The Why
There is something to be said about our individual comfort levels and where they take us. I have never been one for settling on anything and that still holds true for recipes and flavors. In my eyes, there is nothing off-limits. I try and maximize what I bring to this community and always strive to push myself and the people here forward, especially the newer members. I find a huge importance in trying new things and using.
Being Bold
I believe in living inside the box in the beginning. Getting to know what I liked allowed me to nail down what did and didn’t work but, the more I learned, the bigger my box became. There was something so special in the beginning when recipes came together, whether they were mine or not. Once I was comfortable, I started toying with the truths that I had learned. I found there are endless possibilities to what we can create. I loved and still love when a mixer puts something out that makes me go “huh”. Those recipes, like u/Kittybit8 and u/Zany1337's Rhino Cream, will continue to amaze me.
| Co. |Flavor| % | |--|--|--| | FA | Cardamom | 0.5 | | FLV | Coconut | 1.5 | | FE | Sweet Rice | 1.5 | | VT | Thai Sticky Rice | 4 | | FLV | Vanilla Pudding | 2 | | TPA | Whipped Cream | 1.5 |
While the rice and pudding and whipped cream all seem to make sense, using FLV Sweet Coconut, VT Thai Sticky Rice, and FA Cardamom threw this whole recipe into unchartered territory. It is something that I have never seen before in our little world. Being able to pick flavors and put them together like that are example of what pushes me to keep trying new things. There are enough berry + bullshit or cake + shitthatdoesntbelonginit recipes out there that bending the rules to create something truly unique is what I believe allows us all to be better mixers.
Show Your Work
Now, I do not have the thoughtfulness of u/Foment_Life like in his Gruber Grape or the precision of u/isuamadog in his Diciembre Veinte Seis when it comes to creating a recipe. I am messy. I do not have a set process, nor do I make sure to only use flavors that I know I am comfortable with. Half of the fun is getting to know how different flavors interact with each other and you do need to know your flavors... All of this is fruitless if you can't justify why you added what you added. For an example, take my recipe:
| Co. | Flavor | % | | -- | -- | -- | | FA | Apricot |1.5% | | JF | Biscuit | 0.75% | | WF | Cannoli Shell | 2% | | LA | Cream Cheese Icing | 1.5% | | FLV | Eisai Tea | 0.50% | | JF | Honey Peach | 2% | | FA | Joker | 2.5% | | CNV | Vanilla Pudding | 2% |
The peach, cream, and bakery are easy enough for most people to understand. The first look at the flavors in a recipe will usually dictate whether someone mixes it or not. What I came up with makes this recipe sound like an illusion. JF Honey Peach and FA Apricot were givens to me because they bounce off of each other so well. LA Cream Cheese Icing and CNV Vanilla Pudding created the thick, funky cannoli filling. Now, FA Joker is a great base for a cannoli shell, but it still needs the right help. I picked JF Biscuit to add some richness and WF Cannoli Shell because of its crunch and slight anise spice. Lastly, FLV Eisai Tea was to drive the entire recipe into the earth while keeping it a very relatable dessert.
Fin
To that end, there is nothing that I will not try. I have always loved trying new things. One of my character defects is that I have an infatuation with doing what probably shouldn’t be done even if it doesn’t work every time. And trust me… It doesn’t work every time. My goal here is to give others options and the drive to explore. Using strange flavors and combinations is, not only because I work for Big Vape to get you to buy things, but because I know the flavors and believe that others should too.
I truly believe that I have a duty to all of you to put in my best effort because everything that every one of you (most of you) has given me. I love you all from the bottom of my heart and I would like to thank u/isuamadog specifically for thrusting me into this further than I already was. I appreciate all of you and I sincerely hope that this doesn’t stop you all from giving me hell about how you never have any of the flavors that I use.
xoxo gossip girl
Links to the last few Tutorial Tuesdays:
Thank you for sharing this post and hell, I don’t have all the flavors you use!
This was a great read, and I just want to tell you as a new mixer it's been such a pleasure to browse and mix your recipes. It seems like you really have fun with the process and you've come up with some really fantastic stuff. So thank you for your contributions and keep up the great work👍
Thanks! What have you mixed so far? I would love to hear what you think.
Oh for sure man. So far I have tried:
Major (boston cream doughnut) - love this one, don't think I've had another juice with this level of chocolatey richness and the donut base is on point. Don't use this one in my tanks because it's so decadent but an occasional drip session totally hits the spot when I'm in the mood for a dessert. Also bonus points for the ghost in the shell reference.
Kaguya (lychee raspberry lemonade) - super refreshing, this is what I've got in my squonk right now. I like it with a teeny bit of sweetener (think I did 0.25% cap super sweet), seems to make the lychee pop for me. Great all day juice.
Ryuk (apple black currant spice tea) - loved the dryness of this one, I'm a big fan of tea flavors and the chai thing going on in there definitely works for me. Makes me think of fancy tea from a gourmet grocery or something.
Inosuke (thai tea milkshake) - this one was a miss for me, the FLV thai chai just isn't my jam.
Shiro (oatmeal cream pie) - this one is straight money. So so good. Oatmeal cream pies were a childhood favorite of mine and this recipe does wonders for my nostalgia. I think I've gone through more of this stuff than any other DIY juice.
Also mixed your Nelliel raspberry/butterscotch shake dealio over the weekend and I'm letting it steep but my little off the shake test was very promising so I'm excited to give it a proper tasting. Think I'm gonna get the missing flavors for Knives on my next order too as I'm going through a little tobacco kick at the moment, can't wait to try it out