OK... I give in. I think I need help.

[MikeB]

Hi,

If you find it within yourself to read all this, bless you!

I'm new to ecigs, trying to quit smoking, and having trouble making the switch / being satisfied with my ecig experience. I've been trying to go it alone, but I think I need help, so I'm reaching out. First a little background...

Current Situation:
I've been reading this forum for a little over a month. The ECF has been a great help getting me started. I've read all the stickies and guides I could find. I have a 510 manual with a PCC and a bunch of extra carts loaded with different liquid samples. I've been smoking it, er "vaping" it, for about two weeks. Trouble is, its just not "hitting the spot". Don't get me wrong, it is good and I enjoy it, but its not "that good" and I can't stay away from the analogues. As has been suggested, I've told myself I can have an analogue whenever I want, and tried not to pressure myself to quit. Trouble is, I hands down want to smoke the analogues over the ecig. I have a few theories on what may be behind the issue, but I don't know where to go from here. They are:

Flavor:
I think that flavor is the issue above all else. I currently smoke and enjoy Camel Filters (used to smoke Marlboro Reds, and still do sometimes). In food and other things, I have always liked natural flavors and spices, and disliked flavor additives or syrups. They always taste artificial to me, and I can always detect them. I also generally prefer strong earthy flavors. I enjoy cigars, earthy pipe tobacco, scotch neat (no ice, or mixers), room temperature red wine with lots of tannins, steak med-rare with no steak sauce, fresh veggies, and ethnic foods (Greek, Cajun, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, etc -- Im one of the few people I know that enjoys KimChi). I dislike cake, pie, most fruits, hard candies, chocolates, juices, doughnuts, and other such things. So far, all the e-liquids I've tried have a sweet undertone. Is it the PG? The VG? Some of the flavors themselves aren't bad, though I haven't found anything great yet (many taste artificial), but I find the sweet undertone very distracting and actually a little sickening. So far, my "all day vape" is Camtel 12mg 50/50 from FSUSA. Its not bad, but way too sweet. Its all I've found that I can get by with. I have tried (all from FSUSA) Prue Cig, Wyatt Earp, Max/Boro, Desert Ship, American Spirit, Burley, 555, Bilberry, and of course Camtel. I did (and do) smoke because I actually like the flavor -- its not just for the nicotine. I think this may be a real hurdle for me.

Nicotine Strength:
I think nic strength may be another issue. All the samples that came with my starter kit were 24mg 50/50 PG/VG. I found it gave me a buzz from the first drag, and after 48hrs of vaping the buzz had grown into constant dizziness, trouble thinking, and actually some muscle twitching -- which was the point at which I put it down and ordered 12mg. For years I've smoked about a pack and a half a day of Camel Filters. Basically, I smoke all day -- the typical chain-smoker. The 12mg doesn't make me feel bad or weird like the 24mg, but I am concerned it may not be strong enough and maybe that's why I'm having trouble cutting back on the analogues. I really don't know.

Throat Hit:
Often when I vape (1 out of 5-10 drags), it chokes me up and I cough. I don't like that. I'm assuming this is Throat Hit. I'm still not exactly sure what TH is, aside from a throat sensation, but there seems to be a lot of importance assigned to it in the ecig community. Maybe it's something you get used to. Funny thing is, at least to me, I never noticed much of a throat sensation with analogues, aside from warmth. I certainly never thought of it as important to me. Why am I choking and coughing? I don't get it. One and half packs of Camel Filters a day never did that to me. I've watched all the videos on how to inhale. Has this been experienced by anyone else?

If you have ANY ideas, please share them. I have to quite smoking. Its expensive, and its killing me, but I like it.

MikeB

 

[LadyWeeps]

I don't have the knowledge that some do, but I will try to help. VG is sweeter than PG, so going to an 80pg/20vg blend might help with the sweet undertone.

I seem to remember some slight throat irritation when I first started vaping, actually coughing a few times. This has subsided and is not an issue anymore. I know the level of nic will affect throat hit as does pg. I smoked a few puffs from an analog about one month into vaping and like you, I noticed no throat hit.

Vaping isn't an exact science, just have to keep trying different juices and equipment until you find the setup that does it for you.

