So today I received my first package of supplies to blend my own juices. I expected this to be a simple endeavor into flavor creation, and honestly, so far it hasn't been too bad.
Maybe I should back it up a little and give you some of my personal history. I have worked in restaurants, primarily in kitchens for the majority of my life. From pizza shops and delis to casual dining, I have dedicated my career life to the art of making things taste good, and if I do say so myself, I am a damn good cook. If it can be made in a kitchen, I can make it better, and it's all made fresh.
So, my initial dilemma with DIY is that there are a lot of artificial flavorings out there. This is a realm that I have never really ventured into, so of course, there will be a learning curve. I can tell how many blueberries to put into your muffin batter just by eyeing it up, but when it comes to concentrated flavor liquids, it's less about the appearance, and more about the recipe. I started with ten flavorings and out of them I have already put together four "recipes" using all ten, and not using any one of them twice.
I purchased 3 of LorAnns flavors (Mango, Nutty Amaretto, Orange Oil) and 7 from The Flavorer's Apprentice (Blueberry Candy, Caramel, Cheesecake Graham Crust, Double Chocolate Dark, Kona Coffee, Sweet Cream and Vanilla Cupcake).
Since I vape at 18%, I ordered a 36mg/ml VG and a bottle of PG. I just mix them even parts and I get my 50/50 VG/PG blend. Flavor aside, the vapor production has been outstanding! This process has cost me a few coils on my RBAs, though, since I am constantly changing the wick during the flavor development process.
The flavors I came up with are SunnyD (yep, Sunny D), ChocoKonaCream, Caramarreto Cheesecake and Blueberry Cupcake. They all turned out tasting okay, except the Kona blend. The Kona flavor completely trumps all other flavors it is blended with, so I will definately have to rethink that blend. The best one is Blueberry Cupcake.
Every Blueberry flavor I have ever ordered from any vendor has always been, shall we say, on the harsh side relating to the throat hit. The Blueberry candy concentrate, however, is just sweet enough to mellow that out, and when paired with the Vanilla Cupcake, it sits nicely in the mix.
SunnyD tastes just like the real deal. It even has that "thickness" to the flavor that you get out of the orange capped bottle. Very pleased with that.
I am letting the Caramaretto Cheesecake sit for a day before I try it again. It had a very nice amaretto flavor with hints of caramel and cheesecake immediately after shaking it up, but after I let it sit in warm water for about half an hour, the amaretto nestled in a bit and the sweetness of it's counterparts started to shine. My patience will be tempered through this new exploration into flavors.
Kona is probably going down the drain and restarted from scratch. I hate to waste juice, but at the DIY level, it is only going to cost a quarter to scrap it at most. This may become my white unicorn. I know what I want it to taste like, but the flavors don't behave the way they should.
So, back to the cupboard I go to see how many ways I can stretch 10 flavors until I get my next delivery. I'm only mixing 2ml at a time to reduce wasted materials. I drip for a bit and then I'll tank it if I like it. I'll post again after I get some steep time in. See you then. Higs.
Maybe I should back it up a little and give you some of my personal history. I have worked in restaurants, primarily in kitchens for the majority of my life. From pizza shops and delis to casual dining, I have dedicated my career life to the art of making things taste good, and if I do say so myself, I am a damn good cook. If it can be made in a kitchen, I can make it better, and it's all made fresh.
So, my initial dilemma with DIY is that there are a lot of artificial flavorings out there. This is a realm that I have never really ventured into, so of course, there will be a learning curve. I can tell how many blueberries to put into your muffin batter just by eyeing it up, but when it comes to concentrated flavor liquids, it's less about the appearance, and more about the recipe. I started with ten flavorings and out of them I have already put together four "recipes" using all ten, and not using any one of them twice.
I purchased 3 of LorAnns flavors (Mango, Nutty Amaretto, Orange Oil) and 7 from The Flavorer's Apprentice (Blueberry Candy, Caramel, Cheesecake Graham Crust, Double Chocolate Dark, Kona Coffee, Sweet Cream and Vanilla Cupcake).
Since I vape at 18%, I ordered a 36mg/ml VG and a bottle of PG. I just mix them even parts and I get my 50/50 VG/PG blend. Flavor aside, the vapor production has been outstanding! This process has cost me a few coils on my RBAs, though, since I am constantly changing the wick during the flavor development process.
The flavors I came up with are SunnyD (yep, Sunny D), ChocoKonaCream, Caramarreto Cheesecake and Blueberry Cupcake. They all turned out tasting okay, except the Kona blend. The Kona flavor completely trumps all other flavors it is blended with, so I will definately have to rethink that blend. The best one is Blueberry Cupcake.
Every Blueberry flavor I have ever ordered from any vendor has always been, shall we say, on the harsh side relating to the throat hit. The Blueberry candy concentrate, however, is just sweet enough to mellow that out, and when paired with the Vanilla Cupcake, it sits nicely in the mix.
SunnyD tastes just like the real deal. It even has that "thickness" to the flavor that you get out of the orange capped bottle. Very pleased with that.
I am letting the Caramaretto Cheesecake sit for a day before I try it again. It had a very nice amaretto flavor with hints of caramel and cheesecake immediately after shaking it up, but after I let it sit in warm water for about half an hour, the amaretto nestled in a bit and the sweetness of it's counterparts started to shine. My patience will be tempered through this new exploration into flavors.
Kona is probably going down the drain and restarted from scratch. I hate to waste juice, but at the DIY level, it is only going to cost a quarter to scrap it at most. This may become my white unicorn. I know what I want it to taste like, but the flavors don't behave the way they should.
So, back to the cupboard I go to see how many ways I can stretch 10 flavors until I get my next delivery. I'm only mixing 2ml at a time to reduce wasted materials. I drip for a bit and then I'll tank it if I like it. I'll post again after I get some steep time in. See you then. Higs.
