Headspace

[Shawn Putnam]

Just getting into mixing here. I know a lot of people mix in the same bottles they steep in/dispense from. So my question is, is the headspace left over after a 15 or 30 ml fill adequate for shaking? Or is it better to mix in a separate, larger bottle, shake and then pour into another bottle for steeping? Also, would it be optimal (albeit inconvenient) to fill a bottle to the brim for steeping and then pour out the excess when it's done? Thus eliminating all headspace during the steeping process?

Lastly, is there a risk of plastic dropper caps breaking down even with glass bottles?

 

[retired1]

Not Simple Solutions. Moved to New Members forum.

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

Hello @Shawn Putnam and welcome to the forum. Making the juice in the larger bottle with extra room is the way to go. This way when you shake it you'll have more movement of the juice, allowing the molecules to shake hands easier. If you're time steeping I'd leave the juice in the bottle with the extra room so you can shake it a couple times daily. Once it's steeped then transfer it into the smaller bottles for use (be sure and leave room for the eye dropper).

All my eye droppers have a glass tube, with a rubber top bulb. When I finish a bottle of juice I save the bottle. The eye dropper will come apart into 3 pieces, the threads cap, the bulb and the glass tube. I wash all of them in the sink adding a little clorox to my dish detergent (blue Dawn) and hot water. Rinse thoroughly, and reuse once dry.

I will also add that larger mixes of juice will take longer to steep than 30 or 15 will.

Good luck in your journey.

 

[Shawn Putnam]

So let's say for example that I mix 15 ml in a 30 ml bottle and leave it there to steep. The extra space in the 30 ml won't negatively impact the steeping process?

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

I've done it often and not noticed a difference. If you were leaving the cap off you'd be exposing more surface area to fresh air, and it would change the steep. It's referred to as a Miallard Reaction. If you're keeping the bottles in a dark cabinet for steep, just give them a good shake a couple times a day.

 

[Shawn Putnam]

Ok, good to know. I'm ordering bottles in bulk and trying to avoid buying sizes I won't use. Like I've read that some people mix 5 ml batches in 2 dram bottles, but if the extra room in the bottle isn't an issue, then I'll just buy 30 ml bottles in bulk instead because they're cheaper overall and can accommodate varying volumes.

 

[Shawn Putnam]

Does anyone happen to know which cap size fits a 30ml Boston Round bottle? I'm ordering them with dropper caps but wanted to order caps without them as well. Can't find this info anywhere.