Whether you've just kicked the habit of combustible tobacco products or have been a seasoned vaper, you've definitely been on or still experiencing the exploration of the perfect "throat hit".  We're here to break down what exactly a throat hit is and 5 ways to go about finding your preferred throat hit.

Breaking Down the Throat Hit

So what is a throat hit?  You'll know when you feel it!  The throat hit is the sensation in the throat caused by nicotine as it is inhaled.  It ranges from a smooth and satisfying catch as the vapor travels down the throat to an intolerable harshness.  Due to a very broad range of how a throat hit can feel, consumer preferences on both hardware and premium e-liquid play a part on how a throat hit is inevitably felt for the typical smoker.

Two Main Types of Throat Hits

For simplicity's sake, there lies two distinct experiences one looks for in the overall experience of vaping.  The first is a strong throat hit.  A strong throat hit is generally an instantaneous tickling of your throat as the nicotine consumed from your favorite e-liquid interacts with your body.  The typical users that would normally prefer a strong throat hit are former smokers of combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars.  For former smokers that are looking for an effective alternative, most would chase products that promise a stronger throat hit; for a stronger throat hit mimics the feeling of satisfaction your typical cigarette would provide.

The other distinct throat hit would be that of a weak one.  Rather than nicotine interacting with your throat causing the all-too-familiar tickling sensation, vapor is inhaled smoothly directly into your lungs allowing for a mellow and   The feeling is often invited among never-smokers, beginner vapers, and even vaping enthusiasts such as cloud chasers and tricksters.

5 Ways to Achieve the Perfect Throat Hit

1. Nicotine Strength

The most straight-forward recommendation we can give is to simply adjust the nicotine content in your e-liquid.  Nicotine is odorless and tasteless but does tend to overpower the flavor of your e-liquid when served up in higher dosages.   Due to the overpowering of the flavor, higher dosages have been shown to increase throat hit versus consuming e-liquid with lower nicotine.

For smokers that used to smoke a pack per day or more, we'd recommend our Nicotine Salt collection.  Nicotine Salts have become increasingly popular thanks to the likes of manufacturers such as JUUL, PHIX, and our newest  development in collaboration with Cartel Mods, The HIT.  Thanks to technological innovation of hardware coupled with a new way to manufacture premium e-liquid, nicotine salts are a wise choice for those looking to satisfy cravings while also providing that attractive throat hit many of us yearn for.

2. Hardware Manipulation

For those that use devices that offer the ability to adjust either the power setting on your device or the freedom to build a coil, commonly found with rebuildable atomizers, your best bet for increasing (or decreasing) the desired throat hit experience comes down to your own preferences.

It's pretty straightforward.  For a larger throat hit, turn up the power setting on your device or simply build a lower resistance coil on your atomizer.  By vaping at a lower resistance, it'll push more power therefore delivering more vapor into your body.  With more vapor, expect to feel even more of a throat hit, faster.  If you are trying to lower the amount of throat hit consumed, simply lower the power setting or build a higher resistance coil.

3. E-Liquid Flavors

Have you ever considered that your favorite e-liquid flavors would be the leading cause of determining throat hit?  For example, bold dessert flavors such as UNICake delivers a smooth, sweet and flavorful sensation that would more-or-less mimic that of a cake!  Lovers of a weak throat hit would naturally flock to flavors included in our WYTE bottles collection because of this fact.  On the other hand, those looking for a stronger throat hit consistently opt for menthol, citrus, and cinnamon flavors due to its intense elements upon consumption.

4. Airflow

In #2 above, we suggested that hardware manipulation can ultimately shape how your vapor is delivered and therefore dictate the throat hit that is to be experienced.  One point we decided to omit from the hardware manipulation point is that of airflow.  The larger the airflow contained in your atomizer and/or device, the weaker the throat hit.  The reasoning behind this is that as air

interacts with your coils and wicks dripped with your favorite BLVK Unicorn Premium E-Liquid, vapor is delivered in less concentrated dosages, thus making your throat hit weaker.  On the flip side, tightening airflow leaves vapor more concentrated, which gives you a stronger throat hit you might have been craving.

5. Wicking

Do you remember back in the day when e-liquid was more or less a 50/50 or 60/40 VG/PG ratio? And the most technologically advanced pieces of hardware were bulky adjustable voltage devices paired with cartomizers?  The most popular wick at the time was not cotton; it was silica!  The type of wick that effectively holds e-liquid to be vaporized by coils and the heating element found in your device can make or break the throat hit experience.  Let's face it though, not everybody has been vaping as long or as enthusiastically as we have so we'll list off some wick alternatives and the desired throat hit associated with each:

• Silica Wick - The most common wicking material for pre-built and pre-filled atomizers such as BLVK Cartel's HIT Pods.  Silica wicks do not burn so even when you've run out of e-liquid the uncomfortable burning sensation you're feeling is the lack of e-liquid, not the burning of your wick.  The throat hit experienced from silica wicks depends almost entirely on your e-liquid flavor and its respective VG/PG ratio.
• Japanese Organic Cotton - If you've ever used a rebuildable atomizer, you've likely vaped your favorite flavors off Japanese Organic Cotton.  Historically, the throat hit experienced from cotton exudes a smooth throat hit.  Again, this entirely relies on several other factors such as the e-liquid flavor profile, nicotine strength, and hardware manipulation such as airflow and the resistance of your build.
• Stainless-Steel Mesh - Mesh has been around since the days of Genesis-styled atomizers such as the Vicious Ant Kraken and others.  SS-Mesh creates incredible flavor at the expense of vapor production.  As a result, the throat hit often associated with SS-Mesh is on the stronger side.
• Hemp Wick - If you're looking for a very strong throat hit, we'd recommend using hemp wick.  Please note - this is an extreme change compared to the 3 wicks above as most find the throat hit associated with hemp wicks as too harsh, but if you've tried everything else and still aren't happy with your throat hit, give this a try.