In addition to the many health benefits that come with switching from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, there is also the fact that you will be able to enjoy a much wider range of flavor choices. Unfortunately, a vaper’s initial excitement about searching for the best possible e-liquid flavor can wane quickly when they are confronted not only by apparently limitless flavor choices, but also weird e-liquid descriptions, like resistance or viscosity[1], and issues with quality. No matter how “perfect” the flavor may promise to be, a low-quality e-liquid can thoroughly alter or even destroy your vaping experience.
E-Liquid Quality
When it comes to consumable products, a basic fact is that no one wants to put anything in their mouth that is low quality. We often evaluate how it looks and smells before even tasting it. Determining the quality of an e-liquid is not altogether dissimilar from determining the quality of any other consumable product. Following are some of the most basic and important points to consider when determining the quality of an e-liquid:
- How does the e-liquid look? Take a look at the e-liquid while it’s motionless in the bottle, and again after you’ve agitated it. You do not want to use an e-liquid that has particles floating in it, seems cloudy or has a strange color. E-liquids that are made with lower purity nicotine solutions, excessive artificial coloring or unnecessary ingredients are definitely lower in quality, and they normally suffer in their appearance. High-quality e-liquids provide amazing vaping experiences without the need for artificial coloring, preservatives, stabilizers or other unnecessary ingredients.
- How does the e-liquid smell? If an e-liquid is high quality and tastes good, it should also smell good. Smelling an e-liquid can help you to better understand its flavor and potency before you even let it touch your mouth. An e-liquid shouldn’t smell strangely sour, overly pungent or completely dissimilar to how it’s been described. Degraded nicotine and poor quality PG or VG content can contribute to unpleasant, pungent and acrid aromas. If an e-liquid is described as a sweet and candy-like taste and it smells incredibly sweet and candy-like, it’s safe to assume it will probably taste incredibly sweet and candy-like. If you are okay with this, then you may really enjoy that e-liquid.
- How does the e-liquid taste? When you’ve determined that an e-liquid both looks and smells good, it is time to taste it through your e-cigarette. Just as you can tell when you taste quality food, so too will you be able to tell when you taste quality e-liquid.
One of the many obvious benefits of taking your time to find a high-quality e-liquid is that once you do, you will usually have found a high-quality manufacturer as well. It can sometimes happen that a particular e-liquid manufacturer with generally excellent quality control accidentally sells one bottle that isn’t high quality. When you contact the manufacturer, if they are truly concerned about quality and customer service, they will probably bend over backward to make things right and to ensure that you receive a high-quality e-liquid from them. In the rare case that a particular manufacturer’s e-liquids are poor quality more than once, or they simply don’t seem to care about quality or customer service, you will want to move on from them. However, when you find a company that is deeply invested in quality control, you may find that trying other flavors from the same manufacturer will not disappoint, and will allow you to comfortably expand your flavor library.
Choosing an e-liquid that is right for you is a very personal experience, as what someone else loves may not suit your own tastes and vice versa. It can certainly take some time, and patience, to find a high-quality e-liquid in the flavor you prefer, but finding a high-quality e-liquid is certainly well worth the effort as it will ensure that your vaping experience is truly the absolute best it can be.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/a_randomless_chef/comments/2tj25o/viscosity/