How to steep e-liquid

Like a fine wine, the best e-liquids get better with time.

The same way you marinade your meets or leave whisky to age, steeping your e-liquid can help bring out the best flavour possible.

And the good news is – it’s easy to do at home. Today we’re taking you through the how and why of steeping e-liquids.

Why steep e-liquids?

Steeping an e-liquid is all about letting it age to help improve or increase its flavour. Because most e-liquids are made with food-grade flavourings, this makes perfect sense that letting the flavours mature and settle will help improve your overall vape.

It takes time for the e-liquid’s two base ingredients – PG and VG – to really absorb the flavouring. And if the flavourings are made with alcohol at all, steeping gives this a chance to evaporate so you’re not left with that tell-tale harsh taste.

To some degree, the steeping process begins as soon as an e-liquid flavour is mixed. In the time between when it’s made, packaged and sold to you in store it will be gradually steeping. If you never did anything more, your e-liquid would probably still be delicious and satisfying.

But for experienced vapers, steeping e-liquids can help give your juice that little edge. It’s a richer flavour and a smoother taste.

How to steep e-liquids

There's a few different methods for steeping e-liquid. It's a small effort for a big payoff.

Here's a few of the most popular ways to get it done:

Agitation

Most of us do this without even thinking about it, but you can give your e-liquid that little extra edge by shaking the bottle every so often. Make sure the lid is screwed on tightly, then vigorously shake the bottle. This will help make sure flavours are well blended no matter when you pull it off the shelf.

Breathing

Some e-liquids really do taste their best when they've had a chance to breathe first. This is particularly true if you're not big into anything too heavily scented - leaving the cap off overnight will give any residual alcohol in the flavourings a chance to evaporate. Squeeze the bottle gently to help bring some air into the bottle, then let it rest.

Cool storage

If you're buying your e-liquids in bulk, you can help them steep and maintain a good flavour in the meantime by storing them in a cool, dark place. Shaking periodically and letting them breathe now and again means when the time comes to use the e-liquid it will be ready to go.

Warming

Heating your e-liquid gently is another way to speed up the maturation process of the flavours inside the bottle if you've bought it and want to use your juice straight away. Fill a bowl of warm water and place your e-liquid bottle inside it - might be a good idea to cover it in a plastic sandwich bag first. Leave it there until the water cools to room temperature. If you don't have a bowl to hand, running it under warm water will work just as well.