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Markw4mms

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Almost all of my nicotine has come in hard plastic bottles, and I've never had a problem with it. I do try to keep around 50ml in the fridge, and the rest in the freezer, but it's still in plastic sealed in double zip lock baggies, never had a leaking issue.
 

gopher_byrd

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OK ... Thank you both for the advice. Should I still get the glass bottles next week or just keep it in the 120ml plastic bottle? I have read that it's good to break it up into smaller batches so that the nicotine doesn't oxidize as easily and that glass is preferred in case of leaching. But it comes in a plastic bottle so that confuses me a bit. :confused:
Go ahead an break them down when you get your glass bottles. Leave as little air in the bottle as possible. And make sure you shake the original before you start dividing it up. Otherwise you may have some bottles with more nic than you were planning for and the others with less.

Vendors ship in plastic because it is less expensive, lighter, and not as prone to breakage in shipping.
 

nightshard

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Bases come sealed with nitrogen to prevent oxidization (at least from the serious manufacturers), so once opened the shelf life will shorten.
Still it's a good idea once opened to split it into small bottles, open the bottles only when needed, make sure the bottles are airtight and fill the bottles as much as possible to minimize oxidization.

Using HDPE bottles instead of glass ones is totally acceptable.
 
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Vapin-Dave

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..... Vendors ship in plastic because it is less expensive, lighter, and not as prone to breakage in shipping.

Ahhhh ... I see. That certainly makes sense. :cool:


.... Using HDPE bottles instead of glass ones is totally acceptable.

The only plastic bottles that I have are clear ... the ones for putting ejuice it. I got them from a reputable vape supply company but they didn't specify if they were HDPE or not. One more thing I've been wondering. What's the standard way to get the nicotine out of the bottle. Syringe or dropper spout or something? And if so do you store it with the spout or just use it when measuring?

For the VG I have an old 140ml ejuice plastic bottle that I was going clean out and fill with VG for making juice by weight. There shouldn't be any problems with doing so correct?
 

gopher_byrd

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Ahhhh ... I see. That certainly makes sense. :cool:




The only plastic bottles that I have are clear ... the ones for putting ejuice it. I got them from a reputable vape supply company but they didn't specify if they were HDPE or not. One more thing I've been wondering. What's the standard way to get the nicotine out of the bottle. Syringe or dropper spout or something? And if so do you store it with the spout or just use it when measuring?

For the VG I have an old 140ml ejuice plastic bottle that I was going clean out and fill with VG for making juice by weight. There shouldn't be any problems with doing so correct?
The working nic bottles (glass) I use have droppers. I just use the dropper to put in the correct weight to get 3mg for the size of bottle I'm making.

That 140 ml bottle you have will work good for your VG.
 

Heabob

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What's the standard way to get the nicotine out of the bottle. Syringe or dropper spout or something? And if so do you store it with the spout or just use it when measuring?

I split up my big bottle of NIC into smaller ones, 120ml Glass, 60ml Glass, & 2x30ml HDPE drip tip juice bottles.
The 30ml bottles I keep out for mixing and put the rest in the freezer til needed.
When both are empty I pull out a 60ml and refill my 2x30's.
Shake real good before splitting up the NIC base.
I'm using PG/NIC so it's easier to work with.
Normally use a small funnel to break them up the first time.
Use syringes for transferring into the smaller ones tho.
May be a bit harder with VG/NIC but heating it up first with a hot water bath helps.

Dispensing from a big bottle will expose too much 02 over time and will oxidize it sooner, possibly causing bitterness.
 

Vapin-Dave

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:vapemail: OH YEAH - NOW WE'RE ROCKIN!! :shades:


I wasn't expecting this until next week but it came today. This will make things quite a bit easier. AWS LB-501 scale and mini SS funnels.




I made up one small sample of juice a couple days ago that isn't bad but not something I would have bought. I fiddled around with it for a bit too trying to tweak the flavor. The main problem I had was that I couldn't get the spout off of the flavour bottles. (They're repackaged flavours) It was really tight and felt like I was going to break it. So I ended up trying to make it with drops and really don't know exactly how much I added.
But now that I can sample by weight. Let the juice making begin! :cool: :ejuice: :cloud:
 
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Vapin-Dave

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I'm starting to see what you mean by tasting all the single flavours first. Sometimes when you mix a few together it's hard to tell which is coming through the most. Especially if it's a flavour you're not used to tasting. What's the standard here ... get a bunch of 3ml bottles and make each individual flavour at roughly 7%?
 

