Testing flavors?

[Dee74]

Ok, after collecting many concentrates and PA and FA tobacco flavors I am ready to start doing 1or 2 ml tests of them one by one to really see what the flavor on it's own ( no nic,other flavors) taste like. It will be all VG/dist water so would you all start with 5% on all flavors as a start point?

 

[316lvm]

Hi Dee -

Found this formula on the forum somewhere.

10% flavored juice:
9 drops VG, PG or combo
1 drop flavoring
Let sit about an hour then vape.

If too weak, do another sample of:
8 drops VG, PG or combo
2 drops flavoring
Let sit about an hour then vape.

15% flavored juice:
17 drops fo VG,PG,Combo
3 drops flavor

or

15% flavored juice:
2ml VG,PG, Combo
2ml nic
1ml flavoring

 

[dspin]

I start w/15% and work down or up - 5% I personally would never taste much

 

[leannebug]

I think 15-20% is the norm, but FA flavors tend to be a little stronger. For those I would start with 10%.

HTH!

 

[Dee74]

Wow, really that high for FA! I have read that some like heavy flavor and thought they were using that much for that reason. Ok, will start at 10%. I bought samples of nearly all of the tobacco flavors, are there any you would start at less than 10%.
Also when DIY do you try to keep the flavor part of the mix at 20% or less?

 

[MaxUT]

With tobacco flavors, you might want to start at 5% and work your way up from there. I suggest making two small sample batches of a flavor you're preparing to try, one at 5%, the other at 7%. After steeping for a few days, compare one to the other to see which you prefer. If the 7% tastes better, try 8% next time.

I've found that the tobaccos generally improve with extended ageing of weeks or even months. Put away the bottles which have a harsh or 'off' taste and try them again after some time has passed. You could be pleasantly surprised by the change in flavor. You can also improve sub-par tobacco mixes by adding other flavors such as Cotton Candy (ethyl maltol), menthol, coconut, cinnamon, marshmallow and others.

 

[aprioristic]

I've read about some absinthes that even after a couple years they are still improving and the oils still diffusing into the rather high proof liquor. I have some of the less popular FA tobaccos on their way and was going to do several batches and let them steep for a while. Maybe I want 3 concentrations though. A lot of people still seem to suggest very low percents, then there's this post by Switched, whose opinion I respect pretty highly, saying he mixes over 12%.

5 and 7 seems kind of narrow Max. Do you think none are worthwhile at around 3%? I'm not sure what to pick yet for my testing.

 

[Dee74]

Thanks Max, I have juices I bought that have steeped for a couple of months and are just getting good. Sounds like a plan.

With tobacco flavors, you might want to start at 5% and work your way up from there. I suggest making two small sample batches of a flavor you're preparing to try, one at 5%, the other at 7%. After steeping for a few days, compare one to the other to see which you prefer. If the 7% tastes better, try 8% next time.

I've found that the tobaccos generally improve with extended ageing of weeks or even months. Put away the bottles which have a harsh or 'off' taste and try them again after some time has passed. You could be pleasantly surprised by the change in flavor. You can also improve sub-par tobacco mixes by adding other flavors such as Cotton Candy (ethyl maltol), menthol, coconut, cinnamon, marshmallow and others.

 

[Kimerpuff]

Hey Dee

If your base is VG you will most likely want more flavor then less, VG is great for vapor but PG is known as a better flavor carrier. My VG mixes can end up at 30% flavor, depending of course on the flavor I am working with.
I do not vape tobacco flavors, I prefer to stay in the sweet spectrum.. so my Vanilla Bean Icrecream juice is 25% flavoring, a couple drops of EM for smoothing and then my nic and vg. Also depending on the flavor your using with VG you may not need to thin out the VG as the flavors will do that for you. I would add the water last if you feel the liquid is not thin enough

Happy Mixing!

 

[MaxUT]

5 and 7 seems kind of narrow Max. Do you think none are worthwhile at around 3%? I'm not sure what to pick yet for my testing.

I suggested 5 and 7 because to me, that's about where the difference begins between 'meh' and 'wow.'

I know that Cowboy at 3% tastes like hay to me, and that Maxboro at 3% does not have the spiciness that pops out at 5%. Dark Vapure needs about 8% or better for a rich cocoa undertone.

To me, at least.

 

[aprioristic]

OK thanks. I got a bunch of bottles coming anyhow so I can test as much as I want eventually. I'll just do something like ~3% (whatever I see people suggesting) then 3 more levels up. I totally understand what you are talking about though. I've mentioned how DV Orange liqueur is like .. uh what is this, until you get to 15% plus then it is like yummy butter tart crust = liquer? + most amazing orange I ever tasted.

 

[Switched]

I've read about some absinthes that even after a couple years they are still improving and the oils still diffusing into the rather high proof liquor. I have some of the less popular FA tobaccos on their way and was going to do several batches and let them steep for a while. Maybe I want 3 concentrations though. A lot of people still seem to suggest very low percents, then there's this post by Switched, whose opinion I respect pretty highly, saying he mixes over 12%.

5 and 7 seems kind of narrow Max. Do you think none are worthwhile at around 3%? I'm not sure what to pick yet for my testing.

