So I’m trying to perfect my steeping process and want to make sure I’m getting it right…
Any answers will be greatly appreciated and I know everyone has different methods!
Do you steep your juices with the lids/caps on or off?
Do you shake your juices and if so how often?
After you’ve shaken the juice do you let it breathe with the lid off until the bubbles are gone?
What temperature/environment do you steep your juices in?
I generally heat the base liquid, vg and pg slightly before adding the flavours.
This helps, I find especially with the VG, for the flavours to mix well.
I then whisk with a milk frother and then decant to the bottles.
I leave the cap off for around 2 hours, or longer if any of the flavourings contain alcohol, usually overnight in a dark cupboard.
I then shake the bottle when capped and leave again in a dark cupboard for about a week for most flavours but if I have a custard or complex cream mix I leave to steep for 4 weeks.
When I am happy with the steep I add the desired nicotine and give a good shake.
This has worked for me so far?
That’s interesting… So you add the nicotine after the liquid has steeped?
For 2 simple reasons.
1/ it is the most expensive ingredient so if something goes wrong with the mix then I haven’t wasted it?
2/ there really is no need for the nicotine to be added at the beginning?
Obviously that is my take on it and I do understand many others include the nicotine at the beginning so the choice is yours?
That makes very good sense, the way you put it…
I wonder if anyone else has any opinions on this? Does this properly blend quickly?
I just keep it simple. Mix with paint mixer (milk frother) cap and store in my steeping cabinet at room temp.
The only time I ‘breathe’ my juice is if I mix with a flavoring high in alcohol content. Then I’ll let it breathe overnight in the cabinet, cap, store.
advice from a pro, right there
pfft… .ya’ll kill me!
I just do what I love and love what I do, hoping others benefit too!
I am curious what you guys think of using a candle warmer plate, and filling a mug with water with a rag at the bottom to protect from direct heat? the one i have is 15watts with high and low setting. my temperature estimate on low setting is that it will heat the cup to about 130 degrees F. I have heard this will speed up steeping, and keep it cool enough to not damage the flavoring
i use a magnetic hot plate and leave it mixing for about a hour then leave cap off for hour the away it goes in the draw for a week or so
not sure i’ve seen or heard of this one before. why dont you give it a whirl and report to the forum with your results?
I haven’t started doing my DIY yet, still researching things, and waiting until April, when I can afford to do a large order to get all my things together at once (scale, vg/pg/nic/flavors/bottles/labels/pippettes/beakers ect. , I already have a shopping list of over 30 flavors I will need for the recipes I have in mind (my own creations 
)
Whip it, cap it, forget about it. …
As reported from several flavor mfg’s, heating above 125 deg can have negative impact on flavor. Many of the flavors we use are fairly volatile and gas out at low temps. I use a heated stir plate and keep my temps below 125 deg F for this reason. I also don’t let it sit and soak at temp for very long. I weigh out the the mix in an Erlenmeyer Flask, get it on the stir plate, start the mixing, then once my temperature probe hits 120-125 deg F, I pull the Erlenmeyer flask off the stir plate and bottle it. I let it cool and cap it then into the steep box it goes. So far by my palate to stellar results.
We all have our own systems for mixing, stirring, whipping…etc I think that a little heat is ok, but don’t over do it. For steeping, nothing can replace time.
I will have to test the tempurature of my warmer on low setting to be sure it is safe to use, then. the 130 estimate I made earlier, may be a little generous of its capability, it is only a 15 watt model, after all. not sure what low setting is as far as actual power usage/output compared to high, which I would assume uses the full 15w listed. I do have a feeling, I will still be placing them in the drawer for a while, either way… just want a way to speed up the process, some. I don’t like the idea of waiting upwards of a month to enjoy my creations 
I think some heat, and a week or so set aside would be tolerable to me, though. lol
Also, I am curious if the ratio of vg/pg makes a difference in steeping time?
I plan to be doing 70vg/30pg mainly.
My method: Put ingredients together in a beaker. Place beaker in mug of hot tap water and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes until the water is back to room temperature. Mix with a milk frother for a few seconds. Let bubbles subside. Decant into bottle using a funnel. Cap it and store it in my kitchen cabinet. Shake once per day, and try it after about a week. If it’s good, I’ll start vaping it. If it’s no good, I check to see if my coil head is all gunked up and needs to be replaced. If not, it’s probably because my recipe sucks. I have yet to have a recipe that was awful after a week miraculously become wonderful after two or more weeks. Good can become better, but bad just stays bad. An already good recipe can improve with steeping time, but you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
I’m lazy when it comes to steeping, so here’s the lazy man’s take on steeping. Answering the questions - I steep always with caps on, except for alcoholic bev. flavours, they need to breathe. I shake 'em every day for a couple of days until I forget to do so. After and before shaking I squeeze the bottle a few times to get some fresh air inside. Room temps at my place range from 16 C to 30 C. I normally just throw 'em in the cupboard and forget about them, then find out I still have this awesome juice I forgot about and am immensely happy to find out! lol That means I need extensive labelling, though.
Some interesting answers above!
USC for 30 minutes, shake until I can see lots of tiny bubbles in suspension, then let it sit for as long as it needs. My idea of a perfect recipe is one that yields a good flavor after the USC and shake, and gets even better if left to sit a week or two.
And I almost never uncap unless it feels/tastes like I’m vaping a noticeable amount of alcohol.