Help me whittle my 1st flavor purchase down please

[JABS]

I would like to purchase some flavors and I picked out about 10 recipes from a few different sites and was hoping that because some of the flavors are similar maybe I could eliminate a few that are so close that I could use 1 instead of 2, 3 or even 4. For instance after writing down all the ingredients for the recipes I liked, I came up with 10 different watermelons so if you think say, Watermelon (FA) is the almost same as Watermelon (LA) and LA is slightly better I can just buy that and write off the FA one. Now I do know some flavors can have the same name and bring different elements to a recipe but I figured why not ask the pros for opinions.

Watermelon (TPA)
Watermelon (FLV)
Watermelon (LA)
Watermelon (PUR)
Watermelon (FW)
Big watermelon (MB)
Watermelon candy (TPA)
Watermelon candy (OOO)
Sour watermelon candy(WF)
Wild melon(FLV)

Strawberry (TPA)
Strawberry (ripe) (TPA)
Sweet strawberry (CAP)
Shisha strawberry (INW)
Soft candy pink strawberry (WF)

Mango (CAP)
Mango (FLV)
Sweet mango (CAP)
Island mango (WF)
Shisha mango (VT)

Vanilla swirl (TPA)
Shisha vanilla (INW)
Vanilla bean ice cream (CAP)
Vanilla bean ice cream (FW)
Vanilla ice cream (LB)
Vanilla custard (CAP)
Vanilla custard (FLV)
Vanilla pudding(FLV)

Butter Cream (CAP)
Bavarian Cream (TPA)
Sweet Cream (CAP)
Sweet cream (TPA)
Devon cream (VT)
Cream (FLV)
Cake batter(CAP)
Meringue (FA)
Marizipan (FA)
Frosting(FLV)

Marshmallow (FA)
Marshmallow (TPA)

Graham cracker (CAP)
Graham cracker (RFSC or FLV)
Comment said RFSC was best GC?

Lemonade (FLV)
Lemonade(LA)
Pink lemonade(CAP)
Lemon sicily (FA)
Lemon (FE)

Apple candy (TPA)
Green apple hard candy(CAP)
Sour apple (FLV)
Sour (TPA)
Hard candy (FW)

Super sweet (CAP)
Super sweet (PUR)
Sweetness (FLV)
Sweetener(TPA)
Sweetener (FW)

Polar blast (FA)
Menthol (TPA)
Peppermint (TPA)
Wintergreen(TPA)
Cool mint (CAP)
Creme de menthe (FLV)
Ws-23
Koolada

Golden pineapple(CAP)
Pineapple(INW)

I appreciate any help or info, thanks

[SessionDrummer]

Welcome to ELR @JABS. As far as your list, it’s complicated, as many flavors have different uses, aspects, and we all have differing tastes on top of that. I could roll your list and give you MY favs, but that may NOT be right for you. Take for example just the MM’s.

@JABS

Marshmallow (FA)
Marshmallow (TPA)

I’d get BOTH. I use both, and they are not truly interchangeable. I use them both, AND for different things.

Also with the SB’s

@JABS

Strawberry (ripe) (TPA)
Sweet strawberry (CAP)
Shisha strawberry (INW)

I don’t know what recipes you mix, like, etc., but all three of those are very different, used VERY often, and will yield different results, but I have, use, and would get all three.

I’ll make one more example, and that is your creams/custards/ice creams. Wow, how to cull that list, hehe.

@JABS

Vanilla swirl (TPA)
Shisha vanilla (INW)
Vanilla ice cream (LB)
Vanilla custard (CAP)
Vanilla pudding(FLV)

Even THAT ^^^^ is hard to cull down as they all work and taste very differently, but those above, could get you started.

