
Vaping has exploded in popularity over the past decade as an alternative that’s potentially less harmful than traditional cigarettes. However, it can be downright bewildering for new vapers to figure out all the different e-liquids now available.
One area that’s especially confusing is deciphering what exactly is in all of those vividly colored e-liquid bottles and tanks at vape shops. The bottles are often loaded with mysterious-sounding chemicals and ratios alongside delicious flavors like strawberry cheesecake, taro milk tea, frosted donuts, and more.
Understanding these components can dramatically impact your overall vaping experience in terms of flavor, cloud production, device performance, and, most importantly – safety. Here’s your guide to making sense of these flavors.
1. Tobacco E-Liquid
When it comes to tobacco e-liquids, the main ingredients are going to be tobacco flavorings. These are usually made from natural tobacco extracts or lab-created flavor molecules that mimic the taste of various tobacco types like Virginia, burley, or oriental.
Some blends throw in extras like vanilla, whiskey, or honey to add complexity. But ultimately, it’s all about getting that rich tobacco satisfaction from each puff. And for that, you need the right Propylene Glycol (PG) to Vegetable Glycerin (VG) ratio.
Typically, with tobacco vape juice, you want a higher PG level, around 60-70%, to give you a nice throat hit that feels similar to smoking an actual cigarette. The higher PG content also carries more flavor. Meanwhile, 30-40% VG provides enough vapor production to give you a nice plume of smoke.
Go for the right re-usable vapes, and you’ll likely get a vaping experience like no other.
2. Menthol E-Liquid
Menthol vape juices use menthol flavoring to give that icy cool, minty fresh feeling with each puff. For most brands, menthol runs the show. But some do layer in additional fruit or tobacco undertones to provide some depth underneath the dominant menthol.
When it comes to PG/VG ratios, menthol e-liquids are often available in a range of blends. If you want maximum icy coolness along with a strong throat hit, a higher PG of around 50-60% does the trick.
But for richer vapor and a smoother experience overall, you can go with a higher VG in the 60-70% range. It all comes down to personal preference and what kind of menthol vape you enjoy most.
3. Fruit E-Liquid
Here, popular options mimic fruits like strawberries, mangoes, apples, bananas, and citrus fruits. The flavorings are usually created from the actual fruit extracts or lab-made molecules that capture their essence.
Fruit vape juices tend to use higher VG ratios, typically in the 70-80% range. This produces big fluffy clouds of vapor that carry those juicy flavors directly to your tastebuds.
The higher VG also enhances the sweetness of the fruit for a candy-like treat. You’ll get less throat hit, but the emphasis is more on enjoying smooth, naturally sweet fruit flavors.
For example, a sweet mango vape juice with 30% PG and 70% VG will give you huge sweet clouds of fruity flavor to savor. The sweetness and vapor production make fruits ideal for dessert-focused ratios.
4. Dessert E-Liquid
These e-liquids mimic decadent treats like ice cream, custard, chocolate, caramel, honey, and more. The key is layering flavorings like vanilla, honey, brown sugar, and cream to build an intensely delicious vaping experience.
Like fruit blends, dessert e-liquids tend to use higher VG levels around 70-80% to give you thick, smooth draws. The higher VG ratio also ramps up vapor production so you feel like you’re breathing in the essence of your favorite cake or custard.
A good dessert vape should be ultra smooth, sweet, and cloudy. For instance, a vanilla custard at 20% PG and 80% VG will produce dense, rich clouds of sweet vapor that cascade over your tongue like a creamy dessert.
5. Candy E-Liquid
The sweetest e-liquid flavors replicate classic candies and confections like gummy bears, lollipops, sour belts, and more. They use fruity or sugary flavorings to capture that mouthwatering candy store essence.
When you inhale a good candy vape juice, it should transport you back to childhood bliss with just a couple of puffs. To really accentuate the sweetness, candy e-liquids often use higher VG ratios in the 70-80% range.
All that extra VG makes for smooth, dense vapor that coats your tongue with synthetic sugary goodness. A nice balance would be around 25% PG for a little throat hit and 75% VG for ultimate sweetness.
6. Bakery E-Liquid
As the name suggests, bakery vape juices aim to recreate the flavor sensation of freshly baked goods. We’re talking crème brûlée, cinnamon rolls, strudels, muffins, and more.
The key is layering flavor elements like butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, and sweet creams. When combined, these create rich, aromatic clouds that smell and taste just like a high-end bakery.
Bakery blends also tend to use higher VG ratios, around 70-80%. This makes the vapor mouthfeel nice and dense like you’re actually inhaling decadent baked goods.
A classic bakery e-juice with 80% VG will put out huge, smooth, cinnamony clouds that roll over your tastebuds like something straight out of the oven. Absolute heaven for vapers with a sweet tooth.
7. Beverage E-Liquid
Beverage flavors aim to recreate the sensation and refreshment of drinking your favorite cold or hot drinks in vape form. There are e-liquid options spanning from coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and fruit juices, to even cocktails and alcohol replications.
When it comes to ratios, beverage e-juices can vary quite a bit depending on what’s being replicated. Richer coffee and tea blends might use a more balanced 50/50 PG/VG split.
This provides ample throat hit and saturated flavor for a satisfying vape drink break. Meanwhile, fruit-focused blends could use higher 70%+ VG ratios which enhances sweetness and vapor production for refreshment.
In Closing
Whether you’re just getting started on your vaping journey or looking to fine-tune your setup, taking the time to learn about e-liquid ingredients and ratios gives you back control. You’ll no longer be clueless when that shop clerk starts asking you about your preferred PG/VG blend.
More importantly, you’ll be able to spot any risky ingredients that should be avoided or ratios that may not work well for your device.
So do yourself a favor and turn over those bottles to decode what exactly you are vaping on. No more downright bewildering moments for new vapers.