"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."- Hunter S. Thompson

I'm currently very sleep deprived and maybe more than a little out of it. I've been away on business for the past week, working 4:30 PM to 4:30 AM and my sleep schedule is demolished. BUT I just got home around 3 this morning and decided to mix up something using some rather odd flavors I've collected in my DIY journey. The goal here was to make something herbal, earthy and exotic. I'm sick of trying to reinvent the wheel with custards, creams and basic fruits. It's time for me to boldly go where most sane mixers will not.

First up on the block is INW Cactus. Honestly, the name of this juice was set in stone the minute I ordered this concentrate. This is my first time using it other than a 2% standalone mix. By itself, I got an overpowering floral assault, with hints of some unknown citrus. The aroma of the concentrate reminds me of walking past a Bath and Body Works. Floral, perfumey, soapy... Just not all that pleasant. I knew I couldn't use it as the main note in the juice as originally planned, so I decided to use it as a background note supporting TFA Jackfruit at a 4 : 1 ratio.

This is where I should probably give some tasting notes on TFA Jackfruit, but the truth is this is the first time I've ever used it. It smells really good? Vaguely tropical and hard to pin down? I dunno man. I'm just winging it here.

TFA Champagne was a must in this recipe. If I'm making a juice named after a booze-and-drug-fueled frenzy, it's gotta have some booze in it. Rumor has it that Champagne used in any amount over 3% results in utter throat destruction, so I started at 1%

I sifted through the rest of my flavor concentrates, and pulled out four that have never seen much use- TFA Honeysuckle, FA Zen Garden, FA Oakwood, and FA Liquid Amber.

I used Liquid Amber in a previous mix of mine where it imparted a vaguely fruity, earthy tartness. I figured combining this with the herbal flavor of FA Zen Garden would be an excellent match. Full disclosure- I've done no standalone tests with Zen Garden. Based on smell alone, it wouldn't be a very good time. Honeysuckle was included because I liked the way that interacted with citrus a la Adirondack's Placid. Finally, FA Oakwood to accentuate the herbal, earthy strangeness in the base with some wooden notes.

Without further rambling, the full recipe is as follows:

Fear and Loathing

• 4.5% TFA Jackfruit
• 2% TFA Honeysuckle
• 1% TFA Champagne
• 1% FA Liquid Amber
• 3% FA Zen Garden
• 1% INW Cactus
• .5% FA Oakwood

Vaping this on a Tugboat v2 with my "basic bitch" coils- 26ga Nichrome, 7 wraps, .3 ohms at 60w.

The overall profile is definitely exotic fruits with an underlying earthiness bordering on bitter. The inhale is a vague sweetness and slight tingle on the tip of my tongue, while the exhale is dominated by the Jackfruit and Cactus. Aftertaste is definitely the herbal/earthy element.

The Jackfruit/Cactus combo seems to work really well together as a top note, while the Liquid Amber is adding a delightful tart element to the fruits. The TFA Champagne seems to be present more in mouthfeel than in flavor, but it's a welcome addition. Not sure if Oakwood is actually doing anything to the mix at .5%. I'll likely increase it to 1% in the next batch and see how it does. It's hard to say what a good steep will do to this recipe, as well, seeing as my current bottle is all of, oh, five hours old. I might split it into a glass bottle and try a heat steep.

If anyone out there is feeling brave and mixes this up, let me know what you think!