Is there a difference in sweeteners?

[Stevevapes4183]

I see a lot of recipes calling for sweetener, EM, Sucralose, cotton candy, etc. Are the sweeteners interchangeable or are they all different? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[PhantomOp]

The only advise I can give is that I can't vape anything with Sucralose or Stevia in it, wife and I are allergic to them. Cotton Candy is basically the same as EM. If I want to add sweetener to my mixes I will just add EM or Cotton Candy.

 

[HondaDavidson]

Are white sugar.. brown sugar and honey all the same. Not too mention more processed sugars with names ending in "lose and tose".

Heck outside of vaping PG and VG can be considered sweeteners.

Yes they are different.

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[AndriaD]

I prefer TFA Sweetener, which is just highly concentrated sucralose; it doesn't have the hard artificial whang that a lot of other brands of sucralose have.

EM and Cotton Candy aren't really terribly sweet; also honey and brown sugar are more flavors, than sweeteners. for true sweetness, you need sucralose or stevia.

Andria

 

[bobnat]

Here is something Wayne Walker wrote about sweeteners (if I shouldn't post this, please tell me first, then send the voltage to my keyboard).

This is found on his site under Free Content at
http://diyordievaping.com/2015/12/15/lets-talk-about-flavor-enhancers-diy-ejuice-tips/


Ethyl Maltol & Sucralose
These compounds are sweeteners. These sweeteners are both wildly different from each other and work completely different as well. So don't think these compounds can be substituted for each other. Ethyl Maltol is a sweetener that inherently sweetens certain aromas. This means if you have a strawberry flavoring you think would work better in your recipe if that flavor itself was a touch sweeter, using ethyl maltol will help you. Sucralose on the other hand is an overall sweetener. This is akin to putting sugar into your juice. So sucralose adds sweetness on top of your entire mix. This may be confusing at first, but after using these sweeteners you'll understand very quickly what I mean. A great way to use Ethyl Maltol is when you have a recipe where some ingredients you are using could use some sweetness. So if a strawberry banana recipe you have is kind of lacking sweetness by the strawberry because of the thickness of the banana, and you don't want to add an overall sweet flavor to the recipe, then a touch of Ethyl Maltol could be used to bring forward the sweetness just a bit. If you wanted the entire mix to have a sweeter flavor, where the sweetness is felt along the entire palate, then a touch of sucralose would be better. Ethyl Maltol inherently sweetens where sucralose completely sweetens.

 

[nightshard]

Basically there are 3 main sweeteners used in vaping.
Sucralose (most branded sweeteners sold by flavor manufacturers are just Sucralose in PG), has an artificial sweetener aftertaste.
Ethyl Maltol (aka EM aka cotton candy flavor), many flavors also contain small amounts of EM, too much EM mutes the flavor.
Stevia, too much leaves a bitter aftertaste, comes in grades based on percentage of REB-A (higher grade means less bitter aftertaste).

While EM acts as a sweetener by enhancing the sweetness of other flavors, the other two are actual sweeteners, Sucralose is 400 times sweeter then sucrose and Stevia is 250 (more or less) times sweeter then sucrose.

There are many other sweeteners used by the food industry that are not viable for vaping, either because they are not sweet enough (Sorbitol, Maltitol, Erythritol...), because they don't react well with heat (Aspartame...) or because they caramelize (Fructose, Sucrose, Glucose...).

 

[Huckleberried]

I see a lot of recipes calling for sweetener,

Sometimes, it's just a matter of preference, too. You can try the mixes without, they might be sweet enough for you without.

 

[PhantomOp]

Sometimes, it's just a matter of preference, too. You can try the mixes without, they might be sweet enough for you without.

Yup --- Typically if the recipe calls for a sweetner, I leave it out first 10ml test mix. I then will do another 10ml test mix (if needed) with EM added to check the differences. See which one I prefer.

 

[Howard Hughes]

Marshmallow has a nice, sweetening effect on many flavors as well as adding "mouth feel".
Otherwise I like Sucralose.

 

[Heabob]

I see a lot of recipes calling for sweetener, EM, Sucralose, cotton candy, etc. Are the sweeteners interchangeable or are they all different? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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I only use TFA Sweetener or Stevia once in a great while.
And then, only 1 to 3 drops in 15ml.
If you consider that 1 to 3 drops is usually enough to sweeten a whole cup of coffee it should be plenty.
And EM or Cotton Candy I try to stay around the same amount only because I've had too much flavor fade if used any higher.
Usually 1% FA Marshmallow, FA Meringue, and/or FA Jamaican Rum will add enough sweetness tho.

 

[inspects]

I've only made about 20 recipes, but haven't used any sweetener yet. Kinda like the juice that way, unlike commercially made juice which to me is way over-sweetened.

 

[f4milytime]

When i do use sweetener, i use sucralose & stevia 1:1, they sweeten the profile overall.

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[martnargh]

Recently got caps super sweet, which I find 3 or 4 drops per 30ml is more than enough.

