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"steeping"

amateur vaper

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I'm not sure i'm convinced steeping for 2 weeks really makes liquid taste better, I think maybe this concept was made by the e-juice industry for them to try and make it seem like they can charge more because they let it sit around for 2 weeks. Maybe people who say it makes it taste better bought into the companies ploy to be able to charge more for pre-steeped juices and its all in our heads that it tastes better waiting 2 weeks? Maybe it does seem to taste better because we waited 2 weeks with anticipation on trying it at its "highest" flavor peak and therefore think it does actually taste better when maybe in reality it doesnt taste any different than it would have 2 weeks before.
 

amateur vaper

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Yes, steeping is definitely real. Are you talkin DIY juice here?

Steeping is mostly a DIY thing papi. :) ...Unless you have a mix date on the bottle.

Some flavors change drama t.i.c.a.l.l.y a couple weeks after maxing.

im talking in general this was mainly a thread just to get people thinking about it whether it exists or not
 

Hillbilly Pig

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I promise you it does exist mate. I've had flavors that were garbage when I got 'em, and became amazing a month later in the shoebox. Certain fruits like dragon fruit definitely need it so they ain't harsh. Complex recipes need time to blend with each flavor, especially if it ain't a creamy vape, cause cream actually cuts steeping time down to next to nothing, at best shake n vape at worst ~4 days. Anything from Tmaxx definitely need time to set up. Course there are some flavors where no amount of steeping can save it.

EDIT auto correct fuck ups
 
Last edited:

amateur vaper

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I promise you it does exist mate. I've had flavors that were garbage when I got 'em, and became amazing a month later in the shoebox. Certain fruits like dragon fruit definitely need it so they ain't harsh. Complex recipes need time to blend with each flavor, especially if it ain't a creamy vape, cause cream actually cuts steeping time down to next to nothing, at best shake n vape at worst ~4 days. Anything from Tmaxx definitely need time to set up. Course there are some flavors where no amount of steeping can save it.

EDIT auto correct fuck ups

Lol auto correct is convenient but sometimes it's also annoying cause your trying to type something like RTA and it changes it to something you didn't mean like,"oh thanks you wrote rat instead for me."
 

Huckleberried

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It can be pretty damn hilarious sometimes, too.

On the steeping note... it can go either way. Some flavorings contain alcohol, so that can really mess with the taste until it melds, or evaporates, which does take time. Some stuff is just really great right from the start. Certain types just taste better with time.

I've had juice that was good from the start, while others tasted like crap the longer they sat. Once you get used to what you like best, you kinda know how to treat it. I've never had to wait for more than a week to know if I'm gonna like something.
 

HondaDavidson

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im talking in general this was mainly a thread just to get people thinking about it whether it exists or not
For store bought commercial juices... steeping and aging may not matter.....

On specialty mix to order juices and diy... especially those using Natural extracts and more organic type flavoring and almost any Tobacco. Aging and or steeping may be beneficial.....

IMO good juice is that which can be vaped immediately..... Good juice often needs a bit of time to become great. Never had a juice get worse with time.

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zephyr

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When my first smartphone changed "lmao" to "Mao"...like the name of the Chinese emperor...I turned off autocorrect and said never again!

...and it shows in most of my messages :D

The worst rip off imo is vape shops that will mix up a bottle of their own "premium eliquid" right then and then still charge you $10 for 10mL which is so ridiculous...one store basically made me wait while they mixed one so I could try it (they wanted me to buy it of course) and I was like mmmm...unsteeped custard...I have lots of that at home...
 

skt239

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Whatever you bought was more than likely sitting on a shelf or store room steeping. If it taste like shit at first, it will more than likely continue to taste like shit and even get worse. That's been my experience with mass produced juice. On the other hand, I've been given more or less fresh juice by DIY'ers that were harsh or bland at first and after a couple weeks tasted great.
 

wildgypsy70

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Yes, steeping is definitely real. Are you talkin DIY juice here?

Steeping is mostly a DIY thing papi. :) ...Unless you have a mix date on the bottle.

