Vaping glossary

The world of e-cigarettes and vaping can be quite intimidating for people are completely new to the devices and community. What’s more, there’s enough vaping terminology flying around to make anyone’s head spin. That’s why we’ve put together this glossary full of the most important e-cig and vaping-related terms, and before you know it you’ll be an expert too!

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All-Day Vape
An All-Day Vape refers to a flavour that someone would vape for a longer period of time. Many vapers like to switch the flavour of e-liquid throughout the day. However, some vapers may only like these flavours for a few vaping sessions and have others that they enjoy vaping for longer, and the latter of these is what’s called an All-Day Vape.

Analog
An analog refers to a traditional tobacco-based cigarette and is used within the vaping community to create a distinction between traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes which are more technologically advanced.

Battery
Also called a rechargeable device, all e-cigarettes are powered using batteries, most of which are rechargeable. The size of the battery will affect how long the e-cigarette can be used for which leads some vapers to opt for larger batteries.

Cartomiser
Cartomisers are essentially the same as clearomisers, but a little older. They usually don’t feature any clear plastic pane, so you can’t monitor your e-liquid level. They also use a slightly different mechanism to send the e-liquid to the coil. Rather than a silica wick, cartomisers use a polyfill substance surrounding the coil to absorb the liquid and send it to the coil to be heated and vaporized.

Cartridge
A cartridge is a pre-filled container of e-liquid that can be attached to a Closed System e-cigarette and vaped instantly. Cartridges cannot be refilled themselves but are easier to transport than e-liquid bottles as there is less chance of spilling. Cartridges are available in a variety of flavours and strengths, and as the mouthpiece is contained within the tank itself, switching flavours with tank will not cause Flavour Ghosting as is the case with Open System e-cigs.

Charger
The device used to recharge e-cigarette batteries once they have run out. Chargers often come in the form of USB adapters but are also available with adaptors for mains sockets.

Clearomiser
The clearomiser is the part of the e-cigarette that holds e-liquid. It can be unscrewed from the battery and refilled with e-liquid when needed. Clearomisers have a clear plastic pane (hence their name), allowing you to see the amount of e-liquid you have left. blu’s clearomisers use silica wicks to transport the e-liquid to the coil for it to be heated and vaporized.

Closed System E-Cigarette
Sometimes referred to as cig-a-likes, Closed System e-cigarettes use cartridges which come ready-filled with e-liquid and screw directly onto the e-cig battery. Unlike with Open System e-cigarettes, there is no need to manually refill the e-liquid.

Cloud Chasing
As vaping has grown, so too has Vaping culture. This has given rise to activities such as Cloud Chasing. Cloud Chasing is the act of exhaling as big and voluminous clouds of vape as possible, often done as part of a competition at vaping events and shops.

Coil
Also referred to as the atomiser, the component of the e-cigarette that turns the e-liquid into vapour by heating it. The coil is found in the centre of the clearomiser or cartridge.

Draw
A draw is a term used to refer to the inhalation of vapour. Depending on personal preferences, different vapers will take longer or shorter draws, and there are also two different methods of inhaling: mouth hits and lung hits. With mouth hits the vapour is inhaled and held in the mouth and with ling hits the vapour is inhaled directly into the lungs.

E-Cigarette
Also known as electronic cigarettes, e-cigs, vaporizers or cig-a-likes, a device used to inhale flavoured vapour that can sometimes contain nicotine. E-cigarettes come in many different forms and are also available with different flavours.

E-Liquid
Sometimes called e-juice or simply liquid, this is the liquid which is converted into vapour before it is inhaled. E-liquid comes in a wide variety of flavors and nicotine strengths. There are also different types of e-liquid: PG and VG.

EUTPD
The EUTPD is the legislation introduced affecting member states of the European Union, and it currently affects the way that e-cigarettes are bought, sold and produced.

Flavour
E-liquid comes in a variety of different flavours, from more traditional tastes like Tobacco and Menthol e-liquid to newer flavours such as Strawberry Mint and Blueberry. The choice available to vapers enables everyone to find an e-liquid that suits them.

