The Flavor Apprentice Flavoring Thread

[we87]

I have used TFA's Earl Grey, Green and Black. Both the Earl and Green are keepers. The black... not so much.

The Eal Grey is really versatile. Used in higher percentages (10-13%); is gives a very true Bigelow earl grey tea flavor with the oil of bergamot note being pungently forward and true. Used at lower percentages (1-2%) in tobaccos; it adds a floral note that I have been searching for trying to replicate pipe tobaccos. It is much more subtle in this manner and plays quite nicely with the grassy and fruity notes I am trying to bring out without dominating the overall mix.

The Green Tea flavor is a good all-around tea flavor. I'm not sure I would describe it as "green" per se; as It is rather on the "bold side. To me it is more of what the Black Tea should be. But it is a good general "tea" flavor that I use between 5-13%. This is a good 1:1 alternative to the Earl Grey when you are not looking for the bergamot note.

The Black Tea I haven't had success with. To me; it has a dirty, dusty, almost petroleum-like flavor that lingers. I have to admit that I haven't spent a lot of time with this one as first impressions were not favorable. Other may have different experiences with this one.

Thanks for the well thought out reply and all the information. I remember tasting a sweet tea juice from MBV way back and don't remember liking it- is been too long but I remember kinda what you said about the black tea. That's exactly what I was afraid of. I'll add some green tea and Earl grey to my order


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[MikeADore]

Is the Earl Grey good as a standalone or do you need to mix it with other things? I strictly vape DIY, but I'm not imaginative at all when it comes to recipes. I usually stick to one- or two-flavor mixes. Simple minded, I guess.

 

[IDJoel]

Is the Earl Grey good as a standalone or do you need to mix it with other things? I strictly vape DIY, but I'm not imaginative at all when it comes to recipes. I usually stick to one- or two-flavor mixes. Simple minded, I guess.

I have to preface my answer by saying I haven't tried any of the three I previously mentioned as a stand-alone. That said; I would say it depends on what you are wanting out of it flavor-wise. I think both TFA's Green Tea and Earl Grey Tea could be vaped as a stand-alone but I tend to like flavors with more than a single layer.
A simple tea based recipe for me is:
Earl Grey Honeyed Tea
Earl Grey - TFA 13%
Honey - TFA 8%
Bavarian Cream - TFA 5%
Sweet Cream - TFA 3.5%
Note: this is NOT an original recipe for me. I am afraid I did not note where I found it or who the original author was to give proper credit. My apologies.

I use this in a 30P/70V/6mg nic mix and it is a good shake and vape. Green Tea - TFA is a direct 1:1 replacement for the Earl Grey and just as tasty. Sometimes I find the Earl a little too assertive and the Green makes a good ADV for me that can go for a month or more.

I might also add that I am an occasional tea drinker but I take neither sweetener nor cream in my drink. Though this contains honey and two creams this does not taste particularly sweet or creamy to me. It mostly tastes like a nice balanced cup of tea. YMMV

And, since you said you were preferring a one flavor mix Mike; you reminded me of another I just tried for the first time last month. It is One Stop DIY Shop's Arnold Palmer One shot Flavor. I found it pretty tasty. It has a bit much citrus bite to be an ADV for me but the potential is there. I am just going to need to work with it some more. (BTW: my initial test was 8% in my usual 30P/70V/6mg mix).

One Stop also does a Sweet Southern Tea variation as well. However I have yet to try this one so I can't offer an opinion. The two together might even make a nice blend as well.

 

[penstyle]

Sweet Southern Tea[/URL] variation as well. However I have yet to try this one so I can't offer an opinion. The two together might even make a nice blend as well.

I have tried OneStop's Sweet Southern Tea and it sure does taste like a sweet tea.
Alone it was good and strong at 8%. Not sure what to put with it as I'm not really craving tea that much.

Probably dress it up with one of the TFA DX creams and some Koolada for a nice refreshing beverage.

 

[IDJoel]

Not sure what to put with it as I'm not really craving tea that much.

I've got peach, pear, misc. berries, mango, to all play nice with TFA's Green Tea.

