All Things TFA

[Cramptholomew]

TFA Flavors that I like, and still use:

Pear - pear tasting. haha
Strawberry - Tastes like strawberry PEZ
Honey Dew - Tastes like Honey Dew
Raspberry Sweet - Candy raspberries
Hypno Type - what HIC said
Vanilla Bourbon - Great as a mixer. Gives a mix a heavy vanilla liqueur flavor. Good for tobbies.
Red Oak - Barrel aged whisky in a bottle. great for tobbies.
Apple - Good plain apple flavor
Graham Cracker Dark - sweet & malty in a good way, not in a "rice crunchies" way
Cranberry - Tastes like cranberries
Pomegranate - Sweet candy pomegranate
Cinnamon Red Hot - Like HIC said, the BEST hot cinnamon candy
Juicy Peach - Canned peaches
Horchata Base - Best horchata I've tasted. I lived on this for 6 months.
Double Chocolate Clear - chocolate liqueur, good for mixing with tobbies
Mild Black - Great cigar flavor
RY4 Double - Best RY4, IMO
Banana Nut Bread - Add a drop or two of AP, and you're good to go
Acetyl Pyrazine - Bready, toasty. Go over board, and it's Fritos. I dilute mine 10:1 PG:AP
Rose Candy - USE SPARINGLY. Great with a few drops of Lychee, Honeysuckle, Rasp. Sweet, and Hibiscus
Black Honey Tobacco - not so much a tobacco, as it's a dark honey favor
Cappuccino - Good coffee flavor. Not as pungent as Caramel Cap.
Dragon Fruit - it's its own thing
Papaya - Heavy papaya. Use sparingly.
Mint Candy - More along the lines of Altoids than a Starlight. Use it with FA Zen Garden to get a fresh mint-leaf flavor
Cotton Candy - It's essentially EM
Marshmallow - Sweet, airy, marshmallowy
Raisin - STRONG! STRONG! I like this in tobbies
Whipped Cream - Unsweetened whipped cream.

I just ordered all the TFA ones HIC recommended that I didn't have. I don't hate TFA, and I didn't mean to "bash" them, since they DO make some good products. I've just been on an FA and CAP kick lately, since the ratio of like:dislike has been far better with them.

Flavors I DID NOT LIKE:
Huckleberry - (Sorry Huck! Nothing against you!) horrid chemical taste at ANY percentage
M-Type - Holy shnikeys. Strong, bitter, astringent
Cola Syrup- yuck, unless FRESH, mixed with a dab of Red Hots
Raspberry - dunno what the hell this is, but it ain't raspberry
Hazelnut Praline - P.U. tastes NOTHING like its namesake
Butterscotch - what? that's not butterscotch
Cantaloupe - vaguely melon. cloyingly sweet
Grape Candy - Dimetap
Coconut Extra - Coconut oven cleaner. SUPER EXTRA STRONG
Cinnamon Spice - Just weird. Sorta cinnamon, sorta stale spice cabinet
Black tea - astringent to the max
Chai - I've tried and tried. I want to like it, I just don't
EDIT: Pumpkin Spice - Tastes like RAW pumpkin mixed with stale spice cabinet.

I realize that some people are able to make these work somehow. For me, they're the stinkers.

There's a host of other flavors I use once in a while, when I get a yen. The lackluster ones. Ones that I keep trying, that I think can be good somehow. I just haven't found the sweet spot yet.

 

[EthelMaltol]

Great thread! I tried to make watermelon bubblegum, but just couldn't get it right. I love the juicyfruit with a few drops of em (cottn candy). The swedish gummy is good as a single flavor, too. None of these have custard notes.

