Please help! I want to enjoy my vape... (harsh!)

[Stevie3]

Hey all, I’m new here.


I’ve been vaping for almost 2 years now and haven’t figured it out apparently. While I’ve enjoyed a select few juices (Ruthless Slurricane and Ruthless Sherbae for example) most juices, including my own DIY (Liquid Barn – I’ll get to that) all have this very unpleasant dry/itchy/harsh quality when they hit the back of my throat. I’m hesitant to call it throat hit because I’ve experienced what I consider to be a nice throat hit with the juices I mentioned earlier (smooth, thick, almost feels like your throat is deprived of air, but never dry itchy or harsh).


I’ve tried dripping, I’ve tried different atomizers. I’m currently running with an RX 2/3 and a SMOK TFV8 with the V8-T8 coil. I did not like the constant fidgeting that comes with dripping. And so far, the TFV8 with the V8-T8 has produced the best experience overall. I don’t think that has anything to do with the harshness I’m describing, because certain juices taste absolutely delicious and thick and smooth.


My awesome girlfriend bought me a Liquid Barn DIY Kit, and I enjoy the process of making the juices – but I still have not figured out what is causing this harsh feeling in the back of my throat. I just put a new coil in before trying these DIY juices. The first juice I made was a 50/50 3mg nic Cherry Blossom Tea. I liked the flavor, but it had that harsh feeling. So I did some reading and though I would reduce my VG and my nic. So the second juice I made was 80/20 (80% VG) with only 2 mg nic. While it is slightly better, it is still not a pleasant vape overall.


What am I doing wrong? I’m trying to quit cigarettes so I’ll need some nicotine, can’t go 0mg nic. Very frustrated and would appreciate some advice. Thanks guys.

 

[MarkS]

Well... you got me stumped a bit. With 3 mg Nic and 20/80 PG/VG you should be good. What brand of ingredients are you using? I get my Nic, PG, and VG from Heartland Vapes and primarily use The Flavor Apprentice (TFA or also Fa) along with a few Inawera and Flavor West flavorings.

 

[Stevie3]

Well my 4 favorite juices (all 3mg nic) from local shops were Traditional - Lola but this one was very hit or miss... very inconsistent, but when it was good man it was my favorite. The other 3 I've been using and liked were Ruthless Sherbae, Ruthless Slurricane, and Slush (lemon lime slushee) but I need more variety if I'm going to drop the cigs for good. After vaping a 30 ml bottle of one flavor, I think my [insert proper term for flavor receptors] get tired of it because it tastes more and more muted unless I switch flavors. I figured I would have a rotating pool of juices but I haven't found enough to rotate between.

The DIY kit is from Liquid Barn. I knew nothing about Liquid Barn before my gf got me the kit, but I read some reviews and it seems to be a decent company offering decent product. Maybe I'm sensitive to PG and need to go 100% VG? but that doesn't make sense to me because Sherbae and Slurricane and Slush (mentioned above) are not 100% VG... Gahhhh...

 

[MarkS]

Something you can try with the DIY kit to narrow it down. Mix a small quantity of plain PG/VG at 20/80 and vape it to see how it is throat wise. Then add the Nic keeping the 20/80 ratio to get the Nic level you want and try that. If all is good at that point it's the flavorings. If not, and you detected earlier, then you've narrowed it down to what's causing the throat hit thing.

 

[Stevie3]

I don't know why I couldn't come up with that logic myself... i'll blame it on the frustration! Thanks Mark! I will try that tonight and report back. Much appreciated!

 

[Khassy]

I have found that there are some flavors that I can't vape as they're just too harsh for me. Any sort of tea flavor, for example. It's like trying to vape a tank full of dirt that just seems to tear up my throat.

 

[Vape Drive]

I had this issue. Different nicotine or steeping the juice helps!

 

[Stevie3]

OK the results are in. My nicotine is apparently causing the harsh feeling in my throat! Good to know. I did a 20/80 mix with 3mg nicotine and no flavors and couldn't even vape it. I read somewhere about nicotine oxidizing... I have a theory now.

Since my gf ordered this for me and gave it to me as a gift, im wondering if the bottle of nicotine oxidized from being too warm for too long during shipping and/or sitting at my gf's house before she actually gave it to me... is this possible? is that how it works? would that make it taste harsh?

Side note: still going to do another test and do a 20/80 mix with no nicotine and some flavor... just to make sure that the flavors aren't ALSO contributing to the problem.

Thanks for all the help so far!!

 

[Stevie3]

I had this issue. Different nicotine or steeping the juice helps!

I've heard about steeping... there a lot of different ways to do it apparently. Got any tips? is it necessary? what are the benefits in your opinion?

 

[The Cromwell]

Harsh nic will do it.
also as mentioned some flavors are harsher than others. Citrus for me for example.

 

[The Cromwell]

I've heard about steeping... there a lot of different ways to do it apparently. Got any tips? is it necessary? what are the benefits in your opinion?

Best way to speep is to leave the juice sit in a dark room temperature place for at least 3 days. the time depends on the mix. Some are basically shake and vape and other need to sit from 3 days to 3 weeks.

If your flavorigs have alcohol in them leave the bottle open for a day to allow the alc to evaporate as alc will make a harsh vape.

 

[MarkS]

Not necessarily. I would order some Nicotine from Heartland and give it a try. I've never been disappointed with their products. http://wholesale.heartlandvapes.com/diy-up-nicotine-100mg-120ml.html Note this is 100 mg strength so you should take precautions and only use 1 mil / 30 mil bottle. I keep my nic in the freezer in multiple amber glass bottles but that really isn't a necessity. I do multiple bottles due to reducing the amount of air exposure before use (oxidation). I buy it by the liter and mix at 3 mg nic so I want to keep it as "fresh" as possible for a long time. PM me and I can give you some other tips.

 

[The Cromwell]

Also keep your nicotine in a cool dark place when not in use.
A freezer or refrigerator is perfect. Unless small children have access to the fridge.

 

[Stevie3]

Also keep your nicotine in a cool dark place when not in use.
A freezer or refrigerator is perfect. Unless small children have access to the fridge.

I do keep it in my freezer (no kids in the house) since receiving it, I fear it has already gone bad though.

 

[MarkS]

Could just be cheap Nic...


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[MarkS]

When Nic undergoes oxidation it is due to exposure to air and light and it tends to go from clear to yellowish/amberish/pinkish tint. Nic will also degrade with time. Degradation can be slowed by storing in a cool/cold place. I hadsome Nic that became slightly oxidized on me but it didn't seem to get harsh.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vape Drive]

I've heard about steeping... there a lot of different ways to do it apparently. Got any tips? is it necessary? what are the benefits in your opinion?

I am newbie in DIY liquids but my friend periodically makes it for me. It usually feels harsh and muted iflavor for the first couple weeks, after 2 weeks I find it much better! A good shake of the bottle of ready juice helps too (for flavorings to spread evenly).

 

[The Cromwell]

I do keep it in my freezer (no kids in the house) since receiving it, I fear it has already gone bad though.

Must have been bad when you got it.
Nicotine will keep for at least 5 years in a freezer.
oit is also best to keep it in glass bottles with as little air in them as possible.
Why I split my liters into 120 ml glass bottles before putting in deep freeze.

 

[MarkS]

You need to let most mixes steep, time varies. One thing you can do is heat up your VG in a hot water bath. It makes pulling it into a syringe easier, it helps in mixing up the bottle contents as you shake the stuffing out of it, and it gives the steeping process a kick start.