A rather newbish question and/or problem

[Abe_Katz]

Okay so I do have this problem, and unfortunately I can no longer post it in the new members area. So here is my problem. I smoked for 20 years and as we know smoking kills one's sense of taste and smell. Now I only recently took up vaping. And at first I was noticing that the flavor profiles of my juices would change constantly. Now they aren't changing much at all. (well unless you count me finding that tobacco flavors I used to like days ago I don't really like that much anymore)

Anyway long story short, I have found that while I can taste food and beverages quite easily I simply cannot taste my vapor. I can smell the vapor (so I've been buying juices on the basis of how they smell) but I really can't taste the vapor most of the time. So I'm wondering if this is a juice problem, an equipment problem or just simply my sense of taste not knowing what to do with the vapor.

If it helps I've tried using low resistance cartos as an experiment in if it was a wattage problem but it doesn't seem to be a wattage problem. Though the 2.0-2.4 ohm Boge cartos I have seem to give me more vapor I still can't really taste the vapor and the smell seems to be about the same compared with a standard resistance CE4 "Stardust" clearomizer.

 

[akatina]

Welcome to the wild wonderful world of Vapor's Tongue Or as I call it: taste duds

It's common (search ECF and you'll find tons of threads and posts), but long story short it's part of your body's healing process. Drink lots of water, up your oral care a bit, perhaps try a very strong flavor like menthol or cinnamon to get some flavor. Some people vape unflavored when it happens, others go for the juices they can't normally stand since they can't taste them.

Typically it'll last a day or three, though for some it's upwards of a week or two. Power through, you'll get your juice taste back!

 

[fourthrok]

Yep. Vapor's Tongue. Happens to people a lot in the beginning of their vaping journey. In addition to the above suggestions, you can try brushing your tongue and inside mouth cheeks with baking soda. Some say to sniff (not snort!) some fresh coffee grounds to clear things up. A peppermint candy might help. Mostly...just hang in there. It'll pass.

 

[ChrisEdge]

Just coming out of my no flavour period. All I can suggest is overdose on water and maybe try a baking soda mouth wash. Apart from that just play the waiting game, its worth it for the powerful flavour you get once the period wears off!

 

[Cool_Breeze]

I experience what I call "Vape Mouth." At times none of my juices taste good. They seem to go flat. That usually passes after a day or so.

Yes, I think when starting, I was more sensitive to juice flavors. Perhaps that was because of the radical change from cigarettes and the newness. Still, the flavor does wax and wane a bit. The worst, flat and dull. The best, sparkling and / or earthy and a little sweetness. I smoke mostly tobacco related flavors.

 

[Abe_Katz]

I may try the baking soda route then. I do use baking soda pretty regularly for oral hygiene. My cinnamon and tea tree oil tooth paste doesn't seem to be cutting it, though I may try a less organic tooth paste--I think I have a tube of Colgate or something around here for guests.

 

[babyk1352012]

Just got over that about a week ago. Don't worry your taste won't be lost forever

 

[molli]

Does everyone lose their taste buds for a bit? I'm still waiting for that..finally got the 'bleeding gums', but it took a month, and they are gone now.

 

[bazmonkey]

...though I may try a less organic tooth paste--I think I have a tube of Colgate or something around here for guests.

Yes, and you might want to do that anyway. Organic is cool and all, but fluoride is amazing stuff. Ranks up there with vaccines and anesthetics on the "super-cool things mankind has done" list.

I personally think there's a lot more subjectivity to "vapor tongue". I bet for a lot of us it's just normal fluctuation in taste that isn't apparent if you're not whiffin' vapor. A person's sense of taste has to do with how hydrated they are, how much they're salivating, what they ate earlier, how tired they are, etc. It could be all sorts of things. A little gum kills my "menthol tooth" for hours.

 

[Robino1]

Does everyone lose their taste buds for a bit? I'm still waiting for that..finally got the 'bleeding gums', but it took a month, and they are gone now.

Yeah, pretty much everyone goes through it. Mine was about a month to a month and a half into vaping. Stupid thing lasted about two weeks for me. But man, it sure is nice when it comes back!

 

[Butters78]

I've been dealing with the vapor tongue deal more than a year now so I vape unflavored 90 percent of the time.

 

[Rickajho]

Does everyone lose their taste buds for a bit? I'm still waiting for that..finally got the 'bleeding gums', but it took a month, and they are gone now.

I wouldn't go as far as saying everyone experiences it, but it is common.

I went through two cycles of it - about three weeks in and about a couple months after that. Only happened twice to me. (Jinx! Oh crap...) We have put our bodies through a lot of changes with smoking, and one of those is all that crud deposited on our tongues. It's been my understanding that every three to four weeks the cells on your tongue are completely regenerated. Makes me wonder if the first cycle of loss of taste has anything to do with breaking in that first new set of taste buds once you have quit smoking.

Dunno. Regardless the experience is... sad. All you can do is find something you can vape when it happens. Strong menthols or clove were the only flavors that got through and worked for me when it happened. Peppermints or cinnamon have been reported to work too. And under any circumstances, vaping something I couldn't really taste was still the better thing than lapsing back into smokng.

Don't forget too that the bleeding gums thing is far more likely to come from quitting smoking rather than starting vaping. Smoking is a known vasoconstrictor. Stop exposing your gums to smoking and the bleeding can happen whether you took up vaping or not.

 

[Grimwald]

Yep, the taste bud war...been there...still doing that. My taste buds have been at war with the voices in my head for 6 months. We have a kind of truce at the moment...but the war could break out again at any time. I've been known to lull them to sleep with some unflavored...the go nuclear on their ... with some high powered cinnamon. That gets them back to the negotiating table.

 

[patsfan1130]

Put 2 or 3 drops of Frank's red hot on your tongue. Clears it right up for me every time

 

[Grimwald]

On the bleeding gum issue. I read somewhere (can't remember where) that smoking cessation causes a vitamin C deficiency, which leads to bleeding gums. I took some multi vitamins, and started drinking orange juice. I can't say if my bleeding gums just stopped over time, or if the vitamin C helped. Just though I would mention it.

 

[Abe_Katz]

I've not had the bleeding gum issue, but then again citrus is still in season too. I've been cranking out sorbet from my trees like a fiend lately.

That said, I have noticed that I get a bit more flavor from cartos as opposed to the clearomizers. And the baking soda mouth wash and changing tooth pastes helped too. (I found an old tube of some colgate in the back of the drawer in the guest bathroom.)

 

[Serendipitysrs2]

I have been exclusively vaping for about two months now and deffinitely getting the vaper's tongue. I can taste my liquids well for the first hit or two, then nothing. I switch flavors quite a bit, but it is always the same. My hubby still smokes a couple of real cigs a day. A few minutes ago, I took a drag off one of his and YUCK! I deffinitely tasted that! Have they always been that discusting? Maybe I'm not gettig quite the flavor I'd like, but what I am getting tastes a whole heck of a lot cleaner and sweeter than his cigarette!

 

[razor4432]

Been dealing with the "vaper's tongue" since a day or 2 after I started. Can only taste menthol and the one or 2 hits when I change flavor and that's it. Sometimes can pick up the sweetness in my Sweet Strawberry but that's all. Can't wait for this to be done with and get to really taste these liquids