# Rooibos NET



## Rude Rudi (18/10/17)

Following a recent meeting with the chaps at Red Espresso, I naturally wanted to know whether Rooibos can be vaped... as one does! I know Rooibos concentrate is available from one or two local vendors but suspect it is merely an artificial flavoring and contains no "real" Rooibos.

For my experiment, I used the Red Espresso ground Rooibos, commonly used at most restaurants and coffee shops. Note that this product is a premium Rooibos, ground to be able to be extracted using a traditional espresso machine. I doubt that regular FreshPak teabags will work, unless you grind it in a coffee grinder, etc.

I used the same method I use to make NEC (naturally extracted coffee) and it worked a treat. If you want to know the process, I am happy to share. I dubbed this NET as is Naturally Extracted Tea.

I managed to get about 7ml of Rooibos extract and made a couple of 10ml tasters. 

The distinctive, strong and sometimes overpowering, Rooibos smell was *not *evident which surprised me - in a good way! I have vivid memories/nightmares of boarding school (and hospitals) where the lingering smell of over-extracted Rooibos lingered in the passages on a permanent basis. 

The taste was subtle and undeniably Rooibos but by no means "in your face" or off-putting. The concentrate is a dark red/brownish colour and the resulting juice had a similar colour.

For the base flavour, I played with various %'s as I had no reference. I started at 2% and bumped it up 5%, which is for me, the perfect starting point. 

*Red Cappuccino*
5% Rooibos NET
3% Cap Bavarian Cream
0.1% FA Honey
0.1% FLV Rich Cinnamon

This is the the signature Red Espresso recipe and been around for 14 years. I attempted to recreate the taste profiles and kept it as simple as possible as I didn't want to compromise the delicate Rooibos flavour. This is a fantastic vape and I was well impressed!!

A note on the honey and cinnamon. FLV Rich Cinnamon is POTENT, VERY POTENT. I used half a drop in the test and recommend 1 drop per 30ml. Same with honey, 2 drops max...

Reactions: Like 6 | Winner 10


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## Scissorhands (18/10/17)

Bedtime vape anyone? 

please share your extraction method, im
Interested in both coffee & rooibos 

Iv never experimented with NETs, never appreciated tobaccos enough but this peeks my interest, not sure how they compare with traditional concentrates

Thanks for the post

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## zadiac (18/10/17)

I once extracted roobos and coffee. Made some ejuice and it made me sick, so I chucked it all away. Will stick with the artificial flavoring.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Christos (18/10/17)

zadiac said:


> I once extracted roobos and coffee. Made some ejuice and it made me sick, so I chucked it all away. Will stick with the artificial flavoring.


What kind of sick?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Rude Rudi (18/10/17)

@Scissorhands 

After quite a bit of research, I ended up with the below method, which have yielded very good, consistent results.


Half fill a 30ml *GLASS* bottle with *freshly* ground coffee (or ground Rooibos in this instance). I use a small funnel which make the job easier.
Fill the bottle with PG. Give it a quick stir/shake to make sure the PG mixes properly with the contents.
Place in the microwave, without a lid, on high, for *NO MORE THAN 20 SECONDS.*
Remove from microwave and top up with PG as the coffee/tea would have absorbed some of the PG.
Place the bottle in hot water (I use a mug) and let it sit for 20 minutes. I change the water every 5 minutes or so. Be carefull not to get any water in the bottle. Cover with a bit of plastic wrap or place a lid on...
Now it is time to filter the extract. I use a Hario V60 which is a coffee dripper but you can use coffee filter paper over a cup.
Be sure to peg the sides of the filter paper to the mug/container using clothes pegs or something to suspend the filter inside the cup, but not to touch the bottom. About halfway up should do it.
I use 3 filter papers (3 filter papers placed in each other) to ensure that I filter all the possible nasties which could be present. Especially the dodgy oils in coffee...
Let it sit for a good 4-8 hours - overnight is preferable. This is a slooowwww drip....

That's it! 

Decant into a 10ml bottle and label that baby proudly.

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2


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## zadiac (18/10/17)

Christos said:


> What kind of sick?



I got masssive headaches when I vaped that and I felt dizzy, and my nic content was 100% what it always is. It wasn't a nic rush. When I stopped vaping it, everything returned to normal within an hour or two. Won't try that again. Maybe I did it wrong, but not going to try again. I'm good with the flavors I'm using.

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## Scissorhands (18/10/17)

Rude Rudi said:


> @Scissorhands
> 
> After quite a bit of research, I ended up with the below method, which have yielded very good, consistent results.
> 
> ...


Fantastic break down, will give it a go and report back

@zadiac could it possibly be from the caffeine? Or dodgy oils mentioned above

Regards

Reactions: Like 1


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## Rude Rudi (18/10/17)

zadiac said:


> I got masssive headaches when I vaped that and I felt dizzy, and my nic content was 100% what it always is. It wasn't a nic rush. When I stopped vaping it, everything returned to normal within an hour or two. Won't try that again. Maybe I did it wrong, but not going to try again. I'm good with the flavors I'm using.



It could be the filtering process which was not sufficient. The ideal is a 1 micron filter but my triple stack works well - I have had no adverse effects. 


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## zadiac (18/10/17)

Scissorhands said:


> Fantastic break down, will give it a go and report back
> 
> @zadiac could it possibly be from the caffeine? Or dodgy oils mentioned above
> 
> Regards





Rude Rudi said:


> It could be the filtering process which was not sufficient. The ideal is a 1 micron filter but my triple stack works well - I have had no adverse effects.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



Maybe and maybe not, I don't know.

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## Rude Rudi (18/10/17)

Scissorhands said:


> Fantastic break down, will give it a go and report back
> 
> @zadiac could it possibly be from the caffeine? Or dodgy oils mentioned above
> 
> Regards



Not to be too technical but if you are going to make NEC, use a Arabica/Robusta blend. The Arabica gives the refinement and astringency and the Robusta gives you the familiar, bitter, coffee taste. 50/50 or 60/40 A/R works well. 


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