How to Steep Nicotine Salts: A Quick Guide

Did you know there’s a way to improve the flavor of your vape juice vastly? With steeping, you can improve not only the taste but also the harshness of your vape. In this blog, we’ll go over what nicotine salts are, what steeping is, and if steeping can be done with nicotine salts. 

Table of Contents:

1. What are Nicotine Salts?
2. What is Steeping?
3. Can You Steep Nicotine Salts?
4. How to Steep Nicotine Salts?
5. Can You Steep e-Liquid For Too Long?
6. Conclusion

What are Nicotine Salts?

We’re sure that you already know what nicotine salts are if you have stumbled upon this blog, but for those that need a refresher, we’re going to go through what they are and how they differentiate from traditional nicotine. 

Nicotine salts are a relatively new form of nicotine; they were created by PAX Labs, the company that, alongside nic salts, also invented the JUUL vape device. Nicotine salts differentiate from traditional freebase nicotine because they are more readily absorbable by the body and aren’t as harsh as at higher nicotine levels. 

Traditional nicotine or freebase nicotine is nicotine in its purest form and is the most commonly used. Products like nicotine gum, patches, and solenges are all made with freebase nicotine. Freebase nicotine is the purest form of nicotine, and it’s called freebase because, through a chemical process, it turns from its natural state, a salt state, into a base. This allows it to move more quickly through the body or more freely, hence the name “freebase.”

In contrast, nicotine salts are in their most natural state, which is a salt state. However, they have been modified because they are more absorbable by the body or move more freely; they also are less harsh, allowing the user to vape nicotine salts with higher nicotine strengths. So high that they can reach 25mg or 50mg while traditional or freebase nicotine can only reach 12mg or 18mg, but at these strengths for some users, it’s almost impossible to inhale because they are so bitter and harsh. 

What is Steeping?

Now that you know what nicotine salts are, we’re going to discuss steeping. Steeping is the act of letting a solid soak in a liquid to extract flavor from it. The best example of this is letting tea soak in water. In vaping, the act of steeping is when you soak the vape juice in itself for a while to obtain a richer, fuller flavor out of the vape juice. Steeping vape juice will also create a mellower taste and reduce the harshness and burning felt on the throat. 

Can You Steep Nicotine Salts?

You might be asking yourself if there is a difference between steeping vape juice or nicotine salts, and the answer is that there is no difference. Although they might be completely different chemically, you can still steep nicotine salts and create a better flavor than usual. However, according to Vaporesso, the best way of steeping nicotine salts is using the slow method of steeping, which is the most effective on nic salts. 

How to Steep Nicotine Salts?

To steep nicotine salts using the slow method, you will need the following materials:

• A cool dark place
• High-quality bottle glasses

After obtaining these two ingredients, you’ll want to transfer the vape juice, if it comes in plastic bottles, to glass bottles which yield better results. Then you’ll want to put these vape juices in a cool and dark place. Usually, drawers or cabinets are ideal. They should be left undisturbed and unmoved away from sunlight for at least two weeks. 

Some mixologists state that you should open and exchange the cap of the bottles or bottle of vape juice during this time to obtain better results, while others believe this has no real or discernible consequences on the vape juice. This process of opening the bottle and closing it is called “breathing,” It allows the air to speed the oxidation process. But this has its dangers, and for example, the vape juice could become contaminated by dirt falling inside or lose its flavor entirely. 

While you wait the two weeks, make sure that every day, whether you choose to “breathe” them or not, you shake them once or twice a day. It’s also important to try them out to see if the flavor is improving, so go ahead and give them a try after week one to see where the taste is.

Can You Steep e-Liquid For Too Long?

It is possible to steep e-liquid for too long. And believe it or not, the flavors used in vape juices can determine if you can over steep an e-liquid. For example, fruit flavors and menthol flavors generally only need about a week to be steeped. Tobacco and dessert flavors take longer, sometimes as long as four weeks. More complex flavors like custards might take two to three months to steep correctly; anything longer than that and the taste can be affected. 

Conclusion

It’s great to know that nicotine salts, just like vape juices, can be steeped, and a more robust and complex flavor can be obtained. It’s crucial to also keep in mind that the harshness can also become more mellow with steeping, so if you buy a brand new bottle that has a dull and bland flavor along with a harsh throat hit, let it steep for a while, and you can vastly improve the quality of the vape juice. 

References

1. E. (2020, July 17). How To Steep e Juice. Powershop. https://www.vaporesso.com/blog/how-to-steep-e-juice