Very interested in people thoughts , ideas and philosophy on mixing. Some questions i ponder myself are:
If a flavor fades did you use to much or too little?
If a flavor fades will supporting flavors stop it from doing so?
Should percentages of fruits be increased when combined with creams?
Would combining two already steeped juices yield a different result then if mixed at identical %s together at the start?
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If 1 or 2 people has an issue then it might be a individual problem. When several are having this problem I think itās with the flavor itself. If a flavor is known to contain PDO there may not be a solution for the fading issue because several users has stated PDO does fade flavors over time. I have a unopened gallon of PDO and never tried it. By the time it arrived, the reviews were out about itās flavor fading issues.
This is really beyond me. If you can find whatās causing it to fade, then maybe you can fix it. Iāve come to accept if itās bad, then itās just bad and move on. Find something that works for you.
This all depends on the type of fruit and vendor IMO. If you know your flavors, then you should know how they react when mixed with certain flavors or enhancers. I really donāt think there is a solid rule on how to adjust a mix before you mix it without knowing your flavors.
Never tried and I donāt have clue. I have mixed recipes in my tank but Iāve never mixed 2 different recipes in the same bottle.
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I have no answers for your questions, but fading in general is something I address by batch size and consumption. To me snv FA Pear is phenomenal, but itās complex nuances begin fading immediately. I try to mix it as SnV.
I also mix specifically for my mod/atty/build. My pwm setups hit so insanely hard they need the nic and flavor at about half a normal TC setup. Typically Iāll just water down a mix if I it was designed on a TC DNA setup.
I also mix most things at zero and then add nic for a given setup.
I also tend to avoid mixes that undergo big changes during steeping. I donāt like custards anyway. The exception is strawnana, where the banana magically masks the nastiness of VC1.
Thatās my philosophy in a nutshell. Mixing is a unique journey. Experiment with what interests you and you will find your bliss. The most important thing is to never stop experimenting IMHO.
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Iām very novice at this and would read my posts with that in consideration. I agree with this philosophy. I look at e-juice as akin to cooking food. Some mixes fade in a good way. Takes time for them to āageā. Some donāt have a long shelf life without loosing the flavor I like. I mix and consume accordingly. As far as percentages, I am simply in the mode of tweaking. In regard to mixing two flavors. If I stumble across something that tastes great from changing flavors in an atty, Iāll peruse that as a new mix.
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Short answer to all 4 is āDependsā But for pairings: Check this
Which brings me to my philosophy ā just do things. I just donāt have the specific curiosity or patience to test complex questions beyond āmix a ml or two and see what happens, write down the ratios and resultsā I mix by volume, often just filling straight into a 3ml syringe when testing new tastes. But to be fair ā I really, really love a handful of specific single flavours and donāt do much multis work. Lychee with some vanilla and creame is amazeballs tho.
Also, my fav ways to find flavours, Iām with Walt3 ā first notice when swapping flavours tastes great. Second, say I have a 3ml tank ā vape 2 ml of it or so, then add a couplafew drops of another flavour and see what happens. You wonāt get the best mix obviously, but youāll get an idea if itās worth pursuing.
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Pro_Vapes: āThis all depends on the type of fruit and vendor IMO. If you know your flavors, then you should know how they react when mixed with certain flavors or enhancers. I really donāt think there is a solid rule on how to adjust a mix before you mix it without knowing your flavors.ā
So by this philosophy we should not experiment? Just curious.
And if you mix 2 recipes in one bottle, would it not just be one recipe?
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Sounds right to me. Iām sure a world class chef can determine that his recipe would be better with two dashes of unobtainable juice, but Iām not a world class chef. Even then, both of us are experimenting. Make it, taste it, change it, taste it, and at some point say āgood enoughā.
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This is something thatās learned overtime. You can test flavors individually, but for me, mixing certain flavors together may give a different flavor aspect from your single flavor mixā¦ such as flavor bases and stones.
I really canāt elaborate more here since I havenāt tried it. I can speculate, but I like replying from experience.
The question is will seperate steeps then mixed together yield a different result than if all ingredients were steeped in one bottle. Think dunkaroos. If i mix one bottle of the cookie, then seperate bottle for the icing then combine them after 4 weeks, would it differ from the mix where all ingredients were combined from the start?
Iām sorry I couldnāt resist posting this:
Philosophy (from Greek ĻĪ¹Ī»ĪæĻĪæĻĪÆĪ±, philosophia, literally ālove of wisdomā) is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.
My mixing philosophy is pretty simple. Since I started mixing (my reason was being a cheap ass and not wanting to give money to the guy down the street anymore) my values and mind became completely absorbed in learning as much as I could. It actually became quite all consuming for a while as I was looking for the āperfectā vape.
