Vaping has become one of the fastest catching trends to quitting cigarettes entirely. The use of vape mods and pod systems have become increasingly prevalent today, especially with the popularity brought by Marlboro’s Juul—putting pod systems into the forefront.
Many cigarette smokers have considered switching to using a vape system as a nicotine alternative to the proven cancer-inducing habit. While some prefer the ease-of-use that the Juul provides, many vapers like the flexibility of taste and usage that other systems provide.
As a first-time vaper, the usual initial question would be: what e-liquid should I use?
Premium E-Liquid
Vape systems have a plethora of available options for e-liquid flavours. Whether you prefer spicy notes, mentholated after tastes, fruity scents, or pastry sweetness, e-liquid brand boasts to be better than the next. One of the most immediate comparisons you could objectively make would be regarding the price.
Premium e-liquids are from the vape brands that sell their products on the higher end of the price spectrum. While they are a notch more expensive than the cheaper “discount” brands, they boast a supreme flavour as compared to the cheaper alternatives. But what exactly is the difference between the two?
Premium v.s. “Discount”
Both types of e-liquid are a mixture of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), nicotine, and flavouring. On a general basis, the ratio of these components differ, altering the taste, throat hit, vapour volume, and nicotine content. The biggest difference between the expensive brands and cheaper ones, however, would lie in the “flavour profile.”
The “Flavor Profile” Process
A flavour profile, in a gist, is the total flavour experience brought by the mixture of all the flavour note ingredients added into the mix. Both types of e-liquid start with a “base” recipe for the overall taste experience—this factor would dictate the taste you get when you hit on a vape mod.
After this starting point, premium e-liquid manufacturers would then add the top notes of flavours to mesh with your base recipe. These additions can make the experience feel spicy, mentholated, milky, a fruity mix, or whatnot. This “profile” would be the main selling point of the e-liquid—the premium is banking on selling a whole “experience” rather than a flavour.
The cheaper e-liquids, on the other hand, usually stop at the base recipe or only add in minor flavours over their base. While they may both taste on the same overall palette, the experience of vaping would be entirely different.
Is Premium E-Liquid Worth It?
Premium e-liquids are definitely worth the added expense, especially if you’re vaping for the taste experience your juice will grant you. This, however, is not enough to say that it’s entirely better than cheaper e-liquid brands—each has different throat hits, flavour intensities, and vapour thickness. The ultimate question to ask is whether your juice works for the type of vaper you are.