Tbh, I've never had CL, but people seem to love it, gets great reviews. But since I started DIY, I just can't justify paying so much for juice... This recipe looks like it's tasty so I got a couple sample sizes to give it a try. I just didn't have the bourbons in my flavor stock. I'll have them Monday, what's your recommend steep time for this recipe?
i make ready to vape juice. steep time is 24 hours initially. it does get better with age like most any liquid. first, i use a magnetic stirer to engage pg/vg at a 5:3 ratio. then i marry them using a heated ultrasonic cleaner for three 8 min cycles. return to the mag stir for an additional 20-30min and bottle in bulk storage. i now make batches of pg/vg mixing base about 400-500ml at a time. my first large batch 800ml had to be halved for the MS to effectively mix the full depth of liquid. you could tell a 1" spin bar was perhaps to small for that large volume. it was doing a good job mixing the bottom 2/3 of total volume. poured 400ml off in a 500ml beaker and it began to form a dimple on the surface. the remaining 400ml in a 1000ml beaker formed a vortex. until the mix sees the UC you can still tell the two elements are still getting to know each other. after the uc, the marriage has been consumated. they are one.
to make a bottle of juice, i start with the bottle. add flavoring, nic and the premixed pg/vg. cap it and UC for 24 min unheated. i am from the school that believes heat degrades nicotine. and excess heat can change chemical composition. i have no evidence to date nor the time to determine if that belief is true. i know alot of folks use crock pots and UCs for extended lengths to speed steep liquids. if it makes their juice happy for them i am all for it. for me, i have not found it necessary. what we call a UC was originally a laboratory glassware washer. invented by Dr. Kirk Heineke in the 60s. i knew and worked with the man twenty years ago. he figured out what frequency to vibrate water to sterilize lab equipiment. he was to say the least very successful and manufactured and distributed worldwide. long story shortened, the prototype built by hobart worked so well that the job was 99% complete in the first three seconds of operation. of course, they had to lengthen the cycle time to five minutes or nobody would believe it had had time to do a through job. hence 24 minutes is my max usage for speed steeping. the 24 hrs. following is to let all those molecules that are so scattered about decide where and with what they want to live.
made a batch earlier tonight swapping the pg/vg ratio to 30/70 to try a high vg version. i did not get a noticable flavor change.
the added part in the recipe would change the math %. you and amanda both questioned the AP and from tonight tastings of 70/30, 30/70 made from the recipe base, and CL, i still feel AP is a necessary ingredient but could be competing with the almond more than supporting. if almond is to become 3 parts, AP should be 1.5.
i feel this recipe is getting better and more refined thanks to the help and feedback of members who share their experience and knowledge. i have been working on this for over a month now and haven't explored using greater flavor % yet. may be the key to hitting the nail on the head. FP may employ twice the amount of flavor base i propose. for all the vaping, tasting it takes to just get the profile down has been my initial goal. and everything about it can be subjectively modified to suit one's own taste.
