Why taste such a big deal when vaping but I don't care how my "nails" taste?

[Berylanna]

I'm still smoking, and getting started vaping, and finding it's easy to get something wrong with my choice of watts, juice, carto type, whatever -- and when my vape is tasteless I can't stand it and head right for my "coffin nails" -- but then I noticed I don't CARE how *those* taste! (Though I admit vapor/smoke is important to me either way, and I don't like the taste of what we call "O.P.'s" aka "Other People's")

Don't get me wrong, if I am trying to quit suddenly any non-menthol nail tastes OK.

So why do I find vaping so horribly unattractive if the flavor is wrong or MIA?

When I can get it right, there are times when I actually get a vape-craving and want to vape this time to the point where I don't even want an analog!

I can't be the only one, or there wouldn't be so many reviews that emphasize taste. Wuzzup?

 

[JohnsWorld]

I'm with you, though I've not gone back to the coffin nails. But, I change my ejuice like 6 times a day trying to get the right flavor/taste. There are days vaping taste great and then days like today it all tastes burnt.....

 

[cskent]

If you can find that one juice flavor that just clicks with you it'll make it a lot easier to quit smoking altogether. The problem is that it can take a while to find it. Until then just try not to cave into the cravings if you can. But if you do smoke an analog don't think of it as a negative, just think how many you haven't smoked when you're vaping. If you can stick it out until you find something you can vape long-term it'll be worth the effort.

 

[lotsoffish]

I have to agree with the OP.

I think perhaps some folks expect a little too much when it comes to the "taste" of vapor. I mean analogs certainly don't and never did taste all that great. We didn't smoke cuz it "tasted" like surf and turf.

I thank my lucky stars for vaping. It's gotten me off cigarettes which were slowly killing me. I don't eat vapor I inhale it.

If I want something that truly tastes great I will fix me a nice ham and cheese on rye sandwich.

I don't vape for the taste, I vape cuz it's got nicotine in it.

 

[ohai]

I think the more you expect vaping to be just like smoking, the more frustrated you'll be, and I don't think you have to have one all day vape that's perfect for you every time. It's all about your own personal needs now.

I really enjoy trying new things and changing flavors depending on my mood. I'm not smoking anymore, why do I need to follow the same pattern I followed while I was smoking? Why should I settle for something that tastes like dirt just to get a fix when there are so many other options available? I don't have to anymore. I get to make the rules now, I vape because I like it, and it's fun in so many ways that smoking was not, taste and variety being foremost for me. It's more than a replacement habit , it's a whole new obsession that's made smoking pale by comparison, for me, anyway.

So when I have days that it its just not working, I switch out to something really strong, like a cinnamon or a black licorice, or I try a savory flavor totally different from what I was vaping before. I shake things up until I can enjoy subtler flavors again. Drinking lots of water or ice tea helps, salty snacks help, keeping your nasal passages clear is important. Whatever it takes to maximize your enjoyment. Yeah, it does seem self indulgent to expect it to taste good every time, but I think we deserve it. We're doing something good, here, not just for ourselves, but for our families, too- making sure you enjoy it as much as possible will increase your willingness to stick with it for the long haul.

That said, I think we all have those grit your teeth and it will pass moments. Old habits die hard, even with awesome new ones to replace them with. Persistence and faith in yourself will win the day, but if you aren't making it fun for yourself, it'll become just another source of stress.

 

[KDude]

Taste is important, but not exactly on the top of my list. I want performance, and the realistic sensation of tobacco first. Some vapes are too smooth and creamy, some almost like a meal, some too thin, some very sharp.. A good vendor will get the actual draw of smoke right. It seems like some consider the smoking experience an afterthought. Or they write off tobacco as merely "an ashtray" taste, and then make crappy juices with that in mind. And they can't even remember the sensations or subtle experiences associated with smoking. I'll just avoid any vendor who does that. Smoking was definitely not like smoking an ashtray to me. There were many things to enjoy about it (unfortunately!).

That said, taste is still important of course. I don't want anything nasty either. Mystery Nut with Grapes and Salmon. Yum. Not!

 

[Serial-Vapist]

I'm new to vaping and still trying to find that perfect flavor. What I'm finding however is that my tastes are rapidly changing. At first I was bent on finding that perfect cigarette taste but have slowly started to appreciate a subtle sweetness over burnt smokey flavors. I still primarily vape natural tobacco extracts but what I'm vaping right now ("Tobacco Pure" from Volcano) tastes more like fresh squeezed green tobacco leaves than burning plant matter and I'm OK with that.

