Newbie with e-liquid questions

[rambam1776]

I've done some scanning, but haven't seen quite what I'm looking for in other posts. I got my e-cig about 6 weeks ago, opting to go with a 'camel cigarette' flavored smoke. I have since ordered a mint, doublemint, green tea, and Dr. Pepper flavored smoke. I see from a few posts that it is expected for them to be bland until my taste buds come back. All I know is that I can barely taste anything at all EXCEPT for the mints.

The real problem, thought, is that ONLY the mint flavors thus far are providing me with any real vapor or that odd sensation of SOMETHING sliding around my throat that mimics real smoking. I dunno how to define that sensation, but I find it useless to vape without it. I also need the feel and visual of lots of vapor to satisfy me. When I try the e-cig I have filled with any non-mint flavor, I have to draw like crazy to get anything (no, it isn't dirty or broken) satisfying, and there isn't anywhere near enough vapor. I'm THIS close to giving up and buying a pack of Camel Wides.

So, can anything be done to 'vape up' these bottles, or do I just avoid these flavors in the future? Further, can anyone suggest some flavors that put out plenty of vapor? I don't want to waste any more money on unsatisfying choices. I'd KILL for a serious tobacco flavored juice that put out a ton of vapor.

Thx.

 

[Hotbrained]

G'mornin and welcome to ECF, RamBam!

So, can anything be done to 'vape up' these bottles, or do I just avoid these flavors in the future? Further, can anyone suggest some flavors that put out plenty of vapor? I don't want to waste any more money on unsatisfying choices. I'd KILL for a serious tobacco flavored juice that put out a ton of vapor.
Thx.

You are correct in that it'll take a bit for your sense of taste to return. Don't fret that, just don't judge any e-liquids on flavor for the first couple of weeks.

You can fix some of the problems you're experiencing and salvage the e-liquid you have. First, I'd recommend finding the subforum for the model of PV that you're using and make sure that you're using it properly. Second, look to the DIY Juice sub-forum for a wealth of information and tips-- DIY e-liquid - E-Cigarette Forum

-Don't over-fill your carts/flood your atomizer; if you hear a gurgle instead of a slight sizzle, you've overdone it
-Take long, smooth, controlled drags. If necessary, prime your atty with a couple of short puffs
-Consider trying a USB passthrough model of your PV -- higher voltage devices produce a lot more vapor
-Add a couple of drops of alcohol per ml of a strong and clear alcohol (Everclear or 100-proof vodka for example) to improve throat hit
-Cut your e-liquid with 20% Vegetable Glycerine for more vapor; bear in mind that this will dilute the nicotine content and wash out some of the flavor
-Stick to flavors that came from alcohol-suspended solutions (butter rum, the mints, etc) -- those are the equivalent of adding extra alcohol to the e-liquid

As far as great tobacco flavors go? Consider trying Flue-Cured, 555, or Hilton. They all have a very well-earned reputation.

Good luck!

-HB

 

[CaptJay]

What PV do you have?
What liquid are you using?
People will ask so Ill get it out the way
Not all PVs are the same in the dark - some are better than others and some juices are definitely better than others.
FYI - tastebuds can take a few days off at times if you've given up the ciggies - I have great liquids which taste of nothing (maybe socks..) until they recover.

 

[Gremlin]

I start with unflavoured fluid at 60mg, filling to about 45%; then I cut that with about 45% vegetable glycerine, and 10% chocolate flavouring. That seems to work for equating to the nicotine of a real cigarette, enough vapour to exhale something opaque, and enough flavour to know that something's going on.

Using a 510: I do technically overfill the cartridge, though I probably shouldn't. That saturates the polyfill and creates a convex puddle of surfacetension at the brim; installed into the atomiser, the extra fluid is wicked in to prime the thing. A couple puffs to get things going [I've switched to automatic batteries recently], and it works pretty well for the first half of the cartridge or so.

