Hey everybody, I am really struggling to make a tasty e Juice that tastes similar to the "big boys"
I have only tried using Flavor West ingredients and USP VG. Are there an additives I can be adding to enhance the flavor? Please help. Thank you
I tried FW when I first started mixing. I quickly moved to TPA, Capella, and FA. They seem to be more realistic and truly hit the mark a lot better. What are you trying to make fruity, bakery, beverage, coffee or savory? Give us a clue where you want to go with it. Also just out of curiosity where did you get the VG? I get mine at only two places Essential Depot, and Nicotine River. NR is great as you can also get the above mentioned flavors there.
I thought maybe āBig Boysā was a flavor someone else had made but canāt find anything with a name like that.
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IMHO, every mfg company have great flavorings as well as some that just donāt work well for me. What are you trying to make? Can you give us an example of a recipe, so we can help you better?
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I find it is nearly impossible to hit the mark with only one brand of flavorings. I have a good array of flavorings from many companies. Sometimes, mixing multiple brands of a āsameā flavor can blend and compliment eachother very well, Strawberry (Ripe) (TPA) with Sweet Strawberry (Cap) is a good, if not cliched example of this. I find each brand has some flavors that are just fantastic, while dropping the ball entirely on other flavors, so it is good to experiment and be diverse in your brands. Over all I would say, just research the notes for flavors you are interested in on ELR, and compare between brands, many will have detailed usage and flavor notes, and you will get a good idea of what to expect out of a specific flavor from a specific brand. If you see one brands strawberry(for example sake) a little more tart or flowery flavor than you want, check notes on another brands version, it may be more sweet or juicy, or candy etcā¦ This is when combining them can really bring out the natural real to life flavors. Itās all about research and experimentation. Just hang in there and you will come up with something great, Iām sure. You can also use other peoples recipes, either exact or as reference, to help guide you, as you learn. Good Luck and Have Fun!
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Oh and as for additivesā¦ There are all kinds, just depends what you are looking forā¦ super sweet, sour, menthol/kooladaā¦
Pyure stevia has been a really popular up and coming additive I have seen many using, I donāt know first hand with that one yet, but I have read that it can ease throat hit, sweeten, make fruit flavors pop (probably because of the apple cider vinegar in it)ā¦
I have started using Pear at 0.5%- 1%, with many of my fruit mixes now also, as it adds a nice juicy mouthfeel to just about anything it is in and can really make the rest of the mix shine.
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This is as true as it gets. ^^^^^^^^^
Think of it like cars, what if you only had the choice of a Ford? Hey, some great fun in driving thereā¦
and then you finally learn about all the other mfgās available !
āIt takes a village to raise a childā It really does take more than one āfamilyā [of flavors] to produce a great mix.
Whether itās the way they extract, or the amount of ingredients, concentrate, strength, etc. each mfg is different, and you need the diversity.
As Mike said, Pear is good as an additive, so is Cactusā¦or Dragonfruit, White Peach,ā¦
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Who makes Pear flavor?
FA and Inawera both have a very good pear flavor.
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I Use FA Pear. But, I am less concerned with the brand on that, as I use it in such a small %, as an enhancer, not for the actual flavor of it. Unsure how other brands would compare, used similarly.
Damn ozo why you gotta bring up the Cactus haha i dropped mineā¦ Of course it just happened to be in the little wizard labs glass vialā¦ Shattered all over the floorā¦ Still havent ordered a new one. 
so sad i never even got to use itā¦ 
In the next couple weeks or so, i plan to do an orderā¦ I got a few key flavors im out of and some others i have been meaning to getā¦
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You know I gotta pick on somebody, Brother.
And you know you are a worthy opponent, but on the same team {wtf?]
Well, DOH , WTF , or CIA ATF FDA TSA ā¦as long as you are not MIA, Brother.
You know you gotta get some Cactus, and rub up against it a littleā¦
like your sheila does to your whiskers.
Speaking of sheilas, how is her health? I worry, but I pray more.
God bless you both.
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Shilo has been extremely over stressed and it rolls down hill onto my shoulders still. Her hernia has receided luckily, the doctors say the hole is too small for surgery so they suggest therapy to build new muscle over the hole.
We got a new matress (though i was in some disagreement on spending $800 we dont have right nowā¦) but we are hoping having a better matress that isnt sagging like a hammock will help with the over all aches and pains and of course a good night sleep might improve our definitely affected mental statesā¦ My lack of good night sleep is unrelated to the bed itself, though, so i end up awake most the night still.
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Everyone responding thus far is spot on. I might add that if FW is the only brand you have at the moment I have found that; generally speaking, FW requires one to use a higher percentage of flavoring than other brands. In general, your finished juice may be around %10-15 flavorings. If using strictly FW you could be around %15-30 depending on which flavors you are using. Some FW flavors can be used at a lighter percentage like other brands; however, most require a little higher percentage. For additives, Ethyl Maltol is great for lighter fruity flavors, Cotton Candy for sweetener, and Graham Cracker works well to round out most juices, making them smoother.
Good Input, and Yes most FW juices I have made are close to 30% flavoring. Ill try some of the additives.
Do you have any recipes with mixed flavor brands?
Most of my recipes are mixed brands. I have 1 that is only FW and another that is FW except for one flavor. All the rest are mixed brands. When I first started mixing all I bought was FW which accounts for those two recipes. I only post my best recipes that everyone I know loves. Mediocre recipes I come up with, I wonāt bother to post here. A good feature here is that you can input your flavors you have and then search for recipes you can make with what you have. Only downside is if you donāt have exactly what a recipe calls for it wonāt come up, which sucks because many times you can easily substitute a flavor.
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Also, it is important to note that the feature only works when the flavors in your stash are entered correctly. To get the best results, when entering flavors into the stash, one needs to be sure to select the most popularly used entry for each flavoring (largest green number next to flavor name/brand in the drop down autofill that appears as you type a flavoring in).
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So do individual flavors have reviews? I had trouble finding this? I want to find who makes the best blueberry and who makes the best greek yogurt, etc.
Hey Bradleyā¦ . look at this page for ELR peopleās preferences on many flavorings: Recommended Flavors and Research List
When you click on one of the flavorings, it takes you to that flavorās page. Scroll down and click on āNotesā so you can read about it.
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