Best Long Term Storage Method for Flavorings.....Also Nic

[MaxximusRevelation]

At the moment I squeeze any excess air out of the bottle of flavoring. Put the bottle in a Tubaware container that has black paper taped around it to prevent any light from entering, and I store it in my refrigerator.

Now I have never had a problem with this form of storage, have kept some of my flavors for around a year now and they are just as good as day one. But with regulations coming up I plan on buying a long term supply of flavorings. Instead of buying for the year at the end of this year I plan on purchasing around 3-4 years worth of flavorings. My question is, is my storage of these flavorings adequate enough in order to store for such an extended period of time or is there anything I can do to improve my technique of storage.

Also with nicotine.... Kept in its container (which is thicker than the flavorings so I can't squeeze out excess air in the container), in a dark bag, in my chest freezer. When I plan on making juice I make 2-4 months supply(depending on motivation), warm up the nicotine in the fridge, and when I make the juice the nicotine will only be exposed to light/air for a short while as I measure all my nicotine levels for my juices first, than store the nicotine back before doing my flavorings/VG percentages. I plan on buying a 3-4 year supply of this as well.


Any input would be appreciated, especially from people who store flavorings for longer than a year period at a time.

 

[Bonskibon]

I can tell you what I do. I keep my nicotine in the freezer and my flavorings in a drawer. That works for me. Not sure how well flavors do in the fridge, but a cool dark place should be fine. If your in the US then you probably don't need to stock up on flavors as those should not be affected with the FDA stuff.

 

[Jdurand]

I've had flavors on a shelf for over a year. No problems whatsoever, even if opened. Nicotine, well this has been debated here for the better part of two years. I am employing several methods, including just leave it in its original bottle and stick it on a shelf. I am not a scientist, I am not going to debate the science of all of it, all I can say that after a year and a half, my nic (MFS) has not changed except for color, during any of the mentioned or debated storage methods. Pick a storage method in one of the multiple threads concerning this, that makes the most sense to you and store your nic that way. IMHO....it makes no difference.

 

[sophie_lapin]

I have been DIYing since February 2011.
I bought one of those mini fridges for college dorm rooms from Home Depot and keep all my supplies in it.
I don't use nic anymore, but when I did, I would take about 20mls out of the original container and put into a smaller container. That way, the larger container would stay fresher longer because I would only open it every few months or so to refill the small container.
I don't think food flavorings will be affected by any vape bans. If you start lowering your Nic %, you can easily be Nic-free in 6 months.

 

[Alter]

I cut my hangsen tobac concentrates into 30ml glass, taped construction paper around each bottle so no glass on glass then elastic band together and into the freezer. I got 600+mls of just HS desert ship alone. Did a afternoon of research and found nothing negative to concentrates going into the freezer. Hangsen 50ml concentrate bottles are iffy to begin with so long term storage has to be glass. I may never know if freezer concentrates change but I do know they can turn rancid when sitting in a closet especially for a few years before you get to them. I don't know about freezing the dark sweet concentrates, mine are all lighter colored.
You gotta do what you gotta do to keep enjoying your vape. I stocked up on the Hangsen tobac concentrates so long term storage in glass was a must, the plastic bottles won't do. The hangsen tobac concentrates are disappearing and may never return so I'm glad I bought lots when regs were first introduced and now many of the HS tobacs are now "out of stock".
I don't see why I can't have my concentrates sit right next to my nicotine in the freezer.

 

[Fozzy71]

The owner of Real Flavors said his flavor concentrates will last 2 - 3 times longer if stored in a fridge. 12 - 18 months in a cool dark place, or 3 - 4 years in a fridge.

 

[BrotherBob]

re: http://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/flavorsworkshop/shelf_life.pdf

 

[Alien Traveler]

...Nicotine, well this has been debated here for the better part of two years. I am employing several methods, including just leave it in its original bottle and stick it on a shelf. I am not a scientist, I am not going to debate the science of all of it, all I can say that after a year and a half, my nic (MFS) has not changed except for color,...

Color change is indicator of nicotine oxidation. So, your method worked for 1.5 years, but it will not work for a long term storage.
So, for 36th time:
Glass bottle filled almost full (just a bit of air left to not to spill when capping a bottle). Nice airtight cap (the one with polyethylene cone will work). Freezer.

Many (but may be not all) flavorings will stay on market anyway, so I do not bother to stockpile them.

 

[go_player]

But with regulations coming up I plan on buying a long term supply of flavorings.

I'd think that the flavorings (along with 0% PG and VG) are the thing you don't have to worry about. I mean, these flavoring companies may be doing more business than they ever expected to because of vaping, but the big ones existed before vaping did, and the flavorings/aromas are still used by candy-makers, bakers, and perfumeries. I just can't see the FDA extending tobacco regulations to food flavorings, and I'd imagine there would be serious legal challenges if they tried.

That said, I'm also a bit curious about shelf-life. If I order something I plan on using only .5% of in an occasional recipe, how can I best store it, and at what point should I replace it, even if I have most of it left?

EDIT: though, of course, this _might_ not apply to tobacco flavors depending on how insane things get.

 

[Fozzy71]

That said, I'm also a bit curious about shelf-life. If I order something I plan on using only .5% of in an occasional recipe, how can I best store it, and at what point should I replace it, even if I have most of it left?

...........

The owner of Real Flavors said his flavor concentrates will last 2 - 3 times longer if stored in a fridge. 12 - 18 months in a cool dark place, or 3 - 4 years in a fridge.

re: http://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/flavorsworkshop/shelf_life.pdf

 

[go_player]

...........

Thanks- that's useful, and makes sense to me. (And I suppose in the end, it all comes down to whether or not the flavors are still working as they ought to, and is a matter of experience. I just don't want to get to much of something and then have to bin it as a matter of experience.)

One thing I wonder about is that people say certain flavors fall off a great deal over short periods of time (like a few weeks.) What I wonder is this- those flavors are pretty much in a similar base to what we vape them in so... if they are fine for long periods of time unmixed, but fall off quickly once mixed, why? Is it a matter of interactions with molecules in other flavors they're mixed with? I mean, leaving aside obvious culprits like EM, etc.

 

[herb]

DO NOT buy flavorings and attempt to store them for 3 to 4 years because regardless how you store them that amount of time will have a negative effect on them .

Storing in the fridge preferably in small glass bottles will keep flavorings in the best shape possible but storing in the fridge in their original plastic bottles would be second best .

Flavorings will be fine if you don't store them in the refrigerator but the refrigerator is definitely better .

 

[jambi]

The hangsen tobac concentrates are disappearing and may never return so I'm glad I bought lots when regs were first introduced and now many of the HS tobacs are now "out of stock".

Maybe I missed something. I haven't seen evidence of this. My Hangsen supplier is fully stocked. Can you shed more light on this?

 

[DaveP]

Maybe I missed something. I haven't seen evidence of this. My Hangsen supplier is fully stocked. Can you shed more light on this?

Some of that may be Chinese New Year lag, although there's been plenty of time for vendors to restock since the end of March.