Teresa P

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I'm starting to see what you mean by tasting all the single flavours first. Sometimes when you mix a few together it's hard to tell which is coming through the most. Especially if it's a flavour you're not used to tasting. What's the standard here ... get a bunch of 3ml bottles and make each individual flavour at roughly 7%?
Depends on the vendor. I'd never try FlavourArt or Flavorah at 7%, more like a starting percentage of 2 or 3. TFA or Capella, 7% might be okay. Even 10-15% for Flavor West. When in doubt, type "*whatever vendor/brand* starting percentage" into your Google search bar. Or go to that vendor website. Read over notes and threads in our DIY section. Sometimes it's just hit and miss, as per your preference.
 

gopher_byrd

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:vapemail: OH YEAH - NOW WE'RE ROCKIN!! :shades:


I wasn't expecting this until next week but it came today. This will make things quite a bit easier. AWS LB-501 scale and mini SS funnels.




I made up one small sample of juice a couple days ago that isn't bad but not something I would have bought. I fiddled around with it for a bit too trying to tweak the flavor. The main problem I had was that I couldn't get the spout off of the flavour bottles. (They're repackaged flavours) It was really tight and felt like I was going to break it. So I ended up trying to make it with drops and really don't know exactly how much I added.
But now that I can sample by weight. :cool: Let the juice making begin! :ejuice::cloud:
Here's a hint on using your scale, I have the same one BTW, put your mixing bottle in the included bowl. It contains spillage, which does happen even to the best of us...:gaah::cuss2::facepalm:
 

Teresa P

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Here's a hint on using your scale, I have the same one BTW, put your mixing bottle in the included bowl. It contains spillage, which does happen even to the best of us...:gaah::cuss2::facepalm:
Fer real, I use a different scale without the bowl, but bought a stack of 6" styrofoam saucers at the Dollar Tree that are a lifesaver. ;)
 

Vapin-Dave

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Here's a hint on using your scale, I have the same one BTW, put your mixing bottle in the included bowl. It contains spillage, which does happen even to the best of us...:gaah::cuss2::facepalm:


Yep ... that was the first thing I thought of when I was using it. :D However I did have a small VG spillage when I overestimated how fast it would flow from the small funnel into the 140ml bottle. I guess it's better to learn the lesson with the cheaper, safer and less smelly liquids though. :oops:

I've only made one sample with the scale so far and find that it's definitely easier than using the syringes. I haven't even opened the nicotine yet. I may as well get a flavour combo that I really like before wasting any of it. I have seen several videos where the nicotine that was currently in use was just in a clear/frosted 30 or 50 ml ejuice bottle. I'm assuming that they store that somewhere dark when not in use.

BTW - I had to cut the tip of the dropper on the 140ml bottle a bit. The VG wasn't coming out at the desired rate. LOL
 
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Heabob

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What's the standard here ... get a bunch of 3ml bottles and make each individual flavour at roughly 7%?

I just use the standard 15ml hdpe bottles and mix whatever amount I want in it.
15ml is my standard for final recipes anyway, don't need any more extra stuff laying around.

Starting Amounts I use, normally, with some exceptions tho.
FA & INW = 2%
CAP & TFA = 5-6%
FW = 6-7%

exceptions: Lime, Blackberry, Bilberry, Raspberry, Cherry(some), Tiramisu, Coffee or Espressso.
(much depends on the brand but 2% or less might be a safer starting point as it's easier to adjust upward if needed).
 

Vapin-Dave

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Any suggestions for a good recipe with the flavours that I have? I've made a few but they're all coming out MEH. A couple have potential and need some tweaking. Of course I'm not letting them steep/age for any amount of time either. And I've found that adding any more than just a TOUCH of marshmallow kills the flavours. Unless steeping brings them out again. :confused:

Something berry or melon that you would use for an ADV would be perfect. :cool:
 
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Vapin-Dave

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OK so of the ten or so concoctions I've made a couple have come out pretty good. Although I found that it took them a couple of days to get there. So yesterday I took the two recipes that I liked the most and mixed up larger batches of them. I mixed the flavours and PG (very small amount) together and let that sit for several hours shaking occasionally. Then I added the VG and Nic, did a lot of shaking and let it sit overnight. These seem to have potential but they're not that potent at the moment. I'm thinking another couple of days steeping may help. :wait:

Most of the mixtures I've made are my own creations but a couple are similar to recipes that I found online. Oddly enough the two that I liked the best were ones that I created. However some of the others may just need a few more days to perk up a bit. I plan on getting some smaller bottles and making single flavour samples as was suggested to me earlier in the thread. I'm now starting to realize how important that step is. I'm also going to find some simple recipes that I think I'll like and give those a try.

