Questions related to steeping......

[HighlanderNorth]

Since I started buying e-liquids just 8 days ago, I now own about 25 small bottles of pre-mixed and non-nicotine flavors, with 5 being non-nicotine. I also have about 7 more flavors on the way here. I have noticed that only very few of them seem to be perfectly ready to vape right out of the box. It seems that most will either need to steep to get their flavor to the point that it vape-able and not bad tasting, while others are already Ok, but will improve with steeping. I've also read that some flavors will certainly change, but wont be either better or worse after steeping, just different.

I just open the lids of my bottles, remove the drip top, set the lids aside with the drip tips under each lid, and set the bottles in the back of a shelf in my bedroom behind some nick-knacks and with a piece of paper sitting about 1" above them to keep out dust, etc. They are out of direct light, but not completely dark. I shake up my "steepers" every day, and I sniffed a few this morning, and it seems that a few have definitely changed from what they smelled like before, but I have no idea how long its going to take to get them to where they need to be. There are others that still smell about the same as before, but then again, they have not all been steeping the same amount of time, as I get new orders each day since last Thursday, so I dont know if all or most of them will improve or change eventually.

I plan on starting to test-vape the ones that have been steeping since Thursday so I can gauge the progress. I will start later today or tomorrow, but only the ones that have been steeping for at least 5 days. Here's some questions related to steeping, and I'll post the question numbers below so people can copy and paste the question numbers and answer which ever ones they want to. Thanks...

1. So, how long do you typically steep your juices?
2. Do you notice an improvement in flavor most of the time after steeping?
3. What percentage of juices dont seem to need steeping IYO?
4. What percentage of juices dont ever seem to improve through steeping IYO?
5. Whats typically the least amount of steeping time needed for improvement in some flavors?
6. How long is the longest you've had to steep a juice to get it to improve?
7. Do you have any special method for steeping? Is there a "best" way to do it?


Here's the blank answer list for copy/paste:

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**Note: Hmmm...Is that^ really saving anyone any time?

 

[CayCay]

Hmm... everyone may have a different answer. I would say a small percentage of the juice I buy needs "steeping". I CAN say that nothing that was gross day 1 was awesome day 12. If I don't like it when I get it out of the mail I won't like it later. A years worth of experience... There are some flavors that have "dairy flavoring" in it that seem to get sweeter or creamier after a few days... for example. Some people believe in steeping anything tobacco flavored at least 2 to 3 weeks. I personally have had a tobacco juice that was excellent the day it arrived. It's all in taste. If it's off to your taste buds set it aside for a few days and keep shaking it.

Sorry I didn't follow your chart.

 

[gthompson]

I agree with the above poster in that I've never had a juice that was "nasty" to me improve after any amount of steeping. I have had some that were "meh" to me become great after steeping.

1. So, how long do you typically steep your juices?
2. Do you notice an improvement in flavor most of the time after steeping?
3. What percentage of juices dont seem to need steeping IYO?
4. What percentage of juices dont ever seem to improve through steeping IYO?
5. Whats typically the least amount of steeping time needed for improvement in some flavors?
6. How long is the longest you've had to steep a juice to get it to improve?
7. Do you have any special method for steeping? Is there a "best" way to do it?

1. Depends on the juice. I usually try them out of the box, if they're OMG! good, I don't steep them at all. Anything less than that and I'll try steeping them. I'll try them again in a few days or so and rinse, repeat. Juices I've had before I generally know if/how long they need.
2. Again, it depends on the juice. i.e. Tobacco flavors yes generally, fruity flavors no generally. I think the more "complex" the juice is, how many different flavors are in it, the more likely it will need to be steeped.
3. No guess
4. No guess
5. Just based on my experience, if it hasn't gotten at least better in a week it probably isn't going to and if it hasn't gotten OMG! good in two or three weeks it probably isn't going to (a juice doesn't have to be OMG! good for me to vape it, but the better it is the more often it gets to come out and play ).
6. See 5
7. You'll get a lot of different answers for this. Caps off, caps off for a day or three then back on, caps on the whole time, put them in hot water for 15 minutes first, etc, etc. The simplest thing is shake the bottle well, put it in a dry, dark place, and then shake daily. But experiment and see what works best for you. I like to keep the caps off for the first couple of days personally, I don't really know if it helps, but it makes my closet smell wonderful if nothing else.