10% flavor is just too weak!!

AngelFace · Feb 28, 2016

I have been dabbling in the DIY ejuice world for awhile and I can't seem to get the nice strong store bought tastes that the pros have. I'm pretty happy with my current coffee flavored vape but I also make juice for my son and he's always complaining it's not strong enough. He is in love with FW Fruit Rings as it's similar to the Nillionaire he gave up. Even at 20% he says it isn't strong enough. If I mix it any higher it gets perfume tasting. Any recommendations? Does steeling it longer make the flavor stronger? Thanks in advance!

Huckleberried · Feb 29, 2016

I don't have a lot of experience with FW flavorings, but from what I hear, they really aren't very strong. There's a FW thread recently started here. You might get some helpful tips from the folks in that thread.

AndriaD · Feb 29, 2016

I also can't deal with weak-flavored ejuice; one of the reasons I got into DIY was to be able to make some juice I could taste, that was also sweet enough for me. I make a strawberry & cream that's 30% flavoring, and it gunks like mad, but is totally worth it. It's really like very rich strawberry custard, but diketone-free.

Inawera Shisha Strawberry 15.6%
TFA DX Bavarian Cream 5.7%
TFA Vanilla Swirl 4.3%
CAP Sweet Cream 1.9%
TFA Sweetener 2.5% - 3%

Think I recognize your avatar from ECF, so... nice to see you here! I got fed up with that place.

Andria

AngelFace · Feb 29, 2016

Huckleberried said:
I don't have a lot of experience with FW flavorings, but from what I hear, they really aren't very strong. There's a FW thread recently started here. You might get some helpful tips from the folks in that thread.

What are the strongest flavoring a to buy?

AngelFace · Feb 29, 2016

AndriaD said:
I also can't deal with weak-flavored ejuice; one of the reasons I got into DIY was to be able to make some juice I could taste, that was also sweet enough for me. I make a strawberry & cream that's 30% flavoring, and it gunks like mad, but is totally worth it. It's really like very rich strawberry custard, but diketone-free.

Inawera Shisha Strawberry 15.6%
TFA DX Bavarian Cream 5.7%
TFA Vanilla Swirl 4.3%
CAP Sweet Cream 1.9%
TFA Sweetener 2.5% - 3%

Think I recognize your avatar from ECF, so... nice to see you here! I got fed up with that place.

Andria

That sounds delicious! My coffee vape is at 20% but I like my coffee strong. It doesn't gunk too bad. I change my cotton every 2 weeks.

Teresa P · Feb 29, 2016

I second the FA and IA recommendations for strength, along with a few Capella flavors, like blackberry, cinnamon danish swirl, dragon fruit, and a few others. There are also the super concentrates from Vaping Zone.

AndriaD · Feb 29, 2016

AngelFace said:
That sounds delicious! My coffee vape is at 20% but I like my coffee strong. It doesn't gunk too bad. I change my cotton every 2 weeks.

That's remarkable, for a coffee vape! I really ought to re-wick and dry-burn about every other day... but I usually procrastinate and it ends up being about twice a week.

+1 on Inawera having some strong flavors.

Andria

Heabob · Feb 29, 2016

What's the PG/VG ratio you're using?
Some people have trouble tasting flavors in high VG.

Could also be the equipment as some of the atomizers aren't too good with flavor production.

Steeping may help but with fruits you shouldn't need more than a week.

Just can't imagine Coffee at 20% tho, FA Espresso is too strong for me at 1%

.

Could always try adding 0.5% ACV, or Lemon Juice from the little yellow squeeze thingys.
Or FA Citrus Mix, TFA Citrus Punch, or TFA Sweet & Tart Candy might help make it pop some more.
Some even add sweetener to help bring out the flavor.

RonJS · Feb 29, 2016

AngelFace said:
What are the strongest flavoring a to buy?

For me it was Inawera Shisha Chili & Hot Spice. If you can't taste that...well...

Ron
----
“Perfection is everywhere if we only choose to recognize it.” ― Okakura Kakuzō, The Book of Tea

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

Heabob said:
What's the PG/VG ratio you're using?
Some people have trouble tasting flavors in high VG.

Could also be the equipment as some of the atomizers aren't too good with flavor production.

Steeping may help but with fruits you shouldn't need more than a week.

Just can't imagine Coffee at 20% tho, FA Espresso is too strong for me at 1%.

Could always try adding 0.5% ACV, or Lemon Juice from the little yellow squeeze thingys.
Or FA Citrus Mix, TFA Citrus Punch, or TFA Sweet & Tart Candy might help make it pop some more.
Some even add sweetener to help bring out the flavor.

