Newbie: Flavor Observations

[paddymx]

First, I have only been doing this for three weeks, but, I thought I'd share.
Disclaimer: My perceptions will probably change over time! It took almost two weeks for my mouth to "break in". In the beginning I think I/we have high expectation that the flavors will "pop". I have found that the flavors are much more subtle and require effort to identify. Hope this gets better over time.

Tips and Key learnings:

1. More than one way to skin a cat.

a. TIP: read Str8V8ping blog for Quick Tips for % flavor tasting.

b. TIP: add one or two drops of flavor to 2 Tbsp. of whipped cream, yogurt, etc. this will give you an idea of how a flavor tastes.

c. TIP: Mix up a batch(3ml) using the ejuice calculator, print a copy and take notes, notes, notes and more notes!

1. Using the ejuice print out, check off each item as you go along. I tend to forget what I've added. Either Alzheimer's or interruptions.


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d. TIP: When using drops, always use the same size dropper. I find the glass dropper to be a 20 drops per ml. Others will vary.

e. TIP: for amounts under .4ml I use drops. For amounts over .4ml I use a 1cc/ml syringe (check Amazon). Over 1 cc/ml use an appropriate size syringe. Consistency is the objective!

f. TIP: When mixing a batch shake well and try to let it air out(steep) at least 10min. per ml. This lets the flavors mix a bit before you start to vape.

g. TIP: The right equipment(carto) is very important! They say the preferred vaping range is between 5 - 8 watts. Using the PV Tuning(Tools) option of the ejuice calculator you can determine the correct ohms for your carto's. As you can see:

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I need carto's with less than 2.8 ohms. Higher ohms creates hotter vapes and burns flavors and drains the carto at a blinding speed!

2. While testing a batch, don't over do it. Take slow "FlavorPuff's" and let carto cool down between hits. Remember to draw in while exhaling thru your nose or you will create excessive condensation on the battery post. If you are getting a burnt taste, you are probably overheating the vapor.

a. I mix up a couple of batches so I can alternate hits. Its hard to put them down in the beginning!

3. To much flavor (high %) can kill the flavor. Try a smaller % before giving up.

4. Mix single flavor batches to begin with. This will give you an idea of each flavors vaping taste. I generally start around 10% except for well documented flavors like cinnamon. Then move on to multi flavor mixes.

5. Always try to save a little bit of each batch so you can test it again in a couple of days/weeks. Flavors change over time.

As I said, I'm new to this but I'm hoping this might help others. Perhaps the veterans here will have additional tips.

 

[Hoosier]

I need carto's with less than 2.8 ohms. Higher ohms creates hotter vapes and burns flavors and drains the carto at a blinding speed!

Odd, this. Since you embedded a calculator image that show P, or Wattage, or heat (All the same thing), but you say that more heat (less resistance) is less likely to create hot vapes. My experience shows that as heat/power/Watts increases so does my vapor warmth.

Makes me wonder if you are experiencing current clipping with your setup.

 

[paddymx]

Additional thoughts/Opinions:

First, always have water or other liquid nearby. Vaping will dehydrate your mouth and throat. This is a side effect of the Propylene Glycol (PG) /Vegetable Glycerin (VG).

Vaping is a lot like learning to smoke a pipe and has the same inherent potential failure rate! Pipe smoking requires a very disciplined puff/drag process. In my case I was never able to achieve pipe smoking and the subsequent flavor benefits, or so the say. I would always wind up burning my mouth and throat to the point of giving up. The same risk applies to vaping. Its all in the "drag"! For me, ambient/moderate vapor temperature is the key for flavor transmission and therefore success(IMHO). Also, long smooth(slow) draws rather than a full fast drags like cigarettes.

Don't rush or over do it. Vaping is not like smoking. When you smoke you have a clearly defined starting and stopping point, aka: cigarette butts. Vaping on the other hand, can go on and on before you know it. So for me, take a few short drags for vapor for taste, put it down to allow your mouth to cool down, then repeat. If you over do it you will give up!

Part of this is the hand mouth thing therefore, stay away from the cigarette look-a-likes. Do the different colors or shapes/sizes. What happens is you make the visual connection as if it were a cigarette. Self defeating. You will find it easier to control your impulses if it doesn't make that visual connection. Myself, I like the 808 style(pencil) shapes(notice I didn't say cigarette). Allows me to twirl and play with it to address the "hand" part of the addiction.

