I posted this response today and it got me to thinking about the subject of restocking flavors. There was another thread similar to this subject from February of last year, so as we’re nearing 2 years since the subject was first posted I thought it warranted a new discussion.
In vaping a year old mix, I started thinking about flavors and how they can and will fade in strength over time. It doesn’t matter if it’s a really great flavor or a so-so one, they all weaken in our lab. Now I know I’ve made mention of culling my stash of flavors I don’t use, and I will absolutely do that. Part of that process will be to decide which of the flavors I won’t use because I don’t like them - and there a good many. I’ve thought about giving them away but most are fairly old and have lost a great deal of their aroma which, IMO, necessarily translates into weaker flavor since taste and smell are so closely related.
So then when I’m done eliminating flavors I don’t like, my thought is I’m not really done. Of the ones left - how old are they? I’ve got some flavors I like that are at least 2-3 years old. IMO those need to go too. So I think there should be an ongoing effort to restock flavors that I like but don’t use much of. And those would be better to get in smaller bottles. So starting with my most recent purchases, my plan is to use a sharpie to write the purchase date on the bottle so I’ll know when I should restock that flavor. Question is…when should that be? I’m sure there’s no one-size-fits-all expiration so the process couldn’t be that simple. Unless of course one wanted to have a generic period of time which I’m leaning toward. I’ve heard 2 years from some mfgs but if I wanted to apply a general rule, I’m thinking 18 months. What do you think?
What is your process for restocking flavors? I think it’s important because if you make mixes with flavors that have weakened and someone mixes your recipe with fresh flavors, they may pull the atty away from their lips and think “what’s this guy smoking? this is terrible!”
Would be cool to see what the manufacturers say. Would you be up for emailing them. I’d be interested to hear about it from them. If they say 1 year then you bet you could add 50%
test your theory do a single flave test on a old flave see how it tatse , i dont think the smell and taste thing being tied together applies in the concentrates and extract world
I heard several things, some say 3 months others say 9-12. I’m pretty sure this will vary depending on the flavouring in particular. Let’s see what the vendors themselves say!
I’m in the process of chucking a lot of older flavors as well some I really don’t use anymore and truth be told do they really taste like they used to…no prob not.
Linda from TFA states this on flavor life expectancy
Even shorter for Sweet Cream TFA which is 6 months.
Each time we open our bottles and use them little by little the top notes of the flavor are degrading by oxygen.
I’m w/ you as far as what is an acceptable time limit on flavors and when they need to be pitched. I stopped buying larger than 2 oz just bc I don’t use it fast enough. I know I’ve wasted $ this away but I supposed you could call not using it fast enough waste as well if time sensitivity is something that matter to you and your flavors.
I just find myself migrating to more and more extracts. I know they’ll always be a place for each vendor as we all have our favorites from each of them.
I’d say pitch them after 18 months is a decent rule of thumb considering you know when a flavor has gone off especially if you can see a distinct color change and smell a few Caps have done this to me Boston Cream Pie and Cool Mint.
Thank you Amy. And thanks for the link. Speaking of links…the reason I started this thread was a perceived link between the diminished flavor of that Subliminal mix I made and the time factor. Yeah, to me it just reasons that time is no friend to flavor whether they be natural or synthetic. I’m sure some of the big commercial juice companies know this to a greater degree, although I will say I’ve yet to see a bottle of commercial juice with a “best when used by” date. Maybe some do this I just haven’t seen it.
the reason i say this is because of the high potency in extracts / concentrates , i smell a can of black olives when i am smelling blueberry MF but i dont taste that , also take vienna cream nail polosh smell but not nail polish taste , but in most things your right 100 pct , tpa says flaves dont go bad they change due to loss of molecules fruits having smaller ones so your flave changes quicker than creams and such , thats why i would test single flave instead of depending on smell
Ahh, I understand what you’re saying now. I wouldn’t necessarily toss a flavor over smell alone. Definitely nothing I like and use frequently.
You reminded me of an incident this summer. I made some ice cream and added some strawberry flavoring to it. It was fantastic but I wanted some color. My wife had some food coloring so I grabbed what I thought was red and added a touch. It looked red when I dripped it onto the batch but as soon as I started stirring it the real color appeared. Yes, I ate yellow colored strawberry ice cream
lmao thats funny , im doing some inventory as well and will be giving away some flaves like strawberry shortcake FW things like that when i went crazy and bought because it was what i wanted to make and thought the flave bearing the name would help and as we all know NOPE it doesnt help AT ALL learning lessons i do use these flaves for my friends who like anything i make because it is better than most commercial stuff lol
I only have a couple flavors that have seen more then 6 months in my flavor kit. I make juice for myself and 2 of my friends so I go though the stuff pretty regularly. But I wouldnt suggest keeping flavors longer than a year no matter the situation.
Surprisingly I have some flavors that are over 3 years old that are just fine IMO. We keep lot records for 3 years and at the end I like to pull “expired” ones out to play with. Just for personal use but honestly I never had an issue. (I have no clue about others, this is just from my personal experience)
Something else to be concerned with is citric or any acidic flavors. If they sit for an extended amount of time in a plastic container, there is due to be some breakdown.
I was going to chirp up on that but got sidetracked in another thread.
I just recently (BF) bought two gross of 2 dram glass bottles with poly cone lined lids. Literally just got done converting the majority of the plastic bottles. I’ve already gone through a full gross! That’s right. 144 glass bottles already used! ><
I’ll say this though…it was educational! You really find out quick who’s pulling the wool over on amounts. And who are giving you what you paid for! (And sometimes extra!)
Anyways, I’ve been a vocal proponent for those vendors that use glass from day one, with just this topic in mind. I’ll be interested to see how the dust settles on this one. Especially now that I’m at the 200 flavor mark. This is no longer “just a hobby”. It’s an investment. LMAO Like I didn’t have enough of those already… (electronics test equip, guitar gear, mechanics tools… Etc) Thank God I’m done “hunting for hardware”. =P
Less than a year in, and 200 flavors. Sheesh. What a revolting development.
Oh, you were specific about acids being worse. Well that’s definitely how it read.
I don’t want people rushing out to get more expensive glass under the impression that acids were a problem and wasting money for an incorrect information.
Leeching and plastic is a complex story. Nutshell, some cheap plastic shit was leeching nasty shit into the foods & liquids they were storing. Industry, picked up its game along with marketers (assholes) and now you pay an extra premium to be safe. Decent plastic will be fine.
Yikes! Upon rereading, I can easily see why you would think that. And I’m not sure how I missed it (other than the usual way my mind hits one thing, and launches off into a tangent by correlation).
I was definitely not trying to suggest that flavors would eat through plastic bottles! Glad you stopped that idea cold. Sorry for the leap that lost anyone!
There’s still some cheap plastic on use out there by vendors that rebottle. When you can still smell the flavour that was in the bottle, after a thorough soap wash, and hour+ in the UC, IMO leeching has definitely occurred. Especially these days, as concentrates have gotten stronger! That’s why I switch to glass. (And incidentally, the main reason). I’m thinking I could also be extending shelf life, but that remains to be seen/proven.
Good one mate! Are you a long-time mixer. If so PM me a really nice Orange Cream recipe. My head has been contemplating those flavours for the last hour or so. Be interesting to see what an experienced person would come up with and what brands to use. But I don;t want to hijack thread. So Hit me up If you got one.
