Cigarettes taste so bad now.....

[Rule62]

Some people feel the need to replicate the taste of cigarettes, as closely as possible.
From what I've read from some other posters, the closest thing to a Marlboro Light is vaping unflavored nic.

 

[ReigntheGamer]

Debate circuit slowed down, I noticed too. I enjoyed it.

 

[Vicman]

I was one that found cigarettes disgusting at first. Kept smoking them though because it let me have a smoke break at the pizza joint I worked at. After a while, I started to like the taste. The taste of the first smoke of the day with the morning coffee was something I looked forward to. Even liked them when I quit.

Honestly, didn't start vaping to quit smoking, just wanted to try that new technology to see I if I could get around the Crook County taxes and maybe save some a buck or two. Quitting smoking was just a nice little side effect from vaping. I liked smoking, just hated the price and the effects it had on my health.

Fast forward to vape life. I now vape mostly tobacco flavors; NET's being the primary vape. Have even been DIY'n some pretty tasty synthetic tobacco's which kind of remind me of smoking. In truth, they are probably miles apart from an actual cigarette but after two+ years of not having one, can't tell anymore.

It was the same with alcohol, thought it was nasty at first taste. However, it became something I loved. Loved it so much, I ended up quitting that as it was interfering with life. Been almost 10 years and no regrets. Oh by the way, beer and whiskey smell nasty to me again. Go figure.

Now when it comes to coffee, it was love at first taste. Nectar of the Gods I tell ya.

 

[roxynoodle]

Apparently I'm the only smoker on the planet (okay, just this thread) that enjoys, or enjoyed, the taste of smokes. Though I'm pretty confident that I'm one of tens of millions and not one of perhaps 5 to 20 people.

Nope, I still like the smell, and wouldn't be surprised if I still like the taste.

 

[ian91]

I still like the smell of a lit cigarette but I hate the smell of stale smoke. Haven't smoked in over 2 years but to this day, we will open up a box that we stored and I can smell the smoke right away. Hate that. I used to get annoyed when people would say I smelled like smoke but now I can totally understand it. Glad we moved after I quit smoking!!!

 

[Marc411]

First, a nice glass of kettle One over ice is pretty damn tasty but I don't drink soda.

I used to like the way a smoke tasted after dinner, when having a drink or with a cup of coffee the rest of the time was just out of habit. Now I'm not sure if I could go back to smoking if I couldn't vape. Like bad I don't have an ADV, to many flavors to just stick with one.

If the opportunity to vape like we do today was available when I started to smoke chances are pretty high that vaping would have been my choice. To me there is really no comparison! Vapor smells and tastes great. No burn holes or ashes and I feel so much better. Personally I don't like the small of burning tobacco at all any more but the fresh earthy smell of fresh tobacco is pretty nice.

 

[VapexTwin]

There's no way that when a smoker has not had a puff in say 8 hours, that they are gasping for the taste. It's the nicotine pure and simple.

Cigs smell lovely (especially when first lit), but mainly by subconsciously associating the smell and taste with all your past ciggy nicotine fixes, rather than the actual taste of tobacco (which is bitter and rank). I stand next to a smoker. I get a craving for their cig, if I take a vape - I instantly forget about their cig (and it's smell/taste being nice) because I've had my nicotine fix. Many vapers vape with smokers on breaks - without wanting a cig.

The mind plays tricks with addictive substances. Loving the 'taste' of tobacco is just one of them.

Nicotine free cigarettes do exist. No one smokes them.

 

[motordude]

I enjoyed smoking, and don't mind being around smokers now, but I don't crave them anymore.
I had to quit for health reasons. I also refuse to look down at anybody, except nascar fans.

 

[Nimaz]

If alcohol (like say gin) didn't make people drunk, I'd be very interested in the person who thinks it still taste better than soda. I would think the entire world's population would think it taste absolutely disgusting, but tolerate it because of the buzz factor. Alcoholics excluded, of course.

