One of the best things about vaping is the great range of e-liquid flavours, so what do you do when your vape tastes burnt?
No matter what flavour e-liquid you vape, whether you prefer a menthol e-liquid or you’ve got more of a sweet tooth and like the candy flavoured e-liquids, one of the most important things when you take a hit of your favourite vape juice is that it tastes great. But, sometimes the flavour you inhale isn’t what you were expecting and you might find your vape tastes burnt.
Alongside vapour production, a great flavour experience is one of the most important things when vaping. So, when the flavour is off and you start to get a burnt taste in your vape, you’re going to want to fix the problem and get back to enjoying your e-liquid flavour as it’s meant to taste.
Read on to find out what do you do when your vape tastes burnt and how can you get rid of the burnt taste in your vape.
Why does my vape taste burnt?
There are a few reasons why you might be experiencing a burnt taste when you take a hit from your vape. We’ve covered six of the most common problems that can lead to your vape tasting burnt, so keep reading and see if any of these causes of burnt tasting vapes sounds like what you’re experiencing.
You’re vaping at high wattages
When you use a variable wattage vape mod, you can set the amount of power that flows through to the coil when you take a hit from your vape to get a more personalised vape experience. In general, the higher the wattage, the more vapour will be produced.
But, each coil has a recommended maximum wattage to vape at to enjoy optimum flavour and vapour production. So, when you go beyond these limits and push your coil too far you can start to experience a burnt taste. This is because the coil gets too hot and vaporises or evaporates the eliquid too fast.
If you’ve been vaping at a particularly high wattage and have started to experience a burnt taste when you vape, it might be because you’re pushing your coil too far and it’s getting burnt out.
You’re chain vaping
It can be tempting to sit and vape continuously, absentmindedly taking hit after hit from your vape without giving it a chance to rest. But, vaping in this way can shorten the lifespan of your coils dramatically.
When you vape, the power from the battery heats the vape coil which in turn heats the e-liquid that is soaked into the wick and evaporates it to produce the vapour that you inhale.
When you chain vape you don’t leave enough time for more of the e-liquid to soak back into wick to replace what you’ve already vaped. With repeated chain vaping, you might find the wick becomes dry, leading to a dry hit and burnt taste to your vape and sometimes a reduced vapour production.
You’re not priming your coils
Vape coils naturally burn out over time and need to be replaced to ensure you’re always experiencing the best vape possible. But, if you don’t correctly prime your coil when replacing, it you might find that you experience a burnt taste when you begin to vape.
The coil needs to be correctly primed with e-liquid and fully saturated before vaping to ensure it doesn’t burn when heated by the power supply from your vape. An unprimed, or incorrectly primed coil can lead to a burnt taste and low vapour production when you take a hit from your vape.
Your wick isn’t soaked through
Another reason why you might be experiencing a burnt taste when you vape could be because your wick hasn’t been thoroughly soaked. If you’ve rushed changing your coil or not followed the correct steps to prime it, you might have missed out on saturating your wick with e-liquid.
And, when you’re refilling your vape tank, if you don’t leave time for the e-liquid to soak through into the wick, you might find yourself taking a hit from a dry wick which will cause the wicking material to burn and you to experience a burnt taste from your vape.
You’re vaping on an empty tank
If your vape tank isn’t full of e-liquid when you take a hit from your vape mod, then there’s nothing to be evaporated by the heated coil.
The wicking holes around the top of your vape coil should never be exposed when you vape and should always be covered by e-liquid. If they aren’t then the coil will heat up without anything to evaporate, meaning it will burn and lead to the dry, burnt taste that no one enjoys!
You’re vaping with high-VG e-liquids
E-liquids come in a range of different formulations, with different levels of Vegetable Glycerine (VG) and Propylene Glycol (PG). It might be tempting to just pick an e-liquid based on it’s flavour, but you need to also consider what type of formulation is best for your vape tank.
Some tanks are able to be used with a high-VG vape juice and can handle the thicker consistence. However, other tanks require you to use an e-liquid with a 50% or higher PG content.
Vaping high VG e-liquids with a tank that’s not compatible will result in your vape struggling to draw the thicker liquid up through the wick channels. This means that the wick will dry out and will burn when you begin vaping on it.
How to get rid of burnt taste in a vape
Now you know why your vape is tasting burnt, it’s time to fix it. No one wants their favourite e-liquid flavour overpowered by a nasty burnt taste that lingers on your tongue between hits. So, follow these quick fixes to get rid of the burnt taste from your vape and get back to enjoying your optimum flavour hit.
Turn down the wattage
If you’ve been experimenting with higher vape wattages but have begun to notice a burnt taste when you take a hit from your vape, it’s likely that your coil can’t handle the wattage your vaping at.
The simple fix for this that should get rid of the burnt taste in your vape, is to turn down the wattage you vape at and stick to the recommended wattage limits of your coil. For more information on vape wattage check out our guide to what wattage to vape.
Give your vape a break between hits
If you’re guilty of chain vaping without allowing your vape to rest between hits then you’re likely to suffer from a burnt taste to your vape.
Giving your vape chance to rest between hits allows the wick to re-soak with e-liquid meaning it won’t burn when you take a hit and you won’t get that horrible burnt taste.
Vaping for a few minutes at a time shouldn’t affect your wick too much, but leaving short gaps between hits is best to prolong the life of your vape and avoid experiencing a burnt taste.
Prime your coil correctly
If you have been rushing when replacing your coils and not priming them correctly, chances are the coils have been burning out faster than they should and leaving you with a burnt taste to your e-liquid.
It’s important to properly take the time to prime your coil with a couple of drops of e-liquid to avoid the coil burning when heated. If you’re not sure how to prime a coil, our guide to how to change coils can help you.
Check the wick is saturated
It’s not just the coil that needs to be primed before you vape, the wick needs to be saturated too. If you’ve been missing this step or not leaving time for the wick to be completely soaked before you take a hit, you might be experiencing a burnt taste.
When you prime your coil and refill your vape tank, it’s best to leave your vape for between 5-10 minutes to ensure the wick is completely saturated and avoid any of the wicking material burning when you take a hit.
Regularly refill your tank
If you regularly let your vape tank get low on e-liquid when you’re vaping, you might find you experience a burnt taste to your vape more often. When the tank isn’t completely full and the wicking holes are exposed, the coil is more likely to burn.
To fix this problem it’s best to always vape on a full tank of e-liquid. If you’re going to be out all day and vaping then take a spare bottle of e-liquid with you so you can refill your vape tank on the go and avoid vaping on an empty tank.
Use the right e-liquid for your tank
Knowing what sort of e-liquid formula is best for your vape tank and only using e-liquids with the correct PG and VG levels will help to prolong the life of your tank and avoid the burnt taste that can ruin your vape experience.
Checking the packaging of your vape tanks and coils can help you to find out what sort of e-liquid you should be vaping and, if you want to know more about what’s in e-liquid, our guide can help.
By following these simple steps, you should be able to get rid of the burnt taste in your vape. And, when you know why your vape tastes burnt, you can take steps to avoid having the same problem in the future.
If you have any other issues with your vape or aren’t getting the flavour you’re used to, just get in touch with our vape experts who will be more than happy to help you.