Whether you are a confirmed vaper for a long time, or a brand new electronic cigarette user, it is a safe bet that you have all already asked yourself this famous question about e-liquids!
What taste to take? What nicotine level? What does 50/50 or 30/70 mean on the vials? Which brand among all those on the market?
Here are some other questions that come up quite often, and which may, for some, have precise answers, while others will remain very subjective.
We will try to guide you, through this article, towards the choice that best suits you.
How is an e-liquid composed?
In your electronic cigarette (or vaporizer for some), you will need to use a product that will allow it to vaporize this product. This is e-liquid!
Composed of a base (mixture of PG (propylene glycol) and VG (vegetable glycerine), the e-liquid will also accommodate one or more aromas (food and/or natural) to offer you the flavour you desire, and finally nicotine (pharmaceutical grade) to meet your needs compared to tobacco cigarettes.
This e-liquid is therefore soaked in cotton and then heated by a resistor, which will transform it into micro-droplets of steam, to be inhaled.
Here, there is no question of combustion as with cigarettes, cigars or even shisha (or hookah). So zero carbon monoxide emissions, the most dangerous thing in smoking daily… And, of course, there are not the 4000 toxic substances (including a few dozen carcinogens…) in the vape!
Which flavour of e-liquid to choose?
You arrive in a shop, whether it’s a physical store or online, and you find yourself in front of a multitude of e-liquids with flavours all more different from each other… But then, where to go?
You will therefore have to rely on your impressions, by carefully reading the descriptions of the e-liquids online, or ask the seller of your local store if he can be precise enough to be able to detail them for you.
You will have the choice between the 4 famous large families of juices that exist: fruity, gourmet, menthol and finally tobacco flavoured juices (called ” classics ” in the jargon of the vape).
There will also be sub-categories for these 4 known groups, such as gourmet fruity, classic gourmet, fresh fruity, etc.
And yes, there are choices and possibilities, aren’t there!
Now it’s up to you to see what attracts you the most, knowing that it’s not impossible to have several setups to be able to vary your tastes during the day.
For example, a clearomizer with a fruity liquid in the morning, another with a strong mint juice during the day, and then a small atomizer containing a lemon meringue pie flavour for small cravings.
Indeed, starting with an icy mint as soon as you wake up is not necessarily given to everyone. Just as vaping a very gourmet e-liquid, based on nuts or vanilla custard will not necessarily be either!
Many will begin their smoking cessation with a very simple juice, a single flavour, which is called mono aroma.
A strawberry liquid, or a cola taste… Very basic recipes on paper, but which can without any problem bring the satisfaction of a good flavour in the mouth and which will be easy for you to vape throughout the day!
The more experienced vaper, meanwhile, will often tend to look for more complex recipes, were several flavours intertwine to concoct a precise mixture.
70/30, 50/50, 20/80, but what does that mean?
It’s not about your chances of succeeding in quitting smoking or the measurements of the pretty young lady you met earlier… (too bad!)
These values, written on the vials of your e-liquids, correspond to the ratio between propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) of which your product is composed.
A 70/30 e-liquid will therefore be composed of 70% propylene glycol and 30% vegetable glycerin, for example.
The higher the PG level, the thinner the liquid will be. The hit (tingling sensation in the throat) will be stronger, and finally, the PG has the virtue of conveying the flavours as well as possible.
This is why, in general, the first-time buyer will move towards a tight draw which requires the use of 70/30 or 50/50 e-liquids, but not lower in terms of PG ratio, to have a maximum of flavours, a pronounced hit (often sought after by those leaving the classic cigarette) and a liquid that will not clog up its resistances too much.
On the other hand, the confirmed vaper and/or using DTL (aerial) equipment will move towards a juice where the vegetable glycerin level will be higher: 30/70, 20/80.
Thus, it will have a softer hit, a more consistent vapour and sweeter juices (vegetable glycerin being naturally slightly sweet).
Which nicotine level to choose for your e-liquid?
Basic question!
Indeed, how many try vaping and fail because of an unsuitable nicotine level. Far too many!
You should know that a smoker inhales between 1 and 3 mg of nicotine per cigarette smoked ( dose to be doubled if using rolls or tubes).
Therefore, the calculation is quite simple:
If you smoke a pack of 20 classic cigarettes a day, you will need between 20 and 60 mg of nicotine daily via your electronic cigarette!
You should know that in Europe, the maximum authorized rate is 20 mg/ml (and no more than 10 ml per vial, as TPD law obliges). So you will find e-liquids at 16 or even 18 mg/ml at the highest.
If we start with an e-liquid in 16 mg, to meet your need for nicotine as a smoker of a pack, it, therefore, amounts to vaping 1.25 ml per day at least, but this can thus go up to at. 3.75ml!
Here, the rate seems appropriate, given that we advise not to exceed 4 or even a maximum of 5 ml per day in a tight draw, says MTL.
The vaper using a small rate of nicotine (or even without nicotine), because having already advanced his weaning (or having finished it) will move towards e-liquids with larger formats: 50 ml, 100 ml, up to the litre for the biggest fans of a liquid (or the biggest consumers). You can nicotine them up to 3 or even 6 mg/ml by adding nicotine boosters.
Above all, don’t be afraid to take the highest possible rate (as long as you can bear the sensation in your throat)! Nicotine is our friend and ally to stop smoking but also to not relapse! And that is the most important thing!
