My DIY Diary

[3mg Meniere]

dr means drops. devices means toppers, each with a different juice. I only have something less than 10 ml. So I am free to experiment with the whole thing. I definitely don't want to give up with the pecan. I think baked goods would be good. I'll try some Inawera spicy biscuit. Then some vanilla if that doesn't quite bring me up to eagerness. Thanks.

 

[carrielsal]

Thanks, guys, but this is just for a thread to maybe be of help to others just beginning in DIY and needing some direction.

I have been silently stalking this thread. I'm about to place my first order for some DIY supplies, and your thread has been extremely insightful.

 

[flowerpots]

I got NF Gooseberry in the mail this week. I'm excited to work with it, so I started a 10ml 1% standalone tester of this flavor. I will report my progress after it steeps a few days.

I tested this the next day and 1% was just too light. So, I added another 1% and continued to steep. This is still a bit too light, adding 1% more and will continue to steep.

I read the pairing chart for flavors to see what Gooseberry would match with and the only thing mentioned is Lychee, which surprises me. When I reach a good starting % of the Gooseberry, I may pair it with Lychee and see what happens.

This is now at 3% and steeped for a few days. 3% is probably good for people who enjoy lighter flavor/lower %'s, or maybe people who are sub=ohming. I like strong flavor, so I am going up another %.

This flavor comes with a 60 drops/ml needle-nose drip top. The calculation is 6 drops/%, so at 4% there are 24 drops/10ml sample.

4% is good medium strength flavor to work with. I am going to divide this 10ml sample into 3 equal parts to test with different flavors. Since this flavor is grape-esque, I am going to pair 2 flavors mentioned in the flavor chart that go well with grape along with the Lychee mentioned as pairing specifically with Gooseberry:

Bottle #1 - 2% TFA Lychee
Bottle #2 - 1% CAP Fig
Bottle #3 - 1% FW Blood Orange

I will let these steep a few days then test.

Bottle #1 - 2% TFA Lychee = These 2 flavors mix well, better than I thought they would. The tart bite of the Lychee compliments the sour grape-ish flavor of the Gooseberry. The 2% Lychee is too strong to my palate, so I'm going to add back in 1% Gooseberry (3 drops), and test in a few days.

Bottle #2 - 1% CAP Fig = The Gooseberry dominates this mix with the Fig barely noticeable. I'm going to add 1% more Fig to bring it to the table.

Bottle #3 - 1% FW Blood Orange = This is really good. I'm not fond of orange flavored anything, but the Blood Orange works well. At 1%, it is present, but not drowning out the Gooseberry. The Gooseberry is more dominant on the inhale while the Blood Orange lingers on the exhale. I cleaned up the chart for pairing flavors before posting it in this thread, and I must have erased this: Gooseberry pairs well with: citrus, hazelnut, honey, other berries, white chocolate. I haven't worked yet with honey or white chocolate. So, I'm going to try TFA White Chocolate at 1% to see what happens.

Bottle #1 - NF Gooseberry 5%, Lychee 2% = The Lychee is still dominant and first noticed on the inhale. The Gooseberry is in the background still, more so than I would want. I'm going to add 3 more drops of Gooseberry to this mix.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Gooseberry, 2% CAP Fig = I am getting chemical/plastic taste now. I'm going to continue to steep this with cap off.

Bottle #3 - 4% NF Gooseberry, 1% FW Blood Orange, 1% TFA White Chocolate = This is really interesting! I'm going to add 1% more of the TFA White Chocolate.

Bottle #1 - NF Gooseberry 5%, Lychee 2% = The Lychee is still dominant and first noticed on the inhale. The Gooseberry is in the background still, more so than I would want. I'm going to add 3 more drops of Gooseberry to this mix.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Gooseberry, 2% CAP Fig = I am getting chemical/plastic taste now. I'm going to continue to steep this with cap off.

Bottle #3 - 4% NF Gooseberry, 1% FW Blood Orange, 1% TFA White Chocolate = This is really interesting! I'm going to add 1% more of the TFA White Chocolate.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee - The Gooseberry is more present now, especially on the exhale. The Lychee is strong on the inhale. I'm going to add 1% INW WG Raspberry to this to balance out the more sour notes of the mix.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig - I'm not sure what happened. This still tastes like burning plastic. I'm going to let this continue to steep, cap off, and see where it's at in a couple of days. I'm not confident this taste will steep out though.

