Building a Vanilla Custard "From Scratch"?

[Laughmore]

I have this steeping for a few days so far, pretty optimistic:
Vanilla Custard Cap 2%
French Vanilla Creme TPA 2%
Custard FA 1%
Whipped Cream TPA 1%
Coconut FA .5%
Almond .5%
Meringue .5%
[some vanilla @ .5% I think] - will decide which in a few days once the custard/cream is vapeable for me]

I may have been overzealous with the whipped cream, should otherwise be tasty at least... smells like, and tastes on the finger like it may need something in the middle, marzipan or rum idk, we'll see, sorry vaping it now would be a waste on me.

I really want to taste nutmeg personally, but .25% holiday spice scared me away from it for a while (custard fail). The FA custard at 1% is supposed to do some of that, aiming low% overall so I can use an additive instead of a subtractive approach, penny for your thoughts

 

[lirruping]

I have this steeping for a few days so far, pretty optimistic:
Vanilla Custard Cap 2%
French Vanilla Creme TPA 2%
Custard FA 1%
Whipped Cream TPA 1%
Coconut FA .5%
Almond .5%
Meringue .5%
[some vanilla @ .5% I think] - will decide which in a few days once the custard/cream is vapeable for me]

I may have been overzealous with the whipped cream, should otherwise be tasty at least... smells like, and tastes on the finger like it may need something in the middle, marzipan or rum idk, we'll see, sorry vaping it now would be a waste on me.

I really want to taste nutmeg personally, but .25% holiday spice scared me away from it for a while (custard fail). The FA custard at 1% is supposed to do some of that, aiming low% overall so I can use an additive instead of a subtractive approach, penny for your thoughts

I like how you have coconut in there at a low enough percentage that it will be very subtle flavorwise, but will add to smoothness and mouthfeel--or I assume that's more or less your thinking? I will add coconut into that list (above) of the "you-might-be-a-vanilla-custard" post with all the flavors in it. Almond or Rum I am likely to taste as distinct flavors even at low percentages, but that may be a) delicious and/or b) what you're going for. Oh, BTW: Flavorah Coconut is practically a custard in its own right. It probably contains enough baddies to be in the club by (questionable) virtue of that alone, but it's got some amazing creamifying potential.

Looking forward to hearing how the butyric acidic FVC plays in this. I may have said already--I've only ever tried it in CA Vanilla Custard v2, and in terms of flavor, I guess I'm undecided--I go back and forth about whether I think it's pukey.

I'm also excited to hear how the FA Custard works in with other more "American"/vanilla pudding-type custard and cremes. Gotta do that myself, of course...have only experimented within all FA, ecig-line cream blends. (Lazy, distracted.. excuses, excuses).

Are you saying you are hoping for a spice effect from FA Custard? If so, you must experience it very differently from me. Lately, I get almost straight-up lemon meringue from it. If there is spice present, it's lost on me. Or maybe you just meant "middle"?

I definitely can relate to being gun shy around those spice blend flavors! I had a scarring experience with Pumpkin Spice, from which it took me months to recover

I have everything here except the French Vanilla Creme, and will try to get to mixing this too, or something very close, tonight.

 

[Laughmore]

The custard FA spice effect as I experience it is not acute at all, it's more of a savory note that I can't imagine obtaining in actual custard without nutmeg and cinnamon garnish, but with none of the high or bitter notes from eating the actual spice with food. Previously my goal was to just "reveal" the spices with .25% - next will be .1%, or half that - haven't given up on that completely. I do want subtle, distinctive nutmeg, as that's how I tasted custard growing up, but just in the creme brulee layer, not a big player. I'll attempt that again after the other flavors are happy.

Many of the adds I borrow from what works so well steeped a month in 9% VCv2 in J'sWCC - I don't want these flavors in the final profile, but they shape the fluff (my goal is an American custard). @lirruping Have you vaped a month steeped batch of that recipe? Lessons I learned with that are influencing my mixing logic greatly with this project. I guess I'm basically trying to improve on that, which is a tall order.

 

[lirruping]

I just mixed my first batch of White Coconut Cake a few days ago, as it happens. I tried months ago when I didn't have the right ingredients, and only now just remembered that I had the caps custard, so I've set it aside and in about 3 weeks will have something to say about it. Right off the bat it's quite nice, but not blowing my sox off, so I'm excited to see the changes and why everyone goes ape over it.

