I was going to post this in the general questions thread but between the new lax rules, the lack of posts here and the amount of time the formatting took me on mobile, I figured what the hell. I've got a cart put together on Nicotine River but even after a ton of reading up I'm hesitant to checkout without a second opinion. If anyone would be so kind as to take a look and let me know how badly I fucked up I would really appreciate it.
Recipes I want to try (stuck to simple ones to begin with):
- Butter Almond Custard
- Coop's Kiwi "Cheesecake"
- 3 Banana Nuts: Simple Banana Nut Bread
- Simple Sugar Cookie
- Berry Creamy
- Strap On
Flavors(10ml each):
- FW Butterscotch Ripple
- CAP Vanilla Custard V1
- CAP Sugar Cookie
- CAP Super Sweet (may not use, will test everything first)
- TFA Banana Nut Bread
- TFA Cheesecake (Graham Crust)
- TFA Marshmallow
- FA Almond
- FA Kiwi
- FA Meringue
- FA Forest Fruit
- FA Fuji
- FA Red Summer
- FA Red Touch
- FLV Cream
Chemicals:
- 1L VG
- 240ml PG
- 60ml 100mg/ml Chemnovatic PG-base Nicotine
Bottles:
- 10x 1oz Squeeze
- 20x 15ml Chubby Gorilla Unicorn
- 5x 30ml Amber Boston Round (for nicotine)
Miscellaneous:
- 2oz-4oz Child Resistant Caps (hoping they fit the Boston Rounds)
- 10x 1.5ml Pipettes
- 10x 3ml Pipettes
- 10x 5ml Pipettes
- 10x 7ml Pipettes
Nicotine River Total = $73.09
LB-501 scale from Amazon = $35.71
Grand Total = $108.80
Edit: wrong scale
Update: Thank you all for your help! I got all the stuff in 2 days ago and holy shit some of them smell orgasmic (marshmallow made me weak in the knees it was so good, i need to find a very mallow heavy recipe before long). I made 10ml testers for each recipe, tried the ones that were SNV and quickly realized that I have a serious sweet tooth and need sweetener. I made more 10ml testers with 1% Super Sweet (left out 1% PG to compensate) and will be trying a couple of those today. They smell much closer to what I'm used to/looking for. I've also been playing around with Forest Fruit and SS together in different percentages. FF is a lot darker tasting than I was expecting but still pretty good solo. I'll have to get some raspberry or something to brighten it up a bit. I figure I'll only experiment with mixed berries for now, since they seem pretty simple to put together without making something unvapable, until I try many more established recipes and grow my flavor collection quite a bit. Also, I don't have an RDA yet so testing stuff is..."fun".
P.S. Pipettes suck for transferring VG. Takes longer to add just the VG than it does to add everything else. Going to try some syringes today. May just end up transferring it into dripper bottles if the syringes aren't much faster.
P.P.S. If you're on the fence about taking the DiY plunge, just do it! It's incredibly easy to mix up a recipe and only takes about 5 minutes start to finish.
Update 2: 1% CAP Super Sweet is a little too much. Very similar to "premium" juices so it isn't unvapable but too syrupy to vape for long. I remade Berry Creamy with .5% SS, let it steep overnight and its MUCH better. It's the only thing I've made 30ml of so far. Can't wait to try the 3-day steepers tomorrow (kiwi cheesecake, berry yogurt, maybe banana nut bread)
I'm not sure if you need so many pipettes if you're mixing by weight, but it seems like a solid order. I notice that you don't have any large bottles to mix in (60 or 120ml). I think you'll miss those. Honestly, though, usually the second order happens within like a week of the first order...
I'm just going to get rid of the pipettes altogether. They were cheap and I didn't know what size I'd need so I got a bunch of each. I didn't even think about the concentrates coming with droppers.
I will definitely be picking up bigger bottles on my next order! I didn't this time partly because I wasn't planning on making any large batches to start, and partly because they'll help me hit the free shipping mark on the next order. Next order will surely be within 1-2 weeks so you're spot on there! Thanks!
Just FYI, you need something for transferring nicotine. Personally I use a syringe with a blunt tip, but I was using pipettes when I started out. Make sure it's wide enough if you're getting VG-base nic, the stuff is very thick, especially when cold.