Bottle #3 - 4% Gooseberry, 1% FW Blood Orange, 2% TFA White Chocolate - This is not very good. The White Chocolate mellows the Blood Orange and Gooseberry, gives the impression of a mild creamy texture, but the flavor is too muted to really enjoy. So, the extra 1% of the White Chocolate was not a good idea. I think I will ditch this bottle and start over again with another flavor combination.

_________

For bottle #3, I made a mix of 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear. I will let this steep a few days.

For bottle #2, I made another batch of this to see if it comes out chemical/plastic again.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 1% INW WG Raspberry - This needs another % of the INW WG Raspberry.

Bottle #2A - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig - This still tastes like plastic to me.

Bottle #2B - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig - This one does not taste like plastic to me, so I don't understand what happened with the first sample, but I will toss it and keep the latter bottle. This is a good match in flavors, it is like a musky dark grape. I'm thinking adding a cherry to it, specifically the INW Wisnia Cherry, which is like cherry pie filling, not fresh fruit cherry. This will add a savory note. I will add it at 1% and steep.

Bottle #3 - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear - This is the best combination so far. It's a balance between the sourness of the grape note and the crisp, clean, bright pear note. Surprisingly, it also has some depth to it, it's not 2-dimensional. In thinking what I should add next, bubble gum flavor comes to mind immediately. I'm not a big bubble gum flavor fan, but I honestly think it would work. So, I am going to make a separate sample of this and name it bottle #3A and add 1% TFA Bubble Gum. I will add 1% LAN Banana to the original bottle, now called Bottle #3B.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 2% INW WG Raspberry - This still needs another 1% INW WG Raspberry

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 1% INW Wisnia Cherry - Needs 1% more INW Wisnia Cherry

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 1% TFA Bubble Gum - Different and refreshing bubble gum flavor, but too light - adding 1% more Bubble Gum

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 1% LAN Banana - Letting this one steep another day or two before commenting

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 3% INW WG Raspberry - This is a sour recipe so far. The Gooseberry and Lychee are both sour, and the Raspberry is true to the fruit, but not sweet at all. Also, these 3 flavors just kind of meld into 1 without much distinction, with the Lychee being the dominant note. I'm going to see what adding 2% TFA Honeysuckle will do.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 2% INW Wisnia Cherry - This is decent. The Gooseberry is dominant on the inhale. The Fig is more of a carrier flavor present the whole time, but not overtly present. The Cherry is the exhale note and lingers on the tongue. But, it's boring and needs something. I'm going to add 1% INW Pineapple (Ananas) and see what happens.

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 2% TFA Bubble Gum - This needs another 1% Bubble Gum flavoring added.

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 1% LAN Banana - This needs another 1% Banana.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 3% INW WG Raspberry, 2% TFA Honeysuckle - This is still somewhat sour. I am going to add 2% LA Apricot and see what happens. I'm disappointed because this is not a differentiated juice. You cannot easily tell what flavors are here other than the Lychee. The Gooseberry seems to meld with the Lychee and is not distinguishable. The Raspberry is not overtly present. The Honeysuckle only adds a sweeter note, but I wanted that. Once I add the Apricot, I will try the 0.9% saline and see if that somehow helps this mix. If not, I think it's probably a dud.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 2% INW Wisnia Cherry, 1% INW Pineapple (Ananas) - This is not bad. I kinda thought the pineapple would throw this off into left field somewhere, but at 1% it is barely noticeable - a very slight bright note to the flavor table. This is also too sour, so I think the Gooseberry needs to come down a %. If I retest with this flavor, which I am sure I will, I will only go to 3%, not4 %. I am going to add 1% more Cherry to this and steep.

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 3% TFA Bubble Gum - According to my batch testing on the TFA Bubble Gum, I need to go a lot higher, so I am bumping this flavor up 8% more and then allow to steep.

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 2% LAN Banana - This needs another 1% Banana.

 

[Mone415]

Hey flowerpots this damn phone won't let me search the thread for some reason. Anyways. Do u have uh favorite cranberry flavor? I'm lookin for uh good 1. Thanx

 

[rowdyplace]

Thanks, guys, but this is just for a thread to maybe be of help to others just beginning in DIY and needing some direction.

Then PLEASE preserve it. Several of us will be willing to help you.

 

[flowerpots]

Hey flowerpots this damn phone won't let me search the thread for some reason. Anyways. Do u have uh favorite cranberry flavor? I'm lookin for uh good 1. Thanx

I only have 1 cranberry so far, and I haven't even used it yet - I was waiting for fall and colder weather to make some fall-ish type vapes. It's CAP and it's good, has a slight sweet note to it, definitely the tart cranberry quality. Doesn't seem to have a plastic/medicinal/floral/chemical taste which is a plus for me.

