Smart and Final one ounce soufflé cups and lids make fair test containers.
Each one is a 5ml single flavor sampler at 3% and I have 3 trays plus a few like this so far.
Short plastic straw and stir, dip and tongue test, Record notes at 7 days, 14 days and so on. Now you have an idea of the strength and fade factor of each flavor.
If you don’t take the time to sample out each flavor your just firing a shotgun in an empty sky and wondering why you didn’t hit anything.
I can pick up my Walnut (FA) and know exactly what to expect from it.
My 2 cents
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I love this idea
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You are so neat Bob.
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My favourites are;
Bakery:
INW Biscuit, use sparingly, ~1%.
CAP sugar cookie, 4-5%.
FW Cinnamon roll, up to 4 or 5%.
FW yellow cake, go low, ~2%.
FA Zeppola, bloody love this one, 4%.
CAP Ginger bread, 3%.
Some (a lot of) people like Graham cracker, you might be one of them.
Fruits:
FA Lemon Sicily, up to 8%.
FA Watermelon, ~2%.
Anything grape.
FA Red touch, 3%.
CAP Coconut, v.low 0.5-2%, really shines in pastry/bakery recipes, it can work in fruit if the mix is quite sharp.
TPA Tutti fruity is a nice single flavour.
There’s hundred of others that could be used instead/are just as good.
What you’re lacking:
biscuits and bakery flavours in general. Cinnamon roll, Zeppola and sugar cookie are all good and a staple in my dessert recipes.
Creams (and to a lesser extent, custards) even if you don’t like real cream they’re good for completing mixes and adding a bit of background/filling in.
I like: TPA Vanilla bean ice cream, FA Catalan cream, TPA Banana cream, and TPA Whipped cream.
For Custards I’m not the biggest fan, but here’s a few good ones:
FA Custard Pi
CAP vanilla custard v1
You seem covered on the fruits. But here’s some ideas to help you out.
Most people recommend using a 1:1 ratio of sweet strawberry to strawberry (ripe).
Fuji Apple works better as a main profile, some even say as a stand alone flavour.
I have tried so many raspberries and they all taste dodgy to me, like raspberry hand cream.
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Some awesome suggestions there @Forbitten_Rose I agree with @Herka_Derka as far as the Cheesecake base, Cause you got Kiwi, Fuji Apple and Pineapple, and some good strawberry concentrates, so if you grab some Cap New York Cheesecake and TPA/TFA graham cracker Clear your well on your way to some really good Cheesecake recipes which are absolutely delicious, check out this one by Wayne from DIYORDIE to give you some basis to work from, and you can always swap out the fruit or make Apple & Strawberry, strawberry and Kiwi, Pineapple and Kiwi you get the idea, all the best 
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I strongly advise you to research some of these flavor recommendations being offered to you before purchasing them.
The post below will help you make solid decisions about flavors that interest you.
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I absolutely disagree with this.
Even single fruit flavors profile will shift noticeably from the first couple of hours to 3 days (and that’s for the ones that “have no steep time”, more appropriately said /minimal steep time requirement /)
@OP: the whole point of single flavor testing is so that you can learn which flavors work in which ways. And then, as you’ve progressed in your single flavor testing, you’ll begin to see trends amongst flavor groups (eg: custards, creams, fruits, etc.) and after that, you’ll begin to see trends in certain brands. But one thing is certain. There is no magic bullet nor "one size fits all.
You basically have two paths to approach DIY with.
“Luck”
- Make popular recipes (that others have shared) and rejoice when you find someone who shares your vaping style/taste buds.
“Work”
2. Put in the time and effort it takes to learn each flavor, what vendor(s) you prefer, on what hardware, etc.
Many have found success using some combination of the approaches mentioned above. And no approach is wrong. HOWEVER, asking about how to guage without steeping, is an unanswerable question IMO. As the steeping process IS how you guage (from what it’s like fresh in the mix, to what it’s like after 2-3 days in, to 7 days in, to 14 days, to 30 days, and yes, even some up to 45-60 days into steeping).
please don’t read any “tone” into this, as I’m trying to speak strictly as a matter of fact here. These are truths that have been stated before here (and elsewhere), and I’ve experienced these truths to be 100% accurate in my experience as well. But it’s all about making what works for you. So take what you can, from whom and where you can, as anything that improves your experience, knowledge, and attempts is a good thing.
