New database error discussion thread

rcleven · December 21, 2022, 12:52am

Got the email for this recipe this morning. Better late than never. Looks good!

SessionDrummer · December 21, 2022, 2:02am

Good to hear, and thank you @rcleven.

Lynda_Marie · December 24, 2022, 3:54pm

I just got another one. I’ve been receiving notifications from recipes posted back in September .

KC111 · December 24, 2022, 3:58pm

Yep, been getting them and all the follow up replies for several days now, hehe.

SessionDrummer · December 24, 2022, 4:00pm

Thanks @Lynda_Marie, and @KC111.

JiM210 · January 16, 2023, 1:46am

In my flavor stash, I once had what I believe was an incorrect flavor Brand Abbreviation.

My entry was
Cereal 27 (CAP)

Looking at the Flavor list now, I see
Cereal 27 (Cap)

I know that when entering flavors you go with the naming nomenclature that has the most entries regardless if you agree with the name or not. I don’t know if I just made a mistake entering that flavor or if it’s one that got changed during database cleanup.

However, at some point in time my entry disappeared from my stash and all my recipes that used it. It somehow became 02 (Invalid Name or Unknown Brand)

If you look at 02 (Invalid Name or Unknown Brand) and look at the recipes that use it there are 59+ pages of recipes that use it.

I don’t know if it’s just Cereal 27 ( CAP) that changed to 02 (Invalid Name or Unknown Brand) or if the name 02 (Invalid Name or Unknown Brand) was just given to any and all flavors that were entered incorrectly at the time.

I only figured out what it was for my recipe because I had old screen shots and one was a recipe that now has 02 (Invalid Name or Unknown Brand) in the name.

Now I’m trying to figure out what %1 * (Invalid flavor name or brand) has replaced in my flavor stash?

I’m not complaining or trying to bitch about the tireless work some have put into flavor database management. I sincerely thank any and all who have taken on the task - past, present, and future.

Ken_O_Where · January 16, 2023, 1:57am

The invalid names were just a dumping ground for well, what was supposed to be just invalid flavors but some good one got tossed in too. If you have any backups they may help tracking down the replaced flavor. You didnt make a mistake, we did.

Is it one you posted in the What are you mixing thread? The flavor might still be in it if you did.

Ken_O_Where · January 16, 2023, 2:00am

Work on the DB has been halted. In the couple weeks that it has been stopped at least a thousand new crap flavors have been added back. So while TZ cleaned up around 100k bad names it seems it wont take long until it is just as shitty as before.

Thank you @TorturedZen, amazing job.

fidalgo_vapes · January 16, 2023, 3:03am

And it will only be a matter of time before the complaints about that start up again…There is no winning.

“100k bad names it seems it wont take long until it is just as shitty as before.”

TorturedZen · January 16, 2023, 4:33am

Just an FYI…Any flavor names that began with 01, 02, %1 etc were flagged as Invalid because there were either no brands indicated or they were simply unrecognizable. If I recall, a sizable chunk of them were in other languages like Chinese, Russian, Korean as well. A concerted effort was made by utilizing Google Translator, but it became massively tedious and I ended up just being overwhelmed due to the sheer numbers.

Ken_O_Where · January 16, 2023, 4:37am

Man there were so many, i didnt even notice until Gregor pointed it out when he submitted some, insane number of squiggly flavors.

TorturedZen · January 16, 2023, 4:38am

I’ll take the complaining and haters over 100K of bad flavor names any day.

TorturedZen · January 16, 2023, 4:40am

** Indeed!

Lynda_Marie · January 16, 2023, 12:33pm

Same exact thing happened to me yesterday with this same flavor. I’m really beginning to dislike this whole merge process. I have an invalid cake flavor, but when you click notes it’s saying it’s a one shot pineapple upside down cake. I’ve never purchased anything like that. No idea what it is.

Lynda_Marie · January 16, 2023, 12:36pm

Cereal 27 (Capella) was 02 “invalid “ I think this was the first flavor that had that came up invalid. Also a handful of The Flavor Smiths came up invalid.

Lynda_Marie · January 16, 2023, 1:01pm

A handful of the new line The Flavor Smiths got the axe. Some are completely gone, like coconut jam.

And, there are 4 pages of recipes for this. Granted for 2023 this was a complete deep dive, BUT, notes are valuable to some people. This flavor is still being sold at DIYVS. Every time I enter notes, I enter the name, & the flavor house.