 

[flowerpots]

Then PLEASE preserve it. Several of us will be willing to help you.

For real, rowdy? Let me finish and see what you think then. The thing is, I can have all of this information here, but within a year, flavors will be obsolete, new ones on the market, and most of what I have here kind of moot.

 

[Mone415]

I only have 1 cranberry so far, and I haven't even used it yet - I was waiting for fall and colder weather to make some fall-ish type vapes. It's CAP and it's good, has a slight sweet note to it, definitely the tart cranberry quality. Doesn't seem to have a plastic/medicinal/floral/chemical taste which is a plus for me.

Koo. Thank u. I was thinkin about tryin CAPs out. Now I will put in an order 4 it soon. Tryin 2 make uh cranberry lychee clone lol. They call it cranchi forget the maker tho.

 

[flowerpots]

Mone, I tried this tonight at the 1 drop/10ml. This seems a good % for this flavor. I can taste the almond first and foremost, but also taste the amaretto in the background. How do like it at this %?

Just tested. I agree. I may drop one more steep with cap off and c what happens. But I like it at this percentage as well.

Mone415, I added 1 more drop to this and it has been steeping. The 2 drop/10ml seems right to me. How did you find that 1 drop more to be?

 

[Mone415]

After steeping the one drop was very lightly detectable. Which was odd 2 me. This flavor seems more potent when fresh. It took mines about 2 weeks for this to happen. Adding the extra drop made it better. I'm proly gonna keep adding and long steeping until I can't no more.[emoji13] I like it at that percentage for right now tho. I mixed this flavor with VC2 at 2 drops 10ml thinking I ruined it cuz it was too strong. After 3 weeks it is virtually undetectable. So this flavor may b uh hard 1 tuh crakk. Gonna take some patience. I jus know it dam sure aint 10%. Lol

 

[Mone415]

Holy cow tfa pomegranate is uh strong ... flavor. I used it on my cellucotton like 3 diff drips ago tryin tuh test out 3 new juices an all I can freakin taste is dang pomegranate. Lol wow. Not bad tho.

 

[flowerpots]

I got NF Gooseberry in the mail this week. I'm excited to work with it, so I started a 10ml 1% standalone tester of this flavor. I will report my progress after it steeps a few days.

I tested this the next day and 1% was just too light. So, I added another 1% and continued to steep. This is still a bit too light, adding 1% more and will continue to steep.

I read the pairing chart for flavors to see what Gooseberry would match with and the only thing mentioned is Lychee, which surprises me. When I reach a good starting % of the Gooseberry, I may pair it with Lychee and see what happens.

This is now at 3% and steeped for a few days. 3% is probably good for people who enjoy lighter flavor/lower %'s, or maybe people who are sub=ohming. I like strong flavor, so I am going up another %.

This flavor comes with a 60 drops/ml needle-nose drip top. The calculation is 6 drops/%, so at 4% there are 24 drops/10ml sample.

4% is good medium strength flavor to work with. I am going to divide this 10ml sample into 3 equal parts to test with different flavors. Since this flavor is grape-esque, I am going to pair 2 flavors mentioned in the flavor chart that go well with grape along with the Lychee mentioned as pairing specifically with Gooseberry:

Bottle #1 - 2% TFA Lychee
Bottle #2 - 1% CAP Fig
Bottle #3 - 1% FW Blood Orange

I will let these steep a few days then test.

Bottle #1 - 2% TFA Lychee = These 2 flavors mix well, better than I thought they would. The tart bite of the Lychee compliments the sour grape-ish flavor of the Gooseberry. The 2% Lychee is too strong to my palate, so I'm going to add back in 1% Gooseberry (3 drops), and test in a few days.

Bottle #2 - 1% CAP Fig = The Gooseberry dominates this mix with the Fig barely noticeable. I'm going to add 1% more Fig to bring it to the table.

Bottle #3 - 1% FW Blood Orange = This is really good. I'm not fond of orange flavored anything, but the Blood Orange works well. At 1%, it is present, but not drowning out the Gooseberry. The Gooseberry is more dominant on the inhale while the Blood Orange lingers on the exhale. I cleaned up the chart for pairing flavors before posting it in this thread, and I must have erased this: Gooseberry pairs well with: citrus, hazelnut, honey, other berries, white chocolate. I haven't worked yet with honey or white chocolate. So, I'm going to try TFA White Chocolate at 1% to see what happens.