But man I have to stop reading other threads on the forum. It hasn't even been a week yet and I keep finding more flavors that I want to try. Think I'd better get a handle of the ones I have first. ;)
 

inspects

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But man I have to stop reading other threads on the forum. It hasn't even been a week yet and I keep finding more flavors that I want to try. Think I'd better get a handle of the ones I have first. ;)

I tried that, didn't work out as well as I thought it would......:popcorn: especially after reading posts on this forum.

OH, I HAVE TO GET THAT ONE, then two, then a dozen, then another couple hundred bucks worth....:headbang:
 

Vapin-Dave

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OH, I HAVE TO GET THAT ONE, then two, then a dozen, then another couple hundred bucks worth....:headbang:

Yeah ... I can feel that starting already. LOL I am trying to wait until I at least get a few solid recipes down first. But the smaller bottles that I want to get along with a few other supplies are from the same company that sells the flavours. So the problem arises - "Since I'm ordering from them ANYWAYS ... may as well save on shipping!" :rolleyes:

BTW - I'm very interested in getting the Inawera Cactus flavour. However I've read several threads online where it's mentioned that the formula has changed and isn't quite the same. This is another reason I'm holding off at the moment. But I do have to get at least the supplies soon.
 

Teresa P

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I never noticed a change in cactus myself. Wizard Labs has a new flavor line of their own, The Flavour Wizard, and I have a sample of their cactus that I haven't tried yet.
It's a vague guideline, but as far as the rule of aging goes - fruits are pretty much shake and vape, very few require steeping and even then it's minimal. Creams almost always require aging, usually a week or two, and custards are seldom good before two weeks to a month. The richer the custard, the longer the steep. I'm aging 250ml of Kreed's Custard right now that has to sit for two months to taste as it's intended. And tobaccos are generally two to four weeks but like custard, the longer you wait the better it is.
 

OneBadWolf

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OK ... Thank you both for the advice. Should I still get the glass bottles next week or just keep it in the 120ml plastic bottle? I have read that it's good to break it up into smaller batches so that the nicotine doesn't oxidize as easily and that glass is preferred in case of leaching. But it comes in a plastic bottle so that confuses me a bit. :confused:

Break it up. If for no other reason, than to prevent tears and gnashing of teeth if there is a spill. I personally find that LDPE ( low density polyethelene)is just fine for storage.
 

Vapin-Dave

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Break it up. If for no other reason, than to prevent tears and gnashing of teeth if there is a spill. I personally find that LDPE ( low density polyethelene)is just fine for storage.

And I'm assuming I could store the nic in clear LDPE bottles as long as I kept them in a dark bag/container. :)
 

Vapin-Dave

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So after some research here is a list of the flavours I plan to get on my next purchase. Probably not for another 3-4 weeks at least though. I realize that some of these flavours are variations of ones that I already have but a few of them I'm trying to get as accurate as possible. Please look them over and offer any advice or suggestions from your experience.

Cucumber - Capella
Cactus - Inawera
Lime Concentrate - Inawera
Pear Concentrate - Inawera
Raspberry Concentrate (Malina) - Inawera
Strawberry Shisha - Inawera
Grape - Inawera
Blueberry Cotton Candy - FlavorWest
Watermelon (Red Summer) - Flavour Art
Wild Melon - Flavorah
Boysenberry - Flavorah
Sweet Strawberry - Jungle Flavors
Glamour Chocolate - Molin Berry
Shape Up Pear - Molin Berry
Grape Juice - TFA
Vanilla Swirl - TFA
Whipped Cream - TFA

I may try a few of the Super Concentrated as well but this is my starting list. I've tried to narrow it down as I could easily add 100 flavours. LOL
 

Vapin-Dave

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For reference here is my list of initial flavours from the first post in the thread.

