The Art of Steeping Properly

[CaptainChaos]

Hi (again) more questions (sorry),

I've got loads ofJoosejuice flavours waiting in the dark cool steeping cupboard (next to jumpers, sweatshirts & t-shirts).

They have been there 2 weeks & I am going to leave them another week to be sure.

I have read a bit about steeping & some people

1) shake the bottles regularly
2) take the lid off so it can get some air

Ok, I have shaken the bottles a couple of times but haven't taken the lids off - will the lid thing make any difference? It just seems that the nozzle on the bottle is too small to let air in/out, so I haven't done that.

Any other things I need to do, and how/why/when?

Thank you, once again, in advance

[Clivia]

I do the same as you CaptainChaos - I just put them in my drawer ( have by now dedicated a whole big drawer to vaping stuff - if I think of it - I shake the bottle - but I don't take the lid of - I just leave them - if it's the soft mint or the caramel blend - you can certainly vape them now - banana ripes by the week

[clivealive1]

i tend to take the actual lid right off for 24 hours within the first few days of steeping.
i use seed trays which have room for the bottle and for the lid / cap to go in the same compartment. (also the bottles cant fall over).
started this on my last 2 mixes so cant tell u if it improves things or not just yet. soon though.

if you dont do this then try taking the cap off and squeezing the bottle to get the air out , just enough so the juice doesnt come out the top.
this will allow new fresh air to get in and oxidate the juice.

iam told it also helps if u can use a slightly bigger bottle than is required ie if ur making 10 ml use a 15ml bottle or bigger.
this allows for more air flow and should help.

everyone will say different but patience is the key really.

once u get to the stage u are making regular u wont need to worry as u will have a lot on the go and waiting a month wont matter as u will always have some almost there or ready.

I currently have 790 ml  within the steeping cycle others will have a lot more.

[chykensa]

There have been many discussions over the 'best' way to steep, lids on or lids off, change the air of leave them untouched, ultrasonic cleaner, microwave for a couple of seconds, warm radiator, etc., and no concrete conclusions have been decided on! Personally, I just leave them in a cool dark place until I remember about them!
It's only the more complex flavours which need more than a couple of weeks - I have some Black Gold and Caramel Blend which are 10 days old and I plan to use them from next weekend.

[clivealive1]

it would be a good idea if we made a steeping chart and put it in the main forum.
i always leave a month on all as iam never sure.
we could build up a list of steeping times for all most used juice.
sadly iam not sure how that would be done but iam sure if someone in the know thinks its a good idea they can help.

[Deleted]

My mixing routine is like Fasttech ordering .... mix, put in drawer and forget about it for 4 weeks or longer (until my previous batch has been vaped). I mix enough for a month's vaping at a time and I am always at least 1 month ahead. As far as shaking and tops on/off are concerned, I shake it well when I mix it, screw on the top and that's it until I give it another shake just prior to using it. All this tops on or off, shaking or not shaking etc is a lot of nonsense in my opinion ... the secret to mixing is having the patience to let the components integrate naturally in their own time without trying to speed up the process by artificial means.

[misst]

I looked at the title of this and read 'The Art of Steeping Ropely'!

I was wondering if my steeping technique was a bit ropey too CaptainChaos! I started out with the lids off, then read you should keep 'em on but 'replace the air' periodically. I ended up leaving them in my new 'Vape box', giving them a shake every so often, and just squeezing the bottles gently 'til the juice reaches almost to the top and releasing again to draw new air into the bottle. I don't know if that's what's meant by 'replacing the air' but it was my best guess!

It's odd, isn't it, because anything else with an odour to it, you usually keep the lid on so the perfumes don't leach into each other, or anything else. And you store in a cool dark place. Eliquids on the other hand need the air and a warm place - at least that's what I've read.

By the way Clivia, one of my steeping liquids is spearmint (from jj) Is that one of the ones that doesn't need so much steeping? It certainly smells stronger than all the others?

My other flavours are:

Mocha
Citrus Punch
Dark Cherry
Strawberries and cream
Irish Cream

Mine have only been steeping for 12 days I probably won't be ready for our tastathon will I Captain?

[Clivia]

misst I am not so sure about the warm place - I don't keep mine in the fridge - but not in a particularly warm place - and yes softmint can be easily vaped earlier - but not too early - it still needs a t least a week

[CaptainChaos]

Thank you for the observation there misst

I was in 2 minds whether to edit it to what it is now or retyped "The Art of TYPING Properly"

The debate continues. I guess as long as it waits long enough with the odd shake here & there, they should be ok - just the "2 weeks" to "over a month" waiting ....

Great idea about a chart with Vendors/Flavours recommended Steep Time, too

[Perpetua]

There's no ' art ' required just a bit of commonsense . . . if it's a freshly mixed eliquid, then the majority of flavours will benefit from a little time infusing.

Shove them in a cupboard/drawer with the lids on, give them a shake if you remember - try in a weeks time. If they still taste a bit ' raw ' leave for a bit longer.

I don't know why it's thought to be so complicated myself.
'

[misst]

Oh! I must have got that mixed up with something else then Clivia , about the warm place I mean? Ugh! Don't mind me, I'd forget my head if it wasn't screwed on lol

[Deleted]

Give the bottles a few squeezes to let air in and out.

Close bottles.

Shake.

Forget you bought them.

Remember you bought them after two weeks .

Vape.