Lynda_Marie · January 16, 2023, 1:05pm

Holy smokes! THANK YOU! That’s what some of my invalids are, Gremberry or Gremlin, I just about love you right now lmao I forgot about Imp Dust, I actually like it as a single flavor. You made my morning!

SessionDrummer · January 16, 2023, 3:05pm

Damned glad to hear it @Lynda_Marie.

I don’t have them all, BUT …

I do have a couple .....

Gremberry Solo One-Shot testing

Creamy Coconut (Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (9-24-21) – This one was a super rich treat, and I had to wait till a second tankful to get a good grasp on it. I couldn’t decide if it was more of a Creamy Coconut, or a Coconut Custard. I think I’m leaning towards the Coconut Custard. A good ratio would be about 55% Custard, 45% Coconut. The custard seemed like a mix of maybe CAP’s VC and one or two others, that was perfectly suited for pairing with a Coconut. The overall impact was a super rich, and delicious custard, that flowed into a somewhat receded coconut. The coconut was similar to TPA’s Coconut Candy, which leaned towards more candied than natural, but not entirely. It was hard to completely identify the coconut because the custard base completely enveloped it, and, in a good way. The super rich, and almost perfect pairing of these two elements cannot be overstated here, and it really needs to be tasted to be fully understood. Very skillful on the balancing act between the two. Sweetness was above average, but felt where it should be, and @ 13%, it was very full, rich, and present, without being overbearing. If you are a coconut custard fan, this one WILL work out for you. Only minor takedowns, not for taste, but for it presenting more as a coconut custard, than a creamy coconut, and for the lighter, more recessed coconut notes. Very good mix here, and I’ve already polished off two tanks, if that’s any indication. 9/10.

Dryad (Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (10-3-21) – This one was billed as a Butter Pecan Ice Cream and at times, it did nail that, other times, it wandered around into almost an RY4 with some butterscotch. Every so often I got an almost burnt finish on it, but only every so often. @13% it was super full, and rich, and above mid level sweet. I’m not sure why it “wandered” around on me, but at times it was a fairly convincing BPIC. After (2) 3ml tester tanks, it was somewhat “gunky” so the sweetness was clearly to blame. Taste wise, and convincingly-wise it was fairly buttery, and tasty. Minor takeoffs as it did stray a bit to my tastes. Nicely done, and it felt good at 8.8/10.

Imp Dust (Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (9-24-21) – After reading @SteveTC review of this one, it actually COMPELLED me to buy a few of Gremlin’s “Solos” (One-Shots), and try them out. I think his review of this one was spot on. I found this not only an interesting pairing choice by Gremlin, but also a nicely executed one. Because of the custard/pudding elements, a 2 week steep seemed to be a wise choice. The Blackberry greeted you right out of the gate, and in the middle and end, the creamy, almost pudding-like custard carried throughout the finish. The Blackberry although tempered by the creamy custard, still held it’s own, and while missing some of the bright sparkly punchy notes, did not get lost in the mix. The custard (as SteveTC said), was almost pudding-like, with maybe just a HINT of eggy-ness, but it was soo low in the mix, it really did present as more of a pudding. At the very end, there was almost a smidge of dryness or bitterness, and I’m sure Gremlin could have erased that by adding more sweetness, but they didn’t, and that restraint, was well received. Sweetness was at, or just below mid level, and you COULD enhance if you felt it necessary. The pairing of the two main elements was skillfully done, and neither overpowered the other. I can see why this is one of their better sellers. While trying to deconstruct the Blackberry element, it almost seemed as if there was maybe some rich blueberry in there, to round out the blackberry. All in, this was a great Blackberry Custard, that was just fruity enough to keep it interesting, and creamy enough to keep you interested. Nicely done by Gremlin. Easily 9.8/10.

Pink Sunburst (Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (10-3-21) – Who doesn’t love Starburst ?? I sure do, and I was excited to try this one and see how close they came. I think this one was “in the ballpark” for me. Def. a pink candy of sorts, and there were aspects OF the Starburst in it, but it never truly took off for me. “Pink” was the best way to describe it, and being a medley of sorts, it was hard to pick out exact fruits, but needless to say, “Pink” was the implied profile. Just above mid level sweet, and 13% felt pretty good, and I don’t think increasing the rate would improve this one much. As it stood, just a so so flavor, and could be used to base/bolster pink candy vapes for sure. Leaving it solidly at a 6.5/10.