 

[we87]

Earl Grey Honeyed Tea
Earl Grey - TFA 13%
Honey - TFA 8%
Bavarian Cream - TFA 5%
Sweet Cream - TFA 3.5%
Note: this is NOT an original recipe for me. I am afraid I did not note where I found it or who the original author was to give proper credit. My apologies.

That seems like so much honey? Am I crazy? Maybe I'm crazy [emoji12] lol

I have only tried honey once with a tobacco something something with 2.5% honey and IMO it was too overpowering.

 

[IDJoel]

That seems like so much honey? Am I crazy? Maybe I'm crazy [emoji12] lol

I have only tried honey once with a tobacco something something with 2.5% honey and IMO it was too overpowering.

I hear ya; but in this it works. Feel free to dial it back to your tastes though. I am not generally a honey kinda guy (e-liquid or the food product), and as I stated before I am not a "sweet" tea drinker, but for me this one works. Of course ymmv.

 

[englishmick]

I hear ya; but in this it works. Feel free to dial it back to your tastes though. I am not generally a honey kinda guy (e-liquid or the food product), and as I stated before I am not a "sweet" tea drinker, but for methis one works. Of course ymmv.

I had the same experience with Earl Grey. Couldn't get it to be as good as I thought it could be, until I read a post here suggesting a large % of honey. I've never used that much honey in anything but for some reason it works with the Earl Grey.

 

[IDJoel]

I had the same experience with Earl Grey. Couldn't get it to be as good as I thought it could be, until I read a post here suggesting a large % of honey. I've never used that much honey in anything but for some reason it works with the Earl Grey.

That's interesting. I must confess, I have not done my due diligence with the teas, and done my usual single flavor development like I should. I found the previously posted recipe, It sounded good and I wanted to try it, my local B&M had all three TFA teas in stock (and I saw the potential for substitution) so I bought all three, mixed the earl grey version, liked it, mixed the black and green substitution versions, green was a success while black was a bust. I figured two out of three ain't bad (Meatloaf anyone?) and didn't go any further with it.

I'm thinking I might want to revisit these and give them further exploration.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I never would have thought to look at this without your insight.

 

[englishmick]

Mixed some new flavors last week for the first time in a while. I've been busy ordering stuff before the rules changed.

Made Philippine Mango and Papaya, both 5%. They were both nice, and both improved when I added some sweetener. They do need something more, like Cream or Graham Cracker or whatever. I’ll check out recipes. Also made some regular Mango, which is pleasant but rather weak.

Tonight I made DX Banana Cream, DX Coconut, Cheesecake, and Gingerbread (extra Ginger version), all 5%. They smell good in the bottle, except for the Cheesecake which has a sour milk odor. It's probably not meant to be a primary flavor though. The Gingerbread has a really strong sharp aroma of ginger. Not sure how that will work for vaping, though I love ginger. Might need something to mellow it a little.

Decided to try the Banana Cream first. Vaped on it for a while. Tastes quite pleasant, and that’s at 5% on its own. I was thinking it was very smooth. Couldn't put my finger on it but something increasingly didn’t seem quite right. Eventually realised that I had made the 4 bottles tonight with straight VG instead of nic base. Just not paying attention I guess. I’ve got a bottle of nic thawing out so I can add some to the bottles tomorrow. Or maybe I should keep some and try vaping zero nic, see how it goes.

Suggestions for mixing any of these would be appreciated.

 

[FranC]

I really like the cheesecake with Graham. You can mix it with tons of stuff. I think my mix with bittersweet chocolate is my fav.

 

[Mactavish]

Mixed some new flavors last week for the first time in a while. I've been busy ordering stuff before the rules changed.

Made Philippine Mango and Papaya, both 5%. They were both nice, and both improved when I added some sweetener. They do need something more, like Cream or Graham Cracker or whatever. I’ll check out recipes. Also made some regular Mango, which is pleasant but rather weak.

Tonight I made DX Banana Cream, DX Coconut, Cheesecake, and Gingerbread (extra Ginger version), all 5%. They smell good in the bottle, except for the Cheesecake which has a sour milk odor. It's probably not meant to be a primary flavor though. The Gingerbread has a really strong sharp aroma of ginger. Not sure how that will work for vaping, though I love ginger. Might need something to mellow it a little.

