Pretty new to the whole DIY game, but really enjoying it. Thank you all for the plethora of outstanding information on here.
Anyways, I was a bit bored while watching today's NFL games (Brown's fan...although the Browns were actually a bit entertaining today, which was nice) and thought I'd see how many juices you guys keep on hand at any given time. I'm currently sitting at 7 different 30 mL batches right now (5 are recipes and 2 are my own creation that made the grade from tester status).
So how about it...what's a typical stash for you guys? Anyone have a liter of their ADV chilling in the back of the fridge? Or maybe it's 1,000 10 mL samplers waiting to be tasted?
Edit: Apologize if this comes off as a shitpost...just thought it'd be interesting to see how much people have on hand. Please don't ban me : )
I usually have at least a dozen or so choices sitting around. Mostly different singles and some recipes, 1 or 2 that I always have mixed. If I get below 200mL, I feel like I'm getting low.
Dozen sounds like a nice solid number to have.
By singles do you mean single flavor mixes?
Yes. Single flavors at varying percentages. Fun to mix 2-3 into a blend too!
Apparently I'm the ugly duckling here. I'm usually lazy and mix a bottle of shake and vape at a time. Usually end up running out and frantically mixing a new bottle.
Haha...sometimes you just need to feel that pressure to create a real ~~diamond~~ gem of a mix (terrible pun).
Edit: I fucked up my own pun.
I'm so lazy I just make a 15 or 30ml and then when it runs out in a day or two I make another haha..
Haha..sometimes keeping it simple is the best way, just ask my bank account (pretty sure I'm addicted to buying flavors).
I've been addicted to cap vanilla custard at 10% for months now.. It's all I ever vape. I guess my bank account thanks me haha.
This is a pretty good question. Some newer mixers might not know how many mixes they should be steeping at a given time. I think having a few singles steeping waiting for testing, and a few recipes should be good. I usually have about 10-15 different things steeping, but this is a bit extreme. If you're trying to nail a recipe, a few variants of the recipe is a good idea. And also, always having your ADV stocked is another great way to make sure you have some good shit on hand.
Thanks for the input, Enya!
I definitely had to get over the feeling of "wasting" supplies in the beginning. You got to make it to try it, so might as well mix up a few different ones while the gear is out.
What is a typical tester size for you? I have been using 5 mL disposable test tubes with rubber stoppers, but that is only because I can get them free from work (don't tell anyone).
10ml bottles with dropper tips are super cheap, I usually make 10ml testers for single flavors as sometimes 5ml is too hard to accurately measure small amounts even with a scale. You'll get over your fear of wasting supplies pretty quick when you realize there are certain flavors you'll never use again (or very rarely) and certain flavors you buy in huge quantities.
That makes sense.
Definitely have encountered a couple flavors I personally can't stand (the SO enjoys them though, which is great as I hate wasting flavors) and I'm sure there will be others.
(warning: humble brag approaching!!!)
I luckily have access to analytical scales that are accurate to the 4th decimal place (technically speaking that decimal is an approximation, but anywho) so I could, in theory, mix up 1 mL testers, but that would be gone in 1 RDA session. Eventually I believe I'll move up to 10 mL sampler size so I can taste test over a few days.
Thanks for the enlightening conversation!
Over 3 liters at the moment, most of it in 120ml glass bottles.
I'm vaping a awesome tobacco I made in January at the moment.
Always a dozen or so samples steeping too.
My juice is PG free so it requires a much longer steep time.
3 liters?! Dang. That is pretty impressive.
Edit: Meant to ask...link/source for tobacco recipe, por favor?
Well, when it takes 6 months for a tobacco to reach its prime and around two months for MF fruits, you have to plan ahead. There are two of us vaping may I add.
I have seven single flavours and one dual being tested on a two to three day basis. It's my first flavour order and I'm trying to get to grips with each before mixing. Interested to see how single flavours change as opposed to Multi.
Sounds like you're going about it the right way (tasting everything before moving to more complex mixtures).
Have any favorite singles you'd tried so far?
Hard to say at this time. My taste buds seem to keep changing on me. The FA Taramisu is good as well as the CAP Chai Tea. Still waiting for the CAP Golden Pineapple to develop but it is promising. As for the FA Fuji this is nice but I just can't get the intensity I want.
I have about 3 favorite recipes that I really like as an adv. Sometimes they get swapped out for other recipes for a while in a rotation. Of those I keep a 60ml that I'm vaping on and a 60ml of the same steeping.
Then there's the experiments. I try not to have but 2 new recipes I'm trying at a time. Of those recipes I probably have 5-10 10ml bottles of variations of each in various stages of steep until the recipe is finished.