 

[NGIB]

I've had days where everything tasted bad so I just went to unflavored for a while. I tend to switch around a lot but as long as I'm not smoking - it's all good...

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

When I first began vaping I could care less about the taste...it was all about kickin' the stinkies to the curb. Now that I've been vaping awhile I , like many others, have found certain flavors do appeal to me throughout the day and I take advantage of that fact. My primary concern has always been about quitting smoking but if I can enjoy the process along the way why not? The most important aspect of vaping, for me, is and always has been about finding the most efficient and cost effective process of delivering the nic to my system.
Good Luck.

 

[Wackyjak]

Op, I went 5-7 days without a cig. Mom didn't have a lighter so I lit it for her with the car lighter. After that amount of time any vape (except maybe puke flavor) tasted better than that cig. I think its easy if you give yourself enough time with out smoking a cig to kinda forget what they tast like, take a hit on that real cig only to find it tastes xxxty.

 

[Berylanna]

Thanks for the perspectives, ALL of you!

So, y'all are telling me that while it's worth it to find flavors and vapor performance I like, sooner or later I'm *still* going to have to "quit smoking."

Sigh. OK. I was hoping to get there quasi-accidentally. I figured I'd start vaping in the car, and before meetings, and progress to having all the half-desired nails be vapes instead, and after awhile I'd reach that point where I could have a vape first thing in the morning or after a meal and not get a 'nic fit.'

Guess I'll keep going until I've got the vaping to be fairly-consistent regarding pleasure, then consider actually "quitting smoking" -- again -- with vaping as the crutch instead of...all those patches and things that didn't help in the slightest.

Somehow, Snus just doesn't sound....like a good candidate.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Thanks for the perspectives, ALL of you!

You're welcome and thank you for your honesty.

So, y'all are telling me that while it's worth it to find flavors and vapor performance I like, sooner or later I'm *still* going to have to "quit smoking."

The difference between traditional smoking cessation programs and vaping is with vaping YOU are in control and YOU make the decisions- not some pharma company or Dr. that's never smoked in their life.

Sigh. OK. I was hoping to get there quasi-accidentally. I figured I'd start vaping in the car, and before meetings, and progress to having all the half-desired nails be vapes instead, and after awhile I'd reach that point where I could have a vape first thing in the morning or after a meal and not get a 'nic fit.'

It's ALL about being happy, comfortable and, most importantly, stress free. Let the program of vaping work without pressuring yourself. The first 2 weeks will be a little rough because there are other addictive substances in analogs that are not usually found in E Juice. There are a very small number of vapers that have found the answer in vaping WTA juices becasue normal Nic Juice just wasn't doing it for them:
Whole Tobacco Alkaloid Eliquid WTA Aroma Ejuice
and here's a bunch of ECF WTA threads:
wta - Search Results - E-Cigarette Forum
Good Luck.

 

[Riverboat]

I've had days where everything tasted bad so I just went to unflavored for a while. I tend to switch around a lot but as long as I'm not smoking - it's all good...

Im with you on this...Vaping now for 2.7 years.. Tried flavors on and off, a few were ok but I could vape them all day...
I only use unflavored now at a high nicotine level.... Thats what Im after anyway.....Nicotine

 

[Harplayr]

Thanks for the perspectives, ALL of you!

So, y'all are telling me that while it's worth it to find flavors and vapor performance I like, sooner or later I'm *still* going to have to "quit smoking."

Sigh. OK. I was hoping to get there quasi-accidentally. I figured I'd start vaping in the car, and before meetings, and progress to having all the half-desired nails be vapes instead, and after awhile I'd reach that point where I could have a vape first thing in the morning or after a meal and not get a 'nic fit.'

Guess I'll keep going until I've got the vaping to be fairly-consistent regarding pleasure, then consider actually "quitting smoking" -- again -- with vaping as the crutch instead of...all those patches and things that didn't help in the slightest.

Somehow, Snus just doesn't sound....like a good candidate.

Actually what you’re doing is fine.
I think the biggest mistake some make is stressing about quitting analogs “right now”, and feeling guilty or that it isn’t working every time you cheat.

I happened upon e-cigs accidently while walking around the mall killing time while my wife was shopping. Yup, I got gouged at the mall e-cig stand, but it opened up the world of vaping to me and led me to this forum where I learned about all the possibilities.

Like you, I began by substituting an occasional cigarette with my new toy. Then I began to eventually reach for my PV more and more often. Soon I was just down to my after meal cigs, and my morning cig and then just my wakeup cig. A month later I was smoke free.

