# Streathing vs Steeping



## zandernwn (22/3/17)

Hi guys, quick comment on streathing/breathing vs. Normal steeping.

I see a lot of people promoting the practice of streathing or breathing their mixes.

When to streath/breath?
When you have used concentrates with alcohol content.

Why do it?
Alcohol (or derrivatives) are used as base in which to disolve the chemicals for specific types concentrates.

It typically has a negative impact on the flavor and streathing helps to get rid of the alcohol through evaporation.

How it should be done?
Do not just place the mix in a cool, dark place with the cap off, you are allowing fresh oxygen to circulate constantly meaning you are expediting evaporation and oxidation

Step one: decant your mix into an air tight container with plenty of head space. I.e. if you mixed 30ml liquid store it in a 50ml bottle. The head space will provide sufficient space for the alcohol to evaporate.

Step two: shake well and store the mix in a cool dark place

Step three: shake well daily. take the cap off and squeeze the bottle a few times to ensure the old air is pushed out and replaced with fresh air.

Step four: put the cap on and repeat for a few days.

When not to streath/breath?
You shouldn't be streathing or breathing mixes that do not contain alcohol or contains very little alcohol. Flavor concentrates are made of up many many volatile chemicals and all are included for a reason as together they make up the intended flavor profile. If you streath or breath concentrates these volatiles evaporate or oxidize meaning you will lose out on what those volatile are suppose to bring to the final product. Streathing and breathing also introduces oxygen into the base liquid that may have a detrimental effect on the final outcome and eventually on your nic. The effect is not drastic but it will have a measurable impact.

NOTE: CLY concentrates contain no alcohol and uses distilled water as base carrier base - volatile chemicals escape much faster from a water carrier base than from a pg carrier base.

But my juice taste better when I streath/breathe them?
Sure it does, but that's not because of streathing, it is because volatiles have evaporated instead of homogenise into the base. A proper steep will allow it to homogenise fully and the perceived bad flavors will settle in and mellow out and will taste much better than a streathed mix. That is a function of physics. Streathing just reduces the volatiles . So in actual fact you are simply getting rid of necessary chemicals instead of allowing the molecules to adopt a structure within the pg/vg base

What is the best method?
Steeping. Simply store your mixes in a cool, dark place with the lid on and shake well often. Let mother nature do her magic. Mix often so that you always have something to vape while your other mixes are steeping.

Happy mixing!

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Greyz (23/3/17)

zandernwn said:


> Hi guys, quick comment on streathing/breathing vs. Normal steeping.
> 
> I see a lot of people promoting the practice of streathing or breathing their mixes.
> 
> ...



I have been through the mill trying to speed up steeping and spent a fair amount of cash doing so. 
USC and Mag stirring work and do speed up steeping but I found that juices made with these methods do not last. Ie. I find the flavour fades fast and in 3/4 weeks all I'm left with is a bland juice.

Your best bet is to simply let nature take it's course. I mix, give it a very good shake and leave it alone, only returning every 2nd or 3rd day and giving the juice a gentle shake. This method has produced the best and most consistent results.

I think the best method, if you want to speed your steeping up, is to preblend your concentrates. Then after a mix with nic and base you only need to steep the completed mixture for a few days and it's good.

TL;DR 
There is no speed steeping without flavour loss (IME YMMV)

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5 | Informative 1


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## Silver (23/3/17)

zandernwn said:


> Hi guys, quick comment on streathing/breathing vs. Normal steeping.
> 
> I see a lot of people promoting the practice of streathing or breathing their mixes.
> 
> ...



Thanks for this @zandernwn 
As a DIY noob, how would I know which flavour concentrates contain a lot of alcohol?
Is it marked on the bottle?


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## zandernwn (23/3/17)

Rule of thumb is that no-fly concentrates contain alcohol. But this is my go to thread if I need to be sure

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## RevnLucky7 (23/3/17)

Silver said:


> Thanks for this @zandernwn
> As a DIY noob, how would I know which flavour concentrates contain a lot of alcohol?
> Is it marked on the bottle?



Hardly ever and enough of them to go with a conclusion that most of them do, to one extent or another. Flavorings contain extract oils and the alc is used to make them water soluble and then carried on PG. The flavorings containing higher amounts of alc is in most cases rated as flammable and easily spotted to to shipping/hazmat restrictions. You can also tell by simply tasting a drop. High alc concentrations will be noticeable on the tongue.

A flavoring listed as RF like Capella's for instance still contains alc, but they have cut it with more PG to bring the flashpoint down on shipping restrictions. These flavors are more diluted than the ones with the higher alc content, but essentially the same flavor.

If anyone has religious concerns, these alc amounts are not traceable in liquids and by the time you vape them, it most certainly has evaporated in the steeping process and headroom of the bottle.

Reactions: Thanks 1 | Informative 1


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## Silver (23/3/17)

RevnLucky7 said:


> Hardly ever and enough of them to go with a conclusion that most of them do, to one extent or another. Flavorings contain extract oils and the alc is used to make them water soluble and then carried on PG. The flavorings containing higher amounts of alc is in most cases rated as flammable and easily spotted to to shipping/hazmat restrictions. You can also tell by simply tasting a drop. High alc concentrations will be noticeable on the tongue.



Thanks @RevnLucky7 !


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## zandernwn (23/3/17)

Correct. And this is also why is stated that do not streath when the flavoring has no OR very little alcohol.

I only streath those juices where I know they no-fly concentrates (hazmat)

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## zandernwn (23/3/17)

It seems I am unable to fix the URL I posted.


Just search Google for list of flavorings containing alcohol and choose the Reddit result


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