"want..subtle, distinctive nutmeg, as that's how I tasted custard growing up, but just in the creme brulee layer.." <- Now this sounds like a tall order. I'm hearkening back to our conversation about "layering in flavors", imagining you'll be applying those ideas here in getting what you want. I hope you keep sharing what you're doing. I'm reading with interest.

Shaping the fluff. That's a nice turn of phrase and could easily be a subtitle for this or another thread like it. Either that of an album title.

So... are you saying you're going to rely soley on fa custard for that light nutmeg you want? Or are you thinking of using it to fill out/underlie another spice ingredient?

 

[Laughmore]

I'll just leave any nutmeg factors until last, as I seam to ruin mixes when experimenting with spices, and for this thread it's not on anyone's agenda yet. I think it's possible (if holiday spice fails, simple cinnamon ceylon will represent well I think), unless meringue turns sour or weird with butyric acid and steeping. No creme brulee, then no nutmeg - need the definitive caramelized layer or spices will make the custard muddy tasting I fear. Could be wrong. I imagine mixing the spices in with the eggs before baking... too pervasive, no matter how subtle.

About the layering thing, it kinda works when there's multiple versions of the same flavor, with varying emphasis on background and louder notes, but since there's not many versions of useful nutmeg flavors, I'm really hoping custard FA can do it by itself. Otherwise, reaching my goal would mean borrowing notes from other flavors - something I see other recipes do, but I'm not that great at. Actual testing of all this jibberjabber would be a ton of work, lol.

 

[lirruping]

I'll just leave any nutmeg factors until last, as I seam to ruin mixes when experimenting with spices, and for this thread it's not on anyone's agenda yet. I think it's possible (if holiday spice fails, simple cinnamon ceylon will represent well I think), unless meringue turns sour or weird with butyric acid and steeping. No creme brulee, then no nutmeg - need the definitive caramelized layer or spices will make the custard muddy tasting I fear. Could be wrong. I imagine mixing the spices in with the eggs before baking... too pervasive, no matter how subtle.

About the layering thing, it kinda works when there's multiple versions of the same flavor, with varying emphasis on background and louder notes, but since there's not many versions of useful nutmeg flavors, I'm really hoping custard FA can do it by itself. Otherwise, reaching my goal would mean borrowing notes from other flavors - something I see other recipes do, but I'm not that great at. Actual testing of all this jibberjabber would be a ton of work, lol.

@SusanP4 has a creme brulee (or similar) recipe around here somewhere using all FA flavors. One of my first five mixes and I remember it being quite tasty. You might find it useful as you think about your current project.

OK, found it:

Susan P4's Burnt Sugar Custard

TFA Brown Sugar Extra 3%
FA Custard 3%
FA Caramel 2%

Nice and simple and room to experiment with additions like almond/marzipan, butterscotch or raspberry...whatever--if you adjust the main flavors down a bit.

 

[lirruping]

No creme brulee, then no nutmeg - need the definitive caramelized layer or spices will make the custard muddy tasting I fear. Could be wrong. I imagine mixing the spices in with the eggs before baking... too pervasive, no matter how subtle.

I never knew this was a thing, but come to think of it, almost every recipe I've ever used has me mixing powdered spices with the dry ingredients... perhaps this is why. the only exception I can think of are some of the 17th C. English receipts I've followed sometimes which did call for mixing dry spices with wet batter. I'm thinking in particular of this one pancake recipe I used to make a lot. Spices imported from distant lands came very dear back then, so mayhap they were trying to get as much bang for their spicebuck as possible. Just a thought.

And another, right on its heels: all this puts me in mind of a "Sack Posset", which I've been lucky enough to make and eat, but not for many years and cannot for the life of me remember how. If I can dig up a recipe, that might be a good candidate for an all FA custard! It's a boiled custard flavored with sherry wine and spice, if I recall.

 

[Laughmore]

Damn I forgot about that thread. Mixing that up now to see what I'm missing out on. More sugar flavor than I was planning on using, which would be easier at least since I know them better...

