My big problem: No taste.

[tailland]

Ok, I do have a problem which I consider to be severe, and I need some real help with this:

While I do enjoy the smell of liquids, they don't have a taste for me. That's frustrating.

I have tried a bunch of comercially available liquids, and I've mixed stuff myself (from 1% up to 5% flavor volume ratio) and the closest I ever get to "tasting" something is when I put menthol flavor in the liquid, or when a strong tobacco flavor produces some tart bitterness.
The strongest moment of taste I ever had, was with an MTL coil in the AiO Pro C, which I had while sucking long and slow, and it lasted for the fraction of a second. That's it.
Also, it doesn't seem to matter at all, how much wattage I use for any given coil. Of course the vapor is denser and hotter the more I go up, but the taste is nonexistent.
The speed of me drawing, and the amount of airflow into the coil also doesn't seem to make a difference.
Funnily enough, I can taste when the cotton in a coil start to produce a slight burnt smell. I also had a real dry it and it was intense. Intensely disgusting, that is.

Logically, experiencing that lack of taste made me question the working condition of my taste buds, but given the fact that I can taste the liquid when I put a drop of it on my tongue manually (instead of vaping it), they seem to be alright. I also have no taste problems with my everyday food or drinks.

So, what can I do to improve my situation?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Ok, I do have a problem which I consider to be severe, and I need some real help with this:

While I do enjoy the smell of liquids, they don't have a taste for me. That's frustrating.

I have tried a bunch of comercially available liquids, and I've mixed stuff myself (from 1% up to 5% flavor volume ratio) and the closest I ever get to "tasting" something is when I put menthol flavor in the liquid, or when a strong tobacco flavor produces some tart bitterness.
The strongest moment of taste I ever had, was with an MTL coil in the AiO Pro C, which I had while sucking long and slow, and it lasted for the fraction of a second. That's it.
Also, it doesn't seem to matter at all, how much wattage I use for any given coil. Of course the vapor is denser and hotter the more I go up, but the taste is nonexistent.
The speed of me drawing, and the amount of airflow into the coil also doesn't seem to make a difference.

Logically, experiencing that lack of taste made me question the working condition of my taste buds, but given the fact that I can taste the liquid when I put a drop of it on my tongue manually (instead of vaping it), they seem to be alright. I also have no taste problems with my everyday food or drinks.

So, what can I do to improve my situation?

Sometimes wicks require time to completely abosrb the taste. It is not unusual that most stock coils take a day or two of vaping it for the flavor to fully come through.

If you are used to commercial ejuices, then maybe higher % in your diy recipes to start off with. Commercial ejuice is filled with sugar and high % because their audience is geared towards smokers and they know their taste buds are dull.

Heat can destroy flavorings. Can you tell us what type of gear(mod) and topper you are using?

Lots of times diy requires steep(aging of liquid) to bring out the total flavors.

So when did you make the switch to vaping? It is also possible that your taste buds haven't healed yet but unlikely since you can taste it when you put a drop on your finger.

HTH

 

[tailland]

I can clarify:
I am rather new (2months) into vaping, so I do consider the possibility that my taste buds aren't 100% up there. Then again, I don't have that problem with either food, or liquid drops on my tongue.

Let's see:
I've tried the Cubis (@AiO) / Pro (@VTwoMini) with: 0.25ohm Notch coil, 0.5ohm SS coil, 0.6ohm SS coil, 1.0ohm SS coil, 1.5ohm Clapton coil. The Notch coil and the Clapton coil have the faintest hint of a taste, but not really, while the others are completely numb.

I've tried the Kangertech CLTank with a 0.5ohm SS coil, and a 0.15ohm Ni coil. Both have a faint hint of a taste, much like the Notch/Clapton coil in the Cubis. But again, not really.

Now I'm sucking on a Procore X (@Espion) with the default ProC1 coil, which is widely lauded, and tastewise, it is similar to the Notch/Clapton; somewhere between a faint hint and a lot of nothing. Also, I tried it between 28Watts and 60Watts, which also doesn't make any difference.
The liquids I mix go into the fridge and have a minimum of 5 days until I touch them. I had hoped that would help. It didn't.

 

[Necrospecter]

I can clarify:
I am rather new (2months) into vaping, so I do consider the possibility that my taste buds aren't 100% up there. Then again, I don't have that problem with either food, or liquid drops on my tongue.

