Hi, I'm a fairly new vapor. I smoked for nearly 50 years. I started with a M3 tank,went to a Kanger t3s tank on a 1100 battery. The problem, I'm having is not being able to taste what Im vaping. I'm a Newport full flavor smoker, trying to stop. I go to a local Vapeshop and try different flavors, right now the only one I can taste is a menthol tabacco, everything else is barely tasteful. Is there anything I can do about my tastebuds? Nicotine I'm using is 12, only smoke about half pack a day.
Hi, New Member, having taste problems
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What you are experiencing is called "vaper's tongue".
After many years of smoking tobacco, your taste buds have been damaged. They can and probably will heal over time, and the time period varies from one individual to another. Even people whose taste buds have healed while vaping, vaper's tongue can return for a period of time -- probably from vaping the same flavor exclusively (flavor saturation).
Dry mouth doesn't help the situation. Make sure that you increase your water intake. The Pg (propylene glycol) and Vg (vegetable glycerin) which makes up the base of e-liquid both draw moisture from the mouth and lungs, so the water must be replaced to avoid mild dehydration. Sucking on hard candy or chewing gum can help keep your mouth from getting dry.
Cinnamon and Mint flavors (including menthol) are the strongest flavors. I suggest varying the flavors used so that you don't get flavor saturation.
Keep up good oral hygiene. A non-prescription medical mouthwash like Biotene may also promote healing of your tastebuds.
After many years of smoking tobacco, your taste buds have been damaged. They can and probably will heal over time, and the time period varies from one individual to another. Even people whose taste buds have healed while vaping, vaper's tongue can return for a period of time -- probably from vaping the same flavor exclusively (flavor saturation).
Dry mouth doesn't help the situation. Make sure that you increase your water intake. The Pg (propylene glycol) and Vg (vegetable glycerin) which makes up the base of e-liquid both draw moisture from the mouth and lungs, so the water must be replaced to avoid mild dehydration. Sucking on hard candy or chewing gum can help keep your mouth from getting dry.
Cinnamon and Mint flavors (including menthol) are the strongest flavors. I suggest varying the flavors used so that you don't get flavor saturation.
Keep up good oral hygiene. A non-prescription medical mouthwash like Biotene may also promote healing of your tastebuds.
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I remember when I first started, the flavors weren't very pronounced, and seemed dullish. I settled on a RY4, which was a sweet tobacco. I am guessing my taste buds were so accustomed to tobacco, that they really didn't taste much else. When you really think about it, you do not like the taste of a cigarette.. at least I didn't. It was more of a "feeling" that you were going after. Taste of a cigarette was either harsh, or acceptable. I never craved a cigarette for the taste, but I craved it for the satisfying effect and it not tasting harsh. When I got into vaping, I did taste some sweet aftertones. It was different, and I didn't know if I'd like it. But, It was safer, so I continued to vape. After three months, the RY4 was becoming bland. When I went back to the vape shop, I thought I'd broaden my horizons and try other flavors... However, I noticed the flavors were much more pronounced. I ended walking out of there with a wide variety of juice from Dr. Pepper tasting juice, to caramel candy.
So, from my experience, smoking kills taste buds. I never realized it when I smoked. Not only the juice tasted different, but everyday things taste different. Working as a baker, I can now judge the flavor of things instead of just commenting on how sweet it is. Instead of describing cannoli fillings as being "sweet vanilla", I can say " Vanilla base with a touch of nutmeg and what I taste as a sherry aftertaste". Juices are no longer all just "sweet this or sweet that", but have their own distinction.
If you're using Ecigs to quit, find something that you like. If you taste the menthol tobacco, and like it, then stick with it for a while. Your taste pallet will come alive. It's something that's hard to explain, but you'll notice smells more, and things will have a fuller taste. If you are still a smoker, don't smoke for 10 minutes before going in and cleanse your pallet. drink some water and maybe eat some corn chips. But go in without cigarette smoke taste or any other taste lingering.. you might be able to be a better judge of flavor then.
I found switching up flavors helped a bit, but when I was experiencing "vapors tongue" I would always eat a strong mint or a halls extra strength and it would temporary clear. It just passed with time for me in the long run.
