Steeping vs Airing Out?

[tonofsteel]

I have been mixing up more batches of liquid and noticed something strange. At first I followed the advice to mix and then put on a shelf, shake daily, wait a month. I would try it weekly and notice the flavor change with it definitely being MUCH better after a month.

I ran out of liquid so had to dip into some that has only steeped a week. Initially I could tell that it had not steeped for long enough and the flavor was off as expected. Here is the strange thing though: after 2 days with the lid off and dripping it now seems to have steeped to the same taste as what I would have after a month. I made 2x 100mL bottles and tried the one still untouched (except for daily shake) and there is a very noticable taste difference.

Everything I have read uses heat/ultrasonic/time with the odd mention of leaving the bottle cap/drip tip off to air it out.

My initial unscientific subjective analysis leads me to believe that subjecting the mix to air seems to have much more of an effect on flavor developing vs steeping time alone.

I was thinking of mixing up a batch and leaving it in a cup for a day stirring every time I walk by instead of bottling it straight away to see what happens.

I have not tried the ultrasonic method but I might be on the wrong track because I am picking up and rotating the bottle upside down every half an hour while using it, so it could be that more mixing is actually what is changing the flavor faster.

I am lead in the direction of air though because after many comparisons of leaving the cap off for a day or two vs having it capped the entire time makes the flavor get much better much quicker.

Is there anything to this or am I just grasping at perceived connections here?

 

[SublimeHaze]

I'm sure it applies to vaping but I know as a chef O2 content can alter flavours.

Flavours can be muted if the dissolved 02 content is too low. I'm sure this plays some factor in the steeping process. Too much exposure to O2 can ruin the juice

 

[zoiDman]

...

Is there anything to this or am I just grasping at perceived connections here?

Some people Swear by leaving the Cap off while "Steeping". Other say it makes No Difference if you Do or Don't.

The thing is were not All using the same Flavorings. And not All looking for the Same Thing. Even if that "thing" could be Defined for Everyone.

If you Like or find it Better to Air Out your e-liquids, I'm Not sure why you Shouldn't? And I'm sure it does have some effect on the way an e-Liquid ends up Tasting.

 

[Stosh]

May depend on the flavorings used, as leaving the cap off would allow more of any alcohol carrier to dissipate.

 

[JohnLee]

I have been mixing up more batches of liquid and noticed something strange. At first I followed the advice to mix and then put on a shelf, shake daily, wait a month. I would try it weekly and notice the flavor change with it definitely being MUCH better after a month.

I ran out of liquid so had to dip into some that has only steeped a week. Initially I could tell that it had not steeped for long enough and the flavor was off as expected. Here is the strange thing though: after 2 days with the lid off and dripping it now seems to have steeped to the same taste as what I would have after a month. I made 2x 100mL bottles and tried the one still untouched (except for daily shake) and there is a very noticable taste difference.

Everything I have read uses heat/ultrasonic/time with the odd mention of leaving the bottle cap/drip tip off to air it out.

My initial unscientific subjective analysis leads me to believe that subjecting the mix to air seems to have much more of an effect on flavor developing vs steeping time alone.

I was thinking of mixing up a batch and leaving it in a cup for a day stirring every time I walk by instead of bottling it straight away to see what happens.

I have not tried the ultrasonic method but I might be on the wrong track because I am picking up and rotating the bottle upside down every half an hour while using it, so it could be that more mixing is actually what is changing the flavor faster.

I am lead in the direction of air though because after many comparisons of leaving the cap off for a day or two vs having it capped the entire time makes the flavor get much better much quicker.

Is there anything to this or am I just grasping at perceived connections here?

Hi to ofsteel,

May I know the content of flavor you are using? Is the flavor intended for eliquid or the flavor bought at the supermarket? Based on my experience at from what I have read that airing (breathing) for a day or two is only a part of the actual steeping. Please advise regarding what you have experience, your input may help us to our DIY process.

Sent from my O+ Crunch using Tapatalk

 

[JCinFLA]

@tonofsteel - I think you'll find that all who DIY have their own sort of timetable figured out for how long it takes before their particular eliquids are the best to them. The methods people use, if any, for "aging or steeping" them, etc. will also vary greatly. So there's no set in stone timetable, nor proven method to use for aging/steeping, that everyone has to follow or use. Whatever you'll discover that makes your DIY eliquids be their best to you...is great!

For example: To me, only a few of the eliquids I make need to even age naturally, let alone do things to them that many do when they're "steeping" them. Most of mine are great to me...with just a few shakes, and then I vape them.

One reason a few I make aren't shake and vape...is because a flavoring I've used in them contained ethyl alcohol. I definitely don't vape those right away. I shake them vigorously several times a day and leave the tips and caps off while doing that for 2-3 days. The EA evaporate off as it needs to, and then they're good to go.