Acai (TFA)
Banana (TFA)
Blackberry (TFA)
Blue Raspberry (TFA)
Blueberry - Wild (TFA)
Concord Grape (FA)
Double Apple (CAP)
Dragonfruit (TFA)
Fuji Apple (FA)
Grape (FW)
Honeydew II (TFA)
Kiwi (FA)
Kiwi - Double (TFA)
Lime (FA)
Lime Tahity - Distilled (FA)
Lychee (TFA)
Marshmallow (TFA)
Pear (TFA)
Pink Lemonade (CAP)
Polarblast (FA)
Pomegranate (TFA)
Raspberry - Sweet (TFA)
Strawberry (TFA)
Strawberry Ripe (TFA)
Watermelon (TFA)
Watermelon Candy (TFA)
 

gopher_byrd

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I've noticed that you don't have any creams on either list. You may find creams as a way to enhance all those fruits you have listed.
FA Cream Fresh
FA Vienna Cream
TFA Bavarian Cream (DX version if you are trying to avoid diacetyl)
FA Yogurt
CAP Greek Yogurt
CAP Sweet Cream
TFA Dairy Milk
TFA/FA/FLV Whipped Cream

Just my 2 cents...
 

Vapin-Dave

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I've noticed that you don't have any creams on either list. You may find creams as a way to enhance all those fruits you have listed.
FA Cream Fresh
FA Vienna Cream
TFA Bavarian Cream (DX version if you are trying to avoid diacetyl)
FA Yogurt
CAP Greek Yogurt
CAP Sweet Cream
TFA Dairy Milk
TFA/FA/FLV Whipped Cream

Just my 2 cents...

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have TFA Whipped Cream and Vanilla Swirl on my list of ones to get. In the past I haven't been a fan of some of the heavier creamed ejuices. I may get there eventually but I'm going to start slow and see how it goes. :D
 

Vapin-Dave

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WOW ... Lychee flavour really stands out it seems. I used only .5 % in a revamped recipe and I can certainly taste it. It's not bad by any means but I didn't expect it to take over so much at such a small percentage. I'm hoping after some steeping it settles down a bit. Not too much though as I like what it's done to the recipe. :cool:

I just made Version 2 of three of my original recipes. Two of them definitely taste better and are already feeling like ADVs. The third is still quite subtle even though I increased the flavour a bit and added a small amount of a new flavour to enhance the others. I'm hoping it will pick up over the next couple of days. :D
 
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Vapin-Dave

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So today was flavour testing day. After doing some research I decided to test in water instead of mixing up batches. I realize this won't tell me exactly what the flavours will vape like but should give me a rough idea and it was by far faster with less wastage of ingredients. 10 drops of water along with a drop or two of flavouring (depending on the brand) were added to a shot glass and swirled around. I know that's a bit strong but I wanted to make sure I could easily taste the flavours. And of course I recorded my impressions of each flavour.

I think I've discovered where some of the off flavours are coming from in my mixtures though. It's interesting that with some flavours you can tell which part of the fruit it's from. Some have a slight rind taste or not quite ripe taste to them, some are rather weak and others are very powerful. After testing it seems that at least half of the TFA flavours had a medium to strong perfume aftertaste to them. And a couple had a slightly soapy aftertaste. I'm assuming that these flavours would need to steep a bit longer than others. And I also learned that TFA Lychee is absolutely disgusting on its own. (IMO) :blech: I've only used it in one recipe and it was quite strong. This flavour seems to add a unique taste but I'll be using it in very small quantities from now on. ;)

I'm now regretting getting a 30ml bottle of some of the flavours. But I guess that's part of the learning process. After more thoroughly researching flavours on my wish list I'm only planning to get 10ml or less with most of them. This single flavour testing should also help with proper percentages. After checking percentages online many of them are all over the map depending on the recipes. Experience, patience and perseverance will be the ultimate teachers I'm sure. With help from all the great members on VU of course! :D:cool:

I now need to go rest my palate. :giggle:
 

Vapin-Dave

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I, and others, have done the same thing...

Good to know I'm not alone! LOL There are a handful of flavours that I'm considering getting in 30ml just due to the sheer number of posts and comments about them. But most will be 10ml or less from now on. If I like them I can always get a larger amount the next time! :D
 

Heabob

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There are a handful of flavours that I'm considering getting in 30ml just due to the sheer number of posts and comments about them.

