Trying to mix a disposable strength flavour liquid

[Old Goat]

hey everyone,
so for a while I have been using disposables, I used to use a tank kit but i noticed i couldnt taste liquids they all seemed to just taste the same, like I can just taste the VG, im trying to make a grape lemonade with a lime zip/twist

I have tried to make a disposable style liquid but I cant seem to get it right.
I have gone as high as 20% grape (tfa) and 20% lemon & lime (capella) so 40% flavour with 1% super sweet but i cant get the flavour down like I say it just tastes muted to me versus dispos or something like elfliq where its like I can feel the grape or the lemon or whatever flavour punch me in the mouth and i can really taste it,

my main question i guess is what am i missing?
when i was looking it up they say dispos have more flavour and sweetner which is what led me to the mix i have now, and I mean I can smell it it smells good but just cant get the taste to come through

edit: forgot to mention during research i also found out they use salt nic so i am using that as well

 

[Old Goat]

You’ve just butted heads with one of the tallest mountains in DIY, [smention u=82]CloudChaser99[/smention] — trying to make a mix that hits like a dispo.

First thing: you’re right, they taste different. That’s because disposables don’t play by the same rules we do. They use some mystery sweetener from China that gives that “candy slap” you’re chasing. Nobody really knows what it is (or what it’s doing to your lungs). It’s why I don’t touch dispos myself.

Couple points for your grape lemonade:

40% flavouring is way too much. That much concentrate just mutes itself. Most recipes live between 10–20% total, sometimes less.

Super Sweet at 1% is fine, but if you’re after that “mouth punch,” you might push to 1.5–2%. Just know your coils will look like a tar pit in no time.

Dispos vs. tanks → dispos are designed to overload your senses. They’re usually running salt nic, heavy sweetener, and a thinner liquid (50/50 or higher PG) so the flavour hits harder. A 70/30 tank mix will always feel softer in comparison.

Try higher PG ratios → PG carries flavour better. If you’re stuck at 70/30, that’s part of why it feels muted.

DIY isn’t going to clone an Elf Bar out of the bottle. What you can do is build strong, clean flavour that doesn’t rely on mystery chemicals. It won’t taste identical, but it’ll be yours — and you’ll know exactly what went into it.

If you want a shortcut, pop your flavours into the VC calculator (link’s on our homepage). It’ll show you proper percentage ranges so you don’t end up drowning the herd in grape concentrate.

Stick with it — disposables are fast food. DIY is home cooking. It takes some practice, but the payoff is worth it.

 

[Crumpet]

So a few tricks I have pulled up that seem to help. First you can try something like a Dispo sweet - I think Capella does an extra sweet which helps a little. Then look at some flavor boosters either something like a candy enhancer or a pop enhancer depending what you are aiming at. Often a little ethyl maltol will help as well. Then you can look at things like adding a small extra flavor to help pop your existing ones. Sometimes a little Lemon Sicily or dragon fruit or Fuji Apple can really do the trick. I think you may be boosting too high. Try mix something off a normal recipe ie FB and just BUMP it by like 1.25 x it takes a little playing but you can get good flavor. Next suggestion try switching pod devices. I have had 2 and my first cheapie carried flavor way better than my second one.

As for the vg/pg ratio I have settled on 60 VG and 40 PG for now. Seems enough to carry flavor for the most part. Please keep us posted I am chasing down this same rabbit hole in the hopes of getting people off of disposables.