 

[Craig Mad Bricky]

TFA Flavors that I like, and still use:

Pear - pear tasting. haha
Strawberry - Tastes like strawberry PEZ
Honey Dew - Tastes like Honey Dew
Raspberry Sweet - Candy raspberries
Hypno Type - what HIC said
Vanilla Bourbon - Great as a mixer. Gives a mix a heavy vanilla liqueur flavor. Good for tobbies.
Red Oak - Barrel aged whisky in a bottle. great for tobbies.
Apple - Good plain apple flavor
Graham Cracker Dark - sweet & malty in a good way, not in a "rice crunchies" way
Cranberry - Tastes like cranberries
Pomegranate - Sweet candy pomegranate
Cinnamon Red Hot - Like HIC said, the BEST hot cinnamon candy
Juicy Peach - Canned peaches
Horchata Base - Best horchata I've tasted. I lived on this for 6 months.
Double Chocolate Clear - chocolate liqueur, good for mixing with tobbies
Mild Black - Great cigar flavor
RY4 Double - Best RY4, IMO
Banana Nut Bread - Add a drop or two of AP, and you're good to go
Acetyl Pyrazine - Bready, toasty. Go over board, and it's Fritos. I dilute mine 10:1 PG:AP
Rose Candy - USE SPARINGLY. Great with a few drops of Lychee, Honeysuckle, Rasp. Sweet, and Hibiscus
Black Honey Tobacco - not so much a tobacco, as it's a dark honey favor
Cappuccino - Good coffee flavor. Not as pungent as Caramel Cap.
Dragon Fruit - it's its own thing
Papaya - Heavy papaya. Use sparingly.
Mint Candy - More along the lines of Altoids than a Starlight. Use it with FA Zen Garden to get a fresh mint-leaf flavor
Cotton Candy - It's essentially EM
Marshmallow - Sweet, airy, marshmallowy
Raisin - STRONG! STRONG! I like this in tobbies
Whipped Cream - Unsweetened whipped cream.

I just ordered all the TFA ones HIC recommended that I didn't have. I don't hate TFA, and I didn't mean to "bash" them, since they DO make some good products. I've just been on an FA and CAP kick lately, since the ratio of like:dislike has been far better with them.

Flavors I DID NOT LIKE:
Huckleberry - (Sorry Huck! Nothing against you!) horrid chemical taste at ANY percentage
M-Type - Holy shnikeys. Strong, bitter, astringent
Cola Syrup- yuck, unless FRESH, mixed with a dab of Red Hots
Raspberry - dunno what the hell this is, but it ain't raspberry
Hazelnut Praline - P.U. tastes NOTHING like its namesake
Butterscotch - what? that's not butterscotch
Cantaloupe - vaguely melon. cloyingly sweet
Grape Candy - Dimetap
Coconut Extra - Coconut oven cleaner. SUPER EXTRA STRONG
Cinnamon Spice - Just weird. Sorta cinnamon, sorta stale spice cabinet
Black tea - astringent to the max
Chai - I've tried and tried. I want to like it, I just don't

I realize that some people are able to make these work somehow. For me, they're the stinkers.

There's a host of other flavors I use once in a while, when I get a yen. The lackluster ones. Ones that I keep trying, that I think can be good somehow. I just haven't found the sweet spot yet.

one of the best descriptions, very good!

 

[Huckleberried]

Huckleberry - (Sorry Huck! Nothing against you!) horrid chemical taste at ANY percentage
.

LOL, none taken. Quite funny. Really helpful post, @Cramptholomew !

 

[EthelMaltol]

There are at least 4 must have flavors for me on that list! I use the cotton candy as a sweetener, a drop or two per 10 mils. The circus cotton candy is totally different. I have some steeping, hoping it will improve. I bought the horchata smooth, rather than the base, but I am not crazy about it, I think I will like the base better. Strawberry pez? Sounds so yummy! I may also try the ry4 double as I love tribecca.

 

[Frawg]

Love Root Beer and have been trying on and off for a year now to get a good one. This is the best Ive come up with so far.

The wintergreen gives it the suds on top.......the cream....well......its a tad of a Rootbeer float.

All TFA Flavors:

Rootbeer 15%
Sweet Cream 5%
Wintergreen 1.5%
PGA 1%

What is PGA?

 

[Thunderball]

What is PGA?

Either it was a typo or I was thinking about golf at the time.