Decided to try the Banana Cream first. Vaped on it for a while. Tastes quite pleasant, and that’s at 5% on its own. I was thinking it was very smooth. Couldn't put my finger on it but something increasingly didn’t seem quite right. Eventually realised that I had made the 4 bottles tonight with straight VG instead of nic base. Just not paying attention I guess. I’ve got a bottle of nic thawing out so I can add some to the bottles tomorrow. Or maybe I should keep some and try vaping zero nic, see how it goes.

Suggestions for mixing any of these would be appreciated.

Interesting, "big_vape" warned me about the TFA Mango, not being very good.

 

[b.m.]

Interesting, "big_vape" warned me about the TFA Mango, not being very good.

I haven't tried any other brands of mango,so i can't compare it to others,but i like Tfa mango.I haven't tried the Philippine,only the regular,but to me it's pretty good,and that says a lot coming from me because i can't stand most fruit flavored vapes haha.

 

[louiesquared]

Interesting, "big_vape" warned me about the TFA Mango, not being very good.

I use TFA Mango in my Ruthless Rise Clone and it tastes great to me. Never tried it on it's own though.

 

[MikeADore]

I use TFA Mango in my Ruthless Rise Clone and it tastes great to me. Never tried it on it's own though.

I use it in a strawberry, banana, mango mix and I like it fine.

Question: Has anyone tried the TPA French Vanilla? My favorite flavor is French Vanilla Creme, but I accidentally ordered a big bottle of Franch Vanilla. Seems to have a cologne/perfume smell, but I haven't tried vaping it yet.

 

[Mactavish]

I haven't tried any other brands of mango,so i can't compare it to others,but i like Tfa mango.I haven't tried the Philippine,only the regular,but to me it's pretty good,and that says a lot coming from me because i can't stand most fruit flavored vapes haha.

I got the Philippine mango instead but have not tried it yet.

 

[ShamrockPat]

Interesting, "big_vape" warned me about the TFA Mango, not being very good.

And thats what my taste buds tell me to this day. Taste is always so subjective, so I certainly won't fault anyones opinion. Straight TFA Mango to me is earthy, almost like green/young Mango (which is great with salt). I think I have most of the Mangoes out there, except FA's, and Hangsen Mango.

In my opinion from worst to best this would be MY order. I'm working on mixing multiple together for a good mango.
TFA Mango, TFA Philipine Mango, CAP sweet Mango, Flavorah for the win.
Inawera - sorta odd.

 

[Mactavish]

And thats what my taste buds tell me to this day. Taste is always so subjective, so I certainly won't fault anyones opinion. Straight TFA Mango to me is earthy, almost like green/young Mango (which is great with salt). I think I have most of the Mangoes out there, except FA's, and Hangsen Mango.

In my opinion from worst to best this would be MY order. I'm working on mixing multiple together for a good mango.
TFA Mango, TFA Philipine Mango, CAP sweet Mango, Flavorah for the win.
Inawera - sorta odd.

I love mango, please keep us informed on your mango journey, and post a winning recipe!

 

[ShamrockPat]

So for a little lighthearted reading ..........

I'm Jamaican by birth, and have eaten many Mangoes. I notice up here in Canada, in a Supermarket we see 'Mango - product of xxxxxx'. When I see the actual Mango, I know what it looks like inside, the color, texture, hairyness, taste, juciness, size of the pit, etc. and yes, they're different. I just looked it up, and there are about 28 different ones. I've only really eaten the top 7 of this list from I was a toddler.

http://jamaicans dot com/jamaicanmangonames/ change 'dot' to '.'

And this I'd say is an accurate list of the 'pedigree' mangoes.

http://jamaicans dot com/5-things-jamaicans-know-pedigree-mangoes/

Ask any Jamaican you meet their favourite, and they'll give you a specific name.

 

[clnire]

On my phone and it's late so not gonna research like I normally would, but when I lived in So Florida I had a beautiful mango tree a friend gave me she grew from a pit. It was tall, bushy, and produced the most wonderful soft skined, big, sweet mangos I ever had. Can't buy those in No Florida. Just aren't the same. But I love to eat a good, fresh, naturally sweet mango. Have CAP sweet mango but no time ti experiment. Soon, I hope. Loveing the mango info!