Flavour Ghosting
When a vaper switches e-liquids, the flavour from the previous e-liquid can sometimes still be tasted with the newer flavour, and this is called Flavour Ghosting. To avoid this mixing of flavours, it is recommended that vapers either have separate clearomisers for different e-liquid flavours or thoroughly clean the clearomiser before making the switch.

Flooding
When refilling the clearomiser, e-liquid can sometimes find its way into the centre tubing, which in turn can mean it gets into the mouthpiece. This is called flooding, and the best way to avoid it is by taking care not to get any e-liquid in the centre tubing and ensuring the clearomiser isn’t overfilled.

Hon Lik
The inventor of the modern e-cigarette, Hon Lik’s pioneering work resulted in the creation of the first modern e-cig back in 2004. Hon Lik continues to work closely with Fontem Ventures, the owners of blu, to create innovative products and advise on future works.

mAh
An amp-hour refers to the the amount of charge transferred with a steady current of one amp for an hour. mAh, which stands for milliamp-hour and is more commonly referenced in relation to e-cigarettes, is one-thousandth of an amp-hour. mAh is used to give e-cigarette users an idea of how powerful a battery but, despite the common misconception, mAh does not denote the capacity of a battery.

Mods
Also called Advanced Personal Vaporizers (APVs), these e-cigarettes are used by more advanced vapers and can be personalised in terms of their appearance and power settings.

Mouthpiece
Sometimes referred to as the driptip, the vapour is inhaled through the mouthpiece. On Open System e-cigs such as the blu PROTM, the mouthpiece is removed before refilling the clearomizer. Some other e-cigs have the mouthpiece directly built into the tank.

Nicotine Strength
The amount of nicotine in e-liquid is given as a percentage, millilitres or milligrams. When the nicotine amount in an e-liquid is expressed in either millilitres or milligrams, it is usually implied that this is in a 100ml/mg measure of e-liquid. Therefore an e-liquid said to be 1.6mg in nicotine strength would contain 1.6% nicotine with the remaining 98.4% being made up from the other ingredients.

Ohm
Ohms measure resistance, and the lower the resistance the more electricity will flow through the device. The ohm level can be adjusted on some mods to affect the way the device works.

Open System E-Cigarette
Sometimes called vape pens, Open System e-cigarettes have a clearomiser which is filled with e-liquid manually. The e-cigarette can be disassembled to refill the e-liquid whenever it runs out.

Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol (PG) is also used in the production of food and plastics, amongst others, and is more commonly used than Vegetable Glycerin in the production of e-liquid. PG is generally thought to provide vapers with a better throat hit, offers a greater flavor intensity, and may clog up e-cigarettes less than Vegetable Glycerin.

Throat Hit
The sensation felt at the back of the throat when inhaling vapour. Some e-cigarette users choose their e-liquids based on throat hit, be this for a stronger or weaker sensation.

Vaping
The act of inhaling and exhaling vapour from an electronic cigarette. Vaping can also refer to the general practice of using e-cigarettes as well as the specific act of inhaling and exhaling vapor.

Vaping Etiquette
The unwritten laws that every responsible vaper looks to vape by. Whilst you won’t be doing anything illegal by not following these rules, these general laws are still thought to be a good idea in the vaping community.

Vaper
The name given to e-cigarette users. The term can refer to someone who considers themselves to be a long-time user or can also refer to an individual in the act of vaping.

Vapour
The exhalation that comes from drawing on an e-cigarette, vapor is essentially made up of small water droplets that evaporate shortly after being exhaled. Vapour can either be inhaled into the mouth and absorbed through the cheeks or directly inhaled into the lungs.

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Vaper’s Tongue
As the act of vaping draws moisture from the mouth, vapers can often be left with a dry sensation on the tongue after vaping for a period of time. This is called Vaper’s Tongue and can be alleviated by drinking a cold glass of water or orange juice.

Vegetable Glycerin
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is sweeter than Propylene Glycol, resulting in the flavour of e-liquids that use it as a base to be slightly affected. It’s thicker than Propylene Glycol, which may mean it can clog up the internal machinery of your e-cigarette, if the device isn’t properly maintained. However, it’s judged to provide thicker plumes of vape than Propylene Glycol.

Wick
The wick absorb and then holds the e-liquid from the clearomiser. They are often made from either fabric or cotton, and blu’s wicks are partially made from silica.