Hey, at least I know someone is reading what I wrote

Edit: it was suppose to be sweetener.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Frawg]

There are at least 4 must have flavors for me on that list! I use the cotton candy as a sweetener, a drop or two per 10 mils. The circus cotton candy is totally different. I have some steeping, hoping it will improve. I bought the horchata smooth, rather than the base, but I am not crazy about it, I think I will like the base better. Strawberry pez? Sounds so yummy! I may also try the ry4 double as I love tribecca.

TFA Strawberry to me tastes like the ideal strawberry quik syrup would, but I like sweeter things than most.
TFA Coconut (regular not extra) I love for mixing with things, it doesn't have the fake flavor that Capella's coconut does.

The shop I work for ordered a bunch of new TFA flavors for me to work with, so far the only things I'm not keen on are the Cranberry - which is listed as natural flavor and ETOH, which it just seems really really really dry to me; and the pumpkin spice which so far all I can taste is spice.

I LOVE LOVE their KY bourbon its a deepening flavor for me, I can add it to things I'd never think of and end up with a deep, yet smooth flavor.

 

[Cramptholomew]

TFA Strawberry to me tastes like the ideal strawberry quik syrup would, but I like sweeter things than most.
TFA Coconut (regular not extra) I love for mixing with things, it doesn't have the fake flavor that Capella's coconut does.

The shop I work for ordered a bunch of new TFA flavors for me to work with, so far the only things I'm not keen on are the Cranberry - which is listed as natural flavor and ETOH, which it just seems really really really dry to me; and the pumpkin spice which so far all I can taste is spice.

I LOVE LOVE their KY bourbon its a deepening flavor for me, I can add it to things I'd never think of and end up with a deep, yet smooth flavor.

Try the cranberry at 4% with another red fruit.

 

[Frawg]

Try the cranberry at 4% with another red fruit.

Shop standard is USUALLY 20% total flavor but I've been mixing some at 12-17% (depending on mix) so do you have a suggestion for the total mix with the cranberry?

Does dragonfruit count as "red"?

Does anyone have suggestions for making TFA dragonfruit appetizing? I'm certain this is just me being the issue. Everyone who has tried it straight says they love it - statements range from "unique" to "tastes like mtn dew livewire" - for me it tastes like ash, and recently mown hay. So I'm entirely sure its me and I have no idea what its SUPPOSED to taste like so I can't say yes or no it tastes like that.

Then again I've had allergy issues lately and - today a cherry blend tasted like lilacs to me so its entirely possible my nose/tongue aren't fully working together lately, but nothing else I've made has been off by that much. Usually cherry regardless of brand/type tastes like robitussin the lilac was an improvement...I just doubt it would stay that nice.

 

[ClaireW]

Dragonfruit and mntn dew. I csn post % once I get to recipes on laptop.

Dragonfruit on its own works at 9 - 11%

Dragon blood another popular/ yummy recipe with Dragon fruit.

vaping one day at a time

 

[forks]

Just mixed 30ml of straight up hazelnut (NOT hazelnut praline). Been testing it and it seems that, for me, around 10% up to even 15% is good. Far, far and away a better vape than hazelnut praline. Now if only I could figure out balancing it with eugenol to get a good tongue numbing clove, but still noticeable hazelnut and vanilla notes.

 

[HeadInClouds]

Now if only I could figure out balancing it with eugenol to get a good tongue numbing clove, but still noticeable hazelnut and vanilla notes.

hazelnut, vanilla, clove - interesting combination. One key with that will be to NOT steep it, in my opinion. Clove loses its best qualities as it ages or when it's exposed to too much heat (crockpot, microwave...) I like vanilla-clove, but never thought of adding nut to that.

 

[Frawg]

Just mixed 30ml of straight up hazelnut (NOT hazelnut praline). Been testing it and it seems that, for me, around 10% up to even 15% is good. Far, far and away a better vape than hazelnut praline. Now if only I could figure out balancing it with eugenol to get a good tongue numbing clove, but still noticeable hazelnut and vanilla notes.

