Flavour Bending

I was sure I posted this here but it appears not this is a short article I wrote back in early 2018 still relevant today

Adding acids such as malic (sour), tartaric, citric (forget fumaric) very small amounts can really bring fruit to life.

Here is a basic chart for the addition of acids - If using additional acids I use the predominant acid and maybe the secondary. I tend to use citric and tartaric in very small amounts generally under 0.5% more often around 0.25% as too much can mute flavours. Malic acid you can go a lot more than that depending on what you are shooting for. Malic acid will work better with a sweetener (stevia is better but most use sucralose). I do try not to add sweetener and you will still get good results without it as most of the fruit flavours we use are quite sweet already

As an extra note. Just %1 malic will have a weaker effect then 0.5% malic & 0.5% citric

In addition to acids, you can use other flavours to change flavours

Cactus INW & Fuji FA
We have all had that fruit mix that is dry in the mouth and it kinda spoils the vape try adding a tiny bit of either Cactus (INW) or Fuji (FA) to make it a little juicier. Both flavours at low % are pretty much saliva stimulants changing the feel of the vape without changing the flavour (by low% I am talking about .25 - .5%)

Strawberries
Addition of lemon or a lime flavour at small % can help your Strawberry mixes by giving the strawberry a little tartness.

Cherry
Super hard to work with and not get a medicinal taste (try Cherries inw, Cherry filling flv, Wild Cherry Real Flavours for good cherry flavour) small amounts of coconut with cherry will make a cherry much better.

Blueberry
Try small amounts of raspberry, a Black Current, Raisin or it may sound strange but a Banana Cream (I tend to use LA (colourless) at about .2%).

Pear
Try adding pear to sweeten the any fruit flavour.

Coconut
It is rare that I donā€™t add a little coconut to make my creams a little creamier.

White Chocolate
Low % of white chocolate added to custards or creams will make you vanilla custard mixes even fuller.

DragonFruit (TPA)
This is an interesting one it contains a chemical called Triethyl Citrate this will help all your flavours homogenise into a single flavour. TPA sells it as a separate chemical but it can be found in a few other TPA flavours.

tri

Chocolates
A lot of people struggle with chocolates altogether too many of them have a chalky finish when used, many of them get bitter at high wattages or temperatures. Medicine Flower Dark Chocolate is one that doesnā€™t have either of these characteristics but it is super expensive. Bend you chocolate using Vanilla Bean Gelato (TPA) at around 1.5% ( it will also give the chocolate a waxy flavour that chocolate should have) and Malted Milk (TPA) at about .25% (will smooth the sometimes harsh notes that chocolate can have)

Malted Milk (TPA)
This is a great flavour for smoothing rough edges use it sparingly or the flavour will poke through.

Joy (FA)
A load of people hate joy (I guess they are joyless lol) but used in low % it can really help with bakery it can turn yeasty at higher % go lightly.

Jelly Candy (CAP)
Awesome add to give your fruits a Jammy feel (slightly artificial jammy doughnut jam).

Liquid Amber (FA)
Low % will cook your fruit it is a warm smooth flavour for me and adding it to a fruit flavour can give the feeling of a cooked fruit (like a nice pie filling)

Stevia & Erythritol
I love stevia as a sweetener it doesnt seem to sit on top of the flavours like a blanket as sucralose does, it imparts a sweetness that is in the flavours (for want of a better way to describe it). You can get a slight bitter note from stevia which relates to the purity of the Rebaudioside A used to make the mix. To counter this bitterness (if you can taste it) you can use Erythritol at a 1 stevia : 3 Erythritol ratio.

There are a few vape companies now selling stevia mixes I prefer to make my own (like I do with my acids If anyone is interested I will put together a few mix ratios/ recipes) for a couple of cents rather than buy it for a couple of $.

Saline
The use of saline in mixes is pretty widespread in commercial juices (Charlie Noble and a few other juice companies use it quite regularly). I hear you ask what does it do? Well aside from the everything tastes a little better with salt it will moisten the mix a little (similar to cactus and fuji previously mentioned) but saline can be used with anything to just give an extra push, bakery, fruits, nuts, tobacco are all good with a smidgen of salt ( I use the .9% bp saline you can buy from the chemist but you could always make your own). Donā€™t use too much .25% is generally enough we donā€™t want the juice to be salty.

