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I think all anyone is trying to do is to 'cure' the juice to bring out the most flavor, seems like if you've vaped long enough, you've run into 'raw' juice, and people are probably just trying whatever makes sense to them, which is why I appreciate the feedback and methods so maybe we can come to a consensus as to what actually 'makes' good sense and what really doesn't.
That's why I believe, judging by what I've read, that there are 3 distinct issues to deal with:
1. Evaporating out/gassing off any unwanted chemicals (primarily from the flavorant I imagine?)
2. Curing the juice by exposing it to oxygen
3. Protecting the nicotine in the process
Unless I'm missing something, please let me know if I am...
Yes... what Im saying is that "chemical taste" is nicotine. Its not that it has to Evaporate.... it just needs to sit n merge with the flavoring or "steep".All "curing" or "steeping" is is allowing time for the flavoring to mix in better...covering up the "chemical taste". By cooking your ejuice at 140 what you are doing is removing the nicotine thus removing the "chemical taste" and thats why it seems to be steeped. Now i dont know but if I make or order a ejuice at 24mg....I want 24mg....but if you cook it you will end up with a 18mg or 12mg or even a 0mg juice. Thats why too much heat is not what "WE" want.
Like you say...We just want to steep or cure our ejuice...not boil it away.
So by heating your ejuice gently we preserve the nic while heating and cooling allows the ejuice to expand and contract( kinda like a blender on a molecular level merging nic and flavors) and oxygen helps bring out the flavors also. I dont know if anyone goes wine tasting or slurps their coffee...But by introducing oxygen it brings out the flavors...just as we are trying to do with our e-juice.
Heating nicotine (for a short time) is not that bad - remember that e-liquid is heated much more in the atty.
Where did your theory come from? Heat does NOT expand molecules. The only thing that temperature does is speeding up the diffusion process, which is responsible for thorough mixing.
One can notice easily that smelling perfume is easier when the temp is high, right? Why is that? The answer is simple - diffusion is faster. Exactly the same process we have here, the only difference is that the diffusion in liquids is much slower.
Yes heating nicotine for a "short time" isnt that bad but how much nicotine would you expect to lose if left in hot water or the microwave? Sum? I myself dont want to lose any at all if i can help it. Also yes a atty can get very hot and it does destroy alot of the nic...But not all the nicotine is destroyed... So if you vape 24mg you more then likely only get less then half of that.
You are 100% rite....Heat does not expand molecules. I used the word expand to make it easier to explain diffusion.To give a better picture for others to their juice expanding and contracting. But if anyone would like to look up diffusion then they would see that because the molecules are heated they move faster and if cooled slower.... allowing sum liquids to expand and contract.
This is my own theory and Ive been using it for the last 2 months with good results. Yes sometimes I have to repeat my process more then once depending on VG/PG% and flavor. But I encourage others to try it and see what kind of results they get or even improve on it. I think we are all after the same thing here... faster steeping times.
So what are your thoughts? Is my theory misunderstood?
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Doesn't this harm the juice in some way? I've read that you shouldn't do this... I hope it's ok because i like to keep my juices on me (right now i have $50 worth) and i keep forgetting them in my car, which currently the heat index is in the low hundreds... I shouldn't have to throw them out should I? They actually taste better now, I just don't want to inhale plastic chemicals...
Heat will increase the leaching of polymers from the bottle and degrade the nicotine in your liquid. It will also remove some of the more volatile components of the juice such as alcohol and some of the flavorings. Just how much depends on the amount of heat and the length of time it is allow to stay at high temperatures. Once a liquid is sufficiently steeped the best way to store it is in the fridge.
I try to avoid exposing my juice to such extreme conditions. Though I probably wouldn't throw it out if it happened unless I tasted plastic. Then again, if your juice is strongly flavored there could be a lot of plastic in it and you might not taste it.
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Regarding accelerated steeping methods. Heat and stirring (shaking, mixing) are two methods chemists use to encourage the reaction of chemicals. The question really is, what are you trying to achieve by using these methods?
