So I've been a lurker for quite a long time but I've been mixing for over a year and have this community to thank for all the help! I've spent countless hours learning and mixing and I'm just starting to get to the point where I feel like I can make my own recipes and they don't taste terrible!

So this is the first recipe I feel is worth sharing with the community, although all my recipes are a work in progress. Please feel free to give suggestions or tips.

When I used to smoke, my favorite were Djarum's. I remember when you could buy the unfiltered "internationals" in a metal tin back in the 90's. I'm glad to have moved on to vaping but I do miss the flavor and smell of a clove every now and then. Especially the smell of the pack! The problem is, every time I try to smoke one of those things, I recoil in the nastiness of smoking. I just can't do it anymore!

When I first started vaping, I bought every type of clove and kretek liquid I could find. In fact, one of the (many) reasons why I moved on to DIY is because I wanted to make my own kretek recipe because I didn't like any of the commercial liquids. After months and months of trial and error, I finally feel like I've got it down.

This is meant as a MTL vape. I vape this at around 20 watts on a 2019 kayfun lite. It's good as a shake and vape, though it gets even better after steeping.

• AM4A INW 3%
• Clove FLV .5%
• Hazelnut FW 2%
• Kentucky Bourbon TPA 2%
• Toasted Marshmallow TPA 1%
• Western TPA 2%
• Super Sweet CAP (either put a drop on your drip tip before vaping or put .5% in your mix)

So on to the notes:

AM4A provides the mysterious but somewhat familiar tobacco backdrop. Hints of all the weird and strange profiles found in a djarum. I still don't quite know what am4a is. It accentuates anything that you pair it with and seems to taste different every time. I use it with mango and apricot and love it. I've tried various tobacco flavors for this recipe and am4a is the one that nails it.

Clove (FLV) provides the obvious clove note. I've tried all kinds of clove flavors and Flavorah's is the best for a djarum, hands down.

Hazelnut (FW) gives it a nutty note, but also sweet. Pairs well with the marshmallow.

Kentucky Bourbon (TPA). Yeah I know this sounds weird and out of place. I experimented with it and am4a in another recipe and at the first puff I immediately said to myself "this is it! this is the secret ingredient in my clove recipe!". I still can't quite understand what kentucky bourbon does in this mix. The best I can describe is that it adds a note of dryness without the smokiness and other unpleasant tastes that a lot of tobacco flavors have. I personally don't like tobacco flavors so I think it adds a "dryness in the back of mouth" taste and feel without the actual tobacco taste.

Toasted marshmallow (TPA) gives it smoothness and a good mouthfeel. I've tried MTS vape wizard and liked it but I prefer the sweetness of the marshmallow. I think it pairs well with the clove and hazelnut and rounds out the dryness of the kentucky bourbon.

Western (TPA) blends well with everything else in the mix. It adds a top note in the inhale that reminds me of a kretek. Western is known a "leathery" but here's no leather here. The marshmallow and hazelnut make western work, imo.

Super Sweet (CAP). Kretek papers used to be soaked in saccharine before being rolled to give a sweet flavor on the lips. Cap super sweet is to mimic that. You can either put a drop or two on your drip tip before vaping or you can put .5 % in your juice. Or you can completely leave it out. It's up to you.