Steeping is an age old tradition when it comes to teas, beer and some food products. It’s a process of aging a product through oxidation, which helps to release the flavour. Some people enjoy steeping their e-liquids before using them, as it helps to remove any unsavoury bottles tastes, or volatile ingredients such as alcohol, which will evaporate during steeping.
The idea behind steeping e-liquids is that it helps to improve the vaping experience, it’s definitely not a must-do process and not the right method for everyone, but many vapers feel that it helps to mellow out the flavour of e-juice and improves the overall experience when using an e-cig, regardless of what kind of vaporiser is used.
Commercially made e-juices have often already had an opportunity to steep because they have sat for some time, waiting for you to order. Homemade e-juices should definitely be steeped.
So with that in mind, read our answers to some important questions below.
Should I steep my e-liquid?
If you try out a flavour and find that it’s a little bit too strong, or that one note is coming across too strong, steeping might be a good way to combat any concerns as it will mellow out the flavour. Lighter flavours may become a bit tasteless however if they are left to steep.
How to steep?
Steeping isn’t a particularly difficult process, there are a few different methods, but none are overly complicated. The most straightforward method is definitely storing your e-liquid in a dark, cold area for a few weeks; you should occasionally shake it or expose it to the air.
Oxidation causes the e-liquid to reduce, which helps to concentrate flavours, which can be great for e-juice that tastes a bit dull. Steeping will help to bring out the full flavour profile.
A good tip for steeping e-juice is to remove the labels and packaging from the bottle, allow it to steep for 6-14 days with one shake per day, keep it out of the light and open the bottle occasionally to speed up the process.
Methods:
Here are a few quick methods you can try to steep your e-juice.
Hot Bath
A hot bath is a great way to quickly steep your e-juice. You can do this by placing our e-juice in a sealed bag and submerging it in hot water, and then allowing the water to cool to room temperature. Once the water has cooled, you can open your e-juice to release the gas build-up.
Slow cooking
For this method, you should fill a slow cooker with hot water and throw your e-juice into a sealed bag and then place it in the cooker. Put the cooker on low and leave in there for up to 4 hours. Then you should uncap the bottles and let them breathe.
Your car
A hot car in the summer can really speed up the steeping process, but be careful with this as you could easily ruin your e-juice if the car is too hot. If the weather has been mild, leave your e-juice in the glove box for a day or so, and then uncap and let it breathe.
Use a heater
Steep your e-juice by setting it next to your space heater with it set on a low setting put the bottle uncapped at the end of the heater and leave for a short period. Put the lid back on and shake well.
Microwave it
A super quick way to steep your e-juice is to microwave your bottle for 10 seconds, and then allow them to cool with the cap off before recapping and shaking well.
Dan Jones was born and raised in Australia. Dan covers stories related to vaping at Kev’s Vape.