Frosting (FLV)
It is a great sweetener adds a powdered sugar feel and taste to the finished juice (.3%- .5%)

Cream Cheese Icing (LA)
Also a great sweetener low % will give your finished product a nice sweetness that isnā€™t heavy.

I do have a few more little bends I use but I have probably bored you enough already and these are the ones I find myself using over and over.

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Thanks @woftam ! Another strawberry trick is using a touch of raspberry, really adds some depth to strawberry mixes that feel like they are missing somethingā€¦I use the flv frosting bend as well, itā€™s good for fruits, custard, and bakeries!

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Invaluable resource Simon, thank you.

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Are you effinā€™ kidding me?!?!

This is invaluable information that will help a lot of users as they continue to dig deeper into DIY!

Very much appreciate your taking the time to put this together (again)!

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The first half is here, I had it bookmarked:

But you have added a much broader range of info here!

Thankyou, your insights are invaluable :grin:

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Thanks for this, itā€™s really helpful!

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Thank you so much! Iā€™ve got 2 recipes Iā€™ve been tinkering with for months that just need ā€˜a little something elseā€™, and one way or another, your invaluable resource here will be able to fix that, and put shine and pop into many more to come!
Thank you!

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Thank you @woftam. Awesome info definitely going to be doing some shopping and try some these next time I mix.

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@woftam Iā€™m curious would the FA Ice Cream gelato have the same effect with chocolate because it seems like no matter which chocolate I use they all have that harsh note. I just got milk chocolate in today FLV and it smells just like the other chocolates Iā€™ve tried and had that issue with so you know my chocolates Iā€™ve tried and yes one of them is MF dark chocolate LOL (sorry)

Chocolate (TPA)
Chocolate (FA)
chocolate (ODF)
Chocolate Cream (Inawera)
Chocolate Deutsch (Flavorah)
Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Cap)
Chocolate Glazed Doughnut (Cap)
Chocolate Glazed Doughnut (FA) (This chocolate has less of whatever harsh note Iā€™m getting in it)
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (SC) (Real Flavors)
Chocolate Milk (VTA)
Chocolate Milkshake (SC) (Real Flavors)
Chocolate Mousse (VTA)
Milk Chocolate (Flavor Base) (DIY)
Milk Chocolate (New Formula) (Inawera)
Milk Chocolate (TPA)

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I am not sure on the gelato as I have not tried that combo - malted milk works really well so I havenā€™t experimented further.

Mf Dark Choc and VTA Choc Mousse is a combo I have used a fair bit lately (2% vta 0.6 mf) no burnt notes all the way up to 200w.

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Iā€™m not getting a burnt note at all. I honestly canā€™t put my finger on what it is ā€¦ but itā€™s every chocolate so far. Maybe itā€™s harshness but itā€™s not sweet like I want? Even after adding sweetener. Itā€™s still more reminiscent of dark cocoa to me? Iā€™m going to try milk chocolate FLV vanilla Ice cream and sweetener. See what happens LOL i guess another option would be trying sweet cream FLV with the milk chocolate?

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Have you tried TFA Smooth

A flavour smoothener that is useful to use in concert with other flavours- ā€œSmoothā€ will round out any harsh edges and provide a thick, satisfying mouthfeel. It will soften the high notes of your blend while boosting your background notes

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Just a idea

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I donā€™t have that one. I guess Iā€™m basically trying to turn that dark chocolate flavor Iā€™m getting into a sweeter milk chocolate. Itā€™s frustrating LOL

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Have you tried fresh cream FA or add a white chocolate

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Or add milk or a cream or both :slightly_smiling_face:

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I did try the FA, and the Vienna Cream. I recently got Milk FA and I do have a white chocolate by MF but I did a mix of MF white chocolate dark chocolate and butterscotch and the harsh cocoa came through more than the other flavors :slight_smile:

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I really appreciate these ideas more than you know because Iā€™d LOVE to make chocolate work in a way I can enjoy itā€¦ both you and Simon, very appreciative!!!

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Iā€™ve found a lot of butterscotch are harsh

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@pro_vapes has a milk choc base with MF which is great if you have the mf.

@Englishguy Smooth will do just what the label says but it will knock out the high notes in a mix which is why I prefer malted milk down very low as it is less aggressive

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