I've been writing tips for a diy mixing Facebook group I belong to and thought they mght be useful here too.
Kreeds No1 Tip for budding recipe creatorsKNOW YOUR FLAVOURS
I'm willing to bet that most of you have a lot of concentrates that you have never tried as standalone flavours.
It's no good just seeing a recipe....buying the concentrates and making it up.
You may end up with a decent eliquid.....but you learned nothing.
A lick test will also only tell you so much.....you need to make a 5ml sample at 0 nic (to keep cost down) and vape it.
Most manufacturers state recommended percentages so use those as a start point.
If you want to develop your own mixing skills - you have to start with the basics
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Kreeds No2 Tip for budding recipe creatorsNOTHING IS EVER WASTED
If you follow on from my tip earlier about creating small samples with 0 nic then .....GOOD NEWS!
Even if you don't like it as a vape you need to remember this simple thing.....
FAILED MIXES CAN BE USED ELSEWHERE!
These are food flavourings
Add 4 or 5 drops to a coffee or a hot chocolate, try a few drops in Coke or Pepsi....or a martini!
Try some in ice cream, puddings or whipped cream.
These things are awesome for diabetics.....no sugar, carbs, fat or calories.
Final tip for using these.
Make a bottle of NEVER AGAIN juice.
Throw every failed mix you have into one bottle and shake the hell out of it.....then try it
The best juice I vape at home is one of these......but when it's gone it's gone ......boo-hoo.
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Kreeds No3 Tip for budding recipe creatorsNICOTINE DOES NOT NEED TO STEEP!
Make your new/untried recipes up......leave out the nic......label with how much of your nic base you still need to add......and steep.
That way you only need to add the most expensive ingredient at the end ..... and only IF you like the recipe
It has nothing to do with nicotine degradation or anything like that.
It's just about saving you money.
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Kreeds No4 Tip for budding recipe creatorsSTART SMALL
I cannot remember how many times I've seen this post.......
"I mixed 250ml of this and it's crap"
What a waste eh?
This is similar to the KNOW YOUR FLAVOURS tip in that you should be trying recipes in MAX 10ml amounts first.
TASTE IS SUBJECTIVE
Just because someone else has said "This recipe is awesome" - still no guarantee that you're going to like it.
A 10ml mix is a far better idea than a desperate post that says "My mix tastes crap, what else can I add to it to make it better?"
Again, this is about saving you money..... so before you dive in with another 250ml mix..... START SMALL
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Kreeds No5 Tip for budding recipe creatorsGET ORGANISED - STAY SAFE
Ever sat there mixing a liquid or two and then having a moment when you can't remember if you added the nicotine, or a particular flavour or not?
Don't say you haven't.
I have.....we all have.
My earlier Tip No3 - NICOTINE DOES NOT NEED TO STEEP! - does away with that so if that's the way you're doing it now - GREAT! Nothing more to see here.
If you still want to steep with your nicotine in though, please read these:
a) Get your recipe up on a screen, in your calculator of choice ....or print....whatever you prefer.
b) Get ALL of your ingredients out and arrange them in the same order as your recipe......left to right.
c) Once you start adding to your bottle or mixing jar....DO NOT STOP until it's all done.....no breaks, no interruptions.....and when done with something move it somewhere out of the way.
d) Label as soon as you've bottled
e) Wash and dry syringes or measuring jugs ready for the next mix
Note on labelling:
On my labels I add the recipe name, PG/VG ratio, bottled date and date it will be ready ....and as I follow tip number 3 and add my nicotine on the ready date....I add the amount of nic I still need to add.
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Kreeds No6 Tip for budding recipe creatorsTHE SENSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO STEEP eJUICE
The idea is to AGE your e-Liquid and the only way to do that is to give it TIME!
Period.
This method is simple, effective, and doesn’t require a bunch of fancy steps, and it works for ALL e-Liquids, not just certain categories.
Take your bottle of fresh e-Liquid and shake really well and then open it.
Recycle the air inside by squeezing it carefully in and out.
Then screw the cap back on and shake again.
Put in a dark place and leave it alone for a week.
Done.
After the week is done, try a bit of your juice by dripping a few drops and vaping it.
If the flavour is abundant, the vapour plentiful, and it doesn’t create a burning (harsh) sensation in your mouth, you’re more than ready to enjoy the bottle of eJuice.
If for any reason you’re still not happy with the flavour, or there is still a slight burning sensation in your mouth, place the cap back on the bottle, shake it up again, really vigorously, and put it back in the dark for another week.
Repeat until good.
Simple.
If you're following advice from someone else's recipe.......and they say it needs a month......then it's likely to take a month! So have patience!
You will read other methods about water bathing, ultrasonics, coffee frothers....yada yada.......and there's good and bad advice for some of these methods but to be honest TIME is still the BEST method.
Ever heard anyone raving about a 1 year old malt whisky?
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Hopefully, all of that is common sense.....but this is for those new to mixing.
tbf it wasn't the worst of smells!
