I grabbed the GVC clone recipe off here yesterday and knocked it up.
I don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner or crock pot but check this out.
I put a saucepan filled with water in smallest hob on lowest heat setting. I left it on and went out but came back longer than expected (about 10 hours)
The custard is now that much desirable dark red colour. Problem is I’ve got a chest infection and terrible cough so I can’t even smoke it.
Is this all too good to be true? Do you think I’ve destroyed the nic content and flavours?
I would say your nic is degraded. Custards, even when mixed on a hotplate magnetic stirrer will still need to steep.
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I crock pot em on low and they still need a week to get “nice”.
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@Maureeenie How long do you put them in the crock pot for? Is there a massive difference in colour too.
Also @LordVapor do you use a heated magnetic mixer? How long would you put them in the mixer before putting in the cupboard?
I’ve only been mixing for two weeks but everything I’ve made has been amazing. Custard is my fave so just want to find a method to steep as soon as possible lol
Only a couple hours until it gets hot an thins out. That’s when I shake the hell out of it, put it in the closet with the lid on but very loose for a day. Leaving the lid off gasses off the alcohol and chemicals. (its still warm so the heat helps with that too) After that I put the lid on, shake the hell out of it and throw it in a drawer. I date them so I know how old they are. To me they are pretty good in a week, better in two and amazing at one month. They start getting weird after 3 months… at least to me anyway - but my daughter and her husband never complain when I give it to them so maybe it’s just me.
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Yeah Johnny, I have a Corning hotplate stirrer. I have mixed for 4 hours at 120 degrees. The juice was amazing right off the stirrer and it had FLV Custard in it. But it still takes 2 - 3 weeks for it to be fully steeped I think. I don’t think the addition of heat and stirring actually causes the liquid to steep all that much. It homogenizes the mixture, basically blends everything together well. Best thing in my opinion is time.
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Heat will weaken flavors and nic. I don’t see why people waste stime with crock pots and usc
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I have heard that, and while it may, I have a recipe I have steeped both ways. The heated one actually tasted much richer after fully steeping
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Thanks for your replys people. Wow @LordVapor those stirrers are expensive! Look worth it though.
I assumed the colour change was a good indicator of how “ready” the juice is. I’m guessing that just shows how well it has mixed. I’m guessing the heat really worked there. I’m gonna leave it in the cupboard now for a week!
I do it because it blends it and thins it out. My nic is so low now I’m not even sure it matters 
When nic degrades it darkens. I know I have had nic do that on me. I am not sure if heating nic that long has the same darkening effect. Let us know after you vape some of this.
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The easiest way to explain why some including myself use heat on some mixes is simply because it works for us.
Heating does change the flavor ,excessive heating does damage the nicotine.Sometimes as LV stated the heat actually changes the flavor in a good way.I actually prefer what it does to TFA Vanilla Bean Ice Cream,many may not.
I am not too sure these mixing/curing temps are not part of the reason why trying to clone a store bought juice is so difficult.Then when you add other variables in , it makes it almost impossible to make a perfect clone but that is a another topic.
It’s really a preference. If it’s done properly it doesn’t affect juice or the quality of the nic. I know I have some amazing mixes that was speed steeped from a USC and a little heat. It still required further steeping, but it does give you a shorter steep time.
I fully agree with this because I’ve had identical batches steeped normally and USC heat steeped and the USC juice steeped faster and was richer and more flavorful.
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I understand a lot of people wont agree but I apply the principles of cooking.
Heat creates chemical changes. With food you have to heat it to various degrees to get spices to bond with meat, sugars to break down and fats to release. Different chemical things happen at different temperatures. The nicotine may break down or degrade or change color, true - but flavor is what I personally get out of vaping.
If you want flavors (especially organic in nature) to bond, blend work together, usually you have to put some heat on it but some vape recipes are “better” with no heat because certain flavors will break down if heat is applied. (Like a fruit salad, you wouldn’t cook a melon)
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