You're on the fence about starting vaping, and you want to make sure you choose the best vape juice up front. Then you start shopping and immediately realize there are literally thousands of choices and you just don't know what to choose. So, which vape juice is right for you?
The answer is that it all depends on your personal tastes and your reason for vaping. This guide will walk you through choosing an appropriate vape juice for your needs.
Vaping to Stop Smoking
The No. 1 reason that people take up vaping is to help themselves get away from cigarettes. Vaping allows smokers to have an alternative without forcing them to change their physical actions. With this in mind, e-liquid manufacturers provide tons of great smoking alternatives. These flavors are generally meant to keep cravings at bay and reduce the frequency of urges.
Dealing with Cravings
While cravings may be predominantly driven by the need for nicotine, many smokers admit that it's the taste of a cigarette they really want during their smoke breaks. If you've been smoking for years, you've become accustomed to having that taste every time you need to get away.
For this reason, a lot of new vapers choose to stay close to home with their first e-liquid. By choosing a rich, tobacco flavored e-juice or even a menthol e-juice, you will be welcomed into the vapor with that same familiar taste. This is reassuring for those who are unsure if vapor is right for them because it feels a little different at first.
There are several different options available under the tobacco taste umbrella, including traditional tobacco flavors like gold and red, but also a number of flavored tobaccos. No matter what you were smoking before, somebody has recreated it in the form of a vape juice, and we like to think we've done a pretty good job with the flavors we’ve made available. Under the menthol category you will also find a huge selection of e-liquids that are well suited to those who preferred a cooler smoke. The days of poorly made replicas are behind us. Today, menthol vape flavors are spot on.
In addition to these common flavor profiles, there is also a wealth of fruity, sweet flavors available. For some people, the best way to stop smoking is to stay away from smoky flavors and scents altogether. If you're one of those people but you still need a little help weaning off of the nicotine itself, this may be the right path for you. There is more variety as you branch out and you may be able to find something that really takes your mind off of smoking altogether.
While we're talking about leaving smoking behind by way of sweet flavors, this is also a good time to mention the fact that many people are afraid to stop smoking because they use it as a way to maintain their weight. We cover vaping as a weight loss tool a bit later in the guide.
Experimentation
The truth is this: Nobody can tell you which juice is best for you.
Experimentation is the key to discovering your preferences. Indulge in the reviews available for each product to give you a good idea of what you're getting into before you buy a particular flavor. Many vape shops offer samples if you're unsure of where to put your money.
When making your choices, keep in mind that different brands use different processes to create their flavors. Even when manufacturers claim to make the “same” tobacco or fruit flavor, each juice may have its own subtle nuances that make it stand apart.
Don't be afraid to try two or three different versions of your favorite flavor to find the one you like best. There is also something to be said about experimenting by mixing a few drops of different flavors together. While this may be a more advanced technique, it certainly isn't off the table if you think that your vape is missing one key ingredient.
What To Do Next
If you're using vapor as a means of stopping smoking, the next step is to learn all about nicotine in vape juice. Check out the Guide to Vape Juice with Nicotine, so you can see what different nicotine ratings mean as well as how you can find the right nicotine level for your first vape. We also give you tips on how to step down your nicotine intake over time, so you can leave smoking behind for good.
Recreational Vaping
Some people get into vaping because their friends showed them a cool trick or two, or they ran across a YouTube video of some vaping sensation. There's certainly nothing wrong with a little bit of recreational vaping to pass the time. If you're the competitive sort, there are many cloud chasing competitions with cool prizes for the winners. Plus, there is a lot of fun technology to learn and experiment with when vaping, so the geek inside of you can enjoy building new setups and pushing the limits of your device. If this is what excites you about vaping, how do you choose the right liquid just for fun?
Zero Nicotine
If you weren't previously a smoker, there's no reason to buy an e-liquid with nicotine in it. Nearly every e-liquid on the market comes in a zero-nicotine option so you can enjoy the flavor of the vape without the addictive properties of nicotine. The nicotine level does not affect the vapor production of your liquid so you don't have anything to worry about there.
High VG Liquids
For the most part, you'll want an e-liquid that is high in VG, or vegetable glycerin. The VG is responsible for producing vapor when it runs across the coil. The counterpart to VG is PG, or propylene glycol. PG is responsible for delivering a strong throat hit and carrying the flavor.
You can purchase e-liquids in a number of different VG/PG ratios. For instance, you may find 50/50 blends, as well as 60/40, 70/30 and what's known as MAX VG. It is said to be MAX VG because your flavorings almost all use PG as a base, so it is difficult to completely eliminate PG from any liquid.
