New vape'r not sure what to think.. :\

[V_lestat]

So I am new to vaping and so far not sure what to think of it.
i started with Blu just to learn and liked the vanilla and cherry (java was like a very dark roasted coffee bean) but of course those are not really all day vape machines. They feel like more of an "need a smoke in a pinch so I will vape". And having to constantly leave it in the charge pack or deal with a dead battery got to be too much so I picked up the Halo Triton starter kit, extra charger and "Variety Sampler Pack" which is 2 of each category of juice..
very nice piece of hardware, but that variety juice pack is just,,, well, kinda yucky.
i chose the 18mg nic level for the sampler. I have smoked camels in one form or another for the better part of my 27yrs of smoking, the rest was menthol a or what ever I could afford.

E-Liquid Thoughts

• Belgium Cocoa - way way too strong cocoa flavor. I don't want my taste buds overloaded with every hit. They really need to tone it down to make it a casual enjoyable flavor.
• Tribeca - sweat tobacco? Nope not for me. Its ok but I don't really care for sweet tobacco. I am also tasting what I can only describe as what tastes like I am vaping Oil.. Like a vegetable oil. Sometimes I think it's rubber. Lol.
• Kringles Curse - smells like it is a lot more pepper minty than it vapes. Very soft peppermint flavor. Underneath after the exhale is that odd oily taste I get from TriBeCa. I don't like it.
• Sub Zero - good solid menthol. Like smoking Salems. Just a really hard hitting icy menthol.
• Turkish - yuck,,, I mean that's worth throwing away. (But I also was side vaping menthol and a menthol always messes with your taste buds when it comes to regular tobacco flavor so I will give it a day to settle in.
• Malibu - nice coconut type flavor with something else behind it. But again maybe too sweet. But not over powering.
• I would like a nice mild vanilla flavor maybe a nice cherry and a chocolate, any suggestions?
• i am finding I like more mild subtle enjoyable favors. So far everything is all up in my taste buds and hard to enjoy that way.

.
Vaping vs. smoking.

• I am not getting the hit that we smokers crave. I smoke camel lights. I don't want a tobacco flavor per say, I am just saying I don't get the throat and lung hit.
• I am reaching for the Triton A LOT. I have to vape big and deep to get my fix. Is this normal?
• camels lights are yucky now lol.
• Feeling a little soreness in my chest. Probably vaping too much. Similar to chain smoking,,,kind of.

Swapped favors around about 4 times today to let my pallet get a bit of each. I keep going back to sub zero. But I feel like the menthol is hitting my lungs a bit hard. Not liking the feeling. (Like I am smoking too much)
The other favors can go I 100% do not like TriBeca or Turkish. Belgium cocoa is tooooo much. Malibu.... Eh.. What ever, don't think it would be a normal vape for me.

Over all I don't know if I like the bronchial and lung feeling I am getting because I have to vape so much to get a fix.... Maybe it will go away and it's just a transitional side effect??

 

[acretens]

hi there! I am new to Vaping as well! My last cigarette was August 19th of this year. I also started out with Blu, wanted a better set up, did some research and then bought the G6, lol then wanted something even stronger and moved up to the triton!

I will tell you, in those first couple days after you stop smoking an "analog", your throat, mouth and tastes go through all kinds of havoc!
I was so discouraged because I had such a dry mouth and sore throat, I really thought it was from vaping "too" much, but after some research on the forums and stuff, I learned it was all due to the lack of "analogs". The sore throat only lasted a couple of days, and the dry mouth was relieved with some Biotene. I don't have any of those issues anymore, it's been roughly 11 days, so it will pass for you as well eventually.
I also had some issues with my halo flavors. because your tastes are changing, you will literally love one flavor one day and then hate it the next, this is just the joy of quitting smoking! Eventually all that will level out as well and you'll truly discover what you love! I might suggest, that if you're using the Triton and vaping alot, like I do, then you might want to purchases some additional coil heads from halo at different OHMS, they'll help cut on the harshness you're experiencing. Reading the reviews on Halo, and on this forum will help you figure out better what Ohms you wanna go for, I believe the triton comes with 2.2-2.4 ohms coil in it's tank, maybe switching up to 2.6-2.8 will help with any burning or harshness.
Just don't get discouraged!

 

[acretens]

Sorry I forgot to mention the nicotine levels! But I also started with 18 mg. If you were a good pack and a half smoker, I think 18mg is probably fine. I honestly got buzzed up my first day vaping with the G6, I felt like I was drunk! lol so the 18mg is definitely not low, for me at least, I now use 12mg with the triton because I vape so much! So you might just want to play around with the strength a little bit.
I also noticed in your flavors it looks like you got the gourmet sampler? You might just want to stick to the tobacco based blends for now. Just because it is a taste you're familiar with. Voodoo and Southern Classic and Tribeca are always in my rotation. I literally loved Voodoo in the beginning, but now my tastes are changing, so you might find that happening as well!

