This Thread is all about cracking the friggin’ code. Info also critical deciphering clones. I almost thought of starting a new thread, but I decided my idea fits right here. I think many members have that Holy Grail clone …a couple tests steeping in the closet? …version 16 of some uncrackable commercial Juice no one else has been able to clone/post to the DIY Community either?
I had a dream …yeah I know weird, but in it was a process for cracking the code! I’m going to call it “Picking the Flavor Lock”. Recent convos on the Forum and in IRC have been about how two flavors can become one, making them undecipherable in simple taste testing. This is how locks work. All the pins work against you until they all line up, so how do you apply this to Juice cloning? How can you line up each pin?
For the folks with a closet full of clone attempts …you are sure you know FlavorX is in JuiceC…“I got it 80%!” See? you think you have 4 of the 5 pins correct but the final flavor eludes …you buy more flavors …more tests …but what if one of the 80% is wrong? You’ll never get pin #5
My process is about validating the 80%. If you in fact had 4 out of 5 right you could more likely succeed. I also think you could use this to totally crack any juice from the start (!) I’m keeping to this thread because #5 could be simply saline or coconut or white chocolate or lemon juice …you get the idea. OK here it is “Picking the Flavor Lock” hope it makes sense.
Step #1 buy your commercial target juice.
Step#2 Start with a nice clean re-wicked RDA (dripper) and add a small amount of that commercial juice.
Step#3 This is the tricky part. Make some small amounts (10mls) of your known flavors (that 80%?) with your standard base, like a single flavor tester. You may already have these, and steeped SFTs would be ideal. Concentration for these testers? Just follow your own Single Flavor Test %s (3-5%?) depending on the flavor. One flavor at a time, add a drop or two to that commercial target loaded RDA and vape. This testing is about discerning how each test flavor moves the flavor meter.
Step#4 So you think this recipe has Dragonfruit? by adding a drop of diluted Dragonfruit to your loaded RDA you should notice either a slight flavor change or a dramatic one. If by adding a small amount of Dragonfruit you radically tilt the flavor …your guess is likely incorrect. If the flavor only gets moved a small amount …you are probably correct …just like picking a lock.
Step#5 Vape that RDA close to dry, reload with your commercial juice (see why I recommended using a little?), and repeat with Guess #2 #3 #4 and see how those other flavors “move the needle” I think this may also help to expose some of those hidden flavor pairs, similar to what people have experienced changing temp and wattage, or vaping down to the dry hit. The concept is you are tapping at each pin (flavor!) and knowing if you’re closer or farther using the original lock.
Cheers! 
