Vaping is an excellent alternative for those looking to break the habit of smoking cigarettes. E-liquids, or vape juice, typically only contain these five ingredients: water, vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, flavoring, and nicotine.

Choosing the Right Nicotine Strength

When you first start vaping it is important to know which nicotine level to start off at. There is always the option to choose a vape with no nicotine for those who are in the final stages of quitting or who have quit but still enjoy the flavor and throat hit they get from vaping. Keep in mind that when choosing a device, such as a mod, that the amount of nicotine you are actually receiving can be influenced by that device. So always do your research in this area before choosing the appropriate nicotine strength.

Different Eliquid companies offer different milligrams per milliliter. You select the mg /ml ratio based on the number of cigarettes you typically smoke in a day. Here’s a pretty good rule of thumb to go by when deciding which nicotine strength is right for you:

• 10 cigarettes/day - 6 mg (0.6%)
• 1 pack of cigarettes a day - 12 mg (1.2%)
• 30 cigarettes a day - 18 mg (1.8%)
• 2 packs of cigarettes a day - 24 mg (2.4%)

Note: It is important to remember that using a nicotine strength that is too high for you can cause an overdose in nicotine. This can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, nausea, insomnia, and a quickened pulse.

PG/VG

PG/VG, the acronyms for propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, are the agents for nicotine and flavoring. Tweaking the PG/VG ratio produces changes in the flavor of the hit, the strength of the throat hit, the vapor production and the viscosity.

Because propylene glycol is thinner it carries flavor better and delivers a stronger throat hit. Thus, e-liquids with higher PG levels produce a very flavorful hit similar to the strength of a cigarette. They are also safe to use with most devices.

E-liquids with a higher VG level will produce denser clouds with a milder throat hit. This is a good option for those who find the higher-PG e-liquids to be too harsh on the throat. To use e-liquids that are higher in VG will need a specific type of device, such as a sub-ohm tank.

Flavor

Long gone are the days of only having the options of regular or menthol cigarettes (although tobacco and menthol are amongst the options in the world of vaping. The other flavor options offered by most vape companies are: fruits, breakfast, dessert, and candy. Most companies specify which e-liquids are pre-steeped and which are not. Pre-steeped vape juices are ready to be used as soon as they are purchased. If the e-liquid is not pre-steeped then you should steep it yourself to allow the flavors to intensify.

How to Steep E-liquids

Leave your vape juice in a cool, dark place for 30-60 days. Once each week you should remove the nip and cap for about 20 minutes to allow for the necessary oxygen exchange. After the nip and cap are replaced shake vigorously. If you allow the proper amount of time to go through this steeping process then you can prevent the risk of the nicotine breaking down.

However, if you are in a grand hurry to try out a new e-liquid right away then you can go through a two day process. Note that when using this method there is a much higher chance of the nicotine breaking down due to heat exposure, which will cause the e-liquid to be harsh. To “cheat steep” you need to leave your e-liquid in a warm place that isn’t in direct sunlight. 

Leading E-Juice Companies

• Naked 100 - 60mL - Available nicotine levels (0,3,6mg)
• Top Flavors:
• Hawaiian Pog
• Amazing Mango
• Lava Flow

Vaping is a great way to break a nasty habit. However, there’s a bit more that goes into it than most people realize. After you choose the type of device that best suits your needs, remember to choose the correct PG/VG ratio to provide the best hits based on what you’re looking for. Once you’ve got all of that figured out you can let your mind run wild through the thousands of different vape juice flavors offered by leading companies!