Is it possible DIY state-of-the-art high-end juices

[juice drippin off my chin]

Hello DIYer's,


I'm wanting to get in on mixing due to the high cost of retail vape juice. I've been vaping for 4 years. Been through the evolution of e-liquid: v1.0 (Chinese) ,v2.0 (made in USA ) v3.0 (designer mixes), and v4.0 or what I call the modern current high end. My current favorites are Mr. Good Vapes, Ben Jonsons, and Perfect Cloudz. To me these flavors are rich, full flavored, and no weird off flavors in them.


I've read numerous posts on the DIY forum. It's almost impossible to tell which mixes are good or which posters have the best recipes. I've read comments like "oh I can't wait to try that or, thanks!" But that's about it. I fully realize that what flavors people like is completely subjective.


My questions are:

Can I DIY e liquid as good as Mr. Good Vapes or Ben Jonson's?

Who's got the best recipes on this forum?

Can I mix and produce flavors as good as for example Ben Jonson's Oreo Cr3m?

I'm looking for the lowdown,

Marx

 

[jfountain2]

Somebody somewhere mixed the original flavors....... They all started as DIY.

 

[DetraMental]

That's an excellent answer jfountain2! I'm currently creating flavors while cruising the ECF forum.

 

[Thunderball]

I dont know about those particular venders juices, but my juices are better than anything Ive bought. Ive been at this for a couple months. Ive previously bought from Halo, Freedomsmokeusa, MBV, Virtue Vapes, Dekang and an assortment of Brick and Mortar Stores.

It takes a lot of reading the posts in DIY and collecting the recipies listed on these forums and then mixing them. After a while you will get the hang of it (or not) and you will tweek these recipies to ,your liking. Only YOU can gaurantee your success.

 

[juice drippin off my chin]

Hey guys,

I could really use a good starting point. Who has the best recipes on this forum? Any votes here?

TIA

 

[crank]

man idk that all depends on what you personally like.

 

[we2rcool]

Hey guys,

I could really use a good starting point. Who has the best recipes on this forum? Any votes here?

TIA

If you want to make excellent juices that YOU love, copying someone elses recipes isn't the way to start (imo). Like any good cook, one HAS to *know* each ingredient...in the case of DIYing, it's the "flavors". How each smells (compares to how it tastes); how it steeps (both smell and taste will change over time...and some even several times over several weeks). How the individual flavors mix (chocolate chemicals + caramel chemicals does NOT always = 'chocolate caramel'). Some flavors are not 'flavors' at all (TFA's Smooth and FA's Magic Mask & Vape Wizard actually temporarily alter taste receptors)...the list is endless.

Read the stickies. Then spend 'days worth of hours' reading past posts & threads. Anybody with solid knowledge can create fantastic juices (for themselves and others). But copying recipes that someone else raves over (when taste IS subjective), isn't likely to get you there.

 

[Train2]

Right, it's TOO individual. Something you find fantastic, others won't like, and vice versa.
So you HAVE to start with something - start with something that SOUNDS good, and is a simple recipe, and then start expanding and experimenting. You can learn from the posts here what works in a general way - but you can't really learn what's going to taste good!

So - CAN you mix a juice you find complex, satisfying, tasty, "as good as" those designer blends?
YES.
Will you achieve that in your first few mixes? Probably not (but record all your recipes - just in case!).

 

[juice drippin off my chin]

Thanks for all the replies guys,

I stated up front in my original post that I know taste is subjective. I totally get that I have to experiment and tweak. I'm looking for some good recipes on this forum as a starting point. I'm guessing that some of the members/posters are the more advanced and they have recipes that are the favorites here in this forum... Who are they? What are some of their best recipes? I'd like to pick something good from those. Then I can experiment, see how flavors blend, and begin tweaking etc.

 

[Sm0kyBlue]

Thanks for all the replies guys,

I stated up front in my original post that I know taste is subjective. I totally get that I have to experiment and tweak. I'm looking for some good recipes on this forum as a starting point. I'm guessing that some of the members/posters are the more advanced and they have recipes that are the favorites here in this forum... Who are they? What are some of their best recipes? I'd like to pick something good from those. Then I can experiment, see how flavors blend, and begin tweaking etc.

nopes..

umm.. Dribbles figure out the flavors you LIKE, LOVE and HATE..

Then, go search for those recipes as a starting point.. common sense, avoid the ones you hate.. It's all trial and error.
What I like, you might not. The best thing to do, is pay attention, not paying for pre-made juice. You will really quickly find what you like, then. Take that leap! As far as playing with advanced recipes.. learn the basics, first. Proper attire, how to mix, will it need to steep, and what to do if it tastes like crap.

