THE VAPER'S GUIDE TO GETTING THE RIGHT THROAT HIT
How do you get the best throat hit when you vape? The style of vape device, the balance of vegetable glycerine to propylene glycol, the amount of nicotine and the type of nicotine all determine the throat hit you get when you vape. To increase the throat hit, choose a high PG liquid, freebase nicotine instead of nic salt, and a higher nicotine strength.
INTRODUCTION
*2024 Update - Introducing the New SMOKO VAPE POD - a pre-filled pod vape with a great range of flavours and nicotine strengths available!
Whether you are an experienced vaper, or are currently smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and looking to quit with e-cigarettes, you may have heard people discussing getting the right throat hit.
In this blog we will discuss what does “throat hit” mean, the various factors that contribute to create the perfect lung hit and how to find the right vape devices to mimic cigarette smoke.
WHAT IS A THROAT HIT?
Throat Hit is that realistic smoking sensation that you will experience when you start using a vape or e-cigarette. For many smokers who are looking to quit smoking cigarettes with the help of an e-cigarette, you will most likely be looking for a stronger throat hit that is a similar sensation to cigarettes.
Some of the factors that simulate that smoking sensation include the PG VG ratio in your vape juices, the nicotine level, the type of vape kit and if you have any airflow settings.
WHY DOES THROAT HIT MATTER TO VAPERS
There are 2 types of vapers in the world. First are ex-smokers who are still looking for a similar experience to smoking regular cigarettes. The second type of vaper are those who may have dropped their nicotine concentration and are looking for a different range of flavours and likes to create larger clouds of vapour.
Depending on the type of vaper you are or the type of throat hit will be slightly different. A strong throat hit will be more preferable if you want to continue with that cigarette-like smoking experience. However, if you are a more experienced vaper who is using a larger vape mod or device with different power settings and ohm tanks and coils, you will definitely not want a harsh throat hit.
So whether you want a realistic smoking experience or are looking for lots of clouds full of flavour, finding the right throat hit will be very different.
TYPES OF THROAT HITS
There are essentially 2 types of throat hits that you could look for when you are vaping. A strong throat hit will be very similar to smoking a real cigarette. Just because it is strong doesn’t mean it will be overwhelming but will be truly satisfying.
On the other hand, a weak throat hit would be more suitable for someone using a larger and more powerful device.
STRONG THROAT HIT
When you are first starting to vape, getting a similar “kick” in the back of your throat is incredibly important. Without that strong throat hit, you will feel unsatisfied and may switch back to smoking cigarettes - which is counterproductive. One of the biggest factors in delivering that realistic kick is getting an e-cigarette that uses a higher PG concentration in the e-liquids.
PG (Propylene Glycol) is one of only 4 ingredients in vape juice. It gives you that realistic throat hit. So an e-cigarette that has a high PG ratio like 80% will be the most realistic vaping experience you will get.
WEAK THROAT HIT
For many more experienced vapers who use the larger Vape Mods, having a strong throat hit will be too much. The larger devices operate at much higher power levels and produce a lot more vapour. So these vapers will be looking for a high VG ratio in their e-liquids they buy.
VG (Vegetable Glycerine) is the 2nd main ingredient that is used to make e-liquids. The VG component is what produces the thick vapour when vaping. So a lower PG and higher VG ratio will mean a weaker throat hit but a larger amount of vaper and lung hit. Some people also like to try nicotine salts in their e-liquids for a weaker throat hit.
Many 1st time vapers will find a larger vape mod that uses higher wattage and power outputs and high VG e-liquids may find the experience to be overwhelming. The larger devices may also lead to Vaper's Cough - a common issue from using larger devices.
VARIABLES THAT DETERMINE THE THROAT HIT
As we mentioned before, there are a number of variables that will determine the amount of throat hit that you will experience when you vape.
NICOTINE STRENGTH
One of the biggest factors in throat hit is the nicotine strength of your e-liquid in your electronic cigarette. As a rule of thumb, the higher the nicotine strength, the stronger the throat hit. Finding the right balance of a reliable vape starter kit with a decent amount of nicotine will have a huge impact on whether or not you can stay off the cigarettes long term.
A big mistake many people do when they first start vaping is they buy a big device and a low nicotine strength e-liquid. They may get lots of clouds and flavour, but their bodies will be missing the nicotine kick they are used to.
TYPE OF DEVICE
A second factor that will determine the type of throat hit you get when vaping will be the type of device that you choose. There are 2 different types of e-cigarette Starter Kits that are available - a closed system that uses MTL (mouth to lung) inhalation or an open system that uses DTL (Direct to Lung) style of vaping.
MTL closed systems are generally designed to look and feel like a cigarette. A cigalike or pod starter kit use pre-filled cartridges that have the e-liquid already filled up. So they are super easy to use. As they are designed for smokers trying to quit using an e-cigarette, most Mouth To Lung kits will come with a higher PG (propylene glycol) ratio in the e-liquid.
On the other hand, DTL open systems are different. They produce a lot more power. For example, the Smoko cigalike starter kit comes with a battery that operates at about 3.5 watts of power. Most DTL systems’ batteries have a variable voltage setting but start at 20 watts of power. Due to the extra amount of power, you will need a much lower nicotine strength and higher VG e-liquid.