Some flavors change dramaatically a few weeks after mixing. ;)
This^^^ Sooooo makes a huge difference, especially with custards and creams.
 

Tr0ll

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Just curious.

Why is letting a bottle sit in the dark called steeping when by definition steeping is extracting flavor by means of a heat source, mostly boiling or simmering water. See making a cup of tea for example.

If this has been answered before I apologize for asking but this thread made me curious.

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Hillbilly Pig

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Just curious.

Why is letting a bottle sit in the dark called steeping when by definition steeping is extracting flavor by means of a heat source, mostly boiling or simmering water. See making a cup of tea for example.

If this has been answered before I apologize for asking but this thread made me curious.

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It's just what it's called. Though I believe the name came about when people decided to steep using a crock pot.
 

AndriaD

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Just curious.

Why is letting a bottle sit in the dark called steeping when by definition steeping is extracting flavor by means of a heat source, mostly boiling or simmering water. See making a cup of tea for example.

If this has been answered before I apologize for asking but this thread made me curious.

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It has a long history and much rehashing, and the answer is "hell if I know but that's what everyone calls it." Beats the shit outta me too, since steeping is what you do to a tea bag in hot water, to turn the hot water into tea.

What it really means is allowing the flavor to emerge, "ripen," develop fully, and since that happens when you soak a tea bag in hot water, I guess it's applicable here too. I mostly avoid it, by using vast amounts of flavoring... but now that I know I love my strawberry & cream, I've been able to cut down the flavoring from 31% to a hair under 25%, and allowing it to sit for a week after mixing, before vaping. If I could stand to sit longer, I might be able to cut the flavoring down still more, but I figure... if it ain't broke... ;)

Andria
 

zeeter

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Steeping is really the wrong term. The proper term would be curing. That refers to the aging of a food to bring out the flavor. Since there's no real term for "let your e-liquid sit for a week" curing is probably the closest thing, since steeping is a specific process that really has nothing to do with e-liquids.
 

AndriaD

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Steeping is really the wrong term. The proper term would be curing. That refers to the aging of a food to bring out the flavor. Since there's no real term for "let your e-liquid sit for a week" curing is probably the closest thing, since steeping is a specific process that really has nothing to do with e-liquids.

You're right, and I was arguing that back in 2014... but it did no good. It's still called steeping.

Andria
 

AndriaD

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Steeping/curing is real. However, no amount of steeping/curing will make crappy juice taste better.

It definitely can make a blah juice really stand up and sing, and with tobacco flavors of any kind, it actually makes them have a taste; tobacco flavors seem to need the longest steeps, just to have any taste at all. And tobacco flavors, you can't really go heavy on flavoring to avoid the steeping; a little goes a long way in those!

Andria
 

zeeter

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Steeping/curing is real. However, no amount of steeping/curing will make crappy juice taste better.

Agreed. I'm not an expert by any means but there's no replacement for waiting a week or so. You can tell right after mixing that it's not right just by looking at the different textures in the bottle and how they layer. When they stop layering after sitting for a while I consider it ready. Usually about a week or so.
 

zeeter

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It definitely can make a blah juice really stand up and sing, and with tobacco flavors of any kind, it actually makes them have a taste; tobacco flavors seem to need the longest steeps, just to have any taste at all. And tobacco flavors, you can't really go heavy on flavoring to avoid the steeping; a little goes a long way in those!

Andria

You mean going heavy on the tobacco flavor? What percentage do you use? I've been trying to make some tobacco flavors for a while but they don't come out right. Usually I mix with a custard or something and let it sit for a week.
 

AndriaD

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You mean going heavy on the tobacco flavor? What percentage do you use? I've been trying to make some tobacco flavors for a while but they don't come out right. Usually I mix with a custard or something and let it sit for a week.

Well, it's been quite a while since I enjoyed any tobacco flavors, but my experience when I first started DIY and did still enjoy them, is that most tobacco flavors shouldn't go over 1 or 2 percent, or they just change in radical and unpleasant ways. There are a couple of sweet+tobacco flavors that I enjoyed much longer than a cigarette flavor, but I still went very light on the tobacco component, and steeped them 3-6 wks, with weekly hard shaking.

