The Flavor Apprentice Flavoring Thread

[shreduhsoreus]

Hmm, that's a shame. They must have had a good reason to do that. 30ml seemed like a good size of a flavor to get for something I'll make semi-often, but not often enough that I have to worry about whether a 4oz bottle would go bad before I used it all. I'm probably overthinking this a bit.

I'm kind of thinking the same. I feel like if I got 4oz bottles they would go bad before I got to use it all.

But I haven't actually started to DIY yet so I'm not too sure lol. Getting mentally prepared to blow 120 bucks on equipment and flavors once my tax refund hits my bank account lol.

 

[Monotremata]

I'm kind of thinking the same. I feel like if I got 4oz bottles they would go bad before I got to use it all.

But I haven't actually started to DIY yet so I'm not too sure lol. Getting mentally prepared to blow 120 bucks on equipment and flavors once my tax refund hits my bank account lol.

How long do they last? Didn't think they really had a shelf life unless you keep em in the sun...

When you start, stick with the 8mls from Wizard Labs until you figure out what you like.. You'll want the bigger sizes later though. I've made 60ml of Bills Grape Bazooka, and 30ml of Watermelon Bazooka and my Vanilla Swirl 8ml is almost tapped out already.. Next batch is all going to be 4ozers now that I've discovered my new ADVs.. I could probably vape just the grape everyday til I die haha..

 

[MasteroftheVape]

They last for years if you keep them in a climate controlled area out of direct sunlight

 

[shreduhsoreus]

Huh, I've seen on these very boards that people have had them go bad after just 6 months or so, even in climate controlled areas.

Honestly, I already know what I want, I just was under the impression that they go bad so I was leaning towards smaller sizes. I'm not really too interested in any of the fun flavors that everyone else is all about haha. Horehound, koolada, menthol crystals(to make my own menthol solution), the 3 main mint flavors and sweetener is mostly all I need(there's a few others, but that's the majority of it), I'll be working with 2 other people on E Liquid Recipes, once we perfect a Halo Sub Zero clone I'm set for life haha.

I'll probably grab a few small bottles of some fruit flavors to screw around with but my main purpose is hardcore menthol.


To be totally honest, coming across those recipes is what made me finally say "Yup, I'm just going to make my own". The money savings is nice...but the reality is, no company aside from Halo makes a menthol that has the right blend of pure strength and flavor for me, and I'm not about spending 20 bucks every 4 days on liquid lol.

 

[Wolfenstark]

Is it worth buying glass bottles to store my flavours and made juices in or is it fine to leave them in plastic bottles ?
Thinking for long term storage , yes perhaps more than the usual best before date would suggest.

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

I've had many flavors for more than two years and can't say I've had any go bad on me. juice is reactive, some very reactive with plastic. Plastic will leach into juice after a month or so, and continuously degrade the bottle storage. Always use glass for long term storage. Much more expensive initially, but long term less expensive, no leaching and no flavor degradation. Also, some plastics better and hardier than others, but none of them is great for long term storage of juice.

I like the boston round dropper bottles in amber myself for 15 mls, and flat caps for larger bottles sizes. I have the cobalt blue as well. The key is a dark bottle to restrict light exposure and a dark, cool cabinet storage. Good luck!

 

[lirruping]

I mixed some TFA Almond Amaretto at 9% alone, just to get a sense of it and it tastes very mild and a bit like plastic or maybe play-doh, to me.

Is this normal for this flavor on its own?

I've just now added:

1% Brown Sugar
1% Sugar Cookie
1% Toasted Almond
3% Belgian Waffle
3% Vanilla Swirl

Hoping for an amaretto cookie effect.

 

[nopoison]

I mixed some TFA Almond Amaretto at 9% alone, just to get a sense of it and it tastes very mild and a bit like plastic or maybe play-doh, to me.

Is this normal for this flavor on its own?

I've just now added:

1% Brown Sugar
1% Sugar Cookie
1% Toasted Almond
3% Belgian Waffle
3% Vanilla Swirl

Hoping for an amaretto cookie effect.

I'm no expert as I have just begun to start making e-juice but from my lurking around here I'm thinking you may do well to also add a "cream" ingredient. I like the sounds of this though and may very well follow your lead on this one. I love amaretto cookies and anything with that almond flavor!!

 

[shreduhsoreus]

I've had many flavors for more than two years and can't say I've had any go bad on me. Juice is reactive, some very reactive with plastic. Plastic will leach into juice after a month or so, and continuously degrade the bottle storage. Always use glass for long term storage. Much more expensive initially, but long term less expensive, no leaching and no flavor degradation. Also, some plastics better and hardier than others, but none of them is great for long term storage of juice.

I like the boston round dropper bottles in amber myself for 15 mls, and flat caps for larger bottles sizes. I have the cobalt blue as well. The key is a dark bottle to restrict light exposure and a dark, cool cabinet storage. Good luck!

So would you say that it would be a good idea to buy a larger size bottle(say, 4 oz) and put some in a smaller glass vial and use what's in the smaller bottle and store the remainder of the big bottle, and just refill the small bottle as needed? I have no problem with buying a bunch of glass vials if it's going to mean I can save money by buying bigger bottles of flavors.

Edit: TFA's website had a little section that answered this for me lol, but I am open to and welcome any and all suggestions to make flavors last as long as possible. I've dedicated a fair chunk of my refund to DIY related stuff, so up front cost is not an issue.

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

So would you say that it would be a good idea to buy a larger size bottle(say, 4 oz) and put some in a smaller glass vial and use what's in the smaller bottle and store the remainder of the big bottle, and just refill the small bottle as needed? I have no problem with buying a bunch of glass vials if it's going to mean I can save money by buying bigger bottles of flavors.

