When you decide to stop smoking with an electronic cigarette, you can feel overwhelmed by the amount of equipment and e-liquids available to you.
If the e-cigarette you choose is crucial to a successful smoking withdrawal, which e-liquid flavour you decide to put inside your e-cig is just as important.
How to choose your e-liquid
The reason why electronic cigarettes have become such a widespread substitute for tobacco is because they're incredibly effective, and this is proven time and time again.
The main reason behind this success is the e-liquid itself. By combining propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, food flavourings and the right amount of nicotine, you get an ideal mixture for quitting smoking.
When you vape, you retain your old smoking gestures, you inhale the exact amount of nicotine your body needs, and you enjoy all sorts of wonderful flavours, all without touching a single cigarette!
In order to find the right eliquid, you should choose a flavour that you like and that you will enjoy vaping all day long. In general, it's better to opt for a simple and mild flavour, such as mint, tobacco or berry. It's best to avoid overly complex or sweet recipes at first, as they can become sickening if you vape them day in day out. Save these as a treat for special occasions instead.
Another thing to consider when choosing your electronic cigarette e-liquid is its PG/VG ratio. What's that? Well, most eliquids are comprised of a base mixture of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), commonly expressed as a PG/VG ratio like 30/70, for example.
The PG is what produces the 'hit', which is the muscular contraction you feel in your throat every time the vapour passes through it. This is a very important sensation for smokers, and therefore crucial to any smoking withdrawal. PG also thins the eliquid and enhances its flavours, whereas the VG thickens it and allows you to produce more vapour, at the expense of hit and, to a lesser extent, taste. Thus, you can customise your e-liquid's PG/VG balance according to your preferences!
However, if your goal is to quit smoking, you'll need the right nicotine content in your e-liquid, otherwise it won't be able to fulfil its role!
Finding the right nicotine dosage for your e-liquid
As we said earlier, the key to successfully quitting smoking with an electronic cigarette is to find the right nicotine level for your specific needs.
To do so, you must first determine what your needs are, based on your tobacco consumption. The latter will give you an idea of which nicotine level is the most suitable for you:
- First of all, if you don't smoke, don't start vaping.
- If you smoke fewer than 5 cigarettes a day, pick a 3 mg/ml nicotine level
- If you smoke between 5 and 15 cigarettes a day, pick a 6 mg/ml nicotine level
- If you smoke between 15 and 25 cigarettes a day, pick a 12 mg/ml nicotine level
- If you smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day, pick a 16 or 18 mg/ml nicotine level
Once you've found the right dosage, you should keep it until you feel the need to lower it. Remember to take your time and you'll improve your chances of success.
Choosing the right e-liquid flavour for quitting smoking
If successfully quitting smoking with an electronic cigarette starts with acquiring the proper equipment and finding a nicotine level that fulfils your needs, it also relies on you choosing an e-liquid flavour you like!
Although it may seem less important to some people, the e-liquid flavour you choose is actually key to successfully quitting smoking. Moreover, a lot of vapers own a selection of different e-liquids in order to keep things interesting and thereby stack all the odds in their favour!
Most of the time, beginner vapers opt for tobacco-flavoured e-liquids when starting out, which are referred to as 'classics' in the vaping world. Indeed, it's often difficult to completely abandon traditional cigarettes from the get-go, so finding a liquid that tastes like your old cigarette can help a lot.
However, know that an eliquid will never quite taste the same as your old cigarette, due to the lack of combustion! Indeed, an electronic cigarette does not combust, which is why you avoid all the diseases linked to carbon monoxide when you use one.
Therefore, many vapers rapidly turn to mentholated or fruity e-liquids when starting out, to replace the tobacco flavour. You may already be familiar with menthol and its distinctive freshness if you used to smoke menthol cigarettes. Fruity liquids, for their part, allow you to enjoy all sorts of flavours throughout the day!
Know that when you smoke, the burnt tobacco numbs your taste buds to some extent. And when you stop smoking, they only regain their full strength after a few days or even weeks, hence why a lot of vapers choose strong flavours in the beginning.
In short, there isn't a liquid that suits every single vaper. There are hundreds of juices that can help you quit smoking, you just have to find one that suits your personal tastes and preferences. Have a browse on our website and don't hesitate to try as many flavours as you need, in order to find the perfect recipe that'll make you forget tobacco!
All our guides on e-liquid flavours:
- Find your everyday e-liquid !
- Ageusia is common among vapers, here's why you have to vary your e-liquid flavours.
- You often want a tobacco-flavoured e-liquid when you quit smoking, and we help you choose which one!