Hi there! I’m new to vaping- about 5 months & even newer to mixing - about 1 month. Ive made a few brews now, & considering my lack of experience, I’m quite happy with how they’re turning out…all except 1!
It’s a peanut butter / milk chocolate juice, based loosely on a juice I purchased (which was so good it inspired me to make my own). My first attempt I used Peanut Butter 6%, Milk Chocolate 4% & Acetyl Pyrazine at 1% (70vg/30pg, Nautilus Mini on an MVP 3 @14 watts).
There was a little flavor there but it pretty much dissapeared over night. Thought I just needed more flavoring. So, next batch… PB 10% MC 6% & AP 2%. Although quite “lifeless & foggy”, the flavor was there …but reduced again within 2 days. It didnt completely disappear, but it was no fun at all. I steeped this juice for 2 weeks & sampled it at regular intervals thinking it might come bck with the steep. no improvement.
At this point, I should say that the juice that inspired me is comprised of peanut butter-inhale & chocolate fudge-exhale (so they say). The peanut taste is front & center - amazing -clean, crisp & bright. A weeks steep brought out the fudge. YUM!
On to batch 3… Still not enough flavoring, eh? really?? er… ok then… PB 15% MC 6% …& I ditched the AP because I thought that may be compromising the unique qualities of the PB.
OMG… so strong it had virtually no flavor at all - just strength!
Since making this last batch, Ive found this site - yay! & been reading the threads here & found the info really informative - thank you all! (oh, & Daath, thankyou for your welcome!.. its great to be here!)
Ive discovered the use of additives such as vinegar, citric acid, saline etc to make certain flavors “pop”… & I think using 1 or 2 of these could be the answer to my PB problems.
I have a couple of questions on these tho… apparently, if ive got it right, the rule of thumb is… vinegar to liven up/enhance tobaccos & lemon, or tart & sour, or citric acid to liven up fruity mixes. Would PB be considered tobaccoish or fruitish?.. or possibly just savory, in which case i imagine using saline would be appropriate??
With the lemon… are we talking just straight lemon juice or a lemon juice concentrate? & with the vinegar… I’ve seen both vinegar & apple cider vinegar referred to here. It might be subjective, but, if not, which one is better?
So, using 1 or 2 of these additives correctly i imagine will improve flavor, but will that also fix the ‘flavor falling away’ issues?
A little help with my nuts would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, vonTrueso.
Is this all the flavors in this mix? What PG/VG blend are you using. Who makes the flavors you are using?
Hi ringling thx for your response… yes these are the only flavors in the mix …at the 3 different %ages all 70vg/30pg as mentioned - no AP in the last. All are TFA flavors.
(Apologies for the long post - Ill keep it shorter nxt time.)
Ok, first this is what is said of the Milk Chocolate.
Milk Chocolate
- Creamy milk chocolate flavour. Heavy on the creamy lightish on the
chocolate. Not bad. Creamier than Double Chocolate, as it should be.
Chocolate flavour is a little weak. Easily overwhelmed by other
flavours. Mix high to retain chocolate flavour.
Looking at my own recipes when I used Milk Chocolate as a base flavor it has been at 10% and 14%, but, I am using 2% of Double Dutch Chocolate (FW) to bring out some chocolate flavor. You could use TFA double chocolate (clear) or (dark) for that purpose. Maybe even fudge brownie but I have never tried this flavor…
Here’s what is said of the peanut butter…
Peanut Butter
use 5 drops per 10 ml and up. A dead-on peanut flavor that has nice
and creamy notes. Not quite as creamy as a true peanut butter, but damn
close. Contains acetoin.
I have this flavor but have not used it much. From your last mix I think we can gather that you do not want it REAL strong.
Here’s what is said of the Acetyl Pyrazine
in low percentages brings out some nutty/bready notes. At higher
concentrations it makes everything taste and smell like Fritos.
OK, that being said why don’t you try something like this…
10% Milk Chocolate
6% Peanut Butter
2% Double Chocolate (clear or dark)
70% VG (Including Nic)
12% PG (10% if you want the Caramel)
and if you want to get real brave, 2% Caramel (original) It’s a great flavor. I see no need for the Acetyl Pyrazine since you don’t need bready and already have peanut butter. Anyway, This should have some flavor but be aware that the milk chocolate is a light chocolate flavor. It is the reason I like it. If you want really chocolatey taste you might experiment which the Double Chocolate flavors.
See if this has flavor for you and then tweak to taste…
Really, its the peanut butter taste im chasing (…just not tooo strong). The chocolate is intended as more of a creamy back-note. The MC being on the weaker side it should remain a back-note even at 10%. However, I do like the idea of a little double choc oomph just to lift it a bit - definitely be trying that with my next mix (when my new flavors arrive!). Thx for the suggestion, ringling!
With regards to the PB flavor fading away, why is that?? maybe I did something wrong (quite possibly)… in my 2nd mix I actually used 4% more PB than your recommendation of 6% (I used 10%), & while the flavor was initially ok (strength wise), it was dull - no life. And, it didnt last…hmmm…
I’ll try the mix again, from scratch, to your recommendation & see how we go …Thx again!