 

[SleepyEagle]

Finding the right juice, for me, was the hardest part of getting into the whole "vaping" scene. I also started with the Triton kit and got the same sample pack. Some of these bottles are still sitting in my supply stash because the just weren't for me. Mt Baker Vapor is what really made me appreciate vaping. I found several flavors there that I absolutely love, and their prices are outstanding.

 

[Zee2006]

***waves***

I agree with Acretens, the strangeness will pass. I'd love to suggest an e-liquid or two but everyone is just so different.
Do you by any chance have a B&M shop near you? If so, they should have samples there for you to try.

I smoked for 38 years, 30 cigs a day.... try to drink plenty of water and such, I don't think there is a such thing as vaping to much so no worries there. As far as the 18mg, I'm expect that to be just fine... my 1st few days I used 24mg but only because that was all I had, after about 4 or 5 days, I dropped to 18mg, stayed on that bout 10 days then went to 12mg for about another 10 days.... been on 6mg ever since.....

The whole thing will fill odd to you for a while, just try to stay relaxed and just remember it's all a mind game

Remember to hang on to those juices you're not liking... you should re-visit them after a few weeks

Good luck to ya

 

[TBPlayer2112]

If you liked the flavors in the Blu cartos they are made by Johnson Creek. Unfortunately the flavors they make for them are proprietary so you won't be able to order a bottle of them. But what they do offer in their Red Oak 100% VG line is much better in my opinion. If you're a Vivid Vanilla lover try the Vanda. A lot of former Blu users wanted something similar and JC provided. It's really good.

By all means try some other vendors out. JC is a little on the pricey side much like Halo. The two JC juices I have to have are Marcado and Vanda, everything else I get from EC Blend. Occasionally I'll try some samples from other vendors just to mix it up.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, especially since you're just starting out.

 

[Pstarsr]

Welcome,

Couple things from my experience. You have to give it a decent shot, it's not the same as smoking. You vape more to get the same feeling your looking for as the nicotine is delivered differently. I vape alittle bit all day, compared to a cig every two hours for 5 minutes. It's whatever works for you, don't think you need more nicotine just because of that. Also i noticed the higher nic content (24mg) was tweaking my tongue, made it tingle and throat hit was way too much. Made flavors not enjoyable.

15yr smoker, pack a day. 18mg was right for me when I started 2months ago. I'm dropping to 12mg already

Also smoking dulls your taste, as you start vaping your taste will come back. But it won't be perfect right away. Took me two weeks roughly.

Don't give up, like others said finding your juice seems to be the constant crusade. I have 25bottles in my cabinet split up from 3-4 makers. You will find your juices just keep sampling. I like a few halos, have them as staples in the rotation. You are right about cocoa it's strong, but the best chocolate I have found so far. Mix it with something, that's what I use it for. Add a few drops to halo mocha, or a tobacco that needs a nice finish.

Also you mentioned you were searching for that "similar" taste to camel lights etc. I thought the same when I started, I wanted a Marlboro light flavor. But as I continued vaping I realized why? It's not the flavor of a cigarette I was smoking for, but the addiction and nicotine. I smoked at the beginning of vaping and realized the taste was horrible in comparison to what I could taste, why would I want to match it.

That being said I do have three or four tobacco based flavors. But the tobacco is very mild, it's mostly topped with Carmel, chocolate, or honey. Which I never tasted when I lite up a Marlboro.

Diversify your juice portfolio, and don't give up. When we started smoking it sure as hell didn't taste good, and we didn't like it. We worked at it as stupid as that sounds now. Do the same. You will be happy you did.

Try
Zikwid honey blonde, I vape it all day
Vapure German chocolate coffee, great mixer ontop of cocoa, or halo mocha. Couple drops
Vapure ry80 is a nice tobacco with Carmel and chocolate tones. Add a few drops of German chocolate and it changes to a nice desert tobacco flavor.

I second the vanada recommendation above, it's really good. I used it on top of other flavors never straight though.






Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Which doesn't work 50% of the time

 

[V_lestat]

Updated main post with better TriBeCa thoughts and Kringles curse thoughts and a final thought.

 

[Nightcall]

I have the Halo G6 carts. Throat hit right now is very important to me. They're quality e-cigs, but at first I was getting disappointing throat hits (with 18mg juices). When I changed how I inhaled the throat hits improved significantly, and now they're quite good, to the point where I say "ahhhh" out loud.

I inhale very slowly, enough to where the light on the battery just lights up. Long, slow inhales . This gives the vapor time to warm up nicely and I get a deeply satisfying throat hit, even with the 18 mg. Even so, I've still switched to 24 mg to help with big throat and chest hits, and it's doing the job.

