Steeping - huh?

[MsComptrtchr]

OK, been reading and reading the forums. My new point of confusion - steeping.

At first I thought that steeping was only for tobacco-like juices. Now, I am reading it allover. I just ordered from MBV and they even mention steeping on their site.

So - can we clear this up?

• What juices need steeping?
• Generally, how long to steep (days, weeks?)
• How exactly does one steep (lid off? on a shelf? in a fridge, in hot water?)

I have been buying tons of 5 mls from fsusa (local for me) - I get extra shots and yet not much flavor - is this because I haven't steeped my juices? OR is this possibly for other reasons (cheap juice, bad flavors, pg vs. vg, only 1 week out of smoking and bad tastebuds?)

Oy, so confused sometimes!

 

[NancyR]

If you are not tasting much flavor it could be your delivery device, if using carts many taste the filler more than the juice, if using clearos many say they mute the flavor. A good rule of thumb about steeping is try it if it doesn't taste right let it steep, try it in a week repeat if needed.

I personally find menthol need a longer steep time than fruits, you may find some don't need any.

 

[Thrasher]

usually flavorless fresh juice is not aged enough.
basically when its all mixed together fresh it has no flavor and chemically need to break down and mix together, think of steeping like a good home made soup. it always taste better the next day when everything mixes and soaks in.
usually i just leave the bottles in the cabinet for a few days, some juices taste better the older they get. some taste nasty until they sit a while. and some need a day or two with the cap off to remove the chemical taste. and yea some devices give off more flavor then others but none are completely tasteless.

one way to quick steep is set the bottle in hot water for a while and constantly give it a shake.


if your new there is also tastebud failure sometimes for a short while.

 

[Baditude]

What juices need steeping?

There is no way to answer this confidently. Some juices are made in large batches, separated and stored in bottles that wait on a warehouse shelf until they go out to delivery to a customer. They will not need steeping.

The juice vendors that mix their flavors at the time of your order likely will benefit from some steep time. Simple flavors such as fruit flavors will need little or no steeping. More complex flavors such as desert, coffee, and tobacco flavors will benefit from some steeping. A generalization for these flavors would be 1 - 2 weeks time for their ultimate flavor production.

Most custom juice vendors will mention something about steep recommendations somewhere on their website; you may have to really search for it. If not, you can always make a call or send off an email before you order.

Generally, how long to steep (days, weeks?)

Again, a generalization: a few days up to a couple of weeks.

How exactly does one steep (lid off? on a shelf? in a fridge, in hot water?)

Again, this is personal preference. Unless the vendor has specific recommendations, I will smell the juice upon arrival. If I detect some alcohol presence, I will shake the bottle well and then remove the cap for a couple of days to allow the alcohol to evaporate. I will then shake again and let it sit in a cool dark area with the cap on, possibly doing a daily shake.

I do not expose my liquids to any heat in an attempt to speed the steeping progress. I don't believe this does anything benefitual, and heat can actually degrade nicotine. Storing in a refrigerator is not necessary, and I would only use the freezer for long term storage for concentrated nicotine for DIY juices.

I have been buying tons of 5 mls from fsusa (local for me) - I get extra shots and yet not much flavor - is this because I haven't steeped my juices? OR is this possibly for other reasons (cheap juice, bad flavors, pg vs. vg, only 1 week out of smoking and bad tastebuds?)

All or none of the above. Impossible to say. Being a new non-smoker, you have damaged taste buds. Finding good flavors is very much hit or miss, trial and error. We all go through the experience, so you're not alone. What one person likes, you won't. What you like, I might not.

Try different juice delivery devices. Juices can taste different with every one of them. Having a couple of types on hand is a good idea. Some flavors do better in cartos, some better in string wicked devices.

Try not to make finding juice flavors a chore, but a fun form of exploration with a new hobby found.

 

[Rodinator]

The older the better it seems... I stock up with multiple bottles of my favorite flavors when they go on sale so by the time I use them they are fully steepened- makes a huge difference. Only thing I wonder is how long a bottle of juice is good for (shelf life)? I typically don't ever use anything more than a couple months old...

 

[vornado]

Steeping seems to be a subjective thing. Not all juices may need steeping when you get them, some might require it to taste better, some might need it to taste like anything at all, some might need it to not taste like chemicals/alcohol.

