Dear DIY_eJuice,

You and I share common backgrounds. A passion to discover the finest that eliquids have to offer.

Over a year ago, I stepped into the /r/DIY_eJuice sub and never looked back. Back then, this sub was rural and unkempt -- you're really fortunate to have outstanding members such as /u/InertiaCreeping, /u/Bluesed, /u/onions_can_be_sweet, and others contributing and pushing juice flavors forward.

Feel free to ask me questions re: DIYing, what it's like to be a vendor, or what's in my safe. I know of aspiring vendors lurk /r/DIY_eJuice so I can give some input on my greatest mistakes to avoid thus far. This industry is a huge learning experience for all of us.

My name is Bombies, but you can call me Michael, AMA.

> THE SECRET TO MAKING JUICE

It's getting late and I see people signing off so please let me conclude with this:

There is no secret to making exceptional flavors. You don't have to be a genius or a mastermind to make all day vapes.

You just have to play your strengths.

Understand that vendors come from all walks of life. Some might be culinary artists, others chemist, but I am and always will be a number cruncher with a meticulous passion for attention to detail. I make failed flavors every, single, day. With each failed recipe, I write down what I think works and what I think doesn't work. It's really a numbers game. Sooner than later, you will find a flavor profile that will surpass every vendor's that you ever tried. It might not come today, or tomorrow, but boy when it comes, that will be the most gratifying moment in your ejuice career.

Thanks for tuning in, I'll continue answering questions as long as people keep reading my nonsense.

VG is a bitch. There's so many available options, and far too many just come out very harsh or have a 'strange' exhale hit. So, where might some of us look for some really quality tier VG?

Thank you for this AMA, /u/_Bombies and /u/perazini.

Hi /u/_Bombies

Little late to the party but still got a question.

What kind of insurance if any do you carry to protect your business? I would like to one day venture into selling my juices, but worry about some poor sap suing the crap out of me cause his dog ate the bottle of juice or [insert unfortunate situation].

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions.

What´s the hardest flavor to work with?

> A Real Nightmare. To date, I've been through 47 revisions of it. Made everything under the sun, from menthol tobacco, to the taste of a real analog. Most of the time it tasted flat, or just terrible.

How long does it takes to you to be content with a flavor?

> Weeks to months. Once it's made, I vape it immediately and start judging it immediately. If I can't vape it for one month straight, I call it a failure.

Favorite vendor?

> Hands down, Indigo Vapor for tobacco. I tried very hard to avoid tobacco flavors in the early stages of vaping, my thoughts were: if I am trying to quit cigarettes, why do I want something to replicate tobacco flavors? Turns out, there is something in tobacco that fruit / savory flavors just cannot satisfy. A higher calling.

What´s the biggest "Aha" moment you ever had mixing flavors? > After four straight months of DIYing and failing each and every one of my creations, I was ready to give up. I tried every recipe on the internet: sour skittles, anise/licorice flavors, raspberry lemonade , popular clones, you name it I probably made it. The thing was, even then, I was not happy with any of the ones I made. Ready to throw in the towel, I noticed one untouched flavor sampler I received off the corner of my eye. I figured why not, one more mix couldn't hurt...

> I quickly put a bottle together, and without steeping it, sampled this new flavor. Upon the first inhale, my eye lit up. On the exhale, my jaw dropped. I had made my first SmashLab flavor. It was flavorful. It was glorious. It was magnificent. It was uncompromising in every aspect. It was 'Nana Cream. I knew, right then and there, that other possibilities other than the standard "blueberry menthol" or "apple pie" flavors existed. 'Nana Cream was my first ADV creation, and single-handedly reaffirmed my quest to find different flavors. I vaped it for a month...until I discovered White Gummy Bs.

In your opinion, what makes a good juice, good?

> It needs to taste great freshly mixed, even better after steeping. I try to vape that flavor nonstop for one month, and if I can do it, then I will proudly put my name on the bottle.

Here is the first formula I ever made. It tasted pretty awful now that I think of it.

Here is one of my earlier recipes that never made it out alive:

3% Sweet Mango by Capella

10% Pineapple by LorAnn

4% Coconut by The Flavor Apprentice

3% Orange Cream by The Flavor Apprentice

A nice, smooth, and zesty flavor profile.