One of the draws of vaping that doesn’t get talked a lot about often has to do with vape taste. Sure, e-liquids are a common topic and you’re sure to hear about vape flavours from this or that brand whenever two or more vapers are shooting the breeze. As a vaper, the alluring taste of most e-liquids is something to always look forward to, especially if you’re switching from smoking to vaping. I mean, there really is no contest between the taste of an ashtray and say, a Vanilla Custard. The simple thought of a Blackcurrant Lemonade on a scorching summer afternoon or a Caramel Latte to snuggle with on a chilly autumn evening is enough to excite the taste buds without even getting near them. The taste of cigarettes and vapes just doesn’t compare, although you always have the choice of some good ol’ tobacco if you’d rather stick to what you were used to in your previous lifetime. Thing is, though, sometimes your vape may taste a little bit off or downright horrible. While the quality of the blend does have a bearing on taste – which is why you need to stick to trusted names like yours truly – usually, there always is an underlying issue as to why. These reasons are what we will be exploring in this post, so without much ado, let’s get straight to it.
- You have a burnt coil on your hands
This might seem like a given considering it’s one of the most common causes of bad vape taste, but you would be surprised by just how many people continue to vape on fried coils. Coils have a lifespan and that lifespan can range from a fortnight (or even a week) to several months, depending on how frequently you vape or rely on a particular e-cig device. If your vape exhibits a burnt taste, this should be your first call when diagnosing the problem. It’s easy to tell if a coil is burnt – other than, of course, from the repelling taste. The wicking material enclosing the coil turns dark as the coil is literally burnt. If you have used the vape coil for a while without changing it, inspect the wick and if the coloration has changed, it’s a clear sign to swap the coil with a new one. But coils can also be the cause of bad vape taste without necessarily getting burnt. Some just come faulty, as with any other product. Try replacing the coil with a brand new one and notice if there’s a difference. If not, something else must be wrong.
- Heavy or chain vaping
Vaping is different from smoking in many ways, including the approach you should use when inhaling. Chain vaping, as with chain smoking, is taking too many hits within a short timeframe. While there’s nothing out of the ordinary when you smoke a cigarette this way, for vaping, it will lead to damaged coils, resulting in a revolving taste. Same case when you take draws too heavy on your vaporiser. When vaping, you need to tweak your approach just a bit, opting for shorter and spaced-out drags. This will improve your sessions while ensuring there is no damage on your kit.
- Dry wick
A dry wick – even when using a perfectly good coil – can be another reason your vape might taste off. This is usually the result of insufficient e-liquid soaking into the wick, and it mostly affects freshly-installed coils or newly-refilled vape tanks. Priming is a good way to prevent this – that is, saturating the wick with e-liquid and allowing it to sit for a while before you start vaping. Alternatively, and especially when using top-coil tanks, you can tilt the tank and battery before or during your vaping session in order to keep the wick wet.
- Your device wattage is set too high
Are you using a device with variable wattage? And sometimes you experience a burnt flavour taste, and possibly throat irritation, when vaping? Then your wattage might be set too high. You see, when the coil is operating at a very high power level, what happens is that it vaporises the vape juice faster than the wick can absorb the juice from the tank or vape pod. In turn, this causes the coil to overheat, possibly burning the wick. Try lowering the wattage on your e-cig and establish a setting that works for you and see if it resolves the issue. If it doesn’t and the wattage has been set at too high a level for some time, it has probably burned the wick at this point and you will need to do a fresh install.
- The nicotine strength is too high
Sometimes, you might feel an irritation or scratchy sensation at the back of your throat or in your lungs whenever you inhale on your vaporiser. While sometimes it might be a case of adaptability if you have just switched from smoking, if it carries on for a while and you probably feel like coughing each time you inhale, there is a fat chance that the nicotine strength you’re using is a tad high for you. It’s common for smokers making the switch to go for the higher nicotine strengths, but unless you were running through two packs a day, avoid the 18mg nicotine strength and instead start with a 12mg variant. See if there is any improvement. Nicotine salt e-liquids are always an alternative if throat hit and satisfaction top your priority list as they are softer on the throat yet boast a better absorption rate. Choosing a nicotine strength should be based on your daily cigarette smoking rate. Lighter or casual nicotine users could be well served by opting for a 3-6mg nicotine level while their intermediate or medium-level counterparts should avoid the higher strengths and instead go with something around the 9mg level.
- Poor quality e-liquid
If none of the above potential causes and solutions seem to be working for you, there is a likelihood the e-liquid you’re using is not up to snuff. Some low quality juices can taste pretty awful and leave a nasty after-taste in the mouth. In such a case, you will need to find a new e-liquid plug. The best way to ensure you’re using high-quality juices is to simply source from a trusted source like AquaVape. Our e-liquids, whether in-house made or those we sell from brands we’ve partnered with, are known for their high quality and amazing taste, irrespective of the flavour category you’re interested in: sweet, fruit, dessert flavours, you name it. As well, e-liquids too high in propylene glycol (PG) can feel harsh to some people. If you’re new to vaping and are a nicotine user, try a 50/50 e-liquid which contains equal amounts of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine (VG). Have a feel of this PG/VG blend and then work your way from there depending on how you take to it.
In Closing
Sometimes, the cause of bad vape taste could be due to an often-overlooked reason: tobacco flavour. While it’s the go-to flavour for most people transitioning from combustible cigarettes, this is the one flavour that most e-liquid manufacturers do a poor job of recreating. A tobacco vape will usually taste a bit different from an actual cigarette, but if it’s a bit off, try a flavour from a different brand and see if there is a difference. In other cases, poor device maintenance could be the problem. Do you clean your tank whenever you switch between different flavours? That’s something you should always do, double so if you’re vaping high VG e-liquids which can quickly build up gunk in your tank and coil. All in all, vaping is largely experimental and it takes a while before you can firmly establish what works best for you personally. So, with a little bit of experience, you’ll be better placed to point the bad vape taste to certain causes should you experience it.
