The throat hit is the feeling you get at the back of your throat from inhaling an e-cigarette. A strong one usually gives a harsh irritating sensation, a feeling that resembles having a cigarette on its way down your throat.
A harsh vape hit is a common occurrence in case you are new to vaping. This might be because you still haven’t sharpened your skills in using your vaping juice and device.
In this article, I’ll explain some reasons why your vape is hitting harsh and how you can solve the problem.
7 Common Reasons Why Your Vape is Hitting Harsh
Some causes of harsh hit include:
1. Too High Nicotine Content
The nicotine content differs in the different vape juices available on the market. As such, it is important to look at the displayed strength on the packaging.
It is usually advisable to consider how many cigarettes you normally smoke in a day before choosing your nicotine strength. The strength is often displayed in terms of percentages.
Note that the stronger the level of nicotine, the stronger throat hit during vaping.
2. Wrong VG/PG Ratio or Incompatible Vaping Device
Every e-juice comes with a different mix. Some of these mixes are meant to be used in very specific devices.
Normally, the PG is responsible for throat hit while VG gives you the vapor. The normal kits for beginners contain the two in a 50/50 ratio which produces a hit that you will appreciate and just enough vapor.
The ratio can scale in either way. For gentler throat hit, you could try an e-liquid that contains a slightly higher percentage of VG when you are using a basic e-cigarette, but it could cause a harsh dry hit in case the e-cigarette is not compatible.
Devices that are more advanced work better with an even higher VG ratio that could even mean 100% VG vape juice. These devices are meant to produce vapor in a higher volume which means there is more nicotine in every draw thus causing a harsher hit.
3. High Wattage
In case the vaping device you are using has variable wattage, that means you can set it to high. However, with the setting up to a higher wattage, you are likely to experience a harsh hit because more vapor will be produced.
4. Reduced Airflow
For a lot of e-cigarettes, you can make adjustments to the airflow. These adjustments control the amount of vapor produced by your device.
While this is useful, a reduction in the airflow space means the vapor you will be taking in will be more concentrated, causing a harsh hit.
5. Improper Use of Vape Coils
It is commonly advised that you change your vape coil every two to three weeks. However, there is a lot to consider when it comes to this.
You need to keep in mind your vape juice’s VG/PG ratio, the specific type of coil you are using, and how high you normally run your coils.
Failure to change your coil often or even foregoing the proper coil priming process will cause a harsh hit. You will also experience this if you do not leave it for the stipulated period, which is mostly 10 to 15 minutes.
If you’re running your coil over the wattage that has been recommended, your cotton will burn and you will also feel a harsh throat hit.
6. Increased Power Settings
The vapor temperature greatly affects your power setting’s throat hit. As such, if you increase the power when you are already experiencing a sharp hit from the level of PG in your vape juice, you will experience an even more harsh hit.
In the same way, should you increase the power when you are already experiencing a warmer or sharper hit from the nicotine content, it will become even sharper.
7. Menthol and Sour Vape Juices
The flavor of the vape juice you are using also has an impact on the throat hit. Every flavor comes with a distinct quality.
The flavors usually contain PG as the base ingredient and this PG does contribute to the throat hit. However, the amount in the finished vape juice is normally small.
As such, it comes down to the flavor’s actual impact. Menthol increases the throat hit you will experience.
Menthol and citrus flavors give a cooling effect or punch upon inhalation. Some people even prefer to add a dash of menthol into other flavors to achieve the same effect although it will be softer compared to using an actual menthol vape juice.
Sour vape juices also make the throat hit more harsh upon the exhale.
5 Tips for a Smoother Vape
Here are some tried-and-tested ways to achieve a smoother vape:
1. Use the right wattage
Ensure you check your coil properly for wattage recommendations. In case it has a variable mode, make sure you run the coil within that recommended wattage.
2. Choose e-liquids with low nicotine strength
Buy an e-liquid that has a lower nicotine content to get a throat hit that is just enough for you to handle.
You could also use nicotine salts instead since they are basically nicotine in the original form and are not that harsh.
3. Go for sweet or darker e-juice flavors
When it comes to flavors, choose darker ones such as tobacco or coffee for a subtle throat hit. You could also go for sweet ones like cream, sweet fruit, and bakery.
4. Try cotton wicks
You could also try wicking using cotton. It wicks excellently and gives you a gentler hit.
5. Increase your vape’s airflow
If your tank comes with adjustable airflow, open up the airflow as this will give you a smoother and less harsh vape.
Wrap Up
The above points were combined to make it easier for you to understand why your vape is too harsh in case you were wondering about it.
When it comes to vaping, the most important thing is to create the kind of experience you yearn. If a harsh throat hit makes it less enjoyable, you could always follow the solutions in this article to make the experience better.