It might be worth you trying some flavors "outside" of tobacco flavors. I know that FSUSA has bacon and I think a cream cheese flavor. My husband was a camel wides guy and only wanted tobacco juice when we started. I now have a buttload of tobacco juice to vape

 

[Noodoggy]

Afternoon Mike!

first of all, just like you said you can smoke if you want, so dont get too hung up on trying to switch to vaping. just to share with you my experience, i had trouble the first two weeks, and i had no clue about anything...had just barely found ECF. since then (3 months ago) i have learned alot and the thing that shocked me the most was the amount of nicotine i was getting from vaping was nothing compared to that from a cigarette. plain and simple, it means the first few weeks i was just going through withdrawals, not some wierd vaping reaction. since about a month in, i really havent had problems and actually tried different kinds of juices and found many diff. ones that actually satisfied me b/c my sense of taste came back. i personally would recommend sticking with 24mg for a little while longer and then you can step down if you want. i smoked about 1.5 packs of camels myself for 20 years so i have an idea of what you like. as far as the throat hit goes and coughing, i think again that might be more to do with the aftereffects of quitting smoking. Heavy mucus production and increased sensitivity to allergens in the air made me cough too thinkiing i was doing something actually worse for me lol sorry if this is rambling and disjointed...got a 5 y/o pestering me questions lol

 

[DC2]

For the coughing I would suggest drinking more water, lower nicotine and/or higher VG content.
The problem is, it sounds like you need higher nicotine, and VG is much sweeter than PG.

As for strong earthy flavors, I recommend DK-TAB from Dekang.

That is the only tobacco flavor I have found that fits the description of what you're looking for.
If you want to try it out, you can get a 10ml bottle from Valley Vapor for $5.00, and about $2.00 shipping.

As far as nicotine strength, it sounds like you should try some 18mg juice.
And make sure you're drinking lots of water.

 

[dormouse]

You don't like Desert Ship? Desert Ship isn't sweet to me at all at 70pg/30vg. I also like to add FreedomSmokeUSA Cocoa to add some muscle to tobacco juices. It is a barely sweet very very dark chocolate. If you have a tobacco juice that is too weak or too sweet, try some Cocoa with it.

Ask Don at Backwoods Brew what he has that isn't sweet but is strong and earthy. The Smoke flavor he has was not sweet to me but I also didn't find it very strong. And ask FreedomSmokeUSA too.

I should have read your whole message. You do not want stronger hit so I erased what was below.

Less hit, less nic

Try lower nic. Nicotine is a skin irritant. And it is pretty easy to overnic yourself. I started on 18mg and then lowered my nic, and I still overnic myself on 6mg! Try 12mg and even 6mg and see which you like. You won't be starving for nic. Remember 2 drags of 12 = 1 drag of 24. You could even go lower. Once you are OFF cigarettes totally and get comfortable with ecigs, then the 4000 chemicals in cigs will disappear from your system including the one that makes nicotine more addictive. Then I think you will find it not hard at all to drop your nicotine even further because the main loss for me was TH.

And remember to smell the vapor. Do not go by the just the taste. Cigs cover you in smoke and you cannot help smell them. With ecigs you need to let your nose have vapor. Most of the flavor of ecigs is aroma, just like with foods. And BTW VG is sweeter. PG is sweet too but VG is sweeter. If all of your juices seem sweet then try less VG along with the lower nicotine. Maybe 70pg/30vg?

And buy Boge standard resistance (not LR on slim 510) cartomizers and try those. So much nicer on 510 for me. You need to get at least 18 drops in them to start plus however many more drops it will absorb easily (I hold a bit of tissue against the threaded end hole while filling). Then clean it up (dry threaded end, blow into threaded end to clear air channel, sop up any loose juice above the stuffing) and let it lay on different sides for awhile to make sure every single bit of stuffing gets damp so you won't singe it. For 70/30 juices 15-20 minutes seems long enough. For thick juices it may take a lot longer. I only use cartos on my 510. My 510 atomizer is only used for dripping to try new juices. Cart and atty can give burned poly taste sometimes but cartos can be vaped longer without needing liquid - you just need to pay attention and if the vapor gets a bit light or a bit dry, add some liquid. I use a plastic drip tip as a mouthpiece on the carto so it's easy to remove to add a bit of liquid, cleanup, then put it back on the battery. if you run a carto too dry you will definitely cough with the scorched stuffing. You keep them damp then I can get at least a week out of a Boge carto.

