Apologies if this is the wrong place to post this as it’s my first time so please go easy.
Mixed up a batch recently of juice from a company that does the kit of vg/pg/flavour nic shot combo where you mix it all in yourself then let it steep for a week. One of the juices smelled a bit chemically like alcohol/nail polish sort of, I took the cap off for about 3 hours today to let it ‘air’ as I read a few other threads stating this is the best thing to do, however i read somewhere else and I am now worried that I will have dulled a lot of the flavour down by doing so. Is letting juice air a good idea or have I just dulled down and possibly ruined my otherwise potentially flavoursome juice? Or can the flavour not really just evaporate like that. I read you can oxidise the nicotine by doing this too long but was more worried about the overall flavour The juice is only day 3 of steeping out of a recommended 7 days. Thanks.
I wouldn't worry, 3 hours isn't much. I have done the same with a few specific flavours that are that alcohol fume.
It's something people used to do as a habit for long periods that isn't really done any more but 3 hours is really nothing.
It won't be ruined it'll be fine.
Ok trusting your experience, thank you for the response! Did it lower your overall flavour or didn’t really affect it? Wouldn’t mind your thoughts on whether shaking it is worth it or just leave it alone for a few more days
My "general" process is mix it, shake the life out of it. Few days later give it a smell (mostly out of curiosity), shake it again and it'll be good to go until whatever time frame I have in mind. Some recipes are shake and vape, some a few days, some a few weeks.
There might be some god's of flavour (indeed we have a few in this forum) who might be able to tell if something has been aired a few hours, for the vast majority they're not going to tell the difference. I really wouldn't worry about it overly affecting the flavour.
It's not recommended to leave the cap off. Flavor molecules can escape. Nail polish offnotes can sort after a bit of a steep. Better to just wait it out to see if it improves. FA Vienna Cream is one off the top of my head that takes at least a week to taste like something lovely. You can always post any question you like in the weekly New Mixer's Thread that is pinned if you sort by Hot rather than by New.
Thanks for the tip! Noted for next time. Do you think I will have dulled the flavour much with the cap off for 3 hours?
Alcohol will eventually steep out of the ejuice even with the lid on tight. Taking the lid off to expose it to air will help the alcohol evaporate quicker but it also allows flavor molecules to escape. So it's more detrimental than helpful in my book. Time is the only true steep method imo.
Yeah I was a bit worried about this hence only 3 hours but do you think I will have taken much off the overall flavour in this short amount of time? I’ve put it back in a dark drawer now to keep steeping. Should I shake it a few times a day too? Or just leave it be.
Exposing to the air for 3 hours isn't detrimental and I wouldn't worry about it. You can put it in the drawer and forget about it for a week or two. You can also shake it once daily to make sure it's evenly mixed. Personally I shake my steeping mixes daily if I remember to.
I've been mixing for 3 years now. for my experience. The alcoholic tones are the results of the flavors/PG that's hasn't properly binded to the VG. Think of it like little pockets of concentrated extracts in your liquid that lives there with your VG
Especially in the first week. i shake it twice daily and it steeps somewhere dark like in a drawer for example.
Sorry I'm not that good explaining. haha