Accelerated Steeping

[Litcube]

I only use tobacco flavours on account that I'm totally awesome, so from what I gather, I apparently have to steep for around 2 weeks in order to bring out the full potential of a batch.

Question: Who's tried different methods of accelerated steeping? Does the bath work? Does the sonic cleaner bath work? How much does it accelerate the steeping? Who here is awesome?

 

[lilmrsyeti]

I only use tobacco flavours on account that I'm totally awesome, so from what I gather, I apparently have to steep for around 2 weeks in order to bring out the full potential of a batch.

Question: Who's tried different methods of accelerated steeping? Does the bath work? Does the sonic cleaner bath work? How much does it accelerate the steeping? Who here is awesome?

Most of my batches are tobacco...I do keep others on hand...some sweet, some fruity. My husband and I both like to keep two tanks going...one of tobacco, one sweet or fruity. We go through a Tobacco tank a day, the sweet or fruity takes 2-3 days to finish. That being said...I usually at least try out one tank full of each batch I make around 1 week of steep time. There's been a couple (SHADE TOBACCO) that, after a week, it was Oh so good and I took it out of my "Steep Cabinet" and started using it right then. Others though, I try at 1 week, its pretty good, but have other bottles that need to be used up, so put it back to steeping.

The Moral of my story?? Try them around a week...they may be good enough to Vape then! SHADE!!!

 

[Hoosier]

You know who's awesome? You're awesome!

My tobacco recipes need at least a hot tap water bath to be great.

I have one that, unfortunately is one of my current favorites, that requires a 2 week steep to taste great. It tastes nasty when first mixed and good after a week of steeping, but great after 2 weeks. I have found that seed steeping cuts the steep time for that one by almost a week. So a seed steep give me a good vape in a couple of days and a great one with an additional week. (Seed steep is starting with a ml, or so, of a fully steeped mix, and making a new batch with that old juice. I do not understand why it works though.)

I only use high frequency vibrations for recipes that use oils. It seems to work great for distribution, but doesn't seem to have as huge impact on the interaction of flavorings with each other. It helps, but I find my mixes that need steeping will still require steeping.

FYI: Steeping is cap on. Breathe or Airing-out is cap off. I use both as they do different things. The above thoughts concerned just steeping.

I'm in the camp that you should try everything you can stand to try and note what works best for what recipes.

 

[Litcube]

Thanks for that, folks. I'm not sure I can stand much more of waiting. Waiting 2 weeks to find out how bad I've %$#$ something up is killing me. You know, if I had to wait a month on something I knew was a keeper, I wouldn't have a problem with it. This waiting thing just slows the whole experiment process.

You guys are awesome. You.

 

[Hoosier]

Yeah, I cheat the whole waiting for experiments to steep thing. I have multiple bottles of a few experiments near my favorite chair. I'll sample out of each of them throughout the steeping process about once a day. I also have a small notepad just in case one of the experiments goes better than expected or works sooner than expected...

 

[skoot]

I do a 1 week steep for experiments, 2 weeks for everything else. If it's good at 1 week it'll be even better at 2.

 

[Steven Pye]

If I have no juice then I am forced to skip on a decent week or more steep- in these cases I give the bottle a hot water bath and shake the day lights out of it and keep repeating this process 2-3 times.

I know steeping will in the end make them taste better, but some tobacky juices are good enough right that same day.

so I will mix up 3-4 30ml bottles of tobacco and use one and let the others steep until I hit a groove where I always have something steeping.

 

[skoot]

Patience is key. (I've been homebrewing for 23 years, a batch of beer takes at least 6 weeks to ferment and mature- a week is nothin'!)

 

[eikon]

I go back and forth between a hot ultrasonic bath and a magnetic string plate, not sure if it speeds anything up, but atleast I know it's well mixed. I am planing on experimenting with topping my the mixing flask with pure oxygen and going overnight on the stir plate.