Also worth noting is that, as you progress (in both your understanding, as well as your hands on experience) things will become clearer, and easier. So have patience, and keep at it!
Regards,
Sprks
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SO much this. There is a lot of information here and it takes some guidance to get everything out of it. Taste is very subjective, so you will want to do some testing on your own, but a lot of work has been done for you here. The flavor list is awesome as the flavors have notes worked out for a lot of them, there are pairing notes listed as well. I would definitely invest in a mess of small bottles for testing. I normally just do 10ml batches when trying new recipes, or making changes to existing ones (no sense in wasting materials!), let them sit at least a week, then trying them. Some of the heavier creams and custards can take 2-4 weeks before they really mature, so don’t dump anything under a month old unless you just really hate it. Just follow the link that @Pro_Vapes provided and we’ll be happy to help after you put your reading in. Almost forgot, get a notebook and write down everything when you are tasting. Your notes will save you a lot of time and money in the long run!
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Smoking cigarettes is actually mouth to lung, direct lung is how you’d smoke a joint, or use an asthma inhaler but longer and slower…
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You should check out “So, you want start making your own E-Liquid?” by @freshepies aka Fresh03 (YouTube) on MyVaporium.net
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God you guys have all been so amazingly nice with advice. Little busy atm, but when I get back later I will reply to some. I have a few questions/comments. Thank you all so much though! Also, that sample kit looks so dope! I want that to one day have something similiar going on.
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I used to DL cigs…just saying 
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Yup. You’re not alone. Lol
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@Radiocake Okay so stupid question probably, but I’ve seen that people suggest getting a precision scale. I guess I am just a little confused about that. I figured that using the injection needles would be the easiest thing since I am moving liquids around and mixing etc. Am I missing something here, what is the proper way to measure? 
@Bob_Bitchen Wow that looks so scientific and cool. I definitely want to get my own collection going and from what I can read here notes seem to be mandatory and I am definitely someone that will enjoy doing that. Thank you for the inspiration lol 
@coneconington Thank you so much for the suggestions and tips, that is definitely something I will use as consideration, both in my next purchase and just tips in general about mixing.
@Sprkslfly I definitely having read this whole thread very much agree with you and I was more asking about the single flavor thing, out of not knowing enough, I very much want to know though. See I thought that when everyone mixed, they just mixed it straight into a mix and didn’t do single flavor tasting (which I guess was a little dumb to assume) and so I was wondering how they even knew they liked one flavor over the other, because I really couldn’t understand how their palettes were just that defined. The reason why I thought this, was that everyone seems to agree that most flavors aren’t good enough to just do single flavor, so I figured single flavor tasting didn’t even exist because you wouldn’t be able to tell since it tastes bad. I know… I am a noob
I really loved what you said about the fact that if you just go with luck, you need to basically find someone with the same taste buds. What I got out of that is that the recipes are more of a reference/idea catalog and you really have to tailor it to your own tastes. I felt that this part really resonated with me because over here we have this luxury brand store which is a different brand of Decadent Vapors (they have unique flavors) and their flavours are definitely amazing quality, they have really great depth and body, but honestly I feel that most of them are just bland or not really my taste, it almost seems that they are missing something and so I buy those almost as a base and add stuff to them. Now I can recognize that these are popular luxurious flavors, but even the ones I like, I still feel like are missing certain flavours or a little kick of something or another.
So this post definitely made me realise that I am 100% going to go the way of many here and really get into depth with DIY. Not just make popular recipes, but take time, energy and effort and make single flavor tests and steep. Try different recipes until I find things that work and then take tons of notes along the way.
I am definitely the person for it. I love this type of almost obsessive hobby. The best part is that I can channel all this love into a hobby and actually get something on the other end that will bring me enjoyment and satisfaction.
Anyway I just wanted to say, I am definitely on board for this, I just will probably ask very noobish questions, not because I am trying to run away from work or find a one size fits all, but because I undoubtedly will misunderstand things and want clarification.
Thank you for your awesome post, it definitely is true and made me realize that this IS going to become a full blown hobby and I am excited about that! 
