Ultimate Beginners Guide to E-liquid

What is e-liquid?

E-liquid, which is commonly referred to as juice, is a liquid that is used in vaporisers. When it is poured into a tank or pod it soaks into a wick, which is in contact with a coil (a coil is like a heating element). When power is applied to the coil it vapourises the juice that has soaked into the wick, for inhalation by the user. E-liquid comes in countless different flavours so there are options for everyone’s different tastes.

What’s in an e-liquid?

There are usually four components in an e-liquid: vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, flavour concentrates, and (optionally) nicotine.

Vegetable glycerine

Vegetable glycerine (or VG as it’s commonly known) is a product that’s typically used in foods and drinks to apply some sweetness without causing cavities and plaque. It is a thick liquid, slightly sweet, and carries little flavour but produces a lot of vapour.

Propylene glycol

Propylene glycol (or PG as it’s commonly known) is a product that can be found in foods, drinks, and Ventolin inhalers. It’s a thin liquid that carries flavour very well and produces some throat hit.

Flavour concentrates

These are food-grade flavourings that are used to give the e-liquid a pleasant taste. There are thousands of possible combinations, so if you can think of a flavour there’s probably an e-liquid for it.

Where to buy e-liquids

We stock a huge range of flavours including fruits/candies, desserts, beverages, menthols, and tobacco e-liquids for your vape, Including nicotine-free liquids. We even make our own juice ranges! Check out the Not Another Tobacco, Disco Clouds, and Wick & Wire Co juice lines, we have a very talented juice chef working full time to bring you the tastiest flavours!

Which flavour is the best?

This question is challenging to answer because we all have different tastes; it’s very subjective. There are five main flavour groups:

• Fruits/Candies
• Desserts
• Beverages
• Menthols/Mints
• Tobaccos (sometimes plain and sometimes mixed with flavours like custard, vanilla, etc)

It’s usually a good idea to picture your favourite kind of sweet treat. Is it a bakery item? Is it a piece of fruit? Is it candy or a beverage? Your tastes with foods and drinks will usually translate fairly well into your tastes when it comes to e-liquids. There are also tobacco flavours if you’re not interested in a sweet flavour. It would be a good idea to select some flavours from different categories, try them out and see what you prefer. You’ll find a massive selection of flavours on our Australian Website. If you use the menus at the top of the screen you can search by flavour type, locality, and some brands.

How do I choose the right VG/PG ratio e-liquid?

E-liquids come in various VG/PG ratios and it's important to select the right one for the device you're using. First, let's discuss what PG and VG are. PG is propylene glycol and this is the thinner of the two, it produces less vapour but more throat hit. VG is vegetable glycerine and is the thicker of the two, it produces more vapour and less throat hit.

For a modern direct lung (high wattage) tank that's designed to wick the e-liquid quite quickly, you want a thicker liquid, usually 60/40 (60% VG, 40% PG) or above. Anything thinner than that and you can experience leaking as the thin e-liquid will push through the wick and out of the airflow inlets much easier.

For a mouth to lung tank or pod system (low wattage), that's designed to wick smaller amounts of liquid, anywhere between 50/50 and 70/30 is usually ok. Anything thicker and you could experience dry hits because the cotton is unable to soak up the thick e-liquid fast enough.

Please note that this is a general guideline, some coils will operate well outside of these recommendations.

Do you still need help?

We understand that a lot of the terminology and practices surrounding vaping can be very alien to beginners, if you need some extra guidance please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you live in Melbourne and want some hands-on assistance please drop into one of our shops and our staff will walk you through any questions you may have. You’ll find locations in Cheltenham, Dandenong, Frankston and Nunawading For more information about vaping in general, check out our Ultimate Guide to Vaping.