tl;dr I followed the advice I've seen here and elsewhere and the results of my first two mixes far exceeded my expectations.
Here is a synopsis of what I feel the most important things I had learned going into my first "experiment." There are plenty of other things I needed to know of course - how to find and use a calculator, cleanliness, safety, and other best practices. Following are areas where, for me, it took an act of willpower to actually heed the advice and guidance I'd seen during my research into DIY liquid creation.
1. Stick to one single flavor your try.
2. Use the minimum amounts. No matter how much you like the flavor. No matter what.
3. Prepare, plan, and write everything down.
Background: I have tried two lines of juices from altsmoke.com, several juices from Volcano ecig, and juices by Upstomp, Hooligan Vapes, and Flavorz by Joe. I think it works out to around twenty juices from a variety of sources I've tried, and by which I am comparing my own creation.
To my tastes, these first two I made with single flavors (I did sweeten one of them with one drop per 5ml) are wonderful. If it never got any better than these two I'd consider my initial investment well worth it and I'd have access to all of these two flavors I wanted to make. If I had purchased these two, they would be something I'd want to purchase again.
Mind you, I am not bragging, not at all - I'm stressing the value of the information I've found here.
Why I used minimum percentages of flavor
One thing I have not liked (but didn't realize it at first) in a few of the juices I've tried in the past turns out to be the intensity of the flavor. At first they tasted good. The flavors were reasonably accurate. Then I tried a few by Upstomp. The quality of the flavors in his were brilliant, not to mention the creativity, it made me set aside what was left of those other flavors. The quality of the flavors in his are fantastic, but the intensity is dialed down.
I happened across a YouTube video with an interview with Upstomp and he gave two tips for DIY juicers. The one I remember is that he said the biggest mistake new DIYers make is using too much flavor. Hmmmm. He also explained how less can actually be more. So I put that under my hat and managed to keep it there.
I found a thread in the recipes subforum here where members have compiled a list of flavors by the manufacturer I chose to go with along with recommended percentages, both by the manufacturer and members who've used the flavors.
For my first two recipes I used the minimum. If it said 2% while users have had success with 3-5% I went with 2%.
It should go without saying that it's easier to add more if necessary later while it's impossible to subtract.
Why I am glad I stuck with a single flavor
Actually, I had already learned this lesson in an entirely different context with the creation of other taste-ables unrelated to e-liquid. Essentially, its a matter of trusting the creator of the flavor to know what they're doing - to not sell something that needs augmenting by another flavor to be good. In other words I began with the assumption that the one flavor would be good by itself. I was right, both of the flavors I've tried so far are very very tasty.
I also knew that just because Flavor A is great and Flavor B is great that Flavor A+B is great. Flavor A might do horrible things to Flavor B that it doesn't do in real life. Also, and I know this is true with other things and expect it is with e-liquid flavors, aspects like complexity can be muddled if not eliminated by mixing. I know this is counterintuitive, when you add more "information" things are supposed to get more complex right? Not so much in the case of flavors. Its more like music. Listen to three songs at the same time and its not going to be an enjoyable experience.
Does this mean I'll never experiment with mixing flavors? Absolutely not. That's a major reason I wanted to try DIY. I will be experimenting with mixtures in the future but when I do, if something goes wrong, I'll know its the interaction not something wrong with the flavor.
Why organization is important
I made a point of writing down the base recipe on index cards that I took from the calculator and made notes on the amounts. I know exactly how many drops I put in. If after a week of steeping I realize I could do with even less flavoring I can judge how much to subtract down to the drop. If I tried to remember that I'm sure I'd forget.
I think this is where taking the time to be precise with measurements is important too. It makes tweaking easier. This I'm sure will be all the more important when I begin experimenting with combining flavors.
Lastly, I took my time. No, this is not rocket science, but mistaking the base for the nicotine (which for me came in the same sized and shaped bottle could result in a wasteful accident at best.
I love the old carpenter's saying, "measure twice and cut once."