What I find a little more odd is that I would think everyone who first tries a smoke would think it tastes absolutely disgusting. It's weird that anyone would then go from that to wanting 20, or more, of them a day. Or would be fascinating to see a documentary on many people's journey from, first one disgusting, second one disgusting, third-fourth-fifth-sixth all disgusting, but that seventh one, not quite so bad. And that 15th one, kinda pleasant really.

This is why to this day, I can't eat mushrooms. The first 4 that I've had in my life were in the absolutely disgusting territory. Who knows, maybe by the 20th one I'd see why fellow humans find them so enjoyable.

This is an interesting twist in the discussion... I hated spinach as a kid (as much as I think I hated mushrooms) but I learn to like them because I had nothing else in my plate in many occasions. Now I eat both mushrooms and spinach, often together. Does their taste take me to the moon? No! But there is something good about them, I'm not quite sure what but my body tells me... It's good for you, so I eat them cooked or raw and I like them often with the right seasoning like olive oil, pepper and salt. I eat other stuff much more obviously disgusting... like really stinky cheeses with raw onions with toasted bread. Don't ask me why, these are acquired tastes I guess but there is a conscientious or not purpose... It just feels good to my body...

My first alcoholic drink or my first cig made me really sick! Now why did i try smoking again and I stepped away from drinking? There was a purpose, a social one at that time most likely. Did it feel good to my body? No! So why did kept smoking? I'm still wondering but addiction to whatever was one reason. I spontaneously stopped smoking for years and get back to it in an environment where almost everyone was smoking! If everyone was drinking instead, I might have become a drinker... I might have enjoyed some of the cigs I smoked, but I really didn't like smoking... go figure now. I smoked consistently for a couple of decades, but hated it..? Never smoked around people who didn't like it... Battle to quit half of that time but failed until I started vaping.

I can enjoy an alcoholic drink only because it takes me to that buzz place that I enjoy for a short while, that i'm also expecting but yet, I drink only occasionally because it makes me systematically sick, a not feeling good state. Also, I cannot stand how drunk individuals behave, including myself or even people I love. Often, when I'm offered a drink, I'm first tempted but then the memory of that bad feeling takes over and no thanks, next time maybe... I really hated smoking, the taste, smell but the way my body felt was not bad enough to just say NO MORE!

Now, because I am vaping when I'm tempted to smoke, it's like the same feeling than with a drink. First tempted, I remember how bad it makes me feel so I'm saying not now, when someone offer me a cig or if one is available around, which is pretty frequent... I tried a couple months ago, and didn't feel anything special about them, except the pain in my lungs. So go figure this out... If I eat too much spinach I may get severe ........ and just stop for ever after and eat lettuce instead... I just think that behind these odd behaviors, there are specific purposes, which nature are defined by that given behavior. Some might be healthy below a certain limit others are destructive such as over smoking, eating or drinking. Honestly, I see nothing wrong in smoking if I could just enjoy a couple a day ... but I couldn't!

 

[FlamingoTutu]

I'm kind of in the same place as Bad. The smell of cigarettes, except when fresh, is nauseating. I'm not around smokers for weeks or months at a time. When I first noticed how bad cigarettes smelled, I wasn't even a member of ECF to taint my impressions. It was a huge, not to mention rude, shock.

One thing I have noticed on ECF is that how people view the smell of cigarettes is pretty much dependent on how much they are exposed to it. They live with a smoker, it's not so bad. The farther removed they are from it, the worse it is. My burning question is why? What's in cigarettes that make them smell okay or horrendous? I don't remember once being offended by the smell when I was a child. But really, when I quit almost three years ago, the smell is repulsive but not to my non-smoking husband. You don't find that curious? I do.

And it's not only ("old") cigarette smoke that makes me weak, it's also the neighbor's leech field, most fast food, poo, etc., that I can't tolerate now. What do they put in those things to make so many of us react that way? That is what I really want to know.

You've been around long enough to have read endless posts talking about this. To the best of my knowledge, you are still a dual user. That is your choice and I respect that, but aren't you curious about why people say what they do?

I prefer Kahlua in nonfat milk, but that's just me. I hear it kills the calcium in milk though.

 

[Rixsta]

Cigarettes ALWAYS tasted bad but it's surprising what you get used to, I'm so glad I'm free from that disgusting dangerous habit.

 

[englishmick]

Apparently I'm the only smoker on the planet (okay, just this thread) that enjoys, or enjoyed, the taste of smokes. Though I'm pretty confident that I'm one of tens of millions and not one of perhaps 5 to 20 people.

Honestly couldn't say whether I enjoyed the taste when I was smoking. I don't remember that, or ever thinking about it. Although back in the 60's I used to sometimes get a novelty pack called Blue Book which had 2 each of 5 different flavors, there was Turkish, French, English, can't remember the others. I do remember really liking the Turkish, and French Gauloises as well.

The last cig I smoked was about a week after I quit, had to throw it away after a couple of drags because it felt like it was tearing my lungs up. Taste didn't come into it.

Now I must say I enjoy hanging out with the smokers outside. It's not unpleasant to me at all. I consciously inhale the smoke for pleasure.

Old stale smoke is another story. Stayed a night in a motel in Virginia last summer. Got a smoking room so I could vape inside. As soon as we went through the door into the corridor of the smoking section I gagged. The room was even worse. It was overpoweringly strong as well as nasty. It makes me cringe to think that a few decades ago before cigarettes went out of favor every hotel and public building must have smelled like that. No wonder they hated us. Now I understand why when I was a kid most of the women banned smoking in the house, the guys always had to go out to the garage to smoke their pipes and cigarettes.

 

[Jman8]

There's no way that when a smoker has not had a puff in say 8 hours, that they are gasping for the taste. It's the nicotine pure and simple.

Cigs smell lovely (especially when first lit), but mainly by subconsciously associating the smell and taste with all your past ciggy nicotine fixes, rather than the actual taste of tobacco (which is bitter and rank). I stand next to a smoker. I get a craving for their cig, if I take a vape - I instantly forget about their cig (and it's smell/taste being nice) because I've had my nicotine fix. Many vapers vape with smokers on breaks - without wanting a cig.

The mind plays tricks with addictive substances. Loving the 'taste' of tobacco is just one of them.

Nicotine free cigarettes do exist. No one smokes them.

Agreed with the point that I highlighted in blue. But as I actively hated on menthol smokes, then it would be something that I would put out/down after a puff or two. Had non-menthol cigs been banned, I would've quit.

When I had non-menthol brands not my own, I easily tolerated them, smoked the whole thing. But very much longed for the taste I was familiar with and enjoyed.

If you had a vaper who really was craving nicotine, I think they'd vape anything regardless of flavor. But after one or two puffs, would probably want something that had taste they liked. So, to say it is only nicotine, is IMO a stretch. You have to set it up the way you do (where one is desperate) for that to make sense. Otherwise, I would say taste is supreme to nic which is going to occur regardless of brand. I think most smokers are brand loyal. But I know when I started smoking one thing I intentionally did in effort to not get addicted was to change brands. I probably went through about 20 different brands. That got old and then I settled on Marlboro products, eventually sticking with M. Lights.

 

[Jman8]

This is an interesting twist in the discussion... I hated spinach as a kid (as much as I think I hated mushrooms) but I learn to like them because I had nothing else in my plate in many occasions. Now I eat both mushrooms and spinach, often together. Does their taste take me to the moon? No! But there is something good about them, I'm not quite sure what but my body tells me... It's good for you, so I eat them cooked or raw and I like them often with the right seasoning like olive oil, pepper and salt. I eat other stuff much more obviously disgusting... like really stinky cheeses with raw onions with toasted bread. Don't ask me why, these are acquired tastes I guess but there is a conscientious or not purpose... It just feels good to my body...

