RicModMaker
Vendor
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2013
- Messages
- 3,240
This is what I do. I'm not saying it's what you should do so if your juice comes out bad, take it on the chin. For my taste, I love the juice I make and this is what I do. This document will hopefully help you make better juice and is my guide to various aspects of DIY mixing.
Flavour Enhancers
Using enhancers will really lift up your juices. In my opinion, using these is the difference between a boring juice and a great juice.
Sour
Sour can be bought ready to squirt but I mix my own. I buy pure malic acid powder and 1/4 fill a bottle and top up with PG. Shake well and get it all dissolved. Keeping it in your pocket for a few hours will help it warm up and dissolve. Sour will lift up any fruit mixes.
Sweetener
Sweetener can be bought ready made too. I buy pure sucralose and 1/4 fill a bottle. I then top up with PG, shake and warm up on a radiator or in the pocket as above. I nearly always add sweetener to my mixes because flavourings aren't really flavourings and are seldom sweet. Taste it and see. Adding 1% sweetener to a mix will compliment it like salt does on food. Sweeteners are not really needed with menthol mixes though but can be used.
Menthol
Menthol can also be bought ready mixed. I buy menthol crystals from Boots and again, dilute with PG in a bottle. Menthol is damned strong so use sparingly. I'd start at 1% only and add a bit more if needed. Going much above 2% will blow your head off. It really won't make much of a difference to add an extra 1% after so try it and add more if needed.
Flavourings / Concentrates
I've tried expensive ones and cheap ones. I mostly use cheap ones because I get through too much juice to make little batches. Because taste is subjective, I'd say try some and find what you like. As a very general rule, when I mix juices, i tend to stick around the 20% flavouring mark for my mixes.
Don't think for a minute that natural flavourings are better, THEY ARE NOT. Natural flavourings contain oils which is a big no no. Only use flavourings that are vape friendly.
Menthol is mental. Use sparingly.
Lemon is a bit harsh so go easy on it unless you want a big throat hit.
Licorice is super strong too so really go easy on it or it will overpower your mix.
Nicotine Solution
I always buy my nic at the strongest strength available. 72mg. I also get it in PG because it has a much longer shelf life. Nic can be decanted into dark glass bottles and stored in the freezer for up to 10 years.
I've bought nic from Pirate Vapes and Darkstar and both are really good value. Nicotine solution should not be brown. If you get any dark nicotine solution, it is old and will taste peppery. Nicotine does taste slightly peppery and will increase the throat hit if you mix to high percentages. I tend to stick below 6mg nic strength in my juices and the throat hit is perfect.
As a general rule, for big clouds use less nic. For a sensible 25w vape you may want to go to 6mg. Again, this is personal preference so find what works for you.
Try not to get it on your skin. It won't kill you but if you do, go and wash it off as soon as possible.
PG & VG
Readily available almost everywhere and is super cheap. I tend to just go to Ebay once in a while and buy a litre of VG for about £5. You can get cheaper deals but VG generally has about a 1 year shelf life so don't bother buying a barrel at a time.
If you want a smooth juice, don't bother adding any extra PG and go for a max VG mix. The only reason I have a bottle of PG is so I can use it to mix up my enhancers but if you do want more flavour and vape at lower wattages, or your tank is a bit slow at wicking, you may want to up your PG percentage. It's really down to your tank and they way you vape so some trial and error. Find what works for you and your setup.
Mixing & Steeping. Well, aging really.
There is absolutely no need to look any further than this piece of software for working out your mixes. Download a program called ejuicemeup as it has everything you will ever need to calculate your quantities and save your recipes.
I use Pyrex measuring beakers and cylinders. Syringes are OK but they... No actually, they are crap. Get some glassware to mix up.
When I've done a mix, I use a coffee frother to really aerate the mix. Getting as much air into your mix will help it age quicker than just leaving it somewhere for days. It will turn white where there is some much air in it and it may take a day for it to clear up but it really does speed up the process.
Fruit mixes are good to vape within a day this way but mixes that contain flavours like cream or vanilla, like custards mixes, can take up to a couple of weeks or more to blend together properly.
Start with a small batch to make sure you like your mix. I usually mix a 30ml bottle first and then make any changes to the mix before I upscale.
There really is no reason why anyone can't mix lovely juices so get stuck in. It may be the only way you can get juice in the future but I sincerely hope not.
Ric's Recipes
These are pretty much my all day vapes. People have tried them and like them. Hopefully you will too.
Ric's Voodoo Brew
Strawberry 8%
Peach 4%
Apple 7%
Sweetener 1%
Menthol 2%
Sour 2%
Nic to your strength
No added PG
Ric's Lemon Hazelnut Biscuit
Lemon 8%
Hazelnut 5%
Biscuit 5%
Sweetener 1%
Nic to your strength
No added PG
Ric's Black Betty
Blackcurrant 15%
Licorice 1%
Sour 3%
Sweetener 2%
Menthol 2%
Nic to your strength
No added PG
Flavour Enhancers
Using enhancers will really lift up your juices. In my opinion, using these is the difference between a boring juice and a great juice.