 

[Dave_in_OK]

(Seed steep is starting with a ml, or so, of a fully steeped mix, and making a new batch with that old juice. I do not understand why it works though.)

Hoosier what is the max batch size per 1 ml of fully steeped juice? I always use a yeast starter when baking but I never would of thought to apply the concept to steeping. Thank You!

 

[beindeb]

(Seed steep is starting with a ml, or so, of a fully steeped mix, and making a new batch with that old juice. I do not understand why it works though.)


I recently discovered the "seed steep" (excellent name by the way) by accident, or maybe necessity? I'm hooked on one of VZ's tobaccos, and had lapsed in keeping ahead of the game (I'll normally do 2-3 hot water baths, steep 2-3 weeks.) I had approximately 10 mls left, and added 20 mls of a fairly fresh batch (maybe 3 days of steeping?). I then gave it a heavy duty shaking, and to my surprise, it was almost spot on!! The next day, I couldn't tell any difference.

 

[Hoosier]

30ml is my typical batch size.

 

[buffaloguy]

Well I know some have seen me say this before. The best $2.50 I ever spent for my diy mixing was for a mini crock pot at the local thrift store. It heats to precisely 125°F. All my mixes sit in a hot water bath at that steady temp for a minimum of three hours after mixing. If they are alc based flavors they are uncapped for 1.5 hours then capped. Otherwise they are capped fro. the start. Shaken vigourously for maybe 10 seconds by hand every half hour or so.

In my experience since I have been doing this (almost a year with this exact steeping process) I shave about two weeks steeping time off every single mix I have regardless of type, flavor line, etc. The vast majority of my juices are 80%vg/20% everything else.

Im not sure if its the steady heat at 125° producing my steeping results but dropping bottles into cups of hot water till they cool and repeating a few times, did not work for me. I was still waiting for juices to mature weeks later with that method... and ultrasonic? no knock to those that say it works great but i just cant see spending more than $2.50 after the success Ive had with this mini crock pot... lol.

My method works for me. Now with all that said, fruit flavors will be ready immediately after three hours with this method and will develop over the next couple days till they are fully mature. Tobaccos, which is the majority of what I make, as you likely know will continue to change regardless of how new or old they are.

However the sweet spot for me, peak flavor for a tobacco will still be 14-17 days out, even with this method. Its like clockwork, almost to the day I can count on it. The caveat here is that all tobaccos after three hours in the crock pot will also be enjoyable, and immediately vapable. Right away, no waiting. The "slight nuances" imo regardless of style/type of steeping just take time to blend in. Imo, with tobaccos there is no way around it.

Good food takes time, love and patience. So does good juice.

 

[thebassplayer]

After going through the same problems of having to wait to taste, I bought this: http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html
What I found was two days (10 sessions per day) was good for being able to taste. However, it still gets even better with another couple of days of just sitting in a dark place. It is cool to see the juice turn colors within a day.
Overall, I'm satisfied with my ultrasonic cleaner as a quick steep. I'm not having to wait a week or longer to get the full potential of my diy.

 

[crxess]

I do a 1 week steep for experiments, 2 weeks for everything else. If it's good at 1 week it'll be even better at 2.

This is a statement you can toss right out the window until you get your perfect recipe working.

I have had Tobacco mixes that after 3-4 weeks were excellent. After 6-8 weeks got so strong I could not vape them without diluting.
Others that are excellent and have not changed much, if any in 4 months.

Always plan your batch size on how you like your recipe. This way you can Rotate volume per use without any drastic surprises.

 

[dannyv45]

I use a ultrasonic cleaner with heater and 30 minute timer. I found that 1 hour in the UC = 1 week steeping time. I don't use the heater instead I fill it with hot tap water. The UC action keeps the water warm as it runs. I find depending on the mix anywhere from 3 - 5 hours is all thats needed. It's been working great.

