Don’t be surprised when you feel that you need to kick the percentage point up to 10% to 12% or higher (single flavor) with IDE, or other vendors advertising “all natural” in their flavors.
With certain flavor vendors, manufacturing “all natural” flavors means that mixers may have to get used to applying a higher percentage of flavoring in a mix to get the outcome we want (if you want a punchy vape). Some folks like a gentle flavor and some like a strong flavor in their juice. To each his/her own. Taste is subjective.
To quote a gentleman I know in the flavor business:
“Artificial flavors are cheaper to super concentrate. There are several different flavor compounds that can be used for roughly the same flavor. The cheaper the compound, the cheaper to super concentrate.”
So, as more “all natural” flavoring hits the market, I see the trend to mix with a 15% to 30% flavor ratio on the rise and becoming a normal, accepted mixing procedure. Does this mean we will purchase more flavoring from vendors? Yup. If folks want to get off the artificial flavoring train, then it may come with a price. Vapers (especially mixers) are asking for a choice and flavoring manufacturers are giving it to them.
As I taste test more flavorings from vendors which are choosing to not produce their flavorings by artificial means, the flavors are lighter, but very flavorful and missing the chemical note. Chemical molecules in artificial flavorings are sometimes very resistant to the steeping process; some never disappear.
As testing continues, I’m hoping the steep time with these newer all natural flavorings is greatly reduced. That would be a big YAY!
Not always the case though - Shops like Medicine Flower extracts flavor - so when you use a mango flavor from them, that is from real mangoes And their stuff is incredibly strong - though theirs is also very expensive.
The is true; precisely why I stated that the mixer “may” have to apply a higher percentage of flavoring to get the desired outcome. I’m quite sure there are all natural flavorings and extracts that will knock your socks off at a lower percentage.
My concern is mixers may think they’ve gotten a “weak or poorly mixed” batch of flavoring from a vendor because they may have to use a higher percentage of the product to get the flavor to pop in a mix.
Due to the Diketones and Diacetyl panic in the vaping community, not that smokers ever questioned the +/- 4000 to 7000 chemicals in the tobacco they were inhaling into their lungs every single day, the flavoring manufacturers are finding different ways to smooth the ruffled feathers of that panicking maddening crowd. Because of thoses “ways” of manufacturing or producing flavorings, perhaps some flavorings might take a bit higher percentage in a mix to satisfy the crowd.
And their stuff is incredibly strong - though theirs is also very expensive.