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[Jimmy1life]

My last 30ml of Tfa Sweetener is very weak takes 20 drops to sweeten 1 cup of coffee. 1st time i got it a 10ml it only took 2 or 3 drops sweetened a 1 cup of coffee. Damn not very strong anymore. I got it from bc guess i need to get ecx sweetener to try next order.

 

[AndriaD]

My last 30ml of Tfa Sweetener is very weak takes 20 drops to sweeten 1 cup of coffee. 1st time i got it a 10ml it only took 2 or 3 drops sweetened a 1 cup of coffee. Damn not very strong anymore. I got it from bc guess i need to get ecx sweetener to try next order.

Or just order TFA Sweetener directly from the TPA/TFA site. The ECX sweetener, I found, had a nasty artificial whang to it.

Andria

 

[nightshard]

TFA, ECX, CAP are all just Sucralose in PG.
As far as I know TFA is 5% and ECX is 10%

 

[nightshard]

As far as I'm concerned a sweetener is not an integral part of any recipe.
Everyone should use as much (if any) based on their personal preference and the concentration of sweetener used.

 

[Jimmy1life]

Well I got to get pure Sucralose then. Just got in 4 gallons 3 vg and 1 pg 48 bucks plus shipping but 72 all togeather from essential depote glycube sale. Must say im set for a long time. that sale might have ended seemed to be the way to go seeing shipping was about same for just 1 gallon.

 

[nightshard]

Well I got to get pure Sucralose then. Just got in 4 gallons 3 vg and 1 pg 48 bucks plus shipping but 72 all togeather from essential depote glycube sale. Must say im set for a long time. that sale might have ended seemed to be the way to go seeing shipping was about same for just 1 gallon.

You can buy Sucralose in powder form and dilute it in PG/VG.
Should be soluble up to around 25%.

 

[AndriaD]

TFA, ECX, CAP are all just Sucralose in PG.
As far as I know TFA is 5% and ECX is 10%

Maybe that's why ECX's has that awful whang, it's just too strong. I've never gotten any "artificial" taste from TFA's. Sucralose is really the only artificial sweetener I can tolerate; it's closer to the taste of sugar than any of the others. But I won't use artificial sweeteners of ANY kind in things I actually eat-drink; they're too damaging to the natural bio-flora of the gut.

Andria

 

[nightshard]

Personally I can't stand the aftertaste of chlorinated sucrose (ahm I mean Sucralose).

 

[Rin Vapes]

Agreed with the posters above.
I rarely use/add sweetener and when I do it's typically in drops (Sucralose).
E.M./Cotton Candy I will use in certain candy mixtures but it definitely has a flavor to it. It's not just sweet the way Sucrose is.
erythritol is used sometimes but I figure if I can't stand it in gum, I probably won't like to vape it so I haven't tried it.
Haven't tried Stevia but should as it's the only thing I use if I'm adding "sugar"... (to coffee, tea/etc)
Marshmallow is good but similar to EM it's going to add a flavor as well as a little bit of sweetness and body.
Vanillan is also really nice for a hint of sweetness but it's going to add a vanilla note as well. My favorite is Ethyl vanillan (stronger)

 

[MD_Boater]

I stopped using sweeteners. Early on, I used TFA Sucralose. One day, a buddy and his wife came by and I was vaping. My friend's wife's face started turning red. She started feeling flushed and said that she felt like she was having an allergic reaction. I asked her what she was allergic to and the 3rd or 4th thing she mentioned was Sucralose. I emptied my tank and started vaping a different juice without it. She felt better in about 20 minutes. I see the two of them quite often, so I haven't used it ever since. Now, I just add a drop or two of a sweet fruit flavor to sweeten my mixes. It works very well.

 

[Stevevapes4183]

Thanks for your input. I have FW sweetener that I use at .5 or 1% occasionally. I rarely use it except for recipes that call for it and even then, I try not to. I'm not much of a sweet tooth person. I have bought juice from a local B&M and online that after making my own juice for a while now tastes like it has loads of sweetener in it.

My wife and I like the juice we have been making better than a lot of commercial juice. I love vaping, I just think it's ridiculous to spend $25-$30 on a premium bottle of juice that won't last more than 3-4 days.

I appreciate the input from everyone.

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[inspects]

Personally I can't stand the aftertaste of chlorinated sucrose (ahm I mean Sucralose).

Neither can I....good VG is plenty sweet enough for me, no sweeteners necessary.

 

[Khassy]

Alright, so this might be a really stupid question, but I don't DIY juice. I buy pure sucralose powder to use as a sweetener for my coffee. I normally dilute it in purified water so I can use drops of it in my drinks. Can I use the same stuff in premade juice that isn't quite sweet enough for my tastes? Or is the DIY sucralose formulated for use in vaping?

 

[AndriaD]

Alright, so this might be a really stupid question, but I don't DIY juice. I buy pure sucralose powder to use as a sweetener for my coffee. I normally dilute it in purified water so I can use drops of it in my drinks. Can I use the same stuff in premade juice that isn't quite sweet enough for my tastes? Or is the DIY sucralose formulated for use in vaping?

