Vaper’s Tongue Causes & Cures!

No flavour from your favourite vape? You could be suffering from vaper’s tongue! Find out what it is and how to cure it here!

Has your favourite e-liquid started to taste a bit flat? You could be experiencing vaper’s tongue! Symptoms of vaper’s tongue can include a numb tongue, failure to taste your favourite e-liquid flavour or even experiencing an unpleasant taste from your trusted daily vape. Fear not, because vaper’s tongue isn’t anything to worry about as it’s not permanent and there are many, many suggestions on how to cure it!

What is vaper’s tongue?

So you’ve been getting less enjoyment out of your daily vape because you’re struggling to detect the flavour that first made you fall in love with it. Vaper’s tongue can actually refer to a few different variations of this condition, from a muted taste from your go-to e-liquid to no taste whatsoever, including when eating and drinking.

Possible causes of vaper’s tongue

Exhausting your favourite flavour. Proof that you really can have too much of a good thing! It’s commonly discussed among fellow vapers that vaping too much of your favourite e-liquid can cause your taste buds to get a little too familiar with the flavour. The cure? Switch to another e-liquid for a few days and then return to your favourite flavour, or alternatively choose a second daily vape to switch to in the evenings and your old favourite will keep tasting fresh when you return to it.

Aging E-liquid. Leaving your juice sitting too long can cause the flavour to degrade. In this case, it’s not actually your tongue or taste buds that are to blame – you just need a fresh bottle of e-liquid! To ensure your e-liquid maintains its full flavour for as long as possible, ensure the cap is always screwed tightly back on to the bottle and also avoid leaving liquid in a tank that’s not getting regular use.

Damaged Taste buds. If you’re a sub-ohm vaper suffering from lack of flavour then you might be baking your taste buds! A burnt tongue is a common cause of numbed taste buds and though it’s commonly recommended to vape at a higher temperature for greater flavour, adjusting your device so that your coils heat up to a lower temperature should allow your taste buds to recover. Of course, vaping may not be the reason for your burnt tongue… Maybe let your dinner sit for a few minutes next time you nuke it in the microwave!

Dirty Contacts. We’re not referring to the people you sext on a regular basis… Dirty atomizer contacts could be the reason you’re experiencing a lack of flavour from your e-liquid. A quick clean-up could solve the problem, otherwise, it might be time for a replacement atomizer or clearomizer. You can ensure your vape kit is working at its best with our simple maintenance guide.

Smoking cigarettes. Although not a permanent effect of smoking, cigarettes are known to damage to your sense of taste and smell. If you’re a dual user (smoking and vaping) or you’ve very recently stopped smoking then this could be the cause of your case of vaper’s tongue.

Dehydration. Loss of taste is a common symptom of dehydration. With other symptoms including tiredness, headaches, dark urine and dry mouth, dehydration is easy to identify. Keeping your water intake up will help to fight dehydration, and maintain a strong sense of taste.

Common colds, medicines and other illnesses. A common cold or flu can be an obvious cause for a diminished sense of taste. Some medicines can also be a common cause for this too. If this is the case, you should expect a return to normal flavour levels once the illness passes.

Quick cures for vaper’s tongue

Maximum VG e-liquid. If you’re a sub-ohmer then ensuring your e-liquid is made with maximum VG (vegetable glycerin) rather than weakened by a high percentage of PG (propylene glycol) is the best way to enjoy a flavorsome liquid and thicker, juicier clouds! All of our sub-ohm liquids including the Pocket Fuel and Pure Evil ranges are made with maximum VG! Confused about VG and PG? We recently published an easy guide that explains all.

Stay hydrated. Water really is incredible stuff! Not only does it contain zero calories, it’ll keep you hydrated, clearing any lingering tastes from your palette, ready for a fresh vape! The remedy for your particular case of vaper’s tongue really could be as simple as staying hydrated.

Reset your taste buds. Smelling coffee beans and sucking on lemons are both rumored to be great ways to reset your palette and both techniques have been adopted by professional wine tasters and perfume samplers.

Switch Up Your Juices! Instead of finding one daily vape and exhausting the flavour day after day, why not shop around, try out some over flavours and vape your favorites on rotation? It works for us and that’s why we’ve handpicked a great selection of e-liquid multi-packs from Vapouriz Premium, Pure Evil and Pocket Fuel e-liquid ranges combining our best flavour selections for both sub-ohm and classic e-cig users.

Still unsure? Try these tips from Reddit users!

The Reddit community is a valuable resource for all things vaping related and there are some excellent nuggets of information from fellow vapers who have experienced vaper’s tongue! We’ve collated our favourite suggestions below.

Carbonated Water. Reddit use snosk8r00 claims carbonated water (also known as club soda, soda water, sparkling water, seltzer water, or fizzy water) is the best cure for vaper’s tongue. Maybe it’s the fizzing sensation that wakes up the taste buds but this method seems to be a popular one despite the lack of scientific explanation!

Vape Menthol. A common suggestion on the Reddit boards. Menthol seems to be another effective way to ‘reset’ the taste buds as well as strong acidic tasting citrus flavours.

Pickle Juice Vinegar. Among some ideas of the more questionable variety, killahgrag suggests drinking pickle juice or vinegar. This is supposed to act as a pallet cleanser, but is probably to make you gag harder than a cheap low-quality e-liquid!

Flavourless e-liquid. Jack_Shid suggests vaping flavourless e-liquid for 24 hours to clear the palette.

Tongue Scraper. Adavicro says a tongue scraper is the way forward. Available from most pharmacies, the tongue scraper is designed to drastically reduce bad breath by gently removing the odor-generating residue from your tongue which will also reset your palette.

If you’re yet to experience vaper’s tongue then the suggestions above could be key to helping you avoid it as soon as you notice that flavour diminishing. If you are experiencing vaper’s tongue then we hope this article has provided you with a long-term fix and that you can continue to enjoy your favourite flavour or find a couple of new favorites to enjoy on rotation.

If you have your own suggestion for curing vaper’s tongue, let us know in the comment section below!