Sour
Sour can be bought ready to squirt but I mix my own. I buy pure malic acid powder and 1/4 fill a bottle and top up with PG. Shake well and get it all dissolved. Keeping it in your pocket for a few hours will help it warm up and dissolve. Sour will lift up any fruit mixes.
Sweetener
Sweetener can be bought ready made too. I buy pure sucralose and 1/4 fill a bottle. I then top up with PG, shake and warm up on a radiator or in the pocket as above. I nearly always add sweetener to my mixes because flavourings aren't really flavourings and are seldom sweet. Taste it and see. Adding 1% sweetener to a mix will compliment it like salt does on food. Sweeteners are not really needed with menthol mixes though but can be used.
Menthol
Menthol can also be bought ready mixed. I buy menthol crystals from Boots and again, dilute with PG in a bottle. Menthol is damned strong so use sparingly. I'd start at 1% only and add a bit more if needed. Going much above 2% will blow your head off. It really won't make much of a difference to add an extra 1% after so try it and add more if needed.
Flavourings / Concentrates
I've tried expensive ones and cheap ones. I mostly use cheap ones because I get through too much juice to make little batches. Because taste is subjective, I'd say try some and find what you like. As a very general rule, when I mix juices, i tend to stick around the 20% flavouring mark for my mixes.
Don't think for a minute that natural flavourings are better, THEY ARE NOT. Natural flavourings contain oils which is a big no no. Only use flavourings that are vape friendly.
Menthol is mental. Use sparingly.
Lemon is a bit harsh so go easy on it unless you want a big throat hit.
Licorice is super strong too so really go easy on it or it will overpower your mix.
Nicotine Solution
I always buy my nic at the strongest strength available. 72mg. I also get it in PG because it has a much longer shelf life. Nic can be decanted into dark glass bottles and stored in the freezer for up to 10 years.
I've bought nic from Pirate Vapes and Darkstar and both are really good value. Nicotine solution should not be brown. If you get any dark nicotine solution, it is old and will taste peppery. Nicotine does taste slightly peppery and will increase the throat hit if you mix to high percentages. I tend to stick below 6mg nic strength in my juices and the throat hit is perfect.
As a general rule, for big clouds use less nic. For a sensible 25w vape you may want to go to 6mg. Again, this is personal preference so find what works for you.
Try not to get it on your skin. It won't kill you but if you do, go and wash it off as soon as possible.
PG & VG
Readily available almost everywhere and is super cheap. I tend to just go to Ebay once in a while and buy a litre of VG for about £5. You can get cheaper deals but VG generally has about a 1 year shelf life so don't bother buying a barrel at a time.
If you want a smooth juice, don't bother adding any extra PG and go for a max VG mix. The only reason I have a bottle of PG is so I can use it to mix up my enhancers but if you do want more flavour and vape at lower wattages, or your tank is a bit slow at wicking, you may want to up your PG percentage. It's really down to your tank and they way you vape so some trial and error. Find what works for you and your setup.
Mixing & Steeping. Well, aging really.
There is absolutely no need to look any further than this piece of software for working out your mixes. Download a program called ejuicemeup as it has everything you will ever need to calculate your quantities and save your recipes.
I use Pyrex measuring beakers and cylinders. Syringes are OK but they... No actually, they are crap. Get some glassware to mix up.
When I've done a mix, I use a coffee frother to really aerate the mix. Getting as much air into your mix will help it age quicker than just leaving it somewhere for days. It will turn white where there is some much air in it and it may take a day for it to clear up but it really does speed up the process.
Fruit mixes are good to vape within a day this way but mixes that contain flavours like cream or vanilla, like custards mixes, can take up to a couple of weeks or more to blend together properly.
Start with a small batch to make sure you like your mix. I usually mix a 30ml bottle first and then make any changes to the mix before I upscale.
There really is no reason why anyone can't mix lovely juices so get stuck in. It may be the only way you can get juice in the future but I sincerely hope not.
Ric's Recipes
These are pretty much my all day vapes. People have tried them and like them. Hopefully you will too.
Ric's Voodoo Brew
Strawberry 8%
Peach 4%
Apple 7%
Sweetener 1%
Menthol 2%
Sour 2%
Nic to your strength
No added PG
Ric's Lemon Hazelnut Biscuit
Lemon 8%
Hazelnut 5%
Biscuit 5%
Sweetener 1%
Nic to your strength
No added PG
Ric's Black Betty
Blackcurrant 15%
Licorice 1%
Sour 3%
Sweetener 2%
Menthol 2%
Nic to your strength
No added PG