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Though I have not tried this I think it would make a big difference, UNLESS, you re-steep the mix. When all flavors are together and steeping together then all flavors have a chance to meld. Mixing 2 pre-steeped flavors does not mean the 2 have melded. It would require more steeping thenā¦
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Canāt believe no one mentioned this. If you are talking about single flavor blends fading in flavor then your problem could be the flavor itself. Most flavors contain Maltol, nearly the same thing as Ethyl Maltol. Both of these substances are known to fade flavors. Some flavors have entirely too much Maltol and this causes a problem. Now for your question, if you use too little, it will be weak but flavor should not fade because you used too little (UNLESS, SEE ABOVE), However, in a multi flavor mix it could be overpowered easily if too weak. Too much flavor, a lot of people think it is true that this fades flavors. I personally feels it kills your taste buds and mimics fading flavorā¦Look up Vapor Tongueā¦
No, if there is a flavor that is actually fading the mixās flavor, it will fade all the flavors in the mixā¦
I think a lot would depend on how much cream you use. Also some fruit flavors are stronger than others. Truth be told, those of us who have been blending for a while probably do use more fruit with creams. We just donāt pay too much attention to it and do it automaticallyā¦
This is sound advice and this statement can help you answer the fruit and creams question. When you know your flavors, your percentages of this and that become pretty much automaticā¦
Hope this helped a bitā¦
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Yes it doesā¦ in my experienceā¦ especially with fruits and creamsā¦ I enjoy mixing StandAlones ā¦allowing them to steep, and then blending them togetherā¦ One example is a flavor that is a favorite of mine FA Forest Fruitā¦Mixed as a StandAlone, it steeps differently than if it is mixed with other Flavorsā¦ Say I do a mix of Forest Fruit with Cream Fresh in a bottle together and steepā¦ then do a mix of Forest Fruit on itsā own and a mix of Cream Fresh on itsā own and steep them separately and blend AFTER steepingā¦the flavor profiles of each vape are differentā¦I have found that I get a more pronounced Forest Fruit flavor with the mix that was made with the steeped StandAlone flavors that are combined afterwardsā¦and the CreamFresh that intermingles and compliments this mixā¦It makes (for me) a more complex vape than the mix that was steeped with both flavors togetherā¦The mix with the 2 flavors steeped together has a more homogenized and less dynamic flavor profileā¦not as much interesting going on with it as there is with the 2 flavors that were independently steeped, then blendedā¦Experimentation is the keyā¦and sometimes I just throw caution to the wind and play around with that idea that you mentionedā¦
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So far (in my lowly year long+ journey) I can affirm this. I have toyed with this idea/approach a few times since it was last brought up (maybe 6-8 months ago). What I found was that mixing two fully steeped flavors into one container/sampling yielded a kind of āhot spotā situation.
What I mean by that is, youād get little ābright shining momentsā of a certain flavor taking the lead, and depending on how many flavors were mixed, they would āshineā at varying intervals.
For me, I have a single complex recipe from a friend, which I can replicate a similar experience by ramping the power up or down (different flavors shine through at different power settings). Although this is done using a single, fully homogenized liquid, where all flavors were added simultaneously.
The experience is similar, but notably different.
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Agree, and it makes for a very interesting vapeā¦Very enjoyableā¦The cool thing with this kind of mixing is that I will mix a Cream flavor and let it steep for a week to 10 days BEFORE mixing my Fruitsā¦Mix my Fruit independentlyā¦then let them both steep (in their separate bottles) another 10 days or so (how ever long the fruit needs)ā¦then blend them togetherā¦thereby getting a mix with the Cream that has fully blossomed AND the Fruit which is reaching itsā primeā¦For me, it is just another fun exploration into something differentā¦ 
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this is exactly what i find every time i mix 2 already steeped mixes ā¦ a very enjoyable and different result - iām vaping one of these mixes right now so wanted to come back and confirm this thought. i do think itās a thing we can exploit further - maybe the juice makers are already doing it in some premium juices.
in my mind, i keep relating this to cooking. iām trying to understand how VG - and the curing process - really works. if iām making (real) creamy vanilla custard with banana slices on top, i would start by preparing the custard. milk is the main ingredient (so like the VG in eliquid), I add the custard powder, sugar, maybe a hint of vanilla and apply heat and stirring - then cool the resulting product - thatās the base custard. then prepare whatever cream I decide to use - thatās again milk based - with a different ingredients, fast forward ā¦ i have my cream. add the cream on top of the v custard, then slice the banana and add on topā¦ this wonāt be the same product if i mix all the ingredients together and apply the heat and stirring in the beginningā¦ (canāt even imagine what i would end up with in that case 
)
so for my brain, it makes a lot of sense that VG will combine differently in each mix with the different flavors added and with steeping/curing, then adding 2 or 3 of these mixes together, thereās a totally different end product.
you guys think am i correct in that analogy, or am i just over engineering (cooking) this
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I think there is some truth to your analogy,I look at it in a little simpler way, I have separate bottles of āvape readyā steeped juice that can then be combinedā¦Since these will be vaped right after combining, the flavors mixed will not have a lot of time to meld together as one mixtureā¦ Ratherā¦ they will maintain more of their own flavor properties even in their combined stateā¦with a certain amount of blendingā¦but not to the extent of a mixture where all flavors are blended from the start, and then left to steep togetherā¦ So, the resultant vape will show more variety in taste notes as I increase or decrease my wattage during my vape sessionā¦and sometimes when I donāt change wattages during my vape session. And with some amount of combined flavor taste, as wellā¦and the variety is what makes the vape interesting for meā¦Also, as the blend does age, the taste will change as wellā¦ Sweet notesā¦Sour notesā¦Cream notesā¦Freshness and Blossom ā¦all popping up now and then etc They will all be dancing on the tongue at varying degrees and at varying timesā¦
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I agree here. I feel that by steeping an E liquid the VG undergoes a level of saturation. The fully steeped E liquid is less likely to take on other aspects of another fully saturated E Liquid. I have even wondered if muting is a result of a super saturation of the liquid the same way seperation of the E liquid and concentrates can occur when you have used wayyy to much flavoring. Certain flavoring i have noticed become immiscible at to high of a %
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All about right proportion. 60/40 is rare these days.
Most of these are 70VG. Iād suggest getting a good 50/50 custard flavor as your base and adding something like Granola Honey to it. Might work well. Also, I store my DIY e-liquid in nice plastic bottles, which provide safety and good storage abilities.
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If you want the best protection for your flavoring, youāll switch to glass. Zero risk of plastic leeching into flavors and vice versa over long term storage.
Plastic is merely adequate IMO.