We all have different taste sensitivities, but I agree with BrotherBob that-- especially with all (or most) TFA-- 16% aggregate is quite normal. Most of my all-TFA juices are right around there, even a little higher. However, if this is too much for you, then the answer is of course to go lower. 5.5% of actual TFA flavorings (discounting the Smooth and EM) seems ridiculously low to me. Some people do like it like that, but that total seems more in line with a blend using FA flavors or certain tobacco flavorings.
That said, it's always a good idea to start low and add, as you can't really subtract flavorings from a given volume of
juice... just add more liquid.
I can only reiterate what BrotherBob said regarding steeping. I ALWAYS test at least a bit of
juice as soon as I make it. There's no
sense in looking forward to a bottle that's steeping when the recipe is just bad. As you practice more, you'll start to learn what recipes taste good enough to sit and revisit and which are clearly failures from the get go.
All-fruit vapes tend to need the least amount of time to steep, IMO. Many are good immediately, though a good mix will typically gain complexity as it sits. Fruit-and-creams need at least 3-4 days (I feel), Custards/creams/bakery about a week, and tobaccos at least 10 days to 2 weeks. Granted, I tend to stick to fruit and fruit and creams so I'm not the best judge on the others, but I think those are reasonable starting places. I'm sure you can find people who vape their tobacco mixes after a day or two. I just wouldn't do it.
I
mostly agree that no amount of steeping will fix a truly poor recipe, but I also think that steeping can make an iffy recipe much more vapeable. But any recipe that you try immediately and nearly makes you hurl isn't suddenly going to become your ADV just because it's sat around for a week or two.
As for your recipe, it's a little hard to say. I don't think there's enough Pie Crust to make it taste like a true Vanilla Pie, if that's what you're going for. There's 6x more Vanilla Cupcake in there, which in this case is likely to overwhelm the crust note. Personally I would probably up the Bavarian Cream and Pie Crust a little to get a better balance with the Vanilla Cupcake. Otherwise, this really isn't my wheelhouse so I'm not sure if there are any better tricks.
TLDR: Your flavorings seem low, but everyone has to figure out what amount tastes good to them and how much they want to be inhaling. Appropriate steep time varies depending on what type of flavor it is. Steeping may help make a so-so blend vapeable, but is unlikely to correct a truly awful recipe, which is why it's a good idea to vape at least a bit of your juice as soon as you've mixed it.
