Everything You Need to Know About E-liquid
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A couple of decades ago, people would have to turn to nicotine patches and chewing gum if they wanted to kick their smoking habit. But the invention of the e-cigarette means more people now can quit smoking and still get their nicotine hit.
Vape devices use a heating mechanism to warm e-liquid, which creates a vapour when you inhale and exhale. If you're new to e-cigarettes or aren't sure how e-liquids exactly work, we've got everything you need to know.
From type to nicotine content and taste, here's the complete beginner's guide to e-liquid.
What Is E-Liquid/Vape Juice?
Vape juice is the liquid that goes into the tank of your electronic cigarette. When it's heated, the juice creates a vapour, mimicking smoking without all of the chemicals. All e-liquids are a combination of nicotine, food-grade flavouring and PG/VG.
Nicotine
Nicotine isn't an essential ingredient because you can enjoy the vaping experience without getting a nicotine hit, so it's easy to find e-liquids that contain flavouring. While many believe that nicotine is a dangerous substance, the chemicals in traditional cigarettes contribute to severe illnesses.
Tar, carbon monoxide and chemicals can damage your heart and lungs, but nicotine is harmless physically. However, nicotine is a highly addictive substance, which is why so many people struggle to quit smoking.
Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol (PG) often appears in moisturisers and lotions, but e-liquid manufacturers use it to provide a basis for the vapour to form when someone uses an e-cigarette. It's has a thin consistency and is known for giving a more substantial throat hit.
Vegetable Glycerine
Vegetable Glycerine (VG) is extracted from plant oils, making it a completely natural substance. It's a lot thicker than Propylene Glycol and has a slightly sweet taste to it.
PG vs VG
In many cases, you'll often find e-liquids with a 50/50 mix of Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin. Both have unique qualities, and most manufacturers believe that mixing the two provides a better vaping experience.
While PG is known for providing a stronger throat hit, VG is more subtle and enables you to create thicker clouds of vapour. Some e-liquids have a 70/30 split of either VG or PG, which is perfect if you want a more personalised vaping experience.
To put it simply:
- If you want maximum flavour and a strong throat hit, go for PG heavy e-liquids.
- If you prefer a more subtle flavour and love creating clouds, go for VG vape juice.
Flavourings
Manufacturers use synthetic flavours to ensure their e-liquids retain their taste. Natural flavouring would disappear as the liquid heats, but synthetic flavours ensure your vape juice tastes good.
As all the synthetic flavours are approved for food, you can rest assured that your experience won't be compromised, and the sheer selection of flavours available means you'll never get bored of vaping.
Regular E-Liquids & Nic Salts: What's the Difference?
If you've ever shopped for e-liquids, you'll probably notice that there are so many to choose between, including nic salts. Most people find nic salts confusing, but they're essentially just stronger than regular e-liquids.
It's made from the natural state of tobacco, so while it offers a stronger throat hit, you'll notice that nic salts don't create much excess vapour.
Nicotine salts are ideal if you're giving up smoking and need to replicate the experience because their strength replicates the sensation of inhaling a cigarette.
Some people find nic salts too intense, so they prefer sticking to regular e-liquids because they provide a more subtle throat hit, but if you're missing tobacco, nic salts are worth a try.
Vape Juice Flavours
Now for the fun stuff; e-liquid flavours. There's no one size fits all when it comes to vape juice, and manufacturers continue to up their game and create weird and wonderful flavours. Of course, you're probably aware of the tobacco flavour e-liquids, but there's something for everyone.
One important thing is quality. You should always make sure you're buying the best premium e-liquids because some foreign brands cannot be trusted. Always make sure you look at the labels and know what you're putting into your body.
Traditional Flavours
Let's clear this up; tobacco flavoured e-liquids don't taste like a cigarette - because they don't have the dangerous chemicals tar and carbon monoxide. You'll get to experience the actual taste of tobacco, which is slightly woody with caramel undertones.
Menthol e-liquids have become more popular in recent months because the government banned menthol cigarettes to reduce smoking habits in younger people. Luckily, you can still get that cool icy blast without the negative health impacts.
Fruity Fun
You don't need to stop at traditional flavours because there are plenty of fruit-based e-liquids that can contain nicotine or be completely free of it. The most popular flavours include strawberry, cherry, lemon and mixed fruit.
Sweets & Desserts
Many manufacturers are getting creative and recreating popular desserts, sweets and drinks in their e-liquids. Some examples include apple crumble, cherry Bakewell, chocolate, and coffee flavoured vape juice.
Not only can you enjoy the distinctive taste of your favourite desserts, but it also gives you your sweet fix, which means less eating unhealthy foods.
How Long Does a Bottle of E-Liquid Last?
Most e-liquids come in 10ml bottles, but you can buy larger bottles and fill them with nicotine shots. This is the preferred method among seasoned vapers because it gives them more control over how much nicotine goes into their e-liquid.
Depending on how often you vape, a 10ml bottle of e-liquid will last two days, a week or even longer. Moderate vapers often find they can make their bottles last a week, and with much lower prices than cigarettes, vaping saves you a lot of money.
The Takeaway
In the UK, the average pack of cigarettes now costs £12, which is a huge jump compared to 20 years ago. Vaping is much cheaper than smoking, and it's also safer because there are no harmful chemicals or toxic substances.
If you'd like to make the switch and stop smoking, please feel free to get in touch for advice and support. Most importantly, enjoy sampling our e-liquids!