Purple Gremlin (Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (9-27-21) – Having never been a HUGE Grape Vaper, I am always anxious in trying a new one. This one, actually surprised me, and actually DID present, JUST like a Grape Bubblegum. Now I haven’t bubblegummed in years, so I won’t be able to precisely nail down which exact brand, BUT, it was an impressive, accurate representation of an American Bubble Yum-ish bubble gum, but tempered with a really good grape. Both the BBG and Grape were candied (duh), and I could almost pick out the pink in the gum, just below the grape. Gremlin did a skillful job of mixing the elements again, as they WERE perfectly paired. You could almost pick out the white (starch I think) coating on the outside of the gum. Was def. above mid level sweet, but what would you expect in a sugary gum. At this testing weight, it was nice, and in your face, but not overblown, and I actually liked the fact that I could pick out the pink gum, BUT, also the grape. Wow, actually, very spot on, and this is coming from the guy who doesn’t vape grape much. If you like bubble gum, and in the grape variety, I think you will not be disappointed with this one. This one might just make you want to vape the grape. 9.85/10.

Vanilla Overload (Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (10-3-21) – If you think about it, testing Vanillas can be tricky. Why ?? Most times, they’re Vanilla Custards, Vanilla Puddings, Vanilla Cookies, etc. Of course, when I loaded this one up, the first thing I thought of was, “Could this be as good as DIYFS Holy Vanilla” ? This might be, BUT, in a much different way. The first thing that hit me was how clean this one was. A nicely full, clean, somewhat lighter vanilla. Now just because it felt a bit lighter than say DIYFS HV, really didn’t leave it lacking in any way. At 13% it was nicely full, not overly rich, but did have some good mouthfeel. No custard, no pudding, no cookie, no ice cream here, just a mid to high brightness level vanilla that was fairly complex. It was full enough, that it could easily be pushed into a milkshake if needed. It had similarities to other Vanillas I have, but really felt more like a medley, and a surprisingly good stand alone one shot. For a very clean vanilla, with great mouthfeel, this one should work for you. Impressive @ 9.9/10.

White Gremlin(Gremberry Farms)(One Shot) 13% (10-9-21) – After much delay, finally able to get into this, my last Gremberry Farms One Shot in this series. This one, proved to be rather interesting. It was billed as a White Cake with a Berry filling. Actually, that’s pretty close. At 13% it was full, but still somewhat relaxed, and did convey a fairly convincing White Cake, but with an almost berry edge to it. The berry/berries was/were very low overall, and at times almost disappeared in the mix. Maybe by design ? The White Cake while very good, wasn’t the richest or fullest that I’ve had, but strangely that didn’t detract from the overall experience. The berry “edge” seemed to reveal itself closer to the very end, and “spiked the finish” as it were. The berry/berries tasted like a darker variant, and eluded exact classification, and had just a smidge of an almost jammy tartness that allowed it to push through the more dominant cake. At times I almost wished there was more of either the cake or berry, but even with that, it was a satisfying mix. All in, it was great flavor, and fairly unique, which is always nice when you’re looking to add another flavor to your collection. Sweetness was about mid level, and expected for a cake flavor, and the berry/berries kept it JUST a bit more interesting throughout. Finishing off this run with a nicely placed 9.1/10 with this one.

TorturedZen · January 16, 2023, 4:37pm

As I said before, I am painfully aware of the the Cereal 27 issue as well as some of the others. If you want accountability ok here I am, flame away. But if you’re looking for answers as to why all that happened I honestly can’t tell you because I do not know.

The database merge process is, to my knowledge the only method for dealing with the tens of thousands of wonky names…but it is also a very unforgiving mechanism if something goes awry. I have heard talk of Lars exploring a way to maybe reverse some of the mishaps, so there’s that.

But I do know this…flavor name entries and new flavor submissions by any user must be shut off. We have all known this as truth for years now. Once that happens there will be no need for a merge process (except those names that are pre-existing). So again, until Lars deploys a re-coded Recipe Calculator we have to live with what God and Lars gives us.

TorturedZen · January 16, 2023, 6:37pm

Here is a sample of what would qualify for a merge.
This is an actual recipe from yesterday.

No action has been taken, but can you see what the problem would be if this is merged into Cherry (Invalid/ No Brand Name)??