Have you tried the strawberry crown cake?
Become a Patron!
HIC's Mixes: DIY recipes store
- Thread starter HeadInClouds
- Start date
Yes, I have. I have a problem with strawberry vapes. They're elusive.
(and now for something completely different)
New today at HIC's Mixes : Brutti ma Buoni
"Brutti ma Buoni ("ugly but good" in Italian) are sweet, caramelized, meringue-based nut cookies -- a traditional Italian treat. You'll taste a mix of sugared hazelnuts and almonds, deep vanilla, and caramelized meringue. This recipe uses only diketone-free FlavourArt flavorings, including Meringue and Oba Oba."
If you've been mixing with FA flavors for a couple years, you might remember my tantrums when FA Meringue flavor changed from a barely-baked to a deeper, caramelized meringue flavor. I had to re-do a bunch of recipes when that happened, and I avoided using it for a while. When I found out about these rustic Italian cookies, I knew FA Meringue would do it perfectly, and I'm really pleased with it here. The real cookies are made with nuts and meringue, cooked in a pot to caramelize, then baked in the oven. I always enjoy matching real Italian recipes with FA's flavorings - I figure no other brand could possibly do it better.
New today at HIC's Mixes : Brutti ma Buoni
"Brutti ma Buoni ("ugly but good" in Italian) are sweet, caramelized, meringue-based nut cookies -- a traditional Italian treat. You'll taste a mix of sugared hazelnuts and almonds, deep vanilla, and caramelized meringue. This recipe uses only diketone-free FlavourArt flavorings, including Meringue and Oba Oba."
If you've been mixing with FA flavors for a couple years, you might remember my tantrums when FA Meringue flavor changed from a barely-baked to a deeper, caramelized meringue flavor. I had to re-do a bunch of recipes when that happened, and I avoided using it for a while. When I found out about these rustic Italian cookies, I knew FA Meringue would do it perfectly, and I'm really pleased with it here. The real cookies are made with nuts and meringue, cooked in a pot to caramelize, then baked in the oven. I always enjoy matching real Italian recipes with FA's flavorings - I figure no other brand could possibly do it better.
Last edited:
Ooooo I love Lemon vapes too! I forgot about Hic's Lemon Cream Cookies. I'm going to get it! Thanks!
Hey, have you tried the Italian Lemon Cream Soda or the Lime Ice Cream? I really like the Vanilla Lime Cheesecake, have you tried that one?
The bonus recipe is good too.
The Lemon Torrone Parfait? I've been vaping it for the last 3 hours. It's so smooth. The Torrone is delicious combined with the lemon.
I have tried the Italian Lemon Cream Soda it's good. Not the Lime Ice Cream yet.
I'll give it a try eventually.
The FA Lime is very strong. I added 1% to my raspberry custard I'm trying to salvage and after 4 days it overpowered the cactus which I was trying to do, but it did the same to the raspberry.
That's another winner.
Yum! My all time favorite, lately I've been adding an extra 1% of Fa Meringue.
Yes I've also tried the Vanilla Lime Cheesecake, it's good. But I like a stronger cheesecake.
Yes but yum!
That made me laugh.
No, the one with the lemon cream cookies.
That extra recipe with Lemon Creme Cookies is called Basic Spritz. It tastes like those vanilla-almond Christmas cookies made with a press. My family makes heaps every year. They're always delicious but never turn out looking like the pros make:
I replied to a email from Natures Flavors & they sent me a free 30ml of Vanilla. What can I make with it? Mix it alone? At what percentage?
Which one? I had their "natural vanilla cream" that I used about 4% with a bit of Kona Cream (which is pretty strong) for a coffee type vape -- back before I heard of FA. They sell various vanilla extracts that aren't as strong, but they're as useful as any vanilla extract in the kitchen. Equal parts peanut butter & coconut oil, add a splash of vanilla & sweetener, stir. It's your own pb Magic Shell, fun stuff over ice cream
Not yet. I wish I had another mouth and set of lungs. I just can't vape this stuff fast enough. And I do try!
