Menthol vs Mint - question

[Fiatrix]

Do pure menthol crystals actually taste like mint, or do they just have the cooling effect without the mint flavor? Could anyone clarify the specific differences for me?

I'm thinking of simply mixing menthol crystals with my nic base, and I'm wondering if the resulting liquid would have a MINT taste to it at all (and if so, which type of mint does it most closely resemble?), or if it would just have that cold mentholated feeling without tasting particularly minty.

I understand that there are different types of mint (peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, etc) and that they each taste different, and I know that mint-flavored additives can have varying amounts of that cold mentholated feeling... But what does a pure menthol additive TASTE like?

 

[jambi]

Heh...what does menthol taste like? That's a really good question that I'm not even gonna try to answer, but I will say that mint and menthol are two distinctly different flavors to me. How do I describe it... Menthol is cooler, lighter, and the taste/sensation of it dissipates faster and cleaner than mint. I can only "taste" menthol during inhale/exhale. The taste of mint stays around in my mouth for awhile afterwards.

I'd say mint is a stronger, potentially harsher flavor than menthol. Too much mint and my eyes are watering, too much menthol and it's just numbingly cold. There you go...mint is hot, while menthol is cold.

The only other thing I'll add is that mint tastes edible to me, menthol doesn't. Menthol just kind of goes in and then dissipates via nose and mouth, while mint tends to hang around everywhere.

I've tried various mints, spearmints and peppermints. My favorite mint is the Inawera stuff called simply "Mint". I do not like TFA's version, can't describe it but I just don't like it compared to Inawera.

Only menthol I've yet tried is the FlavorWest, though I have some others on the way. What can I say? It's menthol. It does what I need it to do.

 

[anavidfan]

Great question, menthol sounds a lot like TFA "koolada" has anyone used it ? and how does it compare to menthol and mint.

I love mints, I have TFAs : horehound, spearmint, peppermint and another one, cant remember. I mix them all up.

 

[Jim_ MDP]

Menthol is not a mint... I don't believe.
It's Eucalyptus and/or Camphor.

I'm not sure whether those are the same, just with different names.
Nor am I sure whether the eucalyptus tree is in the mint family. I'm thinking not.

Helpful... ain't I ?

 

[Scy123]

I use menthol crystals and I would not say it taste like mint.

 

[Fiatrix]

Heh...what does menthol taste like? That's a really good question that I'm not even gonna try to answer, but I will say that mint and menthol are two distinctly different flavors to me. How do I describe it... Menthol is cooler, lighter, and the taste/sensation of it dissipates faster and cleaner than mint. I can only "taste" menthol during inhale/exhale. The taste of mint stays around in my mouth for awhile afterwards.

I'd say mint is a stronger, potentially harsher flavor than menthol. Too much mint and my eyes are watering, too much menthol and it's just numbingly cold. There you go...mint is hot, while menthol is cold.

The only other thing I'll add is that mint tastes edible to me, menthol doesn't. Menthol just kind of goes in and then dissipates via nose and mouth, while mint tends to hang around everywhere.

I've tried various mints, spearmints and peppermints. My favorite mint is the Inawera stuff called simply "Mint". I do not like TFA's version, can't describe it but I just don't like it compared to Inawera.

Only menthol I've yet tried is the FlavorWest, though I have some others on the way. What can I say? It's menthol. It does what I need it to do.

Thank you, your description helps a lot. What I get from it is that, at least to your palate, menthol is more of a feeling than a flavor, which is exactly what I was trying to determine.

 

[Jim_ MDP]

I had to look it up as I really don't care for the stuff.

It is derived from various mints. It should have a taste of its' own.
For other uses... decongestants etc., it gets mixed with camphor and eucalyptus oils.

As I never could stand menthol smokes, that's not the taste memory I have of it.
And I grew up in NorCal with a ton of eucalyptus trees... not a pleasant scent memory.

 

[defdock]

There you go...mint is hot, while menthol is cold.

this is exactly how i would describe it.

on that note, menthol does have a taste and does get stronger in taste along with coldness - but its nothing of a mint taste.

as others mentioned, TFA makes a "Flavor" called Koolada witch is just the COLD feeling without the taste. - i personally like a slight menthol, but i love a good cold feel - when i DIY i usually buy premade menthol and koolada from TFA and mix them 50/50, then add that to my final juice at 5-7%

 

[Fiatrix]

on that note, menthol does have a taste and does get stronger in taste along with coldness - but its nothing of a mint taste

Are you able to give any description to the menthol taste? If it doesn't taste like it has a minty base (especially considering it is derived from mint plants), does it have more of a chemical flavor, or is it something else? I like the flavor of mint (though I could deal with just the cold feeling sans mintiness if need be), but I won't even bother if menthol has any sort of chemical taste.

 

[defdock]

It's quite akward trying to describe it. But I can say there is absolutely no hint of any mint in the flavor aspect. To me, it kinda tastes "planty" but not "green" persay lol. Sorta tastes like eucalyptus, but still 70% different.

Like I said, it gets stronger in taste the more you add and it can overpower some flavors.

I don't like using too much as I don't like the flavor jumping over other flavors and smacking me in the face.

 

[defdock]

Tbh, this is going to sounds nuts/strange.
If you have any "friend smokers" who smoke camel menthol or crush, the filter has a bead filled with a concentrated menthol liquid in alcohol base. ONE single bead has enough concentrate to make 10-15 mls of menthol ejuice, IF you'd like to try it without committing to buying a whole bottle of flavor from somewhere.

 

[Fiatrix]

Tbh, this is going to sounds nuts/strange.
If you have any "friend smokers" who smoke camel menthol or crush, the filter has a bead filled with a concentrated menthol liquid in alcohol base. ONE single bead has enough concentrate to make 10-15 mls of menthol ejuice, IF you'd like to try it without committing to buying a whole bottle of flavor from somewhere.

Whoa. Well that's an interesting idea (and an absurd amount of menthol for one cigarette), but to be honest... I don't trust Camel to only put menthol in those things. I'm probably wrong, but I just tend to assume they throw all kinds of devils and poisons into highly flavored additives like that... But I've been termed a "conspiracy theorist", so.... ignore this comment. Haha.

I'm gonna be tossing that Crush ball idea around in my head for a while now....

 

[Fiatrix]

P.S. Nude Nicotine sells a 15ml bottle of 10% menthol crystals dissolved in PG for $4, so I'm sure I'd just go that route instead, lol. Thanks for that tip though!