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Top tips for best flavour for vapers

11 January 2018

If you're not quite getting what you want out of vaping and your e-liquid in terms of the taste and flavour, this page will give you some helpful pointers. Here's hoping this will help you find that fabulous 'sweet spot'.

Just before we start, just bear in mind that the way we taste is affected by our lifestyle and the way we feel. When we're relaxed and in the present moment, we're in a much better position to enjoy our food and experience flavours. Stress, anxiety and low mood diminishes and numbs our senses. So although there are some helpful pointers below to help you optimise the flavour of your juice, our mood and state of mind can also play a part.

e-Liquids for best flavour

Excluding the flavouring in e-liquid, which won't normally be more than 10-15%, most e-liquids contain PG and VG in varying amounts. These base fluids affect the thickness, taste, flavour and the throat hit.

This subject is covered extensively in one of our other articles about e-liquid blends but here's a quick overview.

Sub-Ohm cloud-chasers tend to use high VG juices because they produce a lot more vapour, but these clouds can sometimes be produced at the expense of flavour.

VG, which makes the clouds, is almost tasteless and smooth to vape but it doesn’t carry flavour as well as the thinner PG ingredient.

PG normally gives more flavour, however, it's also responsible for more throat hit so be mindful to keep your nicotine low enough that the hit you get isn't too harsh on your throat.

A mix of 50/50 e-liquid (half and half) can be the ideal choice for standard e-cig users as it strikes a happy medium between flavour and vapour, by 'standard' we mean those those using anything from a 1.0Ω - 2.5Ω coil in their e-cigarette. For more flavour but a slightly harsher vape, consider 70% PG e-liquids.

Bear in mind, sometimes, regardless of all your efforts to try and increase or improve the flavour, the juice you have simply won't perform with your set-up. That may because of the power output of your device or the type of coil in the tank. There is no one simple answer to any of this, it's trial and error.

Adjust your power settings

If you have a variable device of any kind, simply adjusting your settings up or down is the simplest and usually the most effective way to alter the flavour and taste of your e-liquid.

Because different flavourings in your juice vapourise at different temperatures, you'll find different elements of the flavour come out at different voltage/wattage (or temperature) settings. Your setting, in conjunction with the electrical resistance of your coil, dictates how fast and how hot the coil gets.

Always start with lower settings and work your way up until you reach what's called the 'sweet spot'. All e-liquid flavours have their own unique sweet spot so take your time to experiment when you start out with new flavours.

It helps to start with e-liquid blends that are generally most suitable for the type of coil in your tank, by that we mean choose one that's not too thick if you're using a standard coil, and if you're using a sub-Ohm coil, avoid very thin liquids.

For any one type of liquid, you may find it really shines at 30W and while you may expect another to be stunning at a similar range, you could find it takes off at 20W. This trial and error is all part of the 'fun' of vaping!

If you have a temperature control device (with the appropriate coils for TC mode), you have an added advantage because you can control the temperature which means you're controlling the temperature of the coil, and the heat in the coil affects the flavour. Again you just need to experiment with your settings, starting on the low side and work up towards finding that sweet spot.

Adjust the airflow

A lot of vapers underestimate the importance of adjusting the airflow when it comes to flavour. Generally when there's more air going through the coil the vapour isn't as dense but it will produce a load of vapour, but this can diminish the flavour.

Those chasing more flavour should try gradually closing off the airflow, assuming you have one, not all devices do. The less air going through allows for a denser and warmer vape with more flavour. If your close your airflow down too much, it will reduce the vapour but it could also make it hotter than you want.

The type or design of airflow can affect the flavour

As well as the amount of air flowing through, the position of the airflow holes also make a difference.

Air holes on many tanks allow air to the side of the coil and this is perfectly fine but it doesn't always work as well as air underneath the coil which then has a direct path up to the mouthpiece and often improves the flavour.

The wicking material in the coil makes a difference to the taste

The wicking material and wire inside the coil does affect the flavour of your juice.

The coil is the little part inside the tank where the liquid is, and its job it to heat up rapidly when required.

Silica material used to be the standard wick type inside a coil, but cotton, ceramic and mesh wicking has now become popular as it helps to enhance the flavour.

Also inside the coil resting nice and cosy with the wicking are various types of metal wires in various guises, including kanthal, stainless steel, nickel and titanium. Kanthal was/is the most commonly used wire and gives a good clean flavour. With the introduction of temperature control comes the likes of nickel (Ni200), stainless steel and titanium. Nickel performs as well as Kanthal in flavour terms, but you may find certain stainless steel and titanium coils present a slightly metallic taste.

Mouthpiece / drip tip style and size

The size and shape of your mouthpiece can make a difference to the flavour you experience, although less so than adjusting your airflow or settings. Those wanting to produce the clouds of vapour tend to use wide bore (bigger/wider hole) mouthpieces which are designed to produce a more airier vape, which is good if you want more vapour and a cooler vape, but not if you want more flavour.

If you're using a tank with a wide-bore mouthpiece/drip tip, you can try switching it for a standard narrow bore one to boost your flavour. Don't expect a massive difference, but it can make some difference.

Let your juice steep/breath

Very often just leaving your fresh juice in your tank for a bit will change the flavour. Although most flavours come ready to use, they often benefit from this 'breathing' or 'steeping' process.

Ensure you battery has sufficient charge/power

When your battery runs low on power the flavour will diminish because it's not heating the juice sufficiently, so when your battery LED is flashing and indicatting it's low on power, recharge it with the appropriate charger.

Also, the output of some standard (non variable) batteries is greater than others, ie, some batteries simply push out more current/power than others, and this will also affect the flavour because again the juice is being heated to different temperatures.

Old or clogged coils

When coils are nearing the end of their life or they're clogged, you may experience dimished taste, and/or a burning or bitter taste.

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