Be honest with you, I can not say for sure on that weakness. I do feel mixing Peanut Butter and Acetyl Pyrazine could be counter productive to your purpose. Your last batch without it…
Not sure I understand this statement, however you still say there is no flavor which honestly leads me to believe the TFA Peanut Butter is not gonna work for you if it is a strong peanut butter taste you desire. The bad thing is that TFA Peanut Butter just might be the better one out there, they say it is spot on PB. Perhaps others might know another to try. I use FWs peanut butter but it is not spot on. Nutty, yes, Spot on PB, no. I have found great uses for it but won’t do for you…
Greatly appreciate ur input, ringling!
My last mix without the AP?- hard to tell because it (the PB) was so strong, but I believe you’re right about it probably being counter-productive- that makes sense.
…& I’ll try & explain the “OMG…” statement this way… Have you ever had chilli thats sooo hot, it goes past hot? You know theres flavor there, but, "oh… I just nuked my tastebuds!"
I reckon I must’ve messed up somewhere with this mix. I’ll try again, starting with your recommendations & let you know how it goes (might be a while though… Im in Aust. & my new flavors are coming from the US - be a couple of weeks).
Makes sense. It’s possible you may solve your problem just by lowering the %s of PB and drop the AP. There is such a thing as overpowering flavors, and thus ruining the mix. By all means, let us know how it goes…
I use TPA PB in a recipe at 2%, then tried increasing it because I felt like it wasn’t enough. A week steep and it was too strong. I typically do 50/50 or 40/60 PG/VG mixes. Keep at it. I’m sure you will find something that works for you.
As for the chili/flavor thing, I know exactly what you mean. I’ve noticed that sometimes if I get too much flavor or too many different flavors they all just kinda blur into this flavorless mess. I call it white out. IMO, it’s always best to start small and simple. Adding is easy, taking out not so much. Good luck and welcome to the club! 
Sound advise, JoJo. Thanks.
…& whats your take on my questions re additives? If I wanted to use an additive to give my peanut a bit more “pop”, what would you suggest?
(should’ve made this topic a second post …sorry!.. new to forums as well!)
I would probably try some ACV if it needed something extra. I rarely use any kind of additives except AP. You could try the AP at 1-2 drops. @Amy2 I think dilutes it and uses it that way. The only other thing I could think would be to get some other ‘nutty’ type flavor like a 555, Nut mix, etc. and try to blend a better peanut butter flavor. You could also try adding something like Marshmallow to sweeten it up a little, but I don’t know that that would be necessary with the MC.
Flavorwise I’m not sure anyone can blend a BETTER PB. TFAs PB is pretty much spot on. More than likely TFA Milk chocolate probably would not need sweetening BUT with PB added, who knows, maybe so. I wouldn’t sweeten till I tried without sweetener first. I think you know I totally agree that if needed, Marshmallow is the way to go for sweetening.
Thanks heaps Folks!! Your advise is greatly appreciated!!..
Hi I think you may benefit from checking out Capella’s peanut butter v2 it is super nutty and creamy at the same time slightly sweet. But since you have TFA I find it on the weak side as well. Try using marshmallow along with your milk chocolate increase the pb to 10% try saline at 2% both milk chocolate and pb TFA are milder flavors. Like Ringling said you can get a better flavor out of the mc by enhancing it w/ other chocolates.
Chocolate fudge brownie TFA is a wonderful flavor but it takes over the batch quickly and does not fade either. I use AP like JoJo said in a diluted form. I put 6 drops in 3 mls of pg then pull from that mixture and it works well for me. Gives great flavor and not the overpowering smell and taste it is in the full strength. Keep trying you may have to ditch one or the other flavors and put a new flavor in the recipe. It happens some flavors just aren’t strong enough to make a good recipe. Good luck ! Keep us posted ! I’d say marshmallow at around 2%.
Hi Amy2. Ive just made another batch …unfortunately before I saw your post… pb at 7.5%, mc at 10% (ringling’s recommendation) & acv at 0.6% (Jojo’s approx recommendation). I’ll be waiting a while for my new flavors to arrive which include marshmallow & double chocolate so unfortunately cant add those immediately. I left the ap out of this batch to see if it was being counter-productive as ringling suggested.
The saline seems right to me …but would that work with the acv Ive already added? if you dont think so, I’ll save that for later too.
Thx for the tips!!
Re; http://www.nu-vapor.com/showthread.php?6696-Peanut-Butter-Delight-my-take-on-Reese-Pieces
You might want to try a variation of above? Closest to the effect I’m looking for. PB is tricky.
Brotherbob1… thx for that! I’ll give that a run when my new flavors arrive! cheers!
I just saw this thread on reddit, with a PB-recipe
Um…YUM! I’ve got to try this one! I actually have almost all the flavors, too! LoL
Hmm so you put ACV in the mix already ? I wouldn’t put the saline in then it’ll mute flavors for sure. The ACV will also with time. I don’t use it for this reason. Anytime I use saline it’s typically a small %. But as far as distilled water I’ve had some small success with 5% mainly on high VG mixes. This one will end up seeming weaker I think in the long run with DW or ACV. But weirder things have happened. Maybe the ACV will work to your advantage.