E-Liquids
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What are e-liquids?
E-liquids are that all-important component that you put in your vape tank (or pod) which, when heated, evaporate and create vapour. They soak into the coil and when you activate the battery, the e-liquid turns into water-based clouds that you then inhale. They come in a range of flavours, with the ingredients also coming in different formulations to suit different types of vape kit. Choosing the right one is super important and your unique e-liquid needs will vary depending on the kind of vape kit you use as well as how strong a nicotine level you need too. E-liquids come in a range of strengths and bottle sizes and the ratios of ingredients themselves will vary depending on who they’re designed for.
What is TPD e-liquid?
TPD stands for the Tobacco Products Directive. Created by the EU, these regulations are what ensure e-liquids are safe to use. They dictate what ingredients can and can’t be used, the maximum nicotine strength you can get as well as the bottle size of nicotine containing e-liquids that you can purchase. Under TPD, the maximum strength you can get is 20mg and e-liquid that contains nicotine can only be sold in 10ml bottles. So, anything larger than 10ml must come nicotine free. This is where shortfills come in. They’re large bottles, usually filled with high VG e-liquid that are literally short-filled to leave you space to mix in nicotine yourself. Of course, you can use them without if you prefer but they make for a more cost effective way of buying e-liquid for high VG vapers. All the e-liquids you’ll find on E-Liquids Superstore are TPD compliant.
What are the ingredients in e-liquid?
E-liquids are made from four key ingredients - propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), flavouring and (usually but not always) nicotine. Propylene glycol is the ingredient that gives you a throat hit sensation when you inhale. It’s very thin in consistency, has no flavour itself and actually serves to take on and carry the flavours in your e-liquid when you vape. Vegetable glycerin is a little thicker and has a mildly sweet taste, VG is the part that creates the most vapour. When VG and PG are paired together, they give you that just right balance of flavour, vapour and a little bit of a throat hit depending on their ratio.
The other two ingredients in e-liquids are equally as important but for slightly different reasons. The flavour is of course the bit you taste when you’re actually vaping, with modern e-liquids offering a huge spectrum of flavours to choose from. They make up a very small amount of the actual e-liquid, but serve to make it more enjoyable for you when you’re using your vape.
Finally, we’ve got nicotine. Nicotine is the optional (and variable) ingredient in e-liquids. We know that smokers can get through anywhere between a couple of cigarettes a day, all the way up to a couple of packs. Well, vaping caters to those individual needs too. There’s a huge range of different nicotine strengths, from a high 20mg for heavy ex-smokers, down to a super low 3mg. You can also get different kinds of nicotine too. Nic salts are ideal for a faster hit, while your standard freebase nicotine is generally ideal for those of you looking for something a little lighter.
What are the different types of e-liquid?
Each e-liquid comes with a different ratio on the bottle, indicating the levels of the two key ingredients, VG and PG. PG gives a stronger throat hit, as well as being thinner in consistency which in turn makes them easier to vaporise. So, what we call “high PG e-liquids” are ideal for using in starter vape kits like mouth to lung vape pens and pod kits. They’ll emulate that cigarette like draw, give you a solid level of flavour and a more modest amount of vapour. Our high PG e-liquids are anything with a 50% or 60% PG base (so all our 50:50 e-liquids and nic salts). High PG e-liquids are the ones that typically have a higher nicotine strength too, making them perfect for newer vapers.
On the other side of the coin, you’ve got high VG e-liquids. They’re thicker in consistency than high PG e-liquids, so take more wattage to evaporate - meaning you’ll want to use these ones if you have a more powerful vape kit. These ones give you a smoother inhale, much more vapour all while still delivering on flavour. High VG e-liquids are anything that has a 70% or greater VG content, with the most common options being 70:30 VG/PG and 80:20 VG/PG. When you use high VG e-liquids, you inhale a lot more deeply and as such, high VG e-liquids usually come either nicotine free or at least in a very low strength.
What type of e-liquid do I need?
The easiest way to decide which kind of e-liquid you’ll be best off with is to look at your vape kit. If you have a mouth to lung vape kit (with a coil resistance that’s 1.0ohm or more) you’ll want a high PG e-liquid. Lower powered kits will be able to easily absorb these thinner e-liquids and they’re there to give you that tighter inhale that replicates a conventional cigarette. If you want a super quick hit with a smoother inhale, try a nic salt in either a 10mg or 20mg strength. If that throat hit feeling is important to your vaping experience, get a 50:50 e-liquid with a 12mg or 18mg freebase nicotine strength instead.
For those of you who have a direct to lung, Sub Ohm vape kit (with a coil that’s less than 1.0ohm) you’re best off with a high VG e-liquid with a lower nicotine strength. When you’re Sub Ohm vaping, you inhale more vapour which gives you much bigger clouds. In turn, you’ll also notice the nicotine more easily too - so picking up a high VG, low nicotine option (most people are more than happy with a 3mg or 6mg strength) should be about perfect for you. You’ll still get plenty of flavour and a nic hit, just without it being too harsh and heavy to be enjoyable.
What e-liquid flavours are available?
While conventional cigarettes only offer standard tobacco, vaping gives you a whole world of choice. Switching to vaping can be a challenge for some, but having the option to switch out your e-liquid flavour certainly helps. Of course, there’s plenty of tobacco and menthol flavoured e-liquids if you want to try something familiar (which plenty of people start out with). If you’re a little more adventurous, there’s also everything from exotic fruits, indulgent desserts, drinks including soda inspired options and coffee tones as well as enough candy options to satisfy any sweet tooth vaper. These days, fruit flavours continue to dominate as the most popular flavour category amongst vapers. Ultimately, once you know your ideal VG:PG ratio and nicotine strength, you can experiment with different flavour options to find what you enjoy most.
How do you store e-liquids?
To keep your e-liquids nice and fresh until you’re ready to use them, we recommend storing them in a cool, dark cupboard. Extreme heat can cause a colour change in your e-liquid which in turn can also affect the flavour. Once you’ve opened your bottle, make sure you tightly replace the cap and keep them out of reach of any pets or children.