 

[zaroba]

my syringes only measure in 0.2ml increments, so didn't do exactly the above.
16ml - 1.4% custard, 5.3% vanilla
16ml - 2.8% custard, 5.3% vanilla
16ml - 5.3% custard, 5.3% vanilla
11ml - 8% custard, 5% vanilla
11ml - 10% custard, 5% vanilla

I didn't calculate out my vg to the 0.2ml so not 100% accurate with flavor %s.

Been 2 weeks since I made these. Trying them now.
So far, they are disappointing.

No vanilla taste to them, just a lemony custard taste.
My bigger bottle of 12% meringue / 5% vanilla also hasn't changed much since my earlier posts.
Still taste quite lemony, but the custard has come out a bit. Still no vanilla though.

Might have to go the opposite direction with these 2 flavors. Perhaps keep custard at 1% and try gradually increasing the vanilla.

 

[cardassian]

So I made a version 2 (still kind of based on the lemon meringue pie)
Made it 75% pg as i was going out and taking a tank.

0.5% cookie
0.5% fresh cream (dropped the apple pie as wanted no fruity undertones in the recipe)
1% marshmallow (in for the meringue)
1% caramel (seemed a good idea at the time)
3% vienna cream (in for custard)
2% vanilla classic
2% vanilla bourbon

So definitely a vanilla vape.
Doesn't have the richness of custard and I think custard is need to some extent (is just finding a percentage where the lemon doesn't come through).
This tasted quite thin, i don't know if that has anything to do with it being quite high pg or not.

 

[joeyboy]

So I made a version 2 (still kind of based on the lemon meringue pie)
Made it 75% pg as i was going out and taking a tank.

0.5% cookie
0.5% fresh cream (dropped the apple pie as wanted no fruity undertones in the recipe)
1% marshmallow (in for the meringue)
1% caramel (seemed a good idea at the time)
3% vienna cream (in for custard)
2% vanilla classic
2% vanilla bourbon

So definitely a vanilla vape.
Doesn't have the richness of custard and I think custard is need to some extent (is just finding a percentage where the lemon doesn't come through).
This tasted quite thin, i don't know if that has anything to do with it being quite high pg or not.

What about CAP vanilla custard to this?

 

[cardassian]

What about CAP vanilla custard to this?

Am trying to do a custard without any diketones.
So really just trying to stick to fa flavours.
Figure the restriction to what I can use is half the fun.

 

[joeyboy]

Good luck. Vienna cream isn't custard. Don't think it can be done and too much FA custard will add a lemon note. Maybe some butterscotch and a touch of rum to what you have.

 

[JXN]

Actually, if you read HIC's notes on Vienna Cream, he says it is closer to American Custard than Flavor Art's Custard.

 

[joeyboy]

Actually, if you read HIC's notes on Vienna Cream, he says it is closer to American Custard than Flavor Art's Custard.

Actually, if you read HIC's notes on Vienna Cream, he says it is closer to American Custard than Flavor Art's Custard.

That may be correct but I make Hic's eggnog at way more than the percentage than he lists. I get no custard. That may just be me. That is my top 3 recipe of his. Since you said yours was shallow tasting, I was simply giving suggestions. I hope you find the depth you are searching for.

 

[lirruping]

@zaroba, I wonder if there's something to add to FA Custard to counteract the lemon. @joeyboy's suggestions of rum and/or butterscotch seem like possibilities?

My own lemon-less mixes based on the LMP have been disappointing so far, too. It's off-topic, but since it was that let-down that led me toward it, I'll say I managed to appropriate a few of the ingredients/proportions from the LMP and ended up--with @caddisfly's help--with a Cherry Pie that I like:

2.0% Black Cherry
1.0% Vienna Cream
0.66% Cookie
1.0% INW Cherries [also good with 2% - zingier]
0.5% Meringue
0.66% Apple Pie
1.5% Custard
0.66% Fresh Cream
[can also add: 0.5% Pear and/or 0.5% Lemon Sicily for even more sweet-tartness]

It's all FA except for the INW Cherries, which I'm pretty sure has no custard-note type ingredients. It's pretty creamy, but not at all custard-like in any sense. Still...

 

[Pescondo]

I want to try this recipe... the .66% is throwing me off a bit. Is that a weight, or something? .66 on a syringe is gonna be tough to get it right...

 

[cardassian]

Good luck. Vienna cream isn't custard. Don't think it can be done and too much FA custard will add a lemon note. Maybe some butterscotch and a touch of rum to what you have.

