Nicotine salts are one of the recent innovations in the vape market. Taking a left turn from the standard mouth to lung box mod system, these vape juices are calibrated to suit lower powered pod devices and have led to a change in the way that we approach e liquids.
At our vape shop in Southend, we sell a wide range of vape liquids and have recently procured an extensive range of nicotine salt based vape juices. If you’re on the lookout for a new way to vape, then you’d be hard pressed to find a more unique mix than nicotine salt based e liquids.
One concern which is raised time and time again is how nicotine salt based liquids differ in taste to their freebase alternative. Whilst they may be made with the same flavourings, there are a number of factors that will affect the taste of your liquid.
The difference between freebase and nicotine salts
Nicotine salts are a new way of infusing e liquids with nicotine. Freebasing has been the popular method of infusing nicotine into tobacco and vaping products for over half a century now.
By adding a positive charge to nicotine, the molecule becomes an ion and is more potent to inhale than a non-ionised particle of the same strength. This gives freebase e liquids and tobacco products more of a kick, even if the nicotine strength isn’t that strong. The marketing benefit of this is that the nicotine becomes more addictive due to the hit you gain on inhaling.
Nicotine salts work in the opposite way. They strive for a higher nicotine strength with less of a hit, achieving this through bonding the nicotine with ammonia salt. This fusing neutralises the positive nicotine ion and makes it less harsh on the throat when inhaling. This means that you can make the nicotine concentration of your UK vape juice far higher, and with a more palatable sensation than a freebase e liquid at the same level.
Nicotine salts are often vaped on pod systems
So now we know the difference between freebase and nicotine salts, it’s time to explore how and why they taste different.
First off, because of the potency of nicotine salt, they are often vaped on far less powerful devices, namely pod systems and vape tanks. These usually consist of a cartridge and automatic-use vape device which has more of a focus on taste than creating huge vape clouds. Normal vape mods often strive for denser clouds and thicker inhales, opting for more bigger hits than nuanced flavour.
Nicotine salts contain more nicotine
The very fact that there is more nicotine in your vape juice will affect the flavours you use.
This might sound obvious, but the more nicotine you have in a vape juice, the less intense a hit you’ll be vaping. An intense vape hit can lead to a less pleasant experience, and ensuring that your e liquid provides a smooth inhale is the very reason that nicotine salt based liquids are so popular with ex-smokers.
Nicotine salts are vaped mouth to lung
As mentioned before, nicotine salts are vaped with pod mods. Pod mods are lower powered and usually don’t include temperature control and variable wattage and voltage. This means that there are fewer components to produce dense vape clouds in the standard direct to lung method.
Instead, pod mods favour smaller inhales, giving you the chance to savour the vapour on your tongue before taking it into your lungs. This provides a sharper, more nuanced vaping experience and will, therefore, create a more textured, drawn-out taste.