So about 360ml of finished juice and 50-100ml of shit I'm playing with.
kindground, you cannot sat you have 3 favorite recipes and not posting them, not fair :)
I have more than three in that rotation lol.
Right now it's u/enyawreklaw's New PRY4 is one of them. u/notCharlesmanson's Strawberry Shortcake Bar is another. And then my recipe Berry Manilime which I shared in the monthly recipe thread.
I'm currently working on a Lemon Frosted Almond Shortbread Cookie, a straight up Vanilla Cupcake, and a Clove Spiced Tobacco.
I dont generally go through a lot of juice on a daily basis so when i go the diy rout i may have two or three 60mil bottles sitting around for when i run out of store bought stuff. It works out for me cause by time i get around to my diy it has steeped for a while.
Makes sense...DIY has definitely saved me a couple of times when I didn't check my store bought supply.
I feel like I'll be soon completely off store bought juice (sans a couple of companies I'd like to keep supporting).
What are your go to store purchases (brands/flavors)?
Usually I have around 7-8 different 30ml laying around.
Twinsies! just kidding, just kidding.
Right now I have 12 different 30ml laying here lol!
I've got strawberry cheesecake,honeydew cream,3 different tobacco,a candy apple with a dash of pear,my version vanilla custard,a Forrest fruit mix,a grape/watermelon menthol juice ( works for me as a medicine to cure my cold and stuffy nose and named it THUG COLD EAZE ) , a strawberry cinnamon roll
And as always the usual 2 or 3 30ml I forgot to name and forgot what flavors i used to make it...lol
How I vape to get over my cold ...usually use about 20% Menthol with a touch (15%) of Koolada in max PG...give it a shot! /s
But in all seriousness, what is in that Forrest fruit mix??
Edit: spelling
Recently I've started making 12oz max vg recipes stored in beer bottles without nicotine. Then I'll add the desired amount of nicotine to a 100ml bottle then transfer from the beer bottle.
This makes steeping less of an issue and saves time by not having to mix everything all the time.
Alright...this might be the most clever way of long term storage I've read thus far. I'm assuming you home brew as well as DIY ejuice?
As a fellow home brewer I am definitely using this technique for some large batches.
Thanks for the tip!
Yup, homebrewer as well. Swing top bottles would be ideal for this. I tend to add 1-2 grams in the measurement cup since some of it will get stuck to the walls. Also calculate the weight for nicotine before filling the bottle so there's space for it to fit.
I currently have 12 500ml batches sitting of stuff that I like. Also 10-15 30ml test recipes which if they pass will be transferred into the 500ml mix cycle. I am probably not like others though since I do blow through a bunch of juice a day (60ml or so) and provide a few friends with juice also.
Man...I want the JOOSE!
But seriously, that's a ton of juice!
60 mL's a day? That is impressive. What is your set up? I'm assuming some juice chuggin' monster.
Alien w/TFV8 as my work/drive around, I am in sales so I spend about 8-9 hours a day in my vehicle. When I get home I switch to my RX200S with an RDA or Griffin RDTA depending on my work load and mood.
10, but I'm more on the business end of mixing juice than the always wanting to try everything side of it lately. I like to give my customers options, but I haven't had the time to mix new flavors. I do Mix about 2 new ones every few weeks FWIW, and do a lot of testing myself. But when I think of "how many flavors I have mixed up", it's what I mix in liters (gallons soon).
So you have 10 liters at the moment? That is awesome!
Also, are you selling to B&M or just friends/family?
Don't really have that big of a flavor stash yet, and the biggest reason is I simply haven't got enough bottles to have that many different juices going, and sadly I haven't found a place to order bottles cheap(not from the US). I mostly have around 50-100ml around.
I'm still trying to figure the whole thing out, so I have 3 or 4 new recipes steeping plus 2-3 30ml bottles of my ADV (8 or 9% TFA Ry4 Double all by itself). I was always a frantic orderer and hope that it arrives before I'm out type. DIY is WAY better for that since I can just mix some up, shake and go. It takes me more than a week to go through 30ml but I've been switching to using a DL tank at home and the MTL at work, so I'm using the new stuff at home and the old standby for daily and at work use.
My wife likes 0 nic, and different flavors, so I usually have 2 or 3 different things steeping for her too. She uses even less than me. It might take her 3 days to empty the Nautilus tank on her Pico.
My daughter in law and son haven't quite found their ADV tastes, so we're working on that with a couple of 30s of things they might like (trying to get them off the combustibles).
