Have you ever splurged on a vape juice with a flavor profile totally compatible with your palate, only to find that something about the taste was just off? Well, it may not have anything to do with the e-liquid itself, but your surroundings. Believe it or not, the scents in your environment can play a big role in determining your flavor experience when you vape.
We’ll talk about why this is the case, while also helping you figure out what you can do about it so that you can get the most out of your vaping experience at all times.
Can Scents Change the Way in Which Your E-Liquid Tastes?
In short, yes, scents can change the way your vape juice tastes. This may sound strange, until you consider the way in which the olfactory glands work. The olfactory glands are what pick up scents, and they’re closely related to your taste buds. In fact, a lot of what you think you’re tasting actually comes from the smell of something rather than its flavor.
Here’s an experiment to try to understand what we are talking about. The next time you eat something, hold your nose. You’ll be surprised by just how much doing this stops you from experiencing the full flavor. And this proves that smell has a large effect on what we perceive as a taste.
Therefore, if you’re vaping, and there’s a strong smell around you, your olfactory glands will be picking up that smell and incorporating it into the flavor that you perceive each time you take a hit. The olfactory glands aren’t considering that the smell is actually coming from somewhere else rather than the e-liquid itself. It’s simply perceiving information and incorporating it into your overall sensory experience.
Now, sometimes, this can work in your favor. Let’s say that you’re vaping a tobacco flavor, and you’re baking cookies in your oven. This can mean that while you vape, you perceive notes of vanilla and butter from the cookies that impact the flavor experience that you have. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
But “bad” scents can negatively affect your vaping experience. Let’s say you’re vaping right next to a dumpster – this isn’t going to give you the most pleasant vape of your life, as you would imagine.
What to Do if a Strong Scent is Interfering with Your Vapes
So, what can you do if you’re being exposed to a strong scent while you’re vaping? Well, one is just to keep in mind that it’s temporary. As soon as you are removed from the scent, your vaping experience will return to normal.
The good thing is that in most cases, it’s pretty easy to simply leave the area where the scent is the strongest. Let’s say you’re sitting next to someone who is wearing a very strong perfume. Obviously, you can just excuse yourself to go vape, problem solved. Or let’s say you’re right next to a smelly garbage. There’s likely no reason why you can’t just step outside while you take a few puffs of vapor.
The bottom line is that while scents can interfere with your vapes, this will only happen as long as the scent is lingering. It won’t have any long-term negative effects on your vaping routine.
Different Scents Could Have an Impact on Your Vape Sessions
Yes, the smells around you can change the way in which you perceive that e-juice flavor. Before you throw out that vape juice because you think that something about it is off, consider that it’s actually an aroma in your area that’s interfering with the taste.