*** (No flavor substitutions will work here so mix this exactly as stated otherwise your results will likely be disappointing and will certainly not taste like CLR VII.) ***
After more than 77 individual iterations attempted over a three month period I am finally happy enough with this clone to publish it here.
I have made all the variant clones and remixes of Castle Long and Castle Long Reserve that I could find online and while most were nice vapes none of them (at least in relation to CLR VII) were anywhere near close to the real thing. I tried many combinations of coconut and almond flavorings but could not get the complex, almost floral, top notes of CLR VII until I tried TPA Coconut Candy in combination with TPA toasted Almond. Capella Toasted Almond does not work here, and the same applies for TPA Coconut Extra; the latter being far, far too sharp! TPA Kentucky Bourbon is much too astringent to use here, therefore TPA Bourbon is a much better fit while still bringing the whisky notes forward. Brown sugar flavoring is not needed, nor are any sweeteners, as the juice has a sweet and caramelic body thanks to high levels of vanillins and maltols in the other flavorings (particularly TPA Coconut Candy).
This is best mixed at 50:50 VG/PG ratio to maximize flavor. I have found 40-45 watts at a 0.22 ohm build (dual coils) in a Geek Vape 4 ml Peerless to be ideal. This juice doesn't gunk coils anywhere as quickly as the original though I do tend to change cotton about once a day.
I will likely add more notes, but for now... just mix and enjoy!
*** NOTES & CHANGES: ***
1. (May 10, 2019)
OPTIONAL! Add 1 - 2 drops (approx. 0.083 - 0.17 %) of TPA Taro to every 30 ml mix for increased earthiness. This may not be for everyone, though I do think it improves the complexity quite a bit.
2. (May 11, 2019)
I have reduced the flavorings by 1/3rd. This change doesn't affect the overall flavor profile or intensity but does reduce the rate of coil gunk buildup and also results in a lighter colored liquid.
Hey thanks for sharing this recipe, being a huge fan of CLR, I'm definitely looking forward to trying it asap. Did you steep it or vaped it straight away, and if steeping, how long do you recommend?
Hi @Stephan As soon as you mix this you will immediately recognise the aroma of CLR VII. Anyway, I tend to vape it straight away however after three days or so it mellows and blends quite a bit and also seems to become slightly sweeter. (As an aside, I sometimes add 2 drops (approx. 0.2 %) of TPA Taro for every 30 ml mix for added earthiness - but this may or may not be for everyone though I do think it improves the complexity quite a bit.) I'll update the notes to reflect this addition. Thanks for the comment and I hope you enjoy it and do post your thoughts on it after trying it. Cheers :)
Hey@warefairsoda ! Just did the mix and tried it, I respected all the ingredients and quantities, except for the vanilla bourbon for which I used the one from TPA (I didn't notice it was FA and didn't order some as I already had some TPA left...) I've used the initial quantities, not the 1/3 one as I really like to have a lot of flavors. So far, this juice is insanely good!!! I love the texture !! To be honest, I can't find it exactly tasting like CLR yet, but I guess steeping will definitely help. It's a little bit too early to say but I guess I'm missing a bit of the bourbon flavor. Let's see how it turns out in a couple of days.
But thank you so much for putting so many efforts into it, that's really really cool to share it, man.
I will give you more feedback in a couple of days ;)
I always used another Castle Long recipe on this site but it had way too much flavouring and after a few 100ml I really got sick of it. Haven't had Castle Long in about 2 years and I like the ratio of flavours you have here, I just got my order and whipped up a 30ml batch to test.
Gonna have a few hits later today and then I'll let it chill for 2 or 3 days :)
Edit: Left the juice for about an hour, damn it's good, the coconut really comes through, which I love. Gonna leave it for a few days (which is gonna be really hard).
UPDATE: I've deleted the comment I posted here regarding v.86. After much thought and experimenting I decided that I was not happy enough with it to share it publicly, and consequently, I have now made that recipe private. (Apologies to anyone who may have mixed v.86 and can no longer find the recipe.)
I'm letting the two of you (and anyone else reading this) both know my v.96 clone of 'Five Pawns Castle Long Reserve VII' is finished. I am extremely happy with it tbh. I have posted the v.96 recipe here on ELR and on the 'DIY_eJuice' sub-Reddit (both links provided below). As stated, I am very, very happy with it and in my opinion it is far more accurate a clone than anything I and others have done thus far! Not ego, just my opinion... Links:
The write-up for v.96 is similar to the notes here, however, there are some important changes that are covered in the v.96 post so it is worth reading if interested.