Following someone else's recipes is all cool and what not.. but do you know how they got that cool? By mixing what they like.

Only way to do this, is to take a chance and try something on your own.
I know, having vapable juice is a bonus.. still.. a lot of advanced recipes, wont be posted.
That is how the "upscale" juices are just that, well guarded secrets that belong to other mixers..

Good luck!

~Just a mixer with over 1100 recipes and 5 and a half months experience.

 

[we2rcool]

Thanks for all the replies guys,

I stated up front in my original post that I know taste is subjective. I totally get that I have to experiment and tweak. I'm looking for some good recipes on this forum as a starting point. I'm guessing that some of the members/posters are the more advanced and they have recipes that are the favorites here in this forum... Who are they? What are some of their best recipes? I'd like to pick something good from those. Then I can experiment, see how flavors blend, and begin tweaking etc.

Copying someone elses recipe and expecting it to be like the high-end juices of which you speak is like trying to copy a painters masterpiece! If you've got the exact same flavors; the exact same brand of pg/vg/nic; the same steeping method; and use all the same 'enhancers' (if any) mixed/not the same way - you may come up with a good copy...and you might be able to 'tweak it' and make it even more to your liking. But no one learns to paint using a "paint by number kit".

I'm looking for some good recipes on this forum as a starting point

We/I get that. What we're trying to say is that is not the best way to start...assuming you want to learn how to create masterpieces of your own. DIYing is part art and part science (and part common sense & intuition...once you learn the nuances & attributes of the chemicals/flavors). One must master the basics & fundamentals (at some level) of any art or science before "creating".

If you don't learn/experience all the various flavors/ingredients/variables first-hand yourself (separately), you'll likely be extremely frustrated when you're experimenting & tweaking. Read Hoosier's Blogs E-Cigarette Forum - Hoosier - Blogs then get more details from dannyv45's blogs E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs.

No one is trying to keep all the best recipes away from you (or make you search to find the posters that post 'the best ones'). It's just that we've all found (for the biggest part), that there are no 'best ones' (although there are posters/mixers that mix more according to our taste than others). We all have to tweak the recipes to get it to be the way it's right for us...but without *knowing* the attributes of each individual flavor & additive, it's impossible to tweak them to turn them into what is awesome for ourselves.

And this is very true:

I know, having vapable juice is a bonus.. still.. a lot of advanced recipes, wont be posted. That is how the "upscale" juices are just that, well guarded secrets that belong to other mixers..

I'm looking for some good recipes on this forum as a starting point.

Here's the 'starting point' that most all successful DIYers suggest: decide on a few individual flavors you're pretty sure you'd like to vape. Then get them, mix them (at varying percentages), and try them (try them on the day you mix; a couple-three days later; a week later, and 2 weeks later). After that, take the ones/percentages you like the best and 'tweak them' using various additives...until you perfect a few single flavors. At that point you'll have a good idea of what you're doing and 'how the process is going to work'. Then proceed from there at whatever pace you'd prefer.

Of course, at any time you can do & mix whatever the heck you want to do...in whatever order you want to do it!

Edit: great advice here: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/477708-hardest-part-diy-gotonew.html

 

[retired1]

Moved to DIY E-Liquid

 

[Chas_L]

Here you go Thread with over 1,500 post with many recepies for one of the ejuices many rav aout

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/353176-my-bobas-clone.html


FWIW I have the real stuff and do not understand why it is held in such high regards.

 

[Harlen]

Yes you can but it takes time to fined what you really like . Mix in small batches right every thing down that you do ! Every Thing !
From one very happy vaper

 

[Hoosier]

First off...you would probably be shocked at how many "high-end" juice vendors started here in this sub or ones like it elsewhere on the web. I've seen it happen again and again during my time here. (Sometimes it only shows up because they suddenly stop posting or get shuffled to the Moved-On bin. Depending on if they followed ECF rules) A few of them were big on lurking with infrequent posts, but most were active posters when they were learning.

Second, I think my mixes are better than theirs. I like some of the stuff made by others, but I like mine more. I'm sure they like their stuff better than mine too. It took me a long time to get there. Heck, the very first taste I wanted, and my main reason for starting DIY, took me 5 months to discover the recipe. (That's 5 months of mixing experiments at least 3 times a week and usually more.) All these years later it is still one of my favorite vapes. During that time I made an amazing amount of crap also discovered that gallon of PG I thought would last forever didn't even last for the entire attempt at that certain flavor. Granted, I discovered some good vapes along the way, but they were just experiments that got me closer... just like the unvapable ones I rinsed down the drain got me closer.