Let's see:
I've tried the Cubis (@AiO) / Pro (@VTwoMini) with: 0.25ohm Notch coil, 0.5ohm SS coil, 0.6ohm SS coil, 1.0ohm SS coil, 1.5ohm Clapton coil. The Notch coil and the Clapton coil have the faintest hint of a taste, but not really, while the others are completely numb.

I've tried the Kangertech CLTank with a 0.5ohm SS coil, and a 0.15ohm Ni coil. Both have a faint hint of a taste, much like the Notch/Clapton coil in the Cubis. But again, not really.

Now I'm sucking on a Procore X (@Espion) with the default ProC1 coil, which is widely lauded, and tastewise, it is similar to the Notch/Clapton; somewhere between a faint hint and a lot of nothing. Also, I tried it between 28Watts and 60Watts, which also doesn't make any difference.
The liquids I mix go into the fridge and have a minimum of 5 days until I touch them. I had hoped that would help. It didn't.

I have found that aging is slowed in the fridge room temp is how you want to age them. Depending on what you are mixing 5 days could be way too soon to get any good flavor. If you want to speed things up you can try a UC cleaner, but that is more than I wanted to spend so if I want to speed things up I use a hot water bath or my crockpot (if you do not know these you can read about them here Speed Steeping E Juice: The Cure for a Lack of Time | onVaping ) I also have to ask are you trying to vape your juice straight out of the fridge or are you letting it come to room temperature?

 

[tailland]

I have found that aging is slowed...

As I said: A minimum of 5 days. The current batch has been in the fridge for a week already, and the next bottle will be taken from that batch in about 4 or 5 days. The rest will stay. When I see that I will finish a bottle within the next day or so, I usually take the next one out of the fridge so it's ready for consumption as soon as I need it - which is never really a problem because I usually have 1 large bottle and 1 smaller (experimental) bottle sitting on my desk. I try a lot to get something going.

 

[englishmick]

You said you were using 1% to 5% flavoring. When I first started DIY I was mixing at 20% or more. Since you just started vaping (presumably after quitting the cigs) maybe you need more flavoring. That partly depends on what brand of flavoring you are using though. And sticking it in the fridge isn't going to help.

Have you tried premixed juice at all?

 

[stols001]

Have you smoked at all in the meantime, or just vaped? Because you are kind of right around the time where you'd get vaper's tongue if you'd get it, and with vapers tongue most folks can taste foods and even drops of liquid just fine, it's the vapor that they have trouble keeping up with.

Maybe try starting with really strong liquids like menthol or cinnamon or some tarter fruits. You've said you've gone commercial and DIY but you haven't said what flavorings you are trying? Some folks have a hard time tasting some flavors.

Try strong tastes to wake up your tastebuds like lemon zest, coffee grounds, etc. Use great oral hygiene and include a tongue scraper. Hydrate like crazy and etc.

Some folks have better senses of taste than others, depending on a whole lot of factors including genetics, but it is possible if you have intermittently smoked in the meantime that you just haven't finished growing undamaged tastebuds.

In your case, since even commercial liquids aren't doing it, I would REALLY try upping your flavor percentage and trying really strong flavored juices like menthol up some unflavored and (it's usually not a huge steeping juice) and keep upping it until you taste something, that may give you a reasonable "starting percentage" that may be required for you, at least right now if not in an ongoing way.

Best of luck!

Anna

 

[tailland]

You said you were using 1% to 5% flavoring. When I first started DIY I was mixing at 20% or more. Since you just started vaping (presumably after quitting the cigs) maybe you need more flavoring.

Have you tried premixed juice at all?

If "premixed" means commerically produced, then yes.

"My" flavor manufacturer lists the % recommendations, along with "recipes" in their forums. Their flavors are considered to be highly concentrated, so 1% is the standard "to start with" recommendation you'll get from them and from other vapers. I once used roughly 10% of a tobacco flavor. Only once. It was too intense to vape, made me cough like someone who just exited a burning building. Can't remember anything about taste though :ß

Have you smoked at all in the meantime, or just vaped?

Vaped. No more cigs. And I plan keeping it that way at all costs.

Because you are kind of right around the time where you'd get vaper's tongue if you'd get it, and with vapers tongue most folks can taste foods and even drops of liquid just fine, it's the vapor that they have trouble keeping up with.