Butterscotch could be interesting.
Not too keen on rum myself.
Agreed that too much custard will add a lemon note, am thinking that maybe at a small percentage it could give the custard note without the lemon?

 

[zaroba]

A bunch of HICs mixes use FA Custard, but at 2% or less and not more then 1/3rd of the total flavoring

 

[cardassian]

A bunch of HICs mixes use FA Custard, but at 2% or less and not more then 1/3rd of the total flavoring

Hadn't noticed the not more than a third.
Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[joeyboy]

Concerning the rum, you should try hics five star tiramont. It has rum and maple. You can't taste either but the combination is fabulous. That is also one of my favorites of his. FA flavors mingle very interestingly.

 

[lirruping]

I want to try this recipe... the .66% is throwing me off a bit. Is that a weight, or something? .66 on a syringe is gonna be tough to get it right...

I know this is obnoxious and I'm sorry. It's the opposite of the sophistication of a scale.

It is me using drops converted to decimals. If I make a 9ml batch where 3 drops = 1 percent, and I use one drop, I call it .33%. Two drops, I call it .66%

 

[lirruping]

Butterscotch could be interesting.
Not too keen on rum myself.
Agreed that too much custard will add a lemon note, am thinking that maybe at a small percentage it could give the custard note without the lemon?

I have yet to use FA Custard in a recipe without tasting the lemon, but that doesn't mean anything. I have a feeling there's a way to cover it up... to get the creamy aspect without the lemon. I just don't know what it is. Like joey said,

FA flavors mingle very interestingly.

 

[zaroba]

Almost every one of HIC's recipe with FA Custard also has either Fresh Cream, Vienna Cream, or both.
I wouldn't think cream would cover up lemon though.

 

[lirruping]

Concerning the rum, you should try hics five star tiramont. It has rum and maple. You can't taste either but the combination is fabulous. That is also one of my favorites of his. FA flavors mingle very interestingly.

I agree this is wonderful, but I can definitely taste the maple!

 

[lirruping]

Almost every one of HIC's recipe with FA Custard also has either Fresh Cream, Vienna Cream, or both.
I wouldn't think cream would cover up lemon though.

I have never mixed with lemon juice or citric acid, but I have noticed small amounts of lemon flavoring sometimes slips into things like, say a peanut butter cup recipe, where it doesn't come through as lemon, but still does something to brighten up the overall taste. In my earlier post, I was guessing that something on the "salty" or "savory" side--like butterscotch, maybe--might work as a counterweight to the lemon in fa custard.

Maybe cinnamon could work? I don't recall ever tasting lemon and cinnamon distinctly in the same juice. but i\m sure I've seen them together.

 

[zaroba]

Cinnamon might work in small amounts, as well as adding a bit of spice to a vanilla custard.
Or...Nutmeg instead? Is there a Nutmeg flavor? That would taste better in a vanilla custard.

 

[Doots]

Cinnamon might work in small amounts, as well as adding a bit of spice to a vanilla custard.
Or...Nutmeg instead? Is there a Nutmeg flavor? That would taste better in a vanilla custard.

yea on the nutmeg

 

[lirruping]

I think tfa holiday spice is mainly nutmeg

 

[lirruping]

There's some in tfa pumpkin spice too, but ick... tfa pumpkin spice is kinda yucko, if you ask me. It tastes like cinnamon/ginger/allspice, cloves and dust. Like the spices in your grandma's cupboard from 1974. Or maybe I just haven't learned the art of using it properly

 

[zaroba]

LorAnn Oils has a nutmeg flavor.
Oil based though so not water soluble, but what about in VG?

 

[lirruping]

Cinnamon might work in small amounts, as well as adding a bit of spice to a vanilla custard.
Or...Nutmeg instead? Is there a Nutmeg flavor? That would taste better in a vanilla custard.

Oh, hey, re that project of trying to cover the lemon in FA Custard, I just remembered that Catalan Cream has cinnamon (and maybe some other slight bit of spice in it, possibly nutmeg) along with what tastes to me like the barest hint of almost-butterscotchy, cooked orange and lemon rind. I'm pretty sure HIC has notes on it that will do it more justice that that, but I'm just mentioning it by way of a possibility. I also noticed it is included in botboy's Vanilla Cream Custard, recipe page where he comments that the C. Cream is an essential factor for bringing his vanilla cream together.