Actually it's 50ml and it just says Organic Vanilla Syrup. Guess I can't vape that?Which one? I had their "natural vanilla cream" that I used about 4% with a bit of Kona Cream (which is pretty strong) for a coffee type vape -- back before I heard of FA. They sell various vanilla extracts that aren't as strong, but they're as useful as any vanilla extract in the kitchen. Equal parts peanut butter & coconut oil, add a splash of vanilla & sweetener, stir. It's your own pb Magic Shell, fun stuff over ice cream
Nope - if it has any sugars in it, it would wreck your coil and taste like ^%$#@ fast. Maybe on waffles?
Just got Hic's Orange Sherbert recipe & ordered the new orange flavors from Bull City Flavors!
Looking back on some of the older HIC recipes here. So many are marked Outdated, Retired, Replaced, Retired and Replaced with better, Retired due to high diketone content.
The " high diketone content " is self explanatory, but on the rest :
- "Outdated". How does a recipe get outdated ?
- "Retired" - Why ?
- "Replaced". "Retired and Replaced with better ". Is there a link or discussion as to what it's replaced with ?
Sorry if this has been discussed before ( as i'm sure it has ), but if anyone can shed a little light , it would be appreciated
On a different note, Orange Almond Cake is another winner imo !
The " high diketone content " is self explanatory, but on the rest :
- "Outdated". How does a recipe get outdated ?
- "Retired" - Why ?
- "Replaced". "Retired and Replaced with better ". Is there a link or discussion as to what it's replaced with ?
Sorry if this has been discussed before ( as i'm sure it has ), but if anyone can shed a little light , it would be appreciated
On a different note, Orange Almond Cake is another winner imo !
So far i have tried eight HIC recipes, six paid and two freebies. Enjoyed them all, but i had a little problem with my throat after vaping Italian Lemon Cream Soda for a day. I'm open to the possibility that it was a coincidence, but i'm not sure. I realize some people have problems with citrus flavors, but i didn't get the same reaction with Lemon Torrone Parfait, and Lemon Pudding Cake. Is it possible that the other ingredients in those two masked the harshness of Lemon Sicily ? Or is it more likely the TFA flavor in Italian Lemon Cream Soda was the culprit ? Or maybe it was just coincidental that i had a sore throat after vaping that one ?
No, not extremely Orangey at all. Pretty balanced between the Almond and Orange, and less cake in the beginning. After a few days the cake part becomes more pronounced as well.
I cannot vape fa pineapple so it may have been a citrus thing. I cough every time I vape it. I put one two drops in a 20 ml mix and that affects me.
It might be the Tfa. Ive never had a problem with Fa Lemon Sicily, to me it's not harsh at all. Better let Hic answer. I've never had a problem with it.
The ethyl alcohol in that flavoring might bother you: http://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/componentlist.aspx?sku_search=555650. Have you ever vaped alcohol-based flavorings (like most of Nature's Flavors, for example)? If that's the issue, letting it sit uncapped allows the alcohol to evaporate. But it sure could be just a coincidence; you'd have to experiment to find out.
Outdated: usually because a flavoring has changed. A couple years ago when FA Meringue changed, I had to redo lots and lots of recipes. Some still worked; some were changes; some just didn't work any more. Sometimes a new, better flavoring becomes available... Flavor West is constantly changing flavor names & the actual flavor, so most of my old recipes that used Flavor West can't be made any more & are thus outdated.
Retired: maybe because it just wasn't very good, or I like it but others didn't, or it was good in cartomizers at (what was that, 3.7 watts? lol) low power, but didn't work as better hardware became popular. Some of my earliest coffee recipes used TFA flavors, for example. A couple times it was out of respect for someone else's recipe that was similar but predated mine, or someone else just plain did it better.
Replaced: that's often a recipe where non-FA flavors were replaced with FA to make something better or different & avoid diketones. I'm always on the lookout for ways to get better flavor without those ingredients.