[JABS]

Thank you for taking your time to reply and input. I kind of figured what you said, reading how each flavor brings a certain aspect to it’s respective recipe but for instance I have read that LB is the best VBIC so if I could eliminate the other 2 VBIC then I would be happy with that. Like that list of watermelon is pretty crazy and 2 different watermelon candy’s. Also I’ve read that FLV mango is the best mango but again thank you

[Gus6]

If you don’t want to buy all of them, you can, for example, buy two watermelons that allow you to make two or three recipes and another two or three as a substitute…
Maybe it works or maybe it doesn’t…
Maybe the replacement works better than the original…
It’s about playing and having fun…
And later I will buy others.
I recommend you make small batches, 10-20 ml…
Fruits are not my passion, and creams and ice creams I know some of the list, but not all, it is difficult to recommend substitutes…

[rcleven]

@JABS

Vanilla swirl (TPA)
Shisha vanilla (INW)
Vanilla bean ice cream (CAP)
Vanilla bean ice cream (FW)
Vanilla ice cream (LB)
Vanilla custard (CAP)
Vanilla custard (FLV)
Vanilla pudding(FLV)

Your not going to want to hear this but I would buy them all. To add to this list (FA) Custard Premium.
You don’t have to buy them all at the same time to get started. Stick with the flavors in the recipes you think you are most attracted to and buy those. If you are a few bucks away from free shipping add a couple of flavors towards the next recipe that you have picked out.
Good luck and welcome to the community.

[SessionDrummer]

@JABS

Graham cracker (CAP)
Graham cracker (RFSC or FLV)
Comment said RFSC was best GC?

I can’t help myself.

In MY stash, the big three GC’s are Cap’s TPA’s and RFSC. All are very different, and work differently.

[SessionDrummer]

@JABS I tried to whittle down your list. ONLY add was VTA Sugarloaf !!!

Watermelon:

• Medicine Flower Watermelon
• LorAnn Watermelon
• Molinberry Big Watermelon
• Wonder Flavors Sour Watermelon Candy

Strawberry:

• TPA Strawberry Ripe
• CAP Sweet Strawberry
• INW Shisha Strawberry

Mango:

• FLV Mango
• CAP Sweet Mango

Vanillas:

• TPA Vanilla Swirl
• INW Shish Vanilla
• CAP Vanill Custard
• LB Vanilla Ice Cream
• FLV Vanilla Pudding

Cream:

• TPA Bavarian Cream
• CAP Sweet Cream
• VT Devon Cream
• FA Meringue

Marshmallow:

• FA Marshmallow
• TPA Marshmallow

Apples:

• CAP Green Apple Hard Candy
• FLV Sour Apple

Sweeteners:

• CAP Super Sweet
• TPA Sweetener

Cooling:
???

Pineapple:

• INW Pineapple
• SHOULD GET VTA Sugarloaf !!!

[D.Sims]

I see no custards… Revise and get back to us!!

[D.Sims]

Yup. Missed the couple you had… Triple it- than double that. Thanks

[Mikser]

Since it’s your first buy…

• Buy exact flavors for 3 recipes you think you will like + complete your order with couple of additional high rated flavors you think you will like (so don’t buy more than 25-30 flavors overall)
• Avoid going after ‘best’ flavors, but rather go after most useful flavors.
• Avoid making a whole order based on recommendation of others (because 30 people will give you 30 different answers and they all will fail for your taste)
• Avoid going too wide with fruits (and don’t buy more than one or max two of each fruit; so don’t buy them more than 6-8), but rather buy more neutral flavors (creams, ice creams, custards, basic bakeries) that are great and useful building blocks (and you can hardly fail there; you will need them all later and you will use them all, which probably won’t be the case with many fruit flavors).
• If you prefer shake’n’vape then avoid flavors that need looong steeping.
• Buy all flavors at one shop
• Read other similar newbie threads; you will find lots and lots of good advices that interest you most
• Read the previous line again

[Brotherbob]

Welcome and glad you joined.

[KC111]

Of course it varies person to person, but I’ve read reviews that Vanilla Ice Cream by VTA surpasses LB Vanilla Ice Cream. This is a great place to ask any and all questions and I wish I knew about this site before I went ape crazy and bought so many flavorings.

[Chef_Johnny]

All great comments above.
I’d like to congratulate you first for doing what you’ve done thus far!
Research, looking at recipes, asking advice, all very smart!
I wont even get into the whackadoodle all guns drawn flavor failure fest I started out with, and was six months before I made anything that was delicious.
I like Miksers idea of buying say, three exact recipe’s ingredients and getting them first, and adding as you go.
The more deliberate that you do this the less frustrated you will become.
Good luck on your journey!

