Which e-liquid to choose?
To choose the right e-liquid, you must take into account 3 things: the quality of the e-liquid, your smoking habits and your objectives (reducing your consumption of traditional cigarettes, going until weaning, discovering new flavours, etc.).
How to choose your e-liquid for an electronic cigarette?
First of all, you have to worry about the quality of the e-liquid. The quality of an e-liquid is assessed first by observing the bottle: it must be robust, equipped with a child-resistant cap and present a label on which the composition appears (% of the content of propylene glycol and in vegetable glycerin, the presence of aromas, water, alcohol as well as the nicotine content), advice for use and precautions (keep locked up out of reach of children, do not swallow, use gloves protection…) as well as pictograms: prohibited for minors, prohibited for pregnant women, very toxic (this last pictogram generally appears if the e-liquid contains nicotine which is dangerous in the event of ingestion or prolonged contact with the skin).
Then you have to look at the detail of the composition of the e-liquid, even if you are not a chemical engineer, check that only the elements propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, aromas, water, alcohol as well as nicotine content appear in the composition and other little advice, that the glycerin level is not higher than 30% (risk of premature deterioration of atomizers and resistors).
Finally, the label gives you an indication of the optimal duration of use after opening (generally 12 months). If during use the e-liquid seems to have a strange or unpleasant taste, start by washing or changing the cartridge or the clearomiser, if the inconvenience persists (especially if there is a burnt taste) change the atomiser or the wick resistance and try again if the unpleasant sensation is still present, do not take the risk, change the e-liquid.
Choice of nicotine level for your e-liquid
Then to choose your e-liquid you will have to take into account your current consumption habits, here is a grid that could guide your choice of nicotine level :
– nicotine level = 0g/ml: perfectly suited to smokers of light cigarettes who wish to limit their nicotine intake and to vapers who wish to enjoy a “pleasure” vape with flavours other than tobacco (fruity, gourmet, etc.) without nicotine intake.
– nicotine level = 5-6g/ml: suitable for light cigarette smokers, strong cigarette smokers wishing to reduce their nicotine intake and vapers wishing to enjoy flavours other than tobacco with a slight nicotine intake.
– nicotine level = 10-12g/ml: suitable for smokers of strong cigarettes, smokers of very strong cigarettes wishing to reduce their nicotine intake and vapers wishing to enjoy flavours other than tobacco with a high nicotine intake.
– nicotine level = 15-18g/ml: suitable for smokers of very strong cigarettes, delicate for the appreciation of flavours other than tobacco…but as always everything is a matter of taste!
Finally, you will have to take your objectives into account and this is what has already been proposed in the grid above. Indeed, if you want to reduce your nicotine dependence you will have to move towards e-liquids whose nicotine content is lower than your current habits (for example if you smoke strong cigarettes use an e-liquid dosed at 5-6g of nicotine per ml which corresponds to light cigarettes).
If you wish to maintain your nicotine level while reducing your consumption of traditional cigarettes, use an e-liquid whose nicotine level corresponds to your habits (for example, if you smoke very strong cigarettes, use an e-liquid with a rate of nicotine between 15 and 18g/ml).
Don’t forget the 0g of nicotine per ml, it allows you to vape without maintaining nicotine addiction, simply for moments of pleasure. Anyway, and whatever you decide, test and go gradually, once again everything is a question of taste and each vaper-smoker is unique in his way of consuming.