3 Key Factors To Consider When Choosing An E-Liquid
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 eliquid flavours and nicotine 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 initially can be overwhelming.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an E-liquid
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:
- Nicotine strength
- Flavour
- PG/VG ratio
Let’s examine each one in turn.
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 should depend on how many cigarettes you smoke (or smoked) per day. We recommend trying the following:
- Social smoker: 0.3% or 3mg of nicotine
- Light smoker: 0.5%-0.6% or 5mg – 6mg of nicotine
- Average smoker: 1%-1.2% or 10mg – 12mg of nicotine
- Heavy smoker: 1.8%-2% or 18mg – 20mg of nicotine
E-liquid 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 – your options are endless!
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 Dispergo Satisfaction Guarantee, if you’re not happy with your liquid, we’ll exchange it for free.
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 (except for some specialty 100% VG eliquids, like Frugi) 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’ production. 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 Ratio | Throat Hit | Flavour | Cloud Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| High PG (over 60%) | Strong | Strong | Low |
| 50% PG/50% VG | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| High VG (over 60%) | Low | Medium | High |
So, your choice of PG/VG ratio will depend on what vaping experience you prefer and which device you’re using. Again, we suggest you experiment with different ratios to learn what works for you—but more than anything, your eliquid must be compatible with your device.
High-PG eliquids, as well as 50/50 eliquids, are best suited to low-powered devices like starter vape kits, vape pens, and pod vapes. High-VG eliquids like shortfills, on the other hand, are more suited to high-powered devices using low-resistance coils (below 1 ohm), including sub-ohm vape kits, DTL vape tanks, and many rebuildables.
You should check the user manual for your device to see which eliquid types are most compatible. Sometimes, a vape is compatible with different PG/VG ratios depending on which vape coil or pod you’re using, so always check to make sure you’re using the correct eliquid type. Otherwise, you may find that your vape leaks or that you need to replace your coil more often.
We know choosing an e-liquid can be confusing—so if you’re unsure which type to get for your specific kit, coil, or tank, contact our support team and we’ll be happy to help you find your perfect juice.
Conclusion
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.
