Should I Soak my Oak?

[IrishBrewer420]

Hey all, I just bought some oak chips I'll be using for my upcoming batch of mead. I wasn't sure what variety went best with cherry mead, so I picked the cheapest kind there was. Anyway, some of the labels say to soak the wood for one hour prior to use and other labels made no mention of this step. So, what's the verdict? What exactly does soaking the wood do to it that will make it more ideal for use?

I should note that I am NOT planning to add the oak directly into the wine. Instead, I'll be putting the oak and some cinnamon sticks in small quantity of vodka to allow it to marinade so as to create a potent flavor extract to add to my wine in its secondary stage.

 

[xpops]

people typically soak/boil them to remove the initial harsher tannins from the wood, lending a more subtle flavour.

Anytime i've added oak cubes to my sours, i boil them for 10 mins or so, before soaking them in wine for a week or so, then toss it all in.

 

[IrishBrewer420]

Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to do that then.

 

[DoctorCAD]

I'd soak it in the carboy!