Hey, good on you for taking on the mixing responsibilities for those you care about! It is a tough process finding those ADV's and I hope your kids can find them soon.
I've heard that RY4 Double only gets better with time. I just got some in the mail and can't wait to get some steeping.I do believe I'll be mixing a batch of u/enyawreklaw 's RY4 Pistachio clone and hiding it in the back of my juice cupboard for as long as possible.
Cheers and good luck!
Oh, it definitely gets better. If you're into the RY4 I definitely recommend RY4 Cream Pie by u/Arpeggiator8472. It's a nice creamy cinnamon RY4. It's the bottle I go for when I'm having a beer and relaxing.
The other day I had a 20ml bottle of 0mg Ry4 that my wife didn't like, so I added nic and 2% FW white chocolate to see what that did. I'm trying to develop my palate so I'm keeping things simple and what I know and trying to find the tastes that I read about in the flavor notes.
I'm a little afraid of pistachio, but I may add that to the next flavor order since I read good things about that pistachio clone.
Good luck to you too! Don't be afraid to mess up!
Mmmm that RY4 Cream Pie sounds like it would be amazing with the morning java! It is now saved and awaiting mixing, thanks!
I hear you about taking incremental steps to adjust flavors and see how they compare. The possibilities are endless, but it also seems like it can be really easy to get lost when throwing recipes together.
Thanks for the input and hope you a great holiday, cheers!
I recently bought five 1.3l jugs for steeping in, and tried a few of Wayne's recipes (rhodonite, bluenuts and pry4u), plus the leaked(?) unicorn milk. Not all the jugs are full because I didn't want to go too nuts on recipes I'd never tried... But next time I order flavours I'll have 5 litres steeping. Props to Wayne for fantastic recipes.
Hold up, what is this leaked recipe you speak of?
Also, 1.3 L jugs? Sounds pretty serious! Definitely enjoy Wayne's recipes...although my bank account would like to have a word with him haha.
Thanks for the input!
1 to 2. Back when mixing was fun for me i had like 4 or 5 and an entire recipe spreadsheet. Now i just make one or two 120ml batches throwing in flavors i enjoy. Since i dont have a mixing station(kids) i have everything in a big tacklebox so dragging everything out then cleaning is a PITA. Last few times i've only been doing one 120ml batch and i'll make another one a few days later.
Maybe one day, when your kids are older, they can help you build the most epic of mixing stations!
But in all seriousness, thanks for your input and I hope you can get back to enjoying some mix time. Any favorite recipes you've stumbled upon from throwing flavors you enjoy?
I have between 50-100 mls of a dozen or so mixes in rotation at any given time. I'll also have a couple of 250 ml bottles of my favorites. And yet I still buy more flavors to try new mixes that look interesting here. When the mood strikes me I try to nail down a couple of white whales of my own. It's slow work with a busy job and four little kids but I'm in no rush.
That is an impressive number for having four little ones. Hats off for keeping up with it!
Out of curiosity, when you buy flavors, do you go all in with 30 mL or get a sample size to begin?
Cheers!
I have three solid recipes that I always have 120ml steeping and 120ml for vaping each. All my own designs. Every once in a while I'll develop a new mix and phase out an old one.
Sounds like a solid system. I think 3 ADVs is going to be where I end up. Wish I wasn't such a flavor junkie, but then again, cotton is cheap so I don't mind swapping it out frequently.
Care to share your creations? No worries if not ; )
Cheers!
I'll hop on later and give you some flavor profiles but the exact percentages have taken me years to tune to my pallet (I'm sensitive to sweet flavors). If you really want a crack at making them I can be convinced to post the full recipes.
Lately I've been making only my ADV and using it exclusively. I normally have a batch steeping and the one I'm currently vaping. I make 200ml batches, that lasts me about 3 weeks give or take. It's a nice steeping time so that's why I chose this quantity. When the batch I'm vaping is depleted, I take out the steeped on and make a new batch, repeating the cycle. Sometimes I make one or two other recipes in smaller batches (~60ml) when I feel like I need to switch a bit.
Love this question and the discussion it has generated. I usually keep about ten to fifteen 30 ml bottles of recipes I have tested and liked a lot. If any of those need to steep, I mix up a new bottle when the one in use is halfway gone. I then have about five 15 ml bottles with recipes I'm testing, if I like the recipe I'll mix up a 30 ml. Finally, I also do five single flavor tests a week - but those don't have nicotine and are only done to learn the flavors, not have something to vape on.
Thanks for contributing to the discussion!
I have a feeling once I get into the groove and have built up my arsenal of flavors, I'll be using a very similar process to yours.
