E-Liquid Has You Gagging? Finding a Better Tasting Vape Juice

Back in 2015, almost 70% of tobacco smokers wanted to give up the habit.

Two years after, studies showed that some of them did quit — in 2017, the number of smoking adults went down to 14%. In 2016, 15.5% of adults smoked.

One likely reason behind this is the increase in e-cigarette or vaporizer use. Studies found that the daily use of e-cigs (without cigarettes) is helpful to those who want to quit. In fact, it raises one’s chances of quitting by up to 77% within the next couple of years!

The odds could even be higher if you use the best tasting vape juice flavors. Their awesome flavors could even help you forget about tobacco altogether.

But not all e-juices are great, and some of them can be downright disgusting and gag-inducing.

That’s why we’ve come up with this list of nifty tips to help you find the best vape flavor. Keep reading so you can avoid the nasties and instead, make every vaping session a delight!

Safety First: Get Yourself Tested for E-Liquid Allergies

Your gagging may have to do with allergic reactions rather than the flavor of the e-liquid itself. It’s rare, but you may be one of the few who are allergic to propylene glycol (PG). It’s a food additive and is one of the most common “carriers” (base ingredients) used in e-juices.

PG used in food is “generally recognized as safe“, says the Food and Drug Administration. E-liquid manufacturers use it for flavoring, but more as a vaporizing solvent. Pharmaceuticals also rely on it for some medicines that require enhanced water absorption.

Still, some people are more sensitive to PG’s water-absorbing effects. It’s this property that can cause minor symptoms, such as mouth and throat dryness. Some people may also experience upper airway irritation, which can lead to coughing.

It may be this PG sensitivity that’s making you gag whenever you puff on your vaping device. That’s why it’s best to get yourself tested first, to confirm if you’re allergic to PG. After all, even the best vape juice flavors may contain PG, so you might still gag if you switch to them.

In the rare event that you are highly-sensitive to PG, vegetable glycerin is your safer bet. VG appears to have lower irritant properties since it’s less dehydrating for most folks. Also, if you want more (and bigger) “clouds”, VG is a better choice as it’s more viscous than PG.

Go for an E-Juice with Higher PG Concentrates

So long as you’re not allergic, then be sure to try out a juice that contains a higher dose of PG. PG, being almost tasteless and having low viscosity, carries flavors better than VG. Whereas VG has a slightly sweet taste, which in high amounts, might make you gag.

The more PG in an e-liquid, the more you’ll be able to taste its full flavor. You’ll find e-juices that have 30% PG and 70% VG, which is a good ratio to start with. If you want intensified flavor, there are some juices carried by Gourmet E Liquid with a 50-50 PG/VG ratio.

Choose Flavors Known to Cleanse the Palate

Did you know that the average human tongue has a whopping 10,000 taste buds?

That’s right! And it’s thanks to these sensory organs that you can discern sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and “umami” tastes.

However, it’s also this huge number of taste buds that can overwhelm your tongue with flavors. If you choose an e-juice with a strong flavor, its taste can linger too long and you might end up hating it.

A good vape juice that can help you avoid this contains a palate-cleansing flavor. Flavors like banana, milk, apple, sorbet, and citrus flavors can help cleanse the palate. We’re pretty sure you love some of these foods, so feel free to incorporate their tastes into your vaping habits!

Try Milder E-Juice Flavors

Speaking of taste buds, too strong e-juice flavors can put them at risk of a condition known as “Vape Tongue”. It’s minor and temporary, although it does desensitize a person’s tongue. This can then cause the taste buds to lose their flavor-tasting ability.

A trick to avoid this is to stick to milder flavors, such as watermelon vape juice. Watermelon itself has a mild, refreshing flavor, hence its use in palate-cleansing sorbets.

While it’s okay to be adventurous, avoid weird flavors like nacho cheese or roast beef. According to reviews, not only are they overpowering — they’re disgusting too.

Regular Flavor Swapping Can Help Prevent Flavor Fatigue

Another trick to prevent Vape Tongue is to regularly change e-juice flavors. The longer you expose your gustatory senses to the same flavor, the less they can pick up on the same taste. This puts your taste buds on “flavor fatigue”, making your vaping sessions bland and boring.

Flavor fatigue may also mess up your other tastes, weakening or making them too sensitive. If you become overly flavor-sensitive, even mild, great-tasting flavors may make you gag.

Regular changes to your flavor picks can help you avoid this condition. For instance, if you’re into blue raspberry vape juice now, you might want to switch to milk or coffee flavors. The important thing is to change flavors and flavor types often, so you don’t tire out your taste buds.

Consider the Nicotine Strength Too

Liquid nicotine, the type used in e-juices, appear to be safer than inhaled tobacco smoke. Nicotine, after all, isn’t a carcinogen — it’s the burned tobacco that causes cancer.

However, liquid nicotine, on its own, is bitter or has a chemical-like taste. E-juice manufacturers reduce these tastes by adding food-grade flavorings in their products. Still, if you choose an e-juice that has a high nicotine level, you may end up coughing due to its bitter taste.

Besides, too much nicotine defeats the goal of quitting tobacco smoking. To finally quit smoking regular cigarettes, you’d need to reduce your nicotine intake. A gradual decrease in nicotine will also help your body acclimatize better.

That said, consider the nicotine strength of your e-juice picks and base it on how heavy a smoker you are. If you used to be a chain smoker, go down slowly from 36 mg to 18 mg. From there, make your way even lower to 16 mg and until you’re comfortable with 6 mg or lower.

Find the Best Tasting Vape Juice Now

There you have it, everything you need to know about finding the best tasting vape juice. So long as you keep our tips in mind, then you should be able to find flavors that’ll suit your taste buds.

If you’re still on the fence, you should get expert advice from more seasoned vapers. There are forums dedicated to reviewing e-liquid flavors, and most importantly, their safety. These online communities are also a great place to ask for brand recommendations.

Ready for even more health tricks that you can include in your New Year’s resolution? Then be sure to bookmark our site’s health archives so you can stay in the loop with our latest updates!