Good afternoon, friends. Today, I'm bringing you an experiment that I forced myself to work on and figure out. Below is the test that no one asked fucking asked for, but I'm hoping will help you if you have similar mixing tactics as me. To start, lets talk a little bit about mixing styles. Some people plan out a flavor profile, select the correct flavors for that profile, and tweak to completion. Others, like me, just throw shit at the wall to see what sticks. This is a true test of really diving into that style.

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Let's begin. I remember a long time ago, when I used to buy commercial e-liquid, a mix called Betty. This was an interesting fruit blend, one that claimed to change flavor and profile depending on wattage, builds, and hardware. While that seems like a bold claim, I wondered if I could create something similar. This is not an attempt to clone Betty, this is an attempt to clone the concept of an ever-changing flavor profile. I'm going to break this novel up into segments, for sake of ease.

CONCEPT

So, I knew I wanted to create a profile that doesn't really replicate anything, but changes and evolves as you vape it differently. Certainly not an easy feat, but one that I believed I had the flavors to at least attempt. Immediately, I knew that using FA Oba Oba and VT Fizzy Sherbet would help create that ambiguous profile. FA Oba Oba typically sits as a supporting act in a mix, however, it's citrus-y, sweet, candied, and chewy profile made me wonder if it could sit on it's own. VT Fizzy Sherbet is one of the better flavors to come out in the last few years. It's unique, versatile, and friendly. You can use it to support your main profile, you can build a base with it, or you can vape it solo. Low percentages give us a full bodied citrus soda profile, higher percentages allow this pseudo-Pop-Rocks type profile. I knew I'd push it higher for this mix.

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Next, I thought I'd use a strawberry and CAP Hibiscus to add body, depth, and a solid backbone of "sweet red syrup" to the mix. FA Juicy Strawberry was my first idea, something candied but also "real" that would truly give us some old school ice cream parlor strawberry syrup. After this, I thought some lime would cut into that syrup and prevent it from being too overpowering, while also bumping up the idea of effervescence. Finally, the other flavors that play the support for the mix. This was where I figured I'd just personify my mixing style, and truly grab whatever I thought would work, and test it out.

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Alright, so we have our ideas figured out, and a basic plan for the first mix. Now, the bulk of the post, the 4 versions of Amorphous, and notes on what worked, what didn't, and how I got to the final version.

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AMORPHOUS V.1 (ATF LINK)

• CAP Silverline 27 Bears at 3%
• INW Dragonfruit (Pitaya) at 1.5%
• VT Fizzy Sherbet at 2%
• CAP Hibiscus at 1.5%
• FA Juicy Strawberry at 2.5%
• FA Lime Tahity Cold Press at 2%
• FA Oba Oba at 2%
• FA Wine Champagne at 1%

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NOTES FOR V1

• So, this was a great starting point. There was an overarching tropical profile that didn't really hit anything in particular. The main takeaway was that INW Dragonfruit was overpowering the mix, as a whole. It wasn't bad, but it was pushing all of the subtle nuances way too far into the background. The use of 27 Bears, VT Fizzy Sherbet, and INW Dragonfruit was creating a nice suggestion of something like a pineapple Starburst with back notes of ambiguous tropical fruit.
• The FA Juicy Strawberry and CAP Hibiscus combination works nicely, and definitely created what I wanted. It's a super sweet and thick swirl of strawberry syrup that plays well with the tropical fruits. I like this, however, I'm not sure if it's really doing much to help the mix accomplish the goal. It adds a back end of red fruit body, but feels like a crutch more so than a specific decision.
• FA Oba Oba is there, but the INW Dragonfruit is really smashing through too much to create the chewy, citrus body that I wanted Oba Oba to impart. FA Wine Champagne was supposed to play with VT Fizzy Sherbet to create a bit more of a suggestion of something other than just soda, but I'm not seeing it. There's not subtle fermentation like I wanted, there was no added depth, it just kinda sat in the mix as a bit of throat hit?
• Moving forward, V2 should replace INW Dragonfruit with TPA Dragonfruit to attempt to still impart that suggested pineapple note, while removing the chap-stick mouthfeel and subtle floral notes.