Bottle #1 - NF Gooseberry 5%, Lychee 2% = The Lychee is still dominant and first noticed on the inhale. The Gooseberry is in the background still, more so than I would want. I'm going to add 3 more drops of Gooseberry to this mix.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Gooseberry, 2% CAP Fig = I am getting chemical/plastic taste now. I'm going to continue to steep this with cap off.

Bottle #3 - 4% NF Gooseberry, 1% FW Blood Orange, 1% TFA White Chocolate = This is really interesting! I'm going to add 1% more of the TFA White Chocolate.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee - The Gooseberry is more present now, especially on the exhale. The Lychee is strong on the inhale. I'm going to add 1% INW WG Raspberry to this to balance out the more sour notes of the mix.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig - I'm not sure what happened. This still tastes like burning plastic. I'm going to let this continue to steep, cap off, and see where it's at in a couple of days. I'm not confident this taste will steep out though.

Bottle #3 - 4% Gooseberry, 1% FW Blood Orange, 2% TFA White Chocolate - This is not very good. The White Chocolate mellows the Blood Orange and Gooseberry, gives the impression of a mild creamy texture, but the flavor is too muted to really enjoy. So, the extra 1% of the White Chocolate was not a good idea. I think I will ditch this bottle and start over again with another flavor combination.

_________

For bottle #3, I made a mix of 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear. I will let this steep a few days.

For bottle #2, I made another batch of this to see if it comes out chemical/plastic again.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 1% INW WG Raspberry - This needs another % of the INW WG Raspberry.

Bottle #2A - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig - This still tastes like plastic to me.

Bottle #2B - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig - This one does not taste like plastic to me, so I don't understand what happened with the first sample, but I will toss it and keep the latter bottle. This is a good match in flavors, it is like a musky dark grape. I'm thinking adding a cherry to it, specifically the INW Wisnia Cherry, which is like cherry pie filling, not fresh fruit cherry. This will add a savory note. I will add it at 1% and steep.

Bottle #3 - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear - This is the best combination so far. It's a balance between the sourness of the grape note and the crisp, clean, bright pear note. Surprisingly, it also has some depth to it, it's not 2-dimensional. In thinking what I should add next, bubble gum flavor comes to mind immediately. I'm not a big bubble gum flavor fan, but I honestly think it would work. So, I am going to make a separate sample of this and name it bottle #3A and add 1% TFA Bubble Gum. I will add 1% LAN Banana to the original bottle, now called Bottle #3B.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 2% INW WG Raspberry - This still needs another 1% INW WG Raspberry

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 1% INW Wisnia Cherry - Needs 1% more INW Wisnia Cherry

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 1% TFA Bubble Gum - Different and refreshing bubble gum flavor, but too light - adding 1% more Bubble Gum

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 1% LAN Banana - Letting this one steep another day or two before commenting

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 3% INW WG Raspberry - This is a sour recipe so far. The Gooseberry and Lychee are both sour, and the Raspberry is true to the fruit, but not sweet at all. Also, these 3 flavors just kind of meld into 1 without much distinction, with the Lychee being the dominant note. I'm going to see what adding 2% TFA Honeysuckle will do.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 2% INW Wisnia Cherry - This is decent. The Gooseberry is dominant on the inhale. The Fig is more of a carrier flavor present the whole time, but not overtly present. The Cherry is the exhale note and lingers on the tongue. But, it's boring and needs something. I'm going to add 1% INW Pineapple (Ananas) and see what happens.

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 2% TFA Bubble Gum - This needs another 1% Bubble Gum flavoring added.

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 1% LAN Banana - This needs another 1% Banana.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 3% INW WG Raspberry, 2% TFA Honeysuckle - This is still somewhat sour. I am going to add 2% LA Apricot and see what happens. I'm disappointed because this is not a differentiated juice. You cannot easily tell what flavors are here other than the Lychee. The Gooseberry seems to meld with the Lychee and is not distinguishable. The Raspberry is not overtly present. The Honeysuckle only adds a sweeter note, but I wanted that. Once I add the Apricot, I will try the 0.9% saline and see if that somehow helps this mix. If not, I think it's probably a dud.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 2% INW Wisnia Cherry, 1% INW Pineapple (Ananas) - This is not bad. I kinda thought the pineapple would throw this off into left field somewhere, but at 1% it is barely noticeable - a very slight bright note to the flavor table. This is also too sour, so I think the Gooseberry needs to come down a %. If I retest with this flavor, which I am sure I will, I will only go to 3%, not4 %. I am going to add 1% more Cherry to this and steep.