Edit: TFA's website had a little section that answered this for me lol, but I am open to and welcome any and all suggestions to make flavors last as long as possible. I've dedicated a fair chunk of my refund to DIY related stuff, so up front cost is not an issue.

I use glass bottles for all my juices and keep my flavorings in their original containers, and haven't had any problems. However, juices in plastic bottles for any length of time does end up "staining" the plastic bottles, indicating leaching, etc., so I haven't used plastic in a long time to store my juices, other than for samples that I give away. Also, I have not seen the same staining on the flavorings stored in plastic bottles that I get from TFA, so I think they are safe. The highly reactive juices come in different plastic bottles, btw, in the 4 ounce sizes. I have not seen a difference in the 16 oz plastic bottles with the flavorings.

 

[DarthEmma]

I hope it's ok to post a recipe I found elsewhere on the web. I found this recipe on reddit's "Best Recipe of 2014 (Contest)" thread. It is by a member there who goes by the name of "vapor_trails_nw"... It's so simple.

I modified it a bit by using all TFA ingredients. (The original used Capella's Cinnamon Danish Swirl for which I substituted TFA Cinnamon Danish).

French Toast:
Waffle @ 10%
Vanilla Swirl @ 4%
Cinnamon Danish @ 4%

I tried a little of it right after I made it and was hoping for more flavor. So, I let it steep for a few days and tried it again today. It is unbelievably better now! This is going to be my ADV for a good long time!

 

[Monotremata]

I mixed some TFA Almond Amaretto at 9% alone, just to get a sense of it and it tastes very mild and a bit like plastic or maybe play-doh, to me.

Is this normal for this flavor on its own?

I've just now added:

1% Brown Sugar
1% Sugar Cookie
1% Toasted Almond
3% Belgian Waffle
3% Vanilla Swirl

Hoping for an amaretto cookie effect.

Try adding like 2% sweet cream maybe?

 

[Joie]

bill have you tried the tutti fruity in anything?
suggestions welcome.....lol
I've only tried it with a bubblegum recipe subbed out the watermelon....so far.....not bad

 

[CampbellMC]

Stumbled onto this one while trying to make another lemonade, ended up getting close to one of my favorite candies so I tweaked it and loving it:

Blue Raspberry Candy
7% Raspberry(Sweet)
6% Blueberry(Extra)
6% Lemon
4% Ethyl Maltol
4% Tart and Sour

Also finished tweaking the Strawberry Banana recipe I was working on (And made up a batch using all glass to get rid of the particulates forming):

Strawberry Banana
12% Strawberry
8% Banana(Ripe)
3% Sweet Cream
3% Vanilla Swirl
3% Ethyl Maltol

Two more to add to my ADV collection Now need to see if I can finish getting the Blue Raspberry Lemonade I was going to, will try out my FW Lemonade again I guess, but its another tank cracker so a pain to work with till I get my glass bottles which are in the mail.

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

bill have you tried the tutti fruity in anything?
suggestions welcome.....lol
I've only tried it with a bubblegum recipe subbed out the watermelon....so far.....not bad

I have not tried the tutti fruity yet. I don't believe I have that flavoring yet, either.

 

[Joie]

I have not tried the tutti fruity yet. I don't believe I have that flavoring yet, either.

well maybe I will be able to post a newbie good one soon .....lol

 

[facedown]

As many have noted, TFA flavors seldom work as stand-alone mixes though there are a few exceptions. Bill has mentioned Fudge Brownie and I think there may have been another one a few hundred pages back.

I find that Red Velvet Cake is quite good at 10% (YMMV) all by itself. I don't really steep stuff on purpose - I just make a bunch of stuff and don't get around to testing it for a while so you may need to start higher if you're going to vape it right away.

I'm trying some mixes now with 2% fruit added, just for a little variety; orange, cherry (natural) and raspberry sweet.

 

[AndriaD]

As many have noted, TFA flavors seldom work as stand-alone mixes though there are a few exceptions. Bill has mentioned Fudge Brownie and I think there may have been another one a few hundred pages back.

I find that Red Velvet Cake is quite good at 10% (YMMV) all by itself. I don't really steep stuff on purpose - I just make a bunch of stuff and don't get around to testing it for a while so you may need to start higher if you're going to vape it right away.

I'm trying some mixes now with 2% fruit added, just for a little variety; orange, cherry (natural) and raspberry sweet.

Also TFA's Banana Nut Bread; although it's really better with a little sweetener (just my taste, massive sweet tooth) and a drop of acetyl pyrazine, it doesn't really *need* the extras to be vapable.

Andria

 

[Sgt.Rock]

I posted this in the TFA only recipes thread as well but I thought I'd share it here as well.

I've been experimenting for about 6 months with different menthol mixes before actually reading this thread. Thanks to Bill and Master and the rest of you I ended up with the best menthol to date (to my taste anyway!) It's a sweet and creamy vape.

My Sweet Menthol
50PG/50VG 10 mg nic.

2% Menthol (made from 1 gram of menthol crystals per 10 ml PG)
7% Creme de Menthe
9% Sweet Cream
2% Koolada

 

[AndriaD]

I posted this in the TFA only recipes thread as well but I thought I'd share it here as well.

I've been experimenting for about 6 months with different menthol mixes before actually reading this thread. Thanks to Bill and Master and the rest of you I ended up with the best menthol to date (to my taste anyway!) It's a sweet and creamy vape.

My Sweet Menthol
50PG/50VG 10 mg nic.

2% Menthol (made from 1 gram of menthol crystals per 10 ml PG)
7% Creme de Menthe
9% Sweet Cream
2% Koolada

Any thoughts about putting your recipes in a blog? That first 5ml test I did of the chocolate cream pie from Bill's blog is now gone, and I thought I would try your chocolate cream, it looked like it would be delicious.

Andria