u/Alternative_Let_8153

Hi, I’m starting a to learn aroma materials (as many of us here!) I want to proceed as thoroughly as i can. I’ve selected ten different raw materials that I want to study progressively before moving into composition.

My current plan looks like this:

• Dilute all materials to 10%
• Store everything in 15 mL amber glass bottles
• Study each material individually first (max 3 per day, at different times to study evolution)

Then I want to move to a second phase, which is where things become tricky for me. I'd like to study binary combinations of materials with different ratios (for example 2/8, 3/7, 5/5, and the reverse). The issue is that this approach quickly multiplies the number of samples, and I only have about 30 glass bottles available in total.

So I’m trying to decide between two approaches:

1. Select exploration approach. Briefly pair materials on blotters first, (eg: 2 top notes together, or one base + middle note ...) identify promising directions, and only then select a smaller number of mixtures to actually bottle and track.
2. Systematic approach with more containers : Try to test everything properly in solution, but expand capacity (for example using plastic test tubes or small vials) to increase throughput without constantly re-bottling everything.

• Which strategy would you recommend better according to your personal experience? If it's the selected exploration approach, do you proceed by exploring top+top, (for a good blend) or tops + middles / middles+ base to feel the contrast etc? I'm curious on how each person develops their own system to study material !
• I've heard people talking about plastic test tubes or disposable vials for temporary mixing but I can't recall where i've read that. Are they reliable enough for rapid olfactive work, or do they distort the smell too much?

Any advice or experience would be really appreciated.Thxxx

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