The joy of mixing
For vaping beginners, the thought of actually
mixing your own flavours may seem a bit
daunting, but once tried, it can be an incredibly
fun and extremely rewarding pastime.
One of the many advantages of vaping, beyond the obvious
health benefits, is the variety it offers. Smokers tend to find a
cigarette they like and stick with it, but with vaping, as with a cup
of your favourite hot beverage, you really can have it exactly how
you want it.
New vapers tend to buy familiar-sounding premixed flavours,
such as tobacco, menthol or fruit. And most of us have ‘everyday’
favourites (or ADVs – ‘all day vapes’) that we return to like an old
friend. But over time, many vapers get a bit more adventurous
and start exploring more exotic and unusual flavour types like
savoury or spicy. Or maybe you absent-mindedly top the end of
one flavour with another - and find the mixture works rather nicely.
After that, it is a natural progression to start concocting your own
flavours.
At a basic level, it can involve just combining a couple of
premixed flavours together: fancy some marshmallow with a
hint of roast beef? Ylang ylang and menthol? With the range of
flavours available out there, pretty much any delicious or bizarre
combination can be created.
But to reproduce that perfect individual flavour blend again and
again requires more precision. That’s why many have taken to
mixing from scratch.
Vaping is such a personal experience that sometimes even slight
alterations in e-ssence (e-liquid) formulation can perfect the
experience, making a good vape a great one. For instance, you
may want your e-ssence stronger in flavour, but without reducing
44 AUGUST 2015 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
the nicotine strength. This can be achieved by simply adding extra
drops of flavouring at the expense of diluent drops – vice versa if
you prefer the flavour weaker.
A word of advice: no matter what pipe, mod or vapouriser you
have, it is only as good as the liquid you put in it, so make sure
you always use liquids from a reputable manufacturer. Not only
will this ensure the liquids are safe, but the flavour dynamics
will be consistent, allowing you to reproduce your favourite
concoctions time and time again.
So long as you have quality ingredients, mixing is actually very
easy; after all, there are only 4 ingredients, 3 if you vape without
nicotine.
So what’s in the mix?
Diluents
Diluents make the base for an e-ssence. They create the vapour,
and different types of diluents create different effects. There are 5
diluent types to choose from:
Propylene glycol (PG) - Offers the best throat hit and is a greater
carrier of flavour.
Vegetable Glycerine (VG) - The smoothest option, sweetens up
your e-ssence slightly and provides the most vapour.
Aqueous glycerine (AG) - This is similar to VG, with the added
benefit of being easier to pour due to the presence of distilled
water.
50:50 PG:VG - A mix which offers a bit of both. Although 50/50
is the most popular, you can make them up to other ratios to suit
your taste.
Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) - Not often used and quite
expensive, it offers a dryer mouth feel and has its own distinct
taste.