Is it really worth making your own juice?

[Muck777]

I've tried it, but what I found was that you need several concentrates, and while they claim that all they need is a few drops, in reality you may need to double that to get the flavour that you expect, but then you realise that it's not quite as good as the juice you bought online, so you seek out recipes. You find one, but you realise that you need other stuff like sweeteners, Ethyl Maltol, or menthol. You try again, but you still feel like it's not as good as other juices that you've bought, and now you've used up some of your supplies and have to buy some more.

I can see the attraction as a hobby, and I've enjoyed what I've done, but having recently discovered that companies like Mount Baker Vapor sell 450ml of whatever you want for $30 (£18?) and Yaeliq sell 100ml for $18, which is about a tenner, I'm beginning to wonder if it's really worth the effort. If you're paying £5 for 10ml from the corner shop it does probably make sense, but if you're prepared to splash out for larger quantities of your favourites I think that making your own isn't too far off the costs of a bulk buy.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but I'm starting to think that I'd be much better off leaving this stuff in the hands of the people know what they are doing. It is a fun hobby, and it's great to try your juice for the first time, much like when I used to brew my own beer, but I'm starting to think that when my ingredients run out, that'll be it. What I might still do is order my juice in 0nic, and then 'nic it up' as I wish.

It's really not meant to be a negative thread, and I'm sure that some of you are making superb juices, but for me I'm doubting the benefits compared to the effort, costs and lack of experience.

 

[EthelKing]

I don't think it's a negative post at all! Its personal choice, like all things. Up until recently I never coiled an Atty and used cartomisers all the time.

When I first started mixing I tried to recreate my favourite juices and soon found out that with some of the more complex ones it's nigh on impossible. However, I did find a mix that I liked a lot whist trying to achieve the impossible, and I've stuck with it for eighteen months.

You are quite correct in saying that you do need quite a few concentrates to mix what would appear to be a simple mix - I've got nearly two hundred bottles for God's sake! I buy in bulk from the States now as it is cheaper!

I can mix a litre of finished juice for less than the cost of two 30ml bottles of gourmet juice, and mix 250ml bottles of different juices for friends for a fraction of the price they buy elsewhere.

Once you have found something you are happy with, it's a lit easier on the pocket. You also find out what you do need and what you don't equipment-wise.

For me, having found an all day homebrew, it is definitely worth the hassle. But having said that, it did cost a lot of money to get there!

 

[thedarthVap3r]

I don't think it's a negative post at all! Its personal choice, like all things. Up until recently I never coiled an Atty and used cartomisers all the time.

When I first started mixing I tried to recreate my favourite juices and soon found out that with some of the more complex ones it's nigh on impossible. However, I did find a mix that I liked a lot whist trying to achieve the impossible, and I've stuck with it for eighteen months.

You are quite correct in saying that you do need quite a few concentrates to mix what would appear to be a simple mix - I've got nearly two hundred bottles for God's sake! I buy in bulk from the States now as it is cheaper!

I can mix a litre of finished juice for less than the cost of two 30ml bottles of gourmet juice, and mix 250ml bottles of different juices for friends for a fraction of the price they buy elsewhere.

Once you have found something you are happy with, it's a lit easier on the pocket. You also find out what you do need and what you don't equipment-wise.

For me, having found an all day homebrew, it is definitely worth the hassle. But having said that, it did cost a lot of money to get there!

and the time ! dont forget how long it takes. some people may be quicker and have some idea what they are doing .

me.. at one point id acummulated over 100 concentrated( alot donated mind , THANK YOU VAPERS !) and to this date. after months of trying. only one juice has actually been alright. and that was a clone of tribeca by halo. bloody gorgeous.

so i ended up giving all the concentrates away. only keeping some glass bottled perfumers apprentice ( and purely because the bottled looked really nice )

one day il try again..

 

[EntropicVapes]

It's an iterative process. Are you going to make the next snake oil on your first mix with the only three concentrates you own? Almost certainly not. But you have the ability to constantly refine your mixes to suit you, and the more you mix, the easier it is to make the next mix.

 

[jimmy1mc]

I think I must be very lucky. Originally I thought that I'd make some real duds when I started mixing last week, but everything I've made I've been very happy with. Being able to cook up some juice to my exact specifications is fantastic. I even just made a snake oil style juice (obviously not as complex) with lemon/lime/strawberry/menthol/anise and thought it would taste rank, but it's darn delicious!