As for steeping methods, there seems to be a few. For juices that just need to develop more flavor storing them somewhere at room temperature for a week may be enough, sometimes 2 or more weeks. It really depends on what you like and the juice itself.
If it is tasting perfumy or has a alcohol/chemical smell then you might want to steep it for a day (or two or three) with the lid off to give those volatile chemicals a chance to evaporate off.
A common thing among juices seems to be that cold hinders steeping and heat speeds it up. So steeping in a cup of warm water or on something warm like a TV converter may reduce the steep time from a week to a few days. Another thing common to all juices is the need to shake them often (a few times a day?) to encourage mixing and blending of flavors.

Something else to consider though is that heat and being exposed to air (uncapped) increases the rate of nicotine break-down. Over just a few days it should not matter much but if you leave it in a hot place uncapped for a month it will end up with a lower nic content.

Hope that helps!

 

[Thrasher]

nly thing I wonder is how long a bottle of juice is good for (shelf life)? I typically don't ever use anything more than a couple months old..

most vendors say 8 to 12 months and even longer refrigerated but the fridge should only be for long term storage. the problem isnt juice going bad, as much as the nic degrading and getting weaker. the shelf life for pg is pretty close to endless and vg is many many months unopened.

 

[DavidOH]

Some good general tips to know. Because I just bought 180mls of juice today in 8 different flavors. Four 30ml and four 15ml.

 

[mcol]

Great info

 

[albcig]

usually the fresh liquid has clear color and the aged one a darker color. tobacco flavors taste better when they are darker. fruit flavors taste pretty much the same. PG/VG ratio is important too. higher PG liquids have a brighter flavor than the VG ones.

 

[coolbud01]

To speed up the mixing process of new flavors I make, I use my Lyman sonic cleaner with the heater on. I bought it for cleaning brass and my wife's jewelry, so it's nice to have an additional use for it. I set my bottles in the cleaner and fill it with water until the bottles barely float, let it run for about 8 minutes. It mixes the crap out of them. After reading the above posts about heat breaking down nicotine, I may leave the heater off next time.After that vigorous mixing, it doesn't take my sweet, multi-flavors as long to steep.

 

[Knittinglady]

I think it's really a subjective taste on steep time. I know I prefer juice that's been aged a bit. I think the flavor oils really pull together and blend well with my pg/vg blends after a couple of weeks.

 

[Zac Seif]

This is good to know thank you

 

[Ryedan]

There is no way to answer this confidently. Some juices are made in large batches, separated and stored in bottles that wait on a warehouse shelf until they go out to delivery to a customer. They will not need steeping.

The juice vendors that mix their flavors at the time of your order likely will benefit from some steep time. Simple flavors such as fruit flavors will need little or no steeping. More complex flavors such as desert, coffee, and tobacco flavors will benefit from some steeping. A generalization for these flavors would be 1 - 2 weeks time for their ultimate flavor production.

Most custom juice vendors will mention something about steep recommendations somewhere on their website; you may have to really search for it. If not, you can always make a call or send off an email before you order.

Again, a generalization: a few days up to a couple of weeks.

Again, this is personal preference. Unless the vendor has specific recommendations, I will smell the juice upon arrival. If I detect some alcohol presence, I will shake the bottle well and then remove the cap for a couple of days to allow the alcohol to evaporate. I will then shake again and let it sit in a cool dark area with the cap on, possibly doing a daily shake.

I do not expose my liquids to any heat in an attempt to speed the steeping progress. I don't believe this does anything benefitual, and heat can actually degrade nicotine. Storing in a refrigerator is not necessary, and I would only use the freezer for long term storage for concentrated nicotine for DIY juices.

All or none of the above. Impossible to say. Being a new non-smoker, you have damaged taste buds. Finding good flavors is very much hit or miss, trial and error. We all go through the experience, so you're not alone. What one person likes, you won't. What you like, I might not.

Try different juice delivery devices. Juices can taste different with every one of them. Having a couple of types on hand is a good idea. Some flavors do better in cartos, some better in string wicked devices.

Try not to make finding juice flavors a chore, but a fun form of exploration with a new hobby found.

^^^^ This is the answer you need to understand most of the intricacies of the topic. Good luck with it all!