 

[zaroba]

I wonder if @wllmc would be willing to divulge some secrets considering he made that great Game Over Vanilla Custard

 

[joeyboy]

I wonder if @wllmc would be willing to divulge some secrets considering he made that great Game Over Vanilla Custard

Just by reading the warning you know it isn't FA only.

 

[zaroba]

Had placed an order for more flavors and bottles this morning and it should arrive early next week. So will be able to do a bit of playing on Thursday or Friday. Likely sooner since work has been so slow lately and they are practically begging people to go home early.

Between what I already have and what is in the mail:
Creams: FA Catalan Cream, FA Fresh Cream, FA Irish Cream, FA Vienna Cream, TFA Malted Milk
Vanillas: FA Vanilla Bourbon, FA Vanilla Classic, CAP Vanilla Custard V2, FA Vanilla Tahiti
Spices: FA Cinnamon Ceylen, FA Clove, FA Anise, LorAnn Nutmeg
Nuts: FA Almond, FA Chestnut, FA Hazelnut, FA Pistachio

So, I am kinda thinking that some mixture of the vanillas and creams with the addition of *small* amounts of spices and maybe something from the nuts can be combined to make a pretty tasty vanilla custard.

Kinda want to think this might be delicious
cap van custard v2 + irish cream with a touch of nutmeg + cinnamon and a hint of hazelnut
Balance will be important though, too much nutmeg, cinnamon, or hazelnut would easily hide the vanilla.

 

[wllmc]

I wonder if @wllmc would be willing to divulge some secrets considering he made that great Game Over Vanilla Custard

Man what it really comes down to is what you guys are doing here in this thread. I have spent countless hours and made hundreds of custard recipes over the past years perfecting custard vapes. Go wild ! there is nothing you cant mix into some custard lol. Ive used everything you guys are talking about here, the one thing I can say is give up on the FA custard if you guys want traditional coil clogging custard lol.

 

[Mr Mixer]

I like this this thread, . As an avid custard junkie, I find this task very intriguing, and look forward to participating when I can. I have to agree on the Vienna cream comments. I think that would fit in nicely.

 

[krashkrieg]

Its so true that it becomes a major pain in the ass, especially where recipes are concerned.
Though, I think it would help alot if all diyers had similar vaping styles. For example, I guarantee that very few others here use a parallel nichrome 24ga single coil for their 'juice tester'. I do, because it simulated dual coils very well. This is why many of the recipes with ungodly high percentages of flavorings , used primarily in protanks and clearos, would choke the shit out of me (refer to many of the percentages herehttps://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/flavour-art-single-flavor-percentages.259070/) . Our attys are our flavor producers and there are so many different ones.
So combine peoples individual tastes with their widely varied devices and attys. It makes things doubly difficult.

THIS!!!
@Pauly Walnuts, you are sooo right on....I am relatively new at just a few months DIY but this is the most blaring issue I've noticed when recipes are posted and talked about....no one ever seems to also state what atty they use and what coil/ watts.....This I find makes such a difference.

I had mixed up several of HICs amazing recipes and also tried a few a Mama J's HICs mixes, they all seem to loose it at higher watts. Then I saw a post that HIC doesn't sub ohm or drip and uses a very high NIC content (although minor factor when using super clean NIC). Well that bit of info instantly made sense of them. Differing are several of Mama J's recipes/ premixes that are more wonderful at higher watts / volts...
HIC himself has even commented on wanting more input about his posted recipes vaped at higher Watts

 

[wllmc]

this is not Vanilla Custard but in the name of covering up lemon in FA custard you can pull this off with some VT nic. #pushingthelimitsonFA


4% FA strawberry
1.5% FA custard
1.5% FA Vienna cream
1.5% FA fresh cream
1.5% FA Catalan cream
1.5% FA apple pie

 

[zaroba]

ooo, thanks. *adds it to recipe list*
Looks like a strawberry custard....is that the recipe of your sberry custard?
Will definitely have to try making it tomorrow.

I also noticed your Lemon Lime Cream and Raspberry Custard use FA custard as well. But both of these would actually benefit from the lemon.

