Welcome to the Absolute Vape E Liquid Guide. When it comes to vaping, we have guides for pretty much everything you could need to know. If you get stuck on any of the terms, take a look at our Jargon Buster but to get you started though we thought we’d fill you in on everything you could want to know regarding our amazing E Liquid collection (and E Liquids in general). So sit back, grab your vape, and let’s get to it!

E liquid guide

What is E Liquid?

E Liquid is a substance created by mixing VG (Vegetable Glycerine), PG (Propylene Glycol) and food grade flavourings. Depending on your choice, your E Liquid may also contain nicotine. This mixture is then put into a vape tank which contains a coil, inside of which is a wicking material (usually cotton). The cotton soaks up the E Liquid and when heated, produces a vapour which can be inhaled.

Does E Liquid Expire?

Technically, no. The ingredients in E Liquid (VG, PG and Nicotine) have an established ‘Shelf Life’ of 2 years. This is simply a rough guide as to how long the ingredients last before beginning to break down. This means an arbitrary expiration date must be added to the bottle to inform the consumer of the advised maximum lifespan, but that date isn’t the day your E Liquid is suddenly un-vapable. 

VG, PG, flavourings and nicotine do not “go off”, but over time you might notice the liquid becomes discoloured or slightly thicker. This is due to the nicotine content breaking down in the E Liquid, essentially making it weaker in terms of nicotine strength. The colour may be unpleasant to look at, but it has no negative impact on the E Liquid taste or safety.

What Sizes Do E Liquids Come In?

Nicotine-containing E Liquids can only be sold in 10ml bottles due to TPD regulations, but you can buy nicotine-free Shortfill E Liquids in much larger quantities and simply add your own nicotine. We stock nicotine free E Liquids in 10ml, 50ml and 100ml options. If you want nicotine with your E Liquid, we stock 10ml, 60ml, 100ml and 120ml variations.

What are E Liquid Strengths?

The strength of an E Liquid refers to its nicotine content. Strengths vary with each manufacturer, but the standard strengths you can expect to find are 3mg, 6mg, 10mg, 12mg, 18mg and 20mg. We stock Shortfill bottles in either 3mg or 6mg strength. We also stock a selection of 10ml bottles in 3mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg. If you prefer a high nicotine dosage without any throat hit, our 10ml Ferocious Salts range comes in either 10mg or 20mg strength.

Does All E Liquid Contain Nicotine?

No, you can buy 0mg E Liquid that doesn’t contain nicotine. It’s important to bear in mind that most nicotine-free E Liquids are made to be mixed with nicotine, which means they’re concentrated (stronger than usual) so when you add the Nicotine Shots to the mix, you don’t end up diluting the flavour.

This means unfortunately that most people who buy a 0mg Shortfill to use without nicotine get an overpowered flavour, this is why we made sure our 0mg E Liquids are made with the right level of flavour. So if you buy an E Liquid with or without nicotine from Vapoholic, you can rest assured your flavour profile has been carefully balanced.

Can I Use Any E Liquid With Any Vape?

Technically, yes. But you really shouldn’t. As stated above, E Liquid ratios are made for specific reasons and therefore have different levels of viscosity (thickness). Thicker E Liquids require more power to vaporise, that’s why 70/30 E Liquids are best suited to Sub Ohm Vape Kits. The low resistance of the Sub Ohm (below 1ohm) coil allows more power to pass through it, allowing the thicker VG to be vaporised. If you were to add 70/30 E Liquid to a coil above 1ohm, the coil wouldn’t get hot enough to vaporise all the E Liquid, leading to your coil burning out faster.

On the flip side, 50/50 E Liquid is designed for lower powered devices with coils that have a resistance above 1 ohm. The high resistance of the Plus Ohm coil stops the coil from getting too hot, meaning the thinner PG gets vaporised correctly. If you were to use a 50/50 E Liquid with a Sub Ohm coil, the high power would mean the E Liquid is vaporised too quickly, leading to your coil burning out faster.

Which E Liquid To Buy?

This depends entirely on what kind of vaper you are. Do you want a harsher feeling when you inhale to mimic a cigarette? You’ll want our 50/50 E Liquid, so you’ll need a Starter Kit, Vape Pen or POD System. Are you more interested in high power and large clouds? You’ll be looking for our 70/30 E Liquid, which you’d want to use in a Sub Ohm device.

Do you need a high nicotine dosage but don’t want a throat hit? Nic Salts are the right choice for you. Our pre-mixed Nic Salts come in a 50/50 mix, or we have Nic Salt Shots in either 50/50 or 70/30, so you can use any E Liquid Mix that matches your current coil and tank setup. If you’re still unsure, have a look at our ‘Pick Your E Liquid Flavour‘ guide for more details.

What are E Liquid Mixes/Ratios?

An E Liquid mix (or ratio) refers to the quantity of the two main ingredients, VG and PG. VG is a thick substance which produces larger clouds of vapour when you exhale, while PG is a thin substance which produces better flavour. The ratio of these ingredients is how E Liquids are categorised. For example, High VG E Liquid is also known as 70/30, which means it contains 70% VG and 30% PG. 50/50 E Liquid, as the name suggests, contains an equal amount of VG and PG essentially giving you the best of both worlds.

How Do I Store My E Liquid?

As E Liquids are made with perishable consumable ingredients, they should be stored in a cool, dry environment. Do not store your E Liquid in direct sunlight or in places that get too warm, or extremely cold places. The change in temperature could cause the ingredients in the E Liquid to break down faster and become “gloopy”.

What is E Liquid Steeping?

Have you ever got a Shortfill bottle, added some nicotine, then noticed a few days later that the taste has improved? This is the Steeping effect.

Steeping is simply when you add a Nic Shot to your E Liquid and leave it for a while to mix properly for a better flavour. Once you’ve added your Nic Shot to your Shortfill bottle, you can simply shake and vape straight away. To steep your E Liquid, simply leave it in a cool and dry place for 24 hours to allow the nicotine to mix properly with the E Liquid.

Once the nicotine has blended fully with the E Liquid, you’ll be left with a much more flavoursome vaping experience. So while you don’t technically need to leave your Shortfills to steep, if you give it a try then you’ll understand why!

Does E Liquid Cause Popcorn Lung?

In a word, no. There is a lot more to the story than a single word answer of course, so take a look at our Health & Vaping Guide if you’d like more information on this (plus all other vaping related health questions you could need to know). In summary though, Popcorn Lung was caused by a specific flavouring in American E Liquids which has never been used in the manufacturing of E Liquids in the UK/EU. The ingredient to blame has now been banned from use in American E Liquids too.