 

[CapableVapable]

I'll be honest. If I hadn't treated E-cigs as my crutch and completely severed the ties with my Marlboros, I would probably still be smoking them today. I'm just one opinion in a sea of many, but I believe you should toss out the cigs and make a concerted go of quitting. Treat vaping like a much, much better version of nicotine gum/patch. I couldn't care less about smoking a cigarette now, five months later, but I was definitely missing them that first week or two. If I had picked one up every time I wanted one, this would have never worked.

 

[Dougiestyle]

I'm with DC on the nic strength. Find a happy-medium between what isn't satisfying and what was uncomfortable. The coughing was normal for me, as well. I believe it's the humectants and vapor breaking up the tar-infused mucus in your respiratory system. I DIY all my flavors and while some our food likes are similar, I have found that slightly sweet vapor flavors work well for me. i also smoked full flavor Pall Mall at 1.5PAD and found that menthol tobacco juice fit the bill on getting me away from analogs.

Mike, unfortunately there's a learning curve in e-cigs to what suits you best. It's the nature of the beast. Just stick with it, buddy. The benefits will be worth the hassle when you find your niche. Good luck and try to enjoy the transition.

 

[mianker]

Mike welcome to ECF and vaping. It can be challenging to find the right combo of PV, juice, atty and or carto but asking for help is the way to do it. This statement: Often when I vape (1 out of 5-10 drags), it chokes me up and I cough. I don't like that. I'm assuming this is Throat Hit. sounds to me like you are getting a burnt taste from the filler getting too hot and/or dry. That tastes plain horrible.

FreedomSmokeUSA Camtel and DK-TAB from Dekang are tobacco juices that people seem to like and recommend a lot so starting with those would be a good choice. VG is sweeter than PG so you may need to increase the amount of PG in your juice. By doing that you amy find the flavors you have tried at a higher VG ratio taste much better to you with maybe a 80PG 20VG ratio.

Know that anytime you ask someone will jump in and try to help you. Best wishes......

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Actually, if you think about it, all here enjoyed smoking for one reason or another.....at first at least....As for taste, believe me your taste buds are dead, so what you think you are tasting isn't really real.....foods, drinks, etc that I used to love when I smoked, became nasty after my sense of smell and taste came back...
smoking is an all emcompassing habit, on many levels....The act of lightening it up, etc.etc.....and that is the beauty of ecigs, the only thing we are really giving up is the stinky smell......and what we are getting in return is priceless.

 

[CapableVapable]

As for taste, believe me your taste buds are dead, so what you think you are tasting isn't really real.....foods, drinks, etc that I used to love when I smoked, became nasty after my sense of smell and taste came back...

I must be the only one who never experienced anything like this. Everything tastes exactly the same, at exactly the same flavor strength, as it always did.

 

[AttyPops]

Hi, and Welcome to ECF. I agree with most if not all the advice above. A couple of thoughts:

For me, I really need the 5 volts. If not 5 volt, using 2.5 or even 2.0 ohm atomizers at 3.x volts. As a former Marlboro Red smoker, I wanted the fuller hit from the higher voltages.

There's an easy way to test this and get some spare "backup" equipment at the same time: a 5 volt Passthrough. If you wish to try it you need:

A 5 volt direct PT (it doesn't have a battery, just the wire/USB cable hanging off it... like MadVapes 5 Volt 510 Manual USB Passthrough)
a 2.0 amp or better USB power supply (like 2 amp AC to USB Adapter, ideal for Passthroughs)
3.0-ish ohm atties (don't use the LR stuff at 5 volts)

I also use a 5 volt box mod with 14500 batteries and a separate charger. Anyway, very satisfying vape.

You may also wish to check out VV mods (variable voltage) and such. I go with the "Keep It Simple Simon" method and just use the 5 volt box mods... even though I build em. I can always fix them too. And a 5v passthrough is a spare/backup in case of failure.

As for the hits/nic/juice if you do change voltage, all that may change too. More volts = more nic hit. FYI - I vape anywhere from 18 to 24 mg, 2 or 3 ml per day.

P.S. The coughing (bad hit) can be caused by a poorly performing atty. Cleaning the atty helps. Also, higher voltages have fewer issues with this.

I think it took me 3 weeks to not crave a cig after the last one, even while vaping. But it wasn't too bad.

Hope you find the solution that works for you!

