Single vs multiple flavor percentages

[jpott09]

Ok I'll keep it simple
For example
If I like watermelon at 15 percent and
I like strawberry at 15 percent and
I like pomegranate at 15 percent
Is there a rule of thumb for successful combination these without exhaustive trial and error?
When mixed, the flavor is overpowering. I know I can make many batches at various intensities, and record my results. But from my limited-math-knowledge part of the brain, testing the ranges of 3 percent to 14 percent for every combination is 1,331 different tests. Or something...
Obviously there are ways to slim this down, but I'm wondering if anyone has a fairly successful method. (i.e. divide all percentages by quantity of flavors!)
Or maybe it really will be just honing in on the flavor I want.
Thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. And if it's posted elsewhere, feel free to link it. I've read many many posts but not seen one that answers this for my. Wasn't sure how to Google-format the question very well though I guess.
Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Gitchy]

I think it all depends on the brands and what you want to be the dominant flavour. There's no rule of thumb as such, more what you like yourself. For instance, if you're using all The Perfumers Apprentice flavours you'd probably find the watermelon will overpower everything else at higher percentages so it's finding the balance you like yourself.

Myself, I start at around 8% maximum on TPA for a dominant flavour, then 3-6 for the others till I find what I like and then add a percenatge or so of others again for a slight accent. It's not always like that as different flavours need different percentages and you really need to get to know your flavours until you can get a really good mix. Even with this example 8% watermelon would be too much for me personally so I wouldn't use that much.

Then you've got the other manufacturers to take into account. Flavourart and Inawera are stronger so I'd use a lot less for a main flavour. Usually 3-5% at most.

I'm afraid it is all trial and error for your own mixes. Maybe best to start with others recipes to get a feel for the flavours you have.