I know about steeping now, but what about aging?

[SeanFromIthaca]

just learned about steeping today (very excited) but I wonder -- I've already got a pretty sizeable collection of juices -- probably 20 or so

goodness happens by letting a juice 'steep' for a couple of weeks -- but does anyone know whether there is there any downside to letting juices sit for long periods of time unused -- if so, how long?

 

[Automaton]

E-juice will "go off" after a couple years. The nicotine will degrade, and so might the flavors.

But, short of that, a lot of people actually say letting their juice age for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, makes it taste better and better. So really, as long as you vape it within a couple years there's no real downside to that.

 

[Dusty_D]

I've seen 1 year and 2 years of shelf life thrown out there. I think a lot of it depends on the quality and freshness of the ingredients used in the creation of the juice that dictates it's overall shelf life.

Once again going based on what I've read, some folks have pulled out juice that's between 6 and 9 months old and absolutely raved about them.

I would deduce that to be the "sweet spot" for the juice where the steeping and aging combine together to be absolute heaven.

Note: Based on the amount of juice I have purchased recently, I would be able to prove this theory right in about 6 or 7 months. Stay tuned!

 

[NCC]

I read not long ago somewhere on ECF where someone had a bottle stashed for close to two years. The results were positive! And, that helps to verify the commonly quoted shelf life of at least two years under proper conditions (cool & dark).

If I stumble across that post, I'll come back and edit it in.

I've got juice which is more than six months old. No problem with them.

 

[SeanFromIthaca]

dang... that's pretty incredible -- like fine wines -- I was just kidding saying 'aging' hahaha

so I guess the idea is to buy way more juice than you need and store it in a cool, dark place !

 

[Automaton]

Absolutely Dusty - it really does depend on the quality of the ingredients being used. If you're getting your juice and/or DIY supplies from somewhere that uses high quality stuff, you can expect a couple years out of it. If you're not, its lifespan might be a lot shorter.

 

[GoodDog]

After vaping for a year now I can tell you that flavors will go bad in less time than 1-2 years! I've had flavorings turn to a vinegar type smell in as short a time as 3 months. For long term storage I recommend storing nicotine and flavorings separate. Flavorings will always be available.

 

[Automaton]

Wow, really? I've vaped juices as old as 9 months and they tasted great. I know someone who "ages" their juices.

Are there specific flavorings that tend to go off faster?

 

[GoodDog]

The Boston Cream Pie flavoring went bad in less than 2 months - very vinegary smell! I just got some LorAnn Butterscotch from an ECF member that is starting to go bad and has a hint of this smell but I don't know how long they had it. I wonder if there is certain flavors we can identify??? Good Question. Many of my chocolate flavorings have become weaker and more watery (after a few months) so I imagine they would do the same when mixed with the nic base. Citric Acid can prolong the life of flavorings and many vendors use that in their mixes. I believe Malic Acid also does.

 

[Automaton]

Ya know, I was actually wondering when I asked that if it was creamier flavors. Sounds like that may have something to do with how fast something goes off.

 

[Dusty_D]

The Boston Cream Pie flavoring went bad in less than 2 months - very vinegary smell! I just got some LorAnn Butterscotch from an ECF member that is starting to go bad and has a hint of this smell but I don't know how long they had it. I wonder if there is certain flavors we can identify??? Good Question. Many of my chocolate flavorings have become weaker and more watery (after a few months) so I imagine they would do the same when mixed with the nic base. Citric Acid can prolong the life of flavorings and many vendors use that in their mixes. I believe Malic Acid also does.

This is very interesting information. I know that FSUSA is planning (don't quote me) on releasing a Gold Label line for juices that will be steeped for a long period of time. Wouldn't this then be a risk if juices/flavours start to deteriorate within a 6 months to a year?

 

[Automaton]

It's impossible to say without knowing the specifics of what flavoring companies use what kind of compounds to create creamy flavors, which seem to be the main issue.

These recipes can vary dramatically from one flavoring supplier to the next. The 9-month-old juices I tried, which were definitely still good, were not creamy flavors - they were tobacco and peach. How might Boston Cream Pie juice fare after 9 months? Well, now there's a question in there. But it depends on what kind of chemical make-up the flavoring has.

 

[GoodDog]

Yes some flavoring molecules (chemicals) may be more volatile short term. I imagine the chemical makeup of something like Boston Cream Pie is similar no matter who the flavoring supplier is. There are only so many molecules that go together to make up a particular flavor (with some variances.)

Interesting, I had a Peach that tasted like a strong alcohol after a short time.

Personally, I have noticed little difference in my DIY with steeping for over 48 hours. If anything after a few weeks they get worse not better. I've been doing DIY for over 9 months and have made thousands of batches using all the major flavorings except for tobacco flavors.

To me, the fresher the mix the more pronounced each flavor is. Kind of like a stew. It's better the next day but not as good a few days later - all the flavors tend to meld together. But many swear by letting their mixes sit for weeks.

 

[Automaton]

I'm not sure. I mean, looking at the diacetyl thing (not trying to start a debate, just pointing this out!). We learned that there are at least a handful of other compounds which also create a buttery flavor, and different flavoring companies use different compounds. So you have a lot of different options to create that one specific aspect of a flavor.

They all have different structures, different effects on people, taste *slightly* different, and I wouldn't surprised if they aged differently.

So I wonder if there may be a difference in aging potential between different flavor suppliers depending on what the available compounds to create a creamy flavor are. I have no idea how many their are, or how each of them would age. It occurs to me, though, that the more synthetic it is the more likely it is to age well. How that might balance with taste, I don't know.

To be honest, I have rarely noticed a huge difference with steeping either, unless it's steeped for a *long* time - a month or more. To me, it always tastes better. But taste is, of course, subjective. Some folks swear they notice a difference within a few days. I never have.

 

[NCC]

I have received some freshly mixed juice which I'd describe as pretty darn gross upon receipt, but which improved rather dramatically after a couple weeks of aging. Such a marked change can't possibly by 'in my mind'.

Now, will those same juices continue to morph into something equally gross as what they started out as ... hasn't happened yet.

 

[SimpleSins]

I have received some freshly mixed juice which I'd describe as pretty darn gross upon receipt, but which improved rather dramatically after a couple weeks of aging. Such a marked change can't possibly by 'in my mind'.

Now, will those same juices continue to morph into something equally gross as what they started out as ... hasn't happened yet.

I've sometimes wondered if the improvement after a month or so wasn't more due to a degredation/dissipation of the flavourants. Not that it really matters, as long as the flavor gets to where you want it. If I were DIY'ing whatever flavor required a month's steeping, I'd be experimenting with mixing it a lower percentage to see if it was vapable immediately.