Robert's Hongtashan #4A

[RobertNC]

Robert's Hongtashan #4A

Been absent for a while, figured it was about time I sat down and put out a recipe.

This is a nice medium body smooth tobacco with no weird flavors and a nice definite kick on the finish. Vapeable immediately does not need lengthy aging, but you will want to have aged TA mix available.

This recipe, like most I am making these days, requires quite a bit of preparation of stock mixes beforehand. The formula for each is described below the main recipe. But these are good stocks for a variety of tobacco blends, well worth the effort IMO.



1.4 mL 50-50 PG/VG Base
0.6 mL 100 mg Nicotine in 50-50 PG/VG Base
6 Drops Hongtashan Tobacco Flavor (Tobacco Express)
2 Drops Tobacco Absolute Mix (See Below)
3 Drops 5% Ethyl Maltol Mix (See Below)
1 Drop Cream Mix (See Below)
1 Drop Coffee Mix (See Below)
4 Drops Caramel Flavor (FlavourArt)
1 Drop Vape Wizard (FlavourArt)
1 Drop Acetyl Pyrazine (ECX Signature AKA TFA)

Makes ~3 mL at ~ 20 mg/mL Nicotine.


Mix well, heat in a water bath. Vapeable right away without lengthy aging.

Enjoy! RobertNC


Stocks Required:


5% (Approx) Ethyl Maltol Stock:

The solubility and the questionable pedigree of "10%" Ethyl Maltol solutions sold by vendors has been discussed at length. I make my own. This is a staple you will need for TA mixes and juice mixes.

0.5 gms Ethyl Maltol (weighed on a small jewelers scale)
10 mL 50-50 PG/VG Base

Heat in a water bath and shake vigorously. Repeat, repeat, repeat ... It takes a while but eventually you will have a clear solid free, stable solution.
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Tobacco Absolute Mix:

4 Drops Tobacco Absolute "50%" (ECX Signature AKA TFA)
10 mL ~5% EthylMaltol in 50-50 PG/VG Base as prepared above.

Add the ethyl maltol stock as prepared above via syringe to a vial *first* then add the TA drops to minimize ring formation. Heat in a water bath and mix well, repeat several times. Let age for at least a week, I make a 10 mL batch and it is usually going on a month or more as I really start using it.

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Coffee Mix:

The straight Coffee flavor is way too strong. Dilute as described:

10 Drops Coffee Flavor (ECX Signature AKA TFA)
2.5 mL 50-50 PG/VG Base

Heat in a water bath just enough to mix well. I suggest making small batches, aging is not required and in fact this dilution seems to lose flavor over a period of a few weeks or so.

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Cream Mix:

I have experiemented extensively with creams seeking a smoothness and richer flavor. Some have too strong a vanilla note. Developing a very pungent pepper taste after a little aging is a common problem. After many trials I decided to make a blend to minimize the notes I did not like but include the notes of various creams that I did like.

5 Drops Sweet Cream Flavor (ECX Signature AKA TFA)
7 Drops Fresh Cream Flavor (FlavourArt)
8 Drops Cream Flavor (Fruit Express - Tobacco Express flavor series)
2 mL 50-50 PG/VG Base

Heat in a water bath just enough to mix well. No aging required.

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[boomerdude]

Good info Robert. Do you know what tobacco leaves Hongtashan is supposed to taste like?

 

[RobertNC]

No, these TobaccoExpress descriptions are very informative - "Modelled after the most populate cigarette" I think is how each is described lol.

I have had reasonably good experiences with TobEX flavors, so I basically ordered a 10 mL of I think if not all, close to all of the Chinese series. None of them have a really true basic tobacco flavor, but then again, none of the tobacco flavors I've ordered from anywhere else do either. I can say that they all have a reasonably OK (to me) taste, and most importantly none so far have been flowery or peppery.

I have sort of developed a preference for:

Hongtashan
Hongjinlong
Honghe
Haorizi
Hongelou
Changbaishan

But I could not really attempt to describe the flavors in any meaningful way.

 

[boomerdude]

They all seem to be Virginia flue cured except Hongelou which is English tobacco flavor.

 

[RobertNC]

I really wish I was more versed in the taste characteristics of different true tobaccos. As a youngster I worked for a while priming tobacco, as anyone who has ever had to do that can tell you in no uncertain terms you might (probably?) during or at some point later pick up the cig habit.

But the actual leaf? Priming tobacco scars you for life and triggers a distinct aversion to anything that even remotely resembles leaf, lol.

So I lack the experience base to really know what a true flue cured vs this or that should taste like, and I am not a resource for saying "Oh it's a flue cured style." I can say some flavors I would describe as being probably more like a pipe tobacco than a cig tobacco but that is pretty vague.

I can say that a few of these Chinese flavors have some distinct additional flavors that most of the rest do not have, but I don't know what style that flavor would be identified as.

What I will try to do when I get a chance is put together a table of all the flavors I have, and some basic characteristics like are they light, medium or dark in color, lighter, medium or heavy in flavor, etc.

That;s not much but maybe people can build on that and add in styles as well. But there seems to be a total lack of info on what these critters are, so I figure a light/medium, heavy table is at least a start, and while not much better, still more info than the existing "Modeled after the most popular .... " lol

 

[boomerdude]

I just posted a thread doing exactly that in the DIY sub-forum. "Tobacco Flavored Concentrates - What's - What?"

What I will try to do when I get a chance is put together a table of all the flavors I have, and some basic characteristics like are they light, medium or dark in color, lighter, medium or heavy in flavor, etc.

 

[RobertNC]

great will check it out