So, I got my order from MBV today and I knew it would have to steep. I read on here to cut off some time to put it in a crock pot at 125 for three hours and then allow to sit for a couple of days and I would be good to go. I am a newbie so this might be a newbie question, but after two hours I checked the temp with a candy thermometer and it was 150. I know heat destroys nic, so did I just fry all my juice? I don't have the money to buy more. I did get 24mg and usually get 18. I stepped it up because I was chain vaping and it was like I couldn't get my fill.
Did I just totally destroy this month's e juice???
- Thread starter BillTheSlink
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Your juice should be fine, heat will help oxidize the nicotine and darken the liquid (likely a touch darker, brown tinge) but the strength should be OK, possibly ~ 1mg lower. In only two hours the effect should be minimal....
I wouldn't think you've "fried" it but I would definately let it cool completely and smell them all, if anything smells off, pitch it. Other than that, only way to tell IMO would be to taste it. Generally speaking though, in my experience you want to prevent extreme temp changes in eJuice for best performance. I had a gorgeous large ($30) bottle of Blackberry from a supplier once that I left in my car in the summer for only 15 minutes while I ran into a grocery store for dinner and by that evening when I went to top up a cart with it, the smell was horrendous, it'd turned, just like *that*. Into the trash it went. Good luck, I'm crossing my fingers for you.
Heat does work to speed up the aging process on some flavors. I doubt very much if any of the nicotine was lost and if you ordered a higher nicotine solution than you are used to; losing a point or 2 isn't going to matter.
I've let the water in ultrasonic cleaners used for steeping get to 140 degrees with no ill effects. My bet is you will be ok.
I never put my liquid directly into a pot and apply heat, in my experience I prefer to take water and heat that until I hit 130 degrees, then place my glass bottles of juice into the water and wait for the water to turn room temp, take out, wait one day and call it a wrap. I prefer to steep in a cool dark place for a week, but this method has worked for me! As for you I do not believe your juice is ruined, nor did you deplete all the nicotine.
After reading loads of info here on steeping with all the various methods and temps, your juice will be fine. Many people swear by 150 degrees.
You're probably fine, but for future reference:
The only thing you need to do with (some, not all) MBV juice is uncap and let it sit for 24 hours (take the dropper out too). Applying heat to your juice serves a couple of purposes: To "cook off" any residual alcohol from the flavor extract used in the juice, and to thin the juice in order to facilitate blending. Uncapping and not shaking for 24 hours will allow any alcohol to evaporate naturally. Once you re-cap, shake it well.
In either case, you'll want the cap off during the process, whether you're cooking the alcohol off or letting it evaporate over time. I would also suggest you transfer any juice to a glass container before applying heat, as plastic may leech.
The only thing you need to do with (some, not all) MBV juice is uncap and let it sit for 24 hours (take the dropper out too). Applying heat to your juice serves a couple of purposes: To "cook off" any residual alcohol from the flavor extract used in the juice, and to thin the juice in order to facilitate blending. Uncapping and not shaking for 24 hours will allow any alcohol to evaporate naturally. Once you re-cap, shake it well.
In either case, you'll want the cap off during the process, whether you're cooking the alcohol off or letting it evaporate over time. I would also suggest you transfer any juice to a glass container before applying heat, as plastic may leech.
Hmm, wouldn't the juice drag the moist into the flasks?
I read on some DIY forum that you should always have the caps ON while "cooking" them. Then leave them of...
If there is enough space at the top of your bottle for the evaporated alcohol to gather at the surface, then you certainly could leave the cap on if you wanted. Just don't shake it before you uncap and allow the air to exchange. I make full bottles in an ultrasonic cleaner, so the alcohol has nowhere to go if I leave the caps on.
As for allowing moisture into the bottles, as long as the water container is open to ambient airflow (and you're not working in extremely high levels of humidity and/or air pressure), I don't perceive this as a legitimate concern. You should definitely take precautions so you don't accidentally tip your bottles over while they're sitting neck-deep in water, though. I fill my UC until the water level is only about 3/4 of the way up a full 30ml bottle. They don't have to be completely immersed.
I always recommend a UC for impatient cookers, but if you must use the crock pot method, leaving the caps off the juice bottles and the lid off the crock pot would be the best way to go. The process of evaporating alcohol quickly and efficiently relies upon airflow as well as heat. The more you can get of both within reasonable tolerances, the better.
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