Good GOD - you guys are way too anal for this, and you are making it way harder than it needs to be…. I’m 5 years DIY now, so I have tackled what I like - and that is NO easy task (what you like that you made yourself).
If you are an experimental type - OK, but if you are like me - its like an ice cream sundae - you have the same base (ice cream) and change up the toppings a bit (syrup/fudge, fruit, whipped cream). Maybe this day its vanilla and hot fudge with whipped cream, and tomorrow is coffee with bittersweet chocolate and walnuts... In all the crazy combinations - I tend to stick with 3-5 flavors of ice cream and carry the toppings - sorry Baskin Robbins...
So - with vaping many of your sought after flavors will have the SAME base (core underlying flavor). You want to duplicate a flavor - the first step is figuring out what the BASE is and building up from there.
Next point - the base flavor is the one which requires the steep, not the toppings...
So I’ll suggest this to you. Use a BASE formula you like (and it might take time to figure out what you like) and make that ahead - allowing to meld together / steep before you add your “toppings”.
I have at least a liter of PG/VG with Bavarian Cream, Sweet Cream and Vanilla Custard pre-made at all times (roughly 2% each). Usually in Pint or Quart (dark) bottles - which will be 4-6 weeks old (min) - out of light and climate controlled (60 is ideal). It sits there and just gets happy over a month or two.
Then - when I want a ready melded Blueberry cream (example) I mix the right amount of base (say lil’ over 50ml) to say 3-5ml of blueberry flavoring and shake. I'm not selling, and pretty stingy with my LAZY friends (give it away to new acquaintances all the time through) - so the majority of the juice is mixed into 2oz Similac (baby formula) bottles (cleaned and sanitized) or these 4oz squeezable bottles I bought (50) on clearance somewhere. Then I set aside for a day or months - either way - the custard has blended in the base - and then it is REALLY the base - the blueberry then POPS as its not melded as well. In the end - I use LESS of the 'topping' flavor than others do - as the base has already set up and the topping is just to enhance the overall.
Right now I have - Creme', Coffee (natural), Menthol, Coconut, Chai Tea & Milk...
I regularly (per quarter) mix close to 40 flavors (15-25 I always do, and 15-25 ‘trials’)… I have my favorites, but like try to duplicate others I’ve tried. Understanding the “Base” idea leads to much better clones in a few minutes - not hours or days of trial and error.
Wednesday I mixed roughly a half gallon (26 or so 2oz containers) of juice in about 20 flavors. I had already poured the base and labeled them weeks ago - so all I did was plop on a scale and drip in the flavors I wanted to try - cap and shake - then sharpie ‘topping’ flavor and date, done…. It might (MIGHT) take a minute per bottle - that’s it. And since the base is already steeped - the Black Current Custard and the Rum Custard I made was awesome on the drive home - they had exactly 15 minutes steep time post mixing…
Do I make the best juice - NOPE. Do I prefer mine over 85% of everything out there - YEP. Can I spend under a few hours a month and make 1/2 gallon of juice in 20-40 flavors - YEP.
I keep all my stuff at a climate controlled warehouse (60-64 degrees, 58-62% humidity) and I keep it all in a bakers Proof Box. Box is completely blacked out so no light.
Secrets -
NO LIGHT. Humidity: 50-70% NO HIGHER. Temp: 60-70 degrees. Basically if you have a controlled cellar (wine) or a underground cave - its ideal. Then - BASE: pre-make your base - you can even do it in the bottles you are going to use. Let it steep/meld for a month - then ADD the toppings.
It’s like cheesecake with fresh whiskey caramel sauce vs. a whiskey caramel flavored cheesecake. If you do it right, there is simply no comparison - and the difference - the quality of the base ingredient. If you have a great cheesecake - it doesn’t matter what the next chef adds into the recipe - its simply will never be as good. Different analogy - STEAK (drooling now)... I'm a black and blue with bernaise guy. That means they age the steak for a month - allowing it to intensify and meld (sound familiar), and then they crank up the broiler - rub the steak with a flammable - oil or clarified butter - and let it catch fire - each side for about 45 seconds - it comes out cold raw in the middle and overly-seared on the outside. They make FRESH bernaise seconds before bringing me my feast. The steak is the BASE and the bernaise, the broiler, the oil or butter are all the toppings. If you think for a second that steak would have been better "marinated' - then you should overtake the steakhouses of the world, as you would be the ONLY one doing it that way.
One item I didn’t add - quality of flavorings. If you LOVE one particular flavor - then buy the components form FlavorArt, Capellas, and TFA. Make the juice with the identical stuff - and taste - decide who you like most. It costs more up front (not really you can get mini bottles form any of them) - but then you KNOW what is best. So if you like blueberry cream…. Make up a Cream only base with each of the three - and taste - decide which you like best. Use that ‘best’ base with the three blueberry flavors (or more some have v1 v2 etc) and try - and decide which cream is best which fruit is best…. Now - buy in bulk.
and I'll never use 10L of vg before it's questionable to use.