Do you recycle used bottles? If so, favorite method to do so?
I only recycle my glass bottles, which I use for my 15 ml recipe testing bottles, and am slowly growing the 30 ml bottle collection (using plastic 30 ml till I have 10-15 glass ones though). To clean the glass, my method is to clean it in the sink real quick before putting it/them into a pot filled with water. I then put the pan on the stove on medium-high heat, and let the water get to just below boiling where I leave it at for about 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat, let the water cool, and take out the bottles to dry.
For plastic bottles, which I always use for single flavor tests, I just get tons of 10 ml and toss them when the single flavor test is done.
I have about 15-25 30ml bottles half filled with random concoctions I think up. Half of them are garbage, my brother and his wife vape to avoid ciggerettes so they don't mind taking the bad ones off my hands.
It's a lot of different mixes I come up that may or may not work. The ones that don't work still help me learn my flavors and how they work. Then occasionally in the madness theres some gems that really pop out. I'll throw these on my menu that I send out to my friends. I probably need a better way to organize the ones that need long/short steep, but I'm for right now it's all one place.
That's just my testing container, which is just a oversized betty crocker Tupperware container for cakes. Then in my selling container I have about 3 120ml jars 3-week steeping with menu recipes that I plan to sell on special. Once their ready I move them over to big 8oz squeezy bottles.
Then in my backpack I've always got a couple half used random juices. I barely vape anymore for myself though, every time I do anymore my throat just gets worse and worse. Hope it starts to get better, it's starting to get tough getting excited to test new recipes.
MENU: http://imgur.com/a/sGoJh#nV9Q1U2
How the he'll did this thread get 75 posts. Are they roasting TVC in here too? 😂
On topic - about 25 bottles atm. That could fluctuate upwards though.
I have no idea...could have something to do with me replying to most of the comments though lol.
Definitely didn't think it would spark this much conversation.
25 bottles of varying size or all the same?
All 30 mils. All different flavors. Only thing I have more than one of are SB cheesecake, Cherry Limade and Fruity Loops I think I have 2 of each of those. I usually vape something different everyday and when I finish a bottle I'll mix the same flavor again in the same bottle. Keeps everything properly steeped by doing it this way. I just did a big bottle order from glass bottle outlet though and got a dozen 120ml's with it. Going to start doing bigger mixes on some of my flavors.
25 bottles of Ass to Mouth? What's the recipe for that?! :D
Sorry, that's the first thing that pops into my head every time I see "atm". I've held my tongue so many times, but just couldn't resist this time. Lol.
I almost always mix just 15-30mL at a time (moving to 30 recently since 15 is just a pain). I typically have at least 20 different juices mixed up but they are usually testers and I only vape through 4-5mL of it. Actual recipes though? I like to keep a rotation of 3-4 bottles of ADV material going though the stash has way more than I can ever go through in my lifetime.
I'll have about 6 30ml bottles usually hanging around. The problem is that when I mix something, because I'm in the mood for a certain flavor, I won't necessarily want that flavor in 2 weeks or so when the bottles has steeped.
These days I tend to go the /u/abdada route and mix up some MF stuff that I can vape right away.
I mix in empty liquor bottles. I have about 5 liters of juices in varying states of depletion, each in a differently shaped bottle. Someone seeing my lab for the first time would think I'm an alcoholic.
i keep it at 4 so i dont look like a psycho with half filled unlabeled bottles littered all over my house.
I've starting doing it this way.
- New Mixes in 30ml bottle.
- If the 30 ml is good after steeping. I'll make 120ml of it.
- If the 120ml disappears and I still like it I'll refill it's bottle.
- If the 120ml disappears and I still want more I'll make a 240 batch into two 120 mil bottles.
- When the bottle for step 4 is empty goto step 3.
I have nine 30ml bottles marked with little star stickers... One star, two star, etc. I mix those in either a range of % of a flavor to find a sweet spot, or if I know the sweet spot, to try different accents.
I also have four unmarked 30ml bottles that always get filled with 13% Inawara Cuba cigar, as an ADV if I just want a "normal" flavor, or as a backup if a mix is a disaster.
When I mix, I fill everything. My nic stays locked up (kids), and if I'm dragging it out, I'm topping up. Sometimes that happens when everything is empty, and sometimes it happens because it's Saturday and I just feel like playing with flavors :)
I presently have about 13x 60mL, plus 7x 30mL glass bottles steeping, representing roughly 7 finished recipes (my 5 Game of Thrones recipes, plus a couple of my ADVs). Also have several 15mL testers of newer recipes I'm dicking around with. That adds up to almost a litre...