Minimum Steeping Times For Various Flavorings

[Hoosier]

Minimum steeping time for all flavoring is the exact amount of time it takes to drip it and vape it and no longer.

A majority of my recipes need no steeping, regardless of flavoring type.
A few need some steep time.
One needs some time to breathe.

One of the reasons I have said in my blog that if you get close, set it aside and try it later, is that it might get a boost from steeping and if that is the case, it is better to know before making a big bottle and finding it something different at the end of the big bottle. Another reason is sometimes your sense of taste is all screwy from the aromas of the flavorings and the testing you have been doing as you mix.

Some mixers need absolutely no steeping, ever. Some steep all their mixes. It doesn't take any real effort to steep one and see if there is anything to it and just a tiny effort to make a note in your notes as to what you discovered.

 

[Aurora-Oblivion]

I have actually microwaved a bottle (and on a stupid mistake let water touch it and it did break in one of the cleanest and coolest ways I have ever seen) to the point the juice in the bottle boiled and my microwave was vaping. I do not suggest that at all, I just let the bottle get nice and hot. I generally vape 50/50/6 or 20/80/4.5 (PG/VG/Nic) and I heat it up in the boiling water to the point that the combination inside is water like. It doesn't have to be boiling just nice and hot.

I have actually experimented a little bit with repeated boilings but this is where the whole 'its nonsense to let it sit for a month' comes in. I actually experienced little to no difference from second, third or fourth boilings. Once its mixed its mixed, any other alterations via time would most likely be related to decaying nicotine.

Thanks! I've been doing near boiling baths with plastic bottles in a bowl with microwaved water, and then just letting sit until it's room temp, shaking a few times as it cools down. So sounds close to what you do here, just probably a bit hotter. I'll have to try this with some glass bottles.

I do think steeping sometimes helps, at week or so anyway, but that really only applies to DIY mixes with more than one flavor from my small tests so far. I do usually think it's better next day though, but I always test right after mixing too Can't wait 2-4 weeks that's for sure, but I have had some great juices that did seem a little better after 2-3 weeks, so there is some slight changes I think, but I will agree if you hate it right off the bat you'll probably still hate it months and years from that first taste too

 

[patkin]

Yes, that's one way to do it. I do it that way because I'm not good with dripping but if you know how to do it without burning up the atty, putting that drop in pg instead and dripping is a good way. When I've tongue tasted with water and don't get any perfume/soap, etc with that flavoring, then I will drip one drop of it (that's straight out of the flavor bottle... not mixed with anything) and/or whatever other flavoring already tested that I figure should go with it right on my cartomizer to see how they blend. I haven't done that phase in water/tongue testing. And I usually only mix up single flavor bottles with pg/vg (without nic) to determine percentages of flavor needed in those various ratios. Then, I mix the two bottles together to get a more layered juice.

Edit: I should clarify... I drip the straight flavor I've already water/tongue tested right on my cartomizer to see how it burns and/or to see how it goes with another flavor I've tongue tested. But... the cartomizer itself is already saturated with pg/vg because that's my method of "cleaning/storing" cartomizers.

 

[gtbb]

You can put me on that list too. See lists are good. Write them down for later.

 

[DaveP]

I"m a DIYer only in that I keep a lot of Lorrans around to add to bland juices to kick them up as needed.

Since steeping times were brought up, has anyone received a juice that tasted like soap and had it improve with age? I've been vaping mostly the same Dekang juices and some from a couple of tried and true vendors for a long time and enjoy them. Lately, I decided to branch out and try some other juices. One from a vendor was so "soapy" tasting that I dumped out my Vivi Nova and washed and dry burned it. A few days later, I ordered some juices from another vendor and detected that same soapy taste, but in a vague way. It was like vaping liquid hand soap or shampoo from the aroma and taste. Yuck!

I just wondered if anyone can tell me what ingredient creates that soapy taste. If I knew, I'd email any prospective vendor first to ask if their juices contained that ingredient. Maybe a week of steeping will eradicate it.