Don't jump into it with both feet. Do your research. Otherwise you will be out of pocket big $$$$. Like anything else, you will wind up with a lot of junk you will never use. Most starter kits come with 65mm batteries that have a short time of use(1-2 hrs.). You will feel like you are always charging the batteries. I found a starter kid with 2 batteries (a must) for around $45 but had the 65mm batteries. After the fact I found that if I had built my own kit using 78mm batteries, double the use time, I would only have paid $8 more and I wouldn't have the two paper weights I have now. Plus I'm out another $26 for the two 78mm's. Do the math!

This is kind of the VHS-Beta-Max thing. Its all in the eyes of the beholder! Walmart has a brand where you can buy a OTO pack. Give it a try to see if you can get into the vaping process. Don't concern yourself with the flavor thing to much, just the process of vaping. Once your ready you can get the Nicotine as strong as you need to kill the cravings.

My ultimate goal is to get down to 0mg. Vaping is a lot healthier than smoking, but, Nicotine in and of its self has its own problems. In my case, vascular constrictions. Long story short Although the constant "will I get Cancer" thing was always in the back of mind, I got the vascular problems. I ,at 65, have a femoral bypass (blood flow to the legs) and a heart deliberator implant. These are both "quality of life" issues. We also don't know the long term impact of Propylene Glycol (PG) / Vegetable Glycerin (VG) to the lungs.

In any event, in the spirit of "If I can help one person...", good luck!

Disclaimer: These are my opinions and are subject to change without notice.

 

[paddymx]

Odd, this. Since you embedded a calculator image that show P, or Wattage, or heat (All the same thing), but you say that more heat (less resistance) is less likely to create hot vapes. My experience shows that as heat/power/Watts increases so does my vapor warmth.

Makes me wonder if you are experiencing current clipping with your setup.

Hoosier thanks,

Maybe my wording is technically incorrect, but, I am using two different carto's. One is 2.8-3.0(top coil) and the other is 2.4-2.6 (bottom coil). As I understand it the higher ohms means less heat, but, I am just stating my observations. It may be more of a coil location thing. My 2.8-3.0 carto gets hot fast and burns through the liquid like water. On the other hand, my 2.4-2.6 carto is much cooler and the liquid lasts much longer. Of course, discussion creates knowledge. I think its better to continue the discussion rather than to edit my previous post. Perhaps I should have used a coil reference,but...

I would appreciate more info. on this "current clipping with your setup" thing.

Thanks again.

 

[Hoosier]

Current clipping is simple. V=IR. Voltage is the product of current and resistance. No matter what voltage you measure on an unloaded circuit, the maximum voltage of the circuit is dependent on the amount of current the voltage supply can provide. So current clipping or loaded voltage...

So if I had two fires. One fueled by wood and one fueled by coal, and we know that "technically" coal burns hotter than wood, but I make my observation by standing 3' from the wood fire and 12' from the coal fire, does it make a statement that the wood fire is hotter correct? No.

A top coil is not only closer to the mouth, but it also has less evaporation mass in near proximity. Evaporation=cooling. Making observations about Ohms isn't logical because that is not what you were observing. The real difference between the two was the design, or placement, of the components. To compare what Ohms and Wattage do, you have to just adjust one part of the problem. If I were comparing the pulling power of two engines, it does not make sense to put the most "technically" powerful engine in a VW Bug and the least "technically" powerful engine in a 4x4 pickup truck and then state that the lower power engine was capable of pulling more. It's only a logical observation if all other components remained the same except for the single component that is the subject of the test/observation.

This is also why a side by side comparison of dual coils to single coils is only an observation on the design and not the power each uses nor the resistance value.

You can discuss it all you want, but facts are facts and opinions are opinions. You know mine and I know yours.

 

[paddymx]

Sorry, didn't mean to appear as if I was arguing.

 

[Hoosier]

I didn't think you were arguing. I didn't want a newbie to come to the wrong conclusion on how electricity works or how to qualify experiences. I only took issue with one aspect of an otherwise good post.

When mixing juice there are many things that are relative to the individual and subjective. All the different viewpoints are great for the mixing discussion.

 

[MiMoSeTH]

The cooler vape is just because the coil is at the bottom, not because of the slightly lower resistance. If distance to the mouth and volts are the same, the lower the resistance the more watts are applied to your juice and thus the hotter it gets.

There were 2 different factors in your observation, resistance and coil distance to the mouth, and you pointed to the wrong one for being responsible of the warmth.