Use Less FLAVOR in your juice and get more FLAVOR in your vape!!

[marsos52]

Maybe I should have realized this a long time ago.
since I began vaping (just over 2 years) I never been happy with any flavor in any juice.

It always seems not upfront, and many times the flavor gets hidden or non existent..


I soon started making my own E liquid and that did help to some degree. Still not what I expect.

I blamed the devices I was using for vaping and I tried most of the best known mods and feeding systems and they all
vaped every well but I never felt the flavor improved. I tried changing coil builds and ohms and air flow. Its all the same.

Many of my vaping friends are crazy about my DIY juices and actually pay me to make juice for them. they tell me how much better my juice is compared to juices they purchase in the vape stores and online.

but for me, I am not really happy with the flavor.

UNTIL NOW. I experimented with using more flavor in my recipe. it makes the flavor more intense but not flavorfully.
I tried using more PG, that isn't the answer.

Next I started lowering my flavor percentage and wow. the flavor is bursting. Now,, why is this happening, less flavor added to my ejuice and I'm getting max flavor in my hit.

It's so obvious,, the e juice flavors are concentrated.. less is more. when I use to much ejuice favor there is not enough other ingredient or volume to let the concentrate to fully develop..

So, using the right amount of flavor with the right amount of juice (volume) is key to getting flavor to its fullest.

I just hope that my findings on this matter will help others to getting flavor at is over the top.

 

[Stringer63]

I diy as well and find this interesting marsos. I mix my go-to diy waffle flavor at 30% combined (waffle, maple syrup, butter) flavoring trying to max the flavor. You have me wondering now if I need to back off a bit. What % reduction in flavoring did you go with to find your sweet spot?

 

[Funk Dracula]

Yup.

I go a bit extreme sometimes though and I'm almost vaping unflavored with just a "hint" of the flavors I enjoy. I've grown to appreciate unflavored, and the subtleness of adding as little as 5% flavoring to my DIY. It helps that the RM2 amplifies flavor so well.

Another plus is that less flavoring is kind of "safer" for you to inhale as well. After all, the worst harmful risk we are subjecting ourselves to as vapers is the unknown chemicals that are in the flavoring. The PG, VG, and nicotine are benign.

 

[CATastrophe]

Yup, spend some time in the DIY section. The "less is more rule" is SOP there. Happy mixing.

 

[Stringer63]

Yup.

I go a bit extreme sometimes though and I'm almost vaping unflavored with just a "hint" of the flavors I enjoy. I've grown to appreciate unflavored, and the subtleness of adding as little as 5% flavoring to my DIY. It helps that the RM2 amplifies flavor so well.

Another plus is that less flavoring is kind of "safer" for you to inhale as well. After all, the worst harmful risk we are subjecting ourselves to as vapers is the unknown chemicals that are in the flavoring. The PG, VG, and nicotine are benign.

Good point - often wondered about the flavoring ingredients. Gonna give it a try at a reduced %. Thanks

 

[cramptholomew]

This is key to DIY. I learned the hard way as well. There is only one flavor that I use at more than 5%. I use mostly TFA, but have started using more Flavor Art. Flavor Art flavors are incredibly strong, and thus .5%-3% are the sweet spot for most. Tobaccos are usually on the lower end of the scale. For some, .25% is PLENTY!

 

[karmakatie]

This is probably the best advice I would give anyone getting into DIY!!! Less truly is more......I have found store bought juice to be downrank rank anymore after discovering just how little of flavoring is needed to make an excellent juice!

 

[marsos52]

ok I mostly make 30ML batches ....
I like 30% PG and 70%VG for my .8 ohm coils I use 7mg's of nico and 17% flavor.

Before I lowered my flavor to 17% I was using 22 to 25% flavor.

So, at 17% flavor, in a 30 ML mix. 20% is VG and 5% is flavor and 5% nico and PG mixed

I probably will try even less flavor in the short term future. I go slow with changes to make sure everything is working for me.

 

[InTheClouds]

It has always boggled me when companies say 10-15%... I very rarely use more that 5% flavor, sometimes only 3%. Dropping to 3% made my watermelon taste like fresh watermelon instead of Jolly Rancher type flavor. In my peach I use 4% and one drop sour/30ml, that one drop sour made it pop.

 

[Dolly Dagger]

That's interesting, I had the opposite experience. I was using an average of 5% (mostly TFA) and finding the flavors lacking. After trying some recipes using more, I found a happy place. I use Flavor West at about 15-20%, TFA varies (still experimenting, but finding some to be about 3% to 15 or 20% for blends). I just started with some Flavor Arts tobaccos, 1% is so strong!!! I'm getting some Capella flavorings in soon. It's crazy how different percentages certain flavors seem to need, and even harder to figure out as the flavors change in strength (stronger or weaker) with steeping. I feel I could stay busy and entertained experimenting with one single flavor for an entire month (or more for steeping) to find out what percentage and what flavors go well with it. It's hard to mix flavors for people because everyone uses different equipment and has different tastes for strength percentages. I guess that's part of the fun, right?

The strange part is I sometimes crave something very light after testing flavors all day, like 0 flavor or a high vg mix I made with a light marshmallow flavor. My taste buds get so burned out I can hardly taste anything. I think if you are used to vaping high flavor you start losing the ability to taste things with lower percentages of flavoring. It's like when you stop eating sugar, everything tastes sweeter.