Briefly on the flavor-component warning radar for a while was the combination of ("naturally occurring," since no manufacturer would admit to adding) diacetyl plus acetyl propionyl. A study showed the combo was potentially worse for lung tissue that the same quantity of diacetyl. I zapped my recipes with the combo of larger quantities of Nature's Flavors ("naturally occurring" diacetyl possible there) AND TFA flavors documented to contain acetyl propionyl at the time. I keep an eye out for studies; haven't seen anything more on that combo, but I've never seen it contradicted, either.
Thanks for the detailed explanation ! Greatly appreciated
I'm trying to keep away from diketones as well, and for the past two years only bought from vendors that had tested their juice and the results were posted on line.Yeah i didn't think it was Lemon Sicily either since only one of the three juices i tried with it gave me a problem.
I have a feeling you are right ! When i first started vaping i bought from a vendor called Heathers Heavenly Vapes and their NET extraction method involved alcohol ( they offered 100% vg option ), and i couldn't vape them unless i left them uncapped for 24 hours at least. Good to know, Italian Lemon Cream Soda is a perfect vape for the summer. Have you tried it with Polar Blast btw ?
I go back & forth on cool effects in soda flavors. I think I like it better in Lime Cooler Cookies and of course in minty recipes.
(HHV uses NF flavors, by the way ;-))
It all makes sense now ! I had heard of NF, but didn't know much about them. I'm looking at their site now, and they have concentrates and extracts i see. What's the difference ? You use a couple of their flavors in your recipes don't you ?
The NF flavors I use are their "flavor extract" formulations. Whether they're "organic" (their old term) or "natural" (same thing, new term) or not doesn't matter flavor-wise. If "flavor extract" is in the name, they're friendly with vape hardware. Some of the other formulations have gums &/or sugars that make them no good for vaping. Regardless of formulation, NF makes no claims about being diketone free, and they never did release a round of reformulated flavors (like Capella's v2) since diacetyl/diketones became important to vapers, so I personally *never* assume any NF are free of diketones. That's why the only NF flavors I use are ones no other brand can match, and I keep the percentage as low as possible & always mentioned they may contain diketones in the description & recipe.
I really don't know. I do know that I can't vape just one juice all day. In a normal day, I'll vape 3-5 flavors in varying degrees. If I'm vaping a Lemon, I'll usually have some type of strawberry custard/cream going as well. The same with my cinnamon vapes. Lemon and cinnamon tend to be a bit rough after a while, so find something smooth and sweet to offset it.
Thanks for the information.
Is it fair to say if a flavor includes "extracts", ethanol ( ethyl alcohol ) is involved in the process, or are there other methods to extract as well ? The reason i ask is when i was watching the PBusardo Flavorart video, the owner Max said at one point that they use about 700 different molecules in designing their flavors and about 70 extracts.
Good advice thanks. I had heard about the harshness of cinnamon and lemon before, but i hadn't personally experienced it. Granted up until relatively recently, i vaped mostly ( probably 70% of the time ) NETs and didn't have extensive experience with those flavors. But i really believe ethanol was the thing that bothered me in that particular mix. If i know a flavor has ethanol in it, i will leave thee cap off for 24 hours and that usually does the trick for me. When i was using HHV tobaccos, i always did this, before i moved on to vendors who macerated their tobacco leaves.
Well, there's also steam extraction. I don't know what methods FA uses, but from the FA UK website:
"FlavourArt flavours do not contain alcohol, sugars, protein, genetically modified ingredients, animal ingredients of any kind, preservatives, caffeine, sweeteners or colours..."
Last edited:
I mixed up Hic's Orange Sherbet & Orange Creamsicles both are yummy!
If you're in the U.S., you can get small amounts of NF Malt here: https://highdesertvapes.com/products/Nature's-Flavors-Natural-Malt-Flavor-Extract.html and NF Ginger here: http://ejuice4u.com/ginger-natures-flavors/.
So after a couple of days and a dilution with my nic base, I an loving the lemon pudding cake. The funny thing is I've been vaping some strong mixes and lately I've had to dilute them as they were too strong for me. I think I enjoy it better but it still is hard for my mind to conceive.
I also find Hic's recipes taste best with slow exhales. It really awakens the flavors.
I also find Hic's recipes taste best with slow exhales. It really awakens the flavors.