Is your DYI juice as good as premium/boutique/gourmet juice?

[uab9253]

Still new to mixing, but I'm at about 70/30 PG/VG (care more about flavor than clouds but slowly bumping up the VG with each new batch. Doing single flavors from Loran's sample pack just to get a feel for it. I feel like I can make most of the food/fruit flavors and play with multiflavor batches, but I think I would struggle to make a decent tobacco based flavor, at least from scratch. I've got a pro flavor that I really like for tobacco and that's Tennessee Cured from Johnson Creek,. Tried a bunch of other tobacco flavors, JC, Halo, etc, but the TC I really love.
Extremely happy with the extra savings and I like being a part time chemist/chef/alchemist

 

[Kropotkin]

I've been mixing since the end of May, and I've now got five recipes I make regularly. This bunch I do like just as much as I liked my old favorites from Highbrow, so I'm actually quite proud of them.



I'm saving lots of money, but, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I now have way more respect for commercial mixologists than I ever did before, and I'm always annoyed when people start pissing and moaning about juice prices. I mean seriously: if it took me - a serious foodie and longtime baker - 3 months to perfect five measly flavors, how long does it take to create an entire line of unique and interesting liquids?

AGES, I'm sure.

 

[ukeman]

Just an FYI, the conventional wisdom that PG carries more flavor is being revamped.

Because it is thinner, it wicks faster in general, but it actually carries more flavor-tweaking elements than VG.
Because VG is thick its gotten a less than desirable flavor rep.

If you: 1. thin the VG with some distilled water i.e. 10-20% and/or 2. let it steep longer to get the flavor integrated, its actually a better flavor carrier.

Try vaping a high PG content unflavored juice and test against a high VG unflavored.

 

[Boletus]

My unflavored e-juice is far superior to anything made by any e-juice vendor, because I know what is in it. Well that's my opinion anyway.

 

[Jason Voorhees]

I make a really nice caramac flavour.
I haven't got it 100% right yet but it's probably my 3rd favourite juice after 2 premium juices I like.
A friend (smoker not vapour) constantly tells me he wants to eat the bottle and sometimes asks for a taste when we're out drinking
It was the second juice i tried to mix and I did it via the I think these flavours will work together method.

 

[The Curse of Millhaven]

The only thing that I can't do better than they do is a really good NET. Nude Nicotine comes pretty close, though.

 

[Rachael L]

I just wanted to add, that with flavours bought and unappreciated for vaping, can be used in food and drink. I'm pretty hooked on Flavors West Black Current in iced water, but it's too 'something I don't like' when vaped in all kinds of base. So, non of mine has gone to waste exactly...although I just posted to be directed to a trade thread, I have a few I'd love to trade for more to try. Kinda addictive...

 

[WillyZee]

Since switching to VapersTek nicotine ... my 3 DIY ADVs are better than any juice I've ever bought.

VT was a DIY game changer for me.

 

[lirruping]

"Since switching to VapersTek nicotine ... my 3 DIY ADVs are better than any juice I've ever bought. VT was a DIY game changer for me."

Please elaborate!
What was it about Vaper's Tek nic that made the difference? It has no flavor of its own--or maybe a nice flavor? or it "takes" the vape flavors better somehow? What are the criteria for choosing a nic base?

 

[WillyZee]

"Since switching to VapersTek nicotine ... my 3 DIY ADVs are better than any juice I've ever bought. VT was a DIY game changer for me."

Please elaborate!
What was it about Vaper's Tek nic that made the difference? It has no flavor of its own--or maybe a nice flavor? or it "takes" the vape flavors better somehow? What are the criteria for choosing a nic base?

I vape 12mg and there is only one vendor juice I cannot taste the nicotine in it ... that would be Five Pawns.

Every other vendor juice I have ever tried, uses a base that I can definitely taste the nicotine.

When I mixed my ADVs with VapersTek nicotine ... voila, no nicotine taste ... I literally dumped all the juice I had made with the other nic.

The other 100mg nicotine might be OK for mixing a tobacco or cinnamon flavour @ 3mg ... however, for a good fruit or desert flavour, or anything above 3mg for that matter ... it has to be VapersTek.

cheers

 

[cbabbman]

Yes... I make what I want, when I want, the way I want. I can tweak and play to my hearts content and I actually vape almost everything I make.

If it's repulsive, I can throw it away and not feel like I lost much of anything.

Everything is gained. Especially my freedom.

 

[lirruping]

I vape 12mg and there is only one vendor juice I cannot taste the nicotine in it ... that would be Five Pawns.

Every other vendor juice I have ever tried, uses a base that I can definitely taste the nicotine.

When I mixed my ADVs with VapersTek nicotine ... voila, no nicotine taste ... I literally dumped all the juice I had made with the other nic.