Yea I know! FA Dark Bean is my go to. I mix it at 9% and add 5% Loranns Keoke. Then I add a few drops of caramel cap, some sweet cream and Bavarian cream, a bit of vanilla. I just kept adding until I like it without cutting anything back. Now it's up to almost 20%. lol

lirruping · Mar 1, 2016

If you like it at high percentages that's fine, of course, but like Heabob, I (and everyone else I've ever known to vape it) find fa dark bean espresso strong at 1 or 2%. If there's a chance you are having the over-flavoring muting experience, it might be worth experimenting with a 2% mix on that coffee flavor! Even if just to rule it out.

Teresa P · Mar 1, 2016

Shark Vape said:
Congratulations, I'm officially terrified of you.

Haaaaahahahahahaaaaa!!! Ya think?? This made me think of a post I read recently on one of the vaping/DIY Facebook pages I recently joined:
"...Finding out that when making my ejuice a lesser % of concentrate can lead to more flavor, lesser throat hit, not as harsh.
-NOOB..."
And this seemed to be big news to all who responded....

SailCat · Mar 1, 2016

Regarding your perception of flavors, @AngelFace, if you have only quit cigarettes recently or are still smoking occasionally, it will inhibit your ability to taste flavorings which will result in feeling the need to increase percentages.

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

lirruping said:
If you like it at high percentages that's fine, of course, but like Heabob, I (and everyone else I've ever known to vape it) find fa dark bean espresso strong at 1 or 2%. If there's a chance you are having the over-flavoring muting experience, it might be worth experimenting with a 2% mix on that coffee flavor! Even if just to rule it out.

No my coffee vape is fine according to my taste buds. I'm vaping in a Big Buddha Mini with a 60 watt istick but I only have it set at 13 watts. The fruit rings is the one that is very weak tasting even at 20%.

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

Shark Vape said:
Congratulations, I'm officially terrified of you.

LMAO I know! I started my mix very low like everyone suggested and gradually worked my way up to 9% on the dark bean. Maybe it's because I use mostly VG. Only my flavors are PG.

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

SailCat said:
Regarding your perception of flavors, @AngelFace, if you have only quit cigarettes recently or are still smoking occasionally, it will inhibit your ability to taste flavorings which will result in feeling the need to increase percentages.

Nope not the problem.

I've stopped smoking for almost 2 yrs and been vaping for as long as that.

BigNasty · Mar 1, 2016

Oh man if you dropped the ohms and upped the wattage you would be gagging from over coffee flavor.

Teresa P · Mar 1, 2016

Max vg will definitely dull flavors. And a lot of FW flavorings are weak anyway, that's why the majority of them are recommended at 15-20%.

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

Teresa P said:
Haaaaahahahahahaaaaa!!! Ya think?? This made me think of a post I read recently on one of the vaping/DIY Facebook pages I recently joined:
"...Finding out that when making my ejuice a lesser % of concentrate can lead to more flavor, lesser throat hit, not as harsh.
-NOOB..."
And this seemed to be big news to all who responded....

I have read this but I can't say I agree as I have let weaker percentages steep for over a month and the flavor only increases a tad. I've also ordered my flavors from different sources thinking maybe they were being diluted but that's not the case either.

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

Teresa P said:
Max vg will definitely dull flavors. And a lot of FW flavorings are weak anyway, that's why the majority of them are recommended at 15-20%.

Right so if you start to mix them then you can get up to 20% rather quickly. Do you know of any sherbet or something similar to fruit rings that is strong from another company?

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

BigNasty said:
Oh man if you dropped the ohms and upped the wattage you would be gagging from over coffee flavor.

This I know! I have it set low because otherwise it's way too much throat hit.

AndriaD · Mar 1, 2016

AngelFace said:
LMAO I know! I started my mix very low like everyone suggested and gradually worked my way up to 9% on the dark bean. Maybe it's because I use mostly VG. Only my flavors are PG.

That's exactly how I got to 15%-16% of the INW Shisha Strawberry -- knowing I like strong flavors, when folks suggested 2%, I tried 4%... and it was just "thin" tasting. So I tried 8%... a little better but still "thin".... so I thought, double it again, and back it up with some cream and vanilla flavors... EUREKA! It finally tasted like something I like to vape.

Andria

AndriaD · Mar 1, 2016

AngelFace said:
This I know! I have it set low because otherwise it's way too much throat hit.

Or even "lip burn".... even 10w sometimes feels too hot to my lips.

Andria

Jimi D · Mar 1, 2016

FW Fruit Rings is pretty weak. I get better results with FW Fruity Flakes.

Fruity Pebbles

FW Fruity Flakes 15%
FA Meringue .75%
Flavorah Milk N' Honey .25%

AngelFace · Mar 1, 2016

Jimi D said:
FW Fruit Rings is pretty weak. I get better results with FW Fruity Flakes.