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 3% TFA Bubble Gum - According to my batch testing on the TFA Bubble Gum, I need to go a lot higher, so I am bumping this flavor up 8% more and then allow to steep.

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 2% LAN Banana - This needs another 1% Banana.

Bottle #1 - 5% NF Gooseberry, 2% TFA Lychee, 3% INW WG Raspberry, 2% TFA Honeysuckle, 2% TFA Apricot - The Apricot did help this mix, it is less sour, has a slight bright note now, but I'm still not pleased with it - it's rather ho-hum. I will add 2 drops of saline solution just to see what happens.

Bottle #2 - 4% NF Goosebrry, 2% CAP Fig, 3% INW Wisnia Cherry, 1% INW Pineapple (Ananas) - This is okay, not bad. Still nothing I would make a bottle of and vape regularly. The extra % Cherry did revive the cherry savory note, but the Gooseberry is kind of lost. I may return to this recipe later and try to modify it. For right now, I'm done.

Bottle #3A - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 11% TFA Bubble Gum - I think this would be good if I could get a decent medium bubble gum flavor. I've not been satisfied with the TFA one, but other brands are gumball bubble gum, not bazooka type bubble gum. I'm going to look for a good bubble gum flavoring and come back to this recipe later.

Bottle #3B - 4% NF Gooseberry and 1% INW Pear, 2% LAN Banana - STill not enough banana taste and it's becoming semi-1 dimensional at this point, which tells me the banana flavoring is saturated, despite not being able to taste it well. I will try 1% more, but if that does not help, I will ditch this sample too and start all over with the Gooseberry flavor testing.

 

[flowerpots]

Holy cow tfa pomegranate is uh strong ... flavor. I used it on my cellucotton like 3 diff drips ago tryin tuh test out 3 new juices an all I can freakin taste is dang pomegranate. Lol wow. Not bad tho.

I'll put that on my list then. The TFA Pomegranate Deluxe isn't very strong or interesting.

 

[Mone415]

I'll put that on my list then. The TFA Pomegranate Deluxe isn't very strong or interesting.

Yah the pomegranate flavor smells a lot more floral an perfumy than the deluxe. U might not like it. I'm letting it breathe for uh day an c what it tastes like 2morrow. Deluxe deff smells diff. I wouldn't say more authentic but more like what pomegranate flavors i've smelt an tasted in I guess like drinks an such. I used 7% which was the charts lowest recommendation but I'm aready thinkin that might b 2 high for my liking.

 

[rowdyplace]

For real, rowdy? Let me finish and see what you think then. The thing is, I can have all of this information here, but within a year, flavors will be obsolete, new ones on the market, and most of what I have here kind of moot.

That's why we do not have history books...(teasing!)

I'm busy today, but I'll bug you about this later this week.

I'm betting you never "finish" this project. It has taken on an existence of it's own. Now, you must care and feed it periodically.

RPsr

 

[Art Mustel]

Flowerpots, have you ever tried FTA "Cowboy Blend" (sold also under the "Western" and "Indian" names). I got a 6ml sampler but all I can get from it is a diluted M-Type flavor. Please let me know, thanks!

 

[Mone415]

Question. If the flavor is diff from dripping to tanks. Should I mix my juice at uh higher flavor percentage for tanks. Lower for drippers?. I made that pomegranate lychee and in my dripper it was way 2 strong. In the tank very subtle an pretty nice. I'm not uh tank guy proly won't ever b but I bot one 2 compare them for the tank lovers I create juice for. So caring of me. [emoji13]

 

[flowerpots]

Flowerpots, have you ever tried FTA "Cowboy Blend" (sold also under the "Western" and "Indian" names). I got a 6ml sampler but all I can get from it is a diluted M-Type flavor. Please let me know, thanks!

Hey, Art. No, I've never tried that flavor before.

 

[flowerpots]

Question. If the flavor is diff from dripping to tanks. Should I mix my juice at uh higher flavor percentage for tanks. Lower for drippers?. I made that pomegranate lychee and in my dripper it was way 2 strong. In the tank very subtle an pretty nice. I'm not uh tank guy proly won't ever b but I bot one 2 compare them for the tank lovers I create juice for. So caring of me. [emoji13]

I think many people do that - make stronger juice both in flavor and nicotine strength for tanks/cartos/clearos, then less for RBA/RDA/RTA's. How's the combo of pomegranate and lychee?

 

[Mone415]

Yah. Thas what I was thinking. I liked it actually so did my boss. I may try FA lychee nex time and apricot. They smell good together.