This is my most recent take on a cactus-pipe tobacco project that I started over a year ago. The general idea was to create a tobacco vape that had cactus flavor. A primary concern was to use the INW Cactus concentrate in a way that tasted good, while still keeping the character of a tobacco vape. Weird, fruity, deep, aromatic, and satisfying, I think I got it.
To quote the storied wordsmith /u/ID10-T: "It's sort of like opening a fresh pack of fancy cigarettes and taking a deep whiff, while drinking a cactus beer."
FLV Native Tobacco--Oh yeah, baby. It took me a while to get around to ordering this, but once I did I knew I would be using it in this. A bit of spice, plenty of body, and just enough sweetness make it click with its prickly dancing partner.
INW Cactus -0.75%-I chose this percentage because I wanted it to be noticed, informing the vape, and lending fruity flavor without making it soggy or turning it into an aloe-tobacco (ew). It works, but it needs some help getting integrated into the profile without soaking it so..
FLV Yakima Hops--I use this here to bind with the Cactus and introduce it to the tobacco in a way that avoids soaking it. The brightness pairs well and it provides bit of a buffer in flavor and mouthfeel with its dry, earthy tones.
INW Dark for Pipe--This is in a support role to the Native Tobacco with the function of filling out the base notes. It is also the reason why the recommended steep time is 4 weeks here. It provides a heavy richness that fills out a bit after steeping and completes the package. I am tempted to try to work Black for Pipe in here instead, but that is only because it is my favorite tobacco ever, if I am being honest. Black for Pipe competes a bit too much elsewhere in the recipe.
*credit to the stolen artwork here: http://www.marcjohns.com/blog/2011/07/12/pipe-smoking-rabbit
Apricot-cream lollipops, ladies and gentlemen! And another use for that FW Hard Candy! Credit goes to SadPandaVapes for posting the recipe that gave me the base profile here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/547quj/weekly_recipe_pomcitrus_lolipop/
I tweaked this based on my stash and the idea to come up with an apricot one. The result is akin to what an apricot creamsaver could taste like. Delicious right away. The Hard Candy should settle down a bit and the custard should thicken some more after a steep. The apricot should become more assertive as well. The 'cream' element is mainly incorporated for mouth feel. Feel free to play with it if you would like it to actually be creamy.
Tart, bright raspberry, with fragrant, silky, tropical vibes. This is another 'showcase' style recipe to highlight some characterstics of a few flavors I enjoy.
I really like how vibrant FA raspberry can be when it sits on top of a mix. INW Dragonfruit is soo damn smooth and I feel it contrasts nicely. Cactus is my main squeeze and hangs out in the middle, lending some floral aspects to the main pairing and helps with the mouthfeel. INW Melon (in its older formulation because the flavor gods hate me) just makes a nice fruit base in general with subtle, yet deep melon presence. FLV Guanabana lends some tropical vibes and gives some more body.
The overall vape is chill, yet powerful like a tai chi master or something.
I wanted to mix INW Cactus into CAP sugar cookie and make something tasty. After quite a bit of work, I managed to create a warm, soft, cactus cookie with a sugar glaze. Full recipe notes here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/5rybyl/phucker_cookies/
This balancing act requires some patience, so give it 10-14 days to steep.
Here we have an imitation of a Kasugai Kiwi Gummy candy from Japan. The source material is a sweet, soft, and juicy gummy that features actual kiwi puree in a gelatin + pectin based candy. Kasugai gummies are softer gummies that are more in line with a gummy lifesaver than a Haribo gummy bear--almost like a thick jello.
The flavor: The kiwi in the candies is a blend of kiwi puree with artificial kiwi flavoring. My task, then was to make my kiwi candy-like with a hint of realism. TFA Kiwi Double hits the candy kiwi in this mix. The actual gummies feature the occasional kiwi seed from the puree and therefore present a more realistic element. E-liquid is a homogeneous mixture though, so I modified the fake, cloying taste that Kiwi Double can impart by brightening and lifting it up with a touch of TFA Quince. The result of the Quince addition adds a missing 'tart' element provided by the seeds that would otherwise be lacking.
The gummy: The source candy is a sweet, soft gummy, with juiciness overriding much of the stickiness. To suggest this, I used a combination of CAP Jelly Candy and TFA Swedish Gummy. CAP Jelly Candy provides volume for the profile without the chemical off-notes that something such as TFA Gummy provides. TFA Swedish Gummy suggests the waxy texture found in Swedish Fish and so was used to provide a bit of structure and softness that Jelly Candy can lack.
Overall Profile/Conclusion: The candy is very sweet and I relied on the flavors themselves to provide much of that. A bit of Ethyl Maltol was added to smooth it all over and keep the candy vibe alive. The Kiwi Double/Quince combo infuses itself into the gummy base to provide an illusion of juiciness that might not otherwise be present with weaker, duller flavors. The overall vape may be a little bit tastier than the actual candy, but that cannot be helped--flavor is paramount here.
Think cantaloupe with a bit of rind, situated at the bottom of a light melon salad.
Mixed at 70/30 vg/pg
This is the spawn of an effort to make INW Exotic Roots palatable. Here, Exotic Roots is up front and personal with its ginger and spice notes (if you have had the pleasure of meeting it, you know what I mean). INW Black Currant plays with Exotic Roots to tame it a bit and lend some creaminess that sinks the whole thing into the sweet base (Guanabana). INW Rhubarb takes up the very rear in this recipe to provide a fresh taste to the finish. A little spicy, a bit sweet, a tad earthy, and wholly satisfying, it takes just 3 days steep to fully appreciate the mouthfeel on this random beauty.