Ahhhhh, my post was a collaboration of Max and I. I tried FA backy flavours at lower concentrations (as prescribed) and found them foul/harsh. Then I found max My experience with FA tobacco flavours was everything was off until I reached 6-8%, and moved from there. The numbers I quoted were after experimenting a bit. I now add 3% EM to all my tobacco mixes, it takes away the dryness we experience with tobacco flavours.

Although I like the flavours in all VG liquids, I might have to increase my recipes by 1% (flavour only). I was an 80/20 user before becoming allergic to PG. That being said, I do like the "mellow" but somewhat subdued flavour an all VG mix provides. The jury is still very much out at this point.

Although I appreciate the kind words extended here, I must point out that these numbers were a collaborative effort from the folks participating here (DIY) and judicial extrapolation of information contained. YMMV

 

[MaxUT]

You're too kind, Switched. Many of my goofy ideas don't work out, but sometimes I get lucky.

 

[aprioristic]

OK Switched, that was just the first I saw about this. I can try to search more. It is always easy to add more flavoring, maybe to some I try at too high of a concentration, so it is just to experiment and allow me to see the changes.

Check out my post from yesterday in IKV forum on triacetin. I really think it is a valid PG substitute as long as it performs well, but I didn't try to actually vape it yet. My FA flavors should arrive today.

 

[Switched]

OK Switched, that was just the first I saw about this. I can try to search more. It is always easy to add more flavoring, maybe to some I try at too high of a concentration, so it is just to experiment and allow me to see the changes.

Check out my post from yesterday in IKV forum on triacetin. I really think it is a valid PG substitute as long as it performs well, but I didn't try to actually vape it yet. My FA flavors should arrive today.

Thanks, I read it but I don't believe I will be changing anything any time soon. Folks are not supposed to have serious ailments with PG either, but I did. All is well now so why s.... with a good thing, right?

 

[aprioristic]

It's known that some people have allergies to PG. Triacetin is a very simple molecule and seems far superior in terms of health, even helpful to metabolism if you read the report. When we don't have the stomach/intestines to break down what we are putting into our body, I like something that breaks down into 2 simple, known-safe things, versus a huge, complex molecule like sucralose. One thing I didn't mention there is that it is used (scroll down) to keep flavors stable at high temps, maybe useful to vapers.

My flavors and bottles are coming today so I will do a writeup on it sometime. It seems most who might have looked into it may have found that ECF thread I linked with wildly inaccurate info from a moderator. I'm not sure how it compares to PG yet in terms of diffusing flavors, but it is almost certainly a stronger solvent than VG. It's almost certainly less harmful in terms of caramelized gunk on atties. My only question still is how it vapes alone, because PA suggests it to be used as an alternative to DW or PGA with glycerine.

Anyhow, I'm just excited about finding that study and wanted to help those with a PG issue. Really good advice ITT though. I've been just mixing small batches but I am going to be more systematic and patient with my blends.

 

[Dee74]

Saw this on the TPA site and wondered about it. I cannot do PG other then very small amounts in flavoring. Please keep us posted on your results with this.

OK Switched, that was just the first I saw about this. I can try to search more. It is always easy to add more flavoring, maybe to some I try at too high of a concentration, so it is just to experiment and allow me to see the changes.

Check out my post from yesterday in IKV forum on triacetin. I really think it is a valid PG substitute as long as it performs well, but I didn't try to actually vape it yet. My FA flavors should arrive today.

 

[aprioristic]

I'll be sure to post something as soon as I actually try it. I'm just not sure how I want to do it and I have a ton of things going on. I also realized later that my clear glass bottles are supposed to arrive anywhere up until the 9th. I was thinking just now what sort of flavor I want to use to test. I was going to do cinnamon-something brown, but I think I might go Oba Oba.

OO is kind of weird because it is pretty much colorless until it gets mixed with nic-juice, then it turns quite pink over time. I pretty much have only ever mixed 80/20 and that is my experience anyhow. I'm thinking that that color change is either some sort of reaction with one of the ingredients or it could be also a matter of how well the flavor diffuses throughout the solution as well.

I know that I like OO too so if mixing only PG 100mg nic + traicetin + flavoring, or whatever combination I use is a bust, I can always just throw them all together.

 

[MsBree]

Ok, after collecting many concentrates and PA and FA tobacco flavors I am ready to start doing 1or 2 ml tests of them one by one to really see what the flavor on it's own ( no nic,other flavors) taste like. It will be all VG/dist water so would you all start with 5% on all flavors as a start point?

How does everyone test their flavors....do you guys drip or is there another way?

When I make 1 or 2 ml test samples, I've been dripping...but I find it takes a little bit for the new flavor to come through the atty, as the 'old' flavor finally bids farewell!

 

[MaxUT]

Yes, I drip at first. I blow out the atty, put a carto condom over the threaded end, stand it up and fill it with plain PG and let it soak for a few minutes. Then I remove the condom, blow out the PG and prime it with the test juice.

If the atty had mint or cinnamon in it, I'll also rinse it with PGA before soaking it with PG. That seems to help with strong, persistent flavors.