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schultzy

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Feb 5, 2011
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illinois
Good Afternoon everyone,
I have been a smoker for 30 years and recieved my starter kit yesterday. With the kit I purchased a bottle of menthol hoping to imitate the menthol light brand of cigarettes I smoke. I found the taste too plastic and the throat hit way to harsh where I am even turned off by the e-cigs. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to find a different flavor?
Thanks for the input!
 

MsBree

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Good Afternoon everyone,
I have been a smoker for 30 years and recieved my starter kit yesterday. With the kit I purchased a bottle of menthol hoping to imitate the menthol light brand of cigarettes I smoke. I found the taste too plastic and the throat hit way to harsh where I am even turned off by the e-cigs. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to find a different flavor?
Thanks for the input!

If the bottle is pure menthol, it's normally used to add (one drop at a time because it's very strong) to an already made juice to give it a hint of menthol. It's not meant to be vaped alone, unless specified!
 

swedishfish

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Remie

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Hi shultzy,

Welcome and congrats on your decision to try vaping! I too am a (now ex) 30 plus year smoker - menthols, Newport Light 100's to be exact. I've been vaping for over a year total, but I did have a summer relapse back to the Newports.

It does take a bit of trial and error to find e-liquids that "work" for you. If you are looking for something to exactly dulicate the smell, feel and taste of your old ciggie brand - it won't happen. What can happen though is - you will find something that you really like and that does the job of replacing your cigarettes. For me it was Halo. I can vape any of the Halo menthols and they took the place of my "brand". When I get that elusive craving for "something" - I just switch to a flavor (like butterscotch, vanilla, caramel....etc.) Playing around with different flavors gets me through those moments, plus - I've found a few that taste really good!

I don't like a harsh throat hit either and the Halo menthols don't give me one. I know a lot of people have their preferred e-juice vendor, flavor, etc.... so do a little experimenting. Order some trial sizes and have fun playing around with them.

You are doing everything right. Stick with it and you'll figure out how to make it work for you.

Good luck!!

Remie
 

swedishfish

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Hi shultzy,

Welcome and congrats on your decision to try vaping! I too am a (now ex) 30 plus year smoker - menthols, Newport Light 100's to be exact. I've been vaping for over a year total, but I did have a summer relapse back to the Newports.

It does take a bit of trial and error to find e-liquids that "work" for you. If you are looking for something to exactly dulicate the smell, feel and taste of your old ciggie brand - it won't happen. What can happen though is - you will find something that you really like and that does the job of replacing your cigarettes. For me it was Halo. I can vape any of the Halo menthols and they took the place of my "brand". When I get that elusive craving for "something" - I just switch to a flavor (like butterscotch, vanilla, caramel....etc.) Playing around with different flavors gets me through those moments, plus - I've found a few that taste really good!

I don't like a harsh throat hit either and the Halo menthols don't give me one. I know a lot of people have their preferred e-juice vendor, flavor, etc.... so do a little experimenting. Order some trial sizes and have fun playing around with them.

You are doing everything right. Stick with it and you'll figure out how to make it work for you.

Good luck!!

Remie

hahah! Remie, I just posted your review!
 

schultzy

Full Member
Feb 5, 2011
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illinois
What ecig model, if it's a 3-piece did you get the primer off the atomizer, what juice?

It's the one in the little blue box. Super Cigarette? Yes it is a three piece unit.
I think I took the primer off, everything screws together.
Don't the cartridges come already flavored? (I am guessing not, now)
I thought the menthol was a juice, guess I will have to look around a little more
 

swedishfish

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Marlboro Menthol Lights is what I smoke, maybe half a pack a day or less right now. It depends on what I am doing. I am a little nervous about using it right now. I started with the high atomizer cartridge with a few drops of menthol on it. Is that too much?

I can't help you with that because I have no luck dripping. Everything tasted terrible to me dripping so I just use a cartomizer.

Just to confuse you further- Another suggestion would be backwoods brew menthol.

I only smoke menthol buy my mother smoked Marlboro lights and love BWB Virginia. She says it's better than her marlboro lights. Perhaps you'd like his menthol. Or get his Virginia and add some menthol.

A warning though- his juice is subtle and needs to be steeped. Right out of the bottle, it tastes like nothing but a little smoke (the Virginia did, his 555 didn't) but after it steeped it's great. I usually only smoked menthol but I could definitely vape his Virginia.
 

dormouse

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Prefilled carts come with some juice in them. You can refill them, change the stuffing when it gets too beat, etc.

I don't like a lot of TH either. Many prefilled carts have Chinese 100% PG juice in them that lets through all off the harshness of the nicotine. When VG is part of the base it smoothes TH and adds more visible vapor. I like 70pg/30vg juices in general. SOme of mine are 50/50 and they have even less TH.

What did you smoke (full strength, lights, ultralights) and what nicotine level carts. did you get?

And don't judge all e-cigs by that model. If it is the same size and diameter as a cigarette then it would be the shortest battery life, smallest carts, and possible least consistent (especially if automatic batteries with no button).
 
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dormouse

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Different companies label the strengths differently but medium is probably right for you or a nicotine level of about 16-18mg, and you may need high (or about 24mg) to start.

Prefilled carts are inconsistently filled, some get dry or the juice settles, the stuffing can shift and not contact the atomizer well etc. And as I said, usually filled with 100% PG which lets the most of the nicotine TH through. As well, the Chinese juices lack balance and finesse IMO. There are lots of good US juice mixers.

If your atomizer pushes into the carts... then the carts probably have a recessed juice cup. When you get juice, to fill them you would take the cart off the ecig, then push a smooth small unbent paperclip into the mouth hole to push the juice cup up for filling and if necessary, repositioning the stuffing so it is at or close to the top of the juice cup. Then you would push the juice cup back in - if the carts came with soft plugs then the plug may be useful for pushing it back in. If not, then you can try using the paper clip or something else to only push on the edges of the juice cup to get it back down where it belongs (i.e. don't push on its stuffing). When filling a cart you want it to look moist on top, not a puddle.

My M402/401 was my first ecig and also had small recessed juice cup so I have done that a lot!

Don't judge all juices or ecigs by your current setup. There are some wonderful ejuices, the PG/VG ratio choice lets you control the harshness or smoothness, and there are many other ecigs too. I'll let others recommend smooth menthols - I was a non-menthol smoker.
 
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Bradder

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If your menthol is a flavorant it should say so and, as such would only be added to another mix in a small quantity. The juice you have should mention a nic level (e.g. 26mg) and a pg/vg mix. As Dormouse says, the mix can make a big - especially with menthol or other hard-hitting flavors. I have a 26mg 100% PG menthol e-juice (not flavorant) and though I have been doing this for quite a while, were I to vape it straight I would have to do open mouth, French smoking and would still probably choke 80% of my drags. Though it is not a flavorant, I use it as an additive to other flavors (either with higher concentrations VG premix, or in DIY).

A higher VG concentration will provide more vapor (which with menthol can be a both good and bad thing) but can also mute the flavors (which can be a good thing. If you know the full specs (nic level and pg/vg level, and manufacturer, you might find some additional suggestions on how to use/dilute it. Don't toss it - it will probably have its uses.

Also, the "plastic" taste may simply mean the juice needs to age a bit. A lot of people will uncap the bottle for 24 hours then recap, set aside and shake every day for a few days before using. Really can make a difference with a l lot of flavors.

Welcome and best of luck.
 
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odin

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Jan 30, 2011
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Gold Coast, Australia
Don't give up is key - I got my eGo-T setup 5 ish days ago, the first couple of days I combined eGo and analogues, then once the analogues ran out I made myself vape and not buy another packet. Try and run out of analogues at night, vape before bed, go to sleep. You'll wake up craving a little.. make a tea or a coffee, go and sit somewhere nice and vape for a bit.. you'll find the vape kills the cravings instantly, persevere through the taste, think about the benefits, focus on killing your cravings and forget the taste. By the end of that day or the next you'll be feeling better already from not ingesting all the analogue nasties and you will actually adjust quite quickly to the vape taste. The taste quickly replaces that of cigarettes IMO, think about it like your just changing brands.

I tried an analogue yesterday and coughed out, the taste was horrid, I could feel the monoxide and nasties - threw it away. That was after only 2 days of vaping..

Just stay strong :D
 
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