Your vape’s flavor is one of the most important components of your vaping experience, so a dull or diminished flavor can be disappointing.
Reasons for this can be as simple as a low battery or using a heavy e-liquid, but you must also remember that a burnt or blocked coil and flavor ghosting can also be the culprits.
Luckily, fixing most of these issues is simple, and I’ve done it countless times. In this article, I’ll take you through the ten common reasons why you can’t taste the flavor in your vape and how to get more flavor from a vape.
How Do Vapes Work?
Battery-powered vapes come in countless flavors. You’ll likely find your favorite mocktail or dessert flavoring option in an e-liquid.
This e-liquid contains a combination of nicotine (or CBD, THC), artificial flavoring, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and a combination of other chemicals.
Vapes use a combination of a battery, sensor, atomizer, and cartridge to deliver the e-liquid to its consumer. Here’s a breakdown of how vapes work.
- Battery: All vapes contain a rechargeable or single-use lithium-ion battery. This helps heat the atomizer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204°C) in seconds.
- Sensor: Your vape’s sensor activates as you inhale through the mouthpiece.
- Atomizer: The atomizer is a coil that gets heated by the battery and converts the e-liquid within the vape into an aerosol. This aerosol gets inhaled into your lungs and then diffuses into your bloodstream to cause the characteristic buzz from vaping.
- Cartridge: This houses the e-liquid and slowly delivers it to the atomizer. Depending on the type of vape, these cartridges can be refillable or come in prefilled options.
10 Reasons Why You Can’t Taste Flavor in Your Vape and How to Fix It
Here are ten possible reasons for a lack of flavor in your vape.
1. Low Battery
If your vape or disposable vape has no flavor, the first thing you should check is its battery. Most of the time, when users experience a lack of flavor in their vapes, they find that the culprit is a low battery. Like all battery-powered things, its function gets significantly altered if the battery starts running low. A low battery means the coil will not properly heat and vaporize the Propylene Glycol responsible for transporting the flavor.
How to Fix This:
If you have a disposable, non-rechargeable vape, a low battery means tossing it out and buying a new one.
On the other hand, if you have a rechargeable vape, recharging its battery should fix the issue.
Let your vape charge for at least 20-30 minutes, and do not use it while it’s on charge.
If the battery isn’t properly charging, replace it at your nearest vape shop.
2. Your Vape Juice Has Oxidized
Normally, all vape juices will oxidize over time once opened and start to look darker. Although there won’t be any changes in the nicotine content, the taste will be significantly altered, and you might wonder, “Why can’t I taste the flavor in my vape?”.
Vape juice has a much longer shelf life than most other consumables, but if you don’t properly close the cap or keep it out in the sun for too long, it can oxidize much faster, decreasing its shelf life.
The shelf life of your vape juice also depends on its propylene glycol (PG) content since PG helps slow down its degradation over time.
How to Fix This:
To prolong the shelf life of your e-liquids, it’s important to store them properly. It’s recommended to keep your e-liquids where it’s dry and dark. You should take it out when you need to refill it.
It’s also recommended to tightly close the cap before storing the liquid to prevent excess oxygen from entering.
3. Flavor Ghosting
Flavor ghosting in vaping occurs when there’s a lingering taste from a previous e-juice, often due to not waiting until the last drop of the current juice is finished before adding a new one. This residue from the previous liquid can mix with the new flavor, leading to a strange or unexpected taste in your vape. This is particularly common for those who frequently change their vape flavors, perhaps every couple of weeks. Since most users prefer not to wait until their vape juice is completely depleted before switching, this practice can inadvertently lead to flavor ghosting, resulting in a less than ideal vaping experience where the true taste of the new flavor is compromised by remnants of the old one.
Over time, these small residues can build up and combine to give an unpleasant taste to your vape. Now, if you’re going from a fruity berry flavor to a more tangy option, the overall result could be surprisingly fun. But imagine adding strawberry cheesecake flavoring to spearmint juice; the results can feel like a disaster.
How to Fix This:
To avoid flavor ghosting, waiting for the e-liquid in your cartridge to finish before topping it up with a different flavor is recommended.
If you’re tired of the current flavor, empty it and give your cartridge a good clean before adding something extra.
You may also buy a new cartridge if you think you won’t be able to clean it well. That way, you can save your previous cartridge whenever you want to switch back!
4. Using a Heavy E-Liquid
As a general rule, the heavier a substance, the harder it is to move it. The same applies to your e-liquids.
E-liquids with a higher density (i.e., thicker) won’t flow as easily through your cartridge as those with lower densities.
Getting affordable e-liquids is tempting, but these usually have a higher VG (Vegetable Glycerin) to PG (Propylene Glycol) ratio, which is the main culprit. These liquids can be sluggish, resulting in inadequate vaporization and poor or no flavor through your vape.
How to Fix This:
First, check the VG/PG ratio at the back of your bottle to see if thick flavor is the main culprit. If there’s greater than 50% VG in your liquid, it’ll likely have poor flow.
You can also tilt the bottle to visualize how the liquid flows. Always opt for low-VG liquids (60% for direct-to-lung coils and 25% for MTLs).
If you’ve got a higher VG/PG liquid, add a few drops of water or PG to improve the ratio. Shaking the liquid before refilling your cartridge can make a huge difference, too.
5. Not Priming or Using a New Coil Too Soon
If you’ve just placed a new coil in your vaping device and taken a puff without priming it first, you’ll likely ask yourself, “why does my vape have no flavor?”