 

[wllmc]

no its not even close to Sberry. this is more just a thick creamy strawberry with a pinch of crust. Sberry is more mothers milk ish just better lol

 

[wllmc]

the creamy lemon lime was popular, might have to whip some of that up

 

[zaroba]

I like custard anything and my favorite flavor is vanilla, so a thick and creamy strawberry sounds good
I'll have to try replacing the strawberry with other flavors as well to see how they turn out.

 

[lirruping]

I'm not getting alerts for this thread@#%&! (Tarnation!)

Thanks for sharing the creamy strawberry yummerz, @wllmc. It looks ever so slightly like something lighter you posted a while back in the FA thread, which Huck dubbed

Strawberry Pie (wllmc):
2% Strawberry
1% Fresh Cream
0.5% Vienna Cream
0.5% Apple Pie
0.5% Custard
0.25% Black Cherry [also good, I say, with Raspberry here and makes me wish there was a rhubarb flavor]
0.25% Cookie

I wasn't looking for it, but I'm coming across vanilla blends everywhere now that it's on my mind and I saw this recipe (same thread) by @shawski123:

Custard Godness (shawski123)
Caps Vanilla Custard 12%
FA Vanilla Classic 2%
FA Vienna Cream 1.5%
FA Catalan Cream 1%
FA Fresh Cream 1%
FA Marshmallow 1%
FA Cookie 0.5%

It has a little something for everyone--a nice gooey traditional for those of us who are mixing that way. And if you remove the Caps VC, it is, like your recent post, a neatly proportioned blend of non D-A-A ingredients toward a baddie-free vanilla cream base.

 

[zaroba]

New bottles came in the mail.
So have 24x 30ml, 24x 60ml, 24x 120ml, and 24x 240ml all waiting for contents.
Just waiting for the new flavors to arrive that I ordered on Friday.

 

[KeyserSoze]

this is not Vanilla Custard but in the name of covering up lemon in FA custard you can pull this off with some VT nic. #pushingthelimitsonFA


4% FA strawberry
1.5% FA custard
1.5% FA Vienna cream
1.5% FA fresh cream
1.5% FA Catalan cream
1.5% FA apple pie

Whoa. 11.5% FA? You know I'm going to try this. At about 90W.

 

[zaroba]

Got all my new flavorings today.

And wow, LorAnn nutmeg is so ungodly, ridiculously strong I could smell it over everything as soon as I opened the package.
My fingers even smelled like it after handling the bottle. The smell was almost making me sick to my stomach.

Using that in a Vanilla Custard? Maybe only a drop or two

 

[joeyboy]

Got all my new flavorings today.

And wow, LorAnn nutmeg is so ungodly, ridiculously strong I could smell it over everything as soon as I opened the package.
My fingers even smelled like it after handling the bottle. The smell was almost making me sick to my stomach.

Using that in a Vanilla Custard? Maybe only a drop or two

Why don't you make a 10% dilution of the nutmeg and use it like that?

 

[lirruping]

this is not Vanilla Custard but in the name of covering up lemon in FA custard you can pull this off with some VT nic. #pushingthelimitsonFA


4% FA strawberry
1.5% FA custard
1.5% FA Vienna cream
1.5% FA fresh cream
1.5% FA Catalan cream
1.5% FA apple pie

Why is especially clean nic important in this recipe? I would've thought it would be mixes with *less* flavor where the quality of the nic stands out more. (I've only ever worked with one type of nic--the one from MFS--and it has mixed reviews but is not generally considered "super clean". )

Whoa. 11.5% FA? You know I'm going to try this. At about 90W.

Is it generally your experience that you need more flavor at higher power? I've been mixing a little juice for a friend who is using a
"Derringer dual twisted with 26g/.6ohm @19w wicked with rayon". He says that he can barely taste the main flavors --which, at 4 and 5 percent of the total, respectively and nearly half of the flavor total in each case, come screaming through for me whether I'm using a protank clone on an ego battery, or using a single coil high ohm (1.6 - 2) build on on a Magma clone. Well, to be fair, they are only really "screaming" on the magma, because nothing really "screams" on a protank, but they do come through very clearly to me in the tanks, too.

 

[joeyboy]

I think a lot is what you get used to. I started at lower watts. Higher watts burns me out where I can't taste anything. I read where some start dripping right at 100 watts. They never experience the lower watt taste so they don't really know. This is just my opinion.

Concerning the derringer. I can't taste in mine. They get too hot for me. Maybe he needs to jump the watts on that some.