Something interesting. (back story) I work in the OR of my local hospital. Today I assisted the ent surgeon with ear tubes. We use sterile cotton balls (steam sterilized) to pack the ear after the tubes are put in. After tearing off a piece of the ball, I kept the rest, figuring I'd see how they worked.
I needed to rewick today anyway so I used a strip of the sterilized cotton ball. Bad taste! Hmmm.. I emptied the kfl and put another piece in.. the same bad taste! I went to the bathroom and got a cotton ball out of my cotton ball bin and put that in the kfl and my nice, rich flavor was back. I have no idea what kind of cotton balls I've been using out of my ball bin. Just plain ordinary cotton balls that were bought probably years ago.
Which Cotton Ball to use for our Wicks?
Not all commercial cotton balls are sold/offered equally. Be it 'sterile' or 'non-sterile' - these cotton balls are chemically treated and bleached
* for their purification, whiteness, fluffiness and sheen. Some are done splendidly -- no or very little residue left, while some could be botched, either by design/deliberation (befitting the purpose it is sold for) or simply by carelessness/cost saving.
For our wicks it's Ok to use a good quality one from the above, which could've been treated & sold better. But that could also need some trial & error from our part. However, it is
advisable to use/purchase 'Organic' Cotton Balls. Not that they are not 'treated' - they are. However, they are grown differently and handled better, which makes for a better/healthier vaping experience. I use the ones pictured below.
www.amazon.com
Honestly, I believe the cotton balls from your hospital were some of those that many have encountered here - giving foul taste. One of those produces which were of the 'deliberately' botched kind, typically the case in larger hospitals. And the one you took out from your medical cabinet were probably already the 'organic' type. Pls stick with it
!
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*Here's a nice link explaining cotton preparation.