 

[dreamrush]

I am so with you, Mike. I'm new to vaping also -- almost a month now. For some reason, I still can't seem to choose e-cig over analogs. I read all these success stories on ECF and was beginning to get discouraged. They all make it sound soooo easy. Then I see your post. What a relief! I'm not the only one having problems converting! Like you, I do like the flavors (mines are from V4L and Gourmet Vapor). And like you, I find all of them too sweet, with liquids at the 80PG/20VG ratio. I, too, like the earthy flavor. I've been smoking pack-a-day Marlboro Lights or Ultra Lights for over 25 years. I have been able to cut down to <10 a day. So, that's good news, I guess.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the same boat and you're not alone.

Oh, and as always, the members on ECF are awesome! The comments on this thread are helpful and honest. Thanks, guys!

 

[Noodoggy]

I'll be honest. If I hadn't treated E-cigs as my crutch and completely severed the ties with my Marlboros, I would probably still be smoking them today. I'm just one opinion in a sea of many, but I believe you should toss out the cigs and make a concerted go of quitting. Treat vaping like a much, much better version of nicotine gum/patch. I couldn't care less about smoking a cigarette now, five months later, but I was definitely missing them that first week or two. If I had picked one up every time I wanted one, this would have never worked.

I second that.

 

[Noodoggy]

i just thought of something else for you....to help make the switch easier, how about instead of buying a pack of smokes, just buy a single black and mild or single cigar when you do go and buy smokes. just limit yourself to that one on hand. i know that helped me, b/c the PITA it would be to get in the car and drive all the way to the store kept me vaping...and though it wasnt like a smoke i got some nicotine and the irresistable urge to smoke faded. just an idea.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I must be the only one who never experienced anything like this. Everything tastes exactly the same, at exactly the same flavor strength, as it always did.

You must be one of the lucky ones...lol one of the joys of vaping for me is re-discovering good foods and such....I have never been a big eater anyway, especially when I smoked, but now when I set down to a meal, I really enjoy what I am eating instead of just hurrying to get thru it. and an added plus is that I have actually lost weight since I started vaping.....go figure...

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I am so with you, Mike. I'm new to vaping also -- almost a month now. For some reason, I still can't seem to choose e-cig over analogs. I read all these success stories on ECF and was beginning to get discouraged. They all make it sound soooo easy. Then I see your post. What a relief! I'm not the only one having problems converting! Like you, I do like the flavors (mines are from V4L and Gourmet Vapor). And like you, I find all of them too sweet, with liquids at the 80PG/20VG ratio. I, too, like the earthy flavor. I've been smoking pack-a-day Marlboro Lights or Ultra Lights for over 25 years. I have been able to cut down to <10 a day. So, that's good news, I guess.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the same boat and you're not alone.

Oh, and as always, the members on ECF are awesome! The comments on this thread are helpful and honest. Thanks, guys!

You may be addicted to some of the other chemicals that are in cigarettes. I know a lot of people are....nic in and of itself is no more addicting than caffeine....and with 4000 other chemicals in smokes.....there is a thread about this...let me find and I will edit this post.

 

[pearlyvictoria]

I must be the only one who never experienced anything like this. Everything tastes exactly the same, at exactly the same flavor strength, as it always did.

It's only been a month but it's the same with me CapableVapable. The only real but most important change was the ability to breathe deeper and sinuses opening more. Not complaining but still waiting for the taste benefit to kick in. Of course, though I'm constantly vaping atomic fire ball and cinnacide

 

[CapableVapable]

It's only been a month but it's the same with me CapableVapable. The only real but most important change was the ability to breathe deeper and sinuses opening more. Not complaining but still waiting for the taste benefit to kick in. Of course, though I'm constantly vaping atomic fire ball and cinnacide

I'm surprised you can taste anything.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

You may be addicted to some of the other chemicals that are in cigarettes. I know a lot of people are....nic in and of itself is no more addicting than caffeine....and with 4000 other chemicals in smokes.....there is a thread about this...let me find and I will edit this post.

here is what I found so far ....happy reading.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/search.php?searchid=3462771


http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ing-your-symptoms-while-adjusting-vaping.html


Here it is \http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/dvap/403-its-not-just-nicotine.html

 

[JC Okie]

When my taste buds came back to life, I realized how much SALT was in all fast food! Ha.