Why is our taste so "off"

[Trips1103]

Seriously I'm starting to wonder if it's us, or if it's the vendors changing things up a bit too often than we know.

Look around the forums and you'll find so many people with different tastes for the exact same vendors and products.

If you think of food items, chances are we'd have quite a bit more agreement on what we mutually like and don't like.

I truly wonder why it is so different with vaping? Anyone else ever wonder why this is so?

 

[MissKitty47]

Wow...no comments yet? I was wondering along these lines...but wondering why a flavor that tastes good on the tongue doesn't always vape like you'd think it should? Like Andes Mint...I LOVE them, but don't like vaping that flavor.

Tripp, that is an interesting question...I read all of the reviews when I browse vendor's and have noticed that. Or on Youtube, you'll find just as many videos that say juice xyz is horrible as you will that say it's nirvana. Taste is really a hard one to pin down. Kudos to our juice mixologists for even attempting it!

 

[Zal42]

I suspect there's more than one thing going on here. My assumption is that we smell the vapor more than taste it. Smell and taste are closely related, but not the same thing. The sense of smell is much more variable.

We're all ex, or mostly ex-smokers and have been away from cigarettes for varying amounts of time. Smoking really messes with your ability to smell and changes it in weird ways, so I would expect different people, having been smoke-free for different amounts of time, to react differently to the same scents.

Also, smell is very tightly bound into emotion and memory, and people react very differently to the same odors just because of that. We adapt very quickly to smells, too: if you're exposed a lot to an odor, your ability to detect it falls rapidly (it's why you usually don't smell your own body odor or perfume/cologne except at first). The flavors we use aren't the complete scent profile, just the key components. It's possible for someone to be exposed to one of the key components in their environment and be desensitized to it. That person will find that a juice containing that component will smell different than someone not desensitized.

It's all speculation, of course, but a fascinating question.

 

[MissKitty47]

Fascinating answer from you, Zal42! Like I said, I give the makers of our e juice even more props! I'd thought about the just coming off of smoking part...makes sense.

 

[DarwinUser]

Some good points made by Zal42. I would like to add that even a same juice can have different taste depending on few other factors.

1. Depending on the equipment used, juice can taste different. For example, filling carts versus dripping can produce different flavor. Also, depending on the voltage of your equipment, taste can also vary. To make the matter worse, even different attys can produce different flavor. uggghhh...

2. Steeping can make huge difference. Some juices don't require steeping, but many do taste much better over time after you steep. I wish there were guidelines to how long a given juice should be steeped, but being that this industry is relatively young, everyone seems to be getting this information through experience (ECF being the primary source).

3. PG/VG ratio can also affect the taste. Unfortunately, trial-and-error is usually the way to find out.

4. Nicotine level can also have some affect on the taste, although I'm only including this based on other people's claims on this forum.

5. Depending on when you vape, you can get different reaction in terms of taste, but this shouldn't be a surprise since it was the same when I was smoking analogs. Food you had, time of the day, etc. can all have impact.

All these factors make vaping more interesting, but obviously more complex. I spent so much money on buying so many different juices that it's not even funny. I did find few "consistent" juices that I deem reliable, but still looking for something better. The search continues.

 

[CapableVapable]

Something that hasn't been addressed is quality control. I mentioned this in another thread a day or two ago, but I have had several juices that I am all but certain that if I gave my bottle to someone who claimed to love that flavor, they would throw it across the room in disgust. Can't say for sure, of course, as I know no other vapers in real life, but I'm 99% sure this happens enough so that it makes an impact. I can even see this effect when people come on the forums wondering why their new bottle of Super Awesome Flavor doesn't taste anything like the last bottle of Super Awesome Flavor they had. Steeping is certainly some of the problem, but I think the rest lies in quality control and vendors subbing a different ingredient here and there because they ran out, bad mixes, etc. I think the "changing tastebuds" thing is way overblown, almost to the point of being a myth.

On the other hand...I think people are more varied in their individual tastes than you're recognizing. Start a thread about how great you find Olive Garden's fettucine alfredo to be and you're sure to get plenty of detractors as well as those who agree wholeheartedly. Some of the detractors will be those who don't like fettucine alfredo, some will be those who do like it, but have been spoiled by having it from better establishments. Both of those come into play here as well. I thought juices from certain vendors were pretty damn good when I first started vaping. It was only when I had better quality juices from vendors that really took time and care and used unique methods in their formulations that I realized I had been vaping junk before. But those who never ventured beyond the junk to begin with will still rave about it. And of course there are those who will always choose a McD's hamburger over a $20 steak. It's what they know, it's what they like, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[DarwinUser]

McD is a winner in my book... LOL. Some good observations, CV.

 

[ardelleg]

2 months in and my tastes are changing by the day... my first flavor was peppermint and I really liked it, but now it is just OK, next week it might be the favorite again.
The espresso that made me go 'wow that's good' when I first got it, now isn't, I want it to be sweeter... so my new current favorite is peppermint espresso.
Some days I cut everything with VG because it all tastes too strong. This last week I have been vaping at least 5-7 flavors a day (have purchased over 40 flavors so far ) and some days nothing tastes good.
But then cigs weren't tasting all that good most of the time so there's no going back..
I'm a nonsmoker...

