Making your own concentrates/flavourings?

[Misty]

As I'm a home baker and a paranoid cheapskate, I have a few homemade flavourings of herbs from the windowsill or the garden steeped in VG. Is there any reason these wouldn't be safe to vape, and which herbs might be a no-no?

At the moment I have the following single-ingredients going:
Mint
Chamomile
Lavender
Rose
Lemon basil
Clove
Cardamom
Galangal

And which herbs might I get started for mixing down the road?

 

[Phantom Diablo]

anything containing Oil is a NO NO. you micht want to look on cupcake world as it may give you insight into some of the herbs they use and they list whats safe for ecigs and what isnt

 

[Misty]

Aye, I know anything with a high oil content, and anything that might ferment is usually best to steer clear of. The list above is only the stuff I have in VG rather than spirits, and that I'm not sure about. These are mostly my tea flavourings.

 

[Derth Vaper]

Let me know how you get on.... How will you infuse the herbs? Steeping after a good motar and pesteling? Seems like a good idea. I'm no expert but I seems like a great idea.. maybe limited shelf life.

I think you may be forging new ground. I've not read anything about infusing real herbs.

Please post back when you've given it a go.....

 

[Fleabag]

I've seen a thread on steeping on another vaping site - try a bit of a google. The person on the thread seemed very experienced in the process

In terms of shelf life, isn't PG the better anti-bacterial of the bases?

I assume you would need to strain these through the finest of filter (probably a few times) - perhaps another reason for trying PG, as this is thinner.

 

[Misty]

Shelf life could be an issue, though I've used VG based homemade flavourings over a year after starting them, with nothing going funky. I've had a bit of a poke around on Google, but not getting a whole lot of info. Trade secrets, I guess. I'll do a bit of experimentation and be a guinea pig for myself, and update... Another few weeks before I have anything vapable, though.

If anyone does learn of any of my list above being unsafe to vape, do shout.

 

[Misty]

Oh, Derth, no need to mash fresh or home dried herbs much when steeping them - just pop them into a jar with some glycerin (or vodka) and put them in the back of a cupboard and forget about them for a couple of months.

 

[Digbys]

You could try grinding then mashing up a chosen ingredient and adding half said ingredients mass in distiller water then freeze it. Once frozen have the frozen chunk suspended over a collection device, the richer (mainly oil free) concentrate will drip off faster in comparison to the water and bits. You should be left with a semi decent concentrate. Bear in mind it will probably need to be mixed at high levels to reach the desired taste. Give it a bash.

 

[Digbys]

Sorry it was pretty late when I wrote that, this might sound a little clearer.

grind up a whole load of the ingredient ( in this case a herb )

Weigh it.

Half the weight of the ingredient. lets say you had 10 oz of ingredient you would end up with 5 oz

Add your 10 oz of ingredient to 5 oz of distilled water.

Shake like mad for ages. Leave for a while and repeat process a few times.

Leave to settle so all the ingredient is at the bottom of the container.

Freeze it.

Once frozen place the frozen lump into a funnel, and allow to thaw a little. The initial run off will be the concentrate.

Wow, it would be easier to show you but alas.. I hope that helps a bit

 

[ZT]

I've done some tobacco steeping experiments before ... it worked