Also i hear a lot of people talking about "steeping" flavors is it required? How do i know how long to do it for?
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Oh, sorry.. Missed that one.
Steeping, or aging, isn't always necessary, really. Some flavors seem harsh right after mixing. In that situation, letting mix "rest" a while can help it smooth, or mellow out. Some, like tobaccos, chocolates, creams... those might taste just "ok" right after mixing, then resting can help the flavors develop more.
You kind of just judge for yourself, and how they taste to you at different points, say a few days later, the following week, etc... Many times a mix that needs to steep is pretty good at 2 weeks, some people even let them sit for a month, or more. Once you figure that part out, you can mix twice the amount, then you'll always have one in rotation. That's probably the most frustrating part about DIY, is to find a really good one, then have to play the waiting game.
There's also speed steeping and seed steeping, lol. You can use heat to help a mix get there a little faster, not HOT, but warmed. Seed steeping is when you have a finished mix that has already aged a while, put a few mls, or so, into a freshly mixed bottle and that does help the process a bit quicker. IMO, though, nothing is better than "time" steep. Sit it, and forget it, so to speak.