Ditto, on a global level of course. The more I dig in, the more complex it gets.
As you have noted prior, there seems to be little “scientific” to be found regarding mixing and “steeping”. My take away is this is a wide open field. I have found a lot of interesting observations:
Heat in moderation does not appear to be destructive to either flavorings or carrier (PG/VG) in moderation.
Heat will assist in the blending of multiple viscosity substances.
Aeration will produce flavor loss.
Oxidation of nicotine is best avoided.
“Steeping” as in steeping tea is the diffusion of the compounds in the e-juice.
“Steeping” as with tea(s) can be different across blends yielding both positive and negative results dependent upon the components in the e-juice and the degree of diffusion.
Diffusion can be produced by blending/mixing, cavitation: homogenizing, Ultra Sonic bombardment, and to a lesser degree sheering from high speed blade blending and time immersed.
That’s the short list I have discovered so far, and quite frankly, more than enough for now for me to try to wrap my head around in terms of physical process.
Just to throw yet another variable in the mix (see what i did there ).
When i mix on the overhead mixer in a bottle I get a fair amount of bubbles in the mix. Left uncapped these will dissipate in an hour or two, I am sure result in some flavour loss, however I cap the bottle right after mixing and the bubbles do not dissipate for three or four days.
While waiting for a response from @wolftam I will confirm that is what I have discovered as a general conscientious. But does a general conscientious make it true? Waiting for @woftam …
Absolutely. I’d even go to 10-15 minutes. There really is no appreciable temperature jump in that short of time, so I wouldn’t worry about it. But, bear in mind, USC units are designed with different price points, and one should get to know their individual hardware, just like they should get to know their flavors…
(not saying this so much for present company obviously, as I am “for the record” aka future readers.)
Another minor point I’d like to remind (at least from my experience, with my POV), is that I’ve stated previously (elsewhere) that I have not seen any (read as: negligible) perceived degradation of nic, at 3mg or less using my method, in my USC. The reason for all the “disclaimers” and caveats is notbecause I’m afraid to be proven wrong, but because it’s so easy to forget (or simply not know) to take into account of differences in hardware, materials, and procedural approaches. So I try to remind folks of “things to consider” as I write…
Anyways, since @anon96069639 put the notion out previously, I have been mulling over the idea of “presenting” my methodology/approach to using a USC in a similar post/manner… But being the anal retentive and perfectionist type, it’s going to take a lot of time and thought (and revisions I’m sure) to get it together.
Bottom line for the moment though, as long as heat doesn’t exceed 120F-125F at any stage of the process, I have not seen any degradation of adding 3mg (or less) nic to the mixing process before using the USC to mix it all.
“Temporary overview” of my process:
add nic to 30ml glass b Boston round
add flavor(s)
hand “swish” whatever’s been added (more for my own “mental happiness” than anything else )
add VG
add PG (or whatever I can of what’s supposed to go in -if the bottle doesn’t actually hold what it says it does.)
Cap the bottle, then into the USC for however long depending on the flavor/mix. (do NOT have water above the neck line, do NOT allow the bottles to fall over)
once the USC time is done, remove the bottles. Wipe off excess water from exterior. Allow to cool to room temperature (usually an hour, as I do this between batch cycles).
uncap the bottle, blow into the top (displacing the contained gasses). Recap. Repeat 3 days later.
ready to vape (if it’s what I call a SnV; as nothing less than the above qualifies IMO, due to the unwanted TH present, from alcohol alone!)
Because of my sensitivities to PG, and my additional aversion to TH (throat hit), I tend to be acutely aware of nicotine being bad/oxidized. It’s because of these two points, that I’ve developed my mixing style in the manner I have. It’s also allowed me to pinpoint flavors that have a tendency to add/or rather, be the source of any TH, because I always mix with nicotine added (even when SF testing). So if I get a TH, I know it’s due to the flavor. Or a change in the percentage of said flavor. Not the nicotine that I use, or the fact that I used a USC or heat.
Part of the reason I’m SO fucking far behind my peers (in recipes) is because I’ve been testing (and retasting) and confirming (or privately calling BS on) so many of the basic principles that have been discussed. All of which is why I do things like I do.
I tend to do small mixes on the mags simply because of ease - i use a teflon coated ss rod which the arms fold allowing it to get into smaller necked bottles
Ya i love the outlook here only one house i can see - pretty much have views for 60+ kilometers in three directions (the 4th is a hill ) from various rooms in the house.
Ok, Test 1 complete. @Grubby let me know how you would like this write-up changed if you would like to add it to the d-base.
Comparison method:
Add all ingredients: Nic in VG carrier, flavors in various carriers, PG, and VG measuring via weight.
Put vile on magnet stirrer and stir with a vortex for 1/2 hour. (resulting mix was always moderately “frothed”)
Move vile to USC for 1/2 hour with no heat applied. (resulting mix was always slightly warmed per US)
Allow to cool to room temperature and vape.
Method performed for test:
Add VG, PG, and flavors in various carriers. Put stirring magnet in vile and seal (I used a zip loc sandwich bag with a hair tie to seal the top.
Put vile into a Sous Vide cooker for 1hour set to 140°F
Moved immediately to magnet stirrer. Stirred for 1/2 hour with no vortex. A relatively small number of small bubbles developed and rapidly dissipated during the process. A small number of small bubbles were noted at the end of the process, all against the glass.
Injected Nic in VG carrier via volume with a syringe piercing the sandwich bag and immediately covered hole in sandwich bag with another layer of the bag and sealed.
Placed mix into USC for 1/2 hour with USC set to 104°F.
Allowed mix to cool to room temp ≈ 1 hour.
Noted results:
No discoloration of resulting liquid per my perception.
No “hot spots” of nicotine.
Viscosity of liquid “appears” to be constant. View with 15x magnification (Best I got)
Here’s the rub. Flavor. I don’t know how to draw a conclusion. Both mixes are comparing favorably. One has sat for three months. Neither mix presents an appreciable difference. Maybe that’s a testimony in itself as one has sat for three months? All that said, this is a simple fruit mix of peach, sweet raspberry and sweetener so it may not lend to huge changes per change of methodology. At the moment I’m simply wondering if I’m a good test subject per my preference of fruits and possibly a limited ability to taste subtle flavor. Even as I write this I am finding that I’m enjoying the vape of the “new” mix more and more. Maybe I need to follow up later, lol. That’s the other difficulty. My taste buds vary greatly throughout a day.
).
I’m going to a corner now to drool and play with my yoyo.
)