Fruity Pebbles

FW Fruity Flakes 15%
FA Meringue .75%
Flavorah Milk N' Honey .25%

Thanks! I'll grab some on my next order. I am trying to clone Nillionaire or get close to it. It's kind of a mixed citrus fruit with a sweet hint of juicy fruit gum in it.

Jimi D · Mar 1, 2016

AngelFace said:
Thanks! I'll grab some on my next order. I am trying to clone Nillionaire or get close to it. It's kind of a mixed citrus fruit with a sweet hint of juicy fruit gum in it.

You're welcome. The Fruity Flakes definitely has some cherry in it though. Tastes very much like fruity pebbles.

Heabob · Mar 1, 2016

Probably similar flavors but...

FW Rainbow Sherbet 10%
TFA French Vanilla Deluxe 2%
TFA Sweet Cream 1%
(shake & vape was nasty, took a 2 week steep to get this one calmed down)

TFA Rainbow Sherbet is another possibility but I haven't tried that one yet.

Cracker Raw · Mar 1, 2016

AndriaD said:
I also can't deal with weak-flavored ejuice; one of the reasons I got into DIY was to be able to make some juice I could taste, that was also sweet enough for me. I make a strawberry & cream that's 30% flavoring, and it gunks like mad, but is totally worth it. It's really like very rich strawberry custard, but diketone-free.

Inawera Shisha Strawberry 15.6%
TFA DX Bavarian Cream 5.7%
TFA Vanilla Swirl 4.3%
CAP Sweet Cream 1.9%
TFA Sweetener 2.5% - 3%

Think I recognize your avatar from ECF, so... nice to see you here! I got fed up with that place.

Andria

Hi Adria, Where do you get your flavors?

AndriaD · Mar 1, 2016

Cracker Raw said:
Hi Adria, Where do you get your flavors?

It depends. I always get shisha strawberry (or any other INW flavors) from e-aromashop.com; I buy from them because they have a fandamntastic price on the 100ml's, cheaper WITH the VAT than inawera.com WITHOUT the VAT. I hear that their 10ml prices are better too, so I usually try to grab any that I need when I order the shisha strawberry.

For TFA or Capella flavors, either bullcityvapor.com, ecigexpress.com (if I also need to get FA Flash, because ECX is the only place I can find Flash), or WizLabs, whose price on 30ml Capella flavors is a bit lower than BCV's. I first got INW flavors from BCV, but they started rebottling them (ECX does too) which is why I went looking for a better source for INW flavors.

If I get any Molinberry flavors, I get it from VapersTek, because I use VT's TH Nicotine.

Andria

ETA: for stuff I use a lot of, like TFA's sweetener, I order directly from TPA/TFA; you can get a "wholesale" type acct with them (for free) so you can order bigger bottles.

Teresa P · Mar 1, 2016

I've been getting quite a few FA, TFA, and Capella flavors from Nicotine River. Their prices on 150ml bottles are fantastic. They do rebottle, but I haven't had any problems with anything thus far.

Chrispdx · Mar 1, 2016

Hmmm. Lots of great feedback already submitted. Nice work everybody.

My only additional thought is maybe trying a different tank and or mod. Try some out at your local shop. I know it's sometimes hard to do the upgrade. But from my own experiance going from an ego style battery to a ipvd2 75wtc mod with a crown tank has been a great experiance. Depending on the coil I'm between 55w and 71w. I am ever more wacky because I MTL hit all day on a subohm setup. I do sometimes get the hot tip issue (but I should buy a new tip) But the flavor is way better. Sure my nautilus mini was great overall (still happy with that being my first purchase and still recommend it for someone who doesn't want to jump in all the way) but that step up with new mod/tank opened the flavor profiles...all of this are just additional thoughts and my experiance.

mjag · Mar 1, 2016

Woah, thanks for the heads up on the pricing over at NR @Teresa P . Now if they only carried INW flavors for those same 150ml prices my head would explode!

@AngelFace everyone's taste is different, I have a couple of friends who love real strong flavors, some so strong and sweet I couldn't even finish off a tank. Just as long as it keeps them off of cigs then to each there own. FW are generally weaker with a couple of exceptions like Dulce de Leche and Natural Butterscotch, both of which are real tasty. FW Cake Batter Dip is really good but very weak compared to CAP Cake Batter.

I mixed up the recipe @AndriaD posted above with 30% flavoring which is about 50% more than my usual. Just out of curiosity and a probably new mix for my friends who love SWEEEEEEEEEEET! I did try it as a shake n vape and it didn't melt my face off

It was too sweet for an ADV for me but dayum is that Shisha Strawberry oh so tasty....yum. This one is definitely going into my massive flavor friends rotation, they just better up there credit line because $29 for 4oz of Shisha Strawberry from BCV is not coming out of my pocket

Teresa P · Mar 1, 2016

It would be wonderful if they carried Inawera! They may eventually, time will tell. They've expanded their flavor offerings considerably since they began selling them.

