Vaping is a popular pastime for teens and adults because it can calm down stress and taste good. There are so many flavours to choose from, and when you pick your favourites, you enjoy them a lot. This is until they taste burnt.
Having a burnt taste in the back of your lungs when you take a hit is unpleasant, but it is fairly common. Fortunately, there are easy solutions to the problem.
Why does my vape taste burnt anyway?
Dirty Device
Like any machine, if you don’t take care of it, it isn’t going to perform well. For vaping, that means you have to clean your device regularly. With steady use, your vape will start to build up burnt residue inside the chamber and affect the taste. Portable vapes have a smaller surface area than desktop vapes, and daily use will need cleaning more often. It may be a hassle, but the alternative is the bad taste, so take your device apart and give it a good clean every week or two.
You can always resort to disposable vapes, so you don’t have the problem. Alternatively, you can find a device to change e-juice and produce large clouds.
Dry Hit
Inside your device is a wick inside the atomizer coil. This wick soaks up the liquid and then turns to vapour as the coil heats up, but if there is not enough liquid on the wick, you get a puff from a burnt wick. Make sure not to let your device run low on e-liquid.
Chain Vaping
If you are chain vaping, it could be too much for the device, and it doesn’t have time to fully saturate the wick, causing it to dry out and produce that burnt taste. The best way to fix this is to take a break so your wick can soak up more juice. You can also switch up your technique and take longer, slower inhales.
Unprimed Coils
For a new coil, you must prime it by soaking the wick before filling the tank. This will ensure it is saturated as the wick is made from tightly compacted, dry cotton and isn’t very porous. You can drip your e-juice onto the wick until it is saturated, but without getting the coil too wet. A few drips should do it. If you skip this step, you will likely experience a burnt taste in your mouth and throat.
After you prime your coil, let it sit for a few minutes to draw up the e-juice so it is good to go because any dry spot on it may cause that burnt taste to come through.
Open System Vaping
High-powered vaping devices have the same issue as chain vaping; there isn’t enough time for the wick to get saturated quickly. A high-wattage device just vaporizes too quickly, and the wick burns to give you that pleasant taste.
Cold Temperatures
Sometimes when the temperature drops lower, you can experience a burnt taste in your vape. This is because some e-liquids can thicken as the viscosity increase with the cold, and it doesn’t flow properly into the atomizer and the wick. Make sure to store your juice in a warm place to avoid this.
Your VG/PG Ratio Is Off
While most devices can use any kind of e-juice on the market, some are not ideal for your vape. This is because there are coil heads with wicking ports that are smaller and require a thinner mixture to work efficiently. These are usually pen-style vapes.
PG (propylene glycol) is thinner than VG (vegetable glycerine), so it will flow easier into these ports. Lower wattage also is suited for a higher PG to VG ratio. Try to stick with a 50/50 ratio and keep the ports as clean as possible.
Clogged Wick
Another common problem is a clogged wick. Some e-juices are produced using a high amount of colour, flavour and nicotine, and these can contribute to clogging up your wick. You can easily avoid these e-juices, but they have the best flavours. The downside is that they can caramelize on the wick and burn. The best way to avoid this is by rinsing your wick to extend its lifespan or replace it more often. Remember, when replacing the wick, soak it to prime it first.
Vaping is a fun experience; for some, it is an effective and safe way to transition off cigarettes. Any negative experiences can put you off vaping altogether, so follow this guideline to keep your device clean and vape properly so your tasty e-juice will be perfect every time. Now get out there and start chasing clouds!