Is it the reaction of the molecules with each other in your brew? Is it the oxidation of them? Is it removal of volatile substances in it?
I would say that for the most part, it is the reaction you are looking for. This assumes that you like the way the juice tastes after it steeps normally. With a juice that steeps under normal conditions the majority of what is occurring is a slow reaction between the molecules. There will also be some of the others, but I'm not sure it is enough to make a noticeable difference.
If true, then what you want to decrease steeping time is increase temperature minimally, but leave it under this condition for a longer period of time than has been previously discussed. As a precaution I would recommend removing the liquid from a plastic bottle into something made of glass, pyrex or ceramic. Although many of the plastic dropper bottles are quite heat resistant and there may not be a problem with melting or leaching, it never hurts to be cautious.
As a starting point I would try putting your container of juice into a larger container filled with warm water with a temp of maybe 80-90 deg F for 6-12 hours. At various times during this process you can try removing some liquid with a glass dropper, letting it cool a bit and dripping into an atty until you get the desired effect. Stirring/shaking the liquid often would also help speed up the steeping.
This is a similar process to ppl saying they leave a bottle of new juice in their pocket for a while to help it steep (body heat + shaking).
If you have a nasty tasting or excessively harsh liquid that steeping won't cure you might want to increase the temperature to remove some more of the volatiles like ethanol and flavorings.
If you want to oxidize the liquid a cheap and easy method would be to buy a milk frother for a couple of bucks from a place that sells kitchen supplies. Drop in 2 AA batts and a high speed motor spins a circular steel piece with a winding that resembles a spring at the bottom of the shaft. These things are great for mixing powders into drinks, BTW. You can also use it with partially discharged batts or just pulse it to mix the liquid with minimal oxidation.
Is it the reaction of the molecules with each other in your brew? Is it the oxidation of them? Is it removal of volatile substances in it?
I would say that for the most part, it is the reaction you are looking for. This assumes that you like the way the juice tastes after it steeps normally. With a juice that steeps under normal conditions the majority of what is occurring is a slow reaction between the molecules. There will also be some of the others, but I'm not sure it is enough to make a noticeable difference.
If true, then what you want to decrease steeping time is increase temperature minimally, but leave it under this condition for a longer period of time than has been previously discussed. As a precaution I would recommend removing the liquid from a plastic bottle into something made of glass, pyrex or ceramic. Although many of the plastic dropper bottles are quite heat resistant and there may not be a problem with melting or leaching, it never hurts to be cautious.
As a starting point I would try putting your container of juice into a larger container filled with warm water with a temp of maybe 80-90 deg F for 6-12 hours. At various times during this process you can try removing some liquid with a glass dropper, letting it cool a bit and dripping into an atty until you get the desired effect. Stirring/shaking the liquid often would also help speed up the steeping.
This is a similar process to ppl saying they leave a bottle of new juice in their pocket for a while to help it steep (body heat + shaking).
If you have a nasty tasting or excessively harsh liquid that steeping won't cure you might want to increase the temperature to remove some more of the volatiles like ethanol and flavorings.
If you want to oxidize the liquid a cheap and easy method would be to buy a milk frother for a couple of bucks from a place that sells kitchen supplies. Drop in 2 AA batts and a high speed motor spins a circular steel piece with a winding that resembles a spring at the bottom of the shaft. These things are great for mixing powders into drinks, BTW. You can also use it with partially discharged batts or just pulse it to mix the liquid with minimal oxidation.
If you want to mix air into the ejuice, here's another option......a paint mixer for models. 5 bucks at the hobby store and it will beat the liquid into a froth in no time.
Ha, that looks very much like the milk frother that I recommended!
Thank you...yea didn't mean to just forgot it a few days in a row lol... it all tastes fine so hopefully it wont harm me in any way, iv'e been keeping it home so I don't make the same mistake again.
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