Pipettes aren't bad. They're useful when your flavorings or nic might not have a dropper tip. That's the case for my nic and I reckon also the case for a few flavorings that are pretty big.
I use VG nic which I keep in the fridge, so I use one of these syringes with the biggest needle I could find on it. They're quicker to fill and hold a lot.
> Honestly, though, usually the second order happens within like a week of the first order
I remember placing my second order before my first one even arrived :) Then it took off from there. I'm not sure how many times I said to myself "This is the last order I'm placing for a while".
This is exactly the way someone should start DIY. Great job! You'll have a great experience starting this way. Which recipe are you looking forward to mixing up first?
I might suggest that you get 30ml bottles of CAP Sugar Cookie, CAP Vanilla Custard v1, FA Meringue, FA Fuji and possibly FLV cream. These flavors are used in a TON of recipes and are definitely winners.
Awesome, thanks! I'm actually most keen on the Berry Creamy because mixed berries > everything else in my opinion. I couldn't find a popular straight up mixed berry recipe so I'm hoping Forest Fruit on its own will be good.
I'll be making another order in a week or two, do you think I'll be good till then? I think my palette is dumb and am worried I won't like random flavors that sound/should be amazing. I do have some "premium" juice left also should I need it.
I think you'll be set for a week or so. Forest Fruit is a good one. On your next order you should pick up the other ingredients for [Backwoods Lemonade] (https://alltheflavors.com/recipes/17882#backwoods_lemonade_by_ediblemalfunction) by u/EdibleMalfunction. That's a really tasty berry Lemonade.
Do yourself a favor and mix up the Simple Sugar Cookie when you get your stuff. Throw it in a drawer and forget about it for at least 10 days. That recipe is so simple and so good.
What other profiles do you like? I may be able to help steer you towards more recipes that I've tried as well.
A couple favorites: [Timebomb] (https://alltheflavors.com/recipes/14036#timebomb_by_dazcole) by dazcole, my own [Cajolery] (https://alltheflavors.com/recipes/55462) which is a lemon/lime/razz/strawberry, and [Terrorhawk] (https://alltheflavors.com/recipes/13499#terrorhawk_by_concreteriver) by u/ConcreteRiver which is a great grapefruit/vanilla recipe.
Wow, thanks for all the suggestions! To tell you the truth, every citrus (and cinnamon) juice I've tried has had too much of a throat hit for me to handle, even though I like the taste. I have wondered though if maybe it's just the citric acid "premium" juice makers add, rather than the flavors themselves.
Which of those that you linked with citrus has the least/most throat hit or are they all similar to you? I wanted to do some experimenting with stuff to see what my problem is, and all those flavors sound great irl. Should have no problems with Timebomb though and I'll be picking up those flavors next order for sure. Sounds really good and unlike anything I've tried before. Thanks!
As far as other profiles I'm interested in... pretty much any except alcoholic drinks. I like the taste of all fruits irl and would like to try various mixes of all of them eventually. Same goes for any bakery or cream type flavors. I'm not too picky when it comes to taste and like trying new things. Oh! Actually I was looking for a caramel rice crispy treat (Open Road clone) recipe but couldn't find anything, if you know of one by chance. Even a regular rice crispy would be great.
I really appreciate all the help so far, I can't wait to get started!
Looks good to me if that's your taste. You avoided the mistake I made with my first order. I didn't have any recipes in mind, just some flavors, and now I've hardly touched all but two of those first ten flavors I got.
I found I'm not very good at making my own recipes, so I pretty much exclusively copy others. So much more of a breeze and less waste. If you haven't heard already, volumetricly mixing juice is an absolute pain compared to doing it by weight. Get yourself a good scale.
Haha yeah, I tried to learn from you guys on buying for recipes not random flavors, even though I am really tempted to!
I'll be SFTing and copying recipes to start as well. I'll have to see how that goes before trying my own. I actually used to work in a gelato factory so luckily I did know about the weight vs volume deal. We mixed by weight there as well, thankfully.
But that's the best part of mixing!! I generally do extensive research on the flavors and SFT them, and even find similar recipes or combinations to adapt. But I get where you're coming from when you just want a good tasting juice quickly and don't want to go through development hell. Especially when a few mixes in a row turn bad. I've had to learn the hard way to mix in 10ml (or less batches), without nic, and be willing to toss things
Definitely a place for a little bit of creativity, but I don't really have the time to mess with all that. Money and fine tuning were my two major motivations for switching to diy. I've got a very nice collection of recipes, enough to have a few for the warm seasons and a few for the cold.
