Sweetness of DIY juices...

[Harleybarbie]

I have a few questions regarding adding sweeteners to my juices, I just can't seem to get them sweet enough for my taste...

I have been mixing my own for a couple weeks. I like my juices very sweet personally, I usually add 1ml of TFA sweetener to every 10 ml I make, I just can't get my juices as sweet as some of the pre-made juices I've tried.

I also have stevia sweetener and I've added it to my juices trying to figure out which one works better.

Stevia and TFA sweetener seem the same to me... Not sweet enough...

I've also tried using mash-mellow, sweet cream, maple syrup, and cocoanut candy to help take on a sweetness and give my juices a little more depth.

I personally haven't found a juice I can't live without. I like trying flavors! I've made a large investment in TFA flavors and it seems the more simple the mixes I try the better I like them... I use a mixing program I like on my computer and take notes so I can log what I've done so far.

Haven't found a white/milk chocolate peanut butter cup I'm happy with yet the peanut butter kind of takes over the juice... :-(

I'm wondering if I should try another brand of sweetener or go to 1.5 ml... Any answers would greatly help me with this wonderful new life saving hobby!

67 1/2 days analog free and not going back! I've invested way to much on vaping!



I understand sweetness is a personal taste.




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[Jonathan Tittle]

Like many who vape, your taste buds could be taking a break on you if all you vape is sweet juice. Mine do quite often, so I have to make a switch to something slightly more acidic in taste, such as blueberry, or something minty to get mine to "refresh" themselves.

That said, steeping has a lot to do with the outcome of a juice. Unless you ordered from a mix-on-order vendor (like ECBlends), the juice you've been buying was probably steeped for a while before it made its way to you. It could have been days or weeks, maybe even a month or so depending on the way X vendor does it.

Steeping is going to mellow out flavors, give them time to blend and "age", even in shorter periods of time. Some juice absolutely needs it, some doesn't, but if you're finding flavors to be off, sweetness lacking, etc - I'd try steeping the juice for a while and vaping what tastes right for you now.


As for White/Milk/Dark Chocolate, if you can find a White Chocolate that actually tastes like White Chocolate, let me know. TFA is a far far stretch from it and I've not been able to find one even remotely close.

 

[Harleybarbie]

Like many who vape, your taste buds could be taking a break on you if all you vape is sweet juice. Mine do quite often, so I have to make a switch to something slightly more acidic in taste, such as blueberry, or something minty to get mine to "refresh" themselves.

That said, steeping has a lot to do with the outcome of a juice. Unless you ordered from a mix-on-order vendor (like ECBlends), the juice you've been buying was probably steeped for a while before it made its way to you. It could have been days or weeks, maybe even a month or so depending on the way X vendor does it.

Steeping is going to mellow out flavors, give them time to blend and "age", even in shorter periods of time. Some juice absolutely needs it, some doesn't, but if you're finding flavors to be off, sweetness lacking, etc - I'd try steeping the juice for a while and vaping what tastes right for you now.


As for White/Milk/Dark Chocolate, if you can find a White Chocolate that actually tastes like White Chocolate, let me know. TFA is a far far stretch from it and I've not been able to find one even remotely close.

Thank you Tactical,

I'm hoping that's the case, I have lots of flavors, I usually have 3 different ones (fruit x2, mint x1) going most days at work, and even more flavors when I get home in the evenings.

I don't know if I'll find one thing I must have, honestly I'm a bit afraid of having one juice I have to have!

Red hot cinnamon was the flavor that made me quit analogs. I now can't vape it anymore, it was so strong. I haven't vaped it in over a month. I'm trying cinnamon sugar cookie to help replace it.

I have read everything I can about the chocolate juices, I am trying to get an awesome recipe together. I've made 3 different mixes so far and I know I'll never get it but I just might get close one day.

The peanut butter flavor seems to overtake the recipe no matter how low % I cut it. I've added maple syrup once, graham cracker once, and marsh mellow in another mix to help make it sweet and give it depth. The TFA peanut butter is not sweet, it's more a roasted nut flavor. I have read that some people mix higher than 20%. I will put that recipe on the back burner for now and try it again at a later date. I do like the ones I've made but TFA Chocolates don't seem to be strong enough flavors to me to be the backbone of the recipe that I think it should. I only have milk/white chocolate flavors for now but I will eventually have them all! I love Reese's, it my favorite candy bar! I'm on a quest...

The graham cracker flavor and the pie crust flavors seem to taste burnt to me.

Dragon fruit was good on my first mix, I added sour to it and it was great! I will order more of it next time it's a must have...

I made peppermint and lowered the flavor mix to 15% it was good! I tested a batch I made for a friend and she loved it! Now she's hooked on it and I'll have to figure how to keep her in stock!

I like the variety, it is the spice of life!

So many recipes and so little time & tanks!




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[zoiDman]

I have a few questions regarding adding sweeteners to my juices, I just can't seem to get them sweet enough for my taste...

...

Do you add any Water to your DIY mixes?

