I wasn't going to chime in on this because I have no personal experience with MB. But I found myself looking back in to see what others have posted and I couldn't keep my trap shut any longer. So as you read the rest of this please keep in mind it very well may not be worth more than what you are paying for it... nothing.
The bottle doesn't say how much PG/VG the carrier base is. But the ingredients do say contains VG and PG. Should I assume it's 100% PG when using the stream engine calculator?
The only thing "not knowing exactly what ratio the base is" will prevent you from doing is hitting a specific final PG/VG ratio. How much you might be off will depend on how much total flavoring you add. More flavor means greater potential variation. But working with the idea of 100% PG shouldn't hurt anything.
From my first few batches I'm beginning to think the concentration doesnt match up to whatever formula steam engine uses. I'm up to 18% on blueberry and the flavor still isn't on par with what their blueberry tasted like. From what I've read 18% is a bit higher than average right?
If you are comparing what you are trying to make to a commercially made "ready-to-vape"
mount baker flavored e-liquid (or any other commercial brand for that matter); there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Very few (by proportion) are made with just one flavor. They do exist but they are definitely in the minority. Instead , the majority will use one or two flavors as the primary focus, and then additional flavors to enhance the final goal. these can be to "brighten," "make pop,""add mouth-feel, depth, richness, and/or complexity. "
Good mixers are just as skilled, and creative, as professional chefs. And to be good, again like a chef, a DIY mixer needs to know his/her ingredients. Sadly there are no shortcuts. Reading, asking questions, practicing, trial and error (AND success too! It's not all bleak), and learning your ingredients, is what makes a difference between an amateur home cook and a chef.
In the realm of DIY; I am an amateur. I can follow a recipe pretty well and I can make minor adjustments usually with success. But I have yet reached the place in my journey where I can make a brand new creation and say "it needs a touch of this or that" to bring out the "___" that's missing or muted. I still have to do a lot of guessing, and research, and asking the good folks here to get it where I want it to go.
When I have a new flavor that I don't now how, or at what percentage, to use; I use a method shared by a user here who goes by
@Bill's Magic Vapor. He simply calls it his "flavor chart." What it does is uses a methodical incremental process to find a close "ballpark" idea of what percentage any given flavor works
best for him.
The important thing for this to work is making sure you use the same-sized dropper for each ingredient. It can be the same dropper rinsed between each ingredient, or a couple of the same droppers each dedicated to one of the ingredient, they just need to be the same. You don't want one fine dropper and another that is a larger bore. Purists will be all too happy to point out, that because of viscosity differences, the drops will not be the same size; but we are just looking for "ballpark." We just don't want to add to the variables by using different sized droppers. By the way; "dropper can be anything from a bottle-top dropper, eye dropper, syringe, syringe w/needle, dripper bottle. Doesn't matter as long as they have the same tips if you are using more than one.
- You start with the first step by adding 19 drops of PG (or you can use a premade unflavored base of whatever PG/VG ratio and nic to your liking) and 1 drop of flavoring into a clean container (bottle, beaker, whatever floats your boat). This will now give you about 5% flavor
- Mix thoroughly.
- Drip 3 drops ( same-sized dropper again and no more/no less) on to a clean, freshly wicked (I keep my wick trimmed fairly close to the coil so I don't loose as much juice into the longer ends), dripper/atomizer of your choice and vape and taste. You should be able to get a couple of puffs unless you are using it on a cloud chasing setup.
- Make a note of how it tasted.
- END step 1
- Step 2: Take the remaining liquid left from step 1 and add 7 more drops of PG (or your unflavored base) and 1 more drop of flavor. This will now give you about 7.4% flavor.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Drip three drops on to the same atomizer used in step one and vape/taste.
- Write down your thoughts on this percentage. (Flavors better or worse? Stronger or lighter? Are new/different "notes" coming out in the flavor that weren't there before? And so on.)
- END step 2
Step 3: Refer to
Bill's flavoring chart here to find the remaining steps that will take you all the way up to a 24.8% flavoring in a total of 9 steps if you need all of them. You just keep adding the indicated drops to what's left of the previous step. Do it once or twice and you will find it goes pretty quick. And, one thing I like, is you are not wasting a lot of product doing it.
I generally keep going until the flavor starts to weaken (and then maybe one more to be sure). But this is why the notes are important. I may still have a nice strong flavor but I might actually like it better a step, or two, or even three steps before.
One thing I like about this method is that it works well to keep you from over-flavoring. As
@Mowgli already noted; over-flavoring can lead to weaker, more muted flavors (even though the odor may still remain strong), an addition of artificial or "chemically" aftertastes, not to mention unnecessary waste of expensive ingredients.
It is ONLY AFTER I find the sweet spot
for me that I consider what else might be needed to enhance the base flavor. Too often sweeteners, and additives, are used to band-aid a bad mix instead of improving a good one.
It does have its shortcomings. It won't give you a good idea of what a flavor might be like after aging (I hate the word "steeping"). Flavors like tobaccos, and custards, will still be immature and may require further tweaking after some time resting. But it will at least give you a starting point.
I've tried steeping and airing, didnt make much of a difference (they're mostly citrus fruit flavors)
My thought on "steeping": not all flavors need, or will even benefit from aging (or resting). Often many flavors like candies, fruits, beverages, mints, and so on, are pretty much "shake and vape." Occasionally they might benefit from a couple of days but for the most part they are good to go.
Others, like chocolates, custards, and especially tobaccos, DO require extended resting to reach their full potential. There are some DIYers that will use increased percentages to try and reduce/eliminate the need for aging. That is something you will have to decide for yourself if it works for you.
My thoughts on airing, breathing, decanting: There are actually only a minority of flavors that will benefit from this technique. Foremost are those that use ethyl alcohol (pure grain alcohol, PGA, ethanol) as a primary carrier because the alcohol adds a harshness that many find unappealing (unless you chase throat hit; in which case you may actually want to keep it in as long as possible. Some DIYers intentionally use PGA to increase TH).
The problem with airing out a mix is you are also losing the "good stuff" from your flavors at the same time. You would be surprised how much of any given flavor concentrate is actually directed at your perception of smell (If you doubt me; hold your nose when you take your next puff
). These molecules, and compounds, are also much more volatile (meaning they evaporate easily at ambient temperature) so they are escaping right along with the bad/unwanted parts. You notice this quite quickly with light floral flavors like lemon, lime, orange, cherry blossom, honeysuckle,and many others. And if you do this in conjunction with a "speed steeping" method like warm/hot water baths, and/or ultrasonic you make it happen even faster.
So, before I ever leave a cap off, I first taste every fresh mix. then I ask myself the following:
- Does it taste like it needs the cap off? If no... DON'T. If yes ->
- Look at my flavoring percentages; did I use too much? If yes... breathing may, or may not help, make sure to record error and consider diluting instead of decanting. If no ->
- Is this a flavor I have worked with before and do I know I have to let it breathe? If yes... do. If not ->
- Is there precedent on the forums from people I trust that this flavor requires it? If yes... consider. If no ->
- If no information, or information is inconclusive, try resting for one or two weeks without breathing first. then, if unwanted characteristics still remain;THEN try breathing in measured increments (like one hour a day for two or three days and re-taste).
If I do let a mix breathe; I am always careful to keep good notes on times and how it effects the overall flavor (both good and bad notes). That way if I want to make it again I know what I need to do.
Also, just because a flavor requires breathing at 5%, does not
automatically require breathing at 2%.
I hope some of this (any of this) helps.
