Tip for bringing out more flavor (sometimes)...

[Mr.Mann]

I just got in a batch of FA flavors and so far about half of them seem like they'll be staying with me. I always, immediately after getting the flavors, mix up small 5 mL batches to test them using about two drops. I then vape them out of a 510 atty on a Spinner. Quick, easy, painless. But, today I must've gotten overzealous, or maybe the flavoring is too strong, becasue two drops in a 5 mL tasted harsh and chemical-ish (and this isn't reported to be a strong flavor, at least not that I've seen). So, instead of adding more flavoring or deciding it was a bad flavor, I added about 2-3 extra mL of base on top of it.

Shake. Shake. Shake. vape. Result: More flavor and a much more accurate taste to what the label suggests.

A quick tip for those new to DIY (though this may be obvious to some):

Sometimes adding more base will bring out the flavor of your flavoring concentrates/mixes. It's the same theory of how often times less is more, but sometimes that same thing can be accomplished by just adding more non-flavoring/base to create that result. So if you are in Nasty Land and you just have to add *more* of something, try adding more base. Dilution is a beautiful thing.

 

[JD1]

One other small tip I might add is to pull of a ml or two and add to that. That way you're not overboard if it doesn't work. TFA chocolate taught me that one. Dang that stuff is strong lol.

 

[ligyron]

I just got in a batch of FA flavors and so far about half of them seem like they'll be staying with me. I always, immediately after getting the flavors, mix up small 5 mL batches to test them using about two drops. I then vape them out of a 510 atty on a Spinner. Quick, easy, painless. But, today I must've gotten overzealous, or maybe the flavoring is too strong, becasue two drops in a 5 mL tasted harsh and chemical-ish (and this isn't reported to be a strong flavor, at least not that I've seen). So, instead of adding more flavoring or deciding it was a bad flavor, I added about 2-3 extra mL of base on top of it.

Shake. Shake. Shake. Vape. Result: More flavor and a much more accurate taste to what the label suggests.

A quick tip for those new to DIY (though this may be obvious to some):

Sometimes adding more base will bring out the flavor of your flavoring concentrates/mixes. It's the same theory of how often times less is more, but sometimes that same thing can be accomplished by just adding more non-flavoring/base to create that result. So if you are in Nasty Land and you just have to add *more* of something, try adding more base. Dilution is a beautiful thing.

Well, I for one never thought of that. Thanks!

I really need to start making 5ml samples like you mention instead of just trying stuff I think will work together well. Jeez, you need a lot of bottles and labels for this DIY thing, lol.

 

[Mr.Mann]

Well, I for one never thought of that. Thanks!

I really need to start making 5ml samples like you mention instead of just trying stuff I think will work together well. Jeez, you need a lot of bottles and labels for this DIY thing, lol.

Really? I wasn't sure it would be helpful to anyone. I understand it seems like a no-brainier to some, but I thought that some people just never really considered it.

Yeah, I have about 500 dopper bottles (but I ain't necessarily just starting. LOL). I started out with 100 x 10 mL and 50 x 5 mL. I only have a very small amount of 30 mL bottles, but the rest of the dropper bottles are all 5s,10s and 15s (I rarely scale to or beyond 30 mL; most of my mixing is in 10 mL). For all my bottles though, I probably spent no more than $60 total. I buy them all on ebay in various auctions. If the bidding gets to a price beyond what I am willing to pay, I wait or try in another auction. My last lot of 50 x 5 mL bottles I paid $3.25 including shipping (I try not to pay more than about $10 per 100 of my favorite type of bottles). They are generally from ebay lots based in China, but if you plan ahead the wait 2-3 week wait is a non-issue.

 

[dannyv45]

I just got in a batch of FA flavors and so far about half of them seem like they'll be staying with me. I always, immediately after getting the flavors, mix up small 5 mL batches to test them using about two drops. I then vape them out of a 510 atty on a Spinner. Quick, easy, painless. But, today I must've gotten overzealous, or maybe the flavoring is too strong, becasue two drops in a 5 mL tasted harsh and chemical-ish (and this isn't reported to be a strong flavor, at least not that I've seen). So, instead of adding more flavoring or deciding it was a bad flavor, I added about 2-3 extra mL of base on top of it.

Shake. Shake. Shake. Vape. Result: More flavor and a much more accurate taste to what the label suggests.

A quick tip for those new to DIY (though this may be obvious to some):

Sometimes adding more base will bring out the flavor of your flavoring concentrates/mixes. It's the same theory of how often times less is more, but sometimes that same thing can be accomplished by just adding more non-flavoring/base to create that result. So if you are in Nasty Land and you just have to add *more* of something, try adding more base. Dilution is a beautiful thing.

Flavoring strengths are all over the place. I've also ran into flavors that most say are good at one strength and when I mix them they blow my head off. As you do I dilute, dilute, dilute, steep, steep, steep. And if that don't work then it's off to a dark, top shelf some where to collect dust for that flavor.

