Why Does My Disposable Vape Taste Burnt?

Recap: Your disposable vape tastes burnt because there is insufficient e juice on the wick of your vape. This can cause the wick to combust, resulting in a burnt taste in your mouth.

If you're a vaper, there's a good chance you've experienced the dreaded burnt taste from time to time. This can be caused by a variety of things, from incorrect wattage settings to running out of e-liquid. But what if your disposable vape tastes burnt even when you're using it correctly?

Here we'll explore some possible causes for this problem and suggest ways to fix it. But before we get into that, let's take a look at disposable vape devices and how they work!

What is a vape device, and how does it work?

A disposable vape device is a battery-powered device that heats up a coil inside an atomizer. This produces a nicotine-rich vapor that the user inhales. The coil of the vape is usually made of titanium or stainless-steel wire wrapped spherically around a cotton wicking material.

So how does a vape work?

A disposable vape device is made up of five key components.

• Battery
• Coil
• Wicking material
• E-liquid
• Drip tip

For most disposable devices, when you take your first inhalation, this activates the battery to supply current to the heating material, otherwise known as the coil. As the coil is heated, it transfers the heat to the cotton wicking material.

The heat turns the e-liquid absorbed by the cotton wick into vapor, which is then drawn up through the device and inhaled by the user. However, when the wick has insufficient e-liquid, the cotton material is forced to undergo combustion, producing a nasty burnt taste that lingers in your mouth.

And even though the major cause of this taste is insufficient e-liquid in the wick, there are various other reasons why your disposable vape might taste burnt.

Reasons why your disposable vape tastes burnt

The burnt taste in vapes occurs because of one of two reasons. The first is a dry hit which is a precursor to the second reason, a burnt hit.

Dry hits

A dry hit occurs when there is insufficient e-liquid on the wick of your coil. When this happens, you get less flavor, exhale less vapor, and most times inhale a tiny amount of burnt cotton. This can be caused by several things, including:

• Chain vaping: If you recently quit smoking, you might tend to take frequent puffs of your vape in an attempt to mimic the continuous hits you used to get from cigarettes. This phenomenon is known as chain vaping, and it doesn't give the wick enough time to recharge and reabsorb e-liquid.

So when this happens, the wick gets dried up, and the cotton material starts to combust, creating a tiny amount of burnt vapor, which mixes with the vapor from the e juice left on the wick.

• Long DTL instead of short MTL: Disposables are designed for Mouth To Lung (MTL) hits. This means you should take a short hit and let the vapor linger in your mouth before inhaling. Taking long Direct To Lung (DTL) hits will quickly dry up the wick since you're not giving it time to recharge between puffs.

To learn more about the other causes of dry hits, check out our UK Disposable Vapes Guide here.

Burnt Hits

Burnt hits, on the other hand, occur when the wick has completely combusted. This happens when you continue to vape even after getting a dry hit. The result is a mouthful of burnt-tasting vapor, which can be harsh and unpleasant. Burnt hits can be caused by:

• Malfunctioning vape: If your vape isn't working as it should, this could be a sign that the device is faulty. In some cases, a misfiring coil can cause the wick to dry out and start to burn.

If you think your device might be malfunctioning, it's best to contact the manufacturer or retailer for assistance. However, if this happens repeatedly, you should switch to a more reliable brand to ensure you get a great bang for your buck.

• Flavor at its flash point: E liquids are made up of multiple ingredients, all of which need to attain a certain temperature before they vaporize. This temperature is known as flashpoint. For example, suppose your vape device is not producing enough heat to vaporize the e-liquid. In that case, the liquid might start to burn rather than vaporize, which can produce a burnt taste in your mouth.

If you're using a sub-ohm device, it's best to use an e-liquid with a lower nicotine concentration, as this will minimize the risk of a dry hit. However, rather than going through the hassle of checking your device model and nicotine concentrations, you can purchase a ready-to-go disposable vape with a standard preset wattage and e-juice.

What to do if your vape tastes burnt

If you're stuck with a burnt hit, there are a few things you can do to try and salvage the situation.

• Wait it out: If you take a dry hit, sometimes all you need to do is wait for a few seconds and then start vaping again. This gives the wick time to reabsorb the e-juice and produce a better hit flavor.
• Increase the wattage: If you're using a device with adjustable wattage, try turning up the heat. This will vaporize the liquid more quickly, hopefully producing a better hit.
• Take short to medium puffs within a 15 to 20 seconds interval to give the atomizer time to get saturated again
• Store your vape products between 0 to 25C: Low temperatures cause e-liquid to thicken, reducing flow to atomizer or wick. This can cause the wick to scorch if it can't absorb enough e juice between puffs.

The best way to solve the burnt taste in your disposable vape

Dry and burnt hits are unpleasant experiences that every vaper will encounter at some point. However, by following the tips in this article, you can minimize the risk of these hits and enjoy a much smoother vaping experience.

Nonetheless, if you're still experiencing a burnt hit after trying the above tips, the only thing left to do is to get a new vape, preferably from a tested and trusted brand like Vont.