Steeping overrated

Status
Not open for further replies.

leerm8680

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 22, 2008
1,064
571
58
Washington State
We all fall into one of two categories:
1) “This e-liquid needs to steep for the maximum vaping experience.”
or
2) “This e-liquid can be vaped right out of the mailing carton.”

It doesn’t matter what group you are in. Both groups will get a good vape. Group 1’s vape will just be a few weeks later. Group 2 gets instant gratification. We all have our time-vape management plans.

After the last batches of posts, I’m coming around to skoony’s point of view. By definition you couldn’t call the subject of our discussion seeping. That requires a solid and a liquid. Bonding was thrown out as a candidate term by dead not sleeping. Close, but bonding is between two solids. Mixing? Creating e-liquids from scratch, either DIY or commercially, is an art not a science. There is more involved, it’s almost magic.

We need a new word to describe the Group 1 approved method of passively improving the e-liquid over a period of time. This word would have to be a verb in every way. If “OMG” and “GIF” can make it into the dictionary, we need to get OUR special little verb into the dictionary.

Please, let’s work together before “selfie” beats us to the finish line.
 

skoony

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 31, 2013
5,692
9,953
69
saint paul,mn,usa
You don't need it according to you. You should've at least had time to try it and tell me how bad it tastes and how it will never be vapable.

Too bad. You refuse to learn by listening and you refuse to learn by doing.
did you miss chemistry in high school?
the ingredients used in e-juice are used precisely for the same reason they are used
in medical inhalers and food prep.they are very stable and dont steep or age,
or deteriorate over the expectant shelf life of the product.
:2c:
regards
mike
 

jimivapr

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 18, 2014
133
69
Boston
Here's a reddit posted note from five pawns... steeping not required (the professionals take care of that)

Dear Reddit Community,
We at Five Pawns Inc. would like to say thank you for all the feedback. We look at the reddit.com community, as a group of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and connected people in the vapor industry. Your input and reviews have been invaluable to us and we thank each and every one of you for the words you've shared (both good and bad). Each of you is responsible, in one way or another, for helping to shape the way we'll do business in the future and the liquid we release. For those of you that didn't receive the samples you requested, we apologize. This undertaking had us mailing over 1,500 free bottles and it was impossible for us to use our standard trackable / boxed methods. We've made some good friends in this process and look forward to providing some of you with a product that you'll enjoy for a long time to come.
We'd like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about our liquids and why we're unequivocally the most premium liquid on the market. Our flavor complexities, packaging, branding, presentation, and retail support don't exist in this industry today. Although taste is subjective, we've spent six months sourcing the best domestic ingredients and fine tuning our handful of signature flavors. Many of our flavors contain up to ten different ingredients in one 30ml bottle which is what makes us both complex and unique. Our liquids are hand made (not mass produced) and each glass bottle is uniquely numbered, signed, and delivered in our numbered tube packaging. The tube packaging allows our liquid to stay in optimal conditions and mature our product so that it can be at it's best at all times. We're perfectionists and will only release liquid when we feel it's been properly blended, steeped, and has reached a maturation that is worthy of the Five Pawns label. We've invested countless hours and dollars in this process to also insure that our liquid is also being manufactured in a way that will be deemed compliant with the FDA. We know they're coming and we (unlike some) are prepared for their involvement in this growing / changing industry.
We're not the typical "squeeze bottle e-juice". We are a premium liquid, and we are… Five Pawns. We hope you appreciate our efforts.
Sincerely,
Five Pawns Inc. 17145 Von Karman Ave. #105 Irvine, CA 92614 (949) 474-11


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

jimivapr

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 18, 2014
133
69
Boston
Johnson Creek... steeping not required (the professionals take care of that)

"This afternoon I spoke with Johnson Creek about home steeping, since this is a topic we get into a lot with other vendors. I was told not to expect much of a change in the way of flavor, so feel free to vape it, as we did, right from the postman."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Myk

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jan 1, 2009
4,889
10,658
IL, USA
did you miss chemistry in high school?
the ingredients used in e-juice are used precisely for the same reason they are used
in medical inhalers and food prep.they are very stable and dont steep or age,
or deteriorate over the expectant shelf life of the product.
:2c:
regards
mike

Did you miss logic in life?

People who mix liquids are tell you steeping often does matter.

You who has never mixed is claiming it doesn't because it doesn't matter with paint and plastics.

Which one is the logical one to believe, the one who doesn't know or the ones who actually do it?
 

Myk

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jan 1, 2009
4,889
10,658
IL, USA
Johnson Creek... steeping not required (the professionals take care of that)

"This afternoon I spoke with Johnson Creek about home steeping, since this is a topic we get into a lot with other vendors. I was told not to expect much of a change in the way of flavor, so feel free to vape it, as we did, right from the postman."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

And that is correct.
JC mixes in advance. Their liquids are pre-steeped. They do not have any customization options like some other places. If they did those custom orders would likely need steeping.
 

~Sue~Feb2012

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 10, 2012
6,071
10,352
USA
Some e-liquids definitely benefit from aging from a week and up to a month or more. Some are vapeable as soon as they are mixed particularly single flavors. E-liquids with more complex (up to 10 is the most I've ever put in a DIY mix) need a few weeks on average. Chocolates seem to take several months as well as some tobaccos.
 

