Tobacco Flavours: Is there a Difference between Freebase and its Salt-based Alternative?

Tobacco flavour still remains one of the most preferred e-liquid flavours by smokers making the switch to vaping. And understandably so. Tobacco flavours provide some level of cushion that helps make the transition into vaping more seamless than it otherwise would be with say, a fruit or candy vape flavour. If you are one of the many freebase e-liquid users joining the growing number of vapers opting for salt-based nicotine, you might have noticed some subtle differences between the two tobacco flavours, but can’t exactly tell what it is. You are not alone. This is a shift a lot of vapers experience, and while many tend to blame the type of nicotine, in truth there really is no reason why freebase and salt-based nicotine should result in different flavour experiences. It is important to note that there are certain other factors that have a bearing on the flavour once you switch from freebase tobacco e-liquid to a salt-based tobacco flavour. So yes, that slight change you’ve experienced wasn’t just you. And here’s why…

Different Tobacco Blend

This one is pretty obvious. As you likely are aware, similar vape flavours differ from one brand to the next. For example, a mango flavour from Brand X will likely taste different from a mango flavour from Brand Y. Tobacco flavours aren’t exempt. Moreover, many e-liquid companies blend their tobacco e-liquids with different flavouring agents, so even if you are purchasing from the same brand, there is a chance the two tobacco flavours will differ. For example, if we could use freebase e-liquid as an example, here are two tobacco offerings from the same brand that differ slightly in taste: the AquaVape British Tobacco E-liquid and the AquaVape Traditional Tobacco E-Liquid. 

Type of Device (and Coils) you’re Using

In addition to the composition of the vape juice, the device you are using is another factor that could be affecting the flavour you are getting from your tobacco e-liquid. Direct-lung (DL) devices and their mouth-to-lung (MTL) counterparts have a different effect on your flavour experience. The former, which include sub-ohm devices, are high-powered devices that employ sub-ohm coils which operate at low resistance levels. These low-resistance coils produce larger clouds, but the flavour tends to be more subdued. As well, coils from sub-ohms make use of thick cotton wicks that absorb plenty of e-juice. This allows for certain flavour notes of a freebase nicotine e-liquid to pop out, something that would otherwise not be detectable were the coil to have a higher resistance. MTL devices such as pod mods, meanwhile, rely on smaller coils that usually come with wicks made from synthetic fibres. These do not absorb a lot of juice at a time, meaning the flavour profile will differ slightly with regard to which notes are more pronounced. What’s more, due to their higher resistance levels compared to sub-ohm coils, the flavour from pod cartridges usually is more intense. To sum this up, what we mean here is that your vaping setup has something to do with that change in taste you could be experiencing. Reason being that you are tasting the vape juice more than you used to using your previous hardware.

Last Word

Yes, it is indeed true that tobacco flavours may differ in taste based on the nicotine type you are using. Interestingly, though, it is not as a result of the nicotine itself. The key thing is that you have a vape setup that delivers as satisfactory an experience as possible when it comes to flavour. And of course, for best results, it is imperative to always opt for high quality tobacco-flavoured e-liquids. That way, you can always be guaranteed that you are vaping the real deal. If you are yet to sample our tobacco flavours, freebase or salt-based, you are missing out big time. Try them out and see what the big deal with AquaVape e-liquids is all about!