Can't tell the difference between several TFA fruits

[Walker]

Just got started with DIY and ordered a sampler pack of fruit flavors from TFA. The few I am talking about with this post are:

- Ripe Strawberry
- Wild Blueberry
- Cantaloupe
- Juicy Peach

Just to get an idea of the flavors, I mixed up 10mL standalone bottles w/ 15% of the flavorings added. I figured that if any of them were too strong, I could just add some unflavored base and tone them down.

I let them all sit for several days and tried them out one by one.

They were all good. Not "OMFG!" delicious, but pleasant and fruity and I was able to vape each of them all day if I wanted to. The problem is, I literally could not tell much of a difference between the flavors. If given a blind taste test, I would have failed to identify them, except maybe the peach. That one stood out a little, with a touch of fake Peach Schnaps flavor.

So... what's up with that? Has any body else experienced anything like this? Did I possible just over-use the flavorings to the point where they all just had a generic "fruity" flavor?

I've got another batch of just blueberry mixed where I dropped down to about 7.5% on the flavoring. I'm letting that one sit for a few days before I try it, but I wanted to throw my question/observation/rambling out to the public.

EDIT: for what it's worth, my mixes were all about 40p/60v w/ 5mg nic.

 

[HeadInClouds]

Did I possible just over-use the flavorings to the point where they all just had a generic "fruity" flavor?...
, my mixes were all about 40p/60v w/ 5mg nic.

Entirely possible that's too much flavoring for you. Maybe you could dilute a little of one bottle with extra PG/VG and see if less flavoring suits you better.

If that's not a step in the right direction, try a little batch with no nic, just to see if your nic is interfering.

 

[soulshine]

I know that a lot of TFA flavors aren't quite as concentrated as some others. For my money, the best fruits are FA. Although Capella Sweet Strawberry is quite nice and there are also a lot of fans here of the Inwera fruit line. I know I probably tried those TFA fruits when I first started DIY, but honestly I have no recollection of them. Once you go FA....... LOL

 

[outwest]

If you've been vaping fruit flavors, you could have vaper's tongue (where you lose sense of taste for a flavor or set of flavors). When that happens to me, I can't tell the difference between strawberry, watermelon, or blueberry, even though they're distinctly different.

 

[Walker]

@HeadInClouds : I don't think it's my nic. My first baby step with DIY was to mix up small batches of unflavored PG/VG with my desired nic level and vape those until I found the ratio of PG/VG that I liked in terms of vapor production and physical sensation. In all of those little unflavored test batches, my base materials were pretty miled and neutral in flavor. I could only detect a slight increase in mild sweetness with the higher percentage VG mixes.

@outwest : even if I break the routine by vaping some store bought custard stuff for a day and then go back to the DIY fruit stuff, I can't tell any differences. Hell, even swtiching to a tank of store bought fruit flavor, I can taste that as a proper fruit. it's just my own DIY stuff that all tastes roughly the same.

@soulshine : I went crazy reading recipes and notes from HIC over the past week. My $200 order of FA flavors should arrive tomorrow.

 

[outwest]

Just a thought - did you remember to shake the bottles of flavoring? I occasionally forget to do that.

 

[Walker]

Shook it like a polaroid picture

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[outwest]

I have all those flavors, but haven't used them much. From my experience, at 10%, the strawberry comes through fine, the blueberry not so much (but it could have been vape tongue or maybe that I tried it on an RDA?). Never used the peach or cantaloupe as a stand-alone. Sorry I'm not more help

 

[nabibrian]

Before I spent a bunch of money on TFA stuff.
(I have about 17 baddie-free TFA flavors 4 oz bottles for sale or trade PM for more info).
I found that using TFA Cotton Candy @ about 2% really seemed to help for some reason especially when working with juicy peach and strawberry. You might find that to help you.

 

[ScreamQueen]

FWIW, I'm also experiencing the same outcome with some of the TFA fruits. To remedy that, I'm mixing more than one type and/or brand of the same flavor such as TFA Strawberry Ripe and CAP Strawberries & Cream, or Blueberry and Blueberry Wild to achieve a more dominant fruit flavor. I've also added a few drops of lemon juice to most of my fruit mixes which helps to brighten them up...except for the peaches, they don't seem to need the lemon.

 

[Mike H.]

Im with HIC on too much flavoring..TFA starts around the 7 percent mark...i would try 7 percent..thats where i seem to like mine and it not be so strong you lose the sense of taste so fast like some ive mixed using to much..Each manufacturer of flavoring has a base line start of percentage to start at..some even feel 7 percent is too much or not enough but you wont know unless you try it first.

 

[Walker]

Oh, hell yeah! My big ass box of FA flavorings came today.

I'll be mixing stuff up all night.

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[nabibrian]

Oh, hell yeah! My big ass box of FA flavorings came today.

I'll be mixing stuff up all night.

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So yeah, you are good to go now!

 

[outwest]

I mixed up some more TFA fruit earlier tonight (specifically watermelon), did it at 15% and added a couple of drops of sour (was a 10ml batch). It still wasn't quite right (i'm thinking maybe a couple more drops since is needle tip dropper), but the taste was there. Hope that helps. Perhaps add a couple drops of TFA sour (malic acid) to make it pop more?

 

[Walker]

Thanks for the advice. I'm loaded with FA flavors now and am hopeful that my experience will be different with them.

But, I work about 3 miles from Bull City Vapors, so I can always run out and try various things on a whim without having to wait on shipping. Maybe I will get some Sour and see what I can accomplish with the TFA stuff.

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[OBDave]

But, I work about 3 miles from Bull City Vapors, so I can always run out and try various things on a whim without having to wait on shipping.

Oh, how I envy you!

For fruits, the only non-FA flavors I visit with frequency so far are TFA Ripe Strawberry (one of the ones you seem to be having problems with) and CAP Juicy Peach (different brand, but another of your problems). For the most part I find FA's stuff to be more true-to-form when looking for a real fruit flavor, and I've spent most of my vape life as a fruity kind of guy...just recently getting into desserts and other realms.

 

[Walker]

OMG, OMG, OMG.

I just tried the FA Bilberry I mixed up a few days ago (with a touch of Vienna cream).

*THIS* is what I have been looking for!

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[Rin Vapes]

I've tried (and have) all those flavors except cantelope and they definitely taste different. Lol. I think you overused them. (used too much) I use mine at 5% when mixing with other fruits... You could probably go up to 10% but I wouldn't personally recommend any more than that.

 

[OBDave]

I've tried (and have) all those flavors except cantelope and they definitely taste different. Lol. I think you overused them. (used too much) I use mine at 5% when mixing with other fruits... You could probably go up to 10% but I wouldn't personally recommend any more than that.

Possibly this. I've seen recommendations of 12 and 15% all over the place, sometimes even higher, but I find overuse can be as bad as under-use. 10% standalone and 5% max as part of a recipe are probably good starting points.

 

[Walker]

Right. I saw reccomendations up over 15%, which is why I mixed at 15% with the plan to dilute if it was too strong.

I thought it might have been just Mr and my cigarette-destroyed taste buds, but my wife (who quit cold turkey over 14 years ago) said she could barely tell a difference.

Regardless, I'm trying out FA stuff now and am pretty damn pleased.

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