With fruits, creams, etc, you can often go much heavier on flavoring and reduce the steeping drastically, if not eliminate it completely.

Andria
 

bobnat

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Steeping is really the wrong term. The proper term would be curing. That refers to the aging of a food to bring out the flavor. Since there's no real term for "let your e-liquid sit for a week" curing is probably the closest thing, since steeping is a specific process that really has nothing to do with e-liquids.

I always thought it should be called, "I hope this shit gets better!"
 

voicenyerhed

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I wondered the same thing when I started DIY and, at first, I thought it was possibly a placebo effect. But then I made a juice that I was super excited to taste and it was absolute shit! But I had been so excited about it that I refused to chalk it up to a complete loss and stuck it in a bottle that did not allow light and put it on a shelf for a while. About a month later I ran out of juice and I didn't have time to make some new juice before leaving on a vacation. So, I grabbed the bottle and decided that if it was as bad as it first was then I would just buy some store bought stuff to get me through. Then I took my first vape of it and it was by far the best juice I had made. It was so good that when I got home I immediately made a new batch, put it in the bottle, and put it on the shelf for the next month. It is definitely a real thing!

I think it should be called torturing, because that's what it feels like when you have to wait but you know that the result will be worth it!
 

vapemesilly

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It definitely can make a blah juice really stand up and sing, and with tobacco flavors of any kind, it actually makes them have a taste; tobacco flavors seem to need the longest steeps, just to have any taste at all. And tobacco flavors, you can't really go heavy on flavoring to avoid the steeping; a little goes a long way in those!

I'm talking crappy juice. If it tastes like crap after steeping/curing it will still taste like crap. :poop:
 

AndriaD

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I'm talking crappy juice. If it tastes like crap after steeping/curing it will still taste like crap. :poop:

Hmmm... yes, for the most part I'd agree with that. UNLESS the "crappy taste" is simply because one or more of the flavors hasn't had time to emerge, so you only taste the other flavor(s) and/or the PG, VG, and/or nicotine. I've heard that VG is kinda sweet, but PG tastes like a dr's office smells... and nicotine tastes kinda like licking an ashtray that's been rinsed but not washed.

Also, the tobacco flavors I mentioned... they might taste ok-ish after their steep time... but before that time... not great at all.

Andria
 

Just Frank

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I'm not sure i'm convinced steeping for 2 weeks really makes liquid taste better, I think maybe this concept was made by the e-juice industry for them to try and make it seem like they can charge more because they let it sit around for 2 weeks. Maybe people who say it makes it taste better bought into the companies ploy to be able to charge more for pre-steeped juices and its all in our heads that it tastes better waiting 2 weeks? Maybe it does seem to taste better because we waited 2 weeks with anticipation on trying it at its "highest" flavor peak and therefore think it does actually taste better when maybe in reality it doesnt taste any different than it would have 2 weeks before.
I have never heard of this before. Charging by steep time is a new concept to me. Who does that?
 

Papachaz

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I’ve found that most of your fruit flavors can be vaped right away. Creams need to age a few weeks and custards longer still. I haven’t done tobacco flavors. I was a smoker for 28 years and since I quit 10 years ago I can’t stand the taste of tobacco any more.


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eStorm

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I have never heard of this before. Charging by steep time is a new concept to me. Who does that?

Vape n wild does it for example. They have a whole section of "Pre steeped" that's being sold at a higher rate than their regular juice section and I think remembering that the op got some stuff from there.

I do steep my vendor bought as well as diy, but in some cases it doesn't help. I used to love VW as I stopped smoking these juices were the only ones that were bold enough for me even to notice, especially with the crap hardware I was using.

Now further down the line I can't help but notice an extreme harsh throat hit every time I get juices from there, I tried the pre_steeped aisle as well as regular, fruits, creams and custards. Self steep and what not, nothing helped with these juices in particular. So I guess if the op went by that the outcome will be that nothing changes, but that doesn't mean its with every juice/brand the same.
 

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