How to get the most from your flavour concentrates
23rd Aug 2023
Single DIY E-Liquid Flavour Testing
Look around and it’s easy to see there are dozens of flavour houses producing hundreds of flavour concentrates. So which ones will work best for you in the new recipe you want to make? Or could you use one as a substitute for the one you’re missing in that cool recipe you found online?
The only way to know for sure, short of just trying every combination that sounds like it might vaguely work, is to learn what those flavours taste like.
But you know what things taste like don’t you? What’s the point of this?
Well here’s a list of things that can change how different concentrates taste:
- Every manufacturer formulates their version of a flavour differently.
- Some manufacturers have more than one version of a given flavour.
- The strength used for a given concentrate can change how it tastes.
- How long the concentrate has been mixed and left to steep can change things.
- Taste is highly subjective - there’s nothing to say something will taste the same to you as it does to anyone else (maybe it tastes more like fresh strawberry to you, but others think it’s more candy like).
So how do you find out? The answer is single flavour testers. It’s a lot of work, but if you want to make juices that really pop for you, the rewards are huge.
How to do single flavour testing
Get some empty 10ml bottles and mix up a range of strengths for that flavour, each with just PG and VG. As a general rule start with 1%, 5%, and 10%.
Then to the testing. An RDA is generally the best way to do this - don’t worry too much about an amazing build, or getting the wicking great, it’ll need changing lots.
Try each flavour - and make notes. Don’t just say “It’s custard”, look for nuances in there. Do you like it? If not why not - too eggy, funny bitter note. If you do then the same again - rich and creamy, like the subtle citrus element. What might they go well with, what recipes can you imagine this working great in. What would it need to make it ideal (a light cream because it’s too heavy, it would go great with a raspberry to cut through the thicker cream). Is it too strong at 5%? Too weak? What percentages can you see it working well at on its own or in a mix (where you might want it to be the primary flavour, or supporting something else).
Don’t forget to change the wick and clean the RDA out each time - you don’t want cross contamination of flavours. You can also do this by vaping some pure VG, but personally I prefer the ‘just enough wick to make it work then change’ approach.
Now leave them a week and try them again. What’s different (if anything)? Make notes.
Leave it a week or two, and repeat. As many times as you can be bothered with.
At the end of all this you will have the complete profile of that flavour for your taste buds.
As I mentioned before, it is a lot of work, and not everyone can be bothered, but if you can then you will find it so much easier to make recipes that are just right for you.
