ok I gotta ask
What is PGA?
Pure Grain Alcohol
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I finally have some time off coming up next week! 
Hopefully, I can get a couple of jars (well overdue for going to the filter stage) on the line for processing.
I’m pretty excited for a couple of them to hit the base liquid.
I put these in the crock and steep closet at the end of January… so, I figure 6 months is an optimum time to free them from the captivity of steeping. 
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Dan_the_Man9m Kinnikinnick
ok I gotta askWhat is PGA?
Well this is a little “vape-speak”… as a professional chemist, I saw that abbreviation when I first started to read about vaping in these forums and also thought WTFIT?? . I assume they mean Pure Grain Alcohol, which is actually Ethyl Alcohol made from fermentation and then distilled.
The problem, in my estimation, and the reason I never bothered to try it for vape NET extraction is two fold. One is that it is hygroscopic and can not be prevented from drawing water from the air, resulting in about 5% by weight of water in your final mix. Second the lab techniques for removing the water and alcohol ,from the flavor components are very involved (and expensive! if done right!) and not worth the trouble
I see further claims that the extractions can me mixed with PG and then the alcohol evp off, but I will save the problems of all that for another post. It becomes a sort of sploppy and imprecise fractional separation of the flavor components at that point and there is a whole host of issues with that (will save for a specific post on that if I get the time…)
But it is all good kitchen chemistry and many people have excellent luck with it, so please do try it and report back your results.
Have Fun ! NETs are the only way to go !
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Let me know how those come out.
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@Kinnikinnick right on bro, I must say, after reading some of this thread, I am really looking forward to it. I am not that far into it though. I can’t wait to figure this out and make some of my own. I think it will take longer than expected, unfortunately.
thanks again
@50YearsOfCigars I would try it, if I knew what IT was. 
Actually, if I knew HOW I would. So when I do figure it all out, I will for sure report back, I will need to know what I am doing wrong. 
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I will say, the process of a PGA extraction is a bit more time consuming, however, the tobacco flavor one deriives from this type maceration is stunning… a much brighter, cleaner, and clear flavor. 
I’m a lazy butt… 
and do mostly PG macerations. If I were more of a purist, I would perform more PGA macerations for the excellent flavor and clean factor alone… alas… most of the time, I take the easy road.
These days, I typically do it the other way around… evaporate the PGA maceration down to 25% of the original solvent amount used, bottle it and add it to my base mix as needed.
I really need to update the thread below, due to the fact that I have chosen to perform a heat assisted start (100 degree) to most all my PGA macerations. However, I do still perform a 4X freeze thaw process on the tobacco prior to the heat assist.
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Meh… when I started out, a month worth of steep time on most PG macerations turned out fairly well. Now that I have an extreme stock of finished NETs, I’ve allowed most of my macerations to sit for 6 months or more.
The trick is to start one or three tobacco macerations per month. 
Before you know it, you’re ready to filter a batch!
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I know what happens when people assume, but I will have to assume that the process of PG maceration is somewhere in this thread?
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Hi there Kinnikinnick, !
Since we are on this topic let me ask you something: Do the PGA extractions show less of a coil clogging issue vrs PG extractions? I am very new to NETs by comparison to your extensive multi-year experience base. I am having EXCELLENT results so far using my Jose Marti Nicaraguan Cigars from my humidor with PG extractions, but I only make it through one (4ml) tank on my Kayfuns before i must burn off and clean the coil.
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Yeah… but…
Here’s a bullet point version of how perform PG macerations:
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1 oz of tobacco in a jar with 150ml of PG or until you top the tobacco with PG.
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Warm jar for 6 to 8 hours at no more than 150 degrees.
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Place jar in cool dark closet for at least 30 days (longer is better for cigar leaf).
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Strain through coffee filters at least 3 times; 2.5 micron scientific filters are best for final filter.
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Mix at roughly 15% ratio with base mixture
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Enjoy!
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Cool, thanks
Now all I have to do is get the stuff.
So all I have to do is go get an Ashton or Pedron or Macanudo etc. Then… What? cut it open? chop it up? unwrap it?
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Yup… it has to do with the freezer winterization process; plant waxes, chlorophyll, and other plant matter precipitate to the bottom of the jar when the PGA is put in the freezer for 24/36 hours (or longer). Then, you siphon off the clear PGA extract and leave behind the muck… very important part of the process if you want a super clean extraction.
Yup… that’s about right, with PG extractions. Rewicking and a coil burn every morning or evening is standard procedure for me… just goes with the NET territory.
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Chop it up with a good pair of scissors or hand rub it out to crumbs… use the wrapper and filler; best of both worlds there.
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Kinnikinnick Leafy Recipe Maker Extraordinaire18h
Yup… that’s about right, with PG extractions. Rewicking and a coil burn every morning or evening is standard procedure for me… just goes with the NET territory.
Has anyone tried to spin the extracts down on a centrifuge?
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I just use a stainless steel ricer to press the tobacco maceration, prior to filtering; seems to do a fairly good job of squeezing out all of the solvent from the tobacco. 
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What I was getting at: to remove all solid particulates one could try to spin down the already extracted and filtered liquid. Also the loss of final product would be very minimal. One of the issues with multiple filtering is the loss of product that remains in each filter operation.
That would be an interesting experiment!
In the beginning, I was concerned with product loss during the filtering process. But, a couple of things helped me overcome this worry. One was realizing just how much finished juice I was going to be able to make after filtering 150 to 175ml worth of NET… roughly 1000ml of ready to vape liquid. It would take me a long time to go through 33 - 30ml bottle of NET.
Secondly, upon using the Aeropress as a filtering tool, I discovered the 7cm coffee or 2.5 micron (slow) qualitative filter doesn’t retain a large amount of liquid.
However, if an individual has the equipment at their disposal to centrifuge their NET for particulates… that could be a awesome way of removing the ickies! 
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I’ve got a bunch that are standing for over 10 months now, I keep procrastinating when it comes down to filtering 
I just ordered an aeropress today so maybe that will get some fire up my lazy ass 
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Yay you!
Kindly tip on using the aeropress:
You should recieve a crap load of filters with your aeropress. I use those for my first couple of filter runs, before moving on to a slow qualitative filter. Early on, I used to use those aeropress filters sparingly… not anymore. They are very inexpensive.
You’ll discover that with the initial extract filter… if you allow gravity to do all the work (i.e. not using the aeropress plunger)… after about 100ml of extract, the filter will eventually get clogged and not allow more extract to pass through. Just change the stinking filter and keep going!
Your second aeropress filter run, with the whole batch, will go through much faster… even without using the plunger.
If you choose to use a slow qualitative filter for a final filter… if allowing gravity to do the work… expect a day or three for the extract to completely make it through the filter.
Using the aeropress plunger:
I have witnessed outright verbal wars in other forum venues, over whether or not to use the plunger…(i.e. forcing the extract through the filter). I couldn’t give a rats ass how you do it. Do it the way you want. I will NOT get into any discussions about using the stinking plunger during the filtering process. 
And furthermore… if any NET heads here want to get into that topic… please, for the love of all that is just in this world… start a completely new thread on the matter so I can have the option of MUTING the topic!
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