So the other day I found a post online (can't remember where, probably Reddit) where someone suggested burning your cotton with a lighter before wicking. I spent the next couple of days searching the internet, and couldn't find anyone else talking about this, but today I went ahead and tried it on a whim... and wow. My flavor is popping like you wouldn't believe, and I'm picking up notes that I didn't know were there. Cloud production seems to have improved a bit, nothing to write home about. And I am dripping less often... I never would have thought of doing this. Has anyone else heard of/tried this? If you're interested, be careful. Cotton catches fire (duh), so be ready to blow out that flame right away, and try not to burn yourself. Or your house... I'm using organic cotton balls, boiled once. I unroll it from the ball first, then twist it just like I would normally before I burn it. I use a much thicker piece than I normally would, because it loses a lot of density. Just quickly run the lighter near it. If it catches fire (it will), blow it out quickly before it spreads and you ruin the whole piece of cotton. I just burned it enough to get rid of the stray fibers and brown the outside.
I've tried it. It seems to enhance the taste for some flavors, while ruining the taste of others. In general, I found that the dessert flavors are enhanced while the fruit flavors are diminished.
Well, that's definitely the first I've head about this. Will give it a try the next time I am changing the wicks.