All in all, this first foray into DIY was a frustration-free and profitable experience. I hope what little I've learned might help someone else.
Here is a synopsis of what I feel the most important things I had learned going into my first "experiment." There are plenty of other things I needed to know of course - how to find and use a calculator, cleanliness, safety, and other best practices. Following are areas where, for me, it took an act of willpower to actually heed the advice and guidance I'd seen during my research into DIY liquid creation.
1. Stick to one single flavor your try.
2. Use the minimum amounts. No matter how much you like the flavor. No matter what.
3. Prepare, plan, and write everything down.
Background: I have tried two lines of juices from altsmoke.com, several juices from Volcano ecig, and juices by Upstomp, Hooligan Vapes, and Flavorz by Joe. I think it works out to around twenty juices from a variety of sources I've tried, and by which I am comparing my own creation.
To my tastes, these first two I made with single flavors (I did sweeten one of them with one drop per 5ml) are wonderful. If it never got any better than these two I'd consider my initial investment well worth it and I'd have access to all of these two flavors I wanted to make. If I had purchased these two, they would be something I'd want to purchase again.
Mind you, I am not bragging, not at all - I'm stressing the value of the information I've found here.
Why I used minimum percentages of flavor
One thing I have not liked (but didn't realize it at first) in a few of the juices I've tried in the past turns out to be the intensity of the flavor. At first they tasted good. The flavors were reasonably accurate. Then I tried a few by Upstomp. The quality of the flavors in his were brilliant, not to mention the creativity, it made me set aside what was left of those other flavors. The quality of the flavors in his are fantastic, but the intensity is dialed down.
I happened across a YouTube video with an interview with Upstomp and he gave two tips for DIY juicers. The one I remember is that he said the biggest mistake new DIYers make is using too much flavor. Hmmmm. He also explained how less can actually be more. So I put that under my hat and managed to keep it there.
I found a thread in the recipes subforum here where members have compiled a list of flavors by the manufacturer I chose to go with along with recommended percentages, both by the manufacturer and members who've used the flavors.
For my first two recipes I used the minimum. If it said 2% while users have had success with 3-5% I went with 2%.
It should go without saying that it's easier to add more if necessary later while it's impossible to subtract.
Why I am glad I stuck with a single flavor
Actually, I had already learned this lesson in an entirely different context with the creation of other taste-ables unrelated to e-liquid. Essentially, its a matter of trusting the creator of the flavor to know what they're doing - to not sell something that needs augmenting by another flavor to be good. In other words I began with the assumption that the one flavor would be good by itself. I was right, both of the flavors I've tried so far are very very tasty.
I also knew that just because Flavor A is great and Flavor B is great that Flavor A+B is great. Flavor A might do horrible things to Flavor B that it doesn't do in real life. Also, and I know this is true with other things and expect it is with e-liquid flavors, aspects like complexity can be muddled if not eliminated by mixing. I know this is counterintuitive, when you add more "information" things are supposed to get more complex right? Not so much in the case of flavors. Its more like music. Listen to three songs at the same time and its not going to be an enjoyable experience.
Does this mean I'll never experiment with mixing flavors? Absolutely not. That's a major reason I wanted to try DIY. I will be experimenting with mixtures in the future but when I do, if something goes wrong, I'll know its the interaction not something wrong with the flavor.
Why organization is important
I made a point of writing down the base recipe on index cards that I took from the calculator and made notes on the amounts. I know exactly how many drops I put in. If after a week of steeping I realize I could do with even less flavoring I can judge how much to subtract down to the drop. If I tried to remember that I'm sure I'd forget.
I think this is where taking the time to be precise with measurements is important too. It makes tweaking easier. This I'm sure will be all the more important when I begin experimenting with combining flavors.
Lastly, I took my time. No, this is not rocket science, but mistaking the base for the nicotine (which for me came in the same sized and shaped bottle could result in a wasteful accident at best.
I love the old carpenter's saying, "measure twice and cut once."
All in all, this first foray into DIY was a frustration-free and profitable experience. I hope what little I've learned might help someone else.