I didn’t set a target date, or put any pressure on myself. I just began to like vaping more than smoking.

So don’t worry about quitting, just play with the new toy and experiment and find that magical juice that has you enjoying it more than analogs. Then quitting will come naturally.

 

[DaveP]

I felt lucky in that I kept smoking one after a meal and a couple with coffee. That let me compare the taste of cigs with vapor from my ecig. The ecig won hands down. Over time, I realized that it was pointless to keep smoking the cigs and I decided one day to quit after two years of vaping and still smoking a few a day.

What I found was that after a period in which I no longer smoked 40 to 50 cigs a day, I was able to put down the last 6 or 8 without ANY withdrawal symptoms. I could have done that anytime and didn't. I'm very glad I did. Now, when people ask me if my ecig allowed me to quit, I can say yes. I've never looked back even though my wife still smokes around me. It just doesn't appeal to me anymore. Once I got past the heavy smoking, I just outgrew the ones that remained.

The thing that makes you want to smoke ... dopamine and MAOI.
This is your brain on nicotine

 

[WCSR]

I'm not so concerned with taste. While it is important, I also have to remember that my tastes are still changing as my senses are recovering from years of abusing them. Top priority for me is performance. It's gotta hit right, be warm, and produce the amount of vapor that I would exhale from smoking. Anything beyond that is a plus.

 

[Cloud Wizard]

IMHO:

May have something to do with how nicotine absorption differs between smokes and vaping. Smokes are an almost instant gratification as the nicotine readily passes through the lungs into the blood and across the blood/brain barrier. They also have other chemicals (not just nic) that affect the euphoric sensations. Nic in vaping (a very pure nic only active ingredient) is mostly absorbed through the mucous membrane and sinus cavity. It takes longer to get in your system and is less efficient the smokes (meaning you actually get less nicotine/puff than with regular smokes.

Since you get the fast rush, taste of analogs becomes irrelevant (or at least excusable) where for vaping taste is important since it quickly satisfies whilst waiting for the nic. I think it's also the primary reason for nic head aches with vaping because folks keep vaping till the feel the nic which means they've actually vaped more than they should so the higher level of nic is already in their system, just hasn't made it to the blood stream yet (kinda like hitting send on an email, you can't take it back)

 

[Mneumonic]

I've noticed that I alter my flavors depending on what else I'm doing. For instance, I enjoy a smooth tobacco flavor with my morning coffee. If I'm drinking alcohol, I prefer either a verity depending on what I'm drinking. With this many choices for different flavors of liquid, I see no reason to stick to just one type. After all, cigars were designed to complement the taste of alcohol; why not use your after dinner vape to compliment your meal?

 

[ohai]

Thanks for the perspectives, ALL of you!

So, y'all are telling me that while it's worth it to find flavors and vapor performance I like, sooner or later I'm *still* going to have to "quit smoking."

You don't have to do anything. It's your life, this is your addiction, and you don't have to do it my way or anyone else's. What worked for me might not work for you, and that's not wrong, it's just different.

Sigh. OK. I was hoping to get there quasi-accidentally. I figured I'd start vaping in the car, and before meetings, and progress to having all the half-desired nails be vapes instead, and after awhile I'd reach that point where I could have a vape first thing in the morning or after a meal and not get a 'nic fit.'

I think that's a good possibility, nothing wrong with that strategy at all. If you read DaveP's posts, I think he's a good example of someone who was vaping most of the time while still smoking when he felt like he really needed one, and eventually just stopped needing the analogs at all. It's a great success story.

Guess I'll keep going until I've got the vaping to be fairly-consistent regarding pleasure, then consider actually "quitting smoking" -- again -- with vaping as the crutch instead of...all those patches and things that didn't help in the slightest.

Somehow, Snus just doesn't sound....like a good candidate.

It sounds to me like you're feeling guilty and discouraged about the whole thing, and I'm so sorry you're feeling like that, because you don't deserve it. There's nothing wrong with what you are doing, there's nothing wrong with you if this isn't your magical fixitquick tool to being smoke-free right this minute. Give yourself a break, and give yourself a chance to absorb all this new information. It can be overwhelming sometimes, and esp when it seems like everyone gets it but you. That's not the case at all, we have all been there, many of us are still there, and no one here is going to judge you.

Except the provari people. They are quietly judging us all.

(j/k)

 

[FRGMNT]

I think that's only the case because when the vape is thin and the taste is not there, the experience is just not that satisfying. Probably for the same reason that Cloud Wizard stated.