[delltrapp]

big watermelon MB
wild melon FLV
watermelon Purilum
watermelon LA

Strawberry (ripe) (TPA)
Sweet strawberry (CAP)
Shisha strawberry (INW)

Mango FLV
Sweet Mango Capella

Vanilla swirl (TPA)
Shisha vanilla (INW)
Vanilla bean ice cream (CAP)
Vanilla ice cream (LB)
Vanilla custard (CAP)
Vanilla pudding(FLV)

Bavarian Cream (TPA)
Sweet Cream (CAP)
Cream (FLV) or Cream Fresh Flavour Art
Cake batter(CAP)
Meringue (FA)

FA Marshmallow

Graham Cracker FW or SC RF, TPA and Capella

Lemonade FLV
Lemon FE

Super Sweet Capella
Sweetness FLV or Sweetener TPA

Creme de Menthe FLV
WS 23
Menthol TPA
Peppermint TPA

[Iv3shf]

I think all the stash suggested are perfect… and all the above gave you some good advise, but you know what… welcome to ELR, but most of all, welcome to the rabbit hole!!!

Look at @Mikser suggestion and start from that, @SessionDrummer and @delltrapp gave you two great stashes to start with that reflect our way of thinking, based on our experience and taste.
As a beginner I’d personally go for Delltrapp’s, and after that slowly introduce the missing ones from SD’s.

Think about dedicating some time to understand what does what and where at what percentages, and what’s paired best with, single taste, pairing, layering, not an easy task if your stash is too big, 30 flavours to start with, is about right.

E.g. I just made “that” silly mistake, (don’t we all) but it was a “one off sale” at chef’s flavour, I bought all FLV’s, all WF, all VTA’s all SSA’s and odds and bits, for a total of 250 flavours (I know my addiction) added to my already hefty stash.
It was worth it moneywise, but also a stupid mistake, even if I’m a (fairly) experienced mixer, I will never be able to do all SFT’s (or it’ll take ages) and understand them all.
But (telling myself) I will definitely have a wide palette of colours to choose from when making a new creation,it’ll just cost more testers, (I keep telling myself) even if I, sort of, know what I’m doing (?).
As you see, it’ll be a costant “mistake” or an addiction, it’s never enough.

Start wisely, create with what you’ve got, keeep’em recipes simple, understand pairing and layering, understand what percentages suites you best, look on the recipe side, read the flavour notes and look how those flavs have been used, as you see, quite a few things to do just think if you go overboard and all that to do.

BTW just noticed that CAP’s Cereal 27 is missing from the list,(GC’s are no subs to that IMHO) Cookies?? But we could go on forever…

Welcome to ELR!

[Chef_Johnny]

BTW, I’m super curious what recipes you’ve chosen, the piqued your interest. Share if you can. I’d like to do a “ride along” on a couple.

[JABS]

Thank you everyone for all the help, I am at work currently but I’ll try and take a peek at some of those single flavor impressions I have seen around but the recipes that I have set aside for definitely making are IDT-10’s mango koolada, an ezduz it on Ice clone that is
Shisha strawberry
Strawberry ripe
Super sweet
Sweet strawberry
Triethyl citrate or dragonfruit
Watermelon tpa
Watermelon candy tpa

Mango cream, Alfred’s tears (hulk tears), watermelon sugar bomb, GIGI (grack improved), swamp thing on ice, wintermint cream and some kind of cinnamon toast crunch/French toast recipe either sadlad’s or crunchy cinnamon cereal.
Other recipes that I have saved but might not make the cut on this first order are Urbn-Bangkok clone, tigers blood from ATF, Viseron, watermelon crack, watermelon lemonade, Mayan milk, mango cream soda, shamrock cookie, blue alien, marshmallow man clone, mango yo la tango, element’s pink lemonade, jam monster blackberry, black lotus, guava lime candy, and detox.

Also I will add that it appears fizzy sherbert is out of stock at Bull City so hoping it comes in before I order or I’ll make a separate order from another place in the US that stocks it as well as some other they do not carry like the LB VBIC.

[JABS]

Thank you and yes cereal 27 as well as cinnamon crunch from FLV I’ve read was very good. Are those 2 very similar or should I say similar enough to be interchangeable?

[fidalgo_vapes]

@KC111

Vanilla Ice Cream by VTA surpasses LB Vanilla Ice Cream

I would disagree strongly…SSA maybe , but LB is a staple one must have if they arent a pepper taster

[fidalgo_vapes]

Cereal 27 and Cinnamon Crunch are different…