How many drops of flavoring should you put in your e-liquid?
How to properly dose your flavor in your DIY e-liquid? We tell you everything right here!
DIY (Do It Yourself) is attracting more and more vaping enthusiasts looking for personalised, economical liquids packed with flavour. But one question comes up often: how many drops of flavouring should you add to make your DIY e-liquid?
Here is a complete guide to creating balanced recipes, avoiding pitfalls and enjoying an optimal vaping experience.
Making your own DIY e-liquid: the right ingredients and dosage
To make your own DIY liquid, you need a few essential accessories:
-
A neutral base made up of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG).
-
A flavouring or concentrate to add flavour.
-
A nicotine booster (or several boosters) depending on the desired nicotine strength.
-
Bottles of a suitable capacity with droppers.
The PG/VG ratio directly affects your mix:
-
The higher the PG level, the more pronounced the flavour and throat hit will be.
-
The higher the VG volume, the denser and smoother your liquid will be, but it will require more flavourings.
As for nicotine, depending on your goal when buying to quit cigarettes, you will need to add boosters according to the volume of your bottle and the desired strength.
Steeping time for each type of flavouring
Steeping (or maturation) is a crucial step for fully developing the flavour of your liquid:
-
Single fruity and fresh flavourings (e.g. mint, strawberry or mango on its own): 2 to 7 days.
- Complex fruity and fresh flavourings (e.g. passion fruit with strawberry, soursop and a hint of mint): 7 to 10 days.
-
Classic flavourings (tobacco flavours): 15 to 21 days.
-
Gourmet flavours (vanilla, caramel, desserts): 3 to 4 weeks.
Following this step prevents your homemade liquid from tasting too bland or unbalanced.
How do you calculate the number of flavouring drops?
Let us take a simple example with a 10 ml bottle filled with 50/50 PG/VG neutral base:
-
5% dosage: 25 drops.
-
10% dosage: 50 drops.
-
15% dosage: 75 drops.
-
20% dosage: 100 drops.
Please note:
-
If your base is high in VG, slightly increase the amount of flavouring.
-
Conversely, for a PG-rich base, you can reduce the dosage of flavouring.
Every drop counts in the final dilution to bring out all the flavours in your DIY products.
Common mistakes to avoid
If you underdose DIY flavouring
Underdosing will result in a bland, flat liquid. You will feel as though you are vaping vapour with no taste or flavour.
There is no issue with vaping DIY e-liquid that is underdosed in flavouring; many vapers do so deliberately to avoid overwhelming their taste buds and to make their coils last longer.
If you overdose DIY flavouring
Too much flavouring can overwhelm your taste buds, make vaping sickly, and even reduce the lifespan of your e-cigarette coil.
In this case, you must add neutral base. An overdosed e-liquid cannot be vaped without becoming a problem in the long term.
If the steeping time is not observed
Vaping a liquid without steeping exposes you to an artificial, unbalanced and sometimes even unpleasant taste. A little patience is needed to appreciate all the flavour of the product.
However, beyond taste, it is possible and safe to vape e-liquid that has not been steeped.
Recommended dosing methods
Using a DIY calculator
The DIY calculator is an essential tool for accurately measuring your e-liquid. It automatically calculates the amount of flavourings, base and boosters according to your bottle and desired nicotine strength.
Choosing graduated bottles
Graduated bottles allow you to accurately measure each volume of flavouring, base or nicotine. This is particularly useful if you prepare large DIY packs of liquids.
Choose the graduated DIY Pack
Available in neutral or fresh versions, our DIY pack lets you create a nicotine base in a large graduated bottle, ideal for your mixes. It is practical, intuitive and highly economical.
Best-selling DIY flavourings
Now that you know all there is to know about calculating your DIY flavouring, discover the DIY flavourings that are the most popular and best reviewed in our catalogue!
Best simple single flavour: Sub Zero Concentrate 10 ml - Halo
The freshest mint in the catalogue! This DIY flavouring has been a reliable choice for lovers of an icy blast for many years.
Flavour: Extra-fresh mint
Dosage: 15% for 50/50 PG/VG
Steeping: 2 to 7 days
Best classic: Tribeca 10 ml Concentrate - Halo
The RY4-style classic flavour that has stood the test of time in vaping, remaining on the podium of the best-selling flavourings. A very safe bet!
Flavour: Blond tobacco, vanilla and caramel
Dosage: 25% in a 50/50 PG/VG base
Steeping time: 2 to 3 weeks
Best dessert flavour: La Chose 30 ml - Le French Liquide
What is this delicious thing, the favourite dessert flavour of French vapers for years?
Flavour: Salted butter caramel, hazelnut, coffee, vanilla and pecan nuts.
Dosage: 15% in a 50/50 PG/VG base
Steeping time: 3 weeks to 1 month
Making your own DIY e-liquid is an excellent way to customise your vape, reduce its purchase price and discover an infinite variety of flavours.
However, to make your recipe a success, it is essential to follow the correct dosage of flavourings, follow the preparation steps and use suitable tools such as a calculator and graduated bottles.
If these steps seem too daunting, larger formats of 50 ml e-liquids and more are available, and even the most popular flavourings are available ready to vape, such as cheap Arômes et Liquides e-liquids.
By following these tips, you will avoid mistakes and get the most out of your electronic cigarette and homemade DIY products!
