Share your method of how you get a mix from a thought, or inspiration, to a finished product that you’re satisfied with. Do you research flavor combination’s? Do you build, and test it in stage’s, like assembling your main note(s) to find a nice balance first, before adding back note’s? Do you start by mixing multiple revision’s, each with a tweak from the original, or just one, and modify it from there? What is your modus operandi, and who, if anyone, most inspired your method’s?
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Hmmmm …
I think in the beginning, it was like …
So I started to research, and bought a lot of flavors, and then it was like …
But lately it’s really been more like …
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That’s a great post/question @whthek. I was never a chef, so I had no formal “foodie” training to pull from, so SFT became the real deal. Testing to see what was actually what, note taking, and more note taking. Found fellow mixers with similar tastes, and started reading their notes, etc.
Not sure if it’s ever been a great “system” hehe, but more organized chaos. Time is always the enemy for me, as I’m just too busy. I’d love to have way MORE time, to do things the “sane” way, but it seldom happens.
I can get customer requests, wild spur of the moment thoughts, or even buy a commercial juice to spur ideas. Accidents CAN work, but relying on that, or simply mixing up good tasting flavors, seldom works out.
I like to use Stones or Bases, as they can be REAL time savers. Talking to mixers like @SmokyBlue, @Pro_Vapes, and many others, helped out a lot. I think the real and most important lesson, is/was/is KNOWING your flavors. Just tossing things together, just leads to wasted product, and failed mixes I feel.
You don’t have to SFT all your flavors, but the more you know them, the easier it is to USE them. Layering can be tough, and I’ve had COUNTLESS recipes, where they were 90% done, just needing ONE more profile, and by simply adding ONE flavor, the entire recipe got derailed. Interestingly frustrating. Hence my immense pile of “not quite done” recipes LOL.
Whatever method works, I think note taking is sometimes overlooked, and at consequence. You may start OUT thinking, “Yeah, I’ll remember these 4 derivations, and I’ll keep track of what works and what doesn’t”, hehe, but often times, you won’t. ALWAYS label your testers, and save the recipe, as there it NOTHING worse, than finally getting that PERFECT MIX, only to find, you didn’t SAVE IT !!!
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I tend to be inspired by baking recipes, some that I have baked previously. I like examples so here is one I’m working on now.
I’m quite happy with how the first rendition has turned out, so it will be just minor tweaks to see if I find any improvements.
Otherwise, I work in pairs a lot and try adding combinations with a retained pair of ingredients. Some flavours just are made to be together, and when that magic is found I will transfer it into as many applications as possible.
Looking at others recipes is another source of inspiration, in that I take parts of it and add my own twist to it. Sometimes I mix the original, like @SessionDrummer “The Rumble Crumble” just a recent example that inspired a few of late. That’s a great mix by the way.
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Good post, SD! Thank’s! 
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I use the Dartboard method, wherever da dart lands…
mix it 50/50 wit Milk N Honey, Boom Done!
But seriously a little bit of all the above, some recipes I know exactly what it is / want from the start. Others I have an idea for a 2 flavor combo and build from there and it may go in multiple directions with some spin-off recipes. I usually do multiple multiple rough drafts on paper before any mixing begins then narrow it down to 2 (or more) test recipes. Then the steep begins, then testing, from there they go into different folders, (add / subtract / replace flavor X, remix, trash, gtg, continue steep, more M&H, etc.)
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Mmmm…that look’s good! The Sugarloaf at 1% provide’s you with a sufficient backnote?
Yepp…I just got the Raspberry Syrup in recently, and mixed this a couple of day’s ago. Ready to tank it up. I tested the RS from .5 up to 5%, hoping to realize more syrup at some point, but it didn’t materialize for me. It does scale up nicely to that weight, though. Thank’s for your thought’s @marsh8
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I do similar, but use the calc. page, and will leave that window open as a separate tab, and keep going back to tweak my version(s). You’ve got quite a nice system there, Rocky!
