Homemade vanilla flavor!

[Bryan lord]

I have 21 vanilla beans on hand right now and was looking to do my own vanilla extract. I've read some on the subject but all of that has to do with using in baking. I was hoping I could use just PG to do the extraction but will use alcohol if it's a necessity.

I'm also wondering what % the flavoring would be used at if indeed I made my own successful extract? I have a source for really good cheap vanilla bourbon beans but not sure what I'm doing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


-Lord

 

[FinallyQuit]

A couple of our friends here have tried vanilla extracts but I don't think there was a lot of success! Good luck and let us know how it works for you. I'll be stalking this thread for any ideas. . .

 

[Rickb119]

Can't help with the process but I do know (from experience) that too much vanilla extract will gunk up a coil in a heart beat.

Start low (1-2%), let it steep for a while and keep an eye on your coil.

 

[Bryan lord]

Settled on 8oz vodka and 5 beans per a few websites. I've had 5 beans soaking in PG for 2 weeks now, it's looking dark but I have no idea if it'll work for DIY juice.


-Lord

 

[gtbb]

Sounds interesting since I love vanilla so much.

 

[Burnie]

Sounds interesting, Subscribed

vape On

 

[michaelsil1]

Settled on 8oz vodka and 5 beans per a few websites. I've had 5 beans soaking in PG for 2 weeks now, it's looking dark but I have no idea if it'll work for DIY juice.


-Lord

The Vanilla Extracting into just PG will taste good for a couple of hits and then taste burnt.

The instructions for Extracting Vanilla on the Web are for Cooking!


I haven't given up yet, but I have a lot of failures!

 

[Bryan lord]

Our juice flavors use alcohol and pg as carriers so I don't see why it wouldn't work. It just takes so long to do properly, makes it hard to test out.

I think the extract needs to me mixed with a commercial vanilla before use. Anyone have a favorite vanilla?


-Lord

 

[Bryan lord]

-Lord

 

[Bryan lord]

5 beans 8oz of kettle one


-Lord

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

If you want to use 100% PG/VG and speed thing up, use a double-boiler setup. I've tested ~3-4 vanilla beans per 100ml and it works very well. Of course, I'm aiming for a stronger vanilla, no just a slight additive.

1). Split the vanilla beans down the middle with a sharp blade.

2). Scrape the vanilla bean "caviar" from the center and place it in a glass bottle (100ml or larger).

3). Slice the vanilla beans into 1-2" pieces and place them in the bottle as well.

4). Add 100ml PG or VG minimum - more if you need more or if your bottle can hold more.

5). In a large pot (large enough to hold your bottle) add water and fill until the water level meets the level of PG/VG in your bottle and heat it on medium heat until boiling occurs. Reduce heat to a simmer once boiling begins and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.


I repeat this process 2-3 times and mine comes out looking like it's aged for 1-2 months. It's no quite done, but that speeds up the first part of the aging process. From there, allow the bottle to cool down with the lid off and once it cool, place the cap on, label it, date it and store it for another 30-60 days.

The double-boiler method prevents the PG/VG from boiling - which is the purpose .

 

[Dave_in_OK]

I'm currently doing a tobacco extraction using a modified slow cooker process but instead of PG I'm using vodka. I will then measure the amount of liquid I have left after filtering and add to it 1/2 that amount of PG and then allow the vodka to evaporate leaving behind a condensed flavor. The first test I did the flavor of the reduced liquid was stronger and had more flavor at 10% than the straight PG extraction at 15%. I believe this process will work here as well and I'll test it as soon as I pick up some beans.

 

[Jay-dub]

Wow... I would have just crushed up the beans and thrown them into a coffee filter and just brewed the vanilla bean like you would a coffee bean. Good thing I check these threads.

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

I'm currently doing a tobacco extraction using a modified slow cooker process but instead of PG I'm using vodka. I will then measure the amount of liquid I have left after filtering and add to it 1/2 that amount of PG and then allow the vodka to evaporate leaving behind a condensed flavor. The first test I did the flavor of the reduced liquid was stronger and had more flavor at 10% than the straight PG extraction at 15%. I believe this process will work here as well and I'll test it as soon as I pick up some beans.

I've been aging two other extractions for about 3-4 weeks as of right now, one in rum and one in bourbon, but they aren't being heated as this specific PG extraction was. Alcohol, of course, is going to pull more of the unique flavor characteristics out of the vanilla beans, but it's also going to take the longest, so you have to make a choice as to which you want. You can have it in ~30 days (60 tops) or wait for the natural extraction to take place which normally takes 4-8 months up to and over a year depending on how strong you want it.

The rum & bourbon based extractions won't be touched until they're at least 6 months in. The PG extraction will be checked at the 3 month period and the heated PG at 1 month, though it'll probably sit for another 30 days after just to finish it off.

It takes time and it's not a quick process, but over the past few years of doing this (making extracts) they've always came out 1000x times better than the store bought which, despite their labeling, are not always 100%.

 

[Dave_in_OK]

the heated PG at 1 month, though it'll probably sit for another 30 days after just to finish it off.
I

My thought on this is that alcohol is a better solvent than PG and if heat helps speed up the process of PG extraction then it should help speed up the alcohol as well. The caution and problem is that alcohol evaporates at lower temperatures than PG thus I seal the jar with plastic wrap and a rubber band with a pocket formed to hold ice which I replace as needed to return the gas to liquid and minimize evaporation loss. I cycle the temperature from room to 140F. I then give the flavor molecules something to bind to (PG) while I evaporate the alcohol off but at a lower volume to condense the flavor. How long this will take is yet to be determined but the time should be reduced if it works lol. The goal is to make a high quality flavor extract that's better than what is normally bought which can be further diluted while maintaining its flavor, in a shorter time frame if possible.

 

[Bryan lord]

This just got very complicated


-Lord

 

[Bryan lord]

Heating the PG one as we speak!


-Lord

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

This just got very complicated


-Lord

Not too complicated . Unless you crank the heat up to high, the PG isn't going to boil. My stove-top uses a dial numbered 1-9, so I put it on a 5 which is considered medium heat. It eventually brings the water to a boil, but the PG never does, so you should be in good shape.

 

[purelyscientific]

You used way to much alcohol Bryan. The flavor is likely to be extremely weak. Also, you didn't crush/shred the beans.

Here's how you should do it.
1. Chop up the beans as finely as possible
2. Put in a Jar and cover with just barely enough alcohol to cover them. I think 5 shredded beans in 1/2 or 1 ounce would be a lot better.(8-16 times stronger than what you have now)
3. Soak for 1-2 weeks. Shake it every day for a minute or so.
4. Once the extraction period is over and you think that all the goodies are out its time to filter.

1. Take a 20-30mL syringe and take the plunger out.
2. Stick a cotton ball down into it and reinsert the plunger.
3. Press down slightly on the cotton so it forms a half inch 'disk' filter layer.
4. Take the plunger back out and use a pipette or something to put the juice in the syringe.
5. Once its mostly full reinsert the plunger and press/filter it through the cotton and squeeze it tight to get out as much as possible.

At this point you can either filter more times or bottle it up.

Side note- Mild heat will help speed the extraction process along. Too much heat might destroy the flavors.

 

[Bryan lord]

Accidentally let the alcohol come to a boil...

Should I just start a new one?

5 beans 100ml vodka sound better?


-Lord