I read about that but dismissed the thought since it plagued me from the very 1st day on.

you haven't said what flavorings you are trying? Some folks have a hard time tasting some flavors.

I have a handful of different tobacco flavors, I have fruits like cola, banana, coconut, different fruit mixtures, I have sweet stuff like pina colada, chocolate, espresso, vanilla, whiskey, I got coolada, fresh mint, menthol.. a bit of everything, really. I had big plans ^^

I would REALLY try upping your flavor percentage and trying really strong flavored juices like menthol up some unflavored and (it's usually not a huge steeping juice) and keep upping it until you taste something, that may give you a reasonable "starting percentage" that may be required for you, at least right now if not in an ongoing way.

I will keep on experimenting for sure. There must be a way. Defeat is not an option.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I concur with the posters who said the aging is slowed way down if in the fridge. Put them somewhere that is dark and room temp. Shake them everyday. If they smell of alcohol or perfume leave the cap off until that is gone. Leave them a week then test. May need more aging but it should be where you can taste it.......also concur to up the % of flavors in your recipe. You can always adjust them when you get your taste back.
Test with smaller bottles so they don't take that long to steep. 10-ml bottle will give you plenty to test in your tank.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Taste is as individual as each of us are. All flavor makers give recommendations but if you can't taste it then you need to increase the %.
You have all the experience of these posters trying to help you but it seems you are reluctant or resisting peoples suggestions. You can keep aging ejuice in the fridge, but it will be months before they taste like anything......totally up to you.

 

[englishmick]

"My" flavor manufacturer lists the % recommendations, along with "recipes" in their forums. Their flavors are considered to be highly concentrated, so 1% is the standard "to start with" recommendation you'll get from them and from other vapers. I once used roughly 10% of a tobacco flavor. Only once. It was too intense to vape, made me cough like someone who just exited a burning building. Can't remember anything about taste though :ß

Yeah. The brand I use, TFA, takes high %. I know there are some brands where you only need a small amount.

Tobacco tends to be different. When I started out, not with TFA, I was using 10% of all their flavors, but they recommended 0.5% to 1% for their honey tobacco.

Don't know what to suggest. I would have recommended mint and menthol. They always woke up my taste buds when they went dull, but you already have them on your list.

Maybe time is the only answer. A lot of folks vape unflavored anyway, from choice. Maybe you need to just do that for a while. Try flavors once in a while and see what happens.

good luck - let us know how it goes

 

[DeloresRose]

I can clarify:
I am rather new (2months) into vaping, so I do consider the possibility that my taste buds aren't 100% up there. Then again, I don't have that problem with either food, or liquid drops on my tongue.

Let's see:
I've tried the Cubis (@AiO) / Pro (@VTwoMini) with: 0.25ohm Notch coil, 0.5ohm SS coil, 0.6ohm SS coil, 1.0ohm SS coil, 1.5ohm Clapton coil. The Notch coil and the Clapton coil have the faintest hint of a taste, but not really, while the others are completely numb.

I've tried the Kangertech CLTank with a 0.5ohm SS coil, and a 0.15ohm Ni coil. Both have a faint hint of a taste, much like the Notch/Clapton coil in the Cubis. But again, not really.

Now I'm sucking on a Procore X (@Espion) with the default ProC1 coil, which is widely lauded, and tastewise, it is similar to the Notch/Clapton; somewhere between a faint hint and a lot of nothing. Also, I tried it between 28Watts and 60Watts, which also doesn't make any difference.
The liquids I mix go into the fridge and have a minimum of 5 days until I touch them. I had hoped that would help. It didn't.

Same for me when I started vaping. I thought I could taste food, could taste drops of juice, but not so much the vape.

I found a very strong French vanilla juice I could taste and vaped that until I started making my own.

It took months before I could really taste most flavors, and 10% flavor was not enough. It’s fine now, but was too weak then.

There are still some I can’t taste at all.

One other thing, I never put juice in the fridge. It steps better at room temperature- I mean unless it’s serious hot in your house. Just put it in a dark dry place, and some of them takes weeks or months to bloom. If it’s not good in two months, add flavor, tweak it, or whatever.

