Hi, e-liquid-recipes.com has been an invaluable resource to me for a while now but only recently signed up. I’m hoping the vast amount of knowledge and experienced DIYers can help me.
I’ve been trying to clone Paul Curtis Zeus Juice Black Reloaded for a while now but something is always missing.
I’m going to assume he uses a single flavour concentrate company to make all his liquids and at the moment I’m attempting with purely tfa (TPA) concentrates.
Black reloaded is a lovely smooth tasting blackcurrant and menthol / anise flavour.
I’ve tried varying concentrations of blackcurrant and adding ethyl maltol or sucralose. I’ve tried using a few different company blackcurrants to achieve a fuller flavour. So far I’ve made about 20 different ratios of flavourings and even though I’ve come close its still lacking. I found a blend from vapours r us called black stairs and although similar it still lacks that smooth blackcurrant taste even with extra blackcurrant added.
I believe it may also contain blackberry (which will arrive within the next couple of days) or / and blueberry in the mix.
I find at the moment 10% vapours r us black stairs with 8% tfa Blackcurrant, 0.5% koolada and 1% EM brings it close but still not on the mark.
Using purely tpa I use 15% Blackcurrant, 2% anise, 1% Koolada and 1% EM or sucralose. It tastes good but still missing the mark.
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions that’s familiar with zeus black reloaded? It’s my favorite flavour and really want to master this clone.
If anyone has any suggestions of great fruit mixes (non cream or biscuit based - meringue is good though) I’d be grateful for any pointers towards those.
Thanks I’m advance and apologies for the long post.
@Elite_Liquids1 Fruits are always better with some layering. You need to uncover their pairing which is always the trick. Many fruits can provide so much support yet they are almost undetectable …but without, the main fruit falls short. Blueberry or Bilberry might be an obvious pairing (lower %) Acai comes to mind. Even Strawberry or lemon or pear, but Blackcurrant is like a Raspberry, so maybe another Raspberry. Getting any spiciness? maybe Forest Fruit
Thanks very much for the informative response. I tried with raspberry and it tasted good. Is actually a recipe I’ll build upon separately. Also with raspberry and Grape it creates a vimto like flavour.
The original black reloaded has such a smooth thick flavour to it and I’m finding the blackcurrants more sweet and tart. Before I started diy I never knew how difficult it was to perfect a recipe. I’d like to create 6 mastered recipes that I can then buy the concentrates in larger bottles and just keep making on a rotation.
I understand what you mean by pairing complimentary flavours and will definitely try this with blueberry and other berry fruits and see what I can come up with. The anise and koolada really makes the flavour pop and the em helps smooth it out. Will keep trying. I’m determined to clone this recipe.
Thanks again for the advice.
Does it have any kind of spice to it besides Anise, like say Cinnamon? Clove? Ginger? Cardamom?
I think it may have a small slash of Citrus Pinch( Lemon Lime) in it, maybe. Never triedBlack Reloaded but I like the way a little of Citrus Punch adds to Black Current. Good luck with your project.
I had no idea about saline. I have some saline used for contacts I think. No other ingredients and a very low percentage. I will definitely try this. Thanks for the tip.
Ive seen a thread on a similar juice and im sure they were talking about using red liquorice and blackberry for that missing element.dont know if that helps any.i was looking for a clone on a juice called blackcurrant swarm by bee eliquids.look at what they say on the description of it.
There doesn’t seem to be any spice taste to it. Its just a very smooth thick blackcurrant (and other unknown berry(s). It has that fresh feel from either menthol or koolada and a hint of anise. I wondered even if it was just a high strength formula maybe using 25-30% concentrates but I’ve not worked up that high yet due to achieving a good blackcurrant taste at around 15%.
The juice used to be called black astaire but it was reformulated and called “The black reloaded”. It really is a great premium blackcurrant.
Zeus also made his own version of vampire vapes heisenberg which although different is equally as good in its own right.
I’ll try my closest blend with a little added saline and see the effect on flavour to see if that starts me on the route to that thick smooth taste. I’ve even tried fa’s MTS but to no avail. I have found MTS great for colas though to drop the harshness a little. My favourite cola so far is by vapable (I have fa cola and tfa cola syrup as well).
I started DIY to save money and as a hobby. But I’ve spent a small fortune on flavours. I have 75 different concentrates at the moment ranging from 10ml to 100ml bottles. I think I took on too much at once, eagerly trying to create a variety of recipes. I have 30 mixed 10ml bottles at the moment of all sorts. Some good that are close to being great and some terrible. For now though my focus is working this clone of black reloaded.
Sorry for my lengthy posts. I’m a little over enthusiastic
I’ll look that up now thanks. I have the blackberry arriving tomorrow (tfa) I’ve heard it’s a terrible flavour but I’m still banking on zeus juice being made from all tfa (next I’ll try capella then flavour art). I wasn’t aware of the red liquorice though. Is that just a strawberry anise variation possibly?
Thanks for the help. Much appreciated
Im not sure but a few ppl thought it was a good idea to try it.apparantly its nothing like the black liquorice and nowhere near as potent.i personally think its some kind of sweet black liquorice thats in it.
A juicy blackcurrant blended with just the right amount of aniseed with dark undertones of sweet liquorice. Another fine flavour that we’re proud to add to the BumbleBee range.
I’ll try cap range if all fails with tfa as I believe that zeus juice will use just one supplier. So if I feel I’m far off I’ll go down that route. If the tfa blackberry really is as bad as some of the reviews I’ve seen I’ll just order that in and try in the mix.
It does. It sounds very similar. Is there a good recipe for this hiding anywhere? I’ve noticed that there’s not a huge amount of recipes on blackcurrant blends. It would if course be simple to have just a sweet blackcurrant recipe but it’s all about those hints of complimentary flavours to take it from a standard common shop bought flavour into something really special.
Em, sucralose, meringue, marshmallow, anise, menthol and koolada all work so well in different fruit recipes to create depth, freshness and clean clear tastes. But finding the right ones in the right ratios is almost a lottery unless you have a highly tuned sense of smell and refined palate that can distinguish individual flavours from a blend. I am not that gifted
Im with you on the pallette thing fella,im still learning myself.ive not come across any recipies for it,i still have my concentrates for it(the first i ever bought) so i might just give it another shot this weekend.one thing i will say is its got a sweetness to it and its not a sweetner and at the end of the inhale i swear i taste pear.stick with it though you never know it could be your next mix that comes good.
That’s a very good point with the pear. My closest and tastiest recipe so far has 2% fa black pearl in it which is a mix of blackcurrant and pear. I’d forgot about that. Along with the anise and koolada with around 15% Blackcurrant and 0.5% EM. So glad you mentioned that. Just that hint of pear really deepens the flavour.
That hint of pear in blackcurrant swarm seems to wrap itself round the whole set of flavours and pulls them all together and makes the liquorice sweet.i suspect with such bold flavours though its a tad more than a hint of pear.
