Although it doesn’t happen very often, some vapers have reported burnt or metallic tastes when using electronic cigarettes. There are a number of factors that can determine these off-putting aftertastes and we’re going to go through the most common.
The first thing that comes to mind when detecting an unpleasant taste is there must be something wrong with the e-liquid. It’s true that not all juices are of high quality, and it’s recommended you always source your stuff from a reputable vendor, but most times the burnt or metallic taste has less to do with the e-liquid and a lot more with the condition of the atomizer/cartomizer and the way you’re using the e-cigarette.
Electronic cigarette components don’t necessarily have to be old or overused to produce a fowl taste. In fact, often times, what you’re tasting are are manufacturing and machining residues on brand new atomizers or cartomizers. These include machine oil, coatings, traces of adhesives and coatings on the silica fibers of the wick. Sometimes e-cig consumables contain too much of these things and the e-liquid absorbs them giving you a nasty aftertaste. The best and safest way to get rid of it without damaging your unit is to burn through the residues by using the e-cigarette without inhaling. Just puff on it a few times and you’ll notice the bad taste begins to go away. There are other ways of removing the unwanted chemical stuff on your cartridges, if you’re not comfortable using them in their current condition. You can clear away the excess primer by blowing air from the top and bottom ends of the cartomizer, rinsing with alcohol and blowing again. It’s a very effective method, and beats soaking the parts in water or strong solvents that can affect their performance.
The burnt taste is usually caused by two major factors – a dry wicking material or gunk buildup on the atomizer coil. There probably isn’t a single electronic cigarette user who has never gotten at least a slight burnt taste. It happens every time your cartomizer/cartridge gets dry and the coil starts burning the filler.It’s important to regularly add more e-liquid as you vape, to prevent the polyfill material from getting burned. A clear indicator that you’re running low on juice is the drop in flavor and vapor production when you draw on the e-cig. Although it happens to a lot of vapers, those who ignore the slight burnt taste and continue to vape, will end up ruining the cartomizer. Once a large part of the filler material has burned, the nasty taste is virtually impossible to get rid of, and you need to use a brand new cartridge.
Most electronic cigarette companies will have you believe their cartomizers are disposable components meant to be thrown away after a single use, when in reality they can be refilled and used several times without any kind of difference in performance. But just like the classic atomizers, if you’re using a ticker, vegetable glycerin-based e-liquid, the coil will get covered in gunk residue pretty fast. If this happens, no matter how much e-liquid you keep adding, you’re going to get a disgusting burnt taste with every draw. That’s because every time the coil heats up, it keeps burning the gunk along with the juice. Fortunately, you don’t need to throw your atomizer/cartomizer away if you don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty. A simple rinsing will get rid of most gunk buildups, but in extreme cases you’ll have to use the dry burn technique, which basically means removing any filler from the cartomizer and heating up the coil until all the residue is charred making it easy to remove. It’s a painstaking process, ans commonly used on atomizers, not cheap cartomizers.
In some cases there is actually nothing wrong with the electronic cigarette or the e-liquid. New vapers tend to use the e-cigarette more than they need to and that sometimes mutes their taste buds, making it feel like they’re getting dry hits. Long-term use of menthol has been known to cause this more than other flavors, but it can happen with pretty much any kind of e-liquid that is vaped in excess. Regularly switching flavors is recommended to prevent taste bud muting from occurring. The good news is it’s only temporary and you’ll get you’re taste back in a week or two.