To produce large, dense clouds that are easy to work with for tricks, you will probably want to start with a liquid that is at least 70 percent VG. You can go to MAX VG if you want, but there are fewer flavor options available in this range. Again, the vapor community tends to be very good about publishing reviews of their favorite products. It won't be hard to find a review or two that mentions a particular flavor's cloud producing qualities and whether or not it performs well for tricks.
Equipment Matters
While your e-liquid will have a lot to do with how well your tricks come off, you will also need a particular set of equipment to get the job done. Generally, you'll want to start with a mod that is capable of at least 50 watts with a rebuildable drip atomizer or a sub-ohm tank. This equipment is a little more advanced than what you would typically start with if you were just trying to stop smoking.
For this reason, we urge caution when first picking up this hobby because there is a lot to learn and understand about how advanced vaporizers work before trying to set it up for the first time. Take some time to speak with local vapers and get some guidance about what to buy. Be sure all of the parts fit together, so you can vape safely.
Vaping for Weight Loss
The idea of vaping for weight loss is relatively new, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. There are simply some things vapor offers that you can't get anywhere else, like calorie-free chocolate cake! For many people the idea of stopping smoking comes with the dread of suddenly putting on pounds. It's not unusual for people who are stopping smoking to eat more as they search for some way to address their oral fixation. Of course, vaping isn't just useful for those who want to stop or reduce their smoking habit. Nearly anyone can use vaping as a tool for weight loss.
Snack, Snack, Snack
Very few people gain weight by eating three square meals a day. Typically, extra weight is gained because of all those extra snacks we sneak in between meals. Whether it's a few pieces of candy or a nightly bowl of ice cream, snacking can be hard to stop.
Vaping comes into play because there are so many great vapor flavors available that you can enjoy guilt-free. You won't have to put yourself on a special diet if you cheat and take an extra hit of that apple pie vape. Basically, you can enjoy as many snacks as you want in vapor form without any weight gain on the horizon. It's a dream come true.
Whatever junk foods you crave, you can almost certainly find a vapor copy somewhere. The masters of e-liquid manufacturing have managed to perfect a variety of spices, fruits, candies and beverages so you can enjoy complex recipes in bottled form. Plus, there continue to be new flavors added every day.
Choose flavors that you know will help you fight off those cravings that drive you to snacking and you will instantly start saving yourself some calories. You should even consider stocking up on several different favorite snack flavors so you can rotate through them whenever you are looking for something different. This will keep you from getting burnt out on one particular flavor and ensure that you don't head to the kitchen to grab something else.
Exercise
While the research is still in its infancy, many people report that switching to vaping for weight loss is also helpful because it improves their ability to exercise. According to many smokers, switching to vaping seems to have a therapeutic effect on the lungs, giving them the ability to breathe easier. Others report a reduced smoker's cough. This alone can make it possible to run or jog for the first time in years for those who’ve been struggling with shortness of breath. In addition, some vapers with asthma may decide to vape because it exercises the lungs and has the potential to increase lung capacity. These are groups of people who tend to gain weight from inactivity, but vaping makes it possible to be more active.
Read On
To learn more about the early research that's being done on the subject of vaping and weight loss, read this article. It introduces some of the science that has people actively using vaping for weight loss today and discusses the most promising signs for success.
It's Up To You
We've walked you through three of the most common reasons that people choose to vape, and explained how to choose an appropriate e-liquid flavor for your needs. If you're trying to stop smoking it is often best to start with a tobacco-inspired flavor that will help you adjust to the feel of vaping. On the other hand, if you're vaping just for fun or vaping for weight loss the whole world of flavors is really open to you to experiment with. In the case of recreational vaping, you are simply looking for a great flavor that comes in a high-VG option to maximize cloud production.
The best way to find the perfect e-liquid flavor for you is to simply start experimenting. You may not get the right one the first time, but you can ask your local vapor shop for recommendations and samples and get close. From there you can seek out alternatives and start to understand what makes a great liquid to meet your needs.
The good news is that there are quite a few sampler bundles already put together for new vapers. These allow you to buy three to five flavors at once so you can see a range of different options. These samplers are awesome because they often come with flavors that you wouldn't necessarily think to choose for yourself, but you may be surprised by how much you love them! If you're new to vaping, make sure that you are starting with fresh wicks and coils and a properly cleaned tank every time you try a new flavor. Old wicks and coils may carry a residue that will change the profile of your new flavor. This could cause you to dismiss a great flavor because it was prematurely changed by outside factors. You want to have the cleanest, purest experience of each new flavor to determine whether or not it's right for you.