I had some random cotton balls which i boiled for 15 minutes. After boiling i rewicked one of my protank minis with cotton and it was amazing, went along like this for a few weeks. It became time to change the wicks and when i replaced the wick with the same cotton i had been using, it had that new gross cotton taste....so i tried it again and again and still had that taste so i boiled it again and its the next day now and i am still getting that taste....Any ideas?
Bad cotton taste even after two boils?
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the word random cotton balls scares me..did u boil in tap water...? i dont get any foul flavor and i never boil...after smoking for 30 years i really dont think NOT boiling is going to be the last nail in my coffin..try a new bag of cotton ...boil it in steril water..were you aware if boiled cotton dose not dry all the way mold spores can grow in a short time tainting all your efforts..try some other brand of cotton if the problem continues
A lot of the time the taste is only there initially. Chances are the first time you built, you didn't know what you were tasting and just got used to the clean flavor shortly after. I am running into the same issue with some new cottom balls that I purchased but didn't boil for simplicity sake. I can totally smell what I am tasting in both the boiled and unboiled ones, so I am now pretty well convinced that it is simply a more refined palette 
Try leaving them out in open air for a few days to see if the smell sticks around. Also, different brands are most definitely different in the concentration, so you might just need to try a few to find what you like.
Try leaving them out in open air for a few days to see if the smell sticks around. Also, different brands are most definitely different in the concentration, so you might just need to try a few to find what you like.
I ordered a big bag of organic cotton balls for $2 from Amazon while I was ordering Kanthal. They are a clean vape right out of the pack. You just have to figure out how to order them without paying shipping from a separate source. My $2 bag ended up costing over $6 after shipping. 
What cope said.
I will add, make sure you aren't using too much cotton, less is more. If the wick wont slide freely through the coil when dry, you've got too much which will give you a cotton taste. I use organic cotton and never boil it and don't get any cotton taste unless the wick is too thick.
I will add, make sure you aren't using too much cotton, less is more. If the wick wont slide freely through the coil when dry, you've got too much which will give you a cotton taste. I use organic cotton and never boil it and don't get any cotton taste unless the wick is too thick.
Thanks everyone, i will try some organic cotton balls today. I also beleive i may have been using too much cotton in it to.
thank you! i believe too much cotton was contributing to the taste also. Working ok with less cotton now.
********** Transfer all NEW cotton Balls to a new RESEALABLE Baggy or container*************
Avoid mystery taste.
I never Boil, well on occasion I do, but never the cotton
Avoid mystery taste.
I never Boil, well on occasion I do, but never the cotton
I don't boil my cotton balls, just regular sterile cotton from walgreens. some flavors I get a cotton taste for the first 10-20 puffs but usually all gone and good flavor after that. I use cotton in my drippers and kanger coils...
Organic cotton balls from RiteAid, no boiling and no cotton taste beyond the initial few puffs. Cheap and easy.
I suspect it's too much cotton choking the coil. Easy to do on those pro tanks.
I ordered organic cotton from Amazon and double boiled it in reverse osmosis water and it's never given me a off hit. You can always try Koh Gen Do cotton pads. No boiling necessary and you get a lot. Pricey, but cotton goes into everything I vape and it's at least a 2 year supply for about the same cost as a small bottle of eliquid.
If quality cotton can make every vape taste even a little bit better it's a bargain. Most of us pay a lot for quality eliquid. A pack of cotton last ages. No sense getting low quality cotton for high quality Nicoticket eliquids. That said, twice boiled organic cotton balls (in distilled or similar water) works fine.
The people saying to use less wicking than you think you need are 100% right, especially in Kanger heads. I got dry hits and burnt flavors before reducing the amount of cotton in the heads. It's also a good idea to press the wick ends down just a little with your tweezers after you rebuild the heads. Cotton swells.
If quality cotton can make every vape taste even a little bit better it's a bargain. Most of us pay a lot for quality eliquid. A pack of cotton last ages. No sense getting low quality cotton for high quality Nicoticket eliquids. That said, twice boiled organic cotton balls (in distilled or similar water) works fine.
The people saying to use less wicking than you think you need are 100% right, especially in Kanger heads. I got dry hits and burnt flavors before reducing the amount of cotton in the heads. It's also a good idea to press the wick ends down just a little with your tweezers after you rebuild the heads. Cotton swells.
I've also used the cotton ends from Q-tips. They pull off and give you enough cotton for one wick. Stretch it out and feather it, then roll one end between your fingertips to create a small pointy end. Pull it through the coil and find a spot that gives you a very light drag as you pull back and forth. That's the sweet spot. When the juice hits it the wick will swell, so you don't need hard pressure against the coils.
Does that also apply if the bag they came in is already resealable?
I get rid of cotton taste by test burning my build 5-6 times and dripping 2 drops onto it every couple of burns before closing the chimney completely (Russian 91% has a 2 part chimney that is just perfect for that). I guess I still have to try using less cotton, though...
AMEN TO THAT!
As my boss once said (he's an idiot, but he does sometimes says something smarter than you'd expect. He had to be smart at some point to start a company that is still in business 25 years later...):
I don't understand why people buy expensive equipment and then nickle and dime on the accessories yet still expect top performance?
As an expert in technology, I add: The end performance is only equal to the sum of the quality of the components. Need an example?? How would you expect a Ferrari to perform on 50$ tires? while it would still outrun most other cars on the road, you're in serious trouble, dude!
(I do have to admit that boiling it in reverse osmosis water is a little extreme, but if you already have the system... why not! I'll still vape it if it's made using stuff I readily ingest, though. You can't be more Catholic than yourself after all...)
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So true. I don't buy expensive mods. Couldn't afford it, so it comes down to clones. Still, the difference between an iffy battery and a terrific battery is usually around 5 dollars and a good set can last two years. No sense piddling with inferior batteries when the difference in cost is so small. Same goes for cotton. I love a bargain but a year of vaping on off-flavored cotton just to save 5 bucks seems like a bad deal. I'll save cost by buying clone mods and splurge on quality juice and accessories. Everybody has their system I guess. Whatever works for each person is the right solution.
It's probably a little extreme. lol I already have a RO system so it's easy in that situation. I don't even boil pasta in unfiltered tap water.
So true. I don't buy expensive mods. Couldn't afford it, so it comes down to clones. Still, the difference between an iffy battery and a terrific battery is usually around 5 dollars and a good set can last two years. No sense piddling with inferior batteries when the difference in cost is so small. Same goes for cotton. I love a bargain but a year of vaping on off-flavored cotton just to save 5 bucks seems like a bad deal. I'll save cost by buying clone mods and splurge on quality juice and accessories. Everybody has their system I guess. Whatever works for each person is the right solution.
It's probably a little extreme. lol I already have a RO system so it's easy in that situation. I don't even boil pasta in unfiltered tap water.
I didn't mean you need to get the top of the top on everything or any part of your system, but buying cheap is just buying cheap no matter which part we're talking about and I find it worse when it's applied to the least costly part of the whole system.
Well, you got the RO system, so why not go crazy with it, right? I don't boil pasta or cotton in my filtered water though, so I ain't no judge here...I just figure vaping it won't be as bad as drinking it...
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