 

[buffaloguy]

Having no experience with ultrasonic I cant comment on it. However my juices are usually done changing color entirely, and are nearest their maturity in three hours via my method.

Maybe I wasnt clear enough in stating that it is only the slight nuances of a juice that will emerge over the next couple weeks after heat steeping via this method. Every juice I produce is ready to vape tho in three hours regardless. The extra waiting times I mentioned only serve to enhance those slight under or overtones in a juice which as I said, take time. They are there after a three hour steep the way I do it but they just arent "bright and alive" yet. The only way I have found to make that happen is waiting... again this applies more to tobaccos than anything fruity, drink, or desert based.

However, a good dripping atty or rba at the right wattage/voltage does change that a bit. You can force those nuances to emerge a bit after a three hour steep with the right gear. I use mostly tanks for out and about but at home I use the Did and cobra clones, and the aga-t+. Those are game changers for me on newer juices. They just make them POP in a way cartos, vivis, and other attys cant when juices are new.

 

[Starlyte2]

You know who's awesome? You're awesome!

My tobacco recipes need at least a hot tap water bath to be great.

I have one that, unfortunately is one of my current favorites, that requires a 2 week steep to taste great. It tastes nasty when first mixed and good after a week of steeping, but great after 2 weeks. I have found that seed steeping cuts the steep time for that one by almost a week. So a seed steep give me a good vape in a couple of days and a great one with an additional week. (Seed steep is starting with a ml, or so, of a fully steeped mix, and making a new batch with that old juice. I do not understand why it works though.)

I only use high frequency vibrations for recipes that use oils. It seems to work great for distribution, but doesn't seem to have as huge impact on the interaction of flavorings with each other. It helps, but I find my mixes that need steeping will still require steeping.

FYI: Steeping is cap on. Breathe or Airing-out is cap off. I use both as they do different things. The above thoughts concerned just steeping.

I'm in the camp that you should try everything you can stand to try and note what works best for what recipes.

I always, or at least since I started vaping, heard that oils were not good for vaping. Do you use Ess Oils, or what? As you're evidently still with us, why does "Mr Specialist" tell us not to vape oils?
By the by, good principal, to try all...as long as it works

Another point. Until there were these vids on cap-on for all, I used to leave it of 12-24 hrs, as I use alcohol based conc quite a lot, and now that I leave the damned cap on, I'm sure the taste isn't as good.

So I'm going back to CAP OFF overnight, then cap on and vape when it seems OK. You don't vape the bottle in one day, so you can see when it's best, and also add a little this or that if it's needed, if you're impatient and take a taste after a short while.
As for hot baths, it seems to work, but if you don't get all the air out, and screw the cap on...you get round balls for bottles! Heating expands air, which I forgot 1st time round A PITA for standing the bottle up, reminds me of a rugby ball...

 

[Starlyte2]

Danny45, if I told you how many times I unscrewed my clearos in the wrong sense...I'd still be here next year.
Got the habit now, but there are days...well, guess we all have 'em for one reason or another

 

[Starlyte2]

(Seed steep is starting with a ml, or so, of a fully steeped mix, and making a new batch with that old juice. I do not understand why it works though.)


I recently discovered the "seed steep" (excellent name by the way) by accident, or maybe necessity? I'm hooked on one of VZ's tobaccos, and had lapsed in keeping ahead of the game (I'll normally do 2-3 hot water baths, steep 2-3 weeks.) I had approximately 10 mls left, and added 20 mls of a fairly fresh batch (maybe 3 days of steeping?). I then gave it a heavy duty shaking, and to my surprise, it was almost spot on!! The next day, I couldn't tell any difference.

Seed seeping sounds pretty good. Although VZ SCAB(Super Concentrated Alcohol Based is looong!) don't seem to really need much seeping, although it does help some of them. I leave the top of a few hours (at least did, & am going back to that), then they seem ready, even if some are better after a few days. But they're not month long seeping flavour concentrates...which is ONE of the reasons I love 'em. :