Noob: Lots of flavors - need some help!

[whosrandy]

Dulce De Leche Flavor (08ml TFA)

New York Cheesecake Flavor Concentrate (08ml CAP)

Sweet Tea Flavor Concentrate (08ml CAP)

Vanilla Custard* Flavor Concentrate (08ml CAP)

French Toast Flavor Concentrate (08ml CAP)

Graham Cracker V2 Flavor Concentrate (08ml CAP)

Cool Mint Flavor Concentrate (08ml CAP)

Belgian Waffle Flavor Concentrate (08ml TFA)

Caramel Cappuccino Flavor (08ml TFA)

Caramel Original Flavor (08ml TFA)

Fruit Circles Flavor Concentrate (08ml TFA)

Gummy Candy Flavor (08ml TFA)

Gummy Candy PG Flavor (08ml TFA)

Strawberry Ripe Flavor Concentrate (08ml TFA)

Vanilla Custard* Flavor Concentrate (CAP)

Cake Batter Flavor Concentrate (CAP)

Sweet Strawberry Flavor Concentrate (CAP)

Raspberry Flavor Concentrate (CAP)

Coconut Flavor Concentrate (CAP)

Circus Cotton Candy Flavor (08ml TFA)

Berry Crunch Flavor Concentrate (08ml TFA)

Key Lime Flavor Concentrate (TFA)

Kiwi Double Flavor (TFA)

French Vanilla* Flavor Concentrate (CAP)

Pie Crust Flavor (TFA)



OKAY Here is my list of flavors. I have VG PG Nic, etc. and know how to make a mix.

I would love some recipes based off what I have. I've scoured for hours online and most recipes require 1-2 different flavors I don't have.

I just made some flavorless - 20% pg 80% vg juice. When will this be good to vape? I tried some right now @ 5mg nic and I feel like it's not quite mixed yet after shaking vigorously. I've avoided the "water bath" because I hear that it damages the nicotine.

Any help or suggestions would be super awesome! Thanks ladies and gents!

PS: I like strong, sweet flavors. I am hoping to get a Ultrasonic Cleaner to speed up the steeping process because the wait is killin me.

 

[whosrandy]

I have tried a couple: flavorless, a strawberry cheesecake, vanilla custard 15% / 3% french vanilla, berry crunch on it's own, cool mint 5% / 10% coconut, etc. Letting them steep now

 

[graffinfected]

OKAY Here is my list of flavors. I have VG PG Nic, etc. and know how to make a mix.

I would love some recipes based off what I have. I've scoured for hours online and most recipes require 1-2 different flavors I don't have.

I just made some flavorless - 20% pg 80% vg juice. When will this be good to vape? I tried some right now @ 5mg nic and I feel like it's not quite mixed yet after shaking vigorously. I've avoided the "water bath" because I hear that it damages the nicotine.

Any help or suggestions would be super awesome! Thanks ladies and gents!

PS: I like strong, sweet flavors. I am hoping to get a Ultrasonic Cleaner to speed up the steeping process because the wait is killin me.

I hear you bud,

i have to say though, i think the best thing you can do is try each of these flavors on their own at different percentages first and get a good feel for them.. you kind of have to study them. Unfortunately you are just like i am when it comes to patience. theres good news though. You dont have to steep fruit flavors unless you mix them with desserts. And even then, you only really have to wait a week or two. The tobacco's are what you really have to wait for. But you didnt get any so your good.

be careful with that pie crust flavor .. its really strong and it can over power any of the flavors you bought. Same goes for that Key lime, caramel cappuccino, and the cake batter.

Sweet strawberry is delicious, but it can get perfumey at high percentages. it might be different for you but coconut is a strong flavor for me.. so i add coconut very little at a time. also im not a huge fan of coconut.

the rest is real simple. you have some good flavors here, try strawberry and raspberry... throw in a hint of coconut.. Strawberry ripe and kiwi with a hint of custard. French toast (a little bit) some custard a little dulce de leche


this is the best part of DIY, have fun with it..

 

[Boletus]

I just made some flavorless - 20% pg 80% vg juice. When will this be good to vape? I tried some right now @ 5mg nic and I feel like it's not quite mixed yet after shaking vigorously. I've avoided the "water bath" because I hear that it damages the nicotine.

I can't help much with the flavors, but a little bit of steeping does help with the flavorless, especially at high VG ratios. Regarding heat and nicotine, the general consensus seems to be that a few hours at temps up to 150 deg F should not be a problem (and no, that is not a firm, proven temperature limit, just a good target to maximize blending while minimizing nicotine oxidation). But you don't need that much heat and time for unflavored, in my experience. Get the liquid around 120-130 deg F and it will become much looser, allowing your shaking and mixing to be more effective. Or just leave it for a 2-3 days, shaking it up well a couple of times a day, if you do not want to do heating. Also, high VG mixes can benefit from a bit of water, and I would say that at 20PG/80VG, you are at the borderline, depending on what type of PV setup you will use, so if it does not flow/wick well enough 5-10% distilled water will help.

[edit] Just noticed your location; i was born in Springfield and have lived up and down the Pioneer Valley. Have most of the leaves dropped yet, or is the foliage still in spectacular mode?

 

[Dfinch]

NY Cheesecake (CAP)
Graham Cracker (CAP)
Sweet Strawberry (TFA)

Percentages will depend on how strong you want your flavor and how much you want the strawberry topping to come through. I've done:

12% cheesecake
5% graham cracker
3% sweet strawberry

I've also done 10%/5%/5%

My goal was to create a bite of cheesecake with drizzled strawberry topping on the edge of the pie with that extra graham cracker crust.

