Do Electronic Cigarettes Taste Like Real Cigarettes? No, They Taste Better

Posted by: Vranks on August 8, 2013 Under: E-Cigarettes 101

This is probably the most commonly asked question by people interested in trying e-cigs as an alternative to analogs. There are a lot of brands out there that claim their products imitate the taste of burnt tobacco almost to perfection, but as any seasoned vaper will tell you, they tend to exaggerate.

E-cigarettes may look almost exactly like tobacco cigarettes, but they are very different in the way they work. There is no combustion in electronic cigarettes, just a heating element that heats propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin based e-liquid. Because nothing burns during this process, it’s so far been impossible to replicate the taste of charred tobacco, so most tobacco-flavored e-liquids taste like fresh tobacco with a sweet undertone. As crazy as it sounds, just imagine smoking an unlit cigarette and you can get a pretty good idea of what most tobacco juices taste like. Burned taste aside, with the thousands of ingredients added to analogs these days, it’s virtually impossible to replicate their flavor to perfection. If you’re a smoker, this might sound like bad news, but thinks about it, do you truly enjoy the taste of burned tobacco and that nasty aftertaste that lingers in your mouth long after you’ve put out the cigarette? Wouldn’t you rather get your nicotine fix while tasting something really delicious?

Many smokers shun trying electronic cigarettes because they are convinced they don’t taste like real cigarettes. That’s true, but with so many other amazing flavors to try, it doesn’t even matter. In fact, most vapers can’t even stand the taste or smell of real cigarettes mere days after switching to vaping. Just think of something you like to eat or drink, and you’re almost guaranteed to find an e-liquid that mimics its taste. I used to tell myself I didn’t want to quit smoking because I enjoyed it, but after switching to e-cigs and trying some delightful fruit flavors, like the Bloogberry from Bloog E-Cigarettes, I knew I would never go back to that dreadful tobacco taste. Some vapers enjoy coffee or sweet flavors, but you can get pretty much anything, from pina colada and absinthe to butterscotch and watermelon. As far as e-liquid variety goes, the sky’s the limit.

But I remember reading the exact same thing on e-cigarette forums when I first made the switch to vaping. Everyone was talking about all these great e-liquid flavors that had nothing to do with tobacco, but all I was interested in was finding something that would taste as close to real cigarettes as possible. So I don’t blame you if you decide to do the same. In fact, I’m happy to point you in the right direction. Although tobacco is hardly my flavor of choice these days, I’ve tried quite a few e-liquids throughout the years and I can make some recommendations. Green Smoke may not be the most affordable e-cigarette brand in the world, but most of the vaping community agrees they have some of the best tobacco flavors on the market. I don’t know if it’s made in-house or if they have a supplier, but I’ve never been able to find anything as good their Tobacco Gold and Absolute Tobacco. Freedom and Torque 56 from Halo are also high quality juices, and if you’re looking for gourmet tobacco e-liquids, you can’t go wrong with Backo and 555 from Backwoods Brew. But keep in mind that everyone has different taste buds, so what tastes good to one person may taste bad to you.

Also remember you’re addicted to more than just the nicotine in tobacco cigarettes. A few days after you’ve given up smoking, your body is going to ask for the tobacco alkaloids, arsenic, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide you’ve been feeding it for years, but if your will is strong enough it will adjust to the changes, and soon you’ll discover a universe of flavors at your fingertips. It’s a big part of what makes vaping so much better.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons