I thought for sure I would have this problem, but it's been working great for me so far. I mix all my own flavors though, so I might make them a bit strong to begin with. I did notice that when I used the pre-filled carts (Marlbro HIGH), I could feel the throat-hit from the nicotine, but couldn't really taste the flavoring that much. Maybe you could just punch-up your flavors with a bit of Lorann's. You can get a lot of flavor out of them without diluting too much because they're so concentrated. I mostly only drink beer (I love the taste of whiskey, but it gets me in trouble--maybe a whiskey juice to go with my beer?) so that might be a factor too. I would think vodka would dull your sense of taste. Depending on what you're drinking, maybe try a flavor that you wouldn't normally think would "compliment" the taste, but one that seems odd because it would contrast more would be more noticeable. For instance, I didn't think I'd like the fruity flavors with my beer (I hate beers with fruit infusions--when it comes to drinking I'm a Guinness, Bud, or Jameson's guy--nothing fancy), but it turned out I loved it! I say, try 'em all. Higher nicotine, extra flavor, DIY. Works for me. Only thing that gets me to smoke an analog is my batts dying on me, and even then I hate it and can't make it through. Can't wait for my PCC.