TYPE OF COIL
The type of coil in a larger vape mod kit can have an impact on the throat hit you experience. We would recommend that you use the coil that is sold with the vape device. There are many 3rd party coils that can fit a DTL device, but remember they have not been tested to work perfectly with those devices and may cause some damage to your vape.
Coils that are degrading and old may also give an unpleasant hit on the throat, so make sure that if your device uses a changeable coil you check it regularly and always have a spare coil to hand.
With a cigalike or smaller MTL vape kit, you don’t have to worry about the type of coil as it is already built in and has been designed to deliver the perfect throat hit every time.
DOES THE E-LIQUID FLAVOUR USED MPACT THROAT HIT (EXAMPLE FRUITY. MINTY ETC)
The flavour of an e-liquid can definitely have an impact on the throat hit or kick you experience. Tobacco flavours inherently have a stronger and more authentic taste that gives a similar kick compared to smoking a traditional cigarette. Other flavours like fruity, mint or dessert taste will have a smoother kick and focus more on the taste.
BALANCING THE THROAT HIT WITH CLOUDS AND FLAVOUR
Depending on the type of vaping experience you are looking for, there is a bit of a balance between throat hit with clouds and the flavour of an e-liquid that you use. Generally speaking, more clouds and vapour with a larger vape device may give you more flavour but you will have to sacrifice the strength of the throat hit. This comes back to the PG VG ratio in your e-liquids. For more throat hit, we would recommend a higher PG ratio and alternatively for more clouds, you would look to a higher VG vape juice.
Bear in mind that more clouds doesn’t necessarily mean a better vaping experience. Many of our customers prefer a small e-cigarette with a stronger throat hit to replicate that authentic smoking experience.
CUSTOMIZING THE THROAT HIT
There are a number of ways to customize the throat hit you get from a vape kit.
ADJUSTING THE POWER OF THE DEVICE
One method of modifying and controlling the strength of the throat hit while vaping is to adjust the output power of the device you are using. This will only work with vape mod that have a power adjustment setting. Increasing the power will increase the kick in the back of the throat. However, if you are using a higher VG e-liquid, increasing the power may become a bit too much.
EXPERIMENTING WITH FLAVOURS
As mentioned previously, some flavours of e-liquids may provide a stronger throat hit than others. So if you want to modify the throat hit of your vape, you may want to try some different flavours. For a stronger throat hit, you may want to try more traditional flavours like original tobacco, virginia rolling or havana cigar flavoured e-liquids. If you want a lighter throat hit, you may want to look for fruit or dessert flavours in your vape juice.
ADJUSTING AIRFLOW SETTINGS
Most e-cigarettes and vapes of all shapes and sizes will have airflow holes that will have some control on the strength of the throat hit you will get while vaping. With a small cigalike like the SMOKO E-Cigarette, you will notice 2 small holes on either side of the cartridge where it connects to the lithium ion battery. If you cover one of these holes with your finger, you will limit the airflow by 50%, making the hit a bit stronger.
If you are using a larger vape mod, you may be able to change the throat hit by adjusting airflow settings on the base of the tank. Allowing more air into the tank will make the kick lighter or restricting the amount of airflow will give you a stronger throat hit. You can have a play around to find the right throat hit for your vape when you adjust the airflow.
CHANGING NICOTINE STRENGTH CAN ADJUST THE THROAT HIT
The strength of nicotine in your e-cigarette will have an impact on how strong your throat hit will be. Increasing your nicotine content will result in a stronger throat hit while a lower nicotine amount will make the hit slightly less.
WILL CHANGING VG/PG RATIO CHANGE THE THROAT HIT
As we discussed previously, changing the VG/PG ratio will change the throat hit. More Vegetable Glycerine in your vape juice will give you a lighter throat hit. If you are after a more realistic smoking sensation and stronger throat hit, then increasing the Propylene Glycol percentage will increase the kick you will experience.
EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT WICKING MATERIAL
Changing the wicking material in your vape as a way of controlling your throat hit is possible when you are using a rebuildable vape mod or box mod. There are a range of wicking materials that are used in vaping including cotton, silica cord, ceramic coils, stainless steel mesh and rayon. Each of these different types of wicking material may have an impact on how much of a throat hit you will get from a vape. It will take a bit of experimenting to find the right solution.
THE THROAT HIT THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
In this Vaper’s Blog on getting the right throat hit covered many of the main factors that will influence how much of a throat hit you will experience with your vape.
How to get a stronger throat hit - we would recommend using a MTL closed system with a more traditional tobacco flavoured and higher strength nicotine e-liquid to get the most realistic and strongest throat hit.
How to get a gentler throat hit - if you are looking for a more gentle throat hit, we would recommend trying a lower strength nicotine e-liquid with a fruity or dessert flavour and more airflow in your vape.
Vaping is a personal thing and with the wide range of vape devices, vape juice flavours, a broad spectrum of nicotine strengths and adjustments that you can do to your hardware, it might take a bit of time to find that perfect throat hit.
Over the last 9 years, SMOKO has helped thousands of people from around the world to quit smoking cigarettes with authentic tobacco, Virginia rolling, menthol and mint flavours in our small and easy to use vape kits. So if you are still smoking and wanting to try an e-cigarette to help you kick the habit, have a look at our popular range of E-Cigarette Starter Kit deals that are designed to have the perfect throat hit!
*2024 Update - You can now get a SMOKO E-Cigarette Starter Kit for FREE when you purchase a box of E-Cigarette refills! (One per customer)
