OMG! Steeping really works. . .

[-KT-]

I wasn't sold on the idea that steeping e-juices really had that great of an effect.

THEN - I got some EC Blend Dragon's Blood with some strawberry and an extra flavor shot and some additional sweetener. Since this was a custom blend, I know they made it a day or so before I received it in the mail.

When I vaped it that night it tasted kind of like what spray bug killer smells like. I even reviewed my invoice to see if maybe I ordered a different flavor.

Then the next day it was still kind of nasty, but a little less so. After about 4 days of me shaking the bottle, letting it breathe now and then, and otherwise keeping it in a cool dark place - it tastes TOTALLY DIFFERENT!

It's smooth, subtle, and has a clean after taste. It's 18mg and I am no longer tasting the nicotine for some reason either. I think the fact that the flavors are starting to blend and blossom is making that nicotinic bug spray flavor kind of get buried or something.

I'm just amazed that it steeped so fast, and I now think it will just keep on improving.

p.s. - shipped, this 60ml custom blend was still way under $20. They also have a 20 percent off coupon code - it's 10020.

I don't work for them or even know anyone who does - I just think they have good stuff at good prices.

Sent from my R1 HD using Tapatalk

 

[Trigster]

Yep...You'll find there are many that start good and after a 2 week sit in the closet become fantastic...Trig

 

[Bunnykiller]

you were aging it.... unless you stuck some tea leaves into your juice... then you were steeping it

 

[-KT-]

you were aging it.... unless you stuck some tea leaves into your juice... then you were steeping it

Agreed. I am guessing that the ageing process relates to the fact that flavorings are generally volatile organic compounds (such as esthers, terpenes, alcohols, ketones, lactones, etc.) I suspect this is why people suggest opening the bottle now and then and avoiding excess light, etc.

I think that the VOCs that have a lower atomic weight likely evaporate faster (than ones that have a higher molecular weight weight) and this is partially why flavor profiles change over time. I am also guessing that oxidation plays a factor.

LOL, I am just happy my e-juice doesn't taste like what bug spray smells like anymore!

ETA: example flavoring:

Isoamyl acetate - Wikipedia

The chemical occurs naturally in bananas. I have always noticed that the adhesive used on a certain brand of clear tape smells like bananas. It's apparently a good solvent! And smells good too.

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[Winchester]

Howdy!
I have been steeping juice for long time and they have always gotten a better. Welcome to ECF!

 

[Alter]

Steeping works great is you don't try to hurry it up with heat. Setting a jug into a pot of boiling water which is 212F can cause the sweetener to caramelize thus burning your juice. I a long time ago set a jug into a coffee pot that was 160F(checked constant temp with a thermometer), set on counter till cool then repeated and within a month the juice had darkened considerably and had a off taste, so I burnt my juice...last time I heat steeped. I assumed the sweeter the juice the more prone to burning it can be. Some crock pots are 150F and some say it steeps juice just fine so 10F window between burnt and good juice. Tobaccos, custards and some fruit can take 4 to 6 weeks of closet steeping to bloom properly yet some are shake and vape.
No need to take the cap off to air breathe unless you smell some alcohol in the juice, if there is no alcohol smell then your dissipating some of the flavor into the air for no reason removing the cap and tip. Remove the cap, shake, leave the tip in the jug and squeeze to replace the old air with new air and that can be done several times a day. If heat steeping is what you want then hot tap water that is for 120 -140 is the better way to go but IMO there is no magical way to steep other than father time in a closet. I let my tobacco mixes steep well over a month before I even consider vaping them, but that's cause I DIY and have plenty of patience to let my juices steep for prolong periods of time.
I know its mighty hard to watch a new juice just sit and steep when you chomping at the bit to give it a try.
Its rare that steeping can fix a crappy juice but it does happen to where the juice being fresh can smell and taste YUK and yet in a month its amazing. How some flavors can marry after time and be totally different then a fresh mix is amazing so don't be too quick to judge a juice until its had a good month plus to steep but steeping doesn't fix a crappy juice if its crappy to begin with.

 

[-KT-]

Steeping works great is you don't try to hurry it up with heat. Setting a jug into a pot of boiling water which is 212F can cause the sweetener to caramelize thus burning your juice. I a long time ago set a jug into a coffee pot that was 160F(checked constant temp with a thermometer), set on counter till cool then repeated and within a month the juice had darkened considerably and had a off taste, so I burnt my juice...last time I heat steeped. I assumed the sweeter the juice the more prone to burning it can be. Some crock pots are 150F and some say it steeps juice just fine so 10F window between burnt and good juice. Tobaccos, custards and some fruit can take 4 to 6 weeks of closet steeping to bloom properly yet some are shake and vape.
No need to take the cap off to air breathe unless you smell some alcohol in the juice, if there is no alcohol smell then your dissipating some of the flavor into the air for no reason removing the cap and tip. Remove the cap, shake, leave the tip in the jug and squeeze to replace the old air with new air and that can be done several times a day. If heat steeping is what you want then hot tap water that is for 120 -140 is the better way to go but IMO there is no magical way to steep other than father time in a closet. I let my tobacco mixes steep well over a month before I even consider vaping them, but that's cause I DIY and have plenty of patience to let my juices steep for prolong periods of time.
I know its mighty hard to watch a new juice just sit and steep when you chomping at the bit to give it a try.
Its rare that steeping can fix a crappy juice but it does happen to where the juice being fresh can smell and taste YUK and yet in a month its amazing. How some flavors can marry after time and be totally different then a fresh mix is amazing so don't be too quick to judge a juice until its had a good month plus to steep but steeping doesn't fix a crappy juice if its crappy to begin with.

