Howl long do flavors really last?

[aikanae1]

This is a good thread. I'm surprised the subject hasn't been covered more in depth before.

I am guessing that each flavor manufacturer has their own specific formula for flavorings they produce and that affects the varible of how to store, for how long; it's quite possible that each manufacturer has their own reccomendations. It might be nice to ask each one what they reccomend - and then compare notes with user experiences. I can see where some flavor ingredients might go bad faster than others. I can also imagine that some formulations might be ok refergerated/frozen and others wouldn't be (I've also read to never freeze flavors or mixed ejuice, but I have no idea why).

This could affect my buying decisions. If I know a flavor is short lived (1 year or less) then I'm only going to buy what's needed, maybe 4ml. If I know it has a longer shelf life, I'll buy favorites in larger amounts, 10ml or 30ml.

Outside of condensation, why wouldn't someone refergerate flavors? Room temp at my house can often be over 85F and I know from previous experience in other areas, that is the perfect temp for incubating bacterial growth. I'm trained to be spooked about that (My experience is not technical or schooling, so there may be more than I'm aware of).

Just my

 

[FinallyQuit]

Aik, Rolygate has a pretty lengthy response in this thread. I didn't read the whole thing, don't know if it applies to finished juice or flavors, though.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...20-refrigerating-e-liquid-ok.html#post6773909

 

[aikanae1]

Aik, Rolygate has a pretty lengthy response in this thread. I didn't read the whole thing, don't know if it applies to finished juice or flavors, though.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...20-refrigerating-e-liquid-ok.html#post6773909

Thanks. That was a good thread. I think I'm going to consider refergerating if I think I'm going to have a flavor for a year or more.

Storage wise in my house, the refergerator has more open space for storage than my closets do (the oven is already full). So for me, that GREAT news.

 

[traderljp]

Wow, so many different experiences!

Caridwen only got a couple of months from some Capella flavors and GrannyM has some over 3 years old that are still good. I guess there is a lot of variance to flavors going bad over time. You have to look at too many factors (flavor company, handling/storage, type of flavor etc...) to really be able to make a dependable conclusion on expiration date. It is probably not feasible. So when it comes to stocking up, you either throw caution to the wind or you make sure that you are ok with throwing some out.

It would be pretty cool if there was a sub-forum that had sections for different geographic areas (ie. South Florida) where DIY members could share flavors. That way we could buy in bigger quantities at lower prices and be able to share with others who could, in turn, share some of their flavors with you. You could take it a step farther and, as you got to know and trust other DIY'ers in you area, you could get together on orders and be able to share shipping costs and order bigger bottles to split up as well.

 

[Caridwen]

Wow, so many different experiences!

Caridwen only got a couple of months from some Capella flavors and GrannyM has some over 3 years old that are still good. I guess there is a lot of variance to flavors going bad over time. You have to look at too many factors (flavor company, handling/storage, type of flavor etc...) to really be able to make a dependable conclusion on expiration date. It is probably not feasible. So when it comes to stocking up, you either throw caution to the wind or you make sure that you are ok with throwing some out.

It would be pretty cool if there was a sub-forum that had sections for different geographic areas (ie. South Florida) where DIY members could share flavors. That way we could buy in bigger quantities at lower prices and be able to share with others who could, in turn, share some of their flavors with you. You could take it a step farther and, as you got to know and trust other DIY'ers in you area, you could get together on orders and be able to share shipping costs and order bigger bottles to split up as well.

This is the first time I've ever had a flavor turn 'sour'. Also first time I purchased Capellas. Sort of disappointed this happened because I really happened to LOVE the flavors I've tried from them.

I have some super old flavorings that seem fine. I really have no clue why. I do buy quite a few super concentrated flavorings from VZ. I think they're alcohol based. No idea if this matters or not.

 

[Wow1420]

I decided to store my flavorings in the refrigerator. I'm storing them all in the bottles they came in, mostly glass, but the ones that came in plastic are still in the original bottles. All the vials are stored in airtight tupperware-type containers. This way, I'm not too worried about flavor transfer or osmosis to/from other things in the refrigerator. To avoid condensation, I take the whole large container out of the fridge a hour or so before I want to use them, and let it reach room temperature before cracking the lid and selecting the individual bottles I want to use.

I haven't been at this long enough to know how it will work out in the long run, but it's what makes the most sense to me.

 

[we2rcool]

Outside of condensation, why wouldn't someone refergerate flavors? Room temp at my house can often be over 85F and I know from previous experience in other areas, that is the perfect temp for incubating bacterial growth.

One reason I don't refrigerate/freeze any flavors or juices is the condensation factor. Over time (taking something in/out of the fridge/freezer), the condensation on the inside of the bottle will add a small percentage of water. This could dilute the liquid enough to affect taste/usage...and possibly/technically dilute the antibacterial/fungal properties of the PG/VG/alcohol enough to allow for bacterial growth. The only way I see that happening in reality would be if there were a small/medium amount of flavoring in the bottle, and the condensation inside the bottle were heavy.

Another reason is the (unknown) effect/s of temperature changes on the chemicals & the flavors. Not being a chemist, I don't know that much about how it happens technically. But I know that taking foods & produce in & out of a refrigerator will change and/or degrade it (sometimes substantially). And the effects of freezing/thawing/freezing/thawing on foods is "intense" (to say the least). That's likely (in part) due to the crystallization process.

From the Vapers Handbook Q41: What is the best way to store my ejuice? Is it ok to refrigerate it? (I realize this is about e-juices, but many of the same things apply to flavors).

PG, VG & alcohol are all antibacterial, and they're all preservatives. Throw some bacteria in a bottle of antibacterial, it dies - whether the temperature is right for it to thrive or not.

Frustratingly, with virtually all vendors not saying much more than 'room temperature', it looks like to me it's going to be up to us sharing our experiences to come up with anything more than that - and each of us have different knowledge bases, opinions & house-temperature-storage-situations. Let's all do our best to share what we've learned from experience so we all can learn from each other.

Vape ON!

 

[kushka]

When I first started vaping I did a lot of DIY, but after awhile I realized that I preferred unflavored nic.

It has been over 2 years since I did any DIY, but I did have some over 2 years old flavors. A few weeks ago I mixed up a couple of 5mg bottles of pineapple and butterscotch e-juice, both using greater then 2 year old flavors I had bought from Perfumers Apprentice. They had been sitting on the shelf at room temperature all of this time in the 4oz. glass bottles they came in. They were perfectly OK.

 

[Chas_L]

Storing in glass bottles and freezing is normaly recomended for Nicotine not flavorings.

I fail to see how a concentrated flavoring can go bad in 7 months while same stuff diluted in Nic,PG,VG can last much longer.

Perhaps some are confused.

 

[kabonk]

I have some TPA flavors that are almost 3 years old I just started to use then in recipes they seem fine to me

 

[Caridwen]

Storing in glass bottles and freezing is normaly recomended for Nicotine not flavorings.

I fail to see how a concentrated flavoring can go bad in 7 months while same stuff diluted in Nic,PG,VG can last much longer.



Perhaps some are confused.

I'm not confused. I know what sour tastes like. I've been DIY on/off for about 3 years.

 

[Caridwen]

I have some TPA flavors that are almost 3 years old I just started to use then in recipes they seem fine to me

Yea,I have some that old that are fine too. Possibly certain flavorings? I remember Kurt talking about some flavorings not holding up. I'm waiting to hear from Capella. First I've experienced this.

I know even with cooking, over time flavorings lose their pizzazz.