The other 100mg nicotine might be OK for mixing a tobacco or cinnamon flavour @ 3mg ... however, for a good fruit or desert flavour, or anything above 3mg for that matter ... it has to be VapersTek.

cheers

This is good to know, thanks! I will definitely check them out. I've been vaping mostly at 12mg and about half the time (with store-bought) I can taste a peppery-like thing underlying the juice.

I don't mean to take this off topic, but I have been searching around ECF for a thorough discussion of nicotine base brands and can't seem to find it--though I know it has to be here somewhere. If you happen to know a link(s) for such a thread, I would be grateful to have it.

Which reminds me: i get better search results for what I'm looking for within ECF if i use Google than if I use the site's own search engine. This could be because I haven't yet grasped the nuances of ECF's search protocol. I just don't know yet.

 

[ForeverDiving]

Honestly, I like mine better. I've ordered a bunch of premium liquids and wondered what all the fuss was about. There is one I buy for me that includes a NET than I can't clone but a 30ml bottle lasts me months so I don't stress over it.

glasseye, the key to good NETs is the tobacco. As a long time pipe smoker (since the 60's ) I have a large stash of fine weeds. So far there are a pair of good NETs I like and haven't been able to clone but in one case —Bombay from Naturally-Extracted-Tobaccos.com– it's just because I haven't purchased the tobacco. The other, Chris' Blend from the same house really puzzles me but I have one of Stanwell Melange that really beats it, at least in my taste buds opinion.

Keep at it, I'm sure you'll get some great tasting NETs if you get the right ingredients. After all, a 50g (or 2oz) tin of fine pipe tobacco is usually only about the price of 10ml of juice (~$10), less in the case of premium NETs that go for about $15 or some times more for said 10ml.

BTW, I'm in the process of doing my first cold extraction NET and it has me extatic after only a week of steeping at room temp. It's a premium weed —Davidoff Danish– but I used only 50ml (not grams!) of it for a total of 160ml of steeping base. Based on experience it will yield about 100ml of concentrate that will turn into 250~300ml of finished juice. Aging it a month or so will give a terrific juice, based on my present test.

 

[Mariannef2]

I think since its tailored to the individual , Like my self I love my Custard with its heavy custard eggy notes something not mixed by a lot of vendors due to the ingredients needed for that eggy note..So yes mine is better than the vendor bought custards I bought in the past...gl hope you find your favorite flavor and savings..Like a lot of us here have done..
RC

. I am looking for a great vanilla custard recipe and all the ones I've made miss the mark. Would you mind sharing yours? Thanks!

 

[JD1]

Since switching to VapersTek nicotine ... my 3 DIY ADVs are better than any juice I've ever bought.

VT was a DIY game changer for me.

And for me as well. It costs a little more but well worth it imo.

........

If you: 1. thin the VG with some distilled water i.e. 10-20% and/or 2. let it steep longer to get the flavor integrated, its actually a better flavor carrier......

I recently tried this with very good results. For me, it seems like I need less steeping time.

 

[ItTechy]

Most of the recipes on ECF are in sections of the DIY areas.

For instance the TFA thread (The Flavors Apprentice) this is a flavoring company...

In this particular sub forum you will find a lot, I MEAN A LOT of useful information for DIY mixing....

 

[sparkky1]

lirruping, have you made any headway to making your own juice yet ?
Did you find any vaperstek nicotine ?

 

[DFYLR]

I've only been mixing DIY for about 2 months now. I have one vape store owner begging me to start my own high VG/low nic line so he can sell it to his regulars. So that may be a thing in the near future. Right now I'm giving so much away that I might as well be buying the expensive stuff again.

 

[BlkWolfMidnight]

I can't say that my mixes are perfect yet, actually far from it but I'm find that most of what I've made (Single flavor mixes) are right on par to what would be considered "Premium" pre-mix and in truth I enjoy mine a lot better in a lot of respects.

You'll be shocked to see how may 1 and 2 flavor juices there are out there that are labeled "Premium", the additives and extra's make it taste "Different" so there is your "Premium" taste right there.

I've learned a lot about molecular chemistry doing this and always figuring out how to mix it better or at what temperature does it season the flavors better, at what speed does the mixer work at its peak efficacy and the such. Its a learning experience that has been a lot of fun, its given me an excuse to buy some really neat lab equipment and play with the wonderful world of flavors without breaking my bank.

I like some premium E-Liquids as much as the next person but my pocket book does not and besides, with a little tweaking I can make it better myself and able to repeat it for future results.
Besides, making your own is like building a car, you can buy a car and take a guess at what's under the hood or you could build the car and know exactly what's under the hood and tune it to your driving style.