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AMORPHOUS V.2 (ATF LINK)

• CAP Silverline 27 Bears at 3%
• TPA Dragonfruit at 1.75%
• VT Fizzy Sherbet at 1.5%
• CAP Hibiscus at 2%
• FA Juicy Strawberry at 2.5%
• FA Lime Tahity Cold Press at 2%
• FA Oba Oba at 2.5%
• FA Wine Champagne at 1.5%
• CAP Super Sweet at 0.25%

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NOTES FOR V2

• Subbing TPA Dragonfruit in place of INW's variety immediately removes that weird off notes I was getting in V1. However, now there is a significant cut to overall flavor potency. I believe that in the previous mix, INW Dragonfruit was imparting the majority of flavor. Unfortunate.
• Increasing flavor percentages of VT Fizzy Sherbet, CAP Hibiscus, and FA Wine Champagne is not entirely doing much to help the mix. I am picking up a little more of that Fizzy Sherbet candy notes here, but not enough to feel like this is a success. Still noting some strong back end of strawberry syrup. Noting here, in V2, that this strawberry syrup might not be the right move for this mix.
• FA Wine Champagne is still an idea I think could work here, but it's still not standing out enough aside for a weird, dry throat hit. We'll give it one more try in V3.
• This is a sort of, one step forward-two steps backward situation. I think I've succeeded in mitigating some of the negatives from V1, but imparting more problems with flavor potency overall. Also noting in V2 that this mix is missing something crucial. It's focused too much on bright, tropical fruit, but since this is supposed to be something ambiguous that evolves over time, we need something to contrast this.

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AMORPHOUS V.3 (ATF LINK)

• FW Beetle Juice at 2%
• TPA Dragonfruit at 3%
• VT Fizzy Sherbet at 2%
• TPA Grape Juice at 0.75%
• CAP Hibiscus at 2%
• FA Lime Tahity Cold Press at 1.5%
• FA Oba Oba at 2.75%
• FA Pear at 1%
• FA Wine Champagne at 2.5%
• CAP Super Sweet at 0.25%

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NOTES FOR V3

• Big changes in V3, trying to add a bit more of a dark berry contrast to the bright fruit profile. Adding in FW Beetle Juice should have been a thought in V1, honestly. This profile is ambiguous by nature, but in the inverse way that 27 Bears is. With Beetle Juice, there is this candied mix of citrus, berry, and tropical fruit depending on the application and supporting flavors. Significantly better than what 27 Bears was bringing to the table. TPA Dragonfruit is a great way to fill in the gaps that Beetle Juice has on it's own.
• TPA Grape Juice is thrown in the mix to try and impart a subtle note of grape candy to the mix, without overpowering the profile. It works at this percentage. It's noticeable, but really only on the exhale. And this is possibly one of the first true successes of the study. We're getting a nice candy mix of fruits on the inhale, but a deeper grape exhale. Nice.
• FA Pear is in here to try and add some juiciness to the mix, it's not really doing anything. I guess I notice some added mouthfeel here, but I don't think we're adding anything to the mix with it.
• Removing all true strawberry flavors in this mix was a smart move. Instead, we get that suggestion of red sweetness from CAP Hibiscus, without the actual strawberry syrup profile. I like how this works in the recipe.
• All of the added flavors and increased percentages are fucking everything up. Sometimes, you need to actually pay attention to your percentages, who the fuck knew? This mix is like, 17% overall. What the fuck, Coke, you're stupid. This is the worst mix of all three so far. Very muted flavors overall, everything is just a muddied up mess. But, I did find some success with the implementation of Beetle Juice and Grape. Moving on to V4, I'm going to really strip this recipe of all the bullshit attempts at contrast, accents, and nuance. That usually helps in the end.

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AMORPHOUS V.4 (ATF LINK)

• FW Beetle Juice at 2%
• VT Fizzy Sherbet at 3%
• TPA Grape Juice at 0.75%
• CAP Hibiscus at 1.75%
• FA Lime Tahity Cold Press at 2%
• FA Oba Oba at 2.25%
• FLV Pink Guava at 0.5%
• CAP Super Sweet at 0.5%

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Before I go into the deep dive of notes on this, I am prefacing with HOLY FUCK, THIS IS GOOD. Okay, lets move on.

