Why Can’t I Taste My E-juice Anymore?

Your favorite e-juice you’ve vaped that delicious stuff thousands of times, but now it suddenly starts to taste… different. Muted. Dull. Maybe even gross.

What’s going on?

Sounds like you’ve got yourself a serious case of vaper’s tongue.

Wait, what?

Vaper’s tongue is a form of olfactory fatigue related to vaping the same e-liquid flavor consistently over a period of time, making flavors that were once vibrant and robust taste mediocre or downright foul.

Even after replacing your coil or rinsing your tank, vaper’s tongue often continues, leaving you confused and dissatisfied.

But what causes this to happen? Let’s take a look.

Reasons for Vaper’s Tongue

Too much of a good thing

You know when you walk into someone else’s home and it has a distinct smell?

Well, guess what? Your home has one too, you’ve just been around it so often that your brain has pushed the smell aside so that it can focus on more important things.

The same thing happens with our sense of taste. Once we’ve tasted a flavor so many times over a short period, our taste buds desensitize, and the flavor is perceived as weaker or just different.

Solution: Switch up your e-liquid! Rotate between different flavor palates more often. Try a more distinct flavor like menthol. Eat palate cleansers, like pickled ginger or unsalted crackers.

Dehydration

Propylene glycol, one of the main ingredients contained in e-liquid, is a known humectant, meaning that it absorbs moisture from anything around it.

When you vape, it attracts moisture from your mouth, tongue, and throat, leaving them dry and contributing to the overall dehydration of your body.

Dehydration can cause a loss of sensitivity of your taste buds, decreasing your ability to taste e-liquid.

Solution: Drink more water, and take small sips often while vaping to combat dry mouth and throat.

Damaged Taste Buds

Have you ever noticed a difference in your ability to taste after burning your tongue or eating extra spicy food?

This is because these activities contribute to damage of the taste buds, making certain parts of your tongue unable to distinguish flavors and dampening taste overall.

Drinking, smoking, and taking certain medications can also cause temporary damage to your tongue, leading to a decrease in tasting ability.

Sustaining consistent taste bud damage can lead to recurrent vaper’s tongue.

Solution: Take care of your tongue! Try to avoid damaging your mouth as much as possible. Brush your tongue thoroughly at least twice a day to remove any residue that might obstruct your taste buds.

Colds & Flus

Viruses and bacterial infections can play a major role in preventing full tasting ability.

Respiratory illnesses cause mucus to thicken, ultimately congesting your sinuses and nasal passageway.

Your sense of smell makes up the majority of how you perceive taste, so when you’re not able to detect smells, you’re also left with a limited sense of taste.

Solution: Get those sinuses clear! Try inhaling warm steam or using a nasal spray. Although it might be tempting, don’t blow your nose too often.

This can make your sinuses inflamed, further blocking your nasal passages. You may want to stay away from vaping completely to speed up your recovery process.