WHAT IS THE STEEP AND HOW LONG SHOULD I LET MY DIY REST?
The advantages of DIY are numerous and the vapers are not mistaken. Unfortunately, we can’t have everything right away… In DIY as in love, you have to know how to be patient and give time to time! Your first DIY preparation is complete. Do we taste? No, not right now! Before being able to savour the extent of your talents, it is essential to let your liquid rest, “steeper” as we say in the jargon so that it can develop all its flavours. This phase, not very exciting we grant you, allows the aromas to express themselves and reveal all their olfactory and gustatory power.
A DIY concentrated aroma is a bit like a good wine, you have to let it mature.
But concretely what should be done? It’s quite simple… wait and then you can also wait again. Steeping her prep involves having her sleep in a corner for a while.
A small basic reminder, an e-liquid is essentially composed of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, flavours and sometimes nicotine provided by boosters. Glycerin (VG) has the particularity of being very oily, whereas propylene (PG) is a much more fluid component. Has your physics teacher ever asked you to mix oil and water? Here it’s the same thing, each DIY preparation has its optimal steeping time to allow the aromas and other components to bind together.
This steep time does not change the composition of your e-liquid. However, you will notice an evolution of your preparation itself. First of all the colour: in general your e-liquid will tend to brown over time. This is simply because the oxygen molecules are oxidizing in your liquid. The nicotine level also plays a role in the colour that your mixture will take. However, no worries! Even if it is more reassuring to observe a crystalline e-liquid the product is consumable and identical to the initial mixture.
WHAT ARE THE STEEP TIMES FOR DIY AROMAS?
The steep time will vary systematically from one flavour to another. So how to ensure the optimal quality of your DIY? It’s pretty simple in the end. If we had to explain it to a perfect beginner, we would start by reminding him of the different families of aromas that can be found in the immensity of our universe:
- Fruit concentrates (including drinks and fresh fruit): 5 to 10 days
- Menthol concentrates (including eucalyptus): 7 days
- Classic concentrates (all types of tobacco bases): 20 days
- Gourmet concentrates (sweets of all kinds, pastries, etc.): 15 days
You should know that the steep times are completely different from one flavour family to another. For example, fruity aromas generally do not require more than 5 days of maturation before reaching the maximum of their flavours. Menthols also require waiting between 5 and 7 days. On the other hand, it is important to note that classic and gourmet flavours require more patience with an estimated time of at least 15 days, sometimes up to several weeks.
These benchmarks are provided to you purely as an indication, that you do not risk much by respecting them scrupulously. To obtain the perfect result, the best advice we can give you is to regularly taste your preparations using a dripper, especially if you have decided to add an additive. Because in the end, the only judge is you and only you.
WHAT ARE THE TIPS TO ADOPT TO OBTAIN A PERFECT E-LIQUID?
As a vape enthusiast for several years, we would like to share with you our little techniques and tips regarding our favourite mixtures.
First of all conservation! The best way to steep your e-liquid is to keep it at room temperature away from light, a cupboard that once held your old comics would do the job perfectly!
Then it is important to limit contact with the air, at the risk of damaging the flavours of your preparation. Leave your DIY for 2 weeks with the cap of the bottle open and you will only vape the lightly flavoured base… Too bad, isn’t it? However, there is a way to put the air to good use! Breathing, a step that consists of letting air into your preparation, can be beneficial, but only if it is done for a short time!
When you have finished preparing your DIY, you can leave the bottle open for about an hour to let the mixture air. Some vapers shake the DIY vial once a day to thoroughly re-mix the components, others regularly renew the air in their preparations for at least 5 minutes a day.
Finally, if you want to vape only DIY or almost, we advise you to organize a preparation shift. This means that you will have to vape your DIY while the next one is already steeping. If you scrupulously respect this rhythm, your preparations will have rested enough and you will thus be protected from unpleasant surprises such as a bland or imperfect taste.
Most perfectionists also do not hesitate to note, using small labels or post-its on the bottle, the date on which a DIY was prepared, which allows you to situate yourself in front of your expectations.
HOW TO SPEED UP THE STEEPING PROCESS?
You don’t want to wait 3 months before vaping your favourite hazelnut custard? As I understand you … We have all already crossed the threshold of shame to vape our liquid immediately after having prepared it, or at least much too soon. But let’s move on, we will now focus on methods to speed up the steeping process.
Accelerating the maturation process of your DIY is indeed possible, however, the means used are all more absurd than each other.
As said above, mixing your DIY regularly allows it to mature more quickly. All techniques, even the most rudimentary will do to homogenize the liquid. Assume that anything that can act as a vibrator or mixer is rather effective, style ultrasonic tank, electric whisk. Avoid the microwave all the same, please… Despite the supposed effectiveness of this kind of trick, the noblest technique is still patience.