What is an E-Cigarette? 

E-Cigarettes, also known as "PVs" (Personal Vaporizers) or simply a 'vape' are devices used to simulate the experience of smoking. But, you aren't actually 'smoking' instead it's vapor much like your breath in the cold winter air. This vapor does not contain arsenic, carbon monoxide, benzene or any of the thousands of chemicals associated with normal cigarettes.

E-Cigarettes come in many different sizes and shapes, from the very small ones trying to replicate the exact size and dimension of a cigarette - often referred to as "cig-a-likes" to the medium 'Pen' sized, and even larger. Size is almost always an indicator to how much battery life the e-cigarette will have, cig-a-likes for example may seem great at first glance due to their small inconspicuous nature, but often suffer in performance while constantly needing to be re-charged. Larger E-Cigarettes can last many days before you need to re-charge but may feel too big or unwieldy for the user. In the end it's mainly personal preference.

When you use a E-Cig you eliminate many of the social negatives of smoking. You can have many different flavors, smell great, spend way less money and feel great knowing you're a part of the alternative.

How do they work?

E-Cigarettes have basic universal components:

• Battery: The batteries used in E-Cigarettes are lithium-ion batteries, these have different capacities of power over time known as 'mAhs' -- Milliamp per Hour. A cig-a-like may have 90mAh, lasting about an hour or two before you'd need to charge it. This is why many of them come with cases that house separate batteries to charge it on the go. While the typical minimum for 'Pen sized' E-Cigarettes is 650mAh, which can last a heavy vaper 6-8 hours, but a light vaper an entire day! With bigger E-Cigarettes netting up to 3400mAh, many days of vape.
• Tank: Referred to as "Tanks" generally, clearomizers and cartomizers are what hold the E-Liquid, you fill this up with E-Juice which feeds it into the...
• Coil Head: This is the 'engine' of the E-cigarettes that produces the vapor that you inhale. A coil head consists of wicks wrapped in a coil that heats the E-Juice into vapor!
• Mouthpiece: Also known as a 'drip tip' this is the part that touches your lips, the 'butt' of the cigarette. These come in many different sizes/styles and are all about preference and comfort.

Put these all together and you have a constructed E-Cigarette, a battery to power the coil which vaporizes the E-Juice in the tank.

What is E-Juice/E-Liquid?

E-Juice is the substance that is vaporized and inhaled when you use an e-cigarette, it is comprised four main ingredients:

Vegetable Glycerin - Also known as VG, Vegetable Glycerin is a carbohydrate/sugar derived from plant oils, it's used in cosmetic items such as face creams, soap, and as a sweetener. VG can be found in a lot of the items in your household, especially food products as it's used often as a food additive. It's deemed safe for consumption by Health Canada and is not flagged by the CEPA for further attention. 

Propylene Glycol - Also known as PG, is a clear, odourless, tasteless liquid. PG along with VG make up the base liquid component of E-Juice, they hold the flavor extract and nicotine and act as a catalyst for vaporization. PG in particular is often used to blend ingredients together that won't normally blend well. PG like VG has countless uses and it is recognized as safe for use in foods, cosmetics and medicines. PG hasn't caused any health concern for the many decades we've used it.

Nicotine - One of the primary reasons people choose to use electronic cigarettes as an alternative to smoking is for their nicotine fix. It is no secret that being a long term smoker causes you to become physically addicted to nicotine. People looking to find an alternative often turn to electronic cigarettes to escape the negative effects of traditional cigarettes while retaining the ability to ingest nicotine in a familiar manner. Here is a study on the long term effects of inhaled nicotine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8614291

Flavor Extract - All of our flavor extracts are USP Kosher Grade. Our flavor is domestic and is not imported from overseas, so they are subject to a higher standard of quality control. These flavors are often used to supplement food in the hospitality industry. Our flavours do not contain any Diacetyl, the vast majority of our flavours do not contain Acetoin however some with cream tones contain trace amounts of Acetoin. If you are concerned about not having any Acetoin in your liquid avoid buying any flavours with a cream profile. Until a substitute with comparable flavour presents itself stick to fruits, candies, tobaccos, and menthols which are all Acetoin free.

My vapor tastes burnt / doesn't have any taste?

Vapor tasting burnt or 'off' is often a good sign that the coil you're currently using is burnt out/worn out. Coils typically last around 2-3 weeks, sometimes 4 weeks before you find that you need to switch it out for a new one. To change your coil simply unscrew your clearomizer as if you're going to add some E-Liquid and pull or unscrew the coil. Then just replace it with a new one in the same fashion. If your tank is full you might want to rinse it out first. 

Should I clean my clearomizer and how?

Cleaning your clearomizer in between flavours isn't necessary, but if you don't want to mix your flavors together then you'll want to. It's quite easy to clean your clearomizer out, simply unscrew it as if you were going to fill it with E-Liquid, then rinse it out under a tap, and dry it thoroughly with paper towel. Dabbing the wicks with paper towel will draw out moisture allowing it to vape properly. After drying it off as best as you can, put it back onto your battery and 'fire' it a few times without any E-Liquid to vaporize any water left in it, then simply refill and enjoy. The first few minutes may seem lackluster, this is your coil working out any remaining water.

My throat gets irritated when I vape? It seems harsh?

If you're absolutely new to e cigs, you may not have expected it to simulate cigarettes so candidly! Just like the first time you tried a cigarette or similar, it will definitely give you a throat hit, the intensity of which depends on the strength of nicotine you're currently using. For example vaping 0mg nicotine will provide very little of any throat hit sensation whereas you'd need to be a grizzled war vet to rough out 30mg strength... or maybe just a very heavy smoker :) Luckily! You get used to it very quickly, it is normal for someone starting at 18mg to be used to it after the first day or two. 

Which strength is right for me?

The general rule of thumb

• 0mg - No nicotine, simply habit stimulation
• 3mg - A small hint of nicotine
• 6mg - Extra Light Cigarette smoker, 2-3 a day.
• 12mg - Light Cigarette smoker, 5-10 a day.
• 18mg - Your pack a day smoker wants to start here