My first alcoholic drink or my first cig made me really sick! Now why did i try smoking again and I stepped away from drinking? There was a purpose, a social one at that time most likely. Did it feel good to my body? No! So why did kept smoking? I'm still wondering but addiction to whatever was one reason. I spontaneously stopped smoking for years and get back to it in an environment where almost everyone was smoking! If everyone was drinking instead, I might have become a drinker... I might have enjoyed some of the cigs I smoked, but I really didn't like smoking... go figure now. I smoked consistently for a couple of decades, but hated it..? Never smoked around people who didn't like it... Battle to quit half of that time but failed until I started vaping.

I can enjoy an alcoholic drink only because it takes me to that buzz place that I enjoy for a short while, that i'm also expecting but yet, I drink only occasionally because it makes me systematically sick, a not feeling good state. Also, I cannot stand how drunk individuals behave, including myself or even people I love. Often, when I'm offered a drink, I'm first tempted but then the memory of that bad feeling takes over and no thanks, next time maybe... I really hated smoking, the taste, smell but the way my body felt was not bad enough to just say NO MORE!

Now, because I am vaping when I'm tempted to smoke, it's like the same feeling than with a drink. First tempted, I remember how bad it makes me feel so I'm saying not now, when someone offer me a cig or if one is available around, which is pretty frequent... I tried a couple months ago, and didn't feel anything special about them, except the pain in my lungs. So go figure this out... If I eat too much spinach I may get severe ........ and just stop for ever after and eat lettuce instead... I just think that behind these odd behaviors, there are specific purposes, which nature are defined by that given behavior. Some might be healthy below a certain limit others are destructive such as over smoking, eating or drinking. Honestly, I see nothing wrong in smoking if I could just enjoy a couple a day ... but I couldn't!

Really well written post. Thanks for that.

I do still smoke, but like 3 a week, and never really at planned times. Some weeks might go as high as 6 that week and some weeks may be as low as zero. About the only real problem I have now is that my last 8 or so in a pack are pretty stale by the time I get to them. That certainly changes dynamic of this point I'm raising, cause a stale smoke doesn't taste anywhere near as good as a freshly opened pack, and yet, I smoke so rarely that I generally don't care. But obviously prefer the first 3 or so in a new pack over the last 8 or so.

With regards to the other related tangent. I really disliked broccoli growing up. Then went thru a phase where if it was heavily buttered or salted, I could possibly see myself liking it. Now, I'm at stage where I don't need it to be doctored to help me enjoy eating it. I prefer it seasoned, but not really necessary anymore for me to like broccoli. Many of the other things you brought up, just confirm for me that lots of tastes are acquired.

Which is partially the main point of this thread. If you have quit smoking and go back to try one, you are surely going to dislike the first few puffs. Compared to vaping, it tastes horrible. But if allowing yourself to re-acquire the taste, it would then show up as just a different taste to vaping. I can understand why anyone would prefer the umpteen million flavor option that vaping provides over the 10 or so options that smoking (cigs) has, but the idea that smoking inherently tastes nasty seems to neglect that smoking the first go around was an acquired taste. So wouldn't it still make sense today to realize that it is an acquired taste, and not inherently nasty?

And because I do enjoy being a moderate smoker, there are times when I crave the taste of a smoke. Never the nicotine, because vaping has got me covered for that. But the taste is something I do crave, and yet around 95% of the time, I generally forego those cravings, very easily. Like, I might crave a milkshake daily, but am okay having one every 6 months, as too many milkshakes for me is not good on my digestive system and there are other beverages I prefer to have daily anyway.

 

[Jman8]

And it's not only ("old") cigarette smoke that makes me weak, it's also the neighbor's leech field, most fast food, poo, etc., that I can't tolerate now.

You used to enjoy the smell of poo?

 

[Rizzyking]

I started vaping in October 2012 and had a cigalike that could taste really nice one minute and within a couple of puffs flavour gone. I had to go to hospital for an MRI so grabbed my little cigalike case that had a spare battery and carto and thought I was good to go, half an hour at the hospital carto runs out I put the spare in three puffs that's gone too so I bought a pack of ten cigarettes thinking it would get me through till I got home. Went outside had to borrow a lighter hadn't thought to buy one or matches first drag didn't seem too bad drag two and something was starting to taste bad third drag was just disgusting ended up giving that cigarette and the rest of the pack to another patient. I'd only been vaping about six weeks at that point but even in that short time I'd gone from loving my rollies to not being able to stand the taste.

It surprised me how quickly taste could change and I'd always figured if vaping didn't work out like so many things in the past trying to kick tobacco I would just go back to cigarettes but I don't think I could now hence me stocking up much as I'm able. Fast forward to today I'm relaxing with a really nice diy pear cider and the idea of smoking tobacco is just not an option vaping has spoiled me.

 

[Completely Average]

I haven't smoked a cigarette in over 2 years now. I can't even stand the smell anymore, and I'm shocked as to how far away I can smell them. I'll be sitting at a stop light in traffic and smell someone smoking who is 4 cars away from me. Last Halloween I was walking with my daughter as she was trick or treating and I smelled a cigarette. I was shocked when I realized the smell was coming from a person smoking on their porch 2 houses down and across the street from me. It's awful.

 

[AndriaD]

I don't know how many times I hear this type of comment from ex-smoking vapers. That cigarettes taste god awful now that vaping has taken over. Hey guess what? I too prefer the taste of vaping. But, what I don't get is how ex-smokers don't fully remember that smoking was an acquired taste and that flavor of your chosen smoke was highly desired at one point.

And was thinking about this yesterday for the umpteenth time. Coming at it from angle I've used before. Comparing vaping to smoking (in terms of taste) is like comparing soda to pretty much any type of (unflavored or low flavored) alcohol. Like, show me the day that brandy taste better than a coke. Or that gin tastes better than a orange soda. Or that whiskey tastes better than cream soda. I imagine that day will NEVER exist. Ever. If I were to meet a person that suggested some type of alcohol tastes inherently better than soda, I would think they are crazy. Like objectively crazy even while taste is subjective.

I'm yet to see an eLiquid flavor that matches a smoke. If you hate on smoking, that's a good thing (right?). But if you don't, and are either neutral or positive towards idea of smoking, then I think it is worthy of pointing out, as apparently there are lots of people (millions) that understand smoking is partially done for flavor. And that flavor very much matters.

When comparing the two heads up as if one is to be viewed as winner and the other completely discarded as not worthy of every doing again, then it does make me wonder why anyone would ever drink alcohol (for flavor) when there are many other beverages that taste infinitely better than alcohol. Heck, I'd throw coffee into the mix as well. Soda tastes better than coffee. I'd say that's more subjective of an opinion than alcohol vs. soda, but not by much.

Anyway, I end this rant now. Thanks for reading. And yes, I get that people need to have claim that smoking tastes bad so they can be rest assured that their decision to cease smoking is solidified.

I have to agree, at least mostly. When I had my relapse in 2014, after nearly 4 months off cigarettes, I really didn't find them all that objectionable, when I first smoked again -- they tasted familiar, like burning tobacco, and lord knows I was well acquainted with that taste; even 4 months away from it didn't make it taste terrible.

But, I was engaged in trying to taper down smoking and get back to vape-only for the entire month of my dual-use relapse, and I did find that the less I smoked and the more I vaped, the less I enjoyed the taste of the cigarettes. Also, I started noticing that the smoke actually felt like it was burning my lips and tongue, while the vapor felt soothing; not really part of "taste," but an important aspect of a preference for vapor over smoke.

Shortly after I returned to smoke-free, I began losing my appreciation for the flavor of the vape I started with, "Virginia," maybe because it became very clear to me, thx to the relapse, that it really didn't taste that much like my cigarettes -- maybe I only noticed that because of the 4 months of healing my tastebuds had already done, and then getting to revisit that old familiar taste in close proximity to the taste of the vape. But it was then that I started branching out to fruity and sweet flavors, and eventually just stopped vaping anything with a tobacco flavor in it -- the acquired taste had been un-acquired, to the point that I found it very distasteful -- very much like when I first started smoking, I found the taste of cigarettes distasteful -- it took a long time for me to remember that, but I finally did.

