and is going
to smell very very strong and rather unpleasant.

THIS FLAVOR IS DESIGNED FOR CUSTOMERS WHO WANT EXTREME CONCENTRATIONS"

I didn't take them srsly. You know how everyone exaggerates their products. Well I'm going to give it one more try. This time I'll do as they say and put a single drop in a 10ml bottle. This was probably a large part of the problem. Then I went nuts with the Spearmint and destroyed my tank.

 

[flowerpots]

Check out this quote from the MyFreedomSmokes website about that Caramel Cappuccino.

"***Warning: this flavor is STRONG! it is a nod to those customers who want really really strong flavors.
so please be forewarned. if you usually dilute to 20%, you might want to skip this one
(you will need to dilute this to 5% or less, or 1 drop per 10ml)
also, although may customers love this flavor, there are also customers who really dislike it, so once again, we recommend you try the small size to see if it will work for you!
Please! be forwarned! this flavor has a very intense black coffee note as well, and is going
to smell very very strong and rather unpleasant.

THIS FLAVOR IS DESIGNED FOR CUSTOMERS WHO WANT EXTREME CONCENTRATIONS"

I didn't take them srsly. You know how everyone exaggerates their products. Well I'm going to give it one more try. This time I'll do as they say and put a single drop in a 10ml bottle. This was probably a large part of the problem. Then I went nuts with the Spearmint and destroyed my tank.

They aren't kidding! And I bought 15mls of this stuff. I will probably end up tossing it unless I can combine it with something to make it taste better.

I started with a drop in 10mls and just dripped it. It's not strong enough for me at that %, so I added 2 more drops. I will let it sit another couple of days before i test it again.

 

[CallmeB]

Man this stuff is a LOT harder than I thought it would be. I thought for some reason all these flavors would be identical strengths and they'd all taste exactly like their name. My first impulse was to get angry, but this is the cost you pay for a free market. Vaping is still very young. It will get better over time.

Yeah I mixed a 10ml batch with 1 single drop of that Caramel Cappuccino. I wouldn't say it tastes good, but I can see it being very good at mimicking a tobacco flavor. All it needs is something deep and rich to even out that peppery... well Sh^t taste. lol I call my 1 drop blend Crapuccino. lol It's vapable. I also added some sweetener. I think most of these flavors need at least a day to steep. Every flavor I mix seems to taste better the longer I leave it to sit. The waiting kills me though.

Oh check out this warning that I swear wasn't there when I bought the Spearmint.



The Flavor Apprentice Spearmint - DIY E-Liquid Flavoring

***The ingredients in this liquid may cause it to react with certain types of acrylic and/or plastic at high concentrations. Therefore, it is recommended that customers do not use this product in devices that are made of or contain acrylic and/or plastic components. We are not responsible for any damage done to devices through the use of this liquid. Use at your own risk.

From TFA website:

water soluble
a fresh and clean, all natural spearmint - not sweet (you can always sweeten it!)
Note: this flavor can damage certain soft plastics.

Ingredients: Natural Flavor, Propylene Glycol

Elliria:
Spearmint - This is very powerful. Start by mixing this at 5%, and only up it if that's not strong enough. It could probably do with some sweetening, but is good as is. It not only has a fresh, spearmint flavor, but it also seems to cool the throat. The people around me commented on how nice it smells. The minty freshness stays with you after using it, too.


I don't think I will be purchasing TFA for a while. Just about every flavor I bought is a bust. MFS sent me an apricot mix that was the best thing I'd ever vaped. I will be ordering a bucket of that. Yeah I have that CC in a ziplock bag inside a sealed air tight container. That crap has a terrible smell.

I wonder if you heated your mix on a very low heat something like 150F if it would hasten the steeping time. hmm

 

[flowerpots]

Man this stuff is a LOT harder than I thought it would be. I thought for some reason all these flavors would be identical strengths and they'd all taste exactly like their name. My first impulse was to get angry, but this is the cost you pay for a free market. Vaping is still very young. It will get better over time.

