Why do all of my DIY mixes suck?

[AndrewBacon]

Alright so I've recently began trying to make my own liquid instead of paying $15-20 for 30ml bottles. I bought a bunch of stuff from wizardlabs which I will list. I bought a bunch of random flavors that I thought would be good and useful but turns out, some of them are really funky. I've looked through recipes and the DIY introductions but I just can't find something that I can vape all day long and not get tired of it.

So here's what I bought (from wizardlabs)
USP VG 500ML
USP PG 500ML
Vanilla Swirl by TFA
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream by TFA
Whipped Cream by TFA
Vanillin 10%PG by TFA
Strawberries and cream by CAP
Vanilla Custard V2 by Cap
Strawberry by TFA
Blue Raspberry by TFA (horrible IMO)
Blueberry Extra by TFA
Juicy Peach by TFA
Mary Jane by TFA (I was curious - it smells like a fresh cut lawn)
Cheesecake graham crust by TFA
Lemon Lime by CAP
Cappuccino by CAP
and
Sweet tangerine by Cap

So after failed attempts at trying to make something out of these, i placed another order that I have yet to receive this time directly from TPA
which includes:
Apple (tart granny smith)
Apricot
Bavarian cream
Blueberry wild
coconut candy
dragonfruit
kiwi double
pear
ripe banana
strawberry ripe
and
sweetener

So with the flavors I have now, what can I make that doesn't turn out ....ty?

 

[Mr.Mann]

Just curious. Do you start out by mixing your flavors as a standalone to figure out how they play at different percentages? It can be a tall order when you have a lot of flavors (someone recently made that point), but when running into issues, it is an invaluable approach.

 

[AndrewBacon]

Well I actually just tried that an hour or so ago. I used juicy peach and vanilla bean ice cream to make a "peaches and cream" type flavor. I used 1ml of peach, and .5ml of vanilla bean ice cream. I capped the bottle and shook it up pretty well with just the flavoring and let it sit for a minute, and then I added 8.5ml of VG. Mind you I don't use nicotine just yet since I'm fairly new. I'm going to let it sit overnight and try it in the morning. I also made one that had 1ml of blueberry extra, 1ml of vanillin 10%pg, and then 5 drops of the graham cracker crust since it's pretty strong and 8ml of VG. I'm going to let it sit for a few days before I even try it but it seems to smell good.

 

[Sgt.Rock]

With all those TFA flavors you really should invest some time and jump into the mega thread on The Flavor Apprentice here in the DIY forum...invaluable info and lots of good folks to help.

 

[Mr.Mann]

Well I actually just tried that an hour or so ago. I used juicy peach and vanilla bean ice cream to make a "peaches and cream" type flavor. I used 1ml of peach, and .5ml of vanilla bean ice cream. I capped the bottle and shook it up pretty well with just the flavoring and let it sit for a minute, and then I added 8.5ml of VG. Mind you I don't use nicotine just yet since I'm fairly new. I'm going to let it sit overnight and try it in the morning. I also made one that had 1ml of blueberry extra, 1ml of vanillin 10%pg, and then 5 drops of the graham cracker crust since it's pretty strong and 8ml of VG. I'm going to let it sit for a few days before I even try it but it seems to smell good.

Hope they turn out well! I am not sure if you understood what I mean though or if you're just talking about something else in addition to what I was talking about (so sorry if I misread). For the most part, I am talking about using one flavor and making a test batch of that by itself to see how it is. All these flavors can be very wonky when mixed with others, but if you don't know how that flavor is by itself sometimes you can't be for certain what it is that is not tasting right. I recommend getting a large order of 5 mL bottles to do all single flavoring tests. You can buy 50-100 for under $10 on ebay. When you get those bottles, if you don't have them, just do simple drops for your percentages and shake-n-vape (in addition to letting them sit for awhile).

*Knowing how a flavor is by itself can save you a helluva lot of time and energy. But, even with that, sometimes it still won't tell you how it will interact with others -- so learning the flavor raw is about getting acquainted with its inherent quirks, pluses and minuses.

 

[1vapeatatime]

I agree with Mr. Mann. It's going to save you time and money in the long run if you know what each flavor's properties are and how each flavor tastes by itself. It will also help you to determine what dosages to use in your mixes.

 

[hooplah101]

Yup, I always make a 5 ml of all my new flavors buy themselves to see how strong/weak they are, and what the flavor actually tastes like. Was so excited about my double chocolate recently that I skipped that step and made a banana split out of five flavors that tasted like a generic old hard tootsie roll and ruined an atomizer. SMH.....I never learn!

 

[Rickajho]

Are you using one of the calculators? And taking notes? Because if you aren't doing either there isn't much point to this, just throwing stuff at a bottle to see what happens. That's a non-recipe for wasting a ton of money and time and only getting frustrated.

 

[Jobe84]

Just curious. Do you start out by mixing your flavors as a standalone to figure out how they play at different percentages? It can be a tall order when you have a lot of flavors (someone recently made that point), but when running into issues, it is an invaluable approach.

This!

I had the exact same problem.
I went out and bought about 15 different flavours and tried making the ultimate fruity cocktail by mixing each flavour at the same % until I reached 20%.
It just tasted like... meh. Nothing like what I put into the bottle...

I've since been working on bottling up each flavour by itself all at 10ml.

