I've heard of the major flavor suppliers LorAnn, FlavourArt, etc and wondering if anyone has input as to quality. I'm sure I will have to experiment a bit to find my preferences but opinions are a great place to start.
Very few people use LorAnn anymore. Most of their flavors are oil based and don't mix well into ecig juices. Plus they tend to be a bit weak. Still, they've got some flavors that no one else has, and shouldn't be written off entirely.
Cappella (CAP) is really popular, especially for newbies. However, their flavors are really diluted so you need a LOT of flavoring added to your mixes. It's not unusual to see Cappella based recipes calling for 15-20% flavoring, which is just a huge amount IMO. That can significantly increase the cost of DIY.
FlavourArt (FA) is what I use the most. Their flavors are very high concentrates so it doesn't take much to make your juice. 3-5% flavoring adding to your juices is the norm. They tend to have a bit cleaner, more natural taste, but their flavors tend to lack sweetness and may not be what you're looking for with desert or candy recipes. I tend to use them most because I usually make large batches (200ml at a time) and it's easier to get 30ml and larger bottles of flavoring from FlavourArt than some of the other producers.
The Flavor Apprentice (TFA) also deals with very high concentrates and require only around 5% flavoring to make good juices. They tend to use more artificial flavors and have the sweetness that works well for deserts and candies. They are probably the most open about what is inside their flavorings which is important to a lot of DIY people who are trying to avoid potentially unhealthy additives in their ecig juice such as diketones.
There are of course other companies as well, but I can only talk about those I have experience with.
Now, from these, I tend to avoid Cappella. I tend to mix large batches (200ml at a time) and the volume of Cappella flavoring required is just too much. For a 200ml bottle I typically use 6-10ml of FlavourArt or The Flavor Apprentice where the same recipe from Capella would require 30-40ml of flavoring to get the same result. I could buy a $7 bottle of FlavourArt flavoring but would need closer to $35 worth of Cappella flavoring to equal it.
I would put The Flavor Apprentice on the same level as FlavourArt but it's a little more difficult to get large quantities of flavoring from The Flavor Apprentice. But as far as the flavors themselves go, some I prefer from FA, some from TFA. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, but both are high quality, highly concentrated, and priced well. FA tends to be a little bit cheaper, but not by a significant amount.
I would only use LorAnn if I wanted a flavor that no one else makes. IMO their flavors just aren't anything special overall and most are oil based which don't work well in ecigs.
Speaking of which, my latest FlavourArt package just arrived while I was typing this out. Peppermint, Spearmint, Fresh Cream, Vanilla Classic, and Strawberry, all in 30ml bottles. Got 20g of menthol crystals too. My wife only vapes pure menthol and she's down to her last 60ml. Total price was $42.39 including shipping.
