Steeping - Everything You Need To Know

What Is Steeping?

You may notice the ‘recommended steep time’ on some of your DarkStar products. Steeping is the process  of aging your juice so that all the individual flavours come out and it ultimately tastes better.

This is something you can expect with DIY products. Your e-liquid will be made up of several components including VG, PG, Flavour Concentrates and Nicotine. These products have different densities and they need time to mix at a molecular level.

This short blog will answer your questions and leave you a fully-informed DIY mixologist!

How Long Should I Steep My E-Liquid?

As a guideline the recommended steep times are as follows:
Simple Fruit Flavours: 1-3 days
Tobacco Flavours: 1-4 weeks
Custard, Bakery/Dessert Flavours: 1-4 weeks

These may seem like pretty vague guidelines but there is no set rule for steep times. You can’t rush perfection. Some complex dessert flavours are even recommended to be steeped for as long as 2 months to really bring out the flavours. We recommend experimenting and testing your mix at different times in its development to determine when it is at its best.

Can I Speed Up The Process?

Some people recommend heating as a way to speed up the steeping process. It is true that heating will speed up the changes in chemical structure but there are some important things to remember if you choose to steep this way.

If you are using excessive heat or leaving your liquid out in the sun, this will cause the nicotine to oxidize and make your juice harsh. Do not keep your liquid warmer than room temperature for long periods of time.

The recommended way to use heat is to heat to 90F to make the VG thinner and mix easier. Good things take time, and to avoid disappointment we recommend leaving your bottles in a cool, dark place and shaking every once in a while to help the process along.

Breathing

Breathing is when you take the cap off your bottle and let oxygen come into contact with your e-liquid. It is believed that it can help eliminate chemical taste or smell. If you choose this method, be aware that over a long period of time it can deteriorate flavour and lead to nicotine oxidization, meaning your liquid could be harsh.

Steeping takes patience. It might help to think of your juice as an aging whiskey. It will improve with time and you’ll be glad you waited in the end. To learn more about DIY e-liquid mixing, check out the rest of our blog or join our online community!