The type of vape juice you use and its nicotine strength can play a part in how the vapour feels when it hits your throat. The “throat hit” can be made smoother or stronger based on the juice that you use so here’s what you need to know to choose the right juice to achieve the throat hit that you want.
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Aspects of Vape Juice that Make for Stronger Hits
Here are some aspects of vape juice that make the feeling of it hitting the back of your throat stronger:
- Menthol. If there’s menthol in the vape juice you use, it’s going to feel stronger when it hits your throat because menthol has that effect. Iced, mint and menthol flavours often use menthol to some degree so if you want a strong hit, look for these types of flavours. If you don’t want a strong hit, look for juices that don’t use menthol as an ingredient.
- Nicotine strength. The more nicotine there is in the juice that you’re using, the stronger the hits are going to feel in your throat. If you just switched to vaping and you’re finding that it just doesn’t feel like smoking, you might need to use a juice with more nicotine in it.
- Freebase nicotine. The original nicotine used in e-juice is “free base”, which is a type of nicotine that’s made by converting nicotine into its purest form. This type of nicotine gets really harsh on your throat as the concentration in your vape juice goes up. While 5% strength is common for nicotine salts, that much freebase nicotine is probably way too much for you to vape if you’re using freebase nicotine because of its high alkalinity. Freebase nicotine was the standard used in vape juices up until the fourth generation of pod vapes.
There are also other ways to get a stronger hit outside of the vape juice that you decide to use. These include:
- Hemp wicks. Not all vapes are designed with wick replacements in mind. If your vape does let you replace the wick, you might be able to switch the one it’s using with a hemp one that will make the vapour feel a little harsher when you hit it. The standard is cotton.
- High voltage and wattage. Vapes that operate at higher voltages and wattages create vapour that has more of a throat hit. Some vapes will let you adjust these settings so if you can adjust them you will want to turn them up to strengthen the hits.
- Less airflow. A lot of vapes these days will let you control the air that flows into the device when you’re hitting it. When the airflow is restricted instead of allowed to flow freely, the vapour becomes thicker and harsher when you hit it. Too little airflow and it might choke you up so be careful when you start to restrict it. Don’t close it all the way (if it’s even possible to do so with your vape) because you won’t be able to get a hit out of it.
Aspects of Vape Juice that Make for Gentler Hits
We don’t all want to get punched in the back of the throat every time we rip a vape so it’s good to know what aspects of vape juice can result in a smoother hit. Here’s what you want to look for in a juice for a smooth hit:
- Menthol-free. Because menthol makes the vapour harsher, it’s best to keep away from it entirely if you don’t want a strong throat hit. If you use menthol vape juice normally, it might seem like just about every other juice lacks that throat hit that you’re accustomed to feeling when you rip your vape. If you like a smooth vapour, stay away from menthol.
- Nicotine-free or low nicotine strength. The less nicotine that you have in your vape juice, the smoother it’s going to feel when you vape it. You can either use a low-strength or you can use zero-nicotine juice to get a super smooth vapour.
- Nicotine salts. “Nic salts” are all the rage with disposable vapes (single-use) and pod vapes. With salts, you can vape high concentrations of nicotine and still enjoy a smooth vapour. What makes them smoother is the addition of benzoic acid, which lowers the pH level of the nicotine.
You can also increase your vape’s airflow, use a cotton wick, and reduce the voltage or wattage if you want your vapour to feel gentler when it reaches your throat.