Well, this is because your e-liquid has not fully diffused through the coil yet, and you end up burning an empty coil. Your vape e-liquid needs time to settle in, fully soak the cotton, and reach the heating element.
How to Fix This:
Once you’ve attached a new coil to your vape tank, try to wait at least 4-6 mins before using the vape. This will allow the flavor to diffuse through the cotton and reach the coil fully.
If you don’t want to wait, prime it with 5-6 drops of vape juice.
This is usually enough for your tank, and you will instantly taste the flavor. But if you think you’re still not getting enough flavor, add a few more drops.
6. Poor AirFlow
Many vapes have an adjustable airflow option, and different devices work best at different airflow settings.
Unfortunately, if too much air flows into your coil, you’ll end up with a dull flavor.
Mouth-to-lung vapes work best when the airflow is restricted since they give small yet strongly flavored bursts even when you take a small puff.
How to Fix This:
If your vape has no flavor, decreasing airflow can help. Vape users with adjustable airflow settings reported getting bursts of flavors by changing the airflow.
If your vape doesn’t have an adjustable option, don’t stress it. You can adjust the airflow by partially covering the air window with your finger or tape.
7. Overheating Your E-Liquids
When we buy vape juice, we’re paying not only for the principle flavor but also for the subtle undertones of bitterness and the characteristic exhale tones, so if you don’t feel that with your puffs, it can be quite frustrating.
If you’re not getting these undertones, you’re likely overheating your e-liquid.
Similar to airflow, some vape devices also come with adjustable wattage options. Increasing the wattage heats the liquid more, giving you stronger flavors, but if you overheat the liquid, it’ll get rid of the other flavor profiles.
How to Fix This:
Lowering your wattage on the vape is recommended to optimize your flavor profile. Not only does it still give ample flavor, but it also helps bring out the lighter and more subtle undertones of flavor that you otherwise may not get to experience.
Setting your vape to a lower-power setting and opting for a stronger concentration can make a significant difference. This will help give you a stronger buzz without compromising on flavor profiles.
If your vape has no power setting, swap your current coil for a higher-resistance one. These coils tend to heat slower, so your vape juice won’t overheat, and you’ll still get the full flavor experience.
8. High Nicotine Content
This may shock some, but high nicotine concentration can also make your vape lose its flavor. This is only not applicable when you’re using nicotine-flavored vape juice.
If you like a higher nicotine content in your flavor, this can be a little annoying.
Nicotine is a flavor inhibitor, so you won’t get the full flavor if you add fruity or sweet-flavored e-liquids to your device and use a high nicotine strength.
Nicotine also acts as a diuretic, removing water from your body. This is why most smokers and vape users suffer from a dry mouth.
Higher nicotine strengths have a higher chance of drying up your mouth, resulting in your tastebuds not working to their optimal potential. This can result in you tasting little-to-no flavor from your vape juice.
How to Fix This:
Different people can handle different nicotine strengths. If you’re new to vapes, it’s recommended to start low at 3-5mg.
Once you’ve settled into this, you can slowly increase the nicotine strength to your liking.
If you already use high-strength nicotine, try opting for lower strengths or get a different nicotine salt formation.
9. Blocked or Flooded Tank
Vapes go through a lot and can be treated roughly. Users can throw them in bags alongside stray tissues, bag lint, and other items. So, these tissues, lint, and dust may get stuck in the device, causing blockage.
A blocked vape will not give any flavor. To check if your vape is blocked, you can look at the ventilation holes and see if they’re blocked.
At times, they seem clear from the outside but may be blocked from within. In such cases, opening up and checking the holes from within is a good idea.
On the other hand, adding too much flavor to your vape can flood your device and cause poor vapor and flavor output.
Flooding means that your device cannot vaporize all the liquid it’s getting fully. If you hear a gurgling sound upon drawing, then flooding is your culprit.
How to Fix This:
Blockages are common with vape devices, and no one likes them. Blowing into the air channel is the easiest way to remove the blockage. This will remove any dust or tissue residues that may be stuck.
It’s recommended to dismantle the vape and clean the mouthpiece and tank parts with clean water. Be careful not to get water into the coil or battery because this will destroy your vape.
To avoid flooding your vape, only fill your cartridge 3/4th. You may have to refill it more often this way, but it’s easier than having to clean out a flooded tank.
10. Burnt Coil
Did you take a draw from your vape and got that choking burnt taste? It’s because of a burnt coil. Coils and pods have a very limited life, so they must be changed regularly to avoid burnt, dull, or decreased flavor when vaping.
Ceramic coils will still last you a few weeks, but cotton or lint ones start losing their efficiency quickly.
To check if your coil is burnt or overused, dismantle the coil and see if there is burnt or clogged gunk in there. A burnt coil will diminish flavor, leave you with a disgusting aftertaste, and burn your throat.
How to Fix This:
If your coil is burnt, the easiest solution is to replace it, but won’t it be better if you take a few simple precautions and prolong the life of your coil?
Firstly, investing in a better-quality coil is always a good option. It’ll last longer and more efficiently vaporize the liquid.
Lowering VG e-liquids and keeping your wattage low can help avoid overheating your flavor and make your coil last longer.
Conclusion
Not getting enough flavor in your vape can be quite frustrating. Usually, a low battery, overheated liquid, or an overly high nicotine content is the reason for the diminished flavor.
However, if a burnt taste or decreased clouds accompany the decreased flavor, it may have a burnt or blocked coil, which requires immediate replacement or cleaning.
Issues such as flavor ghosting and inappropriate airflow can cause this problem. Luckily, none of these issues are too concerning and can easily be fixed quickly.
