At first i was mixing a shaking the bottles. Custards good. Everything else rubbish
Then there was the milk frother method. Give it a good mix until you get loads of tiny air bubbles.
So this I have been doing. Custards and milkshakes good. Everything else rubbish.
So then i look around on the net and come across a guide from Mitten Vapors (ive tried their stuff. very nice)
And i quote…
“Step 1 (VERY IMPORTANT STEP): Shake the bottle lightly for 1-2 minutes, dont overshake, avoid creating too many bubbles (especially the tiny microbubbles) Be sure to flip the bottle over at some point to make sure everything is mixed well. This is the only time in the steeping process that you will shake the bottle”
It goes on to say plenty other things that contradict what i read here
In the meantime Im looking at 100ml of frothing, tiny bubbled liquid that Im now concerned about
As long as it works for you and you like the end result… who cares if there is a better way? You can still experiment with the other badges and adjust afterwards.
I can’t think of any reason why “overshaking” could cause any problems, though.
Make a batch, turn slowly upside down and back upright so the liquid mixes slightly but no air bubbles are present, put in dark cupboard for steep time.
Make a batch, shake the crap out of it so the bottle is full of air bubbles, put in dark cupboard for steep time.
Once steeped, examine both bottles, write down, color, consistency, smell, taste(finger to tongue), vape side by side, write down any differences.
Oh, almost forgot! Report back here with your findings
Personally I have always believed its the introduction of air that could throw off a mix. Oxygen reacts with everything. The chemical bonds are weak in O2…hence the ability of nic to oxidize.
Personally I shake the hell out of my bottles with a sawzall. The end result I’m sure looks just like using frother. The only difference is that it wasn’t done in open air…what’s in the bottle stays in the bottle.
Just my take. But just like everyone else says. If it works for you then great.
I personally don’t believe in the need for Frothing. I just shake well and then steep. [quote=“Middle_Finger_Salute, post:1, topic:95984”]
Step 1 (VERY IMPORTANT STEP): Shake the bottle lightly for 1-2 minutes, dont overshake, avoid creating too many bubbles (especially the tiny microbubbles) Be sure to flip the bottle over at some point to make sure everything is mixed well. This is the only time in the steeping process that you will shake the bottle
[/quote]
This is quite odd. How in the heck can you shake a bottle 1-2 minutes and avoid creating bubbles? Unless you are blending alcohol based flavors that need to breath overnight, then I wouldn’t worry about bubbles. Also, I do not shake for 1-2 minutes. Don’t think this is necessary either. All my opinion but my methods have worked well thus far…
You sound like me when it comes to electronics. Generally speaking, rules are hard and fast. Ohm’s law IS a law. In digital 1 is on, 0 is off. Etc. Etc
What you have to remind yourself in mixing is this is a hobby (for us) in a newly forming industry! There are no preexisting rules or laws, and things are being fleshed out via many methods. This includes everything from applied science to sheer lazyness, and spans everything in between. Often times, quite literally.
Try not to sweat the details, and for some personality types, that’s not easy (I know, believe me). But try many things, and continue reading many sources. And try what makes sense to you first. If something doesn’t work, try another approach.
Another hard aspect to watch IMO is: once you find what works for you, don’t make the mistake of automatically discounting everything someone else has to offer, because of a major difference in approach. Someone may seem weird for how they weigh materials, but they could have a sense of taste that’s dead on. Others may refuse to use heat Steeping, but are a man among men when building a mod. Etc etc.
Most of all. Enjoy the ride. =)
Best of luck in however you decide to approach things, and never be afraid to ask for help. No matter what end of the spectrum you land in, there’s almost certainly someone who will be able to help!
I love everyone here, but they aren’t all right about their methods. Lately I’ve been sick of the effort of shaking it so much so I just warm it a little to thin it, shake it pretty well, let it gas off with the lid off one night and put it away to steep 2 days to a week and it’s perfect.
The idea of shaking is to mix everything together, it NEEDS shaking or moving around somewhat because as you know, VG is heavier than PG and will NOT mix properly without this agitation, that being said, the amount of force needed for the best mix of all ingredients is yet to be established.
You have to remember that there are a number of other factors involved in the steeping / mixing process that can make or break a mix.
I want Perfection, and won’t stop experimentation till I get it
Reading this thread and other threads like it reminds me of James Bond 007, what does he order? “A medium dry martini, lemon peel. Shaken, not stirred.”. I wish I kept better notes but at some point my mini mixer mixed juice did not steep as well as I had hoped, It did such a great job the juice looked white like milk. So anyway I gave it to my wife and began shaking vigorously all the juice. This make a bunch of tiny bubbles but does not make it look like milk, and the juice tasted fine after it aged. I considered making or buying a mag stirrer, but decided I liked the shake method and everything was tasting better than the froth till milky method. Now I’m thinking we need a guide that based on the contents the juice should be stirred, shaken, vibrated, ultrasonic bathed, mag stirred or some combination of 2 or more methods. I don’t use the microwave method, I have an ion escaping phobia and I go through too much foil making the protective safety hats.
sorry bro, I was in a hurry this morning, but i wanted to at least get the article to you.
I did an experiment. took lots of notes and made a bunch of recipes (i’m weird like that), to put it basic terms, I took my favorite recipe at the time and frothed and breathed one, frothed one, shake and breath one, shook one, i attaced one to a sawzaw or however you spell it, what I came up with has a lot to do with how lazy i am but i give it a vigorous shake and put it away and when ever i look through what i have made, i usually give a casual shake. the reason i don’t use the sawzaw is because i am lazy.
now I dont even do that (unless it’s a tester) because i have a magnetic stirer.
Now I am about to give you some VERY IMPORTANT advice…
You should always and forever follow your instincts
if you like the frother and it gives you satisfaction
to see it all frothed up, then do it that way or you
decide to give it a limp wrist.
Anywho, i hope i didn’t ramble to much. One thing is for certain is you found your way here
and that is a good thing. peace
when i first started diy i read the same thing about creating too many small aor bubbles was no good , i forget where i read it @PascalP37 i believe this subject was talked about by you could you help out , and tell us why tiny air bubbles created by frothing isnt a great idea ty
Everybody has there perfect (for themselves) way of handling newly made juice. I truly think that like mixing a drink it’s up to the person consuming it to decide the “right” way to do it.
I shake my new juice with my left arm till it feels as if my arm is going to fall off then repeat with the right arm. At that point I put it in my Ultrasonic Cleaner for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size. Then it’s off to steep land. the first 3 to 6 days of steeping I shake the hell out of my juice at least once a day then back in the deep dark cupboard to sit and reflect upon itself. After the first week I usually open burp (and I’m gonna catch a lot of grief over saying that) smell it and sneak a little to try out Sampling that’s what I’ll call it. then back to steeping for at least 3 more days but as much as another 3 to 4 weeks.
This works for me. I like it therefore I do it. Everybody else has their way they like it and they can and do do it.
This is all I do to mix and I definitely don’t have any issues with it not being mixed enough. I do shake during steeping occasionally, and I shake up my bottles for a second or two before filling my tanks. I never “breathe” my mixes, and I don’t use an UC. My reasoning behind my method is 1) I’m kinda lazy, and 2) it works for me!
I’ve had a lot of crappy mixes and a few really good ones. Always the same method, no matter what I mix for the last 8 months or so…
Add ingredients to bottle by weight
Mix with my handy ‘paint mixer’ (If I’m mixing more than 60ml bottles, it’s more of a stirring than a ‘frothing’ that happens… some bubbles, but not a lot)
Cap and age in dark cabinet
That’s all I’ll probably ever do because it just works ok for me.