Thank you! Good info.

Yes, I am planning to mix my own juices soon. So all the info I can get, the better.

Yes - I don't think it was a bad juice. I have bought several other bottles of various flavors from EC, and they were all excellent. I agree this this particular mix (dragon's breath, strawberry, extra flavor shot, 18mg nic, and sweetener) is probably one of those certain blends that is going to take some time.

The amount that it's improved over just the last few days has been amazing.

Sent from my R1 HD using Tapatalk

 

[Alter]

From seeing you become a member just recently, I'm assuming your just beginning your vape journey.
Great that you planning on DIY cause buying commercial juices is a hit and miss process cause I know for 2 years I wasted plenty of money buying vendor juices that were YUK. That process I found many flavors I didn't like in juices either being too chemical tasting or just not what I like or just plain crap. I dislike so many flavors that I now vape pretty well only tobacco vapes and just a few other flavors. My first 2 years of buying juices that I spent huge money on and didn't like, didn't really even find a tobacco juice vendor that I would reorder so wasted money time and time again. My last over 2 years of DIY has made my vape experience exceptional with making juices how I like them and without all the added sweetener that plague commercial juices.
IMO don't waste time thinking about DIY, I did for well over 6 months of umming and hawing, researching thinking it was complicated then once you get tired of relying on others(vendor, postal, customs) for your juice supply, having to drink gallons of water cause of the drymouth the sweeteners give you or forking out good cash for a CRAP juice that is unvapable no matter how much steeping. Don't sell yourself short like I did, the benefits of DIY goes much further than the money saved not paying .50 up to a dollar plus a ml for juice you can make for around .10 cents a ml.

 

[stols001]

Yes, steeping works. I'm a proponent of a dark closet and shaking. I find my juices continue to improve even as I use them.

DIY is great. If you are planning on starting head over to this forum, tons of helpful info and friendly folks willing to trouble shoot: DIY E-Liquid

Have fun, and welcome, glad you are here at ECF.

Anna

 

[Trigster]

Thank you! Good info.

Yes, I am planning to mix my own juices soon. So all the info I can get, the better.

Yes - I don't think it was a bad juice. I have bought several other bottles of various flavors from EC, and they were all excellent. I agree this this particular mix (dragon's breath, strawberry, extra flavor shot, 18mg nic, and sweetener) is probably one of those certain blends that is going to take some time.

The amount that it's improved over just the last few days has been amazing.

Sent from my R1 HD using Tapatalk

-KT-...Here's a Thread in the DIY E-Liquid Forum that has a nice run down on some pretty common/useful flavors that most of us use at least a few of...Best advice I can give you is KISS and just start out with maybe 6-10 ordinary flavors you like...Hopefully a few that sound like they may blend well together and others that would be suitable as a "Stand Alone"...Another nice type to have at the beginning are pre-made blended concentrates...A good example of that might be TFA (The Flavors Apprentice) Banana Nut Bread...Also, look though a couple of the recipe Threads in the DIY Forum for some basic ideas...My favorite is "Recipes For Dummies"...
You'll need to decide on a method...I mix with syringes by percentage but many prefer to mix by weight...There's a "Pinned" Thread on mixing by weight in the DIY Forum and going DIY will save $$$ almost immediately...Trig
Flavor tasting results

Then pick a supplier...There are many good ones...I use ECX (E-Cig Express):
DIY E-Liquid, Electronic Cigarettes and Wholesale Nicotine & E-Cig Juice | EcigExpress
Wizard Labs

 

[stols001]

I will heartily second that recommendation. I started that way (while reading a lot of recipes) and did some flavor combinations (but inside my tank-- easier to pour out an awful tank than an awful mix, though it's not quite the same unless you steep them together. It did allow me to see what my palate likes, what goes with what, and etc. Since then I've moved on to 2 or 3 ingredients (with some reluctant sweetener, but a drop or two). That's how I learned to cook-- read a bunch, and started experimenting with what flavors go with what. and learning what my palate liked. A lot of folks with start with recipes and there's nothing wrong with that at all, but I enjoyed kind of working from the ground up.

