E-liquids are the intrinsic part of your vaping experience that act as fuel for your vape device in order to produce a taste and sensory experience for you. E-liquids are composed of only four basic ingredients, namely PG, VG, nicotine, and artificial or natural flavours and sweeteners. But the effects of vaping, and what it has been able to achieve this far, with a simple mechanism and even simpler vape juice, is tremendous. It has been one of the most successful smoking cessation tools for millions of people and has helped people wean themselves off nicotine. That said, it’s important to put some thought before making your e-liquid purchase and not simply perform a google search of “vape store near me” and make a hasty decision. A good e-liquid can go a long way in shaping your vaping experience and helping you curb your nicotine intake.
How PG and VG Can Affect Your Vaping Experience?
The use of PG and VG is not new, and both of these ingredients are widely used in the food and cosmetic manufacturing industries. But the quality of PG and VG may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. PG is mainly used as a flavour carrier in e-liquids, and most manufacturers use 99.5 to 99.8% pure PG. The 0.2 to 0.5% difference might not feel intuitively substantial, but it does make a huge difference in the flavour profile of your e-liquid, especially those that fall on the mellower side. If you are using an e-liquid that has a lower grade PG, chances are you would be able to taste the impurities and the flavour would feel toned down or muted
VG is responsible for vapour production in your e-liquid and like PG, VG used in most e-liquids is never 100% pure. The closest you can get in e-liquid is 99.9% purity but it also depends on how VG is extracted. VG can be extracted from animal fat and plant sources like soy, coconut, or palm and the quality of VG also hinges on its original source. Many reputable vape stores spend months experimenting with different materials for their base liquid, till they find their crowning achievement.
The Quality of Nicotine in Your E-Liquid:
Like the flavour and vapour carrier, nicotine used in e-liquid, also varies a lot in terms of quality. The nicotine used in e-liquid is extracted from the tobacco plant and then separated from other components of tobacco and purified until what remains is pure nicotine. The extract is then dissolved into the solution of PG and VG, but the quality of nicotine dissolved and the quality of the base liquid, in turn, add more variables to the equation. Nicotine can also readily react with the surrounding air and get oxidized if left free. The oxidized nicotine, when mixed with other e-liquid components and vapourized, gives a peppery taste. Hence the quality of nicotine used is as important as the quality of any other ingredient in an e-liquid.
The Ultimate Taste Builder: The Flavouring and Sweeteners
Even when your e-liquid consists of the purest forms of nicotine and clean base liquid, the flavouring is the ultimate criterion that caps off your vaping experience. With a multitude of options to choose from and an inexhaustible list of recipes, it takes a lot of trial and error and testing to come up with a cohesive and well-balanced flavour profile. Most artisanal blends and famous vape stores take months and a lot of research to find the recipe that satisfies their customers and ranks their products higher. Sweeteners are used moderately in order to develop flavour, but it’s never used to lay the foundation of a flavour. Overly sweet e-liquids can affect the lifespan of your coil and gunk it up really quickly, affecting the overall vaping experience.
What Makes a Flavour Profile Stand Out?
As stated earlier, perfecting a flavour combination requires a lot of skills and testing, before it is set to become available in the market. Let’s take an example of a simple flavour profile, chocolate. A manufacturer using a single source of flavouring in order to develop chocolaty flavour in e-liquid would likely end up with a flat and insipid flavour, producing an almost artificial flavour. What makes a great-tasting e-liquid great is the nuances and complexities of its recipe. It takes a variety of components, various flavour notes, and secondary elements to build a well-adjusted and great-tasting chocolate e-liquid. Secondary flavours like caffeine, nuts, and marshmallow give the flavour the depth it needs and makes up for a well-crafted e-liquid.
The Manufacturing Facility of Your E-Liquid:
Was your e-liquid made in a temperature-controlled, secure, and clean lab or was it made in an unsafe environment exposed to outward hazards? These are the questions you must ask before purchasing your e-liquid and make sure it was produced in a quality-controlled environment with rigorous lab testing involved. Many e-liquid brands and manufacturers disclose the information regarding their manufacturing process on their website, with the complete list of ingredients and processes involved in the manufacturing. As stated earlier, the nicotine used in the manufacturing could get oxidized, if it’s not properly handled or stored. Hence it’s important to make sure your e-liquid was manufactured in a safe environment and in appropriate conditions.
List of Ingredients to Avoid When Buying E-Liquids:
Safety of health is a hot-button issue when it comes to e-liquids and it’s extremely important to know what ingredients are safe to use and what must be avoided. Some of the ingredients listed below might not even be present in the e-liquids of any manufacturer or brand, but care and caution must be directed regardless.
Fructose – fructose can caramelize upon heating and may release harmful chemicals upon vapourization of e-liquid if its present. It could also gunk the coil due to its consistency and may lead to oral degradation.
Molasses – molasses has the same effects as fructose and it can caramelize upon heating
Sodium chloride – it is commonly found in table salt and may produce unpredictable chemicals byproducts upon heating
Corn syrup – although the practice of using corn syrup as a sweetener has been terminated, corn syrup also caramelizes upon heating and can produce harmful chemical byproducts
Vitamin E – As opposed to vitamin e acetate which is completely abolished and illegal to be used in the manufacturing of e-liquid, Vitamin E is an oil and it should be avoided
Final Note:
With all this information overload, if you’ve found an e-liquid that keeps you off of cigarettes then your e-liquid is good enough. But if you find yourself wishing, it tasted better, do your research and find out what the culprit is. Your vaping experience could also be affected by the power, temperature, coil, and cleanliness of your device. Make sure you have a device that’s fully geared with the proper equipment and the right temperature to conduct your e-liquid. Other factors such as the nicotine strength of your e-liquid, the ratio of PG and VG, the device being used, and the vaping technique can also affect your vaping experience.
