Addatives, are they needed

[EarnestAccord]

I'm about to make my first order of all my DIY stuff. The one aspect I still have not seen clarification on is whether addatives are needed to make a good recipe. I'm thinking it might matter where I'm getting my flavorings from. General flavoring brands like Loranne might need some tweeking while a flavoring from a eliqued distrubuter, essentially their in house flavoring minus the base probably doesnt? Yes?
Thanks for the support.

 

[AmandaD]

I don't use any 'additives' at all. I find sweetening can come from flavors (e.g. Flavor Art marshmallow and others). Never found a use for them, although of course when I started DIY I bought them all!

 

[Wingsfan0310]

If I had it do over again, I wouldn't buy any additives. Like Amanda said, if you want to add a touch of sweetness, add 1-2% Marshmallow, TFA Brown Sugar, etc. If I want to add tart I'd try a drop or 2 of Lemon Sicily, Cold pressed or key lime.

When I first started I tried a few additives. Now they just sit there collecting dust. My advice for what it's worth is start low with your flavorings and add more if needed. Also look at a few recipes that sound good (Head in Clouds, AKA HIC, are very good) and get the flavorings that will let you try them. Don't go overboard on your first order(s) until your sure DIY is for you. Good luck on your DIY Adventure!!!

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Huckleberried]

I'm in agreement with Amanda and Steve. Once you get to know your flavors, you'll likely find, that with the right flavors, you just don't need additives. I tried them, too, and got ZERO benefit from them, especially in the long haul. The longer that juice steeped, I got nothing.

 

[Deeks]

Unless you consider Ethyl Maltol (EM) an additive then no I don't find any use for them. The small amount of EM that I use is more to "round out" fruit flavors and take the sharpness away than to really add much sweetness. Seems to calm them down a bit when I'm mixing say 4 fruit flavors together. And this is just for the people I mix for, I don't personally vape standard fruit mixes, I'm more the custard and or bakery type so no EM necessary for that stuff.

 

[Daintanee]

I don't find a need for them either. If you are just starting out, I found Flavourart flavors true to their name and easiest for use. The main reason is all of the notes on these flavors that @HeadInClouds provided can be found here...
http://mamajsflavorshop.com/headinclouds-my-notes-on-flavor-descriptions/

 

[Daintanee]

And also many pre mixed e liquid concentrate recipes sold you simply add to your base if you check out their specialty line.

 

[Wingsfan0310]

And also many pre mixed e liquid concentrate recipes sold you simply add to your base if you check out their specialty line.

To the OP, if you go this route, make sure to try their Game Over Custard. Imo it's really quite good!

PS They are a great place to order from, excellent customer service, and good prices.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Heabob]

AP is about the only additive I use anymore, just in certain recipes tho.

Sometimes use EM or CC if a recipe calls for it, but then I'll try it without to compare.
(Although I normally use less than the recipe calls for).
Or, Sub them out with some other flavors like Marshmallow, Brown Sugar, Meringue, Vanilla, Cream, etc.

 

[wally]

I never use them if I ever want it sweeter I just add little more vg%.

 

[Mazam]

AP is about the only additive I use anymore, just in certain recipes tho.

Sometimes use EM or CC if a recipe calls for it, but then I'll try it without to compare.
(Although I normally use less than the recipe calls for).
Or, Sub them out with some other flavors like Marshmallow, Brown Sugar, Meringue, Vanilla, Cream, etc.

Yeah, AP is the one must have imo. A lot of cooler recipes they are going to run across here have it added in there.

I used to add some EM into pretty much every experiment i tried. Since switching over to mainly FA flavors i haven't touched the bottle once in like 6 months though.

 

[pulsevape]

I just use the old stand bys... blood,tequila, and holy water.

 

[KeyserSoze]

They are totally needed if you want to make juice that tastes like "premium" store bought juice. 1-10% EM all day. But if you want to make tasty ADV-able mixes you probably don't need them at all. I use EM to tame rowdy citrus flavors from time to time but there are so many sweet flavors that already contain EM. No need to add more.

 

[zaroba]

I think it depends on how you look at them.

I mean, additives are added to change the taste and we all have our own preferences. But, aren't the regular flavors themselves also additives? They are added to make the nicotine solution taste good, the same as AP, EM, etc. To me they are all just ingredients used to make a good tasting juice.


PS, isn't EM the same as cotton candy? Or is it something else I'm thinking of?

 

[KeyserSoze]

isn't EM the same as cotton candy? Or is it something else I'm thinking of?

It is. TFA Cotton Candy is EM anyway.

ETA - I'm not sure how many other Cotton Candy flavors are out there and if they are also just EM like TFA.

 

[pulsevape]

They are totally needed if you want to make juice that tastes like "premium" store bought juice. 1-10% EM all day. But if you want to make tasty ADV-able mixes you probably don't need them at all. I use EM to tame rowdy citrus flavors from time to time but there are so many sweet flavors that already contain EM. No need to add more.

Dude I think it would be great if you would start a thread on additives.....list them and what you use them for and at what % ....in order to get that "premium taste"..it's a subject that just isn't touched on very often.....

 

[KeyserSoze]

Dude I think it would be great if you would start a thread on additives.....list them and what you use them for and at what % ....in order to get that "premium taste"..it's a subject that just isn't touched on very often.....

I am flattered that you think I have the knowledge and experience to write that up but I haven't learned anything that's not already in a thread. I'll think about condensing it all into a post though (kind of feel like someone already has). I have played with a lot of them but have never used lemon juice or vinegar so I don't consider myself fully versed on additives yet.

I would guess that 80% of "premium" store bought juice contains at least one of the following (at 2-4 times the percentages you see in most recipes here) - EM, TFA Sweetener, Sucralose or Stevia. There's a Sugar Bear clone somewhere that starts with 10% EM! I haven't tried it but I wouldn't be surprised if that's accurate.

People are crazy. A good friend's ADV is 12% TFA Cotton Candy and nothing else. I can't get him to let me add something else. I've tried. I'm not complaining, it took me a year to even put a dent in the 8ml sample I had and he's almost crushed 30ml (of flavoring) in the past few months. I never in a million years would have guessed that I would buy a 4oz bottle of that stuff. Whatever it takes to keep him off the stinkies!

 

[FL_David]

If I had it do over again, I wouldn't buy any additives

Yeah, AP is the one must have imo

I agree with both. Is menthol a flavor or an additive? I do use menthol in some mixes, but just a tiny amount. I read long ago that a tiny amount of menthol can perk up some fruit flavors. Most of the time I don't think of using it.

 

[Wingsfan0310]

I don't think of Menthol or AP as additives. I use AP sparing in a few recipes. I was never a menthol fan but have it for a couple of people I mix for.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Plonq]

I was wondering the same but specifically regarding citric and malic acids. They seems to be more popular over at /r/DiY_eJuice.

 

[Wingsfan0310]

I've never used citric or malic acid (I'm guessing that's another name for sour). I do have FA Cold Pressed Lime, Citrus Mix, Mandarin Orange, and Lemon Sicily I can add for that effect. Damn I have a lot of flavors

Cheers,
Steve