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Everyone who uses vape can experience vaper's tongue, which usually strikes with absolutely no prior warning. Your system will be shaken up when you can suddenly no longer taste your favourite vape e-juice in the UK, either little by little or in a sudden snap. The most important thing to know, however, is that vaper's tongue is not a permanent condition. While you have it, no matter what flavour you use, no matter how much you vape, the taste will end up dissipating.

What does it mean to have Vaper's Tongue?

Whether you're new to vaping or you've amassed a collection of vape kits, you're susceptible to this phenomenon. There is no singular thing that causes it, either; there are several. 'Vaper's tongue' as a term started to be used in casual discussions amongst vapers because it gave off the feeling of a layer being formed on one's tongue. The "layer" ended up blocking one's ability to enjoy e-juices’ flavours. 

Any vaper will tell you that there's always a flavour they keep going back to above the rest. Someone that is partial to witch e-liquid, for example, has every right to be concerned when it suddenly loses taste.

Will adding more juice or adjusting nicotine levels address it?

The short answer to that is no. Addressing vaper's tongue through more nicotine or more e-liquid will do nothing, whether you're using a vape pen or a vape mod. 

So, what's going on here?

There's actually a science behind the onset of vaper's tongue. It has everything to do with our palate being activated through one of the five main receptors—bitter, salt, sour, sweet and umami (typically known as savoury).

Depending on the flavour of the e-liquids, those senses are triggered one way or another. The only thing that ends up hindering that is when vaper's tongue attacks. 

You've probably seen the little bumps on your tongue; the term for those is papillae. Each one has taste buds in the hundreds, which means that with all the papillae in your mouth, you can have up to a whopping 10,000 taste buds. This is why your system experiences a mild shock when taste temporarily vanishes.

However, despite the term, your nose also plays a role in whether or not you'll be able to taste e-juices. It's the olfactory sense at play here, that's generally split into two sections. While the main system recognises any substances in the air, the accessory system takes on fluid-phase stimuli. Taste and smell complement each other and work well to make the most of aromas and food. 

There are four disorders involving smell that can stem from issues like blockages to paths between your brain and olfactory. We will break this down further later on.

Conclusion

Vaper's tongue is a phenomenon that occurs whether you're a casual vaper or a more seasoned one. It shocks the system when all taste, no matter how strong the flavour you usually vape is, temporarily disappears. There's actually science behind it and ways to address it, however. Watch this space for more.

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