One thing I've learned is that a half empty cartridge can't really deliver much vapour, though the nicotine still gets through. The atomiser really needs contact with measurable liquid to steam properly. There's a balance somewhere between burning the atomiser out without enough liquid and shorting it out with too much. A quick glance at the cartridge once the vapour dwindles lets me measure the darkness of the polyfill [the chocolate flavour makes the liquid nice and dark]; as the polyfill dries back toward white, the thing doesn't work as well and I refill it.

About overfilling the cartridge: in filling it to threshold, I reconstruct the thing and hold it at forty-five to ninety degrees, letting the wick absorb what it will; then I puff on the thing in that position for a moment to prevent any extra liquid from splashing around and reaching the filament itself. I've killed a couple atomisers since June, practising all this; at this point, procedural memory makes it second nature.

 

[JoyousOne]

With my 510, I get a lack of vapor every once in awhile. When this happens, I remove the atty and blow it out from the threaded end. (I wipe it off before doing this as I found out the hard way that the juice burns!) When I replace the full cart onto the atty, I get mega vapor! Also, I found that when taking a very very slow 3-5 second drag I get much better vapor than a quick drag.
As far as e-liquids go - I experienced the same thing. For me the only one I could taste was Red Bull for the first few days. Each day the same flavors get stronger and stronger. If you don't like a juice on day 3 try it again at day 5 and again at day 10.
I just got my latest shipment from cignot and the Jimmy Puffit (key lime) Basic juice with 12 mg is GREAT!!!! Try it!!!! Tastes like a cocktail....yummy.
Good luck!

 

[Ivisi]

Depending on how much you smoked in a day, and how long you've smoked overall, it can take a while for your taste buds to completely come back. For a while, menthol juice was the only thing I could really taste, everything else seemed weak. But I'm also a sucker for the menthol, too, so it worked out for me until everything settled out.

For throat hit, that is produced by nicotine content. If you were smoking Camel Wides, you're probably looking for something in the neighborhood of 24mg or higher to get that hit you were used to.

With vapor, you won't get that 'volume' feeling the smoke from a cigarette gave you, because there isn't that 'weight' to smoke contained in the vapor. Incidentally, it also means you aren't getting the stuff that caused the 'weight' in the smoke to begin with, so this is an absolute positive, and instead of looking for it, you should be of the mindset to get used to the difference. In the long run, you'll be better for it.

Vapor production is also juice and device dependent. Using VG as a base or as a filler in your juice will increase vapor production. So will using a higher voltage device. If you're sticking with a 3.7V device, try experimenting with VG, you can pick it up locally in a lot of different places. Or, try a juice from a different manufacturer/vendor until you find one that suits your needs.

 

[cmdryker]

Depending on how much you smoked in a day, and how long you've smoked overall, it can take a while for your taste buds to completely come back. For a while, menthol juice was the only thing I could really taste, everything else seemed weak. But I'm also a sucker for the menthol, too, so it worked out for me until everything settled out.

For throat hit, that is produced by nicotine content. If you were smoking Camel Wides, you're probably looking for something in the neighborhood of 24mg or higher to get that hit you were used to.

With vapor, you won't get that 'volume' feeling the smoke from a cigarette gave you, because there isn't that 'weight' to smoke contained in the vapor. Incidentally, it also means you aren't getting the stuff that caused the 'weight' in the smoke to begin with, so this is an absolute positive, and instead of looking for it, you should be of the mindset to get used to the difference. In the long run, you'll be better for it.

Vapor production is also juice and device dependent. Using VG as a base or as a filler in your juice will increase vapor production. So will using a higher voltage device. If you're sticking with a 3.7V device, try experimenting with VG, you can pick it up locally in a lot of different places. Or, try a juice from a different manufacturer/vendor until you find one that suits your needs.

Got to be best post Explaining vaping I've read in a long time, quick and to the point.

 

[tarheeldan]

You've probably already figured this out in your 6 weeks of experience (I'm just a noob), but figured I'd throw it out there just in case.

