hello people!
just about to buy some equipment for making better DIY’s… i don’t know how this thing called in english - you put your jar on this machine and it heats and mixes at the same time, have seen it in the store where chemists buy their equipment … anyone had dealed with something like that here for sure … any good?
which temperature is good for “hot bath”?
are there flavors that are destroyed by heating process?
Mabey this thread might help you.
It would either be a heated mixing plate or What if refered to as an ultrasonic cleaner.
It is called a heat and stir plate and I have been using one for 6 months and would not mix any other way…
I use a “Hotplate Magnetic Stirrer” daily. I have been told as long as you stay below 125 F degrees flavors should not dissipate. I have mixed quite a few batches that way and it has created some killer juice that normally would have to steep a long time. I have since gone back to a more natural method of steeping, but I still heat my mixes on the stirrer. I stay below 100 F degrees now. It helps the stir bar spin more freely.
So here is my suggestion… Mix a recipe at 120 F degrees and mix another at 100 F degrees and let them both steep. Go back and try them and see for yourself which you prefer. When mixing with heat, cap off your container as best you can. I use a rubber glove and cut off a finger to wrap over the container if I am using my Erlenmeyer flasks. I am not sure how I am going to achieve this when my 600ml beaker arrives. I guess I will use a whole glove lol.
As in no heat and just time? [quote=“LordVapor, post:5, topic:47396”]
I have since gone back to a more natural method of steeping
[/quote]
I still apply heat. Just at lower temperatures. I heat to less than 100 degrees just to get the liquid thinned for stirring. But I will probably still on occasion crank it up to 125 degrees to produce a juice quickly. I have a customer that orders for himself, his mother, and 5 other people all at the same time. So I have been mixing frantically all weekend trying to come up with 6 steeped recipes. The heat goes up in these situations. And the customer is made clear these may not be 100% steeped, and he knows he’s not getting my best liquids.
That being said, I have heated to 125 degrees and have let recipes stir for 4 to 5 hours at that temperature and they have came off the stirrer tasting fantastic. Especially custards.
I too add heat atm to help with the blending process, helps them meld together better, but keep temps lower 50-80f. Does the higher temp 125f not affect your nic?
I prefer to build up a little and often supply, that being said I don’t sell that much. Half a dozen friends, but because I’ve told them the benefit’s of time, they tend to pick the steeped ones. Lol. I’ve done a cpl of make to order and 2 of them taking it that day but they’ve all been made aware of the benefits of steaping.
I add the nic when the customer orders the juice.
@bradslinux on here uses a stirrer and he told me he stays below 125 degrees. I had done that for a dozen mixes or so and I never noticed a loss of flavor. But most of those were new recipes. All I really know is, my recipes were turning an amber color after 4 hours and they were great right off the stirrer. But since then, I have vaped some of my 2 month old naturally steeped Unicorn Milk and the flavor is very smooth, very creamy, and is very tasty. It is the best Unicorn Milk I have ever vaped.
So I got the impression natural steeping may be better. I haven’t mixed Unicorn Milk at 125 degrees to see how it comes off to compare. But I guess I need to do that. I need more of it anyway. But today I have a few other recipes that need to be on the stirrer. So I guess I better get busy 
I do, but I usually don’t keep it at temp for prolonged times. I mostly use it to get a very thorough mix. It usually takes my stir plate between 30-45 mins to hit temp, when it does, I kill the heat and let it cool while stirring. Then bottle it. IMHO and experiences, nothing replaces natural aging for bringing the potential out of a mix. I also agree, the 2 month old CWS version of UM I have is terrific.
Oh ok. I have read where people put their juice in the crock pot for a few hours on low. I have also read where people leave bottles in their car in the summer time. So I was going by the same theory that extended heating must work. And I must admit, the Banerry Custard I made was phenomenal right off the stirrer after a 4 hour heat and stir. I made 250ml of it and my customers have cleaned me out. So I mixed 16oz this weekend and I only heated it to 100 degrees and stirred for a couple hours. It is nowhere near as good without the extra heat. The color didn’t change much at all. But I know in a month or two it will be really good.
So I have come to the conclusion that heat is OK if you need a juice ready to vape quickly. But I am leaning toward the natural steeping is better in the end. Being that I am new to custards, I don’t have much to base this on except my first large mix was the 2 month old Unicorn Milk I have. I guess I will know in a month because 16oz of Banerry Custard should last a good while. Then I will have a recipe that I have made both ways to compare.
What is bad is, after making 16oz two days ago, I am now making another batch that is going to stir for 4 hours at 120 degrees to fill some more orders. Because I know I can’t sell them the unsteeped juice and expect them to want it again after trying the first batch I made using the heat.
Heat is totally ok. Just not to hot. Some people recommend 150 water temp 2-4 hours in the crock pot. I typically do 125 after I mixed new recipes and heat for about an hour then use a sawzall to shake up the liquids. To me it gives my liquids a slight jump start but not too much. That way when they sit for 1-2 weeks they are ready. My custards I try to wait to they 2-3 week mark. My banana custard I’m vaping I made 12/28 and is just fantastic. I could have vaped it sooner, but I was 'nana’ed out for alittle while cuz I went through 30mls in two days while in Vegas.
I just mixed up another batch of my Snicker Doodle and I heated it to 100 degrees and let it heat and stir all night. It tastes just like the first time I mixed it.
hey 
which version of the Unicorn Milk recipe you prefer?
I have only mixed cutwood spy’s version. It’s perfect.
I try to keep mine at around 91 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit and only for 20 to 25 minutes max.
What are your thoughts about flavor with nic in the hot steep vs mixing in nic after hotsteep?
Bonus song for all the hot-steepers.
Here comes the hotsteepa: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEJ2b6IaGWU](Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper (YouTube))