This is why I nearly always counsel those who are thinking of trying a cigarette again as an experiment to see how bad they taste now, not to risk it -- because they might not taste all that bad, and if you really want to stay away from them, that's really not a good thing to learn. And as much as I absolutely loathe the stale smell of cigarette smoke, like on a person's clothing... a freshly-lit cigarette can still smell (terrifyingly) good. Those who really want to stay smoke-free can't afford to find anything attractive about cigarettes, or they might find themselves attracted all over again to their use. Or if not attracted to their use, then miserable in their cravings for them.

Andria

 

[newvaper92]

I never thought cigarettes tasted good, and I think that's why I never really became a smoker. That, and they are about the worst thing you can do to your body aside from stepping off a 10 story building! I did occasionally smoke one or two here and there, but they always tasted bad. I couldn't ever go more than 5 minutes between smoking and brushing my teeth, mouthwash and gum after. Gross. Flavored cigars weren't too awful but still not great, and they stink just as bad as cigarettes. Smoking a pipe smells good (to me anyway), and tastes ok, but still unhealthy. Not really something I'd want to do daily. Vaping on the other hand, smells good, tastes amazing, doesn't leave a nasty aftertaste in your mouth, and while it's *probably* not the healthiest habit to have, it's way better than inhaling the fumes from burning plants. And vapers don't go around smelling like ashtrays! I've always hated the smell of cigarette smoke, whether from a lit cigarette or the stale smell left on a smoker's clothes or in their home or car, except for that first wisp of smoke from a freshly lit cigarette, that's not bad. I've only ever had one cigarette that I thought tasted good, and I don't know even now why! Same brand later on tasted like a gross old cigarette. They all tasted the same to me, cigarettes are cigarettes. Not so with vaping, every juice I've tried tastes different, and none I've ever tried have ever tasted as bad as cigarette smoke. I'm one of those people that tried cigarettes and enjoyed the nicotine but was seriously put off by the taste. I've tried alcohol and have never had more than a sip, I've never seen the point of drinking something that reminds me of drinking mouthwash. I never even drank on my 21st birthday. I hate drunk people and their actions and so I avoid it. Nicotine on the other hand, I can feel and no one else can see (lol)

 

[Jman8]

I never thought cigarettes tasted good, and I think that's why I never really became a smoker. That, and they are about the worst thing you can do to your body aside from stepping off a 10 story building! I did occasionally smoke one or two here and there, but they always tasted bad. I couldn't ever go more than 5 minutes between smoking and brushing my teeth, mouthwash and gum after. Gross. Flavored cigars weren't too awful but still not great, and they stink just as bad as cigarettes. Smoking a pipe smells good (to me anyway), and tastes ok, but still unhealthy. Not really something I'd want to do daily. Vaping on the other hand, smells good, tastes amazing, doesn't leave a nasty aftertaste in your mouth, and while it's *probably* not the healthiest habit to have, it's way better than inhaling the fumes from burning plants. And vapers don't go around smelling like ashtrays! I've always hated the smell of cigarette smoke, whether from a lit cigarette or the stale smell left on a smoker's clothes or in their home or car, except for that first wisp of smoke from a freshly lit cigarette, that's not bad. I've only ever had one cigarette that I thought tasted good, and I don't know even now why! Same brand later on tasted like a gross old cigarette. They all tasted the same to me, cigarettes are cigarettes. Not so with vaping, every juice I've tried tastes different, and none I've ever tried have ever tasted as bad as cigarette smoke. I'm one of those people that tried cigarettes and enjoyed the nicotine but was seriously put off by the taste. I've tried alcohol and have never had more than a sip, I've never seen the point of drinking something that reminds me of drinking mouthwash. I never even drank on my 21st birthday. I hate drunk people and their actions and so I avoid it. Nicotine on the other hand, I can feel and no one else can see (lol)

I hear all your dislikes, but pretty much all you've written about smokers is not accurate with us moderate smokers. Other than 5 minutes (at most 1 day) after finishing one, I nor my car don't smell of it. And again, while I prefer vaping, that doesn't mean I need to hate on smoking to like vaping.