New to diy looking for a little advice

[Råvéñsbøurñê]

Me and a friend are going to start mixing our own juice and are looking to grow our flavors but are running into a bit of a wall with so much information from here and vape shops around d here we talk to. I have looked around on here and if I missed any of these questions that are here sorry please provide a link and I will read them.

1- the vg we have been smoking from a local vape shop comes from bull city but flavors from wizard labs. We are thinking of just getting it all at wizard but are wondering about the flavor difference between their vg if their is any.

2- what are some of the basic flavors that are in alot of recipes? I will be the one doing all of the mixing and have been looking all around and seeing alot of them with brown sugar, honey, almond, and a few others but am not finding a full lost of some that are used alot. We like fruity and sweet flavors if that helps not big on cake or cereals.

3- I used to smoke Marlboro light special blend 2 years ago when I started vaping and have been looking for a flavor with that light flavor and smoothness but unable to find one

4- With basic 1-2 flavor recipes what is a good mix of them. We both like strong flavors and have been told do not go over 20% flavors but on a couple bottles I have made so far, we have had to much flavor

4- We have ethyl malto sweetener right now but have been told a cotton candy is better for flavor. In 30ml bottles what would be the best sweetener and good % of it to put in

Thank you all for help we need it I may have more questions later to add here

Forgot to add we both mainly use limitless RDA but have normal RDA as well he a velocity and I have a mutilation V2. Don't know if that changes anything

 

[Frenchfry1942]

1. PG and VG should not have any significant flavor. A bit, but not much since they are not really "flavors" per se. But, yes, different brands of PG or VG can have nuances of flavor. To me, I think a flavor can come through on less pure products. Same with nicotine. For nicotine I get a light peppery taste to the brand I have. I forget what brand it is since I transferred the liter bottle into smaller glass bottles. I do hear good things about Nude Nicotine. A search for nic brands here would probably help you.

2. For me, basic flavors are different creams. They do have slight differences. I have 5-6, but I recently saw that someone was taste testing about 12 of them.
Another area that I have are fruit flavors. They can be somewhat "stand-alone" or supportive of other flavors. I probably have 12-15. That brings on another thought. A cherry flavor can be different with different brands.
As to sweetness, a couple of different sweeteners is good. Again, different ones have differences. I have a honey, a plain sweetener, and marshmallow. Because different brands have slight differences, it may be because it is sweeter, too. Think back to the cherry, there are probably a dozen different versions.

3 &4. I don't think any vape flavor replicates a cigarette perfectly. But, they can be close and just plain enjoyable. I am not a tobacco enthusiast, but friends seem to add a touch of vanilla or fruit (or both) to get a slight change that appeals to them. This goes into that sweetener world and it is ALL just what your taste buds like at that moment. I don't know anyone that exactly copies others' recipes. So, that being said, percentages of anything is really decided by you. Their is a lot of making samples to test with DIY. I buy 5ml bottles out the wazoo just for trying recipes or comparing flavors that are alike. Look at the creams; to really know them, and their differences, testing each cream in a PG/VG that you like is a good idea. Record the results so you can return to that data when you need to. I just counted and I have 34 little bottles in a drawer, steeping, with individual flavors or recipes. It has become a hobby.

- In the end, it is a lot of testing and A LOT of recording to satisfy your taste buds. Even your friend has different taste buds.

Hope helps

 

[Råvéñsbøurñê]

Another thing we are used to smoking 100% vg with no pg at all do I need to up the flavor % or should it be ok. Oris that just another test over and over type

 

[Foggz]

I used to smoke Marlboro light special blend 2 years ago when I started vaping and have been looking for a flavor with that light flavor and smoothness but unable to find one

I find this recipe to be similar to marlboro ultralight for me as made with lower percents - can be adjusted to accommodate your own tastes and is an excellent starting point re cigs.

http://vapingunderground.com/threads/hics-light-american-cigarette-replacement.2927/

Also plenty of tobacco threads here to get some ideas from. A nice simple one that I have been vaping for the last week or so is Cuban Custard Pie .. has a touch of sweetness and a tinge of spice .. very tasty.

http://vapingunderground.com/threads/cuban-custard-pie-sweet-and-smooth-tobacco.264948/

those are the only two that I have tried and liked .. have just recently been familiarizing with FA tobaccos about 7 different flavors so far.
hope this helps you. Welcome to VU.

 

[Neunerball]

Another thing we are used to smoking 100% vg with no pg at all do I need to up the flavor % or should it be ok. Oris that just another test over and over type

IMO, percentages of the flavors shouldn't be off when making high VG juices. I mixed a 80 VG, and a 93 VG, with the same recipe, and I couldn't tell any difference.

 

[nightshard]

You'll have a better chance trying to replicate more flavorful tobaccos like pipe and cigar tobacco, because let's face it, cigarettes taste and smell like crap.

 

[nightshard]

Cotton Candy is EM (at least TFA cotton candy, 10% EM in PG).
I wouldn't use EM at higher concentration then 1% and that includes the EM already existing as an ingredient in some of the flavors.
Most people use Sucralose, Stevia, EM or a combination of them.

 

[Neunerball]

Most people use Sucralose, Stevia, EM or a combination of them.

Since I'm not most people, I use Erythritol.

 

[gopher_byrd]

I find that most recipes are plenty sweet enough without added sweetener. YMMV

I think you will find that you will end up using several flavor shops during your DIY journey. Wizard doesn't carry Flavour Art, ECX doesn't carry Hangsen, BCF doesn't carry nicotine, etc. And one shop may be out of stock of a flavor you want/need.

Choose several recipes that sound good to you from the recipe sub-forum or ELR or where ever. Just buy the flavors to make those recipes. This will save on the initial start up costs and you will have a better chance for success on your first mixes. From there you will start to get a feel for how flavors interact. Mix stand alone single flavors and test those starting with lower percentages and working up to find your ideal spot for those.

Above all else, have fun! And welcome to VU. There are a great bunch of folks here waiting to help you!