I don’t know how anyone can vape something within hours of mixing it. There is no defined flavor unless you’re using 15-20% of each flavor concentrate. It’s an absolute must. Try Flavorah lemonade day one and again day 30. Without steeping, that flavor is overwhelming to say the least. On the opposite end, try Cappela sweet strawberry day one and again day 30. There is barely a hint day one versus a bold strawberry day 30.
In other aspects, some flavors have a very strong alcohol taste that needs to tone down which can only be done over time. You have to give an adequate amount of time.
It’s science. Think of marinating chicken. You don’t just make your marinade, stick the chicken in it for 15 minutes and then cook it. Typically you would leave it overnight or maybe 2 night. Why? Because it takes time for that marinade to penetrate the thick, dense tissue of the chicken. The longer you marinate the chicken, more of the flavor is present throughout the entire piece, not just the outside of it. The same concept applies here. VG is thick and viscous and it does not adapt quickly to flavors. Essentially what happens is the flavoring needs to break down the molecules of the VG in order for it to adapt to them. More so in juice with a high VG content. This can’t happen instantaneously, it can only take time. And regardless of all the “quick” steeping methods out there, i.e. hot water, ultrasonic cleaner, etc…, it’s time that provides the best results.
In closing, steeping is a necessity. Unless you’re satisfied with vaping VG with minuscule, bland notes of the flavor concentrates that you mixed in it, it is critical. And all flavors are different. Some may take longer than others, however the results in the end with pay dividends of satisfaction when you taste your final product.
“Word” from on high… Steeping patience comes more easily as you amass juice. The secret to steeping? …buy a bunch of empty 30ml glass dropper bottles and fill them. Every time you make a flavor order, add a dozen (or two!) bottles and include some 120ml bottles for fav recipes …if you can’t mix often, mix big (thanks @Chrispdx!) It’ll happen naturally
It’s great that you’ve found a lot of recipes that don’t need steeping. Everyone’s tastes are different and maybe you won’t like any of the custard or bakery recipes that need steeping. Keep an open mind about it though. As many others have pointed out, steeping can play a vital role for many flavors; there’s a science behind all of the reasons why. Using your analogy of Mountain Dew, well what about wine? Some flavors are fine right away, some need to age to reach their full potential. Currently I have a fruit combo that’s lively and crisp as a S&V then gets sweet and mellow after a few weeks. I like both versions even though it’s the same recipe but if I want the crisper version, I have to mix it fresh. Occasionally, a flavor combo might be great right away up to a week, then mature into shoe polish for some mysterious reason.
I steep my bakery mixes and then add my fruits. And even then I find some fruits need additional time to lose some of their harshness or chemical off-notes. Example: Inawera Blackcurrant is a must steep flavor and if you ever try working with FA Blackberry…
By the time you purchase soda at the store, it has in theory already been steeped (as we vapers know this term). The flavor molecules have reacted with each other and it isn’t just shipped out the door after whipping it together. The Maillard reaction is the chemical interaction between amino acids and reducing sugars. A good simple example of this is browning a pork chop first in a frying pan and then baking it till done. In fact, the process was being used in the preparation of food since the dawn of man.
Back to soda, the dissolved sugar and flavor concentrates used are mixed in batch tanks where they are carefully mixed. The flavor base is treated with ultraviolet radiation or flash pasteurization, which involves quickly heating and cooling the mixture. Fruit-based syrups generally must be pasteurized. Then it is mixed with water and lastly carbon dioxide. The analogy here is that this could be interpreted as steeping short term with heat.
Simply not true. There are plenty of mixes that are good straight away. That’s not to say they don’t change over time - all do to one degree or another. Most for the better but some…not so much. You will find good reading on the subject here.
And it so happens one of my favorite mixes is excellent as a shake and vape. Of course it does get better in a week or so, but right off it’s really good.
I’ve only been mixing about 3 months now and found steeping has vastly improved some of my first mixes that I thought were a dead loss after trying them a few days after mixing.
The only real snv that I have enjoyed are one shot concentrates I purchased like T Juice Red Astaire and Black N Blue, these I mixed at 20% and were vapeable from the off and tasted just like premium.
I Have about 10 one shots now that I mix and vape whilst my stash is Steeping.
SnVs are a WONDERFUL thing, but most of the time steeping will change the flavor. more often than not the flavor gets stronger, but a lot of times flavors that are really strong off the bat calm down over time.
Same here. I have a recipe that’s nice, bright, and crisp as a snv that develops into a sweeter, more smooth vape after a couple weeks.
All of my minty menthol mixes are S&N just because the way my daily routines go, I’m usually getting low by the time I can mix anything. They do mellow out a lot after a week or two. I’ve never had any last a month though. Creme De Menthe gets much creamier after a week but again, a 50 mil bottle only lasts a couple weeks so…
I know that working with NET liquids the first pull is horrific. After a month or so sublime is the only word I have for them. I made a cherry vanilla pipe that I heat cooled and tried. Nope no sir. Put in my coffee can steeper and month later, best pipe I have ever had.
some flavors are good even for shake and vape… some others need time, some others need more time and some other need much more time…
i will not speak for different steeping techniques or whatever… but in a very generic way i would say:
fruits : usually they can be ready fast…
creams: need more time
complex recipes: need much more time…
high VG juices: need even more time specially when the recipes are complex
very big batches: imho need much more time…
though steeping is a very personal preference… i mean even if we are talking for the same juice, i could taste better for me in 30 days and for you at 15 days… but oh well did i said days? that’s steeping
in a more expert way and simple to explain the thing is waiting for the ejuice to be stable… what this means? waiting for it to be on a state that we can’t understand any changes in taste… for explaining it further
let’s say you’re making a very large batch like 1liter of an ejuice called "Elixir of youth"
forget about the recipe… doesn’t matter… it’s flavor A, B,C and D…
if you start vaping it on first day that batch was created (if you like it that way) a few days it will have a different taste… the same after a week, some goes after 2 or 3 weeks (timelines are random just for an example) etc etc… when the ejuice is stable anymore no matter what it will taste the same!!!
if you’re making small batches probably you can’t understand this thing very well… ejuices need time to get steeped… but 30ml or 50ml can go away in just a few days before the procedure completes so this can’t be a rule… in my case that i make very large batches 300ml-1liter of different juicees storing them in my closet, i start vaping them after like 30-40 days, sometimes some recipe require a little more time to be completely stable… and that’s a good point of steeping… while in general steeping methods can vary! there are several ways to steep… personally i don’t consider myself as an expert still learning and i have a lot to learn yet… though all i want to say is that steeping isn’t just a myth… it’s a requirement or even i would say a MUST!
Oh i thought it was just his preference because i heard some people prefer it fresh, but i dont get anything ‘cookie’ that way. I’ll treat it just like custard then. Thanks!
I’d be surprised if those people actually did any comparison testing. I think some people with the shake & vape mentality are doing themselves (and their juices) an injustice. The steeping process really needs to viewed as an absolute necessity if you expect the best from your mixes.
To realize the potential of a single flavor IMHO is pretty simple. Just take a flavor that has properly steeped and compare it to a freshly mixed version. Naturally the word “properly” is open to interpretation.
Creme De Menthe gets much creamier after a week but again, a 50 mil bottle only lasts a couple weeks so… 