If it's ONLY pure sucralose powder and has NO additives of any kind, you can dissolve it in PG to make vape sweetener. Maybe someone knows the correct amount, I don't. But if there are any additives (Splenda uses dextrose), then you can't use it. It might take a few days to fully dissolve; I did this with ethyl maltose powder and it takes a little time and a lot of shaking to fully dissolve.

Andria

 

[Khassy]

If it's ONLY pure sucralose powder and has NO additives of any kind, you can dissolve it in PG to make vape sweetener. Maybe someone knows the correct amount, I don't. But if there are any additives (Splenda uses dextrose), then you can't use it. It might take a few days to fully dissolve; I did this with ethyl maltose powder and it takes a little time and a lot of shaking to fully dissolve.

It's pure sucralose. I get it on Amazon from Bulk Supplements. At least they say it's pure. I'll start with a tiny amount and see how that goes. Thanks!

 

[AndriaD]

It's pure sucralose. I get it on Amazon from Bulk Supplements. At least they say it's pure. I'll start with a tiny amount and see how that goes. Thanks!

I seem to recall from when I did the EM powder, to make a 10% solution, that would be a "scant" quarter-tsp in 10ml of PG. 10% sucralose would be pretty damn strong, but you'd only need a drop or two to get the sweetening effect.

Andria

 

[Khassy]

I seem to recall from when I did the EM powder, to make a 10% solution, that would be a "scant" quarter-tsp in 10ml of PG. 10% sucralose would be pretty damn strong, but you'd only need a drop or two to get the sweetening effect.

Do you think it would it work if I put a smidge of the powder in a few drops of the juice to dissolve, then add that back into the bottle? Or should I get some pure PG to mix it with?

 

[AndriaD]

Do you think it would it work if I put a smidge of the powder in a few drops of the juice to dissolve, then add that back into the bottle? Or should I get some pure PG to mix it with?

Hmm... I guess it might work, but it would still take some time to fully dissolve, and you'd have no real way to measure it -- if you consider that a scant qtr-tsp of sucralose in 10ml of PG is 10% which is twice as strong as TFA's sweetener... it would be a nightmare, and could EASILY fuck up the juice.

Andria

 

[The Cromwell]

The only advise I can give is that I can't vape anything with Sucralose or Stevia in it, wife and I are allergic to them. Cotton Candy is basically the same as EM. If I want to add sweetener to my mixes I will just add EM or Cotton Candy.

I have to use Stevia because all the artificial sweeteners including Sucralose tastes horrible tome.

 

[Khassy]

Hmm... I guess it might work, but it would still take some time to fully dissolve, and you'd have no real way to measure it -- if you consider that a scant qtr-tsp of sucralose in 10ml of PG is 10% which is twice as strong as TFA's sweetener... it would be a nightmare, and could EASILY fuck up the juice.

I have this set of measuring spoons that measure down to 1/64th of a teaspoon. I was thinking of using even a small fraction of that. I don't suppose using plain water would do, would it? Blah, I hate math and figuring things out, which is why I don't DIY.

 

[Khassy]

I have to use Stevia because all the artificial sweeteners including Sucralose tastes horrible tome.

I'm the opposite. Stevia tastes terrible to me.

 

[AndriaD]

I have this set of measuring spoons that measure down to 1/64th of a teaspoon. I was thinking of using even a small fraction of that. I don't suppose using plain water would do, would it? Blah, I hate math and figuring things out, which is why I don't DIY.

Water could be used, but it would make the vape pop at you.

DIY requires no math, because there are DIY calculators that do it for you -- the way you're trying to do this is the hard way. DIY ejuice is the easy way.

Andria

 

[The Cromwell]

I'm the opposite. Stevia tastes terrible to me.

Might depend on the variety of Stevia used.
I use NuNaturals Liquid Clear NuStevia.
the first brand I tried was horrible.

 

[Khassy]

Water could be used, but it would make the vape pop at you.

DIY requires no math, because there are DIY calculators that do it for you -- the way you're trying to do this is the hard way. DIY ejuice is the easy way.

I may give it a try eventually, but for now, I think if I try to buy anything else, my husband will first have a stroke, and then file for divorce. LOL

 

[AndriaD]

This is a screen cap of my favorite and ADV -- all you do is put in the percentages, and it does everything else. This calculator is online, so nothing to install -- DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors With Nicotine Plus PG/VG Adjusting



Andria

ETA: As for purchasing anything... ask your husband how much your life is worth to him? (DIY ejuice will save you a BUTTLOAD of money! -- that 56ml of premium ejuice costs just $3.41)

 

[Khassy]

This is a screen cap of my favorite and ADV -- all you do is put in the percentages, and it does everything else. This calculator is online, so nothing to install -- DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors With Nicotine Plus PG/VG Adjusting

Cool, thanks! I bookmarked it so I can try to use it in the future.