 

[Dolly Dagger]

It has always boggled me when companies say 10-15%... I very rarely use more that 5% flavor, sometimes only 3%. Dropping to 3% made my watermelon taste like fresh watermelon instead of Jolly Rancher type flavor. In my peach I use 4% and one drop sour/30ml, that one drop sour made it pop.

I like my watermelon light too, I like to add a little koolada or a tiny bit of menthol to make an icy watermelon, it's refreshing after vaping strong flavors.

 

[Taylor7617]

The wife and I have experimented in DIY and to date been totally unsuccessful except for one (Cinn Pear). Going to get back into it. Maybe we need a Reo-sub forum, LOL !

 

[solace.discord]

when I used tanks and cartos, I mixed DIY at 20% and used vendor liquids straight. since the RM2 came into my life, I've been diluting everything at least 50%- sometimes I love just a few drops of full-strength with unflavored nic juice. I love love love flavors- but sometimes you can taste the blends better, pick out the subtleties easier, when it's not so in your face.

 

[Big Hitter]

Yepper, I've been on that for a while. When I mix I use very little flavoring.

If I buy juice I dilute it big time. Got some AVE sweet tart that I'm vaping 10% AVE and 90% unflavored .... and its till got great flavor.

 

[SeniorBoy]

Most importantly, congrats and kudos to OP for finding your sweet spot.

Some respectful thoughts: In the DIY real world, you don't add flavors (TFA, Capellas, FA, etc) to ejuice. You add them to "base" which is PG/VG + NIC. Ejuice is already mixed with base + flavors. I'm really not sure exactly which case you are referring to since some folks due add flavors to ejuice (already mixed) to suit their taste which is fine by me but it's not DIY.

I'm confused, are you saying that those of us who mix via DIY should all use "less is more" as a global rule for all our mixes?? If so that is false for numerous reasons. Some of which already appear in this thread. Let me tick off a few:

Some mixes have 10% total flavors and others using the same components may have 25% total flavors. It's not a universal rule, it's "adjust for each of our tastes" and ECF has numerous formulas/recipes which document this range. My buds are different than yours. Our buds change. During the day, and over a given period of time.

The delivery device is another factor in the flavor of the juice. In some of my mixes you can't even taste the 1% flavor in a T2 or PT2 because these devices mute the flavor. Vape the same mix in a RM2 or KF and you taste the subtle 1% tone along with a more intense flavor from the entire mix. I mix for both devices with different formulas and sometimes the same formula

The age of the juice is a critical factor and here I am referring to steeping. Some tones are way to harsh or overpowering with a "green" new mix so some may think they used to much flavor when in fact that is not the issue.. Many citrus flavors come to mind. Six hours in my UC and a day or two to settle and the tones have smoothed and in some cases moved to the back row. The juice is balanced. That's the time to judge many juices. NOT the green brand new mix.

Of course some flavors are more concentrated than others. I am fond of using a rum exstract and anything over 1% will turn the mix to window cleaner. /lol On the other hand myself and numerous other people use a single flavor at 5% to 20% or more depending on our respective "buds" and in some cases the final delivry device.

EDIT: I'm fine with folks who like subtle flavors which inludes yours truly at times. You might want to try http://www.ahlusion.us/ since the default mix is formulated for a RDA/RBA. Authentic and mostly extracts. For example, Strawberry Vanilla Cake in a T2 is almost no flavor and not good. The same mix in a RM2 or KF is yummy. Natch, you can tweak the default mix to suite your buds and delivery device.

HTH

 

[Stringer63]

I suspect this is all flavor-specific (or maybe my taste buds are fried!), but my experiment with cutting my flavor % in half resulted in half the flavor for me. I do not doubt that the OP's theory works for some flavors, just not mine. Bummer....

 

[Bigflyrodder]

I tried dropping down on my last batch of Hansen bacco from 7% to 4% and now they are too weak. I'll let them steep a bit more and see how they are but my guess is I'll try maybe 5.5% or so next time.

Good points, very new to DIY and learning everything I can! Thanks for the input from everyone.

 

[FACE MEAT]

I vape mostly my own DIY liquids but occasionally buy a vendor liquid.

Since installing the sub-ohm kit and Atomic atomizer (modded for bottom-feed)on my LP Grand, it's become my dedicated lung inhale device.

One afternoon, I was too lazy to whip up a low nic DIY for use in my REO, so I cut a half-full bottle of 12mg/mL Space Jam with VG to bring it to 6mg/mL.

I shook it up, filled the bottle in my REO and have it a vape.

Holy Moses! It was bursting with flavor! Way more intense than uncut.

I'm sure the hardware has something to do with the flavor intensity, but I suspect that most vendor liquids are heavy-handed with flavoring.

Just like cotton wicks, less is more.

 

[Bigflyrodder]

Hmmm, I'll have to try that.

I have noticed that with some juices the lower nic I have purchased the less intense the flavor so have been resistant to cutting down.

 

[Fizzpop]

This is my experience exactly. I DIY and go light on the juices - it is amazing. Before I started DIY I ordered from many high-end, well-regarded vendors. At this point my wife won't vape anything except the juices I mix. Probably the best compliment I could possibly get.