Point me to some recipes?

[Nate5700]

...do a quick and dirty heat steep...

I am intrigued. I did a search for heat steeping since truth be told I am not a very patient person. I have more than one Crock Pot that I could use. Trouble is that the post I found emphasized that GLASS bottles be used. Of course I ordered plastic. D'oh. Any way around this?

So, I think your approach is great, and I approached flavoring like cooking-- If I don't know what my ingredients do, how can I really make something with confidence? There are a ton of ways to approach DIY, so do it your own way.

I'm entirely sure you can make it work.

Thank you for the vote of confidence! It may take a few batches of crap to get it down but I think I can figure it out.

 

[IDJoel]

Thanks again for all the replies, this thread is getting a bit overwhelming!

I'll look at the recommended percentages and start low. I want to try individual flavors if I can just to get a feel for them. I'm going to want to experiment and create my own recipes, just the way I am I guess.

Nothing wrong with that. It can just be a little slower process. If "instant gratification" isn't a high priority, single flavor testing, and really learning about your individual ingredients, can be much more useful when creating your own recipes (as Anna has mentioned).

Brother Bob's recommendations stem from many rookie DIYers, who don't want to do the slow and methodical tasting process, and want to start mixing complex (multi-ingredient) recipes NOW! In that case; finding proven recipes and buying those specific ingredients, is more likely to yield pleasing results (than just buying a bunch of random ingredients; and asking "now what can I make").

I am intrigued. I did a search for heat steeping since truth be told I am not a very patient person. I have more than one Crock Pot that I could use. Trouble is that the post I found emphasized that GLASS bottles be used. Of course I ordered plastic. D'oh. Any way around this?

Heat is a double-edged sword. It can be beneficial; in that it thins out the viscosity of the mix, and it accelerates the molecular movement, all of which can help facilitate the aging.maturing process. It can be harmful; in that it can accelerate flavor loss/change, due to faster evaporation of the more aromatic/volatile flavor notes. Different flavor concentrates seem to benefit/suffer from heat differently.

Plastic (especially when heat is applied), has its own set of potential challenges. Some plastics can leach chemicals (this is a good article explaining different plastic types), and heat can accelerate leaching. Plastic is also more porous than glass. This means it can accelerate the loss of volatile I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Finally (and this is probably least important); glass is simply a better conductor of heat.

If you are going to experiment with using heat to accelerate the maturing process, I would strongly suggest, doing side-by-side comparisons. Mix a batch, mix thoroughly, the divide the batch in to two halves. Heat treat one of the two samples; and leave the second to age at room temperature.

That way, you can see it the heat is a help, a hindrance, or just doesn't do much of anything.

Thank you for the vote of confidence! It may take a few batches of crap to get it down but I think I can figure it out.

Reasonable expectations, is what can make one's DIY experience enjoyable, instead of a nightmare. It sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Mix small (5-10mL is plenty for single flavor testers). Know that you are going to have winners, losers, and in-betweens. Take tons of notes. And above all, enjoy the journey! (Also; having a supply of vapeable juice (store-bought is just fine) can take much of the pressure off of "getting it right; right now!)

 

[Nate5700]

Heat is a double-edged sword. It can be beneficial; in that it thins out the viscosity of the mix, and it accelerates the molecular movement, all of which can help facilitate the aging.maturing process. It can be harmful; in that it can accelerate flavor loss/change, due to faster evaporation of the more aromatic/volatile flavor notes. Different flavor concentrates seem to benefit/suffer from heat differently.

I see. I may still want to experiment with it but it sounds like it's not a magic bullet. It's just going to be difficult waiting a week or more before trying my creations.

Plastic (especially when heat is applied), has its own set of potential challenges. Some plastics can leach chemicals (this is a good article explaining different plastic types), and heat can accelerate leaching. Plastic is also more porous than glass. This means it can accelerate the loss of volatile I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Finally (and this is probably least important); glass is simply a better conductor of heat.

The bottles I ordered are LDPE, which according to your article doesn't leach chemicals, so that's good. Maybe I can still try it, but I'll try not to let my expectations get too high.

If you are going to experiment with using heat to accelerate the maturing process, I would strongly suggest, doing side-by-side comparisons. Mix a batch, mix thoroughly, the divide the batch in to two halves. Heat treat one of the two samples; and leave the second to age at room temperature.

Good idea. I can get an idea of how heat affects different ingredients and then maybe I'll have a better idea of which recipes would benefit from it.

 

[DeloresRose]

. It's just going to be difficult waiting a week or more before trying my creations.

If you don’t have one already, get a Rda. I taste my tests right away, because I too lack patience. Just resist the urge to “fix” them right away. Some juice is pretty darn good right out of the gate, plus, you want to know how that taste develops over time.

