How to Steep Your Juice: What's your method?

[Robino1]

I am in the trial and error phase of steeping/aging as well...right now I have 8 or 9 bottles that have sat in the closet since Sunday. If I am planning on letting them stay there for a week, do I need to remove the caps for the entire time or a few hours before I vape them?

Actually you should ask the vendor their preferred method of steeping, or even if they need steeping. Suppliers forum: E Cigarette Suppliers Forum

Browse those threads and ask over there. Someone should be able to let you know what the preferred method is. General steep method is cap and dripper off 24 - 48 hours. Cap back on and shake whenever you think about it for a week or two. The more complex or fresh the liquid, the more time it needs. The less complex, less time it needs. Smaller bottles steep faster than larger bottles. Plastic bottles steep faster than glass ones.

edit to add: shake your juice before putting it into whatever you are using to vape with. Every time.

 

[ThunderPumpkin]

Who ever heard of red coffee or pink caramel?

MBV Red Apple is bright green! (And tastes just like a red apple)

Almost all strawberry liquids I've had are bright yellow.

MBV 555 is --get this-- brown! Yes, brown!

Who ever heard of a colored number? And yet, it's delicious.

 

[Metzger]

I thought this Reddit post on the topic of steeping done by an analytical chemist was interesting:

http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_...inal_result_of_chemical_analyses_of_steeping/

Short version being that heat is really the primary element to steeping, and you can dramatically speed up the process just using a coffee cup or candle warmer. 8 hours on one of those produced test results nearly identical to 2 weeks of room temperature steeping. The results when testing with caps on or off were according to him so identical he didn't even bother keeping them around, it was a non-factor.

 

[LarryPer]

Your going to find that this is going to be like asking "What is the best religion"

 

[skeletorva]

stick the bottle in your cleavage (cap on tight) and when nobody is looking jump around a bit for a good steep and shake.

You should do that when I'm looking.

 

[tingting44]

how do you guys shake your juice daily? im finding it a royal pain in the ....!!!!! and lose juice each time... ive tried shaking with my finger on the bottle, shaking with drip tip on, with lids on and each time i lose some juice which im not happy with lol is there an art to shaking them without losing any juice or am i just being fussy? but that bit of lost juice each day all adds up and i dont like putting the drip tip on and lid then shaking as it takes forever where i have got so many bottles

 

[mdbsat]

Read the whole thread. Now I am REALLY confused. Steep in the cold or cool, steep in HOT water or microwave or over a bunson burner...

Too funny. Sadly I am still so new and need the nicotine that I would vape a cat poop flavored juice. The only ones I have steeping on purpose are the juices I don't like

 

[rsgars]

how do you guys shake your juice daily? im finding it a royal pain in the ....!!!!! and lose juice each time... ive tried shaking with my finger on the bottle, shaking with drip tip on, with lids on and each time i lose some juice which im not happy with lol is there an art to shaking them without losing any juice or am i just being fussy? but that bit of lost juice each day all adds up and i dont like putting the drip tip on and lid then shaking as it takes forever where i have got so many bottles

I had the same issues/questions a couple of weeks ago. one of my suppliers told me to shake them with the top on the bottle.

 

[mdbsat]

To make things even more confusing I found this on the Vapor Chef's website...



We often talk about steeping here, yet it still comes up almost daily (usually in the comments section) with folks stating how much they disliked juice X when everyone else thinks it's To Die For.

The fact is, juice is a complex blend of different elements and quite often, it's not very good until those different flavors have a chance to meld into a singular, cohesive flavor profile...think about how much better a hearty stew tastes a day or two after it's been sitting in the fridge.

That being said, here is the process I use for steeping every juice I receive for review[1] (unless the vendor specifically requests that the juice be reviewed fresh from the mailbox).

Upon receipt, every bottle is opened, old air is squeezed out, new air enters.
The bottle then goes into the steeping drawer (cap on), in the order they were received so that I can better keep track of what's next for review.
Every day (sometimes every other day, as I do tend to get busy) the bottles are shaken, opened, and given another light squeeze to allow more fresh air into the bottle.
This process continues with every bottle until it is ready for review, usually 3-4 weeks.
I have also recently begun giving every bottle a single night, in the drawer, uncapped, just before review to help dissipate any of the volatile perfume-y/floral notes that some juices (pomegranate, blackberry to name a few) are burdened with.
If at that point, when I sit down with the juice to begin the review, it still doesn't taste right, I will occasionally attempt a hot water bath (sometimes even two) to see if there is any difference in flavor...to date, this has had no effect on bottles that have already been properly steeped.

I know there are many other methods (i.e. hot rice), but this is my method, and it works. I am hopeful that it will help out a few people who can't understand why everyone goes crazy for something like Indigo's tobacco flavors, when all they taste is hot gasoline and burning tree bark.