Once you put down the cigs for good your taste buds will re awaken. I had the same taste issue but it didn't take long until I was really tasting flavors. I'm 4 1/2 months vaping and it has gotten better every day.
When I was trying to put down the stinky's I kept a cheap clearomizer/tank with the next higher nicotine level in it. Then when I had an itch that vape couldn't scratch I'd hit it once and return to the regular vape. It took a week to become adjusted to the lower nic as my main level. I used this same technique to lower my nicotine to the level I am at now (3 or less).
You'll make it, just hang in there. Good luck in your vape journey.
When I was trying to put down the stinky's I kept a cheap clearomizer/tank with the next higher nicotine level in it. Then when I had an itch that vape couldn't scratch I'd hit it once and return to the regular vape. It took a week to become adjusted to the lower nic as my main level. I used this same technique to lower my nicotine to the level I am at now (3 or less).
You'll make it, just hang in there. Good luck in your vape journey.
Thanks for the replies, I'm going to try licorice with a 10% boost as soon as it steeps, till then I'll be mentholated. I need a flavor I like to drop cigs. I'll try some of the suggestions. Thanks for the help.
Dittos to all above. Same type stuff happened to me as it does the majority of x-smokers.
Suggest you up your Nic to 18 or 24 (after smoking for 50 yrs, best go straight up to 24 so you get the Nic your Body will crave). Too low of a Nic to start with your past history will greatly increase your risk of failure and your desire to give-up and light-up.
Cotton-mouth is a given at first. Try sipping water or even sweet Tea when Vaping. It will help. That will also help your Tongue and Mouth to absorb and sense the Flavor. That really won't get any better until you evolve into RDAs and such advanced Delivery Devices that tend to carry a more moisterous (is that even a word?) Vapor into the Mouth. Still now, an iced tea to sip on occasionally when I Vape is nice.
Tobacco Flavors (especially the Junk-Juice Crap at C-stores and Smoke-Shops) are ALL going to leave you lacking and torqued as you will constantly be comparing them to the Real Deal which will always fail miserably. Try something else on for size,,,
When I found myself in the same boat as you about 3 1/2 yrs. ago, another Vaper suggested this;
What Fruits do you like? What Candies do you like? What Deserts do you like? Take those answers and try quality Juices in those Flavors.
Basically you are just replacing the Smoke & Nic with "Sweets" & Nic. Same as most people do who don't Vape when they quit; they tend to gain weight as they Eat. And, they usually eat the Sweets/Fruits they prefer. This is the same without the Calories, weight gain, and other such issues. Sweets will stand the best chance of overcoming and powering through your "burnt" Buds until they begin to regenerate or adapt.
You will stand a better chance at succeeding as you have already developed a serious dissatisfaction with the Flavors you have and their ability to satisfy. Also, it's much harder for the Mind to try and compare Sweets in Vaping to Tobaccos in Newport-nukes. Gotta employ all the Psy-Ops you can into the War you find yourself engaged in.
Definitely find a Source for Quality Juices such as Mt. Baker etal and get away from the local Junk-Juice. Even some local "Vape-Shops" In-House stuff is really just one link higher on the quality chain and usually has the same ridiculous Cost in relation to what you are getting in all aspects. Typical is 10-15 ml of "stuff" for about $7-$10. Same Buck will get you 30ml of 100 times better Juice Bang from Sources like Mt. Baker.
Eventually, you will want more refined and efficient Equipment but for now, targetting and honing-in the Juice side of the equation will be all you need.
Big thing is DON'T Give Up.
You are in a great place to ask questions and get dialed in on a Vaping Method & Means.
Once that happens (and It WILL), you will never go backward and actually wish you would have done it sooner.
Suggest you up your Nic to 18 or 24 (after smoking for 50 yrs, best go straight up to 24 so you get the Nic your Body will crave). Too low of a Nic to start with your past history will greatly increase your risk of failure and your desire to give-up and light-up.
Cotton-mouth is a given at first. Try sipping water or even sweet Tea when Vaping. It will help. That will also help your Tongue and Mouth to absorb and sense the Flavor. That really won't get any better until you evolve into RDAs and such advanced Delivery Devices that tend to carry a more moisterous (is that even a word?) Vapor into the Mouth. Still now, an iced tea to sip on occasionally when I Vape is nice.
