If it is a new recipe for me; I mix, shake, and then taste. I want a benchmark with which to compare. So that means notes! Notes on what I mixed, how I mixed it, and what my initial thoughts on taste are. I am also tasting for "off" notes. Is it harsh, does it have a chemical, artificial, or other unpleasant aftertaste? These are indicators
to me that this mix might benefit from some time with the cap and drip tip off (this can be a couple of hours, or days).
Then, depending on how it tastes, I may vape on it right away, or put it away for 24hours. I generally will do a second intentional "tasting" at 24 hours to compare how much it has changed (and whether for the better). More notes!
Then, depending on how much I like it (or not), and what flavors I used in it (tobaccos, custards, chocolates... I know these take some time to come into their own) I might do one of a couple of things.
It might be good to go. Or it might be in that needs a "bit more time;" in which case I will put it away for another 48 to 72 hours then re taste and note. Or, if it has those flavors I know really need time I will put it away for a week, or even two then re taste and note.
The important thing, again
for me, is to check a new recipe at intervals so I have a good understanding on how it is going to behave. That way, the next time I mix it (assuming I liked it), I will know "this needs 24 hours with the top open and a week in the cupboard," or "this needs 4 weeks in the cupboard," or "it's good to shake and vape."
I will sometimes repeat this process for a known recipe (one I have previously made) if I am using a different flavor that I haven't used before or haven't had success with previously (pomegranate is one I am currently struggling with... everybody else seems to just love it; but not me).
One other thing I would add to this is taste your flavors individually
first! Before you start mixing with them. This will do two things for you: 1) it will give you a good idea of what kind of taste/tastes it is going to bring to the party, and 2) it will help you figure out what percentage
YOU prefer it at. This is a huge advantage when evaluating a recipe you are considering. If you know you like flavor "X" at +/- 4%, and the recipe is calling for "X" at 13%, you will know you are probably going to want to dial that flavor back first. That beats mixing a batch that is never going to taste good to you, and wasting your time and wasting your materials, and wasting all that paper BECAUSE YOU WERE TAKING GOOD NOTES.
We all get in to DIY for different/same reasons: to save money; to have more control over what goes into my juice; to create flavors that are perfect for me; because I am concerned about availability; and on and on and on.
But, regardless of why, the process is going to be fairly common. It takes time, understanding, practice/repetition, and LOTS of patience. Because Mixing is more like cooking than baking. Baking is very precise. You need to use precise amounts of ingredients that are mixed and baked in a particular way. Whereas cooking has much greater latitude based on ingredients chosen (thin steak vs. thick steak, steak vs. chicken, etc.) and how
I like to eat them (raw, rare, burnt... you get the idea).
The best cooks know AND understand their ingredients. And the best mixers know and understand
their ingredients.
The only (successful) shortcut I know of is if you are lucky enough to know someone who shares your palette. Then you can piggyback and duplicate his/her recipes. This still won't really give you any real help to start creating your own recipes though.
Otherwise you are just slinging stuff together and praying that it is vapable. This includes randomly choosing recipes off the internet. It is not much more than a crapshoot; and some are perfectly content with that. And that is fine... for them. If you want to create good juice you have to put in the time. Time reading the forums and blogs, time trying and failing, time trying and succeeding, and time making notes!
My own journey has taken me high-flavor-mixing, low-flavor-mixing, speed-steeping (I HATE that word! It is NOT "steeping!" Steeping is defined as "extracting" and we are not "extracting" anything. We are merely giving it a chance to blend/meld/mature... OK; climbing down off my soap box again
) via ultrasonic, heat, mechanical shakers, messure-by-volume, messure-by-weight, and on and on and on.
And I have only been mixing exclusively for about a year and a half! And my journey isn't over. But I am learning what works for me. That doesn't mean that it will work for another single soul... but it works for me.
We each need to figure out what works for ourselves. That is the journey. That is the FUN!
Cheers!
