Vape Flavours for Advanced Mixers: Dosing & Layering

In short: If you mix your own e-liquids, a few parameters go a long way: 70/30 (VG/PG) base for sub-ohm, 50/50 for MTL and pods, flavour at 8–12 %, first check after 48–72 hours, then fine-tune in 0.25–0.5 % steps. What matters most: low starting values, structured test runs and complete documentation.

Quick-start parameters

PG/VG base: 70/30 (VG/PG) for sub-ohm and DL setups, 50/50 for MTL and pods.
Starting flavour range: 8–12 % for standard fruit, 10–15 % for desserts, 2–5 % for strong concentrates, 0.25–1 % for super concentrates.
Nicotine shots: add after the flavour mix, wear gloves, dose precisely.
Test workflow: 10–15 ml test batch, check after 48–72 hours, then adjust in small steps.

Important: Always start at the low end of the manufacturer’s recommended range, read the concentrate’s safety data sheet before mixing and never vape pure flavour concentrate. For background on ingredients, see our article Flavours in vaping: enjoyment, effects and regulation.

Which flavour families does a recipe really need?

Every complex e-liquid consists of three layers: top, middle and base notes. Once you understand this, you mix more deliberately.

Top notes (first impression, volatile): citrus, berries, menthol. They hit immediately but fade quickly. Usually 3–6 %, otherwise they drown out everything else.

Middle notes (body, main flavour): tropical fruit, cream, light tobacco notes, drinks. This is where the liquid’s character lies. 6–12 % depending on the concentrate.

Base notes (roundness, finish): vanilla, caramel, custard, heavy tobacco. They tie everything together. Often 4–8 %, custards sometimes need up to 15 %.

Fruit: strawberry, mango, forest fruits. Classic top/middle notes, start at 8–12 %.
Dessert/bakery: vanilla pudding, biscuit, caramel. Intense, 10–15 %, watch the sucralose content.
Tobacco: complex and layered, needs a long steep. Start at 4–8 %.
Menthol/cooling: koolada, menthol, WS-23. 0.5–3 %.
Drinks: coffee, cocktails, lemonade. Often underrated middle notes, 6–10 %.
Cream: milk, whipped cream, condensed milk. A good base addition, 4–8 %.
Sour: use sour enhancers sparingly, 0.5–2 %, or they dominate.

Practical tip: A touch of cooling (0.5–1 %) in fruit mixes helps against flavour fatigue. If you vape the same liquid every day, you will often notice the difference within a week. For an overview of popular profiles, see our article Discover vape flavours.

Choosing the right concentrates

Longfill or single concentrate?

Longfills are ready-blended mixes in a larger bottle that you only top up with base and nicotine. If you want to develop your own recipes, single concentrates are the better choice: full control over every component, reproducible results, no hidden ingredients.

Brands experienced mixers know

FlavourArt (Italy) is considered a benchmark for clean single flavours with narrow, reliable dosing ranges. Inawera (Poland) is known for intense tobacco flavours; some concentrates are used below 2 %. Capella (USA) offers broad fruit and dessert ranges; its cream and custard flavours are well established in the DIY scene. Flavorah (USA) stands for highly concentrated flavours, often used at 1–3 % – you will need a precision scale rather than a pipette.

Checklist before buying

Safety data sheet (SDS/MSDS) available from the supplier?
Ingredients checked for diacetyl, acetoin and acetyl propionyl?
Batch number labelled?
Test size (10 ml) available before ordering larger quantities? 10 ml is enough for 100 ml of liquid at 10 %.

Buy 10 ml first, test and document. The larger bottle only pays off once the recipe is reproducible.

Dosing and layering: finding the optimal percentage

Flavour category	Starting dose	Typical maximum	Steeping time
Standard fruit	8 %	12 %	2–5 days
Dessert/bakery	10 %	15 %	1–4 weeks
Tobacco	4 %	8 %	2–4 weeks
Cream	4 %	8 %	1–2 weeks
Strong concentrate	2 %	5 %	3–5 days
Super concentrate	0.25 %	1 %	2–5 days
Menthol/cooling	0.5 %	3 %	immediate

Overdosing does not add intensity; it produces a flat, soapy or muted taste. This is the most common mistake – even among experienced mixers.