When I get a strong craving for a cigarette I take a mega drag on my 510 by first taking two 3 second pulls only into my mouth, then inhaling that, then(without exhaling) taking another 1 or 2 3-second pulls and inhaling again before exhaling. I keep each pull short to keep the atty from getting too hot and messing with the flavor, but this produces a nice th and tons of vapor.

 

[Lab]

look into high voltage juice.. or doublers.. both are higher in flavor than others the high voltage only comes in 12mg though..

i mix my own though.. its pretty easy and you can make any flavor mix you want and give it as much flavor, vapor, and throat hit by just adding little bits of pg, alcohol, and flavoring

a easy one is take a mint that you have.. run to the store and get a bottle of loranns chocolate.. and add a bit of that..

 

[beast775]

i just bought some usp glycerine,grain vodka and flavouring.using the calc on this site,im getting nothing//////.been a bad vapeing week for me.i bought 2 flavours malt and mint.no good.im frustrated and i feel like stomping on my pvs.i have some juice comin but its gonna be a while.id like to help the op but im lost.

 

[Garnoch]

I used to smoke Camel Filters, Camel Lights and Camel Wides. Funny, the 902 I have reminds me of a Camel Wide, both in size in my lips and the draw. Now I've had some flavor issues in the past 4 weeks too. Because of that, I just ordered from and got my shipment from mstsbakery.com and WHOA are they full of flavor and vapor. BUT believe it or not, it might be TOO much flavor for me. I may need to find a middle ground. So I'm not sure you'll like it, but you'll taste it for sure.

 

[ranmanver]

My first PV was a piece of junk, I didn't know what a throat hit was until i got my first510. I guess i got lucky and found the right juice too...but then i got my first mod from Nhaler and high voltage juice and WOW!!!!...I never thought that I could find anything that would replace what I had been smoking (smoked swisher sweet little cigars for the last 12 yrs). It could be your PV device and juice...be patient and find something that works for you. I did still smoke a few analogs when i got my PV but finally weaned myself off of them and now just vape. I have found the right combinations that suit me like many others in here have. I have tried many different juices and flavors and found three that i switch between. PG based liquids work better for me than VG, it may be the oppisite for someone else. I switch between the mod(with a 510 atty) and the 510 during the day but both give me the satisfaction and the feeling of smoking analogs, but it took a few weeks and some trial and error. Hang in there and become another success!!

 

[MacDiver]

Beast, you are the only person I think that has not enjoyed the 510 since I have been looking at e-cigs nightly for the past week or so. Hang in there man till you figure it out. I wish I could help but I haven't even started yet. I orderd my 510 on Sat. Did you check YouTube for any advise? There are lots of good stuff there.

Best of luck!!

 

[rambam1776]

According to my receipt, I have a JOYE 510. I bought 26mg 555 from e-smokey treats (tasteless), and the other flavors from some other place. Again, only the mints have simulated smoking with 'throat hit' and vapor.

Flavor isn't TOO important to me, I really want th and vapor. That's what keeps me from running out for analogs.

 

[Lab]

i just bought some usp glycerine,grain vodka and flavouring.using the calc on this site,im getting nothing//////.been a bad vapeing week for me.i bought 2 flavours malt and mint.no good.im frustrated and i feel like stomping on my pvs.i have some juice comin but its gonna be a while.id like to help the op but im lost.

do not totally rely on the calculator it is just a general amount to get to the nic level you want.. if it is lacking flavor buy unflavored juice and add a few more drops of flavoring and match it with the unflavored juice to level out the nic amount.. if not enough vapor do the same with the pg.. not enough TH add a bit of the alcohol..

when i make a bottle i only fill it 90% of the bottle.. start with half unflavored liquid, so 45% of the bottle.. then i put in around 15% flavor.. then 30% pg.. shake it and test it.. then touch it up with the way listed above in the last 10% of the bottle

 

[rambam1776]

Well, I have been experimenting a bit, and I think i have the proper 'methodology' down for effective vaping. I alternate back and forth daily between my two batteries and a couple of flavors, and have been almost cig free for about a month. I swipe one from buddies on occassion, but am damn near tobacco free. These are amazing devices.