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3 Key Factors To Consider When Choosing An E-Liquid for the First Time

3 key factors to consider when choosing an e-liquid for the first time

If you’re new to vaping, you might be struggling to find the right e-liquid to use with your brand new e-cigarette kit. Almost anyone can pick up a mod, put in a coil and start vaping, but it takes some experimentation to find a taste that you like. When you do find an e-liquid that you really enjoy though, vaping becomes especially gratifying. 

E-liquid is the liquid that is used to fill an e-cigarette. It’s the element of vaping that gives you a “throat hit”- the sensation you get from inhaling and that smooth satisfying catch as the vapour travels down the throat. 

One of the great things about e-liquids is that they come in a variety of flavours and strengths. There are plenty of brands to choose from in many different flavours, and even more options when it comes to nicotine content, but finding the perfect one can initially be overwhelming. 

As a new vaper you might be forgiven for thinking this should be an easy choice. We know what flavours we like to eat and drink, and we know what we enjoy in the taste of cigarettes. In practice you might be surprised to find yourself embracing vaping flavours you were not expecting to like, which can make it very difficult to make suggestions. 

To help you out, we’ve put together a quick guide summarising everything you need to know when choosing an e-liquid for the first time. The main elements to look out for are:

  1. The nicotine strength
  2. The flavour
  3. The PG/VG ratio

Let’s examine each one in turn.

  1. Nicotine strength

If you’re considering taking up vaping as an aid to quit smoking, choosing the right level of nicotine in your e-cigarette is a large part of making a successful transition. Because if you don’t get the nicotine hit you were used to when smoking, there may be a risk you give up too quickly. Therefore when buying an e-liquid, the strength of the nicotine is a crucial decision. Nicotine is usually shown as a percent per millilitre (ml), for example 0.3% (or 3mg of nicotine per ml), 1.8% (18mg per ml) etc. So the lower the percentage the milder the nicotine hit. 

The nicotine level you start with might depend on how many cigarettes you smoke. We recommend trying the following:

Social smoker: 0.3% or 3mg of nicotine

Light smoker: 0.6% or 6mg of nicotine

Average smoker: 1.2% or 12mg of nicotine

Heavy smoker: 1.8% or 18mg of nicotine

  1. Flavour

This is where you can really start to experiment! The flavour profile you choose is entirely based on your preference for sweet, savoury, or a mix of both. As well as classic tobacco and menthol flavours you can get e-liquids ranging from apple to orange and everything in between. You can choose e-liquids that taste of your favourite cake, cereal, chocolate or drink. Or you can go for citrus flavours or icy flavours – the choice is huge!

If you’re making the switch to vaping from smoking then we recommend you try a few tobacco flavours first, but it really does come down to personal taste. And with our Customer Satisfaction Guarantee if you’re not happy with your liquid we will exchange it for free.

  1. PG/VG Ratio

PG (propylene glycol) and VG (vegetable glycerine) are the food-safe liquids that make up the bulk of an e-liquid or vape juice. Most e-liquid bottles will indicate what ratio of PG and VG ingredients they contain and almost all vape juices will contain a ratio of both ingredients. 

Differing ratios of these two ingredients will alter the throat hit, strength of flavour and amount of ‘cloud’. These mixes are displayed in percentages, often as ’80/20 PG/VG’ or ’80VG/20PG’, for example. Here’s an idea of what effect the different PG and VG levels will have:

PG/VG RatioThroat HitFlavourVapour or ‘Cloud’ Production
High PG (over 60%)
StrongStrongLow
50PG/50VGMediumMediumMedium
High VG (over 60%)
LowMediumHigh

So your choice of PG/VG ratio will depend on what vaping experience you prefer. Again, we suggest you experiment with different ratios to learn what works for you. 

Whichever e-liquid you decide to use for your e-cigarette, you should do your research and find out which brand has the choices that suit you. Take a look at our store for some ideas and if you have any questions just get in touch

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