The only reason I've let some others just "age naturally" (capped and shaken once a day while they stayed in a cabinet), is if they contained custard and/or some of the cream flavorings. Most creamy ones were great after about a week, while the ones with custard usually took up to 3 weeks before they were their best to me. During about the last 6 months though, I've used a little Norpro Deluxe Cordless Mini Mixer ($7 on eBay) to mix those eliquids in their bottles as soon as I've made them. Then I cap them and leave them alone. Surprisingly, the creamy ones are great in only 2-3 days, and the custards in only 1 week! It really shortened the time they needed to be their best, IMO.

I personally don't "do" tobacco flavorings at all, like many others do. But, what some very experienced eliquid makers on here who specialize in them seem to agree on is...that they definitely do need to "steep" for at least a month or more to be their best.

*************************************

So...I'm now wondering if maybe a flavoring you used in the liquid that you noticed had gotten better after leaving the cap off...may have had ethyl alcohol in it. It sure makes a difference in how good the eliquid is, once it's evaporated off! Just something to possibly consider or check on.

 

[SteveS45]

The only flavors I will ever leave to air out or expose to air is the ones that contain alcohol.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

I buy my flavors online. Generally, the saw what problem ingredients are in each flavor. I annotated on my on-hand juice inventory the flavors that had those ingredients and also on the recipes themselves. I just finished a couple weeks ago.

Ethyl Alcohol needs sitting with the cap and needle-tip off for a day or two. I shake them to help get the alcohol to the topvof the juice, too. I shake about 4-5 times that first day.

 

[dyanaprajna]

So far, I've gotten all my flavorings from NudeNic, and they're all in vg and alcohol. So, like others here have said, letting them breath improves the flavor, as it let's the alcohol evaporate off. Then, after about a 3 day steep (longer on some flavors), they're good to go.

 

[SteveS45]

If all the flavors I used contained alcohol that would make me think about using a different manufacturer. But that is just me and the extra effort for those flavors is not the main reason.

 

[OlderNDirt]

The op and some of the responses reminds me of a question I have been wondering. I hope it is OK to mention it here to add to the discussion rather then heading off topic.

So we steep/breath mixes for a period of time to get to that perfect flavor, whatever method works better. But once there, does it just stay at that level or can it continue to change, strengthen, or diminish? And can it vary depending on individual mixes?

I ask because I mixed up a 100ml batch of a mix I like, but after a month, it seems to have lost the flavor.....muted if you will. I realize there are other variables in play, but as of now, it is on the same set-up with a 3 day old coil. But if it could be in the aging of the juice, solutions to "the problem" can be addressed later.

 

[dyanaprajna]

I think they do continue to change, and this goes for pre-made juices as well as DIY. I had bought a 30 ml bottle of Junk Food Alley Cotton Candy, and it was horrible, until a month steep, and it was pretty good. But it wasn't an ADV, so I didn't vape on it all the time. About two weeks later, it had become way too sweet, and now I'm having trouble trying to vape it again. This is why I'm careful about how much and of what kind of DIY juice I mix up. If it's something I'll vape on all day, I'll make a bigger batch. But for newer mixes and ones I just occasionally enjoy, I'll make smaller batches.

 

[jambi]

@tonofsteel - I think you'll find that all who DIY have their own sort of timetable figured out for how long it takes before their particular eliquids are the best to them. The methods people use, if any, for "aging or steeping" them, etc. will also vary greatly. So there's no set in stone timetable, nor proven method to use for aging/steeping, that everyone has to follow or use. Whatever you'll discover that makes your DIY eliquids be their best to you...is great!

I don't use a time table for some flavors. TFA VBIC and VC, I know they're where I want them when they change to a certain color.

I only "cap-off" for a few alcohol-laden/highly concentrated flavors, like my Nude Nicotine extracts, and then only for a very limited amount of time, like 6 hours. I think too much cap-off time can mute flavors, but maybe that's just my imagination.

 

[dyanaprajna]

Yeah, I think if you let it breath for too long, the oxygen starts to affect the flavor as well as the nicotine.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

The op and some of the responses reminds me of a question I have been wondering. I hope it is OK to mention it here to add to the discussion rather then heading off topic.

So we steep/breath mixes for a period of time to get to that perfect flavor, whatever method works better. But once there, does it just stay at that level or can it continue to change, strengthen, or diminish? And can it vary depending on individual mixes?

I ask because I mixed up a 100ml batch of a mix I like, but after a month, it seems to have lost the flavor.....muted if you will. I realize there are other variables in play, but as of now, it is on the same set-up with a 3 day old coil. But if it could be in the aging of the juice, solutions to "the problem" can be addressed later.