@AZViking I have already read a lot of resources on here, but will continue to do so and ask direct questions along the way, because I am just a very curious mind and if I feel I haven’t fully understood something, I always need that extra clarification haha I definitely will and I have already decided to buy a bigger bulk of bottles next time, since I am always buying more anyway, so I might as well get it discounted! Also yeah it seems notes is the be all and end all of liquid mixing haha, I will definitely get that started right away. Thanks!
Thanks to everyone, you have really helped, seriously!
Question to all: I knew from the beginning that you don’t dump anything for at least a month and so I haven’t. I was wondering however if you ever do dump anything? Like do liquids have an expiration date? What happens if you pass it? How can you tell?
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Whichever way is most comfortable to you is the right way. 
Mixing with a scale does eliminate a lot of cleanup though, especially if your flavors are in dropper bottles. No syringes to wash! [quote=“Forbitten_Rose, post:29, topic:139680”]
See I thought that when everyone mixed, they just mixed it straight into a mix and didn’t do single flavor tasting
[/quote]
A lot of people do. Actually I’ve only started doing serious flavor testing in the last few months, up until then I pretty much winged it…lol But yeah, it does take extra time to sf test and it’s very worth it.[quote=“Forbitten_Rose, post:29, topic:139680”]
Question to all: I knew from the beginning that you don’t dump anything for at least a month and so I haven’t. I was wondering however if you ever do dump anything? Like do liquids have an expiration date? What happens if you pass it? How can you tell?
[/quote]
If it turns black or gross brown, it’s probably time to dump. (Although some people do swear by their black custard…not me but to each their own!) And if a mix is starting to taste peppery or starts to get harsh when it wasn’t before, your nic might be oxidizing and then you’re gonna want to dump it. If it’s anywhere between clear and amber and it tastes good, it’s probably fine. I Vape my juice way too fast to have that issue. 
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As already mentioned using a scale is a lot less clean up… rinsing syringes etc, But if you go down the route of single flavour testing you will find it a godsend… i have started doing 8ml testers (for no particular reason other than i found some great little tubs at an arts and crafts store that hold just over that amount)… if i add say 0.5% flavour it works out 0.04ml which can be tricky and a bit of a pain in a syringe, 0.04grams you just add a few drops and bingo you are done. You dont have to do 8 ml testers of course it`s just my take on it, but the less liquid you waste when experimenting the better imo… In the beginning i was making like 30ml experimental batches and hoping for something vapeable at the end of it. if it turned out terrible which more than a few did i had to bin it, if i get a bad mix or single flavour i dont like i am only losing 8ml… on my budget i can live with that. Good luck with your mixing you will have a blast im sure.
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Glad that you’re jumping in with both feet! I’ll never discourage questions, just hoping that you’re doing your part was all. I’ll help you with something all day, if that’s what is needed, as long as you’re honestly trying.
I find the scale method is awesome for making small batches, but once you find your adv (or several of them) you’ll want to make larger batches so that you don’t run out while the new ones steep; this is where I feel volume mixing is better, but that’s probably just me lol. I also never put nic in my testers (it’s the most expensive part lol!), but I’m only a 3% guy anymore, so it doesn’t change the flavors much for me. Stick with it and you’ll have people asking you for juice in no time!
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PMd you. Will help with what I can.
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Woah never seen that happen, as soon as the month is up on my 100ml Custard Mix I vape it and it’s gone in two - three days.
With the measuring, @VapeyMama 's advice is awesome, just remember that if your buying premix 70/30 VG/PG whichever recipe your trying add the VG & PG quantities together either by weight or volume, I usually weigh my mixes and for 100ml it’s usually about 82.95g of VG (using 7.2% nic at 3mg which is about 5.175g), PG varies depending on how many concentrates, your chosen recipe has, so just add up the PG + VG by grams or volume according to your recipe (+Nic if appropriate) then all you need to do is add your flavours 
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Honestly, I haven’t even thought of the idea of doing the base myself. I know that’s a thing in the mixing community, but I thought I might be able to get by with just the premixed 70/30 with 3mg.
Is it genuinely that important to mess around with vg/pg?
Does it actually effect your recipes that much? I genuinely get so confused by the process of doing that, it sounds so hard to me. I never really partook much in science/chemistry classes over here and it really isn’t prioritized the same way it is in the US, so the whole idea of mixing base myself seems so intricate and confusing.
I know that sounds super bad, but I’d rather be honest, you never learn anything from having an ego. 
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