Ways To Steep Your E-Liquid - The Complete Guide

Now that you have been vaping for some time, you have experienced many new things that come with vaping. You now understand most things about nicotine levels in your e juice, different ohms, and whatnot. Chances are you have tried or want to try a lot of varying e juices, as thousands of them are on the market. As the vaping industry has grown exponentially worldwide, people are experimenting with different e-liquid recipes and are trying to add flair and uniqueness to their e-juices. You might have probably heard about Steeping and how it can refine your e-liquids, but you must be wondering, just what is steeping? Well, allow us!

Here's a complete guide to Steeping, what it is, how to do it, and its pros and cons. Read along to get the newest insights into how you can steep your e-liquids:

What Is Steeping E-Liquid?

When you think of "steeping," you might think of something like making a cup of tea. The official definition of Steeping is to "soak (food or tea) in water or other liquid to extract its flavour or to soften it". – extracting the flavours or properties of the stable. Now that might confuse you because that's nothing like steeping e-juices. After all, they contain no solids.

Steeping in vaping is a process of controlled ageing in which you allow a bottle of e-liquid to age slightly acceleratedly – because you hope the ageing process will improve the e-liquid's flavour.

E-juice Steeping can take place at two stages in a juice's life; In the initial original production of an e-juice bottle of DIY e-liquid or commercial e-liquid when manufactured. Or, after production, when you buy the e-juice, you can let it steep to bring out the flavourful notes. Its widely believed by some that many e-liquid flavour combinations aren't suitable for immediate vaping as soon as they're mixed, and they require some time for the flavours to meld and develop. Some DIY e-liquid flavours don't reach their full potential until you've allowed them to steep for at least a few weeks.

So, If you've bought a bottle of e-liquid online or in a local vape shop – and you're not thrilled with the e-liquid's flavour, Steeping the e-liquid may be your answer.

Pros of Steeping Vape Juice:

There are a lot of benefits of Steeping e-juices; one of them is encouraging the flavours in the vape juice to meld and blend better with each other. For example, you might have noticed that If you use an e-liquid soon after it's bottled, one note in the e-liquid's flavour profile is so prominent that it covers the other notes. Alternatively, you may find that the e-liquid tastes "young" or underdeveloped. In both cases, you may enjoy the result you get from Steeping.

The other reason Steeping may improve some e-liquids is that certain vape juices use flavour compounds set in alcohol rather than PG and VG. If a particular e-liquid has a harsh edge or causes a scratchy sensation in your throat, or if the e-liquid feels hotter in your mouth than other e-liquids – it may contain an alcohol-based flavour. Alcohol-based flavours are prevalent in e-liquids with creamy or custard flavour profiles, so vape juices with those flavour profiles often require longer initial Steeping than other e-liquids.

Step by Step Process of Steeping E-liquids:

Here's a step-by-step guide on how you to steep your e-liquids to perfection:

·    Open the bottle and close it. Since the steeping process encourages alcohol-based flavours to evaporate, opening the bottle for a moment allows the alcohol vapour to escape.

·    Shake the bottle vigorously. Shaking the bottle encourages the flavour compounds to mix better.

·    Now, store the bottle in a cool, dark place, anywhere from 3 days to a week, and remember to shake the bottle every day during this process.

·    Keep testing the flavour for some days until you reach the flavour that makes you happy and satisfied. Repeat the process if the test doesn't match your expectations yet.

Finally, the most vital thing to remember is to immediately transfer the steeped e0juice to long-term storage, to retain the developed flavour for a long time.

Tips on Storing Vape Juice After Steeping It:

·         After the steeping process, the newly developed flavour won't last for a long time after its peaked. So, you will have to use the flavour immediately or transfer it to a storage container that will help it retain its new vibrant flavours.

·         E-liquids, steeped or otherwise, should always be stored in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight, and closed from outer air, as it can degrade and oxidize the flavour compounds in the vape juice. For instance, a high cabinet in an air-conditioned kitchen is ideal for storing e-liquid.

·         You should also consider storing the vape juice in a refrigerator, as the cold temperature will slow the chemical interactions inside the flavour. Still, you should always keep them out of children's hands.

Another tip would be to consume your juice within a year as it is the longest time that any liquid can retain its best possible flavour. The flavour doesn't necessarily expire, but after a year, it may feel muted and changed, with reduced notice levels thanks to the decay of vape compounds. If you're not sure how old a bottle of vape juice is, look for an expiration date on the bottle. If an e-liquid has no printed expiration date, you may find it helpful to write the date of purchase on the label.