Anna

 

[Vapemesilly]

I have some NET juice that, after sitting for a couple of months, it brings tears to your eyes. Polishing off the bottle is enough to send me into a minor depression.

 

[-KT-]

Thanks everyone! These are all awesome suggestions. As soon as I get paid again I will order a kit to mix my own juices.

Re: steeping/aging, etc. . .

Has anyone done any research to see if some fermenting might be happening? I found an interesting (pdf) article on the topic here:

https://goo.gl/xHbzx9

"Fermentation of glycerol by Anaerobium acetethylicum and its potential use in biofuel production"

^^^^

[. . .]numerous compounds tested that could possibly arise as side products of glycerol fermentation, e.g. 1,3-propanediol, 3 hydroxypropionaldehyde synthesized from acrolein, 1-butanol, butyrate, succinate, 1,3-butanediol, acetaldehyde, 2-oxopropanal, 1-propanol and 2-propanol.

----

n-Butanol occurs naturally as a minor product of the fermentation of sugars and other carbohydrates,[6] and is present in many foods and beverages.[7][8] It is also a permitted artificial flavorant in the United States,[9] used in butter, cream, fruit, rum, whiskey, ice cream and ices, candy, baked goods and cordials.

n-Butanol - Wikipedia

---> This could maybe be why the e-juices taste smoother as well after spending some time. . . not that specific bacterium, but perhaps other naturally occurring microorganisms that can exist anaerobically?

The juice could actually be fermenting very slightly, since glycerol appears to be a good "food" for certain little critters that like to ferment things.

 

[Trigster]

Thanks everyone! These are all awesome suggestions. As soon as I get paid again I will order a kit to mix my own juices.

Re: steeping/aging, etc. . .

Has anyone done any research to see if some fermenting might be happening? I found an interesting (pdf) article on the topic here:

https://goo.gl/xHbzx9

"Fermentation of glycerol by Anaerobium acetethylicum and its potential use in biofuel production"

^^^^

[. . .]numerous compounds tested that could possibly arise as side products of glycerol fermentation, e.g. 1,3-propanediol, 3 hydroxypropionaldehyde synthesized from acrolein, 1-butanol, butyrate, succinate, 1,3-butanediol, acetaldehyde, 2-oxopropanal, 1-propanol and 2-propanol.

----

n-Butanol occurs naturally as a minor product of the fermentation of sugars and other carbohydrates,[6] and is present in many foods and beverages.[7][8] It is also a permitted artificial flavorant in the United States,[9] used in butter, cream, fruit, rum, whiskey, ice cream and ices, candy, baked goods and cordials.

n-Butanol - Wikipedia

---> This could maybe be why the e-juices taste smoother as well after spending some time. . . not that specific bacterium, but perhaps other naturally occurring microorganisms that can exist anaerobically?

The juice could actually be fermenting very slightly, since glycerol appears to be a good "food" for certain little critters that like to ferment things.

-KT-...JMHO...Be careful on going the "Kit" route...I've heard some bad feed-back on some kits ???...All you really need to start is pretty simple and readily available...Plus I think you're better off in the long run starting with flavors you want not what's in the kit and you'll be buying some gear sooner than later anyways...As simple as: 1 Beaker, 1/3/10ml syringes, 14 & 18g Blunt Tip Needles, 15 & 30ml bottles, pg/vg nic base of your choice and 1/2 a dozen or so flavors...When I 1st started mixing not so long ago I fit almost everything on a single dinner plate...Just A Few Thoughts...Trig


PS...I sure some kits are AOK and a reasonable place for some to start...

 

[BrotherBob]

I wasn't sold on the idea that steeping e-juices really had that great of an effect.
THEN - I got some EC Blend Dragon's Blood with some strawberry and an extra flavor shot and some additional sweetener. Since this was a custom blend, I know they made it a day or so before I received it in the mail.
When I vaped it that night it tasted kind of like what spray bug killer smells like. I even reviewed my invoice to see if maybe I ordered a different flavor.
Then the next day it was still kind of nasty, but a little less so. After about 4 days of me shaking the bottle, letting it breathe now and then, and otherwise keeping it in a cool dark place - it tastes TOTALLY DIFFERENT!
It's smooth, subtle, and has a clean after taste. It's 18mg and I am no longer tasting the nicotine for some reason either. I think the fact that the flavors are starting to blend and blossom is making that nicotinic bug spray flavor kind of get buried or something.
I'm just amazed that it steeped so fast, and I now think it will just keep on improving.
p.s. - shipped, this 60ml custom blend was still way under $20. They also have a 20 percent off coupon code - it's 10020.
I don't work for them or even know anyone who does - I just think they have good stuff at good prices.

I steep every DIY mix 4 weeks, if not good after 4 weeks, not for me. Could check:
Everything you wanted to know about steeping and then some. | E-Cigarette Forum
DIY Mythbusting • r/DIY_eJuice
http://thevapemall.com/blog/is-it-necessary-to-shake-your-eliquid-before-use/