Steps to take to narrow down if that harsh peppery taste is coming from either the NIC, the PG or the VG.
Peppery or harsh taste is usually caused by old or cheaply extracted Nicotine solution. Or it could simply be that your vaping a strength that's to high for you. The following procedure will help you determine what base component is causing the issue and what you can do to tweek your base to fit your needs.
Step 1. Vape just the PG alone (No NIC, VG, DW or flavoring). If no pepper taste is detected then.
Step 2. Vape just the VG alone (No NIC, PG, DW or flavoring). If no pepper taste is detected then.
Step 3. Mix your usual base (NIC/PG/VG) to your usual vaping strength (6mg, 12mg, 18mg what ever it is....) and don't add flavoring. Vape this base and If you get the peppery taste then you know it's the NIC and not the VG, PG or flavoring.
Now you can carry that one step further, if your usual vaping strength is let say 12mg reduce the base to let say 9mg and see if it's less peppery. If it's better then you found your new vaping strength.
Then from there you can adjust your PG/VG ratio to smooth it out even further (all done without flavoring).
For example lets say you found that 9mg is much smoother then 12mg but not smooth enough.
Try different PG/VG combos at 9mg such as 60VG/40PG or 70VG/30PG/5%*DW or 80VG/20PG/7 - 10%*DW.
Note: * DW = Distilled water
Once you found the base that works for you repeat your favorite mixes using the new base and boy will you notice a huge difference in flavor.
If you are quitting cigarettes or have just recently quit you may be concerned about the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Well I was a smoker for 40 years and this method of adjusting the base concerned me as well. I can say with all honesty that the Nicotine reduction did not affect me at all. And others reported that if they did display withdrawal symptoms the effects lasted an hour or so but their bodies adjusted very quickly to it. Also if you’re getting a harsh peppery taste this usually means that your NIC level is too high in the first place.
And that my friends is how you adjust your base to fit your needs.
Some other things to consider
NIC is a big factor in the smoothness of a mix. If you have a harsh peppery NIC you’re going to have a harsh peppery mix. Purchase several different brands of nic from different venders until you find the NIC that's right for your particular taste. Strength of the MIX also plays a big part. Compare a 6mg and 12mg mix and you will see the difference. The higher the strength the harsher the mix. What also plays a big part in smoothness is the mixture ratio. The higher the VG concentration the smoother the mix. Flavoring for the most part has the smallest roll in smoothness if mixed correctly. Some flavorings will influence smoothness but not as much as the fore mentioned. Over flavoring especially with sweet flavorings will cause the coils to bake and crust over with burnt resin which often get mistaken for harshness. Sweet flavors usually require vaping at a lower voltage or higher ohm value or constant cleaning of the burnt resin off the coil.
What also plays a big part in smoothness is the hardware used to vape with. Especially if using MODS. To high a voltage or a very low coil ohm value will burn to hot causing a harsh almost burnt taste so this is also another consideration to take into account. If using variable voltage power sources adjust the voltage lower if to harsh, if using Mechanical MODS wrap coils with a higher ohm value if the vape is to harsh. Dirty or old coils will also cause this and should be cleaning, rebuilt or replaced on a regular basis.
Peppery or harsh taste is usually caused by old or cheaply extracted Nicotine solution. Or it could simply be that your vaping a strength that's to high for you. The following procedure will help you determine what base component is causing the issue and what you can do to tweek your base to fit your needs.
Step 1. Vape just the PG alone (No NIC, VG, DW or flavoring). If no pepper taste is detected then.
Step 2. Vape just the VG alone (No NIC, PG, DW or flavoring). If no pepper taste is detected then.
Step 3. Mix your usual base (NIC/PG/VG) to your usual vaping strength (6mg, 12mg, 18mg what ever it is....) and don't add flavoring. Vape this base and If you get the peppery taste then you know it's the NIC and not the VG, PG or flavoring.
Now you can carry that one step further, if your usual vaping strength is let say 12mg reduce the base to let say 9mg and see if it's less peppery. If it's better then you found your new vaping strength.
Then from there you can adjust your PG/VG ratio to smooth it out even further (all done without flavoring).
For example lets say you found that 9mg is much smoother then 12mg but not smooth enough.
Try different PG/VG combos at 9mg such as 60VG/40PG or 70VG/30PG/5%*DW or 80VG/20PG/7 - 10%*DW.
Note: * DW = Distilled water
Once you found the base that works for you repeat your favorite mixes using the new base and boy will you notice a huge difference in flavor.
If you are quitting cigarettes or have just recently quit you may be concerned about the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Well I was a smoker for 40 years and this method of adjusting the base concerned me as well. I can say with all honesty that the Nicotine reduction did not affect me at all. And others reported that if they did display withdrawal symptoms the effects lasted an hour or so but their bodies adjusted very quickly to it. Also if you’re getting a harsh peppery taste this usually means that your NIC level is too high in the first place.
And that my friends is how you adjust your base to fit your needs.
Some other things to consider
NIC is a big factor in the smoothness of a mix. If you have a harsh peppery NIC you’re going to have a harsh peppery mix. Purchase several different brands of nic from different venders until you find the NIC that's right for your particular taste. Strength of the MIX also plays a big part. Compare a 6mg and 12mg mix and you will see the difference. The higher the strength the harsher the mix. What also plays a big part in smoothness is the mixture ratio. The higher the VG concentration the smoother the mix. Flavoring for the most part has the smallest roll in smoothness if mixed correctly. Some flavorings will influence smoothness but not as much as the fore mentioned. Over flavoring especially with sweet flavorings will cause the coils to bake and crust over with burnt resin which often get mistaken for harshness. Sweet flavors usually require vaping at a lower voltage or higher ohm value or constant cleaning of the burnt resin off the coil.
What also plays a big part in smoothness is the hardware used to vape with. Especially if using MODS. To high a voltage or a very low coil ohm value will burn to hot causing a harsh almost burnt taste so this is also another consideration to take into account. If using variable voltage power sources adjust the voltage lower if to harsh, if using Mechanical MODS wrap coils with a higher ohm value if the vape is to harsh. Dirty or old coils will also cause this and should be cleaning, rebuilt or replaced on a regular basis.
