Direct inhaling during vaping

We have all had a cough when we started vaping (and most probably when we started smoking as well), and many vapers can talk about their unsuccessful attempts at convincing smoker friends to start vaping due to these coughing fits.

Most of the vaping population is made of former smokers. And their first reflex when they start vaping is to reproduce what they’ve done so many times in the past: taking a puff through the mouth, where the smoke remains, then finish by inhaling some air to bring the smoke to the lungs. This works well with e-cigarettes such as Ego that only deliver a couple of watts, but as soon as the settings reach higher values, such as 30 or 40 watts, a more important airflow and a switch from indirect inhaling to direct inhaling become necessary.

The cough is actually caused by this « smokers’ inhaling technique ». The problem is that your electronic cigarette delivers more vapor that an tobacco cigarette delivers smoke. Vaping therefore requires to inhale differently. Direct inhaling consists in inhaling all at once, namely take your whole inspiration through the e-cigarette, similarly to what you could do through a straw.

The explanation is quite simple: when you smoke, you inhale a short puff because of the tight airflow and also because the temperature rises when you drag a puff. When you inhale through a lit cigarette, you fan the fire that fuels it.

For vaping, it’s quite the contrary: the airflow is more important and the introduction of air cools down the resistance. The stronger the e-cigarette puff is, the colder the vapor will be, since it will be mixed with air. Note the difference: the vapor will mix with air before coming to your mouth, contrary to cigarettes.

Coughing fits can be reduced simply by explaining to your friends how to properly vape, it will most certainly help them improve their vaping experience and their health!