Flavour Chasing: Tips to Maximise Your Vape Flavour Vaping should be a fun experience, right from the moment you choose your favourite e-liquid flavours, to the moment you fire up your device and start vaping. But as many vapers find out, that is not always the case. For one reason or another, sometimes you might find your vape experience a little underwhelming, with the flavours failing to pop out as well as they ought to. Barring the case of vaper’s tongue – a phenomenon that comes about from overexposure to a single flavour to the point it dulls the taste and smell senses – fortunately, there are several things you could do to enhance the flavour of your vape.
- Clean your kit
Enjoying maximum vape flavour means making sure all the bases are covered first, and that starts with addressing the basics. If you find your device falling short on the flavour delivery department, ask yourself how long it’s been since you cleaned your vaporiser. When you vape regularly, e-liquid gunk builds up in your device which can diminish the flavour you’re getting. It is always best practice to disassemble your device once a week (for frequent vapers) and give it a good clean out. Cleaning doesn’t entail much especially when you do it on a regular – simply rinse your device and the individual components under warm water and leave everything to dry overnight (or pat dry with a soft towel if you need to use it right away). Make sure the battery connector is completely dry before screwing back on.
- Change your coils
Most users can get away with changing their vape coils once a month, but if you are a). a frequent vaper or b). using a sub-ohm or vape mod, you might need to do it on a more frequent basis (think 1-2 weeks). The reason is because vape coils have a short lifespan, so the more frequently you put them to use, the faster you will need to make a replacement. In the case of sub-ohms and mods, these devices run on higher VG e-liquid which is more viscous. This viscosity is exerting on the coils (even if they are designed for sub-ohm vaping) and also tends to form a layer of gunk on the coils, reducing their life expectancy, particularly when you don’t clean them often. A dirty coil or a coil that is past its prime will do more than just lessen the flavour of your vape: it changes the flavour in a not-so-good way, resulting in a nasty or burnt taste.
- Check your e-Liquid VG/PG ratio
Your e-liquid VG/PG ratio could be another reason you may be experiencing a less-than-impressive vape flavour. If the VG (vegetable glycerine) content in the e-liquid you’re using is high, this could explain why you’re not tasting the flavour properly. High VG e-liquids are good when you want big clouds and a subdued throat hit, but they are not the ones you want if maximum flavour is what you’re after. That said, avoid anything with 100VG% in it. The 80/20 VG/PG variant is also bound to be underwhelming. Since PG (propylene glycol) is a better conduit of flavour than VG, an e-liquid with a high PG level (although this should not exceed 50% PG, if you manage to find anything higher than that in the first place) will give you a more impactful flavour.
- Switch up your e-liquids
We made reference to the occurrence that is vaper’s tongue at the start. If you have a juice that you can’t seem to get enough of (as we all do) you may experience vaper’s fatigue if you vape it non-stop without disrupting the senses with a different one. This leads to a loss in the senses (taste and smell) so you might need to give your taste buds a holiday from that particular flavour in order to reset them. After all, the world of e-liquids has to be one of the most diverse product categories out there, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by sticking to only a handful of flavours.
- Think about how you’re storing your juice
Heat and light can alter the chemistry of vape juice, and prolonged exposure can degrade e-liquid flavour over time. If you have bottles of juice you’re not using straight away, it’s important to store them in a cool and dark place to maintain the integrity of the flavour. In fact, letting them sit under these conditions for a few weeks can have the opposite effect: enhance the juice flavour. They do have an expiration date, though, so don’t age them for years on end like you do wine.
- Consider upgrading your device
Lastly, another reason you might be getting less pronounced flavours in your vape could have something to do with the device you’re using. All devices are not equal – some are weak, others more powerful; despite belonging to the same category class. Assuming you’re purchasing your e-cig devices from trusted sources, consider making some upgrades to your current setup. This might involve anything from replacing your plastic tank with a glass one, upgrading from a single coil to a double coil vape tank, or investing in a newer, more modern atomiser or e-cig device altogether. In closing, if you’re using a device with airflow control, wattage control, or temperature control, consider tweaking the settings to find out what works best with what e-liquid.