Tobacco Flavors (especially the Junk-Juice Crap at C-stores and Smoke-Shops) are ALL going to leave you lacking and torqued as you will constantly be comparing them to the Real Deal which will always fail miserably. Try something else on for size,,,
When I found myself in the same boat as you about 3 1/2 yrs. ago, another Vaper suggested this;
What Fruits do you like? What Candies do you like? What Deserts do you like? Take those answers and try quality Juices in those Flavors.
Basically you are just replacing the Smoke & Nic with "Sweets" & Nic. Same as most people do who don't Vape when they quit; they tend to gain weight as they Eat. And, they usually eat the Sweets/Fruits they prefer. This is the same without the Calories, weight gain, and other such issues. Sweets will stand the best chance of overcoming and powering through your "burnt" Buds until they begin to regenerate or adapt.
You will stand a better chance at succeeding as you have already developed a serious dissatisfaction with the Flavors you have and their ability to satisfy. Also, it's much harder for the Mind to try and compare Sweets in Vaping to Tobaccos in Newport-nukes. Gotta employ all the Psy-Ops you can into the War you find yourself engaged in.
Definitely find a Source for Quality Juices such as Mt. Baker etal and get away from the local Junk-Juice. Even some local "Vape-Shops" In-House stuff is really just one link higher on the quality chain and usually has the same ridiculous Cost in relation to what you are getting in all aspects. Typical is 10-15 ml of "stuff" for about $7-$10. Same Buck will get you 30ml of 100 times better Juice Bang from Sources like Mt. Baker.
Eventually, you will want more refined and efficient Equipment but for now, targetting and honing-in the Juice side of the equation will be all you need.
Big thing is DON'T Give Up.
You are in a great place to ask questions and get dialed in on a Vaping Method & Means.
Once that happens (and It WILL), you will never go backward and actually wish you would have done it sooner.
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Hi, sbranoff. Black licorice is what worked for me when I started. I tried various fruits other more subtle flavors, but licorice & peppermint were about all I could taste. That's what I vaped for the first year. I upgraded to a nautilus at the same time I tried a new juice vendor, so it's hard to say how much was time, equipment, or juice quality, but it's only been two months since i realized that juice could actually taste like strawberries, not just smell like them.
One flavor I would recommend fro mt Baker is black licorice. The flavor is true and it's on sale for $2.99 for 15ml.
Another thing to consider,,,, a Better Delivery Weapon that is not "too advanced" and is safe right out the Box to a right into the Box Vaper.
Such as the Kanger KBox and Subtank Mini Starter Pack. No real Vape experience or education required, MUCH better Vape Delivery, much better Satisfaction, much better Odds at making the switch AND being happy about it for a long time.
You can get one of those at a myriad of Sources On-Line for around $50-$55 that comes with all you need to start toward a better more satisfying Vape experience.
Save the RDA Base for later when you are ready and wanting.
Only "down-side" is the Coils are about $4-$6 each but do last for a good while. Coils are somewhat expnsive anyways and besides, rather spend $5 every week or 2 for something that Kicks and puts a smile on the Face than $3 for something that fizzles and doesn;t float your boat.
Definitely better than $5 a week or more for Coffin-Nails.
Such as the Kanger KBox and Subtank Mini Starter Pack. No real Vape experience or education required, MUCH better Vape Delivery, much better Satisfaction, much better Odds at making the switch AND being happy about it for a long time.
You can get one of those at a myriad of Sources On-Line for around $50-$55 that comes with all you need to start toward a better more satisfying Vape experience.
Save the RDA Base for later when you are ready and wanting.
Only "down-side" is the Coils are about $4-$6 each but do last for a good while. Coils are somewhat expnsive anyways and besides, rather spend $5 every week or 2 for something that Kicks and puts a smile on the Face than $3 for something that fizzles and doesn;t float your boat.
Definitely better than $5 a week or more for Coffin-Nails.
