And now on to the latest installment of The Crash Course in vaping!
The juice: It's all in the percentages
Long at last I've gotten around to creating this installment of eJuice for the inquisitive minds of those folks that want information about e-Cigarettes, or just really enjoy reading lengthy posts.
After you've picked the PV (personal vaporizer, aka e-Cigarette) of your choice you will need to think about eJuice.
eJuice, or simply Juice, is the liquid used in e-Cigs to deliver the nicotine to the atomizer when the liquid is heated to a vapor state. This vapor is the what the user inhales and exhales when puffing on an e-Cigarette.
"And, so what? I'll just pick up some tobacco eJuice and I'm set" is what your probably thinking...
Unfortunately, you couldn't be more mistaken.
The actual e-Cigarette is only half of the equation. All e-Cigs work on the exact same premise. There's a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge/tank that holds the juice. Or a battery and a cartomizer (combination of atomizer and juice cartridge). On a high level all of these items work exactly the same. The battery powers the atomizer, the liquid contacts the atomizer and vaporizes. That's it.
It's the eJuice that gives you the flavor and experience of "smoking". The eJuice is what holds the nicotine and is gives you the satisfaction in vaping rather than smoking a traditional cigarette.
So, it all comes down to the Juice.
(Addendum: Well, mostly. There is a lot to be said a the type of atomizer, or cartridge versus tank, or the type of cartomizer. And sometimes the power of battery... But that's something for the Advanced Blog... which I guess I'll get around to writing eventually.)
Even with my little Addendum above, you could have the best personal vaporizer unit, attys, cartos, etc., but if the eJuice is crap, regardless of how awesome your e-Cig setup is it'll still taste like vaping sweat-socks. (Or it'll taste like that one time you accidentally used Bengay for toothpaste. Or when you inadvertently got that cleaning stuff on your hands and touched you mouth and that made you want to hurl - for about a month... Well, you get the idea.)
Now that you understand why the eJuice is such a big deal let's get into details.
eJuice is available from a wide number of distributors. The focus here will be on USA producers. And to answer the question that you pondering - YES, there is eJuice that is made in China that is available for sale here in the United States. Why am I focusing on US made and sold eJuice? Because, China, does not have the greatest track record for food safety. Yup, I said it. I don't trust their quality control standards. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with Chinese produced eJuice... I'm just not willing to bank on it.
Regardless of where you buy your eJuice, all eJuice consists of pretty much the same thing. A combination (or straight) propylene glycol(PG) and/or vegetable glycerin(VG), nicotine, and flavoring. While that all seems relatively simple, there is a lot of room for interpretation to that eJuice "recipe".
There some great information on ECF about all this if you're interested.
But here is the basics:
VG (vegetable glycerin) is much thicker and produces far more vapor. It vaporizes at a lower temperature and is a little sweeter. Since it produces a somewhat cooler vapor it has less throat hit.
PG (propylene glycol) is thinner and produces less vapor, but gives a stronger throat hit. Flavors also seem to be stronger in PG based eJuice.
And what exactly is "Throat Hit"?
Throat Hit is that sensation at the back of your throat, that little tickle, when you smoke a regular cigarette. It's the sensation that lets you know you've just taken a hit off a cigarette. While this might not seem important to you right now, when you start vaping it will become immediately apparent to you if it's missing. Some people prefer a soft throat hit, some people prefer a strong, knock-your-socks-off throat hit.
Which do you prefer? The only way to answer that question is to try them out!
RECOMMENDATIONS:
When starting out in vaping, I recommend the following - Buy 1 bottle of PG Based, Buy 1 Bottle of VG based. Buy 1 bottle of 30%VG/70%PG based or 20%VG/80%PG based, this is the common "blend" to provided you with great flavor (the high PG) AND great vapor (low amount of VG).
SPECIAL NOTE: If using a Tank system - the eGo Tank system can be notoriously fussy. A blend of 80PG/20VG is recommended for eGo tanks, 70PG/30VG if you want to push it. While you can vape any percentage you like of PG/VG in an eGo Tank, the longevity of the Tank atomizer can be extended with these blends, which seem to have fewer issues in Tank atomizers.
Nicotine: How much do I need?
Another thing to consider when buying eJuice is how much nicotine to get in your eJuice. This is another area that has no hard and fast rules. There a 3 Pack-A-Day (PAD) smokers that can only vape 12mg, then there are 1 PAD smokers that need to vape 24mg. It all comes down to personal preference. When I started vaping, I started at 18mg for nicotine... and very quickly realized that I could vape like mad, but was still edgy and wanted a regular cigarette. I bumped my eJuice up to 24mg, and that resolved all of my nic-fit cravings. About 3 weeks later I returned to 18mg eJuice, and had no issues stepping down.
