Is there a chart showing recommended mixing ratios for all flavor manufacturers?

[UncleRJ]

I am just getting into DIY and have placed flavor orders from 3 different companies.

In the product descriptions, sometimes they include a recommended mix ratio like 1.5 to 2.5% and in other instances they do not. And as a DIY "NOOB" I really do need this information available to me.

Perfect example, I ordered four different flavors from Bull City Flavors and only on of the flavors contained any information on how to use it.

And in this case, it was "Start Testing at 2.5%

IMHO, kinda vague.

Now I have sent an Email to BCF and I am confidant that they will reply to me in short order.

But, every time I order a new flavor, I really don't want to be pestering that company for information (which IMHO should already be in the product description).

All of that being said, Is there a chart showing a minimum and maximum recommended mixing ratios for all flavor manufacturers?

Hopefully yes so I can make a "Sticky" of it for all of our members to use.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[AndriaD]

No, because it's wildly different for every flavor, from every manufacturer. There are some general guidelines, like, many of FA's and INW's flavors are quite strong, so you don't need much... and a lot of TFA's are quite weak, so you need a good bit, but not too much or they go muted...but that's not always the case with every flavor. Trial and error is the only way to know. Questioning is good, but you need to be specific about what flavor, and even then, it may not always be helpful -- I.E., most folks use INW's shisha strawberry at 1%-4% -- but I use 14.5% in my strawberry & cream.

Andria

ETA: One guideline I ran across when I first started DIY and was mixing tobacco flavors -- I think all tobacco flavors are mixed anywhere from 1%-5%; too much of that type of flavor is particularly nasty, totally changing the flavor profile. And it's a VERY rare tobacco flavor that doesn't need at least a couple weeks' steep, and some of them, even a couple months.

 

[KingPin!]

INW very strong
FA strong to very strong
TFA medium
Capella Medium to weaker

I've not tried any other companies concentrates yet

So far this is my experience uncle go careful with some of FA and INW you might even find 2.5% strong on some of the flavours

Like Andria said they are all wildly different best bet it to pick some sample recipes you like the sound of and make small 10ml samples first so you don't waste the flavouring you'll soon find out which ones overpower others and adjust accordingly

Fruity flavours tend to be really strong and can quickly overtake a recipe if used with too much

Nutty flavour tend to need a hint of in the background can give quite a harsh note if used too much

Base flavours like cakes, biscuit and creams, custards can go for a bit more

Minty flavours some can be really potent but mellow out over time fa peppermint is awesome

Sweetner flavours need just a background note again stuff like caramel, marshmallow, meringue etc etc or you may find it over sweet

At least this is my experience so far but it's so subjective I don't think you could do a guide for it With an FA recipe I rarely go over 6% total but some peeps like it much stronger I know Andria does

HIC did a really good overview of his notes on all the flavour art flavours great place to start that's what I used when first starting out

Also one more thing you can find one particular flavour from loads of different companies and they will taste wildly different from each other and require a different percentage in the mix

Keep notes as you go

 

[AndriaD]

And those nutty flavors -- often used in tobacco or bakery type mixes -- they're made with acetyl pyrazine, so you really have to be SPARING, or you end up with something that smells like fritos and tastes like sweat socks.

I've got two versions of a Hazelnut; CAP Hazelnut V2, and TFA's DX Hazelnut -- both diketone-free, because I generally require that. TFA's is better; they're both nutty, but TFA's is more subtle, which is actually more like the actual taste of hazelnuts, a very subtle flavor. CAP's smacks you in the face with ACETYL PYRAZINE! the minute you open the bottle.

Andria

And as for bakery flavors -- INW has a really great flavor called "Biscuit", which is apparently euro-speak for "cookie" -- that flavor is so strong, it will overtake EVERYTHING, even at 1%. I've never tried it myself but I've seen a lot of chatter about making a 10% pre-mix of that flavor, to make it easier to use and less likely to completely overtake a mix.

 

[KingPin!]

And those nutty flavors -- often used in tobacco or bakery type mixes -- they're made with acetyl pyrazine, so you really have to be SPARING, or you end up with something that smells like fritos and tastes like sweat socks.

I've got two versions of a Hazelnut; CAP Hazelnut V2, and TFA's DX Hazelnut -- both diketone-free, because I generally require that. TFA's is better; they're both nutty, but TFA's is more subtle, which is actually more like the actual taste of hazelnuts, a very subtle flavor. CAP's smacks you in the face with ACETYL PYRAZINE! the minute you open the bottle.

Andria

And as for bakery flavors -- INW has a really great flavor called "Biscuit", which is apparently euro-speak for "cookie" -- that flavor is so strong, it will overtake EVERYTHING, even at 1%. I've never tried it myself but I've seen a lot of chatter about making a 10% pre-mix of that flavor, to make it easier to use and less likely to completely overtake a mix.