 

[Trips1103]

Something that hasn't been addressed is quality control. I mentioned this in another thread a day or two ago, but I have had several juices that I am all but certain that if I gave my bottle to someone who claimed to love that flavor, they would throw it across the room in disgust. Can't say for sure, of course, as I know no other vapers in real life, but I'm 99% sure this happens enough so that it makes an impact. I can even see this effect when people come on the forums wondering why their new bottle of Super Awesome Flavor doesn't taste anything like the last bottle of Super Awesome Flavor they had. Steeping is certainly some of the problem, but I think the rest lies in quality control and vendors subbing a different ingredient here and there because they ran out, bad mixes, etc. I think the "changing tastebuds" thing is way overblown, almost to the point of being a myth.

On the other hand...I think people are more varied in their individual tastes than you're recognizing. Start a thread about how great you find Olive Garden's fettucine alfredo to be and you're sure to get plenty of detractors as well as those who agree wholeheartedly. Some of the detractors will be those who don't like fettucine alfredo, some will be those who do like it, but have been spoiled by having it from better establishments. Both of those come into play here as well. I thought juices from certain vendors were pretty damn good when I first started vaping. It was only when I had better quality juices from vendors that really took time and care and used unique methods in their formulations that I realized I had been vaping junk before. But those who never ventured beyond the junk to begin with will still rave about it. And of course there are those who will always choose a McD's hamburger over a $20 steak. It's what they know, it's what they like, and there's nothing wrong with that.

You make some really good points about quality control.

The juice vendors have been very good to me in terms of customer service, but one vendor in particular? - I seem to get a different taste on the same items I've ordered 3 times already. I'm about done ordering from them for anything other than one juice in particular that is their signature juice that my fiance likes.

I think finding a good vendor that is good with quality control is just as important as good customer service.

 

[Cisme]

hmmmm this picking of juice and supplier is not so easy. I'm new to vaping and haven't even discovered which flavors I'm partial to let alone who to order them from. I'm guessing that sooner or later I will be on intimate terms with all the suppliers.

 

[OaklandCA]

hmmmm this picking of juice and supplier is not so easy. I'm new to vaping and haven't even discovered which flavors I'm partial to let alone who to order them from. I'm guessing that sooner or later I will be on intimate terms with all the suppliers.

for better or worse you will never know ALL the suppliers. new one's pop up everyday.
I've struggled with a lot of variability--and don't think it is my tastebuds.
I'm about to launch into DIY. I have pretty basic tastes (menthol, mint, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon) which i want to be able to get consistently. Even with the same vendor chocolate and coffee (much less cappuccino) vary and between vendors--hopeless. I'm going upstream to the flavor manufacturers where quality control is not likley so much an issue (every frickin oreo tastes the same after all and even if i don't feel like eating oreo's i've never known them to suddenly tast edifferent because i bought them at the corner market instead of the chain supermarket)--but chocolate chip cookies now there is enormous variation and sometimes the change in recipe is vary small. but heck most of the chocolate chips do taste pretty much the same (i'm sure there are gourmet variations but you see what i mean)

 

[ukeman]

i love how everyone has refrained from naming any vendors and stick to the tough issue...kudos.

just another minor point: i realized how important it is to check the PG/VG ratio before analyzing a certain juice, and also how different watt/volt levels affect that particular or varied ratio; it makes a difference... ie, in my experience, or try for yourself, if you have variable voltage... the same juice at different power.
imo VG dominant juice will taste best up to a certain voltage (of course the atty resistance is a factor too), while more PG can take a bit more heat without damaging the flavor.
I just now raised my VV .4 volts and the 30/70 juice got harsh. 4.3 volts on a 2.9 Ohm 901 atty was great, but i wanted more vapor so i raised it to 4.7 and down went the flavor quality.

This is just a small factor in how we view a juice.
There have been many posts on this very subject and some have theorized that we have different chemistry in our taste machinery (mouth/nose) which may explain different reactions to the same juice.

As far as quality control, there are a good % of vendors today who pride themselves on good product. Juice revenues have to be up there in the industry, if you think about how much money each of us has poured into the search for good flavors and multiply that by ? thousands of vapers? big bucks are flowing.

It's up to a vendor to capture that flow with good quality, and keep it good.
That's what the better vendors/creators are doing and that's why I don't mind paying for that quality.

 

[Zal42]

I've struggled with a lot of variability--and don't think it is my tastebuds.
I'm about to launch into DIY. I have pretty basic tastes (menthol, mint, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon) which i want to be able to get consistently.

There is product variability, I'm sure of that. But there is also taste variability. I DIY the juices I vape the most, and my main vape is simple: wintergreen. I am meticulous about mixing my juices, use precision equipment, etc. I buy my pg and vg a gallon at a time, and a large bottle of flavoring at a time. I mix 30ml of wintergreen at a batch, which lasts me about a week and a half. So, I know that my ingredients are largely consistent from batch to batch, and I'm vaping out of a single batch for over a week.

Within that week, the taste of the wintergreen can vary by a surprising amount. Sometimes, it's nearly flavorless, sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it's too flavored. It can go through all of these for me in a single carto. I think that variability is related to the other things and times I've been eating or drinking along with the vaping.

 

[Zal42]

how different watt/volt levels affect that particular or varied ratio; it makes a difference... ie, in my experience, or try for yourself, if you have variable voltage... the same juice at different power.

Yes! Juice tastes different on a fresh battery than on one that's almost ready for recharging, too. The causes of taste variability are countless.