DIY seems to be quite a subjective thing, but it definitely works for me

 

[possiblevaper]

i started off with a bunch of different concentrates and followed some simple recipe's making a vanilla custard and fruity menthol ones which were OK, but like you i found that they still were never as good as pre made ones from shops. but i loved how much it cost to make up large amounts.

i really like t juice stuff red astaire is my all day vape, also jack the ripple and colonel custard are two of my favourites. and t juice sell their stuff in concentrate form so i moved on to doing that. i worked out on my last batch it cost me exactly 83p to make up 10ml of juice!

so now i buy in all the stuff make up 200ml of all three of them 600ml juice in total all for £16.66 each thats just shy of £50 for 600ml of my favourite juice and it lasts me aaaggessss

couldnt imagine having to buy 600ml at full price! what is it like £4 per 10ml that would be £240 for 600ml!
dont know if my calculations are off but holy crap thats a lot of money im saving just by mixing it up at home.

the one juice i do pay full price for is snake oil because its unlike any i've tried and i do love it, i only vape this on weekends with a beer though as a special vape so 50ml lasts me a few month

 

[wuz_uk]

i started off with a bunch of different concentrates and followed some simple recipe's making a vanilla custard and fruity menthol ones which were OK, but like you i found that they still were never as good as pre made ones from shops. but i loved how much it cost to make up large amounts.

i really like t juice stuff red astaire is my all day vape, also jack the ripple and colonel custard are two of my favourites. and t juice sell their stuff in concentrate form so i moved on to doing that. i worked out on my last batch it cost me exactly 83p to make up 10ml of juice!

so now i buy in all the stuff make up 200ml of all three of them 600ml juice in total all for £16.66 each thats just shy of £50 for 600ml of my favourite juice and it lasts me aaaggessss

couldnt imagine having to buy 600ml at full price! what is it like £4 per 10ml that would be £240 for 600ml!
dont know if my calculations are off but holy crap thats a lot of money im saving just by mixing it up at home.

the one juice i do pay full price for is snake oil because its unlike any i've tried and i do love it, i only vape this on weekends with a beer though as a special vape so 50ml lasts me a few month

yes you have got it in one how can you look for a taste, if you have no idea what you're looking for, i am going away for the weekend so i have just finished making up a batch of my fav juices, 5 different flavours all have been tweaked over time to suit my palate and as you say "Cheap as chips"

 

[sparkyjuice]

Had a dabble mixing but honestly feel I am never going to approach the quality of HOL Manabush steamgunk
Or chefs vapour
So I'd rather spend a bit and leave it to the experts


Sent from (who cares) using Planet of the Vapes

 

[Phantom Diablo]

its like many things in life. creating the right perfect blend takes time and practice. mastering the art of mixing blends to get the flavour right can be costly to start with but to keep those costs low its easy just to make 5ml samples with no nicotine in using just your pg , vg and concentrates.

even if you do find a clone recipe theres no guarantee its right. the combinations are just to varied ( the brand of nic, pg , vg and concentrates, and the percentages can add up to 1000's of possible variants.

but once you do get it right the costs can drop dramtically.
having experimented for many many weeks on creating one specific blend and after getting through about 300ml of mixes ( most of which ended up being doesed with menthol ) i finally got the result i wanted. ( 5 concentrates blended and steeped for 2 weeks )
this now costs me around 30-50 pence to make 10ml (so simple math for 100ml of this costs me around £3 )

that leaves me free to experiment with other blends.. most of the juices i create have a minimum of 3 flavours ( plus sweetners, sour, ethyl maltol etc etc )
very rarely do i make a juice with anything less that that otherwise id just go buy it off the shelf.
and that for me is the enjoyment of making and creating juice and coming up with something both unique and enjoyable.

But yes my tip if juice making.. for your testing do 5ml samples ( or even 2ml ) and no nic. once youve then got your blend sorted you can then make the same batch in 2-5ml with the nic then leave to steep for at least a week and compare the two.

 

[Hemulin]

im a lazy mixer! i have a few concentrates that i like (DV absinthe,T juice afrodiziac etc) that i mix as my bulk always got it flavours & then i look for pre made stuff as well just so i have a few different options to pick from depending what im in the mood for.