Dealing with harsh mixes

E-liquids Beginners
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Hey all,

So in mixing a few recipes here on the site i have run into what I consider to be quite harsh eliquid. I didn’t realise when buying commercial that the flavourings impacted how smooth the vape was in the end. I do understand steeping can help but there’s a sizeable difference in some shake and vapes too.

I thought The nicotine i bought was quite harsh until I made a delightful and smooth mix with it at the same nicotine strength as other quite harsh recipes.

So if I have a recipe I’m pretty happy with but I want more smooth, is there a way to do that? Or is it about finding replacement flavours / other flavour vendors that offer a similar profile in a smoother package? I’ve considered offsetting with more vg but I’d like to avoid going back to 20% pg or less. It’s just too much of a pain to wick in some of my preferred mtl tanks.

Cheers for any info.

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Depends on what is causing the harshness… Some flavours are inherently harsh, some steep out and sometimes it can be the quantity. I have used creams to help with harshness before and there are specialist additives that can help too. One is called MTS Vape Wizard I think. Others may have more idea than I do. If something is really harsh for me it sits in the cupboard for 6 months, if still harsh after that it gets discarded.

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I agree. A touch of cream (lime fresh cream fa at 0.25%) or even a bit of marshmallow (like marshmallow fa 0.15-0.75%) can help. Just be careful to not add to much or it will change the recipe in either a good way or bad.

But yes, it could just be the flavor you are mixing with and need to try something else…or balance out the recipe by reducing a flavor just a bit.

Sadly, we all taste differently. For me I don’t taste creams well and overly sensitive to flavors with spice like eggnog flv…smells great in the bottle but only taste the spice at all percentages.

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I had the same issue and narrowed it down to a specific flavor(ing). For me, it was Coconut (extra) I can’t even get a .5% of it in a mix or it just kills the entire batch, other coconut flavorings don’t effect me.
You may want to look at the recipe that seems harsh and see if the ingredients appear in other recipes you have done and if any of those other recipes also seemed to taste off.

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Huh. Well that’s one of the ingredients. I have some coconut (dx) maybe I’ll try that. Thanks!

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I use the MTS Vape Wizard by FA (Mellow, thick, smooth) in mixes I find to be harsh. But, go light with the stuff, or it can mute your flavors. It does not take much. I normally do 1 drop per 10ml.

More often than not, a couple weeks steep will resolve it on it’s own.

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I mentioned it before but worth repeating again here:

AAA Magic Mask and Smooth (TPA) are useful for sanding rough edges off something, though you will cut off the highs and the lows. They both contain Triacetin which affects the ability to taste harsh notes.

Best to use them at less than 0.3%.

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read Larr’s note. https://e-liquid-recipes.com/flavor/2233

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That’s interesting. So even out flavours would mean to remove the harshness?

I happen to have some of this as I had read ages ago this and marshmallow were a nice way to sweeten over straight up sweetener I can try a small
Percentage and see for sure. Thank you.

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Yah I keep Reading about smooth. I’ll have to get some of that next order. I won’t be getting more flavours until next month but I’ll make notes on recipes impersonally find harsh and keep them tucked away for adjustment. As always I appreciate the help.

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It’s useful if you want all the elements to marry together but avoid it if you want a vape to keep contrasting elements.

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Yes. Be patient.
It takes time for the alcohol to ‘dissipate’.
(Alcohol is a relatively common carrier in many flavors, and is a distinct cause for harshness for many of us.)

Anywhere from a few days, to a week or so of letting it sit may be needed. It all depends on the flavors used, and in addition, the amount used (read as: percentage). The higher the alcohol content, the longer it will take.

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You could always try adding Sour TPA
(don’t let the name fool you)…

Malic Acid @20% in PG, Harsh throat hit, add sour.

I use Sour in citrus / fruit mixes up to 1% to raise PH level of citrus acid thus resulting in smoother / less harsh vape

“Malic acid is used as an acidulant, an antioxidant flavoring agent, a buffering agent, and a chelating agent. In pharmaceutical formulations, the substance is used as a general-purpose acidulant. The (L)-enantiomer possesses a slight apple flavor, and is used as a flavoring agent to mask bitter tastes and to provide tartness.”

“Malic acid is the primary acid present in apple and the secondary acid present in citrus fruit rather than citric acid. It imparts a smoother fruity flavour than any other acid. Malic acid is a crystalline white solid with a melting point of 100°C. It is water soluble and less hygroscopic as compared to others, so as to provide a good storage shelf-life. It is widely used in low-calorie drinks, e.g. cider (apple wine). It enhances the colour and flavour in carbonated and non-carbonated fruit-flavoured drinks [3].”

“Malic acid is a dicarboxylic acid with pK values of 3.40 and 5.11. Malic acid has a smooth, tart taste that lingers in the mouth without imparting a burst of flavour. Malic acid is highly water soluble. It is inhibitory to yeasts, moulds and bacteria, probably due to its impact on pH (Doores, 1993). It is used in beverages, hard candies, canned tomatoes and fruit pie fillings.“

“Malic acid is one of the general-purpose additives in the FDA list of GRAS substances. It is commercially synthesized as a racemic mixture of D- and L-isomers from maleic and fumaric acids in the presence of a suitable catalyst. However, it is found in nature as the L-isomer in many fruits and vegetables and is the second most prevalent acid in citrus fruits.
Malic acid has a smooth tart taste resembling that of citric acid, and although its degree of ionization in water is similar to that of citric acid, malic acid has a much stronger apparent acidic taste (25). Another function of malic acid is its synergistic effect with antioxidants to prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid (26).
Hence, the addition of small amounts of malic acid in the production of [e-juice?] will not only extend shelf life but will also give a smooth and tart taste. Most importantly it will act as a flavor potentiator with many of the flavoring materials used.”

“This is a key ingredient that takes your juice from homeade to vape shop quality!”

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Thanks for this, I actually have a bottle of smooth waiting for when I was ready to use it. I also have a 3ml of magic mask but wasn’t… still am not ready to use that either. But I knew they would be useful when I learned more. Now I can possibly play with smaller bottles (3) ml or 5ml and see what % will work. After I give sufficient steep of course.

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I suggest adding Smooth after you’ve tried a blend and know it’s not marrying well. Then add a drop and let it settle and rest for at least a few days. I tend to use 1 drop per 20ml as a maximum.

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