So you’ll often hear me on my channel say a bunch of terms that can kind of get confusing. You might hear them on other channels, see them in other forums, or catch someone saying them on the Facebook groups. Flavor Profiles, Main Profiles, Flavor Notes, Main Notes, Back Notes, Accent Notes, Top Layers, Bottom Layers, Top Notes, yada yada. They all might look like they have a similar meaning and it’s easy to get them confused. I just quickly want to help you understand what these terms mean and how to use them so you can both understand what someone’s saying when they use one of these, or use them yourself.

First I want to talk about the importance of these terms. In mixing, or any kind of art/medium, you’ll need ways to describe what you’re doing, tasting, feeling, seeing. In mixing, we rely on our sense of taste. So when you need to describe what you exactly taste to someone, you might find it’s more difficult than it seems. How do you tell someone exactly what you’re tasting, in a way that allows them to “taste” it without actually putting it in their mouths? That’s the importance. All these terms make that description a bit more specific, and make that explanation a bit more useful than just saying something like “I TASTE STRAWBERRY AND ITS GOOD”. Some might see it as pretension, but they’re probably not that good at mixing anyway, so who cares what they say? So let’s break down some terms to help you in your journey of mixing and mixing media.

MAIN PROFILE:

This is the exact and overall flavor of a recipe. Taking my Bronuts recipe for example, that recipes Main Profile is – CHOCOLATE GLAZED DOUGHNUT. Another would be my Rhodonite recipe where its main profile is – RASPBERRY APPLE MACAROON. It’s the end goal, the entire spectrum of flavors put into one. So whatever you’re trying to make, THAT’S your main profile.

FLAVOR PROFILE:

This is the entire profile of a specific flavor or flavoring. When someone asks “What’s the Flavor Profile of TFA Double Chocolate Clear”, you’d say “chocolate, milk, cream”. It’s the portfolio of a flavoring, and everything in it. On the specific flavor end, “What’s the Flavor Profile of a Honeydew” you’d say “Cantaloupe, melon, a bit of apple and pear”. It’s the entire spectrum of one specific flavoring, much like how the MAIN PROFILE is the entire spectrum of a recipe.

MAIN NOTE:

Now were getting a bit deeper. The Main Note is the just what it sounds like, the main flavor you can taste. Using Bronuts, the main note is probably chocolate (but this can vary depending on what YOU taste). It’s a note, so you want to be more specific. If someone asks what’s the main note of Bronuts, chocolate glazed donut might be acceptable, but it’s really meant to be more specific.

TOP NOTE:

This is usually the same thing as the main note. A top note is the most present flavor you taste. It stands “on top” of all the other notes in the recipe. This and the main note are usually one, but not always. The more specific you are the easier it is to explain what you taste to someone, so attention is key.

BODY/BODY NOTE:

This is the “bulk” of the flavor. The flavor you taste that fills out the recipe. Bronuts for example, has a doughnut body. That body note would be “doughnut” or “bread”, where the Top Note would be Chocolate. This is always one of the easier notes to spot. In a Strawberry Milk recipe the body is almost always the milk.

BOTTOM NOTE:

This is the note that you can taste on the very end of the vape. It’s the “foundation” of flavors in a recipe. There’s not always a bottom note, but there’s always a body note. And often the two are mixed up. This is usually reserved for recipes that have many different layers.

ACCENT NOTE:

Accents are the “side” flavors you can taste in a recipe. They’re ones that are subtle, might be deeply hidden in a flavor, and usually towards the “back” of the vape. For example, vaping Rhodonite an accent would be that light powdered sugar flavor I get on the end of the vape. They’re hard to spot for some people, and some taste accents that others can’t.

And those are all the terms that you can use to accurately describe exactly what you’re tasting to someone else. Now don’t get too worked up, not many beginners have that mind/palate connection going on. So if you have trouble differentiating a Top Note from a Body Note, or an Accent from a Bottom, don’t worry too much. We all get mixed up at times. The big thing to know is the differences between them and how they help you put in words what’s going on in your mouth. And the more you describe your recipes in a more detailed and intricate manner, the more connected you’ll get with your palate. And before you know it you’ll be diving deeper into recipes you never though was possible.