Ok, so prior to about 3 weeks ago when I was getting low on some very key flavorings, I had 143 flavors and could make 1081 recipes posted up to that time using what I had.
When doing some reordering, I decided to expand and get some more flavorings. I’ve made a total of 5 orders since then. With the new flavors I added I’m now up to 198 flavorings and can make 1391 recipes. That may not seem like a huge bump, but what I’m finding is that in the course of time with my prior flavors, at some point I became familiar with the flavorings and what they do in a mix. Now I’ve got so many new flavors and I scratch my head a lot wondering what I can make. I’ve copied a few recipes on here, but the main thing I’ve ever done is try to create.
I may not be all that good at it, but I get the most enjoyment out of making something from my own instincts or ideas I’ve picked up along the way. Thanks to @DarthVapor who hammered the idea of the Flavor Bible, I got myself a copy and it’s extremely helpful. You know what it doesn’t have? Zen Garden, Oak Wood, Hypnotic Mist. But aside from just what goes with what, I now have a lot of flavors that I don’t know enough about how to mix them.
And with the new Medicine Flower - forget about it! I don’t have a clue. Should I dilute them all? Should I go by drops from that little dropper? I don’t know.
So put yourself in my shoes. What would be your approach to trying $350 worth of new stuff when you know virtually nothing about it?
I know exactly what you mean!! I have put myself in this position twice now! All after ordering dozens of new flavors!
I still have a lot I haven’t used yet but what works for me is to not focus on all the flavors and all the possibilities, but instead grab 1 or 2 and (using the bible?) branch off of those few and get a good 10-15 mixes and then move on to the next 1 or 2 flavors.
Then of course over time you will be familiar and comfortable with all your flavors…or at least that’s what I did!
Sounds like what I was doing with the first batch I got in…all FA and INW flavors. Seems once you mix with a flavor and get a “feel” for it, you tend to have ideas where to take it. Hence The King’s Peach I posted a few days ago. I’m sure that one’s not for everyone but I thought it was a damn fine vape. I’m just sitting here looking and thinking. It’s like dropping a kid off at Toyz’R"Us. I don’t know where to start
Well, every once in a while (and it’s been a while now) - I pull up my flavor list spreadsheet or my flavor stash on ELR and find some flavors I haven’t mixed with yet, pick one, research a bit and try to either design a recipe with it, or find one that has it. If I’m feeling really diligent, I taste a drop in a disposable shot glass with water, and mix a single flavor small bottle I have loads of flavors I haven’t opened yet
You think maybe it’s just my impetuous nature to feel this way? Like I see all these new flavors and I just want to mix mix mix. Yeah Alisa I suppose it’s really cool having this problem. Maybe I should focus on my other problem…running out of bottles! I have 50 coming from Ching Chong Bing Bong land, who knows when that will be.
So good to know it’s not just me that gets this way! LoL.
Like others have wisely posted before me, just focus on a couple. The other day I literally took a note card and made a list of flavors I have that I either have never used or don’t know that much about. Some of them I made mixes with, and some of the others I did single flavors. That’s something new I’ve been doing that I think has really helped. Every time I mix a batch, I do 6 or 7 3ml single flavors. I try them within a day to see what they’re like SnV, and then again every week until I run out. I make notes on them and when I’m done I’ll put that info into the flavor notes on ELR. That way I’m killing two birds with one stone. I get experience with my flavors, and I help the community (I hope) by giving my thoughts on them and on the %s I think are best.
I use others’ recipes on here as inspiration for trying something new. Sometimes I’ll mix up the exact recipes (most of yours I do this with) just to get a feel for the flavors and sometimes I’ll use a recipe as a place to jump from and I’ll adapt and sub the heck out of it just to see what happens…those typically are either really great or really bad. LOL.