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Oh Yeah ......
Bright, Punchy, Delicious – GET IT !!!
Sugarloaf Pineapple (VTA) 4% (6-9-20) – Having just tested VTA's Pineapple Juice, and having had a "so-so" reaction to it, AND, having used this one many times, was anxious to really solo it. My previous experience in mixes, mirror my SFT here. This one is a Pineapple Powerhouse. No other way to put it. It actually pushed my beloved INW Pineapple off it's perch as my number one. This "sugarloaf" pineapple should be re-named "sugarLOAD" pineapple. It's sweet, bright, punchy, and damned delicious. It leans on the sweet side, but not too sweet. Sugarloaf pineapple is a white pineapple, that I've never eaten, but I sure would LIKE to now. Very natural, multi-dimensional, and interesting to vape. Nothing artificial tasting to my tastes, and wherein VTA's Pineapple Juice presented to me as somewhat dull and/or lifeless, this one was the exact opposite. BPD (Bright, Punchy, Delicious), just is really all you need to know on this one. Typically I would think even as good as this is, it will probably be mixed with INW Pineapple, or maybe CAP Golden Pineapple just to round things out, but I've used it as the only Pineapple and it worked out GREAT.. So it's not required, but an option. This one leaned heavier in the mid and high notes, with less lower/darker notes, and it does it well. Hands down a GREAT flavor, and IMO, should be on your VTA Must Have List. 10/10, zero hesitation.
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It comes through, but I’d probably add 0.5% next time. It paired well with the Biscuit (Speculoos) and I have a carrot cake that I make that I add pineapple. So, I just had to add it! It needs to be tweaked a touch.
But all part of the fun.
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@marsh8, I’ve had that Carrot Cake VT for awhile and tried it in a quick mix that was uh uh blah…
but that does look good 
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I SF at 5% and got way too much nut from it, and straight cake mixes haven’t turned out the best. Been thinking about trying it with cheesecake for a while. Not disappointed.
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Ditto…worked with it for month’s, on and off, and just couldn’t get it to work. I do love Carrot Cake, and have a yummy recipe that I bake a couple time’s a year. 2 cups of fresh grated carrot’s go into it.
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That’s what drew my attention to it (and the Pineapple)
Glad your doing the legwork with the carrot 
I had to go thought my trash folder to find my my mix, I was looking for a Fall type recipe for Halloween time (and it sucked)
carrot top 10/13
4.00% Carrot Cake (VTA)
1.00% Cream (Flavorah)
0.40% Milk (Flavorah)
0.40% Milk and Honey (Flavorah)
0.60% Pumpkin Spice (Flavorah)
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Definitely, not the easiest flavour to work with. I did get FLV Carrot but I was never game enough to add it.
Something else that might be a nice add is that VT Red Dates
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@marsh8 , you’ve inspired me to re-visit Carrot cake-VT. I tossed my old recipe’s…they were terrible. Having acquired many more flavor’s, and the fact that I’ve been SFT’ing, I pulled this out of my hat, mixed it up, and GC’d it this morning. The CC is(also) a one shot, and so I pushed it up into that territory(VT says 6-12%). Flavorah’s Pineapple closely match’s the crushed PA in juice, that I add to the actual food recipe, a dab of cinnamon, a smidge of (opt.) Walnut, Cheesecake-LA for the icing, and the natural sugary-ness of Purilum’s Super Sweet. First impression’s…not too shabby.
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Looks good! I haven’t pushed the CC that far, may just give that a try.
Another flavour that I have and not tried is that pineapple I think that’s the kicker with CC. One recipe that I bake has OJ in it and that’s amazing. The acid may play a role here.
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The pineapple seem’s to have masked that off note I get in the Carrot Cake. Maybe that, and bumping the weight up, too.
I’ve seen a few CC recipe’s with OJ in them, or as a topping, online.
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