**IMPORTANT NOTE**: This is my CYA Clause - I am not a medical professional. I am only re-iterating what I have learned from my research. I am not liable for what you order in nicotine strength. This blog is a recounting of my observations and experiences. If you use e-Cigarettes, you do so at your own risk.
For many smokers the first few weeks of vaping are the hardest. Some experience withdrawal symptoms. Why? It's not that you've given up the nicotine, because you're getting it in the e-Cigarette. Instead it's all the other ingredients in traditional cigarettes. The Big Tobacco companies have taken a simple process, (i.e. tobacco rolled in paper) and added all sorts of nasty little ingredients, stuff to make traditional cigarettes burn slower or faster, interesting 18-syllable chemicals compounds to make the tobacco "taste" better, and additives to insure that you continue to smoke...
And yeah, that first week, your body may still craves that crap. I know, it's tremendously unfair, but Big Tobacco has had a lot of time and billions of dollars to ensure that you will continue to be a smoker.
How do you even out the odds? Make sure you get eJuice in 2 or 3 different nicotine strengths. You may find one level of nicotine too low or too high. If you purchase 2 or 3 different strength you should be able to find your level.
From the reading I have done, here are some general guidelines about nicotine strength:
(Note: Again, these are what I have learned for my reading - I take no responsibility for your fool *censored* if you order really high nicotine and make yourself sick.)
If you smoke... Try this strength in Nicotine
Less than a Pack A Day Between 6mg to 14 mg
A Pack a Day Between 10mg to 18 mg
A Pack and a Half A Day Between 12mg to 24 mg
2 Packs a Day Between 14mg to 28mg*
*32mg is available, but it is VERY high nicotine, and I can't recommend that high of nicotine to anyone.
Again, you order this at your own risk!
Now that you've been armed with all of this invaluable information, you're ready to place your eJuice order, right?
But Wait... there's no eJuice out there in the flavor of "Xyz" cigarettes...
Now what?
This will be covered in the next blog.. The Flavors!
The juice: It's all in the percentages
Long at last I've gotten around to creating this installment of eJuice for the inquisitive minds of those folks that want information about e-Cigarettes, or just really enjoy reading lengthy posts.
After you've picked the PV (personal vaporizer, aka e-Cigarette) of your choice you will need to think about eJuice.
eJuice, or simply Juice, is the liquid used in e-Cigs to deliver the nicotine to the atomizer when the liquid is heated to a vapor state. This vapor is the what the user inhales and exhales when puffing on an e-Cigarette.
"And, so what? I'll just pick up some tobacco eJuice and I'm set" is what your probably thinking...
Unfortunately, you couldn't be more mistaken.
The actual e-Cigarette is only half of the equation. All e-Cigs work on the exact same premise. There's a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge/tank that holds the juice. Or a battery and a cartomizer (combination of atomizer and juice cartridge). On a high level all of these items work exactly the same. The battery powers the atomizer, the liquid contacts the atomizer and vaporizes. That's it.
It's the eJuice that gives you the flavor and experience of "smoking". The eJuice is what holds the nicotine and is gives you the satisfaction in vaping rather than smoking a traditional cigarette.
So, it all comes down to the Juice.
(Addendum: Well, mostly. There is a lot to be said a the type of atomizer, or cartridge versus tank, or the type of cartomizer. And sometimes the power of battery... But that's something for the Advanced Blog... which I guess I'll get around to writing eventually.)
Even with my little Addendum above, you could have the best personal vaporizer unit, attys, cartos, etc., but if the eJuice is crap, regardless of how awesome your e-Cig setup is it'll still taste like vaping sweat-socks. (Or it'll taste like that one time you accidentally used Bengay for toothpaste. Or when you inadvertently got that cleaning stuff on your hands and touched you mouth and that made you want to hurl - for about a month... Well, you get the idea.)
Now that you understand why the eJuice is such a big deal let's get into details.
eJuice is available from a wide number of distributors. The focus here will be on USA producers. And to answer the question that you pondering - YES, there is eJuice that is made in China that is available for sale here in the United States. Why am I focusing on US made and sold eJuice? Because, China, does not have the greatest track record for food safety. Yup, I said it. I don't trust their quality control standards. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with Chinese produced eJuice... I'm just not willing to bank on it.
