Thank you for sharing this. This is really something. You go WAAAAY beyond what a lot of other vendors do. They take PG/VG and throw 1 or 2 pre-made (packaged) flavorings in there and that is what they sell. You do get into the science of it.
How long has NT been around? I see from your banner that you are a little over 1 year smoke free. I can imagine you sitting there puffing on some other vendor's juice and saying to yourself, I can do better. The mad scientist in you starts researching everything you can on the types of ingredients that vendors or DIYers use and start digging deeper into things.
I had no idea that there were that many varieties of vanilla beans! Did you actually test them all or just researched the ones that you thought you would try?
I have come to the conclusion that the more advanced juice vendors like you are also either professional chefs or love to cook and I don't mean throw a box of Mac and Cheese on...I mean that these home cooks might be able to get on the Masterchef show! I do know that your profession is not as a chef. It delves into how the mind works and helping people.
Thank you for sharing this with me and the rest of the family. It truly shows how much you love what you do!
I really haven't been "in the game" that long... I started vaping on April 26, 2013 (quit smoking the day I started and haven't had a cigarette since - with the notable exception of a clove that Cherie Pie gave me to mouth hit so I could do some development work on a Clove eLiquid).
I struggled to find liquid that I enjoyed vaping. I mean - there was no shortage of really bad liquid, quite a bit out there that was "eh - okay", some that was "good" - and still a small minority that make me go "WOW." One of the things that really surprised me was that there was very little correlation between price and quality... there are "good vendors" out there at a wide variety of price-points. With a few notable exceptions, all of my liquid has WOW'ed both Katy and I. As a general rule, if we are both WOW'ed, statistically... it will WOW most people. We're vape snobs, but we're FRUGAL vape snobs. We absolute refuse to pay more than .80c/ml for liquid no matter how good it is. Based on average consumption of 2.5ml per day, that's still only $2... less than 1/3 of what I was paying to smoke 1.5 packs a day @ $5/pack. Our goal was to deliver premium liquid experience with no compromises for less than .70c/ml... all while providing an aspect that no other liquid vendor has yet to match - a sense of community support - a sense of "family." I still feel like we are the best overall value in eLiquid - our success and growth is really testament to that. There are options that are more expensive, and there are options that are less expensive - but no vendor offers what we offer at any price-point. If we ever fail to walk-the-walk, please, call us out... we try to "do right" by people in every situation regardless of cost (time or money). I personally spend a ton of time out here exchanging ideas - I try to keep an open mind (and copious notes) while I am here... I feel like the time is well spent. Not only do I enjoy spending the time here on the forum, I've learned as much or more here than I have taught - this is an extremely vibrant community that has embraced an industry that is rapidly changing - unplugging and ignoring the wave would be a critical mistake. Matter of fact, I am about to devote more resources to "listening" - we'll be plugging Beau and Nick in soon!
I'm rambling... good question - I think the point is... Nicoticket has much more to do with the quality of people we have managed to attract and retain. The people who linger here are second to none in their sense of community and their willingness to help each other, share knowledge, and make the total experience of vaping enjoyable. It has much less to do with the contents of the bottles, and more to do with the people who hold the bottles - the people who embrace the wider meaning of what it means to have Nicoticket in the tank.