Did you know?! The word of the year in 2014 was Vape!
Did you know the Word of the Year in 2014 was "Vape"? Oxford Dictionaries selected it, noting how quickly the practice of inhaling vapor from e-cigarettes moved from niche slang to a mainstream verb and noun, even appearing in publications like The New York Times. The word's explosive popularity proved that vaping was becoming a massive cultural phenomenon. But with a rapidly growing culture comes a whole new language. To truly understand this world—from atomizers and mods to e-liquid and sub-ohm—you need a reliable guide. Dive into our Vape Glossary to master the terms and become fluent in the language of vaping!
Core Concepts & Actions
Vaping: The act of inhaling and exhaling vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.
E-Cigarette (E-cig): The general term for a device that vaporizes e-liquid. This includes everything from simple disposable vapes to advanced mod setups.
MTL (Mouth-to-Lung): A style of inhaling where the vapor is drawn into the mouth first, then inhaled into the lungs. This closely mimics the sensation of smoking a traditional cigarette and is recommended for beginners.
DTL (Direct-to-Lung): A style of inhaling where the vapor is drawn directly and deeply into the lungs, similar to taking a deep breath. This produces larger clouds and is common with more powerful, sub-ohm devices.
Throat Hit: The sensation felt in the back of the throat upon inhaling. Higher nicotine levels and higher PG ratios in e-liquid tend to produce a stronger throat hit, similar to that of a cigarette.
Dry Hit / Dry Burn: A harsh, burnt taste that occurs when the wick in the coil is not saturated with e-liquid before being heated. This is an unpleasant experience to be avoided by always keeping your tank full and priming new coils.
Priming (a coil): The process of manually soaking a new coil's wick with e-liquid before first use. This prevents dry hits and ensures the coil is ready to vaporize liquid properly.
Vaper's Tongue (or Vaper's Fatigue): A temporary condition where the user cannot taste their e-liquid flavor anymore, or the flavor tastes muted/dull. This is due to olfactory fatigue (your smell receptors getting temporarily overwhelmed).
The Device (The "Vape")
Mod: The main body of the vape that holds the battery and circuitry.
Pod System: A compact, user-friendly vape where the e-liquid is held in a removable and often disposable "pod."
Disposable Vape: A single-use e-cigarette that is pre-filled with e-liquid and comes with a pre-charged battery. Once the liquid or battery is depleted, the entire device is discarded.
Tank / Atomizer: The component that sits on top of the mod. It contains the coil and holds the e-liquid.
Coil / Atomizer Head: The heating element inside the tank. It heats up to vaporize the e-liquid. Coils are consumable and need to be replaced regularly (typically every 1-3 weeks).
Wick: The absorbent material, usually cotton, that is housed within the coil. It soaks up the e-liquid from the tank and feeds it to the heated wire.
Drip Tip: The mouthpiece on the tank that you inhale from.
Airflow Control: A feature on many tanks, usually a rotating ring, that allows you to adjust the amount of air that mixes with the vapor.
The Liquid (E-Liquid / Juice)
E-Liquid / E-Juice / Vape Juice: The fluid that is vaporized.
PG (Propylene Glycol): One of the two primary base ingredients in e-liquid. PG is a thin liquid that is excellent at carrying flavor and provides a stronger "throat hit."
VG (Vegetable Glycerin): The other primary base ingredient. VG is a thicker, slightly sweet liquid that is responsible for producing dense vapor clouds.
Freebase Nicotine: The traditional form of nicotine used in most e-liquids. It provides a noticeable throat hit.
Nicotine Salts (Nic Salts): A chemically-modified form of nicotine that allows for smoother delivery, even at the maximum legal concentration (20 mg in Canada).
Measurements & Technical Terms
Ohm (Ω): The unit of measurement for electrical resistance. A lower ohm coil (e.g., 0.5Ω) is used for high-power, DTL vaping. A higher ohm coil (e.g., 1.2Ω) is used for lower power, MTL vaping.
Wattage (W): The measure of power output. Adjustable wattage mods allow you to control how much power is sent to the coil.
mAh (milliampere-hour): The measurement of a battery's storage capacity. A higher mAh number means the battery will last longer between charges.
mg/mL: The concentration of nicotine in the e-liquid, measured in milligrams per milliliter. The Canadian legal maximum is 20 mg/mL.