Note: I've edited the post to keep track of solutions I've found up to now.
Hi all,
I've been tempering with DIY recently, and am starting to get the hang of flavor mixes and ratios. However, I have yet to produce something that has the following 3 qualities, found in all vendor eliquids I love (e.b. Boba's Bounty, Swagger, etc):
1) Thickness (might be related to point no.2) - I've recently moved away from my 50/50 base because I find my liquids to produce a cotton-mouth effect, which is far from enjoyable. I thought 100% VG would solve this - as it is SO gooey right out of the bottle - but it did not really help. I use PG based flavors, so there is 20% or more PG in my all VG juices, but that can't be the source of the problem. Furthermore, I would have expected my juices to be thicker like many commercial 100% VG eliquids. Playing with such professional 100% VG juices shows that they stick to the bottle sides, drip like honey and even make a gooey bubble sound as I vape them. They feel thick in the atty! Any tips to keep my juices real thick and moist - both in the bottle and mouth?
Solution so far: It seems like 100% really i the key. With concentrated flavors and VG based nic, it seems like keeping it real close to a 100% makes the difference with a 80/20 mix. Water does not help keep the vape "moist".
2) Sweetness (may be related to dark color) - I've tried some "sweetener" and some Ethyl Maltol. The latter seems to work best with my tobacco or bakery eliquids, but in the end, my mix never feels as sweet as others. I use 10% concentrated EM in PG and put about 10-20% of my eliquid. Are there alternatives that sweeten even more? When I look at most vendor's tobacco or bakery eliquids, not only are they sweeter, they are also much darker than the more chocolaty and sweet mix I can produce. I wanted to try Caramel Color Powder, but not only can't I import any in Canada, it's supposed to be bitter and bring a burnt sugar taste. Maybe sweetness is not related to color? Anyone have tried this or something else to produce an eliquid as sweet as honey (or close) like Swagger, BB, etc? And if there are solutions to sweeten a lot, then how should we explain how dark those vendor's juices are?
Solution so far: Nothing yet on dark "molasse" brown color. Still no clue. And for sweetness, 100% is a good start, but EM in PG does not really "enrich" the juice. I'm still waiting for suggestions to enhance sweetness. Keep suggestions coming!
3) Throat Hit - Any tips to get a big, strong TH on 100% VG mixes? I vape low nic (6mg) and even at 10mg, I am not satisfied at all. I get a tingling feel, but nothing good like BB. I do not want to go higher in terms of nic because I do not need the intake. Yes, I know PG helps with TH - not that I have noticed much difference - but 100% VG do make smooth vapor with almost no TH. I do suspect that vendors rely on something else like capsaicin (e.g. 1 drop of BB on the tongue stings like tabasco, much more so than other DIY and commercial 6mg I've tasted in comparison. PGA sounds like it helps too. What do you guys use, other than nic, to get a nice TH?
Solution so far: If not with PG or high levels of nic, it seems like a strong TH depends on additional elements like Vodka (seems to boost the TH a bit) or possibly capsiacin or some other pepper additive (I've ordered a few - yet to be tested)
You can seem my suspensions, and I actually think I might be on to something like a type of powder or molasse that is very sweet, keeps the VG thick and by the same token considerably darkens the juice. It just feels like I'm missing 1 key ingredient to produce juice comparable to vendors... tho I'm fine on the flavor front
Thanks in advance guys!
Hi all,
I've been tempering with DIY recently, and am starting to get the hang of flavor mixes and ratios. However, I have yet to produce something that has the following 3 qualities, found in all vendor eliquids I love (e.b. Boba's Bounty, Swagger, etc):
1) Thickness (might be related to point no.2) - I've recently moved away from my 50/50 base because I find my liquids to produce a cotton-mouth effect, which is far from enjoyable. I thought 100% VG would solve this - as it is SO gooey right out of the bottle - but it did not really help. I use PG based flavors, so there is 20% or more PG in my all VG juices, but that can't be the source of the problem. Furthermore, I would have expected my juices to be thicker like many commercial 100% VG eliquids. Playing with such professional 100% VG juices shows that they stick to the bottle sides, drip like honey and even make a gooey bubble sound as I vape them. They feel thick in the atty! Any tips to keep my juices real thick and moist - both in the bottle and mouth?
Solution so far: It seems like 100% really i the key. With concentrated flavors and VG based nic, it seems like keeping it real close to a 100% makes the difference with a 80/20 mix. Water does not help keep the vape "moist".
2) Sweetness (may be related to dark color) - I've tried some "sweetener" and some Ethyl Maltol. The latter seems to work best with my tobacco or bakery eliquids, but in the end, my mix never feels as sweet as others. I use 10% concentrated EM in PG and put about 10-20% of my eliquid. Are there alternatives that sweeten even more? When I look at most vendor's tobacco or bakery eliquids, not only are they sweeter, they are also much darker than the more chocolaty and sweet mix I can produce. I wanted to try Caramel Color Powder, but not only can't I import any in Canada, it's supposed to be bitter and bring a burnt sugar taste. Maybe sweetness is not related to color? Anyone have tried this or something else to produce an eliquid as sweet as honey (or close) like Swagger, BB, etc? And if there are solutions to sweeten a lot, then how should we explain how dark those vendor's juices are?
Solution so far: Nothing yet on dark "molasse" brown color. Still no clue. And for sweetness, 100% is a good start, but EM in PG does not really "enrich" the juice. I'm still waiting for suggestions to enhance sweetness. Keep suggestions coming!
3) Throat Hit - Any tips to get a big, strong TH on 100% VG mixes? I vape low nic (6mg) and even at 10mg, I am not satisfied at all. I get a tingling feel, but nothing good like BB. I do not want to go higher in terms of nic because I do not need the intake. Yes, I know PG helps with TH - not that I have noticed much difference - but 100% VG do make smooth vapor with almost no TH. I do suspect that vendors rely on something else like capsaicin (e.g. 1 drop of BB on the tongue stings like tabasco, much more so than other DIY and commercial 6mg I've tasted in comparison. PGA sounds like it helps too. What do you guys use, other than nic, to get a nice TH?
Solution so far: If not with PG or high levels of nic, it seems like a strong TH depends on additional elements like Vodka (seems to boost the TH a bit) or possibly capsiacin or some other pepper additive (I've ordered a few - yet to be tested)
You can seem my suspensions, and I actually think I might be on to something like a type of powder or molasse that is very sweet, keeps the VG thick and by the same token considerably darkens the juice. It just feels like I'm missing 1 key ingredient to produce juice comparable to vendors... tho I'm fine on the flavor front
Thanks in advance guys!
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That's not funny Zurd... no wait, it is, a bit.