I was a 40+ year very heavy chain smoker. When I began vaping, my senses of taste and smell were so trashed that I could barely taste anything...but I could also vape everything because I couldn't taste it. Menthol or cinnamon were flavors that would break thru, however cinnamon is not recommended for plastic tanks like the T3.
At about 2 months I began to taste again, and IMO it was more my sense of smell coming back. That was the real challenging period when I found that I didn't like most of the liquids I was using. That's when I had to begin searching for MY liquid, which turned out to be unflavored.
Bottom line, your sense of taste will come and go for awhile. Stay hydrated, switch flavors, try some unflavored if things taste bad. Stick with it...it will all come around.
At about 2 months I began to taste again, and IMO it was more my sense of smell coming back. That was the real challenging period when I found that I didn't like most of the liquids I was using. That's when I had to begin searching for MY liquid, which turned out to be unflavored.
Bottom line, your sense of taste will come and go for awhile. Stay hydrated, switch flavors, try some unflavored if things taste bad. Stick with it...it will all come around.
Smell actually makes up 70-75% of what we perceive as taste, which is why most food doesn't taste very good when you have a cold. So you are completely correct in your thinking.
Exactly as all said. My taste buds took a GOOD while. The complex, multi-flavor, juices were just worthless for taste. Candy Cane, Peppermint, etc. worked.
Good luck!!
Good luck!!
I started on menthol and advise the same for friends & family. After a while you start getting your sense of taste again; that's when I switched to sweeter flavours.
Using a sub-ohm coil and going straight to lung hits really helped too. I felt more satisfied.
And that's 5 posts folks!
Using a sub-ohm coil and going straight to lung hits really helped too. I felt more satisfied.
And that's 5 posts folks!
Also, as far as not get vapor's tongue, I change flavors several+ times a day. I am normally a 6mg now, but breakfast is 9 or 12mg that I bought when I was vaping at that level. And in the evening in front of the TV or on the porch, it is 3mg. So, I and probably many others use multiple clearomizer/RTA/RDAs. You may find yourself doing that.
Whatever works. Enjoying vaping helps.
Whatever works. Enjoying vaping helps.
Also i could advice you to look into Naturally extracted tobaccos if you realy want the more tobacco-ish taste to start getting of the analogs.
That is what helped me the most.
Took me awhile to enjoy the fruity / cakes and what not right at the start, due i realy wanted that cigarette like taste.
My personal favorite was strix elixir vanilla bogart, which they sadly have discontinued for some unknown reason.
There's a big thread here about NETs if you want to read about them, here:
Natural Tobaccos - Part Deux | E-Cigarette Forum
Also the kind of atomizer (tank) and battery matters quite alot to gain more taste.
That is what helped me the most.
Took me awhile to enjoy the fruity / cakes and what not right at the start, due i realy wanted that cigarette like taste.
My personal favorite was strix elixir vanilla bogart, which they sadly have discontinued for some unknown reason.
There's a big thread here about NETs if you want to read about them, here:
Natural Tobaccos - Part Deux | E-Cigarette Forum
Also the kind of atomizer (tank) and battery matters quite alot to gain more taste.
Protank 3 is on the outdated side but completely usable and enjoyable. Used to be my tank of preference when I used my MVP2.
To get the most out of it on your device you should try to get the 1.0 ohm coil heads. I have one I use once and a while when I want to try suspect juices (make sure I like them before ruining an expensive coil).
If you like it, the EVOD2s use the same coil head. I find them to look a bit nicer and the metallic tank protection is nice. They are shaped like the T3s you used to use. I got marked up ones from the local B&M for 7,99 CAD yesterday.
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its called sensory overload... the body will shut down the sensors that are continously subjected to a long duration of a consistant smell/taste. Ever wonder why the people at a sewer plant can still work there after several months?? they dont smell it anymore.
this even occurs with vaping... change up your flavor preference for a week or 2 and try it again...you will be suprized
this even occurs with vaping... change up your flavor preference for a week or 2 and try it again...you will be suprized
Ok,,I'll try that. As far as the Kanger Pro 3 goes, it'll be something new to me. I tried an Aspire glass tank, they are compleat junk, least the one I had. The body cracked before I could use it more than once. Kanger makes a better product, to me.
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