TFA's pumpkin spice - doesn't give me any hint of pumpkin at all but it does give the best clove flavor I've ever tasted in a vape. Its the tongue numbing clove not whatever happens to most clove vapes which taste like motor oil to me.

 

[forks]

hmm, awesome, thanks for the advice. the TFA clove is just eugenol in PG, so it might taste a touch chemical if you use a lot. i have noticed it decreases in strength after heating it for a time, but that is a little ok. i think if i shoot for a lot less clove it might work out better, i was using probably 8% in testing, lol.

 

[EthelMaltol]

Yum, strawberry quick sounds delish! I love sweet vapes. I tried a vendor cranberry once but did not care for it at all and I love cranberry juice. Nutmeg, spice, clove, etc, none in my flavor profile. I have toasted almond, was going to try to get amaretto and cream flavor, but haven't tested it too much.

 

[Cramptholomew]

All you TFAers, could someone please give me a good starting percentage for Pistachio? I'm working on Watergate Salad. I tried at 6%, 8%, and then 10%, with hardly any flavor. I have a sneaking suspicion that I've over flavored, and thus no flavor.

 

[MrScaryZ]

I looked for a TFA specific thread and could not find one. If there is one and I missed it, someone please let me know.

We have threads for most DIY flavor brands, so I thought we should have a TFA one too.

Great idea create one I have a touch of everything but more TFA then anything

 

[MrScaryZ]

All you TFAers, could someone please give me a good starting percentage for Pistachio? I'm working on Watergate Salad. I tried at 6%, 8%, and then 10%, with hardly any flavor. I have a sneaking suspicion that I've over flavored, and thus no flavor.

Man I have some of that its been sitting for a year I really do not know what to do with it hahaha I love pistachio

 

[TheWestPole]

Any good experiences using M-type as an additive to other flavors?

I would not vape it by itself, but I have been trying it with an 8% RY4 batch. Adding 3% was too much, 2% a little better, and I'm thinking 1% might be just right. It's sorta like adding bitters to a drink. Very complex bitter flavor that adds some un-sweet sharpness to the roundness of the caramel in RY4.

 

[Smoky Blue]

.25% to 1% for m type

 

[TheWestPole]

.25% to 1% for m type

Ah, so you've been there. Have you tried Tobacco Absolute? Any percentages to recommend?

 

[Smoky Blue]

Ah, so you've been there. Have you tried Tobacco Absolute? Any percentages to recommend?

ap...

should be used by the drop.. adds a bread/nutty taste
good with dk tab 555

suggested rates by me: .5%-2%

do not use heavy handed..

goes good with both white and apple cider vinegar

 

[TheWestPole]

ap...

should be used by the drop.. adds a bread/nutty taste
good with dk tab 555

suggested rates by me: .5%-2%

do not use heavy handed..

goes good with both white and apple cider vinegar

Thanks for the tips, Smokey. My first try when I got Tobacco Absolute was quite heavy handed indeed, dripping at 6-8%. Vomitrocious, but interestingly vomitrocious.

 

[Smoky Blue]

I bet! Glad to help out..

 

[Frawg]

Tried making a strawberry donut using TFA's new frosted donut flavor at work Saturday night. Somehow I ended up with strawberry flavored bacon. It doesn't suck, its just NOT what I was going for in terms of flavor, but its an interesting option, that I probably won't be able to recreate, or its just a phase it goes through in steeping, which means if I like it being strawberry bacon, I won't have much time to enjoy it as such. So a note if you try the frosted donut you may need to steep it a lot.

I also have an all TFA tobacco vape that I'm playing with. It's a complex flavor so I can't really accurately describe it other than to say it reminds me of a fall day with acorns pinging off the roof and a slightly smoky scent to the air. Which means right now its perfect.

 

[TheWestPole]

I bet! Glad to help out..

Smokey, I'm nearing the sweet (bitter) spot with 8% RY4 Double + ~.8% M Type. Loving that bitter note. Thank again!

