Hey Everyone,
I was wondering the same thing, can we use McCormick flavors? So I did a bit of research and found out that there is not a lot written on using McC flavorings, as a matter of fact, I can sum it up here:
- Strawberry is NOT usable.
- Rum extract is usable in small quantities
- Vanilla and Banana are usable.
- Butter is usable and doesn't contain diacetyl.
- Coconut is probably usable.
- You are MUCH better off using LorAnns or similar.
So, I looked around to find guidelines on e-juice production, and found these tips:
Sugars & Starches, Gums & Thickeners: These will char and burn! Awful taste and will clog or damage your atty!
Oils: This is actually a hit-or-miss. It's all a matter of how much oil there is, if the oil evaporates or not, what the oil breaks down into, how much residue does it leave, etc, etc, etc. The safe answer is to avoid oils, but not everyone does.
Artificial Colorings: These are typically safe to eat, but inhalation effects are often untested - the risk here is unknown.
With this knowledge in hand, I looked up the ingredients of the McCormick flavorings and listed the flavors according to *theoretical* usability and safety of the ingredients. Note: this is NOT from actual usage - just from a review of the ingredients. This list may be wrong, but I tried to err on the side of caution.
High Risk - Contains sugars or gums, likely to clog atty, also likely to have an awful burnt taste:
- McC Imitation Maple Flavor - Contains sugars!
- McC Imitation Rum Extract - Contains sugars!
- McC Imitation Strawberry Extract - Contains sugars!
- McC Premium Imitation Vanilla Extract - Contains sugars!
- McC Pure Vanilla Extract - Contains sugars!
- McC Imitation Vanilla Butter & Nut Flavor - (GUM TRAGACANTH)
- McC Root Beer Concentrate - Contains sugars!
- Baker's Imitation Vanilla - (Carmel Color)
- McC French Vanilla Blend - (Carmel Color)
- McC Imitation Cherry Extract - (Carmel Color) (FD&C RED 40)
Risky - Contains substances that may become toxic when decomposing
- McC Imitation Almond Extract - benzaldehyde
Risky - Contains Oils that may foul your atty
- McC Pure Almond Extract - Contains Almond Oil!
- McC Pure Anise Extract - Contains Anise Oil!
- McC Pure Lemon Extract - Contains Lemon Oil!
- McC Pure Mint Extract - Contains Spearmint and Peppermint Oil!
- McC Pure Orange Extract - Contains Orange Oil!
- McC Pure Peppermint Extract - Contains Peppermint Oil!
Unknown - Contains substances that are safe to ingest, but may or may not be safe to inhale.
- McC Clear Imitation Vanilla Extract - (Citric Acid)
- McC Imitation Banana Extract - (FD&C YELLOW 5)
- McC Imitation Butter Flavor - (FD&C YELLOW 5)
- McC Raspberry Extract - (Citric Acid) (FD&C RED 40)
Low Risk - Seems OK
- McC Cinnamon Extract - prob. OK
- McC Imitation Coconut Extract - prob. OK
If anyone has more info, please share. I may try some of these (Banana, Vanilla, Coconut) later. If I do, I'll let you know how it goes.
Just my 2 cents, YMMV, Standard disclaimers apply. If at all possible, use LorAnns or similar -
Best Regards,
JWW
