Disclosure: For the purpose of this post I am referring to what we call "steeping" as "aging." For accuracy's sake that is what we are doing. The process is identical to that of aging wine. We don't steep wine, we age it. Continue to call it steeping all you want, however it is important to make that distinction for the purpose of this post since what we are doing is completely different than steeping.
Unless you are mixing a 100% PG e-liquid it needs to be aged. It doesn't matter if it's a fruit flavor or custard. There are two reasons for this.
The first reason is the viscosity of each chemical. VG is heavier and will settle on the bottom. If you shake it you can see the layers, or ribbons, in the bottle. As long as those layers exist the e-liquid is not aged. If you use an RDA you might not have a problem. Just shake it and add it as the RDA does not have much of a reservoir. On the other hand, if you have an RTA the PG and VG will separate within the tank.
The second reason for aging is that PG and VG both belong to the alcohol family. You won't get drunk off of them so don't try mixing a PG and Coke cocktail. But like wine they need to age. One reason you age wine is so that the alcohol in that wine either evaporates or bonds with the other ingredients. This cannot be done by shaking. In fact, shaking the mix increases the aging time. More on that later.
Suppose you drank something close to pure ethanol, the active chemical in most alcohols, and without flavoring. It tastes horrible. Wine on day 1 tastes horrible because the natural alcohol in the wine is too prominent. The same concept exists for e-liquid. Until that alcohol evaporates or bonds it will be more prominent in the flavor. The alcohol needs to rise to the top and evaporate. When you shake the bottle it mixes the alcohol back into the mixture and prolongs the process. The only way to remove the alcohol is to let it sit with the cap off without shaking it.
Using a fruit flavor vs a custard flavor has nothing to do with this process. It is the PG and VG that need the alcohol removed. My belief is that some people make the fruit flavor so prominent in their mixture that it simply overpowers the alcohol flavor, thus prolonging the shake and vape myth. While this may be an effective way to prevent the need of steeping it also wastes a lot of flavoring.
Since the VG goes to the bottom and the PG to the top, and since almost all flavorings are PG based, your flavor will settle at the top. Thus, your fruit flavor may taste great because your 70/30 mixture is more like 30/70. When you get to the bottom of the bottle it most likely won't taste so great because it's more VG than PG with a hint of flavor. You would not stick your coffee cup under the coffee maker as soon as it starts as you're getting the strongest coffee. Then the rest of the pot is ruined by the strongest part of it being removed. Same is true in this instance. Your first few vapes may be great because you're getting all flavor, but the rest of the mix is diluted.
VG tends to adhere more to the coils in a mod, thus reducing their lifespan. Allowing the VG to chemically bond with the PG will reduce this effect.
Lastly, do not use heat to age your e-liquid. By doing so you are changing the chemical composition of the ingredients. Some may have had luck in using heat, but they most likely have adjusted their recipes to compensate for the chemical change that occurs during the process. Aging in a warm cupboard is not the same as applying heat to the liquid.
In summary, shaking a bottle will not create the e-liquid compound. It may mix the ingredients well enough for a few vapes but the ingredients will again separate. The only effective way to create the compound is through aging.
Edit:
1. Took about the part where I suggest we move to calling it aging rather than steeping.
2. Took out the part about drinking pure alcohol making someone blind. This is not necessarily true of ethanol, but is true of methanol. Since PG and VG do not have methanol that tongue in cheek remark is being taken too literally.
Unless you are mixing a 100% PG e-liquid it needs to be aged. It doesn't matter if it's a fruit flavor or custard. There are two reasons for this.
The first reason is the viscosity of each chemical. VG is heavier and will settle on the bottom. If you shake it you can see the layers, or ribbons, in the bottle. As long as those layers exist the e-liquid is not aged. If you use an RDA you might not have a problem. Just shake it and add it as the RDA does not have much of a reservoir. On the other hand, if you have an RTA the PG and VG will separate within the tank.
The second reason for aging is that PG and VG both belong to the alcohol family. You won't get drunk off of them so don't try mixing a PG and Coke cocktail. But like wine they need to age. One reason you age wine is so that the alcohol in that wine either evaporates or bonds with the other ingredients. This cannot be done by shaking. In fact, shaking the mix increases the aging time. More on that later.
Suppose you drank something close to pure ethanol, the active chemical in most alcohols, and without flavoring. It tastes horrible. Wine on day 1 tastes horrible because the natural alcohol in the wine is too prominent. The same concept exists for e-liquid. Until that alcohol evaporates or bonds it will be more prominent in the flavor. The alcohol needs to rise to the top and evaporate. When you shake the bottle it mixes the alcohol back into the mixture and prolongs the process. The only way to remove the alcohol is to let it sit with the cap off without shaking it.
Using a fruit flavor vs a custard flavor has nothing to do with this process. It is the PG and VG that need the alcohol removed. My belief is that some people make the fruit flavor so prominent in their mixture that it simply overpowers the alcohol flavor, thus prolonging the shake and vape myth. While this may be an effective way to prevent the need of steeping it also wastes a lot of flavoring.
Since the VG goes to the bottom and the PG to the top, and since almost all flavorings are PG based, your flavor will settle at the top. Thus, your fruit flavor may taste great because your 70/30 mixture is more like 30/70. When you get to the bottom of the bottle it most likely won't taste so great because it's more VG than PG with a hint of flavor. You would not stick your coffee cup under the coffee maker as soon as it starts as you're getting the strongest coffee. Then the rest of the pot is ruined by the strongest part of it being removed. Same is true in this instance. Your first few vapes may be great because you're getting all flavor, but the rest of the mix is diluted.
VG tends to adhere more to the coils in a mod, thus reducing their lifespan. Allowing the VG to chemically bond with the PG will reduce this effect.
Lastly, do not use heat to age your e-liquid. By doing so you are changing the chemical composition of the ingredients. Some may have had luck in using heat, but they most likely have adjusted their recipes to compensate for the chemical change that occurs during the process. Aging in a warm cupboard is not the same as applying heat to the liquid.
In summary, shaking a bottle will not create the e-liquid compound. It may mix the ingredients well enough for a few vapes but the ingredients will again separate. The only effective way to create the compound is through aging.
Edit:
1. Took about the part where I suggest we move to calling it aging rather than steeping.
2. Took out the part about drinking pure alcohol making someone blind. This is not necessarily true of ethanol, but is true of methanol. Since PG and VG do not have methanol that tongue in cheek remark is being taken too literally.
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