Third, if you want a starting point: Grab some USP PG & VG along with some clean tasting nicotine in whatever base floats your boat. Then swing over to Capella's and grab a bottle of Sweet Tangerine. When those things come in, along with your measuring equipment and empty bottles, taste your bases. Vape your PG. Vape your VG. Mix your nic down to your target and vape it unflavored. Finally make a mix with 15% Sweet Tangerine. You can vape that while you're experimenting with the other flavorings that you couldn't help but order while you were looking at what was available.

Forth, nobody became good at mixing by thinking about it. You have to do it. So get started already. We're waiting on you...

 

[HeadInClouds]

Can I DIY e liquid as good as Mr. Good Vapes or Ben Jonson's?
Who's got the best recipes on this forum?

Yes, you can even make new mixes you like better. Yet I guarantee someone else will think they're horrid. That's why your second question is impossible to answer.

You can take the approach of trying recipes of others. If you happen on some you like, it's quite possible you'll like others developed by the same person. Or not!

A more systematic approach will get you results you like faster, with less waste, faster. It takes experimenting, so if you find that enjoyable, you'll have fun with it.

#1 Decide what general flavors you like and plan what to develop from them. I chose fancy flavored coffees. I checked out online recipes and menus of coffee places to get ideas.

#2 Obtain and test base flavors for those classes. Just buy small bottles for this. In my case, I tested creams, vanillas, coffees, milk choc, dark choc, hazelnuts, various liquors I like, etc. Make a small sample, maybe 3ml, of each individual flavor. Try it alone to get the percentage to your liking. Write notes (e.g. "heavy vanilla, very sweet, full flavor at 10%, chemical taste at 15%..."). Include both basic flavors (coffee) and more complex ones (caramel cappuccino) to test. Try many, and don't limit yourself to one source, at least not at first. FlavorWest, Capella's, Nature's Flavors, FlavourArt, even the Chinese ones all contributed "best-of" flavors to my stock.

#3 Try combining your "best in class" flavors from your little 3ml samples, maybe just 2-3 flavors mixed at first. I just from my sample bottles right into a cartomizer or tank to try combinations. I added my favorite cream to my favorite plain coffee until I liked the proportions...then added my favorite liquor to taste (had to reduce the cream)...then some vanilla (needed more plain coffee), etc. Take good notes. Don't be afraid to mix 2-3 of a single flavor together (basic coffee from different sources) - they often create a new base flavor superior to any single one.

#4 When you hit on one you like, add it to your own recipe book, noting pg/vg mix, nic %, and percents of each flavor. Name it. Make a larger bottle right away to be sure you've got it written down right. This might be as simple as "plain coffee" made from mixing two others, or a complex mix, like some Starbucks flavor.

#5 It's rarely a finished work! One day you'll try your masterpiece and decide it needs a change. Just keep great notes. Every bottle in my finished stock has the recipe right on it, written in sharpie marker on masking tape.

Now that I have a good variety of fancy coffees, I'm working with chocolate candies...returning to step #1. Some of the flavors I didn't like for coffee will get another chance, so I never toss any flavors I've bought. I've made only 2 small bottles of my own recipes that are horrible. I had a stuffy head and no sense of smell yesterday, so guess what I vaped No need to waste.

 

[dannyv45]

As you may have herd many times on this forum and in fact many times in this thread is "Taste is very subjective" So I'm not going to bore you with the meaning of that phrase (I think you already got that). What you need to do is read, read and read some more. You have already been given the tools earlier in this thread in the form of some great advice. Buy flavors buy lot's of base and small 5ml bottles and get to work mixing your individual flavors. The only way you will become a real artist is to know exactly what your working with. And that can only come from practice. After a while you will find your creativity will kick in and you will come up with that fantastic creation with no help from others. And all I can say is what a wonderful feeling that is.

 

[Sm0kyBlue]

Do not think we are picking on you.. You are new.. and probably new to diy..

Take your time.. enjoy your flavors, learn from your mistakes, and you will make those! but the last thing is..

Have some fun After all.. you never know what you might make. I am happy to see my friends giving tips here too.. Thank you for saying it better than I can lolol..

**back to my lurking!

 

[Hoosier]

Good point SmOkyBlue...

Didn't realize it could look like folks where pickin' on the OP until I read your post and then went back and read. I was blinded by knowing what the posters were trying to convey.

Guess it was like that basketball coach I had that was all-fire for full-speed running at all times while on court. The only thing I disliked about basketball was the running because I sucked at running. I thought he was picking on me at the beginning of the season, but as the games went by I noticed that if I was running full speed at all times, I made plays. I was where I needed to be when I needed to be there and could do the stuff I enjoyed about basketball more often. He was the toughest and best coach I ever had.

 

[sparetime1]

Your vaping equipment will be a big variable too. I find that juices on one device will be totally different on another. Good luck...