Yeah I mixed a 10ml batch with 1 single drop of that Caramel Cappuccino. I wouldn't say it tastes good, but I can see it being very good at mimicking a tobacco flavor. All it needs is something deep and rich to even out that peppery... well Sh^t taste. lol I call my 1 drop blend Crapuccino. lol It's vapable. I also added some sweetener. I think most of these flavors need at least a day to steep. Every flavor I mix seems to taste better the longer I leave it to sit. The waiting kills me though.

Oh check out this warning that I swear wasn't there when I bought the Spearmint.



The Flavor Apprentice Spearmint - DIY E-Liquid Flavoring

***The ingredients in this liquid may cause it to react with certain types of acrylic and/or plastic at high concentrations. Therefore, it is recommended that customers do not use this product in devices that are made of or contain acrylic and/or plastic components. We are not responsible for any damage done to devices through the use of this liquid. Use at your own risk.

From TFA website:

water soluble
a fresh and clean, all natural spearmint - not sweet (you can always sweeten it!)
Note: this flavor can damage certain soft plastics.

Ingredients: Natural Flavor, Propylene Glycol

Elliria:
Spearmint - This is very powerful. Start by mixing this at 5%, and only up it if that's not strong enough. It could probably do with some sweetening, but is good as is. It not only has a fresh, spearmint flavor, but it also seems to cool the throat. The people around me commented on how nice it smells. The minty freshness stays with you after using it, too.


I don't think I will be purchasing TFA for a while. Just about every flavor I bought is a bust. MFS sent me an apricot mix that was the best thing I'd ever vaped. I will be ordering a bucket of that. Yeah I have that CC in a ziplock bag inside a sealed air tight container. That crap has a terrible smell.

I wonder if you heated your mix on a very low heat something like 150F if it would hasten the steeping time. hmm

TFA is in the process of being transparent about their products, they really are trying. It's a matter of it taking time to get all of the warnings and ingredient lists for each flavor. Don't judge TFA's line of products by Caramel Cappuccino. My experience with their flavors, as well as the flavors of any vendor, is some are great, some are so-so, and some are just not good.

Which flavors did you get other than CC?

Some swear by heat steeping in a crockpot, for example, at 150 degrees. I personally don't use heat. I would wait and see what the flavors taste like in a few days before making your final judgment on them. In my experience, all juices change over time, and all need steeping at least a day or two.

 

[CallmeB]

I got blueberry, banana cream, spearmint, watermelon and some sweetener. I've had some luck with the banana cream. It's only been sitting for an hour and it's already very good. We'll see about the blue berry later. The CC I mixed last night isn't horrible. It isn't good either, but it's vapable. Sorta reminds me of a cheap tobacco.

Waiting is not one of my strong suits. lol but I will do as you say. I'm going to talk to the lady next door as soon as she gets home from work about what she thinks would be a good idea. She's the chemical engineer.

 

[CallmeB]

The results of my experiment are in. The spearmint definitely eats plastic. Here's the image of the final result.

http://brentnewton.deviantart.com/art/Experiment-455562594

 

[flowerpots]

All mints, cinnamon, someone said honeysuckle, citrus can melt the plastic tanks. There is a long list on a thread here of the different vendor juices known to crack tanks. I'll see if I can find it for you and post it here. It will give you an idea of which ingredients you need to be careful with.

I've got banana cream also, but haven't worked with it yet. I'm not sure the CC is even vapeable for me. It's not too strong, but it's just not good lol I may be swapping that one soon.

Depending on what sweetener you have, I assume sucralose, you can end up muting your flavors, if it's ethyl maltol or EM. So, just keep that in mind when mixing. I made a fruit blend, used EM, and it made the flavors flat and indistinguishable.

 

[CallmeB]

On another thread a guy says he loves the CC, but he steeps it for at least a week or 2. He says he's up to a 3% mix, but that it has to be left to steep. I had the idea that maybe it would make a perfect VG only flavor as VG doesn't carry as much of the flavor. I doubt I'm going to use it again any time soon though. I have the mix I made last night steeping in the closet. I'll try it again in a week. Who knows maybe that's all it needs. I now have an ant infestation in my bathroom. Apparently one of these flavors attracts them. They are all over the counter. Sugar ants. Even ants are vapin.