New to DIY'ing.

[VaporJake]

Hey guys, I've been vaping for about 2 years now and finally caved in to trying out DIY'ing since it seems to be a LOT cheaper. So far it hasn't been a real pleasant experience. I currently have some TFA flavorings (bananas, strawberry, blueberries, creams and a few others) and they don't seem to be doing it for me. I'm used of "premium" eliquids that are fairly strong and I can't even really taste any of my TFA flavorings. I've tried 20-50%pg/50-80% vg and even went as far as 20% flavoring. Is sweetener a must to use? I've heard of TFA, TA, FW, Capellas, bickfords and Loranns. I like strong Candy flavors. Which one would y'all say would be closer to that candy taste? Also any tips to make DIY'ing more enjoyable would be much appreciated. Getting a little frustrated over here. :/

 

[oplholik]

I start with 5mm test batches, and low % on the flavoring, maybe 2-3%, you can add a little from there. Going to too much flavoring can be as bad as not having enough. Try simple mixes at first, 1-2 flavors, going a little heavier on the flavor you want to stand out. Hope this helps.

 

[sofarsogood]

Keep it simple. Make an unflavored mix, put some in a small bottle and add a very small amount of one flavor and see what you get. One reason I prefer DIY is commercial pre mixes usually have too much flavoring. My current recipe is 48% PG, 48% VG, 1.2% nic (12 mg), and 0.8% flavoring. The flavor seemed muted at firsts but taste buds adapt. May be it's the difference between restaurant food and home cooking. I like home cooking. I think new vapers have trouble picking flavors in vape shops because the flavor is too strong for beginners. Cigarettes taste like crap. Why does e liquid need to taste like a too sweet desert?

 

[Nashua]

I feel your pain, VaporJake. Same boat. I've been brewing my own for a coupla months now. Still a newbie. Gotta few decent mixes, but nothing kicks my ... the way my fave premium store bought flavors do. Not even close. What do the pros do differently? What flavoring/additives are they using?? I mostly use Capella, and have found I seem to prefer my total flavoring pretty strong, at about 15% - 20%. Tangerine + Cream turned out nice.

 

[RonJS]

I currently have some TFA flavorings (bananas, strawberry, blueberries, creams and a few others) and they don't seem to be doing it for me. I'm used of "premium" eliquids that are fairly strong and I can't even really taste any of my TFA flavorings.

Do a search for those "premium" eliquids you like adding "clone recipe". Find one or so recipe you may like, buy those ingredients and mix.

 

[Susan~S]

Also any tips to make DIY'ing more enjoyable would be much appreciated. Getting a little frustrated over here. :/

There's 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 your blend.

Things like creams, custards, caramels, marshmallow and graham cracker are very common components in a lot of recipes. These are good to have on hand, especially if you start to get confident and want more complexity in your flavors.

Below is the information I often give to members new to DIY.

• Dannyv45's blogs will give insight into all aspects of DYI, from steeping to what supplies to have on hand to a basic walk through mixing your first E-juice. => dannyv45 - Blogs
• Hoosier's blogs concentrate on fine tuning your mix and give insight on additives. =>Hoosier - Blogs
• For a juice mixing calculator consider using eJuiceMeUp
• If you are interested in mixing by weight (vs volume) here are a couple of great videos
  1. How to Use an eJuice Calculator and Mix with a Scale
  2. Mixing by Weight (a DIY Tutorial)

Here are some threads you may like to read through for different flavoring companies. Many of the posts include recipes and comments about a specific flavor.

