How long does it take you?

[Zabolee]

I started my DIY journey about 2 months ago. Unfortunately, I'm really busy, and am out of the house for about 12-16 hours a day, 3 days a week. When I'm home, I'm exhausted. So I don't have a ton of time to mix new recipes.

Therefore, I've only made about 25 juices. Mostly fruit cheesecake and pastry types. I am starting out making recipes that I find online. Mostly if they get good reviews. But I just have not been able to nail down that one recipe I'd like to make my ADV.

My question to you is...

How long has it taken you to make that perfect flavor?

 

[victor6er]

I've made 5 juices so far and the 3 I made by trying clone recipes came out so good I swap between the 3 as adv. The descriptions sounded like something I'd enjoy and I did. The other 2 were for my girlfriend and taste horrible to both of us but she's pretty wishy-washy in what she thinks she wants.
I've adjusted a few ingredients in mine but not much...

so I suppose in 30 days I've nailed 3 juices.

 

[MsLoud]

My advice - and you will get plenty of different ones - is first, make a base mix you really enjoy. By base mix I mean one you can add whatever cranks your tractor to a vape away. My base is a mix of flavors I realized I was using in most all of my recipes - for example - Vanilla Swirl, Bavarian Cream, Cheesecake Graham Cracker Crust, Brown Sugar Extra...etc. I mix that up in 100mls. When I want something fruity - I take out 20mls and add to it. It cuts the time to mix for me and lets me have on hand something I can add drops to and ready to vape.

 

[PilotNY]

I guess I was lucky. 2nd recipe, one for Mega Melons. Added a little Cotton Candy into the mix and BAMMMM. Just got off a 4 day vaping stint. LOL

 

[Zabolee]

I don't know if it's my tastebuds or what, but I've tried multiple clone recipes that I thought I'd love. I have tried the same flavors from multiple companies. And I still can't get a vape that is as pleasant as from premade vendors. I tend to try them right away, and then let them steep for 1-3 weeks. Still nothing.

I think that I tend to like fruits from Capella more than TFA, but that's all I've been able to put together so far.

I have been on a cereal kick recently. And I like a good amount of orange/citrus in it. But TFA Fruit Circles just doesn't do it for me. I've added a little CAP orange to cut down on the lemon, and some more milk/cream, but I can't get it to taste right. And I'm on my 6th trial

 

[Jdurand]

I started by mixing clone recipes of juices I liked. Mothers milk, unicorn Milk and a real nice custard are rotating as my ADV's. Took about a month to get them down to where I can mix them in my sleep. Where you spend all the time is coming up with your own mixes, which I'm finding more and more not worth it. JMHO

 

[MsLoud]

Where I think some people get discouraged is trying to "create". Find a recipe - even if it's a shared one and not just a clone - and make it. If you like it great! you have a starting point. See what you like about the mix. Now, instead of trying to create a flavor, substitute flavors. If you like Mothers Milk - try it substituting the Strawberry with Blackberry. That's what I did. Mixed up some recipes I found here - decided what I like and didn't like with the mix - then substituted other flavors - at the same ratio (then adjust for flavor strength) - with what I knew I liked.

This is how I came up with my base. A collection of flavors I like in most of my recipes all together just waiting for the final ingredients to make it perfect. If I'm trying something new - I don't waste any time making a small batch. Pour out 10ml and add by drops the flavors - shake and vape!

 

[Zabolee]

I did that with Unicorn Milk. I'm not a big strawberry fan, so I subbed it for Raspberry. That's one of the mixes that I do like. But it needs some little tweaking.

I understand that making my own recipes takes the longest. But my problem is that I haven't tried many of the more common premium juices. And those are the ones most people clone. So I do't know if I'd even like them. I have to go by whether I like the ingredients or not.

I'm also running into the problem of ingredients. I am staying away from anything with Diacetyl, Acetoin, etc... And many clone recipes I've come across use flavors with those ingredients. For a few I can find replacements (ie. DX Bav Cream and DX Sweet Cream from TFA). But for others, I would need to go with a different company. And I don't always like the taste of other companies flavors.

It just seems like it's getting more and more complicated as I go.

 

[baseballmom]

Over a year, still working on Apple pie clone of a good non-premium brand clone...still looking for preferred vanilla, but got raspberry, blueberry(for most part), and strawberry...layered/blended....now New brands out too(flavorah and lotus/medicine flower) that I'm curious to try....part of the rabbit hole they say one falls into when diy...it can be both madly frustrating yet fun too....some on reddit have said fw fruit rings better than tfa' s, another to try eventually...so it can give you fits or be an adventure, or fluctuate between both depending on mood at time...I usually look at it as adventure even though money doesn't grow on trees, i try to keep in a low budget, remind myself cheaper than bought juice and smoking to keep perspective, and luckily I'm not overly picky(except vanilla), learn from duds too...some of the clones out there are better than the premium versions in my opinion only from what i have tasted at stores...plus diy allows so much more customization/ personalization...I'd rather vape a dud, learn from it, move on than pay premium prices any more..just me my

 

[Zabolee]

I don't mind dripping a dud once in a while. But my wife doesn't like the house to be filled with vapor. Too much of it really bothers her. So I tend to drip with the windows open when she's not home, or we're outside at a festival or camping. what I'm really looking for are those few flavors I can stick in my Squape and Taifun and vape for days all day long.