Regardless of where you buy your eJuice, all eJuice consists of pretty much the same thing. A combination (or straight) propylene glycol(PG) and/or vegetable glycerin(VG), nicotine, and flavoring. While that all seems relatively simple, there is a lot of room for interpretation to that eJuice "recipe".
There some great information on ECF about all this if you're interested.
But here is the basics:
VG (vegetable glycerin) is much thicker and produces far more vapor. It vaporizes at a lower temperature and is a little sweeter. Since it produces a somewhat cooler vapor it has less throat hit.
PG (propylene glycol) is thinner and produces less vapor, but gives a stronger throat hit. Flavors also seem to be stronger in PG based eJuice.
And what exactly is "Throat Hit"?
Throat Hit is that sensation at the back of your throat, that little tickle, when you smoke a regular cigarette. It's the sensation that lets you know you've just taken a hit off a cigarette. While this might not seem important to you right now, when you start vaping it will become immediately apparent to you if it's missing. Some people prefer a soft throat hit, some people prefer a strong, knock-your-socks-off throat hit.
Which do you prefer? The only way to answer that question is to try them out!
RECOMMENDATIONS:
When starting out in vaping, I recommend the following - Buy 1 bottle of PG Based, Buy 1 Bottle of VG based. Buy 1 bottle of 30%VG/70%PG based or 20%VG/80%PG based, this is the common "blend" to provided you with great flavor (the high PG) AND great vapor (low amount of VG).
SPECIAL NOTE: If using a Tank system - the eGo Tank system can be notoriously fussy. A blend of 80PG/20VG is recommended for eGo tanks, 70PG/30VG if you want to push it. While you can vape any percentage you like of PG/VG in an eGo Tank, the longevity of the Tank atomizer can be extended with these blends, which seem to have fewer issues in Tank atomizers.
Nicotine: How much do I need?
Another thing to consider when buying eJuice is how much nicotine to get in your eJuice. This is another area that has no hard and fast rules. There a 3 Pack-A-Day (PAD) smokers that can only vape 12mg, then there are 1 PAD smokers that need to vape 24mg. It all comes down to personal preference. When I started vaping, I started at 18mg for nicotine... and very quickly realized that I could vape like mad, but was still edgy and wanted a regular cigarette. I bumped my eJuice up to 24mg, and that resolved all of my nic-fit cravings. About 3 weeks later I returned to 18mg eJuice, and had no issues stepping down.
**IMPORTANT NOTE**: This is my CYA Clause - I am not a medical professional. I am only re-iterating what I have learned from my research. I am not liable for what you order in nicotine strength. This blog is a recounting of my observations and experiences. If you use e-Cigarettes, you do so at your own risk.
For many smokers the first few weeks of vaping are the hardest. Some experience withdrawal symptoms. Why? It's not that you've given up the nicotine, because you're getting it in the e-Cigarette. Instead it's all the other ingredients in traditional cigarettes. The Big Tobacco companies have taken a simple process, (i.e. tobacco rolled in paper) and added all sorts of nasty little ingredients, stuff to make traditional cigarettes burn slower or faster, interesting 18-syllable chemicals compounds to make the tobacco "taste" better, and additives to insure that you continue to smoke...
And yeah, that first week, your body may still craves that crap. I know, it's tremendously unfair, but Big Tobacco has had a lot of time and billions of dollars to ensure that you will continue to be a smoker.
How do you even out the odds? Make sure you get eJuice in 2 or 3 different nicotine strengths. You may find one level of nicotine too low or too high. If you purchase 2 or 3 different strength you should be able to find your level.
From the reading I have done, here are some general guidelines about nicotine strength:
(Note: Again, these are what I have learned for my reading - I take no responsibility for your fool *censored* if you order really high nicotine and make yourself sick.)
If you smoke... Try this strength in Nicotine
Less than a Pack A Day Between 6mg to 14 mg
A Pack a Day Between 10mg to 18 mg
A Pack and a Half A Day Between 12mg to 24 mg
2 Packs a Day Between 14mg to 28mg*
*32mg is available, but it is VERY high nicotine, and I can't recommend that high of nicotine to anyone.
Again, you order this at your own risk!
Now that you've been armed with all of this invaluable information, you're ready to place your eJuice order, right?
But Wait... there's no eJuice out there in the flavor of "Xyz" cigarettes...
Now what?
This will be covered in the next blog.. The Flavors!