 

[1vapeatatime]

If no credible dosages are suggested I do 06dr/05ml for all my tobaccos, and 15dr/05mk for all other flavors, except Flavourart. There are of course exceptions to the rule, and as for credible dosages I mean ECF posters who obviously know the art, not Manufacturer suggestions or Posters that joined last month and already have 7000 posts.

 

[dannyv45]

I'm a tobacco vaper and I use only hangsen tobaccos and for most of my tobaccos I'm in the 5 - 7% range. I find hangsen very consistent from flavor to flavor unlike TFA which are all over the place. I find the FA tobaccos good at 4 - 5%. It's all about experimenting with different manufactures and finding one you like and staying with them. I find inawera a decent manufacture for tobaccos but the drop method that most have adopted with these flavors leaves a lot to be desired. I find that most inawera are good between 2 - 3% but there are a few so concentrated that 1% is even to strong. I just wish everyone would agree on a standard of measurement (Drops, % or ml) and stick with it. I've found that % seems to be the best as it allows you to translate that into ml's for any quantity of juice you want to make whether it be 10ml or 120ml of finished product. Drops differ from dropper to dropper so that to me seems to be the most inaccurate. As always it's hard to depend on someone else's recommendations because what taste good to them may taste like crap to you. So it's always best to depend on your own taste buds.

 

[Mr.Mann]

I'm a tobacco vaper and I use only hangsen tobaccos and for most of my tobaccos I'm in the 5 - 7% range. I find hangsen very consistent from flavor to flavor unlike TFA which are all over the place. I find the FA tobaccos good at 4 - 5%. It's all about experimenting with different manufactures and finding one you like and staying with them. I find inawera a decent manufacture for tobaccos but the drop method that most have adopted with these flavors leaves a lot to be desired. I find that most inawera are good between 2 - 3% but there are a few so concentrated that 1% is even to strong. I just wish everyone would agree on a standard of measurement (Drops, % or ml) and stick with it. I've found that % seems to be the best as it allows you to translate that into ml's for any quantity of juice you want to make whether it be 10ml or 120ml of finished product. Drops differ from dropper to dropper so that to me seems to be the most inaccurate. As always it's hard to depend on someone else's recommendations because what taste good to them may taste like crap to you. So it's always best to depend on your own taste buds.

Yeah and sometimes what someone is conveying to you as their quantity, even when using percentage, is not quantifiable without seeing exactly what they're doing, so when you test it out you're like ?!?!? I know some people don't measure at the bottom of the meniscus when they use syringes, so they're actually using less than they say. Hell, not all syringes measure the same and especially when using blunt tips (or even no needles), so in the end, most posted recipes are generally a 'ballpark' until you can get it to your own taste/method of measuring. I do plan on weighing so that I can be precise, but that still won't get me to a point where I can make the exact same liquid that someone else has posted about when they use a drop method -- I'd still have to figure it out for myself.

I've always been fond of ratios for the easiest recipes to convey and remake, but that can get really wonky when those numbers ain't nice and round.

 

[clnire]

I also make small batches of a "new" recipe. I may make 2 or more versions of the same recipe, labeled and with notes in my recipe folder. Taste (also in a 510 bridgeless atty), steep and taste again. The best of the group gets noted, the others get tossed, and I continue from there. With small batches I am not wasting a lot of ingredients that a large batch would if it does not turn out how I want it.

 

[chargingcharlie]

Yeah and sometimes what someone is conveying to you as their quantity, even when using percentage, is not quantifiable without seeing exactly what they're doing, so when you test it out you're like ?!?!? I know some people don't measure at the bottom of the meniscus when they use syringes, so they're actually using less than they say. Hell, not all syringes measure the same and especially when using blunt tips (or even no needles), so in the end, most posted recipes are generally a 'ballpark' until you can get it to your own taste/method of measuring. I do plan on weighing so that I can be precise, but that still won't get me to a point where I can make the exact same liquid that someone else has posted about when they use a drop method -- I'd still have to figure it out for myself.

I've always been fond of ratios for the easiest recipes to convey and remake, but that can get really wonky when those numbers ain't nice and round.

That's why I feel that measuring by weight is the most precise method. I don't trust myself to count drops and measuring by weight seems so easy to me. This scale is inexpensive and I'm so glad I bought it for this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ME8VI34/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_VnUJub0GEY606


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mr.Mann]

That's why I feel that measuring by weight is the most precise method. I don't trust myself to count drops and measuring by weight seems so easy to me. This scale is inexpensive and I'm so glad I bought it for this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ME8VI34/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_VnUJub0GEY606


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ha! I am literally researching balances right now (in other windows).

 

[Boletus]

As far as I know, mass is the only property of most substances that does not change with their condition (temperature, pressure, etc.). So in that regard, measuring by weight should be the most repeatable method, as long as the ingredients are identical, e.g same base, such as PG, VG etc. Let's forgo the whole weight vs. mass discussion, unless someone is seriously wanting a physics lesson, since it is not important for this application.

Back to the OP, I am working with some flavorings that work best in certain mixes at less than 1%, so for small test batches that is difficult to do accurately without doing serial dilutions or using a good scale.