TFA Sweetener is Sucralose in PG/Water. And Sucralose is about as Sweet as it gets.

 

[custom-classic]

I have the same problem with getting my juice sweet enough. All I have is MBV sweetener that I think is sucralose. I'm interested to hear other opinions and suggestions on how to get things super sweet like some of the store bought juices. I think Fuzion actually uses corn syrup in their unicorn blood.

 

[Harleybarbie]

Do you add any Water to your DIY mixes?

TFA Sweetener is Sucralose in PG/Water. And Sucralose is about as Sweet as it gets.

I do not add any water to my juices, only PG/VG... After I mix the juice with my program, I add sweetener...




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[zoiDman]

I do not add any water to my juices, only PG/VG... After I mix the juice with my program, I add sweetener...

You might try adding a Few Drop of H₂O to a 10ml Test Batch.

Water, to me, seems to Help in Flavor/Sweetness and Speeds Up Steeping.

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

Don't stress yourself out over it, it'll come through in your mixes (trust me). When it comes to flavors, don't feel bad either, I don't have an All Day Vape (ADV), I switch between as many flavors as I carry with me. Sometimes it's a few vapes on one and then it's on to the next and then the next and so forth. At any given time I have 3-5 flavors (3-4ml each) on-hand because my taste buds just go numb when I'm vaping the same thing all day.

Vaping the same thing all day causes me to lose the throat hit, lose the flavor and as a result, I up the wattage over 10 which burns my cotton wicks, so I have to go through the slight trouble of replacing it on the go. Cotton is easy to replace, but it's just a pain when you're vaping in the car, burn a wick and have to pull over to replace it so you can keep vaping.


When it comes to chocolate, I don't think many members have found a truly reliable flavor (white, milk or dark) that's even 90% true to the flavor of an actual bar of chocolate or glass of chocolate milk. It's not easy, I've tried and tried and tried. White Chocolate is the absolute worst because it's mostly butter and creme, so if you mix those together, you get bleh.

As for Peanut Butter, I am hanging on a thread with both LA and TFA. The both have more of a roasted flavor, not the creamy flavor your really want in a peanut butter and as a result, you may think it's burnt, but it's not; it's the flavor. It is *extremely* powerful, so low low concentrations are suggested (1-3% max if you're mixing). As for Graham Cracker and Pie Crust, both are really mixers, not really something you want to vape on their own.



DIY takes time and it's a little rough at first, but once you find flavors you really like, mixing them will become much easier. I start small and up as I feel it's needed. So 5%-8% -> 10% -> 11% -> 12% -> 15% and so on.

 

[dannyv45]

I have a few questions regarding adding sweeteners to my juices, I just can't seem to get them sweet enough for my taste...

read my blog on sweetners it will tell you what you need to know.

E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

 

[Arnie H]

TFA's Cotton Candy flavor is bascially a 10 percent solution of Ethyl Maltol, another type of sweetening agent. I like my stuff sweet as well, at least certain flavors.

 

[Harleybarbie]

read my blog on sweetners it will tell you what you need to know.

E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

Thank you Danny,
I read your blog about steeping also... Nice info on both!

I do have a small ultrasonic cleaner on my watch list on eBay.. It will be my next upcoming purchase...



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[Harleybarbie]

TFA's Cotton Candy flavor is bascially a 10 percent solution of Ethyl Maltol, another type of sweetening agent. I like my stuff sweet as well, at least certain flavors.

Thank you Arnie H,
I have Cotton Candy in my cart along with EM just to see how different it is


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[Harleybarbie]

Don't stress yourself out over it, it'll come through in your mixes (trust me). When it comes to flavors, don't feel bad either, I don't have an All Day Vape (ADV), I switch between as many flavors as I carry with me. Sometimes it's a few vapes on one and then it's on to the next and then the next and so forth. At any given time I have 3-5 flavors (3-4ml each) on-hand because my taste buds just go numb when I'm vaping the same thing all day.

Vaping the same thing all day causes me to lose the throat hit, lose the flavor and as a result, I up the wattage over 10 which burns my cotton wicks, so I have to go through the slight trouble of replacing it on the go. Cotton is easy to replace, but it's just a pain when you're vaping in the car, burn a wick and have to pull over to replace it so you can keep vaping.


When it comes to chocolate, I don't think many members have found a truly reliable flavor (white, milk or dark) that's even 90% true to the flavor of an actual bar of chocolate or glass of chocolate milk. It's not easy, I've tried and tried and tried. White Chocolate is the absolute worst because it's mostly butter and creme, so if you mix those together, you get bleh.

As for Peanut Butter, I am hanging on a thread with both LA and TFA. The both have more of a roasted flavor, not the creamy flavor your really want in a peanut butter and as a result, you may think it's burnt, but it's not; it's the flavor. It is *extremely* powerful, so low low concentrations are suggested (1-3% max if you're mixing). As for Graham Cracker and Pie Crust, both are really mixers, not really something you want to vape on their own.