 

[Lopaka79]

I have a couple recipes that require 12hrs of steeping. In general most of my flavors are ready to vape but taste richer after steeping. I make a Passion, Orange and Guava that just repulsive first week. After three weeks its friggin awesome. I've been making juice for some time now and have moved onto Mag/heater stir plates which speed up steeping process quickly.

In return I'm still working on a couple recipes that taste great immediately but then after a day, my adders(em, sour, koolada, rasp, vinegar, flavoring) change slightly and ruin the flavor. Just part of the mixing game. Never abandon a juice you think is bad first day. Save them, and when your bored in a couple weeks revisit your wicked stepchildren. I tend to find jewels within a handful.

 

[boomerdude]

I think that watching a juice change color over a number of days tells you something is going on. I mix tobacco flavors predominantly and all of them require steeping to one degree or another. They definitely improve with steeping. Fruits, cocktail flavors and nut flavors may be good right after mixing but I would give them 24 hrs. minimum to let the flavors mix together. Advise on steeping varies from vendor to vendor as it does here in the DIY sub-forum. To each his own I guess. What ever floats your boat and keeps you off analogs is good.

 

[patkin]

I think that watching a juice change color over a number of days tells you something is going on. I mix tobacco flavors predominantly and all of them require steeping to one degree or another. They definitely improve with steeping. Fruits, cocktail flavors and nut flavors may be good right after mixing but I would give them 24 hrs. minimum to let the flavors mix together. Advise on steeping varies from vendor to vendor as it does here in the DIY sub-forum. To each his own I guess. What ever floats your boat and keeps you off analogs is good.

In my post in this thread I wasn't really referring to simply not steeping... not that you're talking to me but your question spurs me to clarify. I don't see ejuice as anything different from cooking... I've had the exact same experiences with both... so I'm going to use cooking terms to better explain. Most people know that something like spaghetti sauce tastes better one, two or even three days after its been made and refrigerated or as a left over. That's because more of the spice/herbs have had a chance break down (leach) and incoroporate into the sauce. Its no different with the flavoring molecules in ejuice. BUT, what I was saying is: if that spaghetti sauce had a bad taste the day its made... like too much garlic... the taste is only going to get worse as a left over.... not better. So if a juice has a perfume/soap taste right after mixing, no amount of steeping is going to save it. If you've mixed two flavors that just taste yucky right after mixing, it won't get better steeping for a reasonable amount of time. However, my theory.. and its only that... is that in a year's time one of the flavors may have died off because it was weaker to start with. I think I used the example of tomato juice/vodka.. good... tomato juice/whisky.. bad but, theorizing, given enough time, the whiskey might weaken to where mostly tomato juice is tasted more and it might then be passable. So, personally, if two or more flavorings mixed don't taste good right away, I pretty much know the juice is a lost cause... no reasonable amount of steeping is going to make it better. So, yes, a little steeping may "improve" what already tasted pretty good to start with but steeping will not save what tastes bad right off. I was really just addressing those who complain of bad (perfume/soap/yuck blends) tastes and people (members and vendors) excuse that by saying "it needs to steep"... hogwash I say... which is just what the juice is.

 

[boomerdude]

I was addressing the generalization that no steeping is needed, ever. You make some good points, and the part I used as a quote especially. I hadn't thought of that and I'm sure that's the case in a lot of recipe's.

" However, my theory.. and its only that... is that in a year's time one of the flavors may have died off because it was weaker to start with. "

 

[cricque]

I take an empty bottle, put in 5ml, add a drop, and try it. if it's almost good, who knows I might let it sit a day. If I feel like i have a ton of time. I might put it in some hot water a couple of times. If I really like it, 'll make a 2nd bottle an let that sit for a day/week/...

Flavor might change a bit over time, but going from yukk to good, aint going to happen. Not at least from my experience

 

[boomerdude]

There's a Pluid clone recipe on the recipe sub-forum called " Remedy Black " and it's pretty bad right after mixing. Over a week to ten days it mellows out into a sweet absinthe flavor that's pretty good. Not an ADV for me but still okay after aging a bit.