On a dripper at high watts, both versions were a bit too strong for my preference. The flavor is rich so, as good as it is, it's like eating too much of a rich desert after awhile. I tend to alternate with drops of unflavored to lighten it up, and in future batches I'll probably cut the overall flavor percentage. In my Protank 2 (wicked with cotton) it's perfect, since it doesn't have the intensity of 65-80W at .3 ohms.

My current favorite and all day vape is 5% TFA Pineapple and 3% CAP Sweet Strawberry. Tart, clean, juicy.

Hardest part I've found is getting the overall flavor amount right for whatever gear I'm mixing for. My pineapple/strawberry is almost flavorless at low watts but really comes alive at high watts. Makes me appreciate he balancing act the commercial mixers have to keep with their flavor profiles.

 

[whosrandy]

Very true. Didn't think about the atomizer I'm using. Kayfun 3.1 flavor city and mutation x clouds for days.

Does anyone use an ultrasonic? I cannot wait for steeping!

Also what's a good source for bottles? Wizard was out of the 30 ml droppers.

 

[whosrandy]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I wanted to do individual but I'm not sure about wasting them!

Do you guys let your mixes breathe? I did and feel like flavors muted.

 

[whosrandy]

Mixes were super harsh off the bat. Is this normal without steeping? I shook vigorously but they are mostly vg 25/75 to 20/80.

I've been using 10ml plastic bottles for small samples.

 

[Boletus]

bmilcs, regarding steeping and UCs, you can check out these threads:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eeping-times-ultrasonic-cleaner-part-iii.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/609728-thermos-steeping.html
But if you want to cut to the chase, dannyv45's blog has it summarized pretty well. Look under his avatar in one of those threads and click on the number next to "Blog Entries."

Breathing can be helpful for harsh juices, particularly any with PGA, but others can benefit from it too. On the other hand, some flavors do not benefit from it at all, and some will become muted, so there is no single answer to that question.

Regarding harshness, sometimes steeping and/or breathing can help with that, but you will get much better advice if you mention the specific flavorings (including the brands) and what % you used them at. Was your unflavored batch harsh too?

 

[dannyv45]

Steeping blog can be found here.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...you-wanted-know-about-steeping-then-some.html

 

[readeuler]

Mixes were super harsh off the bat. Is this normal without steeping? I shook vigorously but they are mostly vg 25/75 to 20/80.

I've been using 10ml plastic bottles for small samples.

I don't know if I'm just imagining things, but I have an idea about harshness of freshly shaken juice, especially 70+% VG.

If I shine a light up through my juice after a good 30 second shake, I see hundreds of bubbles. A half hour later with the cap off, the bottom 1/2in of the mix is bubble-free, and the bubbles keep rising.

I believe that using this juice, before the bubbles have worked their way out, is asking for harshness. I don't know if it lets tiny random spots on the coil get unusually hot, or what, but I think this aerated juice is not good. ~2hr with the cap off, and it's good to go.

 

[whosrandy]

So I'm vaping some 10% berry crunch 4 days of steeping and a few water baths. Night and day. Totally vapable as a single flavor. Light bulb moment =)

Made some strawberry cheesecake last night 30ml and some dulce VC. Can't wait!

 

[whosrandy]

Steeping is everything. Light bulb. Really clicked today after vaping my 10ml sample of TFA Berry Crunch @ 10%. It was super harsh and unpleasant the day of making it and day afterwards. 5 Days later, better flavor, super smooth, totally vapable as a stand alone juice.

So. Stoked. I went ahead and made 30 ml of a strawberry cheesecake that I improvised, a strawberry kiwi custard, and a dulce custard. I'm going to have to order a LARGE bottle of vanilla custard via Capella. Stuff is the bees knees.

 

[Soignee]

I don't know if I'm just imagining things, but I have an idea about harshness of freshly shaken juice, especially 70+% VG.

If I shine a light up through my juice after a good 30 second shake, I see hundreds of bubbles. A half hour later with the cap off, the bottom 1/2in of the mix is bubble-free, and the bubbles keep rising.

I believe that using this juice, before the bubbles have worked their way out, is asking for harshness. I don't know if it lets tiny random spots on the coil get unusually hot, or what, but I think this aerated juice is not good. ~2hr with the cap off, and it's good to go.

You can also 'zap' the juice for 3-5 seconds in a microwave (depending on power level) and it will clear the bubbles out.

 

[dannyv45]

I don't know if I'm just imagining things, but I have an idea about harshness of freshly shaken juice, especially 70+% VG.

If I shine a light up through my juice after a good 30 second shake, I see hundreds of bubbles. A half hour later with the cap off, the bottom 1/2in of the mix is bubble-free, and the bubbles keep rising.

I believe that using this juice, before the bubbles have worked their way out, is asking for harshness. I don't know if it lets tiny random spots on the coil get unusually hot, or what, but I think this aerated juice is not good. ~2hr with the cap off, and it's good to go.

It's not the bubbles causing harshness. The flavor molecules have to blend and meld with the PG/VG/NIC and steeping does this. Harshness can also be caused by harsh NIC, to much NIC and some flavorings cause it as well as dirty hardware.

 

[whosrandy]

In my case it was unblended flavors. Cheers . Diy is the only way to go!

 

[WarBlaze]

glad to you you mix mastering away