 

[sdennislee]

When I first switched I had a similar problem, tried all kinds of juice, local B&M, online, DIY, nothing. Then I found Butter Pecan from Vapor Alley (long out of business) and it was like someone flipped a switch. I Credit that juice for getting me off cigarettes.

Like others have said, take the juice out of the refer.

Look into to shake and vape DIY recipes so you don’t have to steep.

Try places like Mt Baker Vapor Flavor Shots Vape Juice | Mt Baker Vapor where you can buy flavor shots, or Vape Wild - VapeWild - Flavor Boost (10ml) who also sells flavor shots for their in-house juice. At Vape Wild you need to order from their pre-steeped juices or spend 2 weeks steeping their juice at home. I hear both these places cater to the new vaper with dead taste buds from smoking so their juices are stronger. I don’t vape their juice so I can't confirm this.

 

[BrotherBob]

So, what can I do to improve my situation?

Have you tried different Nic's in your mixes? Some nic's can overpower/mask your taste buds. Suggest vaping pure VG with different nic's (some manufactures will send/sell small samples) until you vape one that has nearly the same taste as the VG without nic. Once you have a predictable taste of zero nic with non tasting nic, you may be able to start to taste flavorings.
Best to give " menthol flavor in the liquid " a rest and not use any for awhile, menthol/mint etc. can also dull taste buds.

 

[93gc40]

If you were a smoker that could be part the other part might just be not getting the tech side dialed in....

Pick 1 maybe 2 juices.... work with builds and coils till you get those working. . Then start the process over with the next two. I would also get some unflavored juice.. to cleanse the palate with. Also PG carries flavor better than VG could try higher PG ratios.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Baditude]

I can clarify:
I am rather new (2months) into vaping, so I do consider the possibility that my taste buds aren't 100% up there. Then again, I don't have that problem with either food, or liquid drops on my tongue.

Have you smoked at all in the meantime, or just vaped? Because you are kind of right around the time where you'd get vaper's tongue if you'd get it, and with vapers tongue most folks can taste foods and even drops of liquid just fine, it's the vapor that they have trouble keeping up with.

Maybe try starting with really strong liquids like menthol or cinnamon or some tarter fruits. You've said you've gone commercial and DIY but you haven't said what flavorings you are trying? Some folks have a hard time tasting some flavors.

My "diagnosis" is that you have a chronic case of vaper's tongue. It may or may not improve over time. Years of smoking can destroy the taste buds, and in most cases the taste buds slowly return to normal once your have totally quit smoking. Anna has given you some sound advice on other things you should try.

The strongest flavors available are menthol, mint, and cinnamon. I once worked at a vape shop, and I recall one customer who could only taste the "red hot" cinnamon flavors. He would come into the shop at least once a month to sample new flavors in the hope that he'd find one that he could taste. Sad to say, to the best of my knowledge, he never found one. So he continued to use the red hot cinnamon.

When exhaling your vapor, exhale some of it through your nose. Our sense of smell is responsible for like 75% of our sense of taste. Dry mouth can inhibit our sense of taste. Consider using hard candy or chewing gum to stimulate your saliva production.

Vaper's Tongue: What is it and what can be done?
The Dreaded Vaper’s Tongue: What is it, what causes it and how to cure it

You Tube videos on Vaper's Tongue
________________________________

 

[tailland]

Something special happened. I had a taste! HAH!

I had put the Ego AiO aside while disassembling my other devices (don't ask), and put it near an open window where the device got really cold over time from all the cool air. Later on, since my other devices weren't usable, I grabbed the cold AiO, and took a vape from the device - and the first cold puff was like an epiphany ! TASTE ! Lots of. I tried to seize the opportunity and began puffing heavily. Unfortunately, after 4 or 5 good puffs, it was all over. The devices had warmed up, the vapor was mildly warm, and the taste was gone again -.-

Now I am very heavily tempted to throw my devices in the fridge, just to see if this is what it takes for me to fully enjoy the vape...

 

[tailland]

Good news. Seems I have found a way to ameliorate my problem: %highpercentage%

The high percentage liquids I prepared (8% is already high considering the manufacturer's recommendations for e-cig liqs), have been cooking for over a week now, and tonight, I have opened up the first batch with tobacco tastes. They work. Not as fully as desired, buy they do have an actual taste for me. This weekend, I'll prepare the next batch with 12%-15%. That should finally do the trick for me.