The most asked question I get, almost on a daily basis, from newer mixers, is “why am I having trouble tasting my DIY juices”. This is a multi-faceted answer, and there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the most flavorful vape. The one I want to focus on in this article, is the most simple. And it is to just use flavorful flavorings! It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how easily it’s missed.
What is a Flavorful Flavoring?
A flavorful flavoring is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a single flavoring that you can buy from places like BullCityFlavors.com or Ecigexpress.com, that pack a powerful punch of vibrant flavor. There are thousands of flavorings out there, and I’d say only about 25% of them are what I’d consider a “flavorful” flavoring. The rest of the 75% have flavor, and when used correctly, produce amazing results. But they don’t slam your tastebuds with their essence. For example, take TFA Honeydew, and put it next to FA Fresh Cream. Mix them both up at 1%, and tell me which flavoring has more “flavor”. It’s the honeydew, by a huge margin! Now, it’s not that FA Fresh Cream isn’t flavorful, it’s just more subtle in its flavor, and therefore, not a good ingredient to use as a main profile.
How Do I Find Flavorful Flavorings?
One of the best things to do, is to check out my Flavorbook. It’s an ongoing, regularly updated database of flavorings that I completely review. This will let you know if a flavoring packs enough flavor to use as a solo, or a main profile, or if it’s more subtle, and should be used as an accent, or layer. This is the most efficient option. You can also use the DIYorDIE Forum, or Reddit, or recipe sites, and look at the notes other users put up to find out which flavorings are flavorful. This is the cheapest option since its free, but it’s not the most effective. The most effective option is to just test your flavorings. Obviously, there’s a large cost involved, but it will give you the best understanding of what flavors are main profiles.
What Do I Do With These Flavors?
Now that you’ve found a few flavorful flavorings, the next step is to mix them up. For beginners, my best advice is to mix them solo, and find a good concentration to use them at. Once you’ve done that, and you understand that flavoring, pair it up with only a couple of accents. So with TFA Honeydew, I’d pair it up with FA Fresh Cream and some FW Yogurt, and that’s it. The more you pile on top of that Honeydew, the more difficult it is to balance, and the more you distract from that great flavor you came to love. Keep making recipes like this, using those powerfully flavorful flavorings as main notes, pairing up only one or two accents. After awhile, you’ll get more comfortable mixing, understanding balance more, and that experience you gain will allow you to craft more intricate, yet still flavorful mixes. But start with those big punchy flavors first!
Sweetener
One thing about crafting these recipes as well, is to not be afraid of Sucralose. If you’re a beginner, you might be used to how sweet and potent commercial juice is. Those juices are made from recipes like I mentioned above, simple recipes with very flavorful flavorings. But the kicker is that they are bombarded with Sucralose! The industry standard for sweetener is 0.5 – 1% of CAP Super Sweet. Remember this next time you’re making a recipe. The sweetener will add much more sweetness and vibrance to your vape.
I’m Still Not Getting Much Flavor!
Now, even after following the advice above, some of you might find you’re still not getting the flavor you’re looking for. This might be because a few different reasons. One being the quality of your VG/PG and nicotine. One might be steeping. One might be sensitivities. One might be your vape set up. There’s a few other things to consider. You can find more info on those topics here on diyordievaping.com . But the advice above should remedy most of your concerns, and will drastically improve your DIY experience.
