I am wondering how different people actually go about testing their recipes. Say you have 10 - 15 recipes (or more) that have steeped and are ready to try out. How do you physically go about tasting them? Do you test them in tanks, rda’s, or both? Do you put a few ml’s in a tank and rewick and clean the tank(s) for the next flavor?
I am asking in the hopes that someone has a system that makes it quick and simple. I have a few drippers but prefer tanks. I originally thought that I would test flavors via the drippers so I could just re-wick between flavors until I realized that there is a big difference in taste between tanks and drippers. I probably have about 10 tanks but it takes a really long time to rewick and clean them all. I probably have about 25 samples ready to test and am wondering if there is a way to do this quickly that I haven’t thought.
I think some people use replaceable coils for this but doesn’t that get a bit expensive after a while? If anyone does do that, do they have any tricks on how to make that work?
Perhaps I need to accept the fact that there isn’t a shortcut?
There’s never a shortcut to life and that would be the same for testing.
For me, most new recipies are made at 15mls. I automatically steep/age at two weeks. I no longer test at 2:4:5:10 days because my vape drawer 2-5 weeks of mixes.
Regular testing is important…but I take my chances because for me if it isn’t good at 2 week and 5 weeks there is a problem.
Therefore I test vape just like I vape. Fill up the rdta, or dripper. I rarely change the cotton. I do support vaping in order. Fruit after fruit. Coffee after coffee. And if I’m going crazy I’ll start a tank vaping fruit vapes and just prior to the build getting to guncked up I go for the kill and put in a dark flavor. I notice it just takes a few pulls/vapes and the flavor changes over. Sometimes I’ll fill up the tank with 2-3mls just to wash out the previous flavor and after that I fill it up.
The only time when I go into test mode is when something just isn’t working. When I swear the recpie should be good. That’s when I’ll clean things up. Change the coil and cotton and fingers crossed.
Don’t get me wrong. Testing is important. I should do more of it. But now after 10 months of mixing and 20 to 30 mixes in the drawer I don’t have the time. I would rather mix vape and repeat.
I use drippers, I don’t test the all on the same day usually but if I do I’ll just change the cotton, I try to stagger them so I’m testing one maybe 2 day, when they’re ready I decant them into 30mls. It’s a lot quicker than using tanks but then I only really use tanks when I’m driving anyway, much prefer the flavour in a dripper.
relaaax you’re not determining blood types pre-surgery, it’s just vape juice It might be super important to have a spotless RDA if you were trying to reverse engineer something you wanted to clone, but testing your own juice should be more casual. Start with a fresh setup and don’t overload your RDA …maybe a dozen drops… enjoy. Before your next sampling, take off the cap (RDA) and fire while blowing on it to get it down close to the cotton (don’t scotch the cotton!) You could lower your Temp/Wattage for this part. You can see when it’s getting dry. Then do your next test.
Like a wine tasting start with the lighter flavors first. Example, it would be bad to start with a Minty/Menthol vape. If you have a main flavor profile …say Strawberry, you could easily sample multiple flavors without re-wicking/new coils. Do the heavier/stickier flavors last, and then you might want to re-wick if there’s obvious flavor hanging on …but you can smell while your blowing the uncapped RDA when there is little flavor left and the cotton gets drier and whiter.
I pass them out to the neighborhood kids along with critique forms.
Just kidding. Pretty much how Chrispdx describes. I’ve got a mocha-cappuccino and a cinnamon red hot-ish recipes that I’m working on. Those get tested when it’s time for new wick anyway.
I use mine in a velocity clone rda. I replace the cotton almost after every 2 juices, I make 10-15ml of juice without nicotine, shake and vape unless its a dessert flavor and vape about 30-50 hits to cycle the cotton and really get the essence of the flavor. I store them in 15ml glass dropper vials and label them with the little folder stickers, 1/4’ by 2’ stickers with name, vg/pg, nic level, and prep. date. Got like 250 stickers for 65 cents so haha, and use a blue permanent sharp point marker.
I dont invest in more than 10ml unless i know its a flavor that with go in my top ten.
(Not in any order)
Orange Creamsicle
Beetlejuice
Pitch Black
Frosted Flakes
White Lotus
TNT- Time Bomb
Apple Pixy Sticks (Recipes still in works, set to private)
I smell them first, to get an idea of they’ve gone through enough aging.
If they seemed aged enough, I test in an RDA, and I keep copious notes. Well, at least a sentence on each flavor, and I rank 1-5 for both flavor quality and flavor strength. I generally try to go 2 rounds with each flavor - “fill” the RDA, vape til dry, “fill” again. Unless the juice isn’t that good or just isn’t ready.
For any that are worthy, I’ll put 3-5ml in a tank and vape that.
rda, and about half the time I run some 0mg unflavored vg/pg thru for a few vapes to cut down the previous flavor. or just fire it with cap off as mentioned to get it almost dry (this is what my local b&m would do between samples).
I make 30 ml testers. Once they are made I do a finger taste to gauge the mix. If the taste is exceptional, I’ll vape a tank just as I vape daily.
If the finger taste is just average, I put it up for a good steep and retest it after 2 weeks, three weeks and a month.
From my experience, testing in a rda and vaping in a tank has given me two different taste experiences, too many times. So my thing is to test it as you normally vape.
Lately I’ve been testing in a tank. Before and after testing I will run two or three ML plain old 100% VG through the coil. (I don’t use older coils) always a fairly new one. Most of what I create are fruit flavors, some may have a bit of cream in them but for the most part fruity
Kinda rinses the previous flavor out. One thing as I think I said in the original post was most of mine are fruity. I tend to use a lot of Peach, berry, orange, and melon mixes. So jumping from one to another isn’t a big stretch.
If trying to clone a juice and test against it … Use 2 of the same rdas with new coils and cotton, always same coil build.
If testing different ratios of the same diy you made … Use 1 rda and vape it all day then change coil n cotton and vape the other one the next day, always give your diy more then a few vapes before you decide what needs changing and use the same rda or tank at the same coil build
Coil wire and cotton is cheap
(Unless your making lots of juices then Your in trouble)
I have more then 15 rdas 6 sub tanks and 2 rbta
The rdas i use to test my juices but tend to use just the 1 rda with new cotton
The rbta i use for what im vaping that day
The sub tanks are gathering dust
Clean the RDA, wick it and saturate the cotton with VG.
Take a few puffs to ready the cotton and then drip a few drops of your first sample.
After a few puffs when the flavor fades, drip some drops of VG, puff and go to sample number 2 and so on.
I started to make a bunch of 10ml bottles with 5g of 60VG/40PG/3NIC/3drops sweetener.
Then added the (web) recommended % single flavor concentrates. (e.g. 10% fruit flavor TPA or 3% fruit flavor FA etc…)
Patience is not one of my virtues so I steep with a sonic cleaner for a couple of hours.
Eventually drip a combination and take notes.
It’s a learning experience of course, but every step is exiting to me.
I love my new hobby, it made me stop smoking in a few weeks. That was 2 months ago…
It might be super important to have a spotless RDA if you were trying to reverse engineer something you wanted to clone, but testing your own juice should be more casual. Start with a fresh setup and don’t overload your RDA …maybe a dozen drops… enjoy. Before your next sampling, take off the cap (RDA) and fire while blowing on it to get it down close to the cotton (don’t scotch the cotton!) You could lower your Temp/Wattage for this part. You can see when it’s getting dry. Then do your next test.
