vanilla glycerite for flavoring extracted tobacco

[Str8vision]

I enjoy an earthy vanilla undertone in my tobacco extractions and had great success achieving that effect last year using PG extracted Madagascar bourbon planifolia vanilla beans blended with a touch of Holy vanilla concentrated flavoring. However, after considerable research, this year's batch will involve extracting the macerated vanilla beans in 60% VG and 40% purified water to yield vanilla glycerite. Evidently the water is a necessary component for proper extraction of flavor and aroma, I didn't know this before and my first extraction, while tasty, didn't use water and wasn't very aromatic. Cold processed in dark storage the extraction should take around three to four months. I'll be using 1/2 pound of split, scraped and macerated extract grade B Madagascar bourbon planifolia vanilla beans, 1200ml of VG and 800ml of purified water. After the extraction is complete and has been filtered down to 1 micron, a majority of the water will be evaporated off to stabilize the base for storage.

 

[marc42]

got some vanilla soaking in pg at the mo , smells nice but little flavour when vaped, i love the complex flavour of the pod, so will try adding some water.
thanks for the tip.

 

[Str8vision]

I forgot about the PG/vanilla bean extraction and allowed the beans to steep for well over 6 months. The resulting PG based extract provided a deep, subtle, earthy vanilla flavor and a slight but pleasant aroma that has diminished over time. It tastes great when mixed with a little "Holy vanilla" or French vanilla flavoring to provide the higher vanilla notes the extract lacks.The mixture reminds me of the vanilla flavor found in Nicoticket's "Frenilla", which in my opinion is the best vanilla juice on the market. As with my NETs, I will continue to experiment and tweak the extraction process until I obtain the best flavor profile possible for vaping applications. From what I've read the inclusion of water is key to the extraction of flavor and aroma from vanilla beans, time will tell if this holds true for my intents and purposes....

 

[Str8vision]

Worth noting is that in order to compare the difference in flavor between varieties of vanilla beans I recently extracted Tahiti and Mexican beans using PG as the solvent. While they certainly smelled different the extracted flavor was pretty much - the same - as what Madagascar beans produce. The Tahiti extract tasted a little more "floral" but still just a deep earthy undertone with a subtle vanilla nuance. If the current VG/water extraction of Madagascar beans produces substantially better flavor I may process another batch of Tahiti and Mexican beans to re-compare the flavors.

Only a week into the VG/water extraction and the aroma is already significantly better than the completed PG extracts, color is caramel which, this early in the process, surprises and worries me a bit. The inclusion of water has definitely changed the dynamics of the extraction, I only hope it turns out to be a "positive" change.

 

[Str8vision]

Over a month into the process I opened the cabinet where I keep the vanilla bean extraction and gently swirled each jar. I noticed the solvent had turned so dark even sunlight isn't visible through the containers, completely opaque. Curious (and a bit concerned), I opened one of the jars and the aroma was fresh vibrant vanilla, this level of robust fragrance was absent in my previous (PG), extraction. I withdrew a few drops for a taste test and was amazed, this is a true sweet vanilla! The flavor was pronounced and strong. It was quite sweet, most of it likely due to the 60% VG used in the solvent but I worry some of it may be sugars extracted from the vanilla beans. If so this could prove to be problematic considering my intended use is to flavor NET. Although only a month into the extraction, later this week I may draw an in-process sample to filter and mix.

 

[molimelight]

Thanks for the posting and the updates. I was curious about a few things. How did you determine the timetable for extraction? From where do you purchase your beans? Are purity and or health concerns the reason you don't use a vanilla extract or flavoring? I'll be interested how it comes out. The shorter extraction timetable is appealing.

 

[Str8vision]

Thanks for the posting and the updates. I was curious about a few things. How did you determine the timetable for extraction? From where do you purchase your beans? Are purity and or health concerns the reason you don't use a vanilla extract or flavoring? I'll be interested how it comes out. The shorter extraction timetable is appealing.

I based the timetable "guesstimate" on information gathered from Chefs and Herbalists, which is where I learned of using a 60/40 VG/Water solvent to make vanilla glycerite.The consensus was the process would take twice as long as an alcohol based extraction, at least two months. My previous experience with PG based extractions lead me to believe three months (or longer), might be required.

I've purchased extract grade B vanilla beans from Beanilla and Vanilla Products USA, both are available on Amazon. Would buy from either company again, Vanilla Products USA had the best price per weight at the time of my last purchase.

Before attempting an extraction I first purchased organic vanilla extract that had no additives just vanilla bean extractives, alcohol and water. I tried mixing it with an equal amount of PG and evaporating off the alcohol and water, the results were near flavorless when vaped. I then tried evaporating the alcohol/water off the extract leaving a vanilla "rue" which I reconstituted using PG but the results were again dismal. This same process works great for alcohol based Tobacco extractions but not with vanilla beans for some odd reason. That's when/why I decided to experiment with extracting flavor directly from vanilla beans into either PG or VG, in effect using one of them as the extraction solvent.

The vanilla glycerite smells and tastes wonderful but until I have filtered and conditioned a sample I won't know how/if that aroma and flavor carry over into vaping. I do plan on pulling a 20ml sample sometime this week, will know more then.

 

[b.m.]

I'm definitely curious to hear how this turns out.I have a pg soak going now,and like you said,taste so far is ok,but very little aroma to it,mine has only been going a bit over a month,but i dont see it suddenly getting a strong aroma haha.

 

[edacsac]

I dropped a ridiculous amount of split, scraped and cut beans into a 30ml amber glass bottle of VG, as an aside to the vanilla extract I did in a jelly jar (25 beans and vodka). Both have been sitting for 7 months. It's unfortunate to hear that it doesn't work well without water.