Steeping E Liquid - A Guide
Steeping"is the soaking in liquid of a solid, so as to extract flavours or to soften it"
Steeping E liquid in our case is a process or the many processes the e liquid goes through in order to extract the BEST flavour for vaping.
Imagine a cup of tea - it's always best when the leaves are steeped in hot water to release the flavour and nutrients before drinking - when it's brewed properly it make for the perfect cuppa.
This concept can be applied to how we steep our liquids to extract the very best out of them. Before they're ready to be used, we need to remove the harsh edges and round them off by maturing or ageing them.
In my experience, steeping vape juice always enhances the flavour of the liquid - I have yet to find a combination it hasn't worked for and will keep you posted on this one.
The best way to steep e liquid varies and the results may differ depending on each method. In order to obtain the best results we recommend that the flavouring is allowed sufficient time to infuse with the type of base before the steeping liquid process starts.
Steeping E Liquid with Time
For the most natural way to steeping e liquid, place your bottle in a warm, dark room and leave the cap off the bottle allowing the air to it. You can leave it standing for anything from a day to as long as a month if you prefer.
If you leave to stand for longer than a day it is advised to replenish the liquid with fresh air daily by squeezing it gently to expel the old stuff.
The major disadvantage of this method is the length of time it may take your liquid to steep before reaping the results.
However, if you decide to steep this way, the benefits are you would have produced an all round "naturally" matured juice.
Tom discusses the time it takes our e liquid to steep <a "class="tv_link" href="https://www.ichorliquid.co.uk/e-juice-steeping-chart/">here.
Steeping by Agitation
007's Shaken but not Stirred! is not the case here.
Shake it and stir it up for the air bubbles to surface and then keep repeating this process as many times as you want for the flavour to enhance.
Steeping E Liquid via Water Bathing
We advise you to use a warm bath as our friend, Nicotine is not one for sizzling hot temperatures. When it becomes too hot, its contents will degrade.
The warm water bath aids the juice in thinning the liquid to infuse all the flavours together on a molecular level, maturing the juice at a much faster rate.
Vape Steeping via Microwave
Quick steeping e juice via microwave with the lid off will also do the trick.
Remember not to overheat our Nicotine friend. Blast him in short bursts of a second each to reach a comfortable temperature for best results.
A top tip is to use a glass container as opposed to the standard plastic dropper bottle as these will melt or even explode in the microwave.
Ultrasonic Steeping
The pulses of vibration energy helps bond the molecules of liquid together at a very fast rate - if time is not on your side this is the way to go.
It has been said this process can cut your steeping time of two weeks to a single day.
You may choose to use a warm bath with or just simply on its own - it's down to your personal preference. This in our experience is the best way to steep e juice.
OUR THOUGHTS
Our team have trialled and tested all the above methods and found that using them in conjunction with each other produces the best results. We have found conclusively the ultrasonic steeping is by far the best method to quickly steeping e juice.
However, by allowing the liquid to mature naturally in the final stages offers a more robust flavour in most, if not all the e juices we have produced so far.
Steeping improves the flavour of each juice since no two juices are the same. Each and every single juice can be steeped as much or as little as you wish.
Time is the most traditional method of steeping but with modern day technology, smart electronic devices such as the ones listed above can be used to speed up the process. Whichever method you choose to steep your e liquids, it is always best to leave your e-Liquid to steep naturally.
We would advised against the water bath, microwave and ultrasonic methods when steeping pre-made juices containing nicotine.
Why? Because heat is a nicotine killer. I cannot stress enough how heat will severely degrade the strength, especially if exposed to temperatures of 30C and above.
And the best advice of all is.......
When buying pre-made ejuices, we recommend you plan ahead allowing your next purchase enough time to steep naturally whilst you finish your current batch. As the old saying goes, "all good things come to those who wait!" which is especially true and just here.
If you do plan on steeping e liquid at an accelerated rate you cannot go wrong with Ultrasonic cleaning. These cleaners are not cheap though, but you could see this as a long term investment, as well as make use of it for Toher house hold items such as jewellery or other small items than require cleaning once in a while.We hope you will put some of the above steeping methods to good use and please do send us your creative steeping stories for us to share with your fellow vapors at ichorliquid.co.uk
Good luck and happy steeping for now!