I like to cook up a large variety at one time but find some flavors fade quicker than others. Vendors make large batches that have must have a shelf life, what’s their secret for making these juices last so long? What’s a reasonable expectation for DIY?
I second that question, possibly may have many variables included in the answer (ie. Brand, storage conditions, bottle components, temperature). This may be a long thread 
But can’t wait to hear from those who have the knowledge.
Happy Vaping, Vape ON!
That is an excellent question! I must confess that I don’t know much about it. I know that keeping nic, flavors and mixed liquids cooled will delay the steeping process. I know some of my own mixes will turn very dark after a couple of months - most still taste fine, though in some mixes some flavor notes becomes more prominent, and some flavors fade. Anise and peppermint, for example tend to fade rather quickly. Some of my mixes hardly change at all though.
So in short: I’ll be listening in on this one too! 
I wonder if Citric Acid in the mixes where that fits will help the mix to keep better?
Well not sure how vendors do it, but I do know that what causes juice to go bad quickly is the oxidation of the nicotine. That being said, when you mix up large batches to start the steep process, don’t add nicotine until you bottle it up for individual uses.
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Thats a very good point, ive noticed anise drops off after 8 weeks but around 12 some are stone dead!
Most of us don’t know a lot about this subject. What I do know is that Nicotine in your VG starts oxidizing quickly. Temperature, sunlight, and oxygen are huge contributors to the process. Storing your nicotine in black containers, in dark and cool places are essential. I refrigerate mine with no ill effects. Any vendors I have asked about flavor shelf life has said 1 year. Should have also asked “after opening”, “even unopened”. Here’s one more thing to consider. When you buy a premium juice they are usually in a dropper bottle and the good companies use amber or a dark blue bottle. There’s a reason for this. The juice is protected from light. Drug companies do the same thing to lengthen the shelf life of the drugs. I think we can safely say that the way you store your blends and your nicotine is the most important of all. I personally see no reason why one couldn’t refrigerate the blend once steeped. Anyone heard of any adverse effects of refrigeration of ejuices?
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I store all of my 16oz bottles in a mini fridge that has nothing but my flavorings and ejuice in it. I have had a 16os bottle in that fridge for over a year now and recently poured out a 30ml, it was fantastic as it should have been. My wife works in a lab and this is how she suggested i store the large bottles of juice both to preserve the flavor and slow down the curing process.I break down my nick into 15ml/30ml glass bottles and put them in vacuum sealed bags then store them in the deep freezer.
I usually only store large bottles in it as a 4/8oz bottle of my/our favorite will not last long enough to bother.
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Hi Ken_O_Where;
Yes, I too was refrigerating everything at one point. I now use everything except nicotine quite fast. (Buy Nicotine 100mg and per gallon). I now only refrigerate my nicotine. I too saw no ill effects in refrigeration with either DIY supplies or finished blends. I posted my question because I have had one person say they heard refrigeration was not good for your ejuice.
One thing that I did notice that most of you won’t run into is I used to refrigerate my tasting tanks with the juice in them. I started noticing the the tanks were starting to leak badly one by one. Not sure exactly why but I thought it might be possible the expanding and contracting may have loosened the glass inserts in the tank or maybe effected the gaskets in some way. Don’t know for sure. I now just put tasting tanks in ziplocks so they are not exposed to the air constantly. The tasting juice stays tasty longer doing this.
Anyone heard anything bad about refrigeration of DIY supplies…
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I havent heard of any ill affects, i remember linda from TFA stating that it was not harmful to the liquids and said refrigeration couldnt hurt. While writing this i decided to search for the pdf and here it is:storage
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That’s some good information on flavor storage. It did mention that refrigeration was not necessary with flavors. I had already assumed this myself but nice to have confirmation. We can now also confirm that refrigeration of PG is not necessary. I did find the information about the plastic bottle storage and the rubber in dropper bottles disturbing.
Just found some info on the VG
Store the container in a cabinet or drawer. Don’t expose the container to excessive amounts of sunlight because repeated heating can break down the chemical bonds in the glycerin.
Use smoked or colored glass or plastic with the glycerin to avoid excess exposure to the light.
If your glycerin seems to dry out, take the lid off and let in some air. The glycerin will pull moisture from
the air and rehydrate.You can add water, just a few drops at a time to help rehydrate the product.
While glycerin does not have a specific shelf life, it can break down over time. If it stops rehydrating it is
probably not effective any longer.
The best storage temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees.
If stored for too long in the airtight container it can lose its moisturizing capabilities due to loss
of water. Exposure to water will rehydrate the product.
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