DIY takes time and it's a little rough at first, but once you find flavors you really like, mixing them will become much easier. I start small and up as I feel it's needed. So 5%-8% -> 10% -> 11% -> 12% -> 15% and so on.

I'm gonna have to get an RDA so I can test the percentages better...

I do use sweet cream, marsh mellow, graham cracker, french vanilla, sour, and pie crust to give added depth to my mixes.
I figured white chocolate wasn't bad because it's not truly chocolate... I've revisited some of the juices I made last week and some are sweeter.


This thread gives me some new directions....


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[Harleybarbie]

You might try adding a Few Drop of H₂O to a 10ml Test Batch.

Water, to me, seems to Help in Flavor/Sweetness and Speeds Up Steeping.

Hmmm ... I did make a cinnamon sugar cookie juice and the bottle was jacked so some of my steeping water seeped in, I do like it, I've been vaping it all weekend... ;-)


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[zoiDman]

Hmmm ... I did make a cinnamon sugar cookie juice and the bottle was jacked so some of my steeping water seeped in, I do like it, I've been vaping it all weekend... ;-)

Adding Water to a DIY Mix is kind of a Funny thing. And somewhat Counter Intuitive.

But I have found that my Recipes taste Much Better when I use it than when I don't.

 

[twgbonehead]

What are you using as a base? (VG/PG percentages)? I know that the conventional wisdom is that vg mutes flavors, but at least for me this is very often not the case. I've added a bit more VG to some liquids and found that it greatly upped both the flavor and sweetness.

When experimenting, I use a clearomizer, put in some of the base flavor, and then "touch it up" with a couple drops of whatever from a syringe. Swirl, and take a couple of vapes (to get the "new" juice into the wick). While it's hard to do this repeatedly wit consistency, for me it's a great way to figure out what "direction" the juice needs to go. (Also, if you go the wrong way, you've only messed up a ml or so of juice).

By the way, here's some suggestions for things to add:
VG
Water
Vodka
Tiny amounts of menthol
And, of course your sweeteners, perhaps lemon juice...
I'm working on a cayenne extract which I hope to use more as an enhancer than as a flavor

 

[dannyv45]

What are you using as a base? (VG/PG percentages)? I know that the conventional wisdom is that vg mutes flavors, but at least for me this is very often not the case. I've added a bit more VG to some liquids and found that it greatly upped both the flavor and sweetness.

VG mutes flavor in very high VG concentrations (>80%) only right after mixing and takes much longer to steep. But In lower concentrations (<60%) you will notice an increased flavor presence right after mixing. The reason is PG is a better flavor carrier because it helps desolve and disburse the flavor molecules more efficently allowing for quicker distribution within the entire mix. If you let a higher VG mix steep long enough there will not be much of a flavor difference between a higher VG concentration and a higher PG concentration. But you will notice that you will wind up with a sweeter mix because VG has a stronger natural sweetness to it. Much more so then PG.

 

[MissAmerican]

I had a similar problem for a while, but have been very happy with my sweetener from Flavor West. To me there's no weird aftertaste from it and it adds that truly sweet taste I was looking for. I also have tried the cotton candy/ marshmallow/ EM etc sweeteners and hated it, it had a strange taste to it and actually seemed to mute the flavors. Give the sweetener from FW a try there are many sites that sell it in small 3ml sample bottles. Good luck!

 

[Harleybarbie]

What are you using as a base? (VG/PG percentages)? I know that the conventional wisdom is that vg mutes flavors, but at least for me this is very often not the case. I've added a bit more VG to some liquids and found that it greatly upped both the flavor and sweetness.

When experimenting, I use a clearomizer, put in some of the base flavor, and then "touch it up" with a couple drops of whatever from a syringe. Swirl, and take a couple of vapes (to get the "new" juice into the wick). While it's hard to do this repeatedly wit consistency, for me it's a great way to figure out what "direction" the juice needs to go. (Also, if you go the wrong way, you've only messed up a ml or so of juice).

By the way, here's some suggestions for things to add:
VG
Water
Vodka
Tiny amounts of menthol
And, of course your sweeteners, perhaps lemon juice...
I'm working on a cayenne extract which I hope to use more as an enhancer than as a flavor

I'm mixing at 50/50...
I will try water in my next mixes. Lemon... Hmm... But would lemon juice crack plastic tanks?
When I first started vaping my juices had a higher % of nicotine (18mg) and gave me a headache so I bought some VG to delute my juices, but to me it was a funny taste...


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[Harleybarbie]

I had a similar problem for a while, but have been very happy with my sweetener from Flavor West. To me there's no weird aftertaste from it and it adds that truly sweet taste I was looking for. I also have tried the cotton candy/ marshmallow/ EM etc sweeteners and hated it, it had a strange taste to it and actually seemed to mute the flavors. Give the sweetener from FW a try there are many sites that sell it in small 3ml sample bottles. Good luck!

I will have to try FW next, I have stevia, and TFA sweeteners now.


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