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NOTES FOR V4

• FW Beetle Juice / VT Fizzy Sherbet - Holy shit, what a combination. If you want something strange, balanced, and indescribable, this mix of flavors creates something beautiful. The Beetle Juice at 2% is giving just the right amount of "fuck everything, throw all the fruits in the bottle" base. There's enough body for this to work on it's own. Adding Fizzy Sherbet at 3% gives us added candy, added brightness, and the right amount of fizzy suggestion to make something awesome. Removing TPA Dragonfruit helps let these two flavors shine, without muting any of those "tip of the tongue" flavors that you know exist, but can't quite define.
• TPA Grape Juice / CAP Hibiscus - I knew I still wanted that back end exhale of grape candy, and letting these two flavors play together gives us just that. The hibiscus is working nicely to add a blend of red sweetness to the mix overall, while preventing the grape from overpowering that exhale. Here, we get the suggestion of a grape exhale, but the candies from the body and inhale still dance on the tongue, only giving the grape enough spotlight for you to know it's there. TPA Grape Juice is a great flavor, but it's finicky. Be careful, high percentages are great to create a strong grape profile from the jump, but when you go low with it, you can truly force it into the background. 0.75% is perfect in this application, but I'd suggest going to 0.5% or lower if you are playing with some more subtle flavors.
• FA Oba Oba - While removing all dragonfruits from the mix, we now allow Oba Oba to truly do it's thing. The citrus notes from this flavor play nicely with the tropical parts of Fizzy Sherbet, while adding some brightness and punch to the Beetle Juice. Also, that suggestion of chewy candy that Oba Oba has really helps prevent this mix from being a beverage, but doesn't stand out enough to TRULY be a chewy candy profile. More ambiguity, more success.
• FA Lime Tahity Cold Press / FLV Pink Guava - If you haven't tried pushing FA LTCP to higher percentages, please give it a try sometime. You get some nice lime flavor, but it doesn't assault your tastebuds like using a few drops of INW Lime. There is some great suggestions of bitter lime zest, but overall, you're getting a sweet lime candy. Finally, I thought that adding a small amount of FLV Pink Guava would just really awaken this mix, and it does. I've had trouble using this flavor in the past, it tends to just make everything muted and you only get this smack to the face of guava. But here, in low percentages, you know it's there without only tasting it. I've noted it's more potent in the beginning of the experience, but steps down as soon as you get a full inhale. So it's brightening up all those ambiguous fruit notes quite nicely, while also creating a subtle bitterness on the exhale to reset your palate on long sessions with this recipe.

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CONCLUSION

I'm tired of typing, so this will be short. I'll say that V4 is the best, but V1 and V2 are also quite good, in their own way. If you want more of a tropical mix, those two versions are great. However, in attempts to create something more ambiguous, that changes flavor depending on how you vape it, V4 really feels like a success. Vaping this mix at lower wattage gives the Beetle Juice a lot more room to shine, where the overall profile feels more like a rainbow sherbet mix, sans the true ice cream mouthfeel. It's fruity and sweet, with just the right amount of brightness. Vaping it higher accentuates the Pink Guava, bringing out more tropical notes from the Fizzy Sherbet and LTCP. When you close off the airflow a bit, you pick up more of the berry nuances, pink guava on the back of the tongue, and grape exhale. Wide open airflow is like a tropical fruit juice with pop rocks hidden in the mix.

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I think this was a success. Now, I'm very fucking tired. But here we are. Hopefully, my insanity will bring you some benefit. I hope you enjoy this mix, but if you don't that's cool too. This is Amorphous, an attempt at my more recent "white whale" of creating a strange mix that changes as you vape, and never truly gives up it's identity. For me, it feels like a 90% success. If I go back to this, I will try to add a bit more potency to the flavor, as a whole. But for now, it's quite strong, changes like I want based on vaping specifications, and is one of my favorite mixes of 2019.

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Stay fucking evil.