AndriaD · Mar 1, 2016

mjag said:
Woah, thanks for the heads up on the pricing over at NR @Teresa P . Now if they only carried INW flavors for those same 150ml prices my head would explode!

@AngelFace everyone's taste is different, I have a couple of friends who love real strong flavors, some so strong and sweet I couldn't even finish off a tank. Just as long as it keeps them off of cigs then to each there own. FW are generally weaker with a couple of exceptions like Dulce de Leche and Natural Butterscotch, both of which are real tasty. FW Cake Batter Dip is really good but very weak compared to CAP Cake Batter.

I mixed up the recipe @AndriaD posted above with 30% flavoring which is about 50% more than my usual. Just out of curiosity and a probably new mix for my friends who love SWEEEEEEEEEEET! I did try it as a shake n vape and it didn't melt my face off It was too sweet for an ADV for me but dayum is that Shisha Strawberry oh so tasty....yum. This one is definitely going into my massive flavor friends rotation, they just better up there credit line because $29 for 4oz of Shisha Strawberry from BCV is not coming out of my pocket

You can lower or leave out the sweetener entirely -- sometimes I get tired of super-sweet and mix up a very small amount without any sweetener, then add the same very small amount to it that's already made with sweetener, effectively halving the sweetener -- I can't vape it that way all the time, but sometimes it's a nice change. Also, if you add some kind of "tart and sour" to it, it gives it a little more bite -- I really don't like tart or sour flavors, but I've tried it that way and it's not bad at all. (ETA: also, as I think I mentioned, if that recipe is mixed in large (more than 60ml) quantity, it's better to leave the sweetener out, and add it as needed to smaller quantities as it's being used, because it does get stronger and sweeter, the longer it sits.)

Andria

mjag · Mar 2, 2016

Thanks Andria.

It is tasty but I was planning on letting it steep a few more days to see if it gets more creamy. I used a 25% stevia blend I made up instead of TFA Sweetener, I am not crazy about the sucralose aftertaste of the TFA. It will be interesting to see how it develops after a few days, just gave it a wiff and that Shisha is still sooooo good smelling.

Thanks again for the recipe.

AndriaD · Mar 2, 2016

mjag said:
Thanks Andria.

It is tasty but I was planning on letting it steep a few more days to see if it gets more creamy. I used a 25% stevia blend I made up instead of TFA Sweetener, I am not crazy about the sucralose aftertaste of the TFA. It will be interesting to see how it develops after a few days, just gave it a wiff and that Shisha is still sooooo good smelling.

Thanks again for the recipe.

Heh, that's the truth -- I just got my latest order of the shisha strawberry, and the whole mailbox smelled like strawberries! Course, when I opened it I realized that was because the bottle had leaked a little.

Not much, but enough that I had to rinse off the bottle.

It's really not that surprising that a Polish company makes such awesome flavors; my ex-husband's family was from Poland originally, and his mother made a poppy-seed roll-up cake that was orgasmic it was so good. I think those Poles know a few things about good tasting stuff!

Andria

Flavor Alchemist · Mar 3, 2016

Are all the Inawera fruits excellent?...........Shisha line?.....or others?

mjag · Mar 3, 2016

Flavor Alchemist said:
Are all the Inawera fruits excellent?...........Shisha line?.....or others?

A lot of them are but I wouldn't say all. Wild Strawberry and Strawberry Kiss are odd flavors for me. The Orange is good but not great IMO.

INW Shisha Strawberry, Peach, Raspberry, Two Apples and Pineapple are my personal favorites over any other brand. I haven't tried there entire line but have only had a few misses, most of there stuff is really good.

Teresa P · Mar 3, 2016

Their cactus, oh my.....awesome stuff! And pear is good too...

AndriaD · Mar 3, 2016

The only one I've really LOVED is the shisha strawberry. The peach ("brzoskwinie" -- polish uses too damn many consonants!) is pretty good; more peachy and less perfumey than TFA's Juicy Peach. I thought the Bilberry was a little odd... maybe more like the taste of blueberries in baked goods? Tasted like those blueberry fruit n grain bars to me. I didn't care for any of their coconuts. ETA: their "Cherries" tastes like cough drops! ICK!

Andria

Teresa P · Mar 3, 2016

All vendors' cherries taste like cough syrup, but I thought their wisnia a little less so.

AndriaD · Mar 3, 2016

Teresa P said:
All vendors' cherries taste like cough syrup, but I thought their wisnia a little less so.

I find the TFA Cherry Extract just right.. not too sweet, not too tart, neither medicinal nor maraschino... a veritable Goldilocks of cherry flavors.

If you want maraschino flavor, Lorann's tastes pretty good, but they always seem to add color, totally stupid.

Andria

10% flavor is just too weak!!

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