Hi guys, I'm really new at the DIY, finding it very interesting to learn about, my first few batches have been okay, nothing amazing but I wasn't expecting that on my first try
I'm having a little trouble finding information regarding steeping. I've read from a few places that complex or dessert flavours need steeping 2-4 weeks minimum but fruity sort of flavours can be 1 week or even shake and vape
One of the recipes I've made is a rhubarb and custard (one of my favourite flavours) I made the entire liquid and left it to steep , I've just had a quick vape of it and I'm surprised it's actually nice (I tried it an hour after mixing it and it tasted like paint thinner, so very glad that it just needed time)
My dissatisfaction comes from a slight not ready yet flavour and a slight lack of custard flavour,
So my question is to you juice gurus "can I mix my liquid with Judy the dessert flavours i.e. the vanilla and custard, then leave it to steep for 2-3 weeks then add my rhubarb flavours and give it another week
Also if anyone knows a more precise way of knowing how long to steep a specific liquid that would be greatly appreciated, a lot of what I was able to find is very vague, or are people just trial and error with tester batches?
Cheers guys
Steeping isn't magic; it just helps shit blend or fade properly. That paint thinner taste probably was due to not mixing it enough.
Steep everything together because some flavors come out in a steep, some die down a bit.
I suggest don't overcomplicate steeping. Mix, shake a ton, hide away for a few weeks, shake the shit out of it and vape. Also, worth tasting right off the mix. If it tastes like shit, it'll taste more/less like shit after a steep. If it's amazing, it might be more, it might be less.
Length of a steep depends on the flavorings you use, for example, CAP Vanilla Custard is one that takes at least two weeks in my experience. I’ve learned basically by reading through old posts and by my own taste. Someone might say a recipe needs 10 days to steep, but I’ll try it and think it’s pretty good off the shake, so I’ll give if 3-5 and if it’s good, I’ll vape it. Experimenting is what DIY is all about.
Many of the legendary recipes that say steep for however long, was a mixer experimenting. That’s partially why you’ll see notes say that they’ve done 10 revisions, or a mix took someone 6 months to nail. Trial and error.
You can usually enter a flavoring and then the word steep, “FA Vienna Cream Steep” in the search bar or on google, and find some type of info about it. Try that. By the way , FA Vienna Cream is a flavor that in my experience needs a solid 10 days to steep. Minimum. Or else it tastes like shit.
In short, yes you can. It's your mix. Embrace the freedom. Do as you feel. If you're worried about it being an unorthodox mixing technique, don't - it ain't.
Precise steep times? No? Steep for as long as the longest steeping concentrate requires. I'd say you know all there is to know already from your post. I've never had a flavour change dramatically overnight, it's a gradual process, kinda the opposite of precision. If flavours fade or boost during the steep in a way not to your liking, then adjust your ratios or concentrates accordingly. INW Rhubarb benefits from a long-ish steep imo so well suited to a rhubarb and heavy custard mix. VTA Rhubarb Compote and FA Cust Prem and/or INW custard is a banging combo and steeps quick.
This Judy sounds nice. Funny nickname though
I don't really make my own recipes so I don't assume that this is a top notch resource, but when I occasionally do want to quickly check a steep time I look the flavour up on thesteamery.com.au - I have looked some up and thought I don't think that's quite right, so it's probably best taken with a grain of salt. Sorry I can't answer your more specific questions. I hope you get some more detailed responses.
> So my question is to you juice gurus "can I mix my liquid with Judy the dessert flavours i.e. the vanilla and custard, then leave it to steep for 2-3 weeks then add my rhubarb flavours and give it another week
Sure you can, but there's really no reason to complicate matters unnecessarily. A longer steep time won't hurt your rhubarb.
There are a few flavors you might want to do this with because they tend to fade with steeping, but rhubarb isn't one of them. Mostly it's just lemons and limes that suffer from fading issues.
As mentioned over and over here, yes staged steeping is useful, but only your own pallet and experience with flavors will highlight what & when you might want to use it. As an example of a non-typical issue, INWA Shisha Strawberry is so much brighter and vivid to me for the first week. It then degrades into a more flat syrup type profile. Both are useful, but when I make my Straw. Cheesecake Recipe I want that bright version of Shisha Straw. So I make a 60ml batch of everything but Shisha Straw. Let it steep for two weeks then split it into two 30ml batches. It takes me about a week to finish a 30ml so I'll spike one with Shisha Straw, finish it, and then spike the next. Easy peasy, but I've never read to do that. I just know how I like each of my flavors and made it work. Freestyle!
Mix up the dessert flavors by themselves. If you haven't learned by now, you will that some of these flavors can be pretty astringent and powerful. Let your mix sit for about a day, then start adding your rhubarb slowly. Shake and taste. Watch how much you put in there. Possibility of it running over the deserts
There is no default for steeping. Information regarding "this type of flavor takes X amount of time" is cursory at best. Every recipe is going to be different. Mix, shake vigorously, let it settle for a bit, and test it. Tastes good? All done, just vape it. Tastes bad? Put it off to the side and wait, repeat the process until it's tasty or until you decide you'd like to amend or abandon the recipe, then start again.
I tend to look at recipes that use the flavor(s) I'm interested in mixing and get hints from there.