Why Your Vape Tastes Burnt and How To Fix It

Why does your vape taste burnt?

Regardless of the type of device you’re using or how experienced you are at vaping, occasionally you may experience a burnt taste from your vape.

When this happens, the burnt vapour cloud can scratch at the back of your throat, causing you to cough. It’s not a pleasant sensation and there are various reasons for your vape tasting burnt, but the good news is that it can be easily avoided.

Why can you get a burnt taste from vaping?

First things first, don’t worry if your vape tastes burnt as it’s easy to fix. It tastes burnt because there’s not enough liquid on the wick inside your atomiser coil. The wick is the part of your device that soaks up the e-liquid, which is then turned into vapour when the coil heats up.

Without any liquid to vaporise, the coil starts burning the wick, which is what causes the unpleasant burnt taste in your mouth. Here are some of the most common causes of burnt hits:

• Chain vaping

This is probably the most common cause of burnt hits, especially for new vapers. When taking lots of puffs in a row, your wick doesn’t have enough time to soak up the e-liquid, causing it to dry out and burn. If you start noticing a slightly burnt taste when you inhale or if you can feel the tank overheating, put your vape down for a moment to give the wick time to absorb more liquid.

• Incorrectly priming coils

When vaping on a new coil, you should take time to properly prime your coil head before filling the tank. Priming means soaking the wick directly before you start vaping on it to ensure it gets properly saturated. The wick is made of dry cotton and the material is tightly compacted, making it less porous, so if you don’t correctly prime it, you’re likely to end up with a burnt taste in your mouth.  

• High power vaping

If you vape at a wattage that’s too high for you coil head, your e-liquid will vaporise too quickly. When this happens, the wick can’t re-saturate quickly enough, so the coil ends up burning the wick which causes that unpleasant burnt taste.

• Running low on vape juice

It’s important to keep your e-liquid topped up, as if you get too low on juice, the wick in your device will end up getting burnt. If your e-liquid isn’t covering the input holes around the sides of your coil head, you’re at risk of getting a burnt hit. To be on the safe side, try to make sure your tank is never less than a quarter full.

How can you get rid of the burnt taste when you vape?

Prime your coils

Priming your coils is an essential part of vaping preparation. It’s quick and easy to do:

1. Take your new coil and apply 3-4 drops of your e-liquid directly to the wick
2. Set aside and wait for roughly 10 minutes
3. Screw the coil on to your device
4. Fill your tank with your chosen e-liquid and screw it on to your vape
5. Inhale a few times (without the battery activated) to help the liquid flow

Prime your refillable kits

If you have a refillable kit instead of a vape tank with a replaceable coil head, the process is even easier:

1. Fill the device with your chosen e-liquid
2. Leave the device to saturate with the juice for roughly 10 minutes
3. Inhale a few times (without the battery activated) to help the liquid flow

Keep to the recommended power

Vaping at too high a wattage can damage your coils. If you’re using a device with variable wattage or voltage, you should always stay inside the recommended range to maintain your vaping device and keep it in top condition. You can find this information on your vape packaging or printed on the side of your coil head.

If you enjoy vaping at high intensity, consider upgrading your vape tank to one with a higher maximum wattage.

Alter your vaping technique

If you have recently taken up vaping, you may be treating your vape like a cigarette – taking lots of short, frequent puffs. It can be a tricky adjustment, but practise taking longer, slower hits, leaving 15 to 20 seconds between puffs. For more information, read our guide with top tips on how to vape.

Looking to buy a new vape? Explore our full range of e-cigarette devices.