Have not got into the Tobacco Absolute yet, but will follow your advice there.

Any experience with Red Type?

 

[Budds]

In our experience, yes if at higher than 10%. I haven't tried it with lower percents yet, I only know as a couple shops here have it and yeah it cracks tanks. It also gunks up coils on drippers really really quickly.

Thanx.....
Sorry I missed your reply till now !
10% or higher..... WOW !!!!!
I use it in mixes less than 1%..... 10% would be MAJOR HoneySuckle OVERLOAD for me, Lol !
Thanx again Frawg......

 

[cherrycakes]

Yay. I love TFA!! Just not blueberry candy. Yuck.

 

[immortalhope]

Im excited! Got my first shipment from Flavor Apperentice today, 10 flavors all 15ml bottles. I ordered: apple pie, cola syrup, vanilla bean icecream, vanilla custard, dulce de leche, kona coffee, pineapple, cinnamon danish, bavarian cream and sweetener. I also ordered vg and pg, but waiting on them to show up. I would love some suggestions as what i should make.. im a NOOB at DIY so i look forward to any help, thx

<br/>

 

[Botboy141]

Im excited! Got my first shipment from Flavor Apperentice today, 10 flavors all 15ml bottles. I ordered: apple pie, cola syrup, vanilla bean icecream, vanilla custard, dulce de leche, kona coffee, pineapple, cinnamon danish, bavarian cream and sweetener. I also ordered vg and pg, but waiting on them to show up. I would love some suggestions as what i should make.. im a NOOB at DIY so i look forward to any help, thx <br/>

8% TFA Apple Pie
1% TFA Cinnamon Danish
2% TFA Bavarian Cream

should be tasty. Could add 1% Dulce de Leche for a little caramel enhancement also.

 

[Botboy141]

Wanted to throw a little something together for any other slackers out there like me that still like to use TFA (can't beat the price on bulk flavors!).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i2ZCPg7azxxNoVnwqwYocy6zLv34he0WU7xMExcGkBs/edit?usp=sharing

Basically, a spreadsheet of every TFA flavor broken down to anything that contains custard notes in case you are looking to avoid them.

Conclusion: 51 of 214 flavors from TFA contain custard note ingredients.

Vape Safe Everyone.

 

[immortalhope]

Wanted to throw a little something together for any other slackers out there like me that still like to use TFA (can't beat the price on bulk flavors!).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i2ZCPg7azxxNoVnwqwYocy6zLv34he0WU7xMExcGkBs/edit?usp=sharing

Basically, a spreadsheet of every TFA flavor broken down to anything that contains custard notes in case you are looking to avoid them.

Conclusion: 51 of 214 flavors from TFA contain custard note ingredients.

Vape Safe Everyone.

Are custard notes bad? Ive hurd they crack tanks, however im dripping so no tank to crack..

 

[Botboy141]

Are custard notes bad? Ive hurd they crack tanks, however im dripping so no tank to crack..

I'm not going to say conclusively that they are bad, however, I will say that inhaling diacetyl is not beneficial to your health. The trace amounts that are contained in the juices we vape, there's no studies showing if they will kill us, cause cancer, or do absolutely nothing.
You can find more information in dozens of locations. The reason Acetoin and Acetyl Propionyl are questionable for us to vape is not that they are diacetyl, it is that they are somewhere between 93 and 100% pure and that diacetyl usually makes up a portion of that impurity.
The United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has suggested diacetyl, when used in artificial butter flavoring (as used in many consumer foods), may be hazardous when heated and inhaled over a long period. - Source
There is another comprehensive write up here on VU breaking down these chemicals and what our concerns should be because of them. - Source

 

[cherrycakes]

Custards don't crack tanks, they *sometimes* have diacetyl

 

[immortalhope]

http://www.v-ecigs.com/tfa-flavor-percentage-recommendations/
Looking at that it seems several of the flavors i just bought crack tanks, just happens to be vanilla custard that i zoned in on

 

[cherrycakes]

Maybe the vanilla??

