pH is the key.
It takes more acid to protonate 24mg of nic, than it does to protonate 6mg of nic. That why it is not as simple as saying just add X% to your mix, unless you have worked it out for a specific nic strength and always use that strength.
I use a pH of 7.5 because I want to boost the nic level in a stealth Pod Mod. I was shooting for maximum nic strength. The idea being that I can get a significant nic fix with one small stealth hit.
Vermont Vapors used a pH of 8ish, and to my knowledge they used it in all their mixes. Their intent was to smooth the harshness of the nic, and reduce the nic odor. Adam understood well the effects of pH on a juice, but in his era they just werent calling it "salts" yet.
Now both of the above are with unflavored nic. Once you add flavorings it changes everything, and the change is very flavor specific. Some flavorings change the pH as well. Some flavorings might taste great at a pH of 10, but lousy at a pH of 8, and vice versa.
So, take my 7.5 pH example, if I were to add flavorings that also reduce the pH to that, it could result in sour notes in the final flavor. Conversely, some flavorings raise pH, and the acid helps balance them out. Think about any recipe that calls for lemon juice, and what the lemon juice did towards the final flavor, in some mixes it brightened it, and it others it smoothed it out. Well, lemon juice is loaded with acid.
I will also say that the type of acid used to protonate the nic makes a big difference in taste and physiological sensation. While I find CA to be fairly neutral, I find the Nic River nic salts to be a bit unpleasant. I dont feel CA in my lungs, but I do feel Nic River's in my lungs, and I am not talking about throat hit, but rather specifically in my lungs.
All of that being said, I use regular freebase nic most of the time as I like the throat hit of it. Heck, I even like a small amount of black pepper notes in my unflavored nic, ie somewhat harsher nic. The only time I reach for the nic salts is if I want to boost the nic level above my norm for whatever reason.
It takes more acid to protonate 24mg of nic, than it does to protonate 6mg of nic. That why it is not as simple as saying just add X% to your mix, unless you have worked it out for a specific nic strength and always use that strength.
I use a pH of 7.5 because I want to boost the nic level in a stealth Pod Mod. I was shooting for maximum nic strength. The idea being that I can get a significant nic fix with one small stealth hit.
Vermont Vapors used a pH of 8ish, and to my knowledge they used it in all their mixes. Their intent was to smooth the harshness of the nic, and reduce the nic odor. Adam understood well the effects of pH on a juice, but in his era they just werent calling it "salts" yet.
Now both of the above are with unflavored nic. Once you add flavorings it changes everything, and the change is very flavor specific. Some flavorings change the pH as well. Some flavorings might taste great at a pH of 10, but lousy at a pH of 8, and vice versa.
So, take my 7.5 pH example, if I were to add flavorings that also reduce the pH to that, it could result in sour notes in the final flavor. Conversely, some flavorings raise pH, and the acid helps balance them out. Think about any recipe that calls for lemon juice, and what the lemon juice did towards the final flavor, in some mixes it brightened it, and it others it smoothed it out. Well, lemon juice is loaded with acid.
I will also say that the type of acid used to protonate the nic makes a big difference in taste and physiological sensation. While I find CA to be fairly neutral, I find the Nic River nic salts to be a bit unpleasant. I dont feel CA in my lungs, but I do feel Nic River's in my lungs, and I am not talking about throat hit, but rather specifically in my lungs.
All of that being said, I use regular freebase nic most of the time as I like the throat hit of it. Heck, I even like a small amount of black pepper notes in my unflavored nic, ie somewhat harsher nic. The only time I reach for the nic salts is if I want to boost the nic level above my norm for whatever reason.
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