Unreal, there are so many contradictory things being said. I am going to go with the idea that it is better to wait awhile before vaping new juice for now. Too many "steep with the cap on" "Steep with cap off in the shade under a full moon" "Microwave it" "Shake it" "Don't shake it" "Wrap it a warm blanket and play Motzart to it" for me to figure out the "proper" way

 

[tingting44]

I had the same issues/questions a couple of weeks ago. one of my suppliers told me to shake them with the top on the bottle.

pain in the A hole isnt it mate i tried shaking with just the lid on and no dripper, but alas! still lost some juice

 

[mirth]

So I don't know why this thread or a similar thread isn't sticky'ed somewhere on these forums. Although there is no right way to steep I have run across some flavors that seem like they could get better in time. I have been just collecting a ton of different flavors and trying things I like every once in awhile. I can say one of the best vapes I have had was when I took my CE4 to the pool and after awhile took a vape I don't know if it was because the CE4 wicked better with the thinner juice or the juice in the clerao steeped but it was delicious.

 

[winemermaid]

SO glad I found this thread! I was also curious about how to steep my juices! I didn't know if cap on, cap off would affect anything or not. Happy vaping! Thank you all for the input!

 

[Stratman]

how do you guys shake your juice daily? im finding it a royal pain in the ....!!!!! and lose juice each time... ive tried shaking with my finger on the bottle, shaking with drip tip on, with lids on and each time i lose some juice which im not happy with lol is there an art to shaking them without losing any juice or am i just being fussy? but that bit of lost juice each day all adds up and i dont like putting the drip tip on and lid then shaking as it takes forever where i have got so many bottles

Put the cap on it Einstein

 

[Stratman]

Sadly I am still so new and need the nicotine that I would vape a cat poop flavored juice.

Can't help with that, but I have one that tastes like a cardboard box if that piques your interest

 

[mikecup]

What about unflavored nic juice?
I just purchased 500ml 24mg pg based nic from Wizard labs..
I mixed up 80pg/20vg at 18mg nic, no flavoring at all.
It has a terrible chemical taste, I can't vape it, causes my mouth and throat to hurt.
Would steeping help this?

 

[skakid812]

I know this might get bashed, but am I the only one not buying into the steep stuff? Ok, I know if its FRESH mixed it wouldnt hurt to let it air out and shake and all of that. But a bottle that is sent from online thats been sitting already for god knows how long, does it really need to sit more? Especially if you are keeping the cap on anyways... I dont see the point?

 

[HauntedMyst]

My steeping process is involved and controversial. After I get a juice, I take the tops off and let them sit for 5 days, 11 hours and 35 minutes. Reseal the jars and put them on the cross town bus. The bumpy ride and starts and stops really mixes things up well. Then they get buried in the backyard for 6 weeks during which time I rotate their burial places, much like rotating crops. After that, I take them back inside and put them in a wine cellar style vapor fluid closet where they await in the darkness until they are ready to be turned into a velvet fog.

 

[Necrosis]

Anyone put local climate into consideration? Those of us living in hot climates, those juices are already in a warm/hot state while they sit in the mailbox or in front of the door, I'd imagine would be like receiving your juices pre-steeped.

 

[dashstrat23]

As a newbie, e-liquids can be very confusing. You get your package in the mail, and immediately want to take the new flavors for a spin, going from to with the first toot. You're expecting to taste Blueberry Cheesecake, but what you get taste more like a well-used race car tire that caught fire, and was extinguished with a massive bottle of perfume.

There's not much information out there on steeping your juices (believe me . . . I've searched like crazy). The only videos I've found seem to be two different methods, and lack severely in the explanations department.

I have not seen one vendor's site that recommends steeping for maximum flavor or how to do so. Hey vendors out there . . . I'd highly recommend placing or linking a tutorial on steeping in your juices categories. I'm certain that many newbs out there may be contributing to negative reviews, simple because of their lack of this knowledge.

So, my question are:

How do your steep your juices? What's your method?

Painstakingly vivid details welcome:

Lids on/Lids Off?
In the light or in the dark?
A day, week, month?
Is it the same for all juices?
What's the theory behind steeping?
Is it to better marry the flavors with the bases?
Does shaking or heating help this process?

Please contribute to the vaping novices among us. A nasty juice is a terrible thing to vape.

EC blends has a page on their website explaining and recommending you steep your juices just thought id let you know that cause they're the only vendor I've seen with something like that.

 

[dashstrat23]

What about unflavored nic juice?
I just purchased 500ml 24mg pg based nic from Wizard labs..
I mixed up 80pg/20vg at 18mg nic, no flavoring at all.
It has a terrible chemical taste, I can't vape it, causes my mouth and throat to hurt.
Would steeping help this?

I believe it's because of the pg concentration, pg tends to have a little bit of a chemically taste which is more apparent to some and others dont notice at all. If you want an unflavored juice you might want to try going as much vg as you can. However that might be hard with out using a drip style atty. Also, i need to do more research on this but i read pg is approved for use in foods by the fda but not recommended or approved for inhalants due to irritation it causes, however that irritation is the throat hit that pg increases so im not sure what to think of this. Hope I helped even a little. I don't think steeping will fix your problem though maybe adding a base cream flavor will reduce throat burn but not flavor the juice too much.