Why Does My Vape Taste Weird?
If your vape suddenly tastes weird, burnt, metallic, sour, or just off, something isn’t working as it should.
The good news? A strange vape taste is almost always caused by a simple issue like a worn coil, dry hits, flavour residue, or the wrong e-liquid for your device. In most cases, it’s easy to fix once you know what to look for.
Below, we break down the most common reasons your vape tastes weird and exactly what you can do to restore the flavour.
Reason 1: A Worn or Burnt Coil
You're having a lovely time vaping away, then suddenly you're overwhelmed by an unpleasant burnt taste. It's something many vapers are unprepared for, and it can rapidly destroy your vaping experience.
If you experience a burnt taste, it's usually down to your coil. The two most common reasons are burnt coils or using the coil for too long.
Vape coils aren't designed to last forever, and changing them ensures that they continue to deliver flavour. When the white cotton wicking material turns dark, it's usually a sign that the coil needs changing and failing to do this means the vape tastes burnt.
How Often Should I Change My Vape Coil?
There's no simple rule for replacing coils, because it depends on how frequently you vape. For example, heavy vapers may need to replace a coil every few days, while light vapers can get two or more weeks out of a coil.
Once the vape starts losing flavour or you notice a gurgling sound, it's time to replace your coil.
Reason 2: Vaper's Tongue
Many people aren't familiar with the term vaper's tongue - but you've probably experienced it at some point. It can happen during chain vaping, when your mouth dries. You may notice that the vape juice loses some of its flavour, or you can't taste it at all.
While vape tongue doesn't indicate anything wrong with your vape device or e-liquid, it can make the experience less enjoyable.
How to Avoid Vape Tongue
There's a simple way to avoid vape tongue from happening: drink plenty of water. When you stay hydrated, it prevents your mouth and taste buds from drying out, so you can enjoy the flavour. Giving your tongue a regular brush can also be beneficial.
Reason 3: Dry Hits
There's no worse part of vaping than that burnt cotton taste, which happens after a dry hit. If your coil isn't saturated with e-liquid, it can't vaporise properly. So, when you take a puff on the vape, it produces a burnt hit.
The two main reasons for this happening are empty tanks and taking a puff before a new coil has time to absorb the e-liquid.
Preventing a Burnt-Tasting Vape
Preventing an unpleasant burnt taste is simple. Keep your tank topped up with vape juice and never let it get to near empty. If you're replacing coils, give the new coil a few minutes to absorb the e-liquid before you take a puff.
Reason 4: Not Maintaining Your Vape Kit
Whether you choose a starter vape pen or a pod kit, basic maintenance is essential. It ensures that your device lasts longer, ensures consistent performance, and enhances flavour delivery. If you notice the vape tastes weird, it could be due to residual e-liquid.
Once this vape juice accumulates, it can affect the flavour of your device.
Ensure Proper Vape Maintenance
Vape maintenance doesn't take long, and it's often just small things like replacing pods and coils when necessary. You should also clean your vape tank and wipe down the components. Our maintenance guide can simplify the process.
Reason 5: Flavour Ghosting
One of the best things about vaping is the sheer availability of flavours. Whether you choose to stick to favourite flavours like tobacco, menthol, and fruit, or want to mix it up with dessert-flavoured vape juices, you have complete flexibility.
However, when you switch between flavours, residuals of the old e-liquid can lead to confused tastes - also known as flavour ghosting. You might enjoy the taste, but mixing certain flavours can result in a strange aftertaste.
Avoiding Flavour Ghosting
The best way to prevent flavour ghosting is to clean your tank between refills. However, if you use refillable pods, stick to the same flavour until it's time to change the pod, then try something different. That way you can enjoy a great taste.
Reason 6: Using the Wrong Vape Juice or Low Quality E-Liquids
When it comes to your vaping experience, it's all about the e-liquids. E-liquid affects flavour delivery and flavour thickness. All e-liquids contain flavouring, vegetable glycerin, and propylene glycol, but some are designed for certain vape kits.
For example, mouth-to-lung vaping requires a 50/50 VG/PG or high PG e-liquid, which enhances flavour and provides a strong throat hit. However, high VG e-liquids produce a thicker vapour and are suitable for sub-ohm vaping.
Choosing the wrong e-liquid for your device can compromise the taste.
How to Choose the Right E-Liquids
When selecting e-liquids, think about the device you use. For example, starter pens and most pod kits are best suited to 50/50 e-liquids or high PG blends, while mod kits and sub-ohm kits use high VG vape juices.
Most importantly, always choose e-liquids from a reputable brand. All of our 88Vape e-liquids are TPD-compliant and blended in-house by a team of experts.
The Bottom Line
Vaping is much safer than smoking, and it can help you kick cigarettes for good. If your e-liquid tastes weird or the vape kit produces a burnt taste, following the steps in this guide can help you fix the issue and ensure nothing disrupts your experience.
Remember, you may need to investigate a few possibilities before you pinpoint the issue, but our experts are here to offer advice and support when you need it. Please contact us today, and we'll help you figure out any problems.