In contrast to the first day or two where I was inhaling like a maniac, like a desperate vacuum cleaner or something, and getting cold, limp, hits.

This is with Tribeca by the way. I understand how some would not like the sweetness to it, but personally I love it. There's a hint of an erotic taste to it, if you know what I mean.

 

[degnr8]

You've gotten some good advice so far. I'm going to disagree though on the strength. If you're not getting the nicotine hit, you probably need a stronger juice or lower resistance coil. If you're missing the feeling at the back of your throat (throat hit) lower resistance or a higher PG percentage would both help with that

 

[VapeJunkie]

I've only been vaping for 4 months but I can say it is quite different than smoking and you do have to get use to it. Nic level will have some to do with it but again as already stated it is delivered differently. I have definitely figured out though for a throat hit it can depend on the set up you are using and the balance of PG/VG. The higher the PG to me is the harder throat hit. I had to lower mine a bit because it was drying my throat out LOL I usually stick with about 40/60 but alot of my juices are 50/50

 

[Ryedan]

Vaping vs. smoking.

• I am not getting the hit that we smokers crave. I smoke camel lights. I don't want a tobacco flavor per say, I am just saying I don't get the throat and lung hit.
• I am reaching for the Triton A LOT. I have to vape big and deep to get my fix. Is this normal?
• camels lights are yucky now lol.
• Feeling a little soreness in my chest. Probably vaping too much. Similar to chain smoking,,,kind of.

Over all I don't know if I like the bronchial and lung feeling I am getting because I have to vape so much to get a fix.... Maybe it will go away and it's just a transitional side effect??

You've already had some great responses. I just wanted to mention that IMO the chest thing could be influenced by two things. A slight reaction to PG or VG (it's typically the PG) in your juice, and/or just a normal reaction to quitting smoking. Trying a juice that is lower in PG and higher in VG will show you quickly if it's the first one.

There is a great post on symptoms when stopping to smoke and when starting to vape here.

 

[soulseek]

Strongly advice to try 100% VG for a while you'll be much happier down the line. If you want the throat hit just get a decent RBA and cape a lower resistance, well worth it.

 

[Rat2chat2]

I make my own menthol with Everclear. Very easy. I find if I have a flavor that isn't giving me enough throat hit, I just add 1 drop of menthol and it adds to the throat hit. I also like Koolada in a lot of mixes. It adds a cool feeling without the mint taste. Good luck to ya and welcome to the forum. Everything you will ever need to know is somewhere here..... the key is just asking and someone will help you. Wonderful people here.

 

[V_lestat]

Thanks all for the input. I will surely look into the pg/vg ideas. As of right now I don't know what that means but I will find out. I know there is a glossary here.

 

[Ryedan]

Good info on PG & VG here.

 

[V_lestat]

Thanks Ryedan.
I will have to look but the sweet glycerine taste from VG could be what I am tasting in these halo liquids. I have no idea what ratio they use but I will find out.

I used glycerine many many years ago as a mouth rinse after a tooth extraction (dentist gave it to me). I can never forget that taste and that taste may just be what I am sensing underlining all these liquids so far.
It's not a sweet I care to smoke or vape, so maybe a PG would be better?
Maybe order 1 of each from mr. Eliquids or something.
But then PG can cause the pains I have described where VG isn't known to.

The more I understand juices the more I understand what and why I am tasting and feeling (physically) what I have described here.

Just gotta find my sweet spot as it has been stated. (No pun intended)

 

[Ryedan]

Yes, we are all running our own experiment at first like with a lot of things. At least juice is cheap and buying a couple of different mixes is not going to break the bank if the worst happens and you end up throwing one out.

 

[OlDogNewTricks]

As you research, you'll find that gear is also a HUGE factor in experience. I started with a Protank 2 with a 1100mah 'twist' and am already getting into carto tanks and rebuildables. Being a former pipe smoker, I like to get 'hammered' by my inhales. It takes time to find what works for you. I highly doubt that you smoked the brand that you started with all your smoking life.

 

[V_lestat]

I just made an Andes mint or a peppermint patty (take your pick)
Halo's Kringles Curse (peppermint) and Belgium Cocoa.
Started with Kringles (what was left in the tank after i emptied it, so wicks were soaked and added a few drops of Belgium since the cocoa is so strong.
Too pepperminty. Added a few more drops of cocoa,., oh yeah.
Handed it tot the wife she said. Felt like she just went out to eat but without the bill afterwards (tasted like an after dinner mint).

It's a real thick draw for some reason (feels like its harder suck vape from. Which kinds of adds to the thick yet minty choc taste.

Figured I would share.