I've done that too in the past and have also sometimes been disappointed.
Like the INW Shisha Strawberry that most of us here really like, but still, there are a few that don't...
Although it's not like spending 30k on a car you find out later that you hate it:D.
 

Vapin-Dave

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I've done that too in the past and have also sometimes been disappointed.
Like the INW Shisha Strawberry that most of us here really like, but still, there are a few that don't...
Although it's not like spending 30k on a car you find out later that you hate it:D.

Very true! I had several INW flavours that I was planning to get 30ml but when it finally sunk in that they were very concentrated and I could use less I've dropped most of them down to 10ml. :)
 

Heabob

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Very true! I had several INW flavours that I was planning to get 30ml but when it finally sunk in that they were very concentrated and I could use less I've dropped most of them down to 10ml. :)

After time you will find out which flavors you use a lot of, then the 30ml+ sizes make more sense.
And it also depends on how much you vape, or if you make any for friends or family.
 

Vapin-Dave

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After time you will find out which flavors you use a lot of, then the 30ml+ sizes make more sense.
And it also depends on how much you vape, or if you make any for friends or family.

I'll be making ejuice for my son, mom and a handful of friends. I'm working on getting a few decent recipes down first so I can give my vaping friends a sample pack and they can let me know which ones they like and what nic strength they want. Then they can offer DONATIONS to help cover my costs/time. ;)
 

Teresa P

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Very true! I had several INW flavours that I was planning to get 30ml but when it finally sunk in that they were very concentrated and I could use less I've dropped most of them down to 10ml. :)
For anything new, I always go to Wizard Labs first. The 8ml sample bottles are around $1.49 and that's plenty to help me decide if I want more.
 

Vapin-Dave

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For anything new, I always go to Wizard Labs first. The 8ml sample bottles are around $1.49 and that's plenty to help me decide if I want more.

I could order from them but the shipping time to get all the way up to CANADER may take a while. If I purchased enough though the shipping would definitely be worth it.

Something weird that I noticed about the Wizard Labs pricing though. For the INW flavours it's actually slightly cheaper to get the 8ml size compared to the 30ml size. Only by 1 cent per ml but that still seems strange.

8ml - $1.87 (1.87 / 8 = .23)
30ml - $7.29 (7.29 / 30 = .24)

Generally when you buy more you save money! :huh:
 

Teresa P

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Generally when you buy more you save money!
Yeah, that is strange, but I've busted my grocery store doing the same thing, lol!
I keep forgetting you're in Canada, but if you actually did order enough 8mls for free shipping, you'd be swimming in 8ml bottles, no? :giggle:
 

Vapin-Dave

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I don't think I can get free shipping from them. However shipping was only $10 so not too bad. If I ordered enough then the $10 would be worth it. But my concern is how long it would take to get here from Florida. I'm thinking that a little further along in my DIYing if I find a bunch of flavours that I can't get here then maybe I'll give it a shot. :D
 

Teresa P

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I'm sure someone here will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think anything shipped across the border from them would be priority mail, and it might not take that long. Shipping has always been a breeze with them from Florida to Tennessee, but they do lag a bit on processing. It has taken 4-5 days from the time I've ordered something till it's actually shipped. Other times it was next day or two. Guess it just depends on how busy they are. But their customer service is the bomb, really great folks to deal with.
 

Vapin-Dave

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Got my next shipment of flavours a couple days early!! :vapemail:

Here are the additions ...

30 ml bottles

Vanilla Swirl - TFA
Whipped Cream - TFA
Blueberry Cotton Candy - FW

10 ml bottles

Orange Extract - RF
Harvest Berry - CAP
Cucumber - FA
Fresh Cream - FA
Mandarin - FA
Banana - FLV
Boysenberry - FLV
Wild Melon - FLV
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - FW
Sweet Strawberry - JF
Fruit Candy - RF
Sour Gummy - RF
Banana Cream - TFA
Grape Juice - TFA
Peach (Juicy) - TFA
Sweetener - TFA

And a 3ml bottle of Bilberry - FA

Many of these flavours smell absolutely amazing. I'm almost positive that I'm really going to like the Wild Melon and the Boysenberry. So now I need to add these to my flavour stash to see what recipes I can find. Or maybe just wing it on my own. I'm looking forward to trying to make a Creamsicle ejuice. :cool:
 

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