I wonder if the flavoring was too much initially? You could try taking a small amt out of the big bottle into a smaller one and adding a little pg or vg or both and then test. I have had this happen to me also and the flavor did come back.

 

[zoiDman]

...

So we steep/breath mixes for a period of time to get to that perfect flavor, whatever method works better. But once there, does it just stay at that level or can it continue to change, strengthen, or diminish? And can it vary depending on individual mixes?

...

Unless you do something to a e-Liquid, it is kinda Hard to Stop whatever Chemical Processes are going on when we "Steep" an e-Liquid.

That something may be putting the Cap Back On. Or it might be putting the e-Liquid in the Frig. Both of these might Slow the "Steeping" process, but Not completely stop things.

Might be a Better Call to Mix smaller Batches. So you use up the e-Liquid Faster than the time it takes for the e-Liquid to Fully "Steep".

 

[OlderNDirt]

I wonder if the flavoring was too much initially? You could try taking a small amt out of the big bottle into a smaller one and adding a little pg or vg or both and then test. I have had this happen to me also and the flavor did come back.

I wasn't going to mention a specific recipe until there might be a consensus if this was generally an issue or a rare occurrence. But this is the OSDIY recipe recommended by @JCinFLA for the Lotta Lotte/Lucky Shot mix at their recommended percentages. Tasted great right out of the mix, but seems muted after a month. Perhaps JC will weigh in since evidently others are mixing this in larger batches. And although I change flavors multiple times daily, perhaps since I vape this for a longer period each day, my taste buds are accustomed to it and I need to put it away for a few days.

Might be a Better Call to Mix smaller Batches. So you use up the e-Liquid Faster than the time it takes for the e-Liquid to Fully "Steep".

If, in fact, a (or the) mix can lose its flavor, that is probably my best option even though adding more mixing sessions is not in my best interest. If this mix remains muted, I'm thinking of a couple other options that may also come in to play.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I wasn't going to mention a specific recipe until there might be a consensus if this was generally an issue or a rare occurrence. But this is the OSDIY recipe recommended by @JCinFLA for the Lotta Lotte/Lucky Shot mix at their recommended percentages. Tasted great right out of the mix, but seems muted after a month. Perhaps JC will weigh in since evidently others are mixing this in larger batches. And although I change flavors multiple times daily, perhaps since I vape this for a longer period each day, my taste buds are accustomed to it and I need to put it away for a few days.



If, in fact, a (or the) mix can lose its flavor, that is probably my best option even though adding more mixing sessions is not in my best interest. If this mix remains muted, I'm thinking of a couple other options that may also come in to play.

I am not sure that becoming accustomed to a flavor rings true, at least for me. I have vaped the same flavors everyday for a very long time and I always can taste my mix. True, I do have several different ones in rotation at all times so constantly switching between them may be a factor.

And I think the OSDIY flavor % is where the owner suggested use as this is what she liked it at. Since we all differ, I don't think it is unreasonable to adjust to our own taste. But I will stop for now as you seem to prefer others opinions......
bye

 

[OlderNDirt]

But I will stop for now as you seem to prefer others opinions......
bye

So sorry! I really did not mean to give that impression!

You have given me a lot of great advice in my entry to DIY, I take that advice, and greatly appreciate it. And I am not disregarding your suggestion for this situation.

 

[JCinFLA]

Tasted great right out of the mix, but seems muted after a month. Perhaps JC will weigh in since evidently others are mixing this in larger batches. And although I change flavors multiple times daily, perhaps since I vape this for a longer period each day, my taste buds are accustomed to it and I need to put it away for a few days.

I make my DIY @ 7mg nic, and I found that just 6% of each of the LS + LL tastes great to me with that strength of nic. Kimberly (OSDIY) makes her DIY @ 24mg nic, so she makes hers using 10% of each to get the flavoring taste she prefers. Not sure which of those % of each that I've posted before, is what you make yours at. Or, you may make it at an even different % that makes it taste best to you.

Anyway, I always make it in 100mL batches now. I used to go through that easily in 2 weeks or less, while vaping maybe just 1 2mL tank of another mix also each day. I did notice when I was doing that for months, that the flavor strength in the LS/LL seemed to be slightly less to me by evening each day.

Now that I've started making Bill's Peach Cobbler again, too...the LS/LL and the Peach Cobbler get almost equal use each day. So the 100mL of LS/LL lasts about a month now. I've noticed I don't detect any flavor strength loss in it now at all. In fact, it's full-flavored from morning until I go to bed. So apparently that "dulling of my taste buds" to it, isn't happening any more.

Maybe if you try something similar, your "buds" will detect them more, too. Worth a try maybe.