 

[cherrycakes]

Just saying in my experience, I've never had a custard crack tanks

 

[Botboy141]

http://www.v-ecigs.com/tfa-flavor-percentage-recommendations/
Looking at that it seems several of the flavors i just bought crack tanks, just happens to be vanilla custard that i zoned in on

I've never had Van Custard from any vendor crack any of my friends/families plastic tanks or my testers.

 

[EthelMaltol]

Looking good, immortalhope! I don't mind the blueberry candy, but it contains triacetin, which is known to crack plastic tanks.

 

[immortalhope]

Looking good, immortalhope! I don't mind the blueberry candy, but it contains triacetin, which is known to crack plastic tanks.

Applepie is the only flavor i bought that has triacetin on the lable, most are just flavor,pg and Ethyl Alc..

 

[Heabob]

Too many flavors I wanted to try like Banana and Cinnamon.
So I switched over to Pyrex BCC Tanks early on so I didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Tanks like the Kanger PT2 or Anyvape Davide(my favorite), for 20 bucks is hard to beat.
Then get the Kanger airflow controller for 5 bucks.

 

[Smoky Blue]

You can make any fruit into candied fruit..

just by using the percentage of fruit one would like and adding:

2% sweetener
1% em

and raising those 2 percents above till you are happy with the sweetness.

that simple..

 

[Frawg]

Lots of info out there on "custards" being bad. Lots of info out there with questionable science behind it too.

Read ALL the info, learn the chemistry, be an adult, make your own choices, just don't blame others for your choices if the consequences aren't what you hoped for.

Not all flavors that contain diacetyl, acetoin or acetyl propionyl, are custard/dessert in nature. Lots of flavors and as such foods, naturally contain those chemicals. Just don't believe every piece of 'research' you're given. If the science behind the study is iffy, don't trust it. If you want to avoid those things, I believe @HeadInClouds has links to or a list of flavors from different vendors that do not have those ingredients in them.

But my understanding is, expect to pay a lot more for the option of skipping those ingredients. (again my understanding only).

I've never had a custard crack a tank. I've had lots of things crack tanks that I wouldn't think would.

TFA Cranberry, TFA Holiday spice, TFA pumpkin spice, TFA banana, hot cinnamon, cola, key lime, all do. I've yet to make anything with TFA orange mandarin that cracks tanks, and citrus should, but this didn't and it was 7% of an 18% total flavor mix.

 

[EthelMaltol]

I think it is better to vape from a glass tank, if possible. I got a good deal on the davides and have some protank 2's that I have added the airflow control bases onto. I'm getting better at making my own coils for them, too!
As far as custards are concerned, I was just reading in another thread here that some companies are switching to butyric acid rather than using ap or diacetyl, and that isn't good to vape either. I totally love sweet vapes, but I have been trying to limit how much custardy stuff I use. Sweet, fruity vapes work for me, too!

 

[Frawg]

I made a neat new vape for the shop with a bunch of TFA flavors. At 7% their lemon does NOT crack tanks.

I have a plastic tank section for my kayfun that I use for testing and 48 hours later, no cracking.

 

[HeadInClouds]

A lot of times you can get away with using a flavor that'll crack a tank, if you use it low enough. I thought I was pretty smart when I managed to do that, then realized the glue holding the plastic together can dissolve anyway. Wish I could find glass tanks that vaped like my favorite plastic ones!

 

[EthelMaltol]

Yes, by this time, we should have already moved past glue and plastics. And, the metal should all be food grade stainless, imo.

 

[VapeSoGood]

<----- Newbie. I gotta get some slang. What is TFA? I'm assuming that its a brand/company? and I think I got a "FA" in there somewhere?

 

[Botboy141]

<----- Newbie. I gotta get some slang. What is TFA? I'm assuming that its a brand/company? and I think I got a "FA" in there somewhere?

TFA = The Flavor Apprentice
FA = Flavour Art
HS = Hangsen
FW = Flavor West
INW = Inawera
CAP or CA = Capella

the list goes on and on, but yeah they are flavor suppliers