Vape Throat Hits

What’s a throat hit?

For those of you ex-smokers out there, you probably already have some idea as to what a throat hit is. A drag from a cigarette provides a sharp, biting sensation at the back of the throat from inhaling nicotine.

Although this seems like a strange thing to miss, it’s one of the sensations that smokers crave when they kick their tobacco habit. Many smokers are afraid that vaping won’t deliver the same feeling. However, vaping offers a varying degree of throat hits. Depending on your preferences, you can achieve smooth, mellow throat hits or hits bitingly similar to cigarettes.

How Can I Get a Stronger Throat Hit?

A stronger throat hit is generally achieved with two things: a higher level of nicotine and a greater percentage of PG (propylene glycol) versus VG (vegetable glycerin).

Aside from increasing the nicotine and PG percentage in your e-juice, you can increase your power settings. A lot of mods out there today can reach very high wattages; just make sure you’re using a coil with a resistance that matches the wattage you’re vaping at. The higher your power or temperature settings, the more throat hit you’re going to feel. Another tip is to try decreasing your airflow. This will make your vape hotter, and higher temperature will increase that throat sensation. Finally, you might want to try some menthol flavors. Have you ever chewed peppermint gum and then taken a drink of water? Didn’t it seem a lot colder when you did? Menthol flavors typically increase oral sensation, as well as increase throat hit.

How Can I Get a Smoother Throat Hit?

As with strengthening your throat hit, lessening your throat hit means adjusting your nicotine levels and the PG/VG ratio of your e-liquid. For a smoother throat hit, you might want to consider lowering your nicotine level. If that’s out of the question, try a juice with a higher percentage of VG. VG will provide more clouds, and less throat hit, for a smoother experience.

Further tips for a weaker throat hit are the opposite of strengthening the sensation. Instead of increasing your power settings, try lowering them. The lower your power settings, the cooler your vape is going to be, which in turn gives a smoother hit to the throat. Vaping with an open airflow will also keep the temperature lower.

Take-Aways

As a rule, throat hit is mainly due to how much nicotine is in your e-liquid. If you’re a recent smoker-turned-vaper, you might want to start with an 8-12mg level and see how that goes.

However, it’s important to remember that if you’re using a sub-ohm tank and  adjustable-power mod in conjunction with direct-lung vaping, it’s best to keep your nicotine levels lower, since you’re intaking larger amounts of nicotine with larger inhales. In this case, the best way is to try out a higher level of PG in your e-liquids.