Ladder test and A/B comparison

Mix a sample at the lower limit (e.g. 8 % fruit).
Mix a second sample at +1 % (9 %) in parallel.
Let both rest for 48 hours, then compare blind.
The better sample becomes the new baseline; next step +0.5 %.
As soon as the taste tips over or turns soapy: go back one step.

Mixing order

Add top notes to the bottle first, then middle, then base notes. Then add the base (PG/VG), and nicotine last. This way the flavours disperse evenly before the viscous VG locks everything in.

After the first check, change only one variable at a time. If you adjust flavour and PG/VG ratio at once, you will not know what made the difference. More in our article Intensifying vape flavour.

Which PG/VG ratio suits which device?

PG is the flavour carrier: it transports taste more efficiently and provides the throat hit. VG delivers vapour volume and a smooth texture but wicks more slowly.

MTL tanks and pods: 50/50. Good wicking, clear flavour. Coils of 0.8–1.2 ohms, 10–18 watts.
RDL setups: 60/40 to 70/30 (VG/PG). Softer vapour, flavour stays present. 20–35 watts.
Sub-ohm/DL: 70/30 (VG/PG) or higher. Dense vapour, gentle throat hit, mesh coils below 0.5 ohms, 40–80 watts.

If you are sensitive to PG (scratchy throat), increase the VG share gradually. Mesh coils heat more evenly than wire coils and usually give a more reliable flavour picture for complex recipes.

Steeping and a clean test workflow

Fruity liquids usually peak after 2–5 days, desserts and custards need 1–4 weeks, tobacco blends often 2–4 weeks.

Timing	Action	Decision rule
48 h	First test	Check the general direction, do not fine-tune yet
72 h	Comparison sample	First adjustment if needed
1 week	Steeping check	Adjust in 0.25–0.5 % steps
4 weeks	Final test	Finalise or discard the recipe

Label every batch: date, recipe, concentrate batch numbers and PG/VG ratio on the bottle.

Storage: away from light, cool (below 25 °C), tightly closed and with a child-resistant cap – especially for nicotine mixes. Glass bottles suit long steeps, HDPE bottles short tests.

Safety and the law in Switzerland

Safety data sheet: read it for every concentrate.
Diacetyl, acetoin, acetyl propionyl: avoid them. These substances are suspected of damaging the airways when inhaled.
Protective equipment: nitrile gloves and safety glasses when handling nicotine base and concentrates.
Emergency: if nicotine base is swallowed or gets on your skin, call Tox Info Suisse on 145; in an emergency, call 144.

Since 1 October 2024, the Swiss Tobacco Products Act (TobPA) has been in force: e-cigarettes and liquids – with and without nicotine – may only be sold to people aged 18 and over, including online. Nicotine-containing liquids and refills are taxed at CHF 0.20 per ml, plus 8.1 % VAT. More in our article Vape tax in Switzerland.

Typical problems and quick fixes

Muted or soapy taste: almost always overdosing. Reduce by 1–2 %, remix, wait 48 hours. If the problem persists, test individual components in isolation.

Gunked coils with dessert flavours: sucralose caramelises on the coil. Change coils more often or choose unsweetened alternatives.

Poor wicking: too much VG for the tank. Increase the PG share or lower the power slightly.

Harsh throat hit: too much PG, nicotine too high or a flavour with its own bite (some tobacco and citrus flavours). Increase VG, check nicotine, reduce flavour.

Unbalanced layering: which component dominates, which disappears? Check the mixing order and swap a component if necessary.

To switch cleanly between recipes, see our guide to changing flavours.

Key takeaways

Topic	Short rule
Starting dose	Start at the manufacturer’s lower value; overdosing mutes the flavour.
Ladder test	Adjust in 0.25–0.5 % steps, wait 48–72 h each time, compare blind.
PG/VG by device	50/50 for MTL/pods, 70/30 (VG/PG) for sub-ohm/DL.
Safety	Read the safety data sheet, avoid diacetyl & co., handle nicotine only with gloves.
Documentation	Note recipe, date and batch numbers for every mix.

A recipe that works today may taste different after a concentrate batch change. Documentation is therefore not perfectionism but the only way to find causes. A precision scale (for amounts below 0.5 ml), a fixed note sheet per batch and spare coils when testing dessert recipes are part of the basic kit.

Ready-made liquids when time is short

Not every batch has to be mixed yourself. If you have no time for a test run, Snustrend offers ready-made e-liquids, for example Elf Bar ELFLIQ nicotine salt liquids, as well as matching pod systems.