Here’s the advice I was given when I had this issue awhile back:
Ha I almost thought this was a noobie posting with your Avatar I kept looking up and was like yea that’s sthrn mixer…what the heck
You got giddie and dropped some major bank roll now your sitting on your hands thinking what now ?/?? I DO IT TOO Aughhh
Ok like we all say take a couple research them get to know what they do, I smell them sometimes helps sometimes it doesn’t
You mentioned some scents so I go here regularly http://www.candletech.com/candle-making/tips-and-tricks/scent-mixing-ideas/ it has scent ideas and can get you thinking about what oakwood, sandlewood and other masculine notes like to be paired up with. it really is for inspiration. Your just overwhelmed and now that your fully involved $$$ you’d like to jump on all the new flavors and start banging out mixes I get it.
I mixed 4 new recipes since the mail ran today. Oh I so want to try that Zen Garden but wow, not sure where to start with that one. I did mix one that I tasted already and it has promise, actually 2. One was my first attempt at Froot Loops without milk. It may be good as is but need to let it sit a while. The second I mixed TPA and INS Dragonfruit with Wine Champagne. Interesting little mix that may need some help with another flavor (cactus, Fuji, not sure) but ATM it’s certainly vapable as a S&V. I’ll sit on this one too for a few days.
Up to you but DF always like a tiny bit of lime and strawberry also melon is very friendly to DF !
If I recall correctly Zen Gardens is a zesty herbal that resembles Basil ! Watermelon and Basil LOVE each other. Add some black pepper FA and some Italian Cream Hangsen and I bet you’ll be in Heaven !!!
I bet I just gave you 2 two flavors to buy hee hee. I don’t own black pepper but I know off the top of my head. TFA’s white chocolate is a dead on ringer for peppery notes you could throw it in there at 2%
If you don’t have Italian cream Hangsen you could sub fresh cream FA and taro TFA those two would together closely resemble hangsen’s Italian cream. 25 taro/75 fresh cream ratio
I don’t sweat having the 100+ flavors I haven’t tried yet. I just keep them there for when I decide I need them in a recipe. It’s like the money in my bank account. I could go to the bank every day and count it. But I don’t need to. It’s there when I need all $50 of it
OH MY! Talk about some inspiration! That mix does sound delicious! But when I have seen some of the more savory flavors at the vendors it leaves me scratching my head on how a person would use them in a vape.
For my scratch mixes, I tend to look to familiar desert foods, fruity beverages, or retail juices for inspiration to try to clone. I think I could spend the better part of 10 years exploring that path alone. When my flavor stash hit 200 I thought to myself “Holy Christ what am I supposed to do with all this?” I have in the past also just grabbed a flavor, looked for pairings and went from there with it. I have used the Flavor List with it’s mixing %s as a base guide on how much of each flavor to use. No sense in re-inventing the wheel.
But some flavors have secret identities too. At low percentages they bring one thing to a mix, and at higher %s you end up with something totally unexpected and different …or vice versa.
Yea If I were to do this watermelon Basil salad it would go something like this
Wild melon FLV 2.2%
white chocolate ( bc I don’t own black pepper FA ) 1.25 %
Zen gardens FA ( I’d have to play around but I seem to remember if u use it too high mint comes out )
which mint pairs great with watermelon also !
Italian cream HS 1%
See, that is the kind of stuff that gets me. Why on earth White Chocolate instead of Black Pepper? The 2 really share nothing in common, are on opposite ends of the color spectrum… My brain just ins’t wired to think like that. LOL
It’s because I have umpteen hours of working with it and know it that’s the only reason why haa . It is a bitter note TFA has in there and you can taste it in there that’s why TFA’s white chocolate doesn’t get alot of praises. FW’s white chocolate does not have this note.
Now THAT makes sense to me. Nothing replaces hands on experience and trial and error knowledge. Smarty The chocolates are a place I haven’t spent much time…or money for that matter. I only have 2 chocolate flavors in my stash.
Alisa said INW Milk Chocolate when mixed with FA Chocolate is really good. I am going to fill up my cart with INW and Lotus Flavors next on ECX. I love me some chocolate vapes.
I have loads of flavors I haven’t opened yet 