Wasn't a fan of FA hazelnut either to dry and roasted flavour for me had to add caramel to lift it not tried others put me off using it

I got the INW buscuit flavour can confirm @1% is enough for my liking but then thier banana flavour only need 1% probably even less or it tastes chemically

 

[AndriaD]

Wasn't a fan of FA hazelnut either to dry and roasted flavour for me had to add caramel to lift it not tried others put me off using it

I got the INW buscuit flavour can confirm @1% is enough for my liking but then thier banana flavour only need 1% probably even less or it tastes chemically

I might like biscuit at 1%, if paired with some other strong flavor, like maybe shisha strawberry or something equally strong, but I made the mistake of pairing it with TFA's blueberry extra; blueberry extra is the most authentic blueberry flavor I've found, but it's pretty weak, and if you go over 8%, it disappears completely. So with biscuit, it didn't have a prayer!

Biscuit, to me, actually tastes like a good shortbread cookie, kinda buttery. Which, you would think, isn't really that strong of a flavor, but INW Biscuit is a force to be reckoned with!

Andria

 

[The Cromwell]

All of the INW fruit flavors I have tried all taste too chemically to me.
I started out with .5% for INW Shisha Strawberry...

 

[Iliketurtles]

Yes there is, you will need adjust to your own taste but....better than nothing.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1agXdua8bEp8MV4z1mn3qX4AXCS4P0RxQXcy2lDa7ccc/pub?gid=0

 

[KingPin!]

All of the INW fruit flavors I have tried all taste too chemically to me.
I started out with .5% for INW Shisha Strawberry...

The shisha line is really super strong isn't it Cromwell? Haven't tried any of those yet

 

[The Cromwell]

The shisha line is really super strong isn't it Cromwell? Haven't tried any of those yet

I dunno, before I got to strawberry flavor the chemical taste ran me off.

I also tried their regular strawberry and melons. No go on any of them for me.
But I have strange taste buddies.

 

[KingPin!]

Oh another tip Uncle is pick some recipes from different authors in the enormous recipes section and make it at thier suggested strengths to start with you'll quickly find out whos palette is in line with yours then follow some of thier suggested percentages in future posts people tend to comment on whether they adjusted a recipe or not

 

[JuicyLucy]

Oh another tip Uncle is pick some recipes from different authors in the enournous recipes section and make it at thier suggested strengths to start with you'll quickly find out whos palette is in line with yours then follow some of thier suggested percentages in future posts people tend to comment on whether they adjusted a recipe or not

This is the best suggestion yet - buy flavors you need for the recipes that look good rather than buying flavors and guessing you will like them or they will mix well with each other

 

[AndriaD]

And remember, too, that a recipe is just a guideline, and a good way of figuring out ratios of flavors to each other; but if a recipe uses a lot more flavor than you think you'd want, you can always lower it, just keep the ratios intact -- or if a recipe is too weak (I run into that a lot!), then increase, but again, with same ratios. But yeah, mix it as shown, the first time, so you'll know if it suits you at all.

Andria

 

[UncleRJ]

Yes there is, you will need adjust to your own taste but....better than nothing.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1agXdua8bEp8MV4z1mn3qX4AXCS4P0RxQXcy2lDa7ccc/pub?gid=0

Thanks a MILLION!

Gives me a good starting point

 

[Mattp169]

@UncleRJ go to
http://e-liquid-recipes.com/
setup an account
then
go the the MY Flavor Stash part
here is where you input all the flavors you own
Start typing in name sof flavors - as you type the in you should get a popup up/drop down box of how most people name it and a number with it that is how many recipes in the database have that flavor in it.

SO go and add flavors you are buying or thinking about buying or have


Then you can do 2 things
1. click WHAT CAN I MAKE this will give you recipes that only contain flavor sin your MY FLAVOR STASH
or
2.you can then search by flavor stash and then further refine it to only be one flavor or multiple flavors

Then you can look at ACTUAL recipes with the actual flavors you want and see what real people use as a percentage. Then you can use that as a starting point

with ANY new flavor I do not recommend just mixing it in with other stuff
make yourself a small 5 or 10 ml tester with just the flavor and your pg/vg base - skip the nicotine
start at the lowest percentage you think you need.
then you can always add a little more
make multiple test batches till you find what YOU like that flavor at
then make note of that
now of course when you mix it with other flavors you may find you need to change that % one way or the other to help it blend with the other flavors

 

[UncleRJ]

@UncleRJ go to
http://e-liquid-recipes.com/
setup an account
then
go the the MY Flavor Stash part
here is where you input all the flavors you own
Start typing in name sof flavors - as you type the in you should get a popup up/drop down box of how most people name it and a number with it that is how many recipes in the database have that flavor in it.