Lorelei

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
I'm a n00b too, but already I can tell you that a number of factors will have an effect on eLiquid.
1. Type of flavor. Simple one-note fruits may be good FOOB without steeping. Complex multi-note eJuice may need time to bloom, especially subtle flavors, tobaccos, bakery flavors.
2. The vendor. Some pre-blend because they offer less customization. A vendor who only sells 30ml gourmet flavors and a limited amount of choices and PG/VG or nicotine levels is more likely good FOOB, though it's not a dead cert. A vendor offering 200 flavors and a lot of customization and complex multi-note flavors will likely benefit from steeping.
3. The PG/VG blend, PG being sweeter and quicker to "ripen"
4. Your equipment. Tank type, the temperature you vaporize the juice, the cleanliness of a wick, plastic or glass, dripping v. not, etc. all will have an effect on flavor
5. How recently you quit analogs. Your taste buds may be pining for the fjords.
6. The aggressiveness of the flavor. Mints/menthols and hot cinnamons and cloves are in your face. Vanilla, coffee, sweet bakery cinnamon-sugars, tobaccos, chocolate, custard often need time.
7. Vaper's tongue and flavor hangover, where your tongue goes on strike or deals with an aftertaste from a strong flavor (or that flavor has tainted your juice delivery system/tank)
8. Time. Some eLiquid is yum right out of the mailbox. Some just isn't.
9. Personal preferences.
10. Plastic or glass bottles
11. Accidentally dry-burning an atty (ugh)
12. Your ability to detect subtle flavors/smells in general. Have a headcold? Nothing will taste awesome.
13. Dehydration. Try a glass of water.
14. Drinking cloying beverages like dairy or coffee or dark beer (etc) and vaping at the same time.
15. Nicotine level. 0mg tends to have less taste, but it's a subtle difference (to me). Others really taste a significant difference.

Just a very few variables. When in doubt, try patience and steeping. But some eJuice is just foul and will never improve. I think almost everyone would say that if, after 3-4 months, something hasn't become palatable, it's a lost cause. PIF, tinker with DIY, or toss it.
 

JaxMike

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Jan 17, 2014
368
366
Jacksonville FL
I have read a lot of comments from people stating they steep for up to a month or more. Call me crazy, or just a noob, but I never have noticed a difference in flavor after a day or 2 at most.

555 Tobacco from MBV. I swear I would have preferred cat pee when I got it, but at the least, I couldn't have told the difference. A month later, it's nutty, tasty, one of my favorites (though I do cut it just a little with a milder tobacco flavor).

You're crazy, or just a noob! Or have ordered juices that happened not to need steeping.

Steeping may not matter with some juices; with others, it's absolutely necessary and effective.
 

skoony

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 31, 2013
5,692
9,953
69
saint paul,mn,usa
555 Tobacco from MBV. I swear I would have preferred cat pee when I got it, but at the least, I couldn't have told the difference. A month later, it's nutty, tasty, one of my favorites (though I do cut it just a little with a milder tobacco flavor).

You're crazy, or just a noob! Or have ordered juices that happened not to need steeping.

Steeping may not matter with some juices; with others, it's absolutely necessary and effective.
but its not steeping,its the air introduced during the mixing process settling out.
the term steeping is a marketing buzz word.
:2c:
regards
mike
 

~Sue~Feb2012

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 10, 2012
6,071
10,352
USA
but its not steeping,its the air introduced during the mixing process settling out.
the term steeping is a marketing buzz word.
:2c:
regards
mike

Technically, steeping has lots of definitions.

Most of us have come to accept the fact that the term is used a lot regarding e-liquids. Whether it's a "buzz word" doesn't really matter.

If the OP enjoys most liquids right out of the mail that's wonderful. The OP is not crazy if he doesn't need to steep. Everyone has their own taste buds and probably have learned by now that we do whatever needs to be done to get the most flavor and enjoyment out of e-liquids, whether from vendor's or our own DIY. Right out of gate or months later. Whatever floats your boat! Works for me:)
 

Maurice Pudlo

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 27, 2013
1,601
2,232
United States
Steeping, its exactly like buying a pie from your local bakery … that wasn't baked.

Alternatively its like buying a cask of rum, just wait 12 years it'll be good then … unless you prefer your rum aged 23 years.

Thankfully its far easier than buying your next new car at the dealerships parts counter and doing the assembly yourself.

It does say one thing about this industry though, if you make e-liquids you aren't going to be able to keep the stuff on your shelves very long.

Or maybe it's that vendors are just too eager to make the next sale.

There are companies that have the patience to wait on their product to be ready, like good rum they do cost a bit more.

Maurice
 

~Sue~Feb2012

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 10, 2012
6,071
10,352
USA
Another observation I've made is that some eliquids are still quite good a year later. Some, however, have gone completely flat but are still vapable, just taste blah. A few of them turned to some sort of thick, tar looking substance that went in the trash bin.

Some do need to be vaped right away if they taste "just right" at that moment. I get flavor overload and have to vape my plain unflavored 100%VG nic base about half the time, while rotating dozens of flavored e-liquids the other half of the time.

Some e-liquids taste/vape different depending on whether I'm just drinking water, drinking coffee, soda or an alcoholic beverage. It's a fact of life and makes things interesting nevertheless:)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread