anyone know if flavor concentrates have a shelf life if heard six months?
I hope not I have over 100 flavors and there no way I can possibly use them up before six months
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This is the message we send our customers:
The shelf life of a flavor will vary widely. It is best to follow this guide. To find the exact date of manufacture, please refer to your lot number and our COA guide found on our website.
Super Concentrates have a shelf life of 12-18 months (60FĀ° to 72FĀ°) and up to 4 years if refrigerated. Never freeze flavors, this will cause some separation, and the flavor may ābreakā causing you never to get them to mix again.
Be sure to store all flavors in a cool, dark place away from sources of direct sunlight heat and flame; pigments in the flavor (from the natural extracts) tend to fade or discolor over time when exposed to sunlight. This fading is normal and is to be expected. Flavor bottles can explode in temperatures inside the container reach above 150FĀ° from evaporation. For long-term storage, refrigerate, and then allowing the flavor to return to room temperature before opening or using the flavor.
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Iāve heard that there is a 1 year shelf life on most flavorings. Thatās not cast in stone by any stretch, itās just what I heard from a guy that I use to buy my flavorings from
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refriderate and you should have no problems even big companies like molecule labs use refers
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I have a few hundred flavors and I noticed that some flavors go bad before others. My CAP sweet strawberry is almost done, while my TFA RY4 is still the same.
My theory is that flavors with delicate top notes will last 8 monthes (fruits), and deeper flavors (creams and tobaccos) I honestly have no idea because theyāre still good.
I guess flavor shelf life could be compared to the rate of ejuice steeping speed.
I wonder if this is what is wrong with the latest flavors to arrive. Flavor Art has a good reputation but the 4 bottles I just got all are less then sterling I have to say. Rebottles by the labeling they donāt have much smell or flavor. Old stock or WTH I donāt know.
Took the company over a month to get my order out and the website is still down so who knows what is up. I try and go with local companies when possible but this one Iām starting to really wonder about.
I did get a nice apologetic Email saying theyād include a BUNCH of free stuff to make it right but when the box arrived it was just my order and nothing else.
My Capella, TFA and OOO flavors from other suppliers are all on point and smell and taste like the name on the bottles.
The FA are muted and weak or missing altogether.
Custard (FA)
Apple Pie (FA)
Bilberry (FA)
Walnut (FA)
If anybody has copies of any of them please advise on the general strengths you experience from them.
I suspect Iāll need to re-order from another supplier before tossing the baby out with the bath water.
Just seems whacky that all 4 are duds.
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I have Apple Pie FA - also rebottled, but it has a strong crusty smell and a little tangy almost citrusy note to it on a fingertest, and also some sweetness and spice. I use it at 2 % in mixes and it comes through at that percent.
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This is nothing like that. Did initial single flavor mixes of all 4 last night at 3% but I really didnāt get a whiff of much of anything from any of the 4. Iāll give it a few days and see what develops. Thanks for the prompt reply.
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You can tell by the nose test if itās gone bad. Once every 6 months, I do throw stuff away. If you are putting nicotine in a mix the bacteria aspect isnāt an issue. If the flavor has alcohol in it itās not a lot different than a bottle scotch left on a shelf in a bar.
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I also read somewhere that PG is an anti-bacterial but I forgot where I read it.
You are also boiling the liquid on the coil. (Steam) Not sure what life form outside of us that could live through that.
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If my concentrates are turning yellow, theyāre definitely going bad, correct?
Iāve had them a little over a year now.
Nope, that definitely doesnāt mean theyāre bad. Theyāll only be bad if they taste bad.
For the record, I have yet to have any flavor go bad - even after 6 years (and counting). Also to note is that I mostly get 4oz bottles and then transfer those into amber glass bottles with polycone caps.
So in my experience, flavors just donāt go bad. The most that could end up happening is potency loss, but I havenāt noticed such happeningā¦ Likely due to do proper glass-bottle storage.
Whatever you do, NEVER put flavors into those glass bottles with the rubber droppers tops! The material is too porous, not to mention some flavors will eat through it and get contaminated. ONLY use glass bottles with POLYCONE caps for long-term storage. In order of what color glass bottles are best, in descending order, it would go: black, amber, cobalt-blue, clear. Iāve seen green too, but Iām not sure where that lies on that scale - probably near cobalt-blue, Iām guessing. Of course, I keep all my flavors in the dark anyways - but not refrigerated, just apartment temperature.
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well i can honestly say this is somewhat correct and some wrong i have some flavors that are getting close to 2 yrs old and still taste like they did when i first got them . Also i think it has to do with how they are stored i keep mine in a cold dark space in square totes and only get what i need out to mix then they go right back i donāt let them get any sunlight or light from light bulbs all my bottles are wrapped in black tape and labeled for identification purposes. you have to think ejuice companies buy flavors in 55gallon drums some flavors donāt get used all up within a year time now after a year the flavor can start to slip/diminish take real good care of them u will be fine
Thanks Brian I just started a couple years and wasnāt sure.
OH - Iād thought Iād add a note about the polycone caps I use for the amber glass Boston Round bottles.
I will now ONLY get the thermoset/phenolic polycone caps! Never get the polypropylene polycone caps - at least on purpose! I find the polypropylene ones will always warp, and get worse over time - to the point where they start popping off the bottles. Even before they start popping off, I canāt see how they seal as well when warped - and they always warp, no matter what in my experience.
The good caps are the thermoset/phenolic polycone caps. (Iāve seen them called both names, most often being called āphenolicā.) Theyāre usually only a few cents more per capā¦ And since they donāt warp, you wonāt constantly be replacing them.
As to which size caps to order for the Boston Round amber glass bottles, it would almost always be (I have yet to see otherwise):
20/400 for 1oz
22/400 for 4oz
28/400 for 16oz
(I havenāt gone to 32oz or gallon ones - YET! 
But if I hear a flavor might go away due to the DAP hysteria, I might very likely buy a couple/few gallons of it.)
Another way Iāve recently discovered to measure cap size, is by the PDF chart here: http://www.essentialsupplies.com/pdf/cap_guide.pdf
When buying bottles by the 12-pack, sometimes they will come with the polypropylene caps. But when buying by bulk you can easily get the caps separately. Of course, you can just get caps only if you already have the bottles.
Hope this helps people avoid those awful polypropylene caps. For the life of me, I canāt understand why they even make them - or why people/businesses would use them just to āsaveā a few cents.
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@Brian_Haug Thanks very much for this. I have always stressed phenolic polycone caps, but was UN-aware of the thermoset. I believe I have found some additional informationā¦
Undersanding Cap Materials
There are two basic types of plastic closures used for scientific applications: Thermoset (Bakelite) and thermoplastic (polypropylene).
Thermoset closures (urea, phenolic, melamine, etc.)Thermoset closures cannot be remelted after they are formed. They provide the widest range of chemical compatibility and they exhibit the most tolerance to temperature of all plastic closures. Because thermoset closures are rigid, they provide the most consistent adherence to close dimensional tolerances.
Phenolic is short for Phenol Formaldehyde Resin (PF). At 220Ā°C (428Ā°F) or above, Phenolic caps will start to decompose. However, due to their non-chemically reactive nature, when exposed to corrosive or harmful chemicals over time, phenolic caps will not give out the way other polymers might. Theyāre very tough when used in the correct temperature range.
Thermoplastic closures (Polypropylene, Polyethylene, etc.)Thermoplastics can be remelted after initially formed. Polypropylene caps are known for good impact strength, cost effectiveness, and pliability. Polypropylene is autoclavable and polyethylene is not. Polypropylene can withstand high temperatures (itās melting point is 130Ā°C), but is less suitable for freezing temperatures where it can become brittle. The melting point for polyethylene is 115ā135 Ā°C and it is best for option freezing temperatures.
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I just found my strawberry ripe tpa to smell like straight alchohol. I think its about 2-3 years old haha, guess its time to replace it or make a toastš
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