A few straight fruit juices I just made came out tasting great. But I'm starting to realize I need more complexity to them. My favorite has Orange and mango as a the primary flavors, with a touch of peach and pineapple to bring out the real taste. Add some sweet cream and Milk to smooth out the citrus. Flavor is great, but something is missing that I just can't put my finger on

 

[sketchness]

It's funny I can make a bunch of stuff other people like but a year into this deal I still only have one recipe I make that I vape. A custard with all the bad stuff in it. The others aren't always bad they just overload my taste buds or become bland quickly. My tastebuds are quirky. Some days I just can't taste anything.

I have 150 flavors and a bunch of them I haven't tried yet. Mostly because I don't want to rewick. It is fun to me and I find I like premium nic unflavored more than I should. I just keep plugging away and see what happens. I have a coffee tobacco vape that is getting close. It is great because I can still vape custard over it.

One suggestion is to look on bull city and sort by brand and then top sellers. This gives a rough idea about what's good. It won't help if you just don't like something but it is a pretty decent rough estimation of quality flavors.

Edit- maybe a little sweeter or marshmallow would finish your juice

 

[Zabolee]

That's not a bad idea. I use both in a peanut butter cereal I'm working on that is actually starting to work out ok. I messed it up by replacing 2% each raspberry and blueberry with 2% green apple, but it also may need more than 2 days to steep.

 

[Sicrano]

One week and I have one simple recipe that I like a lot: TPA vanilla gelato 8%, TPA orange Cream 7% and Capella Graham cracker, 3%. Very happy with it and it, for me, better then Kilo cereal milk. Today I made the same recipe but with a simple citrus concentrate that I don't like on it's own. Even better!

 

[Zabolee]

How is the vanilla gelato? I keep running into this problem too. I see a recipe that calls for a flavor I would never think to buy. So I end up having to try substitutes, which don't work out. But I don't want to be stuck with a ton of flavors that I won't use again. Even 10ml bottles add up when I collect a few dozen of them

 

[seebo]

personally my ADV is menthol. you probably can chew a piece of mint gum all day, it's refreshing, but who in the world would eat cheesecake all day? sweet flavors just get to you after a while, at least for me..

 

[Zabolee]

lol. Very true. My ADV is Fruit Hoops from Vape Wild. I like the extra orangy flavor it has. I'm trying to clone it. Or at least come close. I've tried a few other fruit loop clones and am not as impressed.

I can eat breakfast food all day long, so cereal all day is just fine for me. I leave my blueberry and raspberry cakes until later at night

 

[Hans Wermhat]

It may help to mix up medium sized bottles of each flavor individually and let them steep. Then mix them together in small batches to create new flavors. Like, say, make 20 - 30 ml each of peach, pear, strawberry, etc at your preferred nic strength and let them sit a week. Then grab them and mix a 10 ml bottle of, say, 20% peach, 20% pear, 60% strawberry and give it a shake. It won't need to steep any further, so you can vape it and adjust percentages accordingly without having to make up a whole new batch.

I have a coffee tobacco vape that is getting close.

I'm working on one too, but haven't nailed it yet.
IW Captain Jack
TFA Cappuccino
TFA Vanilla Swirl

 

[sketchness]

per 10ml was pretty good. fa espresso is wicked strong!

.25 black for pipe
.1 fa espresso
.1 fa vanilla classic
.1 tfa whipped cream

 

[herb]

I started by mixing clone recipes of juices I liked. Mothers milk, unicorn Milk and a real nice custard are rotating as my ADV's. Took about a month to get them down to where I can mix them in my sleep. Where you spend all the time is coming up with your own mixes, which I'm finding more and more not worth it. JMHO

Those are the clone recipes i make as well , they all came out great . I failed miserably at coming up with my own.

 

[93gc40]

ONLY 25 juices.... Sounds like you have plenty of time. I spend 10, 15, minutes MAX a week or 2 making 3-5 flavors. Have 10 flavors on the shelf, aging, right now. With 2 being vaped.

The best way I found to make and vape that perfect juice, Is too make and vape 1 juice till I get it right, before moving on to something new. Since I age my juice not steep it, this can take weeks.