Most of the recipes I’m making lately can be vaped immediately although they are better at a week. When I was heavy into bakery, it was not the case. They change dramatically in a month.

 

[IDJoel]

I see. I may still want to experiment with it but it sounds like it's not a magic bullet. It's just going to be difficult waiting a week or more before trying my creations.

Sounds about right. There are still a number of DIYers who find benefit from using heat; so give it a try.
Do keep the temperature at/below 140°F; that is the generally accepted temperature that nicotine begins to degrade.

As far as test vaping your new concoctions goes; everybody does it a little differently. For me, I do the following when putting a new ingredient, or recipe, through its paces:
I test vape a small sample immediately after mixing ("fresh").
I test vape a small sample after 24hours.
I test vape a small sample after 3 days.
I test vape a small sample after 1 week.
I test vape a small sample once a week thereafter.
The testing period is over, when I can no longer detect any changes, or the changes head down-hill. Jotting down my perceptions after each tasting, helps remind me of previous perceptions (for comparison), and paints a better (for me) picture of how and when it might be useful.

I used to follow (blindly) the general "broad brush" consensus for aging flavor groups (e.g. tobaccos, bakeries, fruits, custards, etc.). However, when I started experimenting with a few individual tobacco concentrates; I discovered that I actually preferred 4 out of the 5 initial tests after only a brief 3 day rest, instead of the traditional "1 month or more" that is routinely sited across the internet. Some even become less enjoyable after only two weeks.

You may find your own taste buds run with the majority, and extended aging becomes your SOP. But, with early test vaping, you may be pleasantly surprised by finding perfectly vapeable shake-n-vape creations.

The bottles I ordered are LDPE, which according to your article doesn't leach chemicals, so that's good. Maybe I can still try it, but I'll try not to let my expectations get too high.

Yep; LDPE's only down-side is that is is more air permeable than HDPE, or PET. It is not a big deal unless you are talking in terms of months.

I see no reason why you can't try your heating experiments with your LDPE bottles.

Good idea. I can get an idea of how heat affects different ingredients and then maybe I'll have a better idea of which recipes would benefit from it.

I believe you have a plan!

 

[Nate5700]

If you don’t have one already, get a Rda. I taste my tests right away, because I too lack patience.

As far as test vaping your new concoctions goes; everybody does it a little differently. For me, I do the following when putting a new ingredient, or recipe, through its paces:
I test vape a small sample immediately after mixing ("fresh").
I test vape a small sample after 24hours.
I test vape a small sample after 3 days.
I test vape a small sample after 1 week.
I test vape a small sample once a week thereafter.
The testing period is over, when I can no longer detect any changes, or the changes head down-hill. Jotting down my perceptions after each tasting, helps remind me of previous perceptions (for comparison), and paints a better (for me) picture of how and when it might be useful.

Oh dear, it does sound like I'll need an RDA. Hopefully I can find one that works well at low watts.

 

[DeloresRose]

Oh dear, it does sound like I'll need an RDA. Hopefully I can find one that works well at low watts.

Don’t panic. They’re out there.

This is one I have, easy enough even for me. Don’t recall exactly, but I know I’m using pretty low watts with it.
$14.90 SXK Hadaly Styled RDA Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer - stainless steel / 22mm diameter at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[Necrospecter]

RDA I use for wickless testing $5.52 Hadaly Styled RDA Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer - stainless steel / 22mm diameter at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping it is great with a wick as well.

 

[Nate5700]

Some helpful folks pointed me to where you can get standard 510 atomizers. They make them still. How about that. Saves me from having to build coils.

OK, I should be all set, my ECX package should be here Monday. Don't know when the atomizers will show up but I can at least get some juice started.

 

[Raider87]

Probably the best thing i did on my DIY journey is i quit haphazardly trying the mix things on my own so much, and instead started searching the popular e juice recipe sites, changed the filter settings to show the most popular and most mixed recipes.
Then out of those, i searched for things that were in my flavor profile and things that sounded appealing.

At least with doing that, the percent chance that i would like the recipe went up because it was a mix that a lot of other people liked and had been mixed and tested a lot.
Still no guarantee that i would like everything thats popular, some of them i didn't like, but some were great and had been months in the creation process by the mixer, mixes i would have never came up with on my own.

After doing that for awhile, it became more natural to create and customize things as you get familiar with what you like and don't like in a mix.

One of my all time favs is Toasted by MrBurgundy-
A sweet cereal in milk with a great cinnamon note using FLV rich cinnamon, amazing stuff.

Another is Raspberry Custard by Coop34, it takes a long steep to come together, i usually wait 6 weeks before i start vaping this mix, but man is it worth the wait. Blows the doors off those expensive custards i used to buy from commercial juice companies.