To Steep or Not to Steep?

[VapeStar]

Which is better for a better experience. Also, what flavors are best for steeping....I have read steeping mellows out a banana and dulls strawberries....but what other flavors are affected in a good way or bad?

I have yet to try it....as a noob, I'm trying to find out what is good and can give me a good exp...

 

[danidag1]

Which is better for a better experience. Also, what flavors are best for steeping....I have read steeping mellows out a banana and dulls strawberries....but what other flavors are affected in a good way or bad?

I am also a noob! But I do know that steeping has helped some of my juices. Mt Baker Vapor, for instance, mixes their juice as you order it and their website says to steep for 2-4 wks. I ordered several MBV's and they all tasted like poo at first. Let them steep about 3 weeks and now they are fantastic. Most of the premium or top shelf vapes are great straight out of the mailbox. But you also pay more for the premium stuff. You just have to play around a bit. If you vape it and it sucks, let it steep. It will more than likely get better.

 

[man00ver]

Steeping help the flavors blend better. It's most necessary for complex flavors, especially those with creamy or tobacco components, but I think it works for just about anything.

I haven't yet run across a juice that got worse after steeping, and if I did, I wouldn't buy it again. I like to rotate flavors pretty frequently, so if a liquid doesn't keep well I don't want it around in the first place.

 

[Liskrig]

I got The Milkman from a great local shop, and when I tried it I absolutely hated it... on the exhale it reminded me of when my girlfriend pants her nails and some of the polish she uses ICK. I left it in my storage drawer and recently went back to it after a month+, and I was ...... I didn't get more! It completely changed the flavor, and rounded it out. I'm a fan of steeping, but I'm also very impatient.

 

[bones1274]

To steep or not to steep? I only buy from vendors that are ready to go out of the box. I don't buy a bucket of chicken, only to stick it in the fridge for 3 days, thinking that sitting there will make it taste better. I buy juice because I need it now, not a month from now.

 

[Baditude]

Not all flavors require steeping. Those flavors which are pre-mixed and have had time to sit on a shelf for weeks don't need steeping.

Some manufacturers custom-mix flavors for you at the time of your order, and also offer different Pg/Vg ratios. These will most likely benefit from some steeping from their birthdate (1 - 2 weeks or more). More complex flavors such as pastry, tobacco, and coffee flavors also benefit from steeping.

E-liquids which have mostly Vg may require more steep time than those with more Pg in them. Vg is very thick and viscous, and the flavoring agents take longer to blend.

 

[VapeStar]

To steep or not to steep? I only buy from vendors that are ready to go out of the box. I don't buy a bucket of chicken, only to stick it in the fridge for 3 days, thinking that sitting there will make it taste better. I buy juice because I need it now, not a month from now.

Bones:

I feel the same way. I bought it to have it now. I wasn't sure if it was something that enhanced anything. I know there are changes that occur but why cant the optimal changes just be sold that way?

Some users say when they purchase some juices, they are alright, but once they step them its so much better. Why buy them then? Also, why would manufacturers sell them if they didn't taste as good fresh?

Just trying to make sense of all of this.

 

[VapeStar]

Not all flavors require steeping. Those flavors which are pre-mixed and have had time to sit on a shelf for weeks don't need steeping.

Some manufacturers custom-mix flavors for you at the time of your order, and also offer different Pg/Vg ratios. These will most likely benefit from some steeping from their birthdate (1 - 2 weeks or more). More complex flavors such as pastry, tobacco, and coffee flavors also benefit from steeping.

E-liquids which have mostly Vg may require more steep time than those with more Pg in them. Vg is very thick and viscous, and the flavoring agents take longer to blend.

Thank you for the insight Baditude.

Wouldn't manufacturers know this already though and help the end user by making their products palatable from the start??

 

[Baditude]

Thank you for the insight Baditude.

Wouldn't manufacturers know this already though and help the end user by making their products palatable from the start??

Some manufacturers don't have the storage space for pre-steeped custom-mixed e-liquids just sitting around to be purchased; and would not be an efficient cost-effective way to run their business. Also, you probably would want your custom-mixed e-liquids delivered as soon as they are mixed, right?

 

[VapeStar]

Some manufacturers don't have the storage space for pre-steeped custom-mixed e-liquids just sitting around to be purchased; and would not be an efficient cost-effective way to run their business. Also, you probably would want your custom-mixed e-liquids delivered as soon as they are mixed, right?

Absolutely! But I would want to vape right away, not necessarily have to wait an additional few weeks. If I bought them pre-steeped, I can enjoy it immediately.

I do understand the limited space being a constraint, I just wish the flavor would be ideal when it comes right to my door....for the most part.

 

[Das Auto]

Give it a shot and see if it works for you. If not then don't do it. You're not going to ruin your juices.

 

[VapeStar]

Give it a shot and see if it works for you. If not then don't do it. You're not going to ruin your juices.

It doesn't ruin it? I thought the oxidation of the juice caused the chemistry to change in a good way for most flavors.
I am also under the impression that "oxidation" long term isn't a good thing.

 

[Baditude]

It doesn't ruin it? I thought the oxidation of the juice caused the chemistry to change in a good way for most flavors.
I am also under the impression that "oxidation" long term isn't a good thing.

Oxidation only degrades the nicotine, and it doesn't degrade that much.

If you don't want to wait to vape, then just order from those companies which sell pre-mixed flavors. You won't be able to request special Pg/Vg ratios, but maybe that's not important to you now. It's important to me and many others.

I like having control of how my e-liquids are made. I want to be able to choose the Pg/Vg ratio. I might want a "flavor shot" added. You won't get that control with a pre-mixed flavor.

Many custom-ordered flavors ARE ready to vape upon delivery. I try them on a dripper upon arrival. If its not what I expected, I let it steep for 1 - 2 weeks. I keep enough e-liquid available so I don't mind waiting.

 

[lovemytank]

Like many of us, I have a drawer filled with at least 100 different bottles of high end juices from many different vendors that tasted great in the shop but got real boring real fast. I find quite a few taste much much different and better after several weeks of hibernating. Think of wine, no BS.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

I have some vaping friends and we share, dump, and give ejuice to each other. I still have some old ones that my taste interests don't want. I also PIF stuff.

I oder juice online and I steep in the 2-3 week range. Some ejuice is vapable out of the mailbox, but I find it gets better with some time. I just use the old before I tap into the next group of ejuices that are steeping.

Feels good to give it to another for their (hopefully) enjoyment.

 

[Hans Wermhat]

I've been vaping about a year now and have had this same discussion with lots of folks. What I have learned is this. Taste is very subjective. No 2 folks have the same tastebuds. What tastes good to one may taste like ... juice to another. The folks that make the juice can't try to appease everybody, so the make what tastes good to them and sell it in the manner that gives them the highest profit margin to customer satisfaction ratio. If you don't want to wait for a juice to steep, avoid the products that need to. If you find a juice you don't like, don't buy it again. Give it to a friend who may like it. Throw it in the trash. Or put it in a drawer and let it sit there until you are bored and want to try it again. Your taste buds may decide they like it later on down the road.