I hate to waste or throw any away and most of them are already in my all day vape routine.
I'm with ya on that Sugar. As long as it is vapable; I won't throw it out. To me it is akin to throwing out perfectly edible food. Something inside me says it is not only wasteful but also morally irresponsible.
my inventory is very light on LorAnn flavorings
To
my way of thinking; you are not missing out on much. Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge (and respect) LA for being one of the early sources for the first DIYers, that just weren't happy with the flavor extracts they were able to get from their local super market.
However they have never shown an interest in catering to the e-liquid segment of the potential flavoring market. Their selection is rather small by today's rule (especially when you factor out nearly half that are oil-based and completely inappropriate for vaping), they still use lots of artificial dyes in many of their mixes, and most of what's left is rather middle-of-the-road as far as
my palate is concerned.
But they, like many others, do have their winners. For example: Cream Cheese frosting will always have a place in my stash.
My thrill is not in the developing (I let others more experienced than I do that)
I realize the main subject of this tread is TFA. But ...
Not to worry; this thread is one of the loosest
I am aware of when it comes to what is/is not "on topic" (not to be confused with the TFA recipe thread which tries to stay pretty much on point with dominantly TFA recipes). Most of us try to self regulate and not start anything that
can't be applied to TFA, or is likely to permanently derail the thread.
I am realize you have been part of the ECF community W A Y longer than I have, but I will say it anyway for the benefit of newer participants, who might be trying to decide where the best place to ask a question, that might also read this;
The benefits of starting a new thread (with an accurate descriptive title) is that it can likely reach a broader segment of the community... and therefore get more (and possibly more helpful) responses; post a new question or topic on an existing thread can limit your potential audience (especially a large, long running thread, like this TFA thread) because there may be many who have chosen to "ignore" the thread thinking it is ONLY about TFA; and lastly, your own thread (with a well described title) being newly started gets it placed to the head of the list of available threads and acts as kind of a spot light to help draw attention (and hopefully participation) to it.
Do I really need to have a half dozen of the same flavor from a half dozen different manufacturers?
Need to? No. Like most everything else in DIY; it comes down to what you want from your DIY experience, and personal preference and palate.
My DIY journey has lead me to the current position that "it depends." It depends on the particular flavor and what I am wanting the flavor to
do for me. If I am looking at caramels; just about any caramel will do. I am not a caramel fanatic and I do not make caramel centered/focused recipes. I do use caramels rather frequently to add support and depth to other focus points.
Now, when I compare that to
my use of mango, or lemon, or watermelon, or custard (all "quests" I have been on/am still on), I wasn't satisfied with just "good enough." I wanted what
I thought those flavors should taste like to be reflected in my juice.
The sent me into "research" mode. I entered words and phrases into the search bar and read the results, I read threads, asked questions, read flavor reviews on forums, blogs and vendor sites.
Then, when I felt like I had a handle on what other DIYers thought of specific flavors, and which ones might be the better fits for me, I would order my top two or three choices. IN MINIMUM (tester-size) QUANTITIES.
Then I will spend some time with each candidate, as a stand-alone/single flavor, to get to know what it tastes like
to me and at what percentage
I like it best at.
Only then will I have an
idea of whether it is going to help
me achieve my goals.
Most recipes I've seen specify the provider, even when that recipe uses flavoring from an assortment of suppliers.
Correct (and that is considered good manners to include mfg. info.
). As
@I'mnotZak already said; if I want to taste what the recipe creator intended... my best bet is to use his/her ingredients. I can make something just as good, or even better, but it won't be the
same.
I assume this is because each of my versions of caramel has different potency.
Yes and no. Potency
can be a factor; but so is taste. Think of it like all the different varieties of apples you can find in a grocery store. They are indeed all apple, and they can all be eaten, but most taste different (some more/some less) than the others, some suit different purposes better (Granny Smiths are great for baking but bake a Red Delicious and you end up with a piecrust full of soupy applesauce).
So just because 4 different manufacturers make a "Caramel Candy" it doesn't mean they are going to taste alike (or even similar). Besides one being more potent than another; you might find one works better with tobacco recipes, while another works better with creams. And, you can go even further if you want, and find that Caramel Candy from mfg. A tastes best with Custard from mfg. B, while Caramel Candy from mfg. C tasted best with Custard from mfg. D.
It all depends on what
you want out of it.
How does a person know how much to use if, say, Blackberry is called for but the brand of Blackberry you have on hand isn't the same brand as the recipe calls for? Or is this something that can only be determined by trial & error, with the likelihood of wasting some juice in the process?
You can have a head start if you are familiar with both the suggested flavor as well as the one you want to sub with.
I am making a recipe that calls for 4% Blackberry (mfg. A) as one of its ingredients.
I want to sub Blackberry (mfg. B).
I know I like Blackberry (mfg.A) best at 7% (as a stand-alone), while I like Blackberry (mfg. B) best at 3.5% (also as a stand alone). So I can say I like B compared to A at roughly half the percentage. It is not the specific percentages of each that is important as much as it is the ratio between the two percentages.
Using that as a ballpark guide I might try
beginning substituting B for A, in the recipe at half the amount called for. So, in the fictional case I started with where it is calling for Blackberry (mfg. A) at 4%, I would start by subbing 2% (or half) of Blackberry (mfg. B), and then adjust from there once I have tasted it.
Just remember, whenever you are trying something new, mix in small quantities so you are not wasting a lot of resources, and take LOTS of notes so you know what did AND didn't work AND why. Being able to repeat your creations (or avoid repeating the failures), and understanding why it was a success or failure, will make you a better mixer more quickly with fewer frustrations, and
hopefully make it a more enjoyable experience.
Of course, there are also those DIYers who find that all much too tedious, and simply want something that tastes good. They read a recipe, it sounds good, they don't care about whether they are "duplicating" the recipe or "getting it exact," and they are content with hit/miss outcomes and can easily shrug off the misses. This is more of a "seat of your pants" style of mixing.
One is no more "right" than the other; other than how well it works for you. I have always been a person who has to know the "whys" of everything so "seat of the pants" is too frustrating for
me. But I know many successful, happy, DIYers that do exactly that. You just need to discover what works best for you.
Best wishes on your own journey of discovery!
I do find myself placing a flavoring order just about weekly due to my near daily habit of browsing recipe sites and forums and gaining motivation to try new mixes and flavors. A recipe for Gingerbread ice cream is the latest example. For me, the fun really began when the fear and uncertainty of mixing ended!