If it were me, I'd bump the CAP vc1, and sugar cookie to 30ml's, add 1 more Strawberry, 1 straight Vanilla, and an emulsifier like TFA Dragonfruit.
INW cactus might be another versatile addition.
I second this. I positively love cactus in my fruit and beverage mixes. It's become something of a cheat for me. That and Ws-23. Some people may not like cactus but it's worth a 15ml purchase to find out for sure. TPA Dragonfruit as well.
Definitely pick up some WS-23 though, u/LecherousLumberjack. I may have more utility for it as I like bright fruit and beverage mixes more so than creams, but it can fix bad juices fairly often and it's the best coolant. It's a good option to have
Right on. I'll definitely be getting cactus next order to make Cajolery and I've been interested in trying ws-23 for myself so I'll probably pick that up too. Heard a lot of good things about dragonfruit so I'll look for a simple recipe and grab those. Big bottles of stuff I've tested/liked will be on that order as well!
Thank you guys for the suggestions!
Double check that scale to be sure it is the high resolution LB-501 that measures down to 0.01g, because they sell a cheaper one that only weighs down to 0.1g.
ask nice at nicotine river for a couple of free twist top caps, they will throw them in free usually.
you may not need so many pipettes, with a scale you will mostly be using them to transfer and not measure. You won't save a lot but could get by with just 10-20 3ml pipettes.
I usually get PurNic, I don't know what the difference is. You can call NicRiver at 1-805-791-3304 and chat about the difference.
Good job, your in for the adventure of a lifetime, or a lifelong adventure, or something :)
> Double check that scale to be sure it is the high resolution LB-501 that measures down to 0.01g, because they sell a cheaper one that only weighs down to 0.1g.
Oh, shit! Good call! I was looking at the cheaper one. This is the correct one?
Thanks for the twist top cap tip and words of encouragement!
That is the correct one! just a few dollars more but you get a scale accurate enough to mix :)
Thank you so much for catching that, on the price alone no less! I even wondered why the beginner guides kept saying ~$35 and then promptly dismissed the thought. This is exactly why I asked for a second look. I owe you one. You ever need some lumber jacked, you let me know.
This is a solid first order. Re: pipettes it’s good to have them for the nic but I mix with 48mg nic and vape mostly at 0.5mg and I just mix one big batch of base at 500ml in a leftover pg bottle from nic river with a twist cap. Even a batch that large needs like 1.4g only of nic so I just pour the nic out of the amber bottle.
As for the concentrates, I just recently picked up butterscotch ripple and found I didn’t like it. Taste is subjective. But your order has a few bakeries, fruits, creams etc with solid staples. This will be fun for you to build off of. If you were this careful about your first order, you’ll be miles ahead with your second. Lots of what you have can actually work as a stand-alone or two flavor mix easily for something quick and delightful. That’s a good way to get to know flavors too.
Lastly, there’s a couple of be-all-end-all flavors that are worth the money (ex flv rich cinnamon) Make a wishlist on bcf or vaperstek (tobaccos) and load up everything you’re interested in as you go along. That way you can make a sane choice when the time comes. If you’re like me, you can get a little carried away. :) But if I’m making a smallish order and I’m within a little bit of the free shipping, I’d rather throw in one or two hefty flv’s instead of paying for shipping.
Thanks for the tips! What didn't you like about butterscotch ripple? I think I read somewhere that it has a bit of rum taste that I'm afraid I'll hate.
Ah maybe that’s it. I’m an alcoholic in recovery. Sometimes liquor tastes mess me up. Funny but I really like Kentucky bourbon. Maybe not so weird since my drink of choice was whiskey with a nib back?
Edit: I only tried the ripple in a recipe from atf. So I’m gonna try another where it’s got less going on and I can single it out better. Not feeling a sft right now.
Ah ok. That makes sense. I never really had a taste for any of it tbh. Not a fan of bitterness in general and I get wicked heartburn.
Any chance you remember the name of the recipe? You may know already, but that butterscotch almond custard I linked in my original post is only 3 flavors. Might be a good one to test?
100mg you should get Gloves