SO go and add flavors you are buying or thinking about buying or have


Then you can do 2 things
1. click WHAT CAN I MAKE this will give you recipes that only contain flavor sin your MY FLAVOR STASH
or
2.you can then search by flavor stash and then further refine it to only be one flavor or multiple flavors

Then you can look at ACTUAL recipes with the actual flavors you want and see what real people use as a percentage. Then you can use that as a starting point

with ANY new flavor I do not recommend just mixing it in with other stuff
make yourself a small 5 or 10 ml tester with just the flavor and your pg/vg base - skip the nicotine
start at the lowest percentage you think you need.
then you can always add a little more
make multiple test batches till you find what YOU like that flavor at
then make note of that
now of course when you mix it with other flavors you may find you need to change that % one way or the other to help it blend with the other flavors

A THOUSAND THANKS AND



Most of my stuff will arrive tomorrow afternoon.

I will be studying tomorrow and will perform my first mix on Tuesday!

I feel like a little boy on Xmas!!!

 

[SteveS45]

@UncleRJ a suggestion I have to start making some standalone mixes so you can perfect them by starting on the lower side and working your way up. Once you perfect single flavors you like do a tank mix of 2 or 3 standalone flavors to see how they work together. Just a suggestion to try and help.

 

[Mattp169]

yeah to elaborate on steves suggestion

say you have a peach flavor by itself at 4%
and a mango one at say 3%

you can can just put some of both in a tank
try to know how much of each you put in
so say you fill the tank 3/4 with peach 1/4 with mango
and you like it
then you know you like a 3:1 ration of peach to mango
so you could actually try it at 3% peach 1% mango
but if you find that the mango is too weak that way
then you know you need a little more mango

 

[Huckleberried]

One of the things I don't like about the charts, when I look at different brands, the avg use is well above what I know I like, even looking back at when I first started out. I realize they're only suggested avg. I like the idea of mixing up recipes, or trying out single flavors, first. That's exactly how I learned about flavorings, how they work together, what does, and doesn't work, and also gave me an idea of what I do, and don't, like.

My own personal baseline, simply based on how I've mixed from learning about flavors....

My starting points, unless I've read, otherwise:
FlavourArt - 2%
TFA 3%
INW 1%
FW 7%

Generally, I've read about a flavoring, before buying, so I've seen what mixers here are using, and pretty much know who mixes like I do, and similar tastes. On the rare occasion I buy something before reading what others think, I start low. I bought a flavoring a while back that had a suggested starting point of TWENTY percent. I mixed it at 5% and nearly blew out my taste buds, it was so strong.

With that said, I typically mix on the lower scale of flavoring. Over the years, my taste buds came back at full force. There's really only a couple ways to know how you'll react to flavorings, IMO... Other people's recipes at their recommended %, IN A SMALL SAMPLE, and by mixing single flavors to decide what you like. Always start low, you can add more, if needed. ALWAYS shake your flavoring, prior to mixing, and ALWAYS ALWAYS shake your nic.

 

[Heabob]

You can always ask here about a certain flavor/brand to get lots of feedback for starting %'s.
Then adjust them up or down to your own preferences.
You may get varied amounts but most everyone here uses less than folks at some of the other sites IMO.
It may take a bit of time to "learn your flavors" at first.
Making small batches for testing will save some $$ when things go south.
I know, information overload, well, better too much than not enough.

 

[The Cromwell]

I start hacking up VG if I go over 60% VG.

 

[gakudzu]

Just started mixing my own, too. So,

 

[Matty Vapes]

I ordered my first batch of DIY supplies myself. I just plan on pestering you guys on VU LOL 2-3 percent seems like a good starting point from what I read on here but apparently each flavor is different..Lots of experimentation will be in order.

 

[SteveS45]

Depending on the manufacturer, the concentration and your taste buds all factor in when determining the correct percentage. Some vendors recommend one percentage that I need to use more and some less.

 

[AndriaD]

I ordered my first batch of DIY supplies myself. I just plan on pestering you guys on VU LOL 2-3 percent seems like a good starting point from what I read on here but apparently each flavor is different..Lots of experimentation will be in order.

Only if you're using FA or some INW flavors (though I use 14% INW Shisha Strawberry). For other brands, 5%-10% is a good starting point for a lot. But every flavor, every brand, is different, every time.

Andria

 

[SteveS45]

If you use Liquid Barn flavors they all have recommended percentages along with FDS or Flavor data Sheets listing everything it contains.