For example:
10ml x 0.5% flavour
10ml x 1.0% flavour
10ml x 2.5% flavour
10ml x 5% flavour
10ml x 7.5% flavour
10ml x 10% flavour
10ml x 12.5% flavour
10ml x 15% flavour
10ml x 17.5% flavour
10ml x 20% flavour

Once I've figured out the sweet spot for that flavour (according to my taste buds), I'll then repeat this process for another flavour until I find the sweet spot for that - Thats when I'll mix them and see how it tastes - It doesn't always work out as I expect as some flavours just dont mix well together, but I'll keep going until I find something I like.

Its a long winded process I've found, it takes time, but its fun

Plus, in the long run, once I've nailed "that" flavour, it'll save me on £7.99 per 15ml of juice!

Also, I'm mixing with no nicotine at the moment, can't afford to be wasting that!

 

[AndrewBacon]

The only one I have tried by itself is the strawberries and cream in a 10ml bottle. It turned out pretty well by itself. But some of the ones I named off are just really funky that honestly, I wasn't brave enough to try by itself nor do I have the bottles for it [yet] but I will definitely try it once I get my second shipment of flavors in..

 

[TaketheRedPill]

Hi there, Dickbutt in North Carolina! And Jobe84, this might interest you too.

In post #2 at the below, TFA suggested percentages are given for you to play with according to your own personal taste. Start on the weak side then slowly (and keep notes) add more flavoring. But also make sure you read, and understand, the stickies at the top of the thread.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/74109-guide-diy-flavoring.html

and, you can go directly to the TFA thread here, where you can get help from other members with your recipies:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/336110-flavor-apprentice-flavoring-thread.html

Have fun!

 

[jpasint]

If I were you, I would just find a recipe here that looks good to you and just make it.
Obviously you need the flavors and I would highly recommend using a calculator.

 

[Hoosier]

I saw "all my mixes suck" and then I saw CAP's Sweet Tangerine...probably the easiest flavoring to make a good single flavor juice that I know of, so it seems as if I'm misunderstanding something.

I'm sure you're vaped your plain PG and VG before you started mixing to be sure neither had anything wonky and to double check the hardware, so that can't be it.

If you throw 10-15% of Sweet Tangerine into a bottle and it sucks, something is seriously wrong with your process.

 

[AndrewBacon]

Well I haven't tried the tangerine by itselfyet. I've mixed it with peach and that's about all i've done with it.

 

[AndrewBacon]

And yes, I did vape a 70/30 VG/PG without flavoring to find the consistency that I like (although I'd rather vape a straight VG blend) The straight VG is a little too thick for my tanks. I will try mixing the tangerine at 10% with a 80/20 vg/pg blend tonight. I just need a recipe that I like so i can mix a big ... bottle of and go with it for an ADV

 

[Hoosier]

I've got no idea what an ADV is, or why it's something of a goal, but good luck.

 

[zoiDman]

Why do all of my DIY mixes suck?

If I read the Earlier Posts Correctly, You have Tasted an Unflavored Diluted Mix of your Nicotine Base, PG and VG. And the Problem is not there.

Good. Because this should be the 1st thing a DIY-er does when they receive a New Batch of either Nicotine Base or PG or VG.

So the Problem is in the Ratios of the Flavoring(s) and possible one Other thing.

Can you Post an Exact Recipe that you have Mixed as well as how Long you have Steeped it? And then try to describe what you Don't Like about the Taste?

 

[AndrewBacon]

I've got no idea what an ADV is, or why it's something of a goal, but good luck.

All day vape

Why do all of my DIY mixes suck?

If I read the Earlier Posts Correctly, You have Tasted an Unflavored Diluted Mix of your Nicotine Base, PG and VG. And the Problem is not there.

Good. Because this should be the 1st thing a DIY-er does when they receive a New Batch of either Nicotine Base or PG or VG.

So the Problem is in the Ratios of the Flavoring(s) and possible one Other thing.

Can you Post an Exact Recipe that you have Mixed as well as how Long you have Steeped it? And then try to describe what you Don't Like about the Taste?

Ok. When I first got my supplies, i tried the vg/pg by itself, and then I jumped into mixing multiple flavors which was probably a rookie mistake. I tried to do a blueberry since I can vape any kind of blueberry all day long. So, I did 1ml of my blueberry extra, .5ml of blue raspberry and then mixed those into a 90/10 vg/pg mix. I let it sit for two days in the cabinet where I keep everything. Pulled it out and dripped it on my doge rda, and it tasted terrible. I think the blue raspberry threw it off because I may have used too much since it is strong.

Another example that I did the night before last:
1ml blueberry extra
1ml vanillin 10%pg
6 drops of cheesecake graham crust (it smells really strong)
100% VG, no pg at all (8ml)
I tried it right after mixing it just to see and it was ok at best. I haven't tried it since but I will when I'm home from work.

I'm really trying to clone Puff Puff Vape's Blue cream muffin (my absolute favorite) which tastes like a creamy blueberry muffin/pie.

 

[HecticEnergy]

Personally I'm vaping recipes from others until I get a feel for how the flavors play, then I adjust flavor ratios a little at a time to see what happens. I picked a dozen recipes from others that sounded delicious, ordered the appropriate flavorings and stuck to the breething/aging recommendations. Custards, tobaccos, vanilla, and creamy anything take longer to age.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

 

[AndrewBacon]

I'm starting to thing aging/breathing is key to making anything good.. Patience is a virtue that I do not have unfortunately especially since all my store bought liquids are running low and i'm really trying to refrain from buying anymore.