• Flavor Arts (FA) - Flavour Art Thread => When you reach the end you can continue reading about FA by googling "FlavorArt Club" => Also see HIC's "My notes on FA Flavorings"
  
• The Flavor Apprentice (TFA) - The Flavor Apprentice Flavoring Thread => Also see Bill's Magic Vapor's Blog & TFA Flavor % Recommendations
• Inawera (IW) - Inawera Thread
• Capella (CAP) - DIY Capella's Recipe Thread v2.0 & List of Capella Flavor %'s & Reddit Reformatted Capella Recipe List from Sidebar
• Hangsen (HS) - The Hangsen Thread
• Flavor West (FW) - Flavor West Thread

DIY Recipe Sites & Misc Links

• E-Liquid Recipes <= Feel free to post your recipes here for all members to enjoy and comment on.
• TPA/TFA Recipes only! <= ECF Thread
• FlavourArt.uk Recipes
  
• Le DIY Pour Les Nuls - Great French site (in English)
• Reddit Recipes - Read the Sidebar
• EcigExpress Archive Cookbook
• EcigVape
• UK E-Liquid Recipes
• kritikalmass - E-Liquid Recipes
• One Stop DIY Shop - Recipes

 

[Yiana]

Check out some highly rated clones and recipes. You might have better success at first until you figure out how things go together.

 

[Nashua]

I've searched for a clone recipe for Clancy's Gravy Train (one of my faves). Have had no luck...

 

[Liskrig]

What do the pros do differently?

From the little I know about DIY (still new to this myself) it seems to be a LONG steep. Like months. I have a small bottle of my very first clone DIY of MFPB and tried it first, thought... meh it's okay. And there it sat until this past Saturday. I had a few drinks, looked at it and thought "lol, this is gonna taste like crap... imma drip it"

Sure enough I thought I picked up the wrong bottle... the flavor was SO intense I thought it was a premium juice I just moved to a smaller bottle. Maybe it could be the brand of flavoring, could be a percentage, could be a bad batch of the flavoring... but I feel that a long steep is what it needs most. Don't forget... these established liquid companies don't mix 50ml at a time... They usually mix litres at a time and they sit so they are good FOOB.

 

[Lannie]

Do a search for those "premium" eliquids you like adding "clone recipe". Find one or so recipe you may like, buy those ingredients and mix.

That was exactly what I was going to say, too. I started DIYing pretty soon after I started vaping, and I didn't buy a lot of "premium" liquids (well, OK, I bought none at all), but I was always hearing people talk about certain ones. Once I found some clone recipes and made them up, I was impressed! VERY good. I'm currently enjoying a Grand Master clone that I don't know how I've managed to live without all this time! LOL!

 

[RonJS]

Once I found some clone recipes and made them up, I was impressed! VERY good. I'm currently enjoying a Grand Master clone that I don't know how I've managed to live without all this time! LOL!

I would not be at all surprised to learn that many enjoy the clone recipe they made more than the original.

 

[Yiana]

That was exactly what I was going to say, too. I started DIYing pretty soon after I started vaping, and I didn't buy a lot of "premium" liquids (well, OK, I bought none at all), but I was always hearing people talk about certain ones. Once I found some clone recipes and made them up, I was impressed! VERY good. I'm currently enjoying a Grand Master clone that I don't know how I've managed to live without all this time! LOL!

That grand master clone is really good.

I would not be at all surprised to learn that many enjoy the clone recipe they made more than the original.

I hear that all the time. I agree with it. All the ones I've made have been great. Actually, I like what I make better than anything I've bought. I'm working on a couple of recipes I've come up with. I feel like I know the flavors better now from working with quite a few recipes.

 

[BrotherBob]

Could try:
One-on-One Flavors | Co-Packing - Flavor Concentrates - Flavor Mixes

 

[Hans Wermhat]

One Stop DIY Shop has some house flavors that are pretty good as single flavor mixes. Blue Raspberry Slushy is one of my faves. 15-20% flavoring, add nic, top with VG for a 92-97% VG treat in a RDA. It's shake-and-vape, but gets a lil better after a day or 3. Easy mixes like that are good for building your confidence.

 

[VaporJake]

I will keep on trying out different things and leave my lesser flavor make ups off to the side and come back to them later and see how they are. Thank you everyone for the tips, I'll keep doing more research and probably check out some clone recipes. How exactly these "premium" eliquid makers put so much flavoring in their juices and not have it harsh whatsoever is beyond me.