Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt? 5 Fixes to Prevent Burnt Hits

There are few things worse than going in for a vape and getting that horrible dry, acrid taste at the back of your throat. It is unpleasant, it makes you cough, and if you have no idea what caused it, it is pretty confusing too. A burnt hit almost never means your device is done for.

Most of the time there is a clear reason it happened. Once you know what to look for, it is easy to fix and easier to stop from happening again. This guide goes through the main causes and what to do about each one.

Quick Fix Checklist:

• Is your tank low? Top it up immediately.
• Did you just change the coil? Let it sit for 10 minutes to saturate.
• Is your wattage too high? Dial it down to the coil's recommended range.
• Chain vaping? Give it 20 seconds between puffs.
• Still tastes bad? The cotton is likely scorched and the coil needs replacing

What Is Actually Happening When You Get a Burnt Hit?

When you get a burnt taste from your vape, it comes down to one thing. The cotton wick inside your coil has either dried out or scorched. Normally the coil heats the e-liquid soaked into that cotton and turns it into vapour. When the cotton is not properly saturated, the coil heats dry cotton instead. That is where the awful burnt flavour comes from.

Once cotton has been burnt, it tends to hold onto that taste even after you refill. A coil that has been properly scorched usually needs replacing rather than saving. In some cases the burnt taste is just an early sign the wick is getting too dry, and you can sort it by changing how you vape before it gets worse.

5 Reasons Your Vape Tastes Burnt and How to Fix Each One

1. You Did Not Prime Your New Coil

This is probably the most common reason people get a burnt taste, particularly when they have just put in a fresh coil. A brand new coil has completely dry cotton inside. If you install it, fill the tank, and start vaping straight away, the cotton has not had time to absorb any liquid. The coil heats dry cotton and burns it. Sometimes this happens on the very first puff, and that damage tends to stick around even after you top up.

Priming just means soaking the wick before you fire it. It takes a few minutes but it makes a real difference to how the coil performs and how long it lasts.

How to prime your coil properly:

• Drip two or three drops of e-liquid directly onto the exposed cotton holes on the side of the coil before installing it
• Fill your tank, then leave it to sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes before your first puff
• Take a few gentle primer puffs without pressing the fire button to draw liquid into the cotton. Do not do this more than five times or you risk pulling liquid into your mouth
• Start at the lower end of the coil's recommended wattage range for the first few puffs, then work up gradually

2. Your Tank Is Running Low on E-Liquid

This one catches a lot of people out. The wicking holes on the side of your coil need to stay submerged in e-liquid so the cotton stays properly saturated. When the liquid level drops too low, those holes are no longer covered. You take a puff, the coil fires, and there is not enough liquid to vaporise. So it burns the cotton instead.

Try to keep your tank at least a quarter full at all times. Running dry is one of the quickest ways to burn through a coil. If you find yourself topping up all the time, the issue is sometimes nicotine strength rather than how much you are vaping. You can explore nicotine salt e-liquids on our site if you want to try something a bit stronger.

Quick fixes:

• Check your e-liquid level before every session
• Top up when it gets down to around a quarter tank
• Never let it run completely empty while the device is switched on

3. You Are Using the Wrong E-Liquid for Your Device

Not all e-liquids work with all devices, and using the wrong one is a common cause of burnt hits that people do not always connect straight away. E-liquids come in different VG/PG ratios. VG (vegetable glycerine) is the thick component that produces vapour clouds. PG (propylene glycol) is the thinner one that carries most of the flavour and nicotine.

If you use a high-VG liquid in a device with small wicking ports, like a pen-style kit or a pod system, the liquid is often too thick to flow through quickly enough to keep the wick saturated. The coil fires, the liquid cannot replenish fast enough, and you get a dry hit. Using a very thin, high-PG liquid in a sub-ohm tank can cause flooding and residue buildup over time, which also causes problems.

A rough guide to ratios:

• Pod kits and mouth-to-lung devices: 50/50 or 60/40 blends work best
• Sub-ohm tanks and direct-to-lung devices: 70/30 VG/PG or higher is usually fine
• If your device came with guidance on e-liquid compatibility, follow it as a starting point

4. Chain Vaping Too Quickly

Chain vaping means taking puff after puff with barely a pause between them. Every time you draw, some of the e-liquid soaked into the wick gets vaporised. The cotton needs a few seconds to re-absorb more liquid from the tank before it is ready again. If you fire too soon, the wick is still partially dry and you risk a burnt hit.

This is a habit a lot of people pick up when they first switch from cigarettes. Giving the wick even 15 to 30 seconds between draws makes a real difference. It keeps the cotton properly saturated and the coil lasts longer too.

How to fix it:

• Leave at least 15 to 30 seconds between puffs
• If burnt hits keep happening during a session, put the device down for a minute or two
• A higher nicotine strength can help if you are puffing constantly just to get enough satisfaction

5. Your Wattage Is Set Too High

Every coil has a recommended wattage range, usually printed on the side of the coil itself. Going above that range pushes more heat through the coil than it is built to handle. The e-liquid vaporises faster than the wick can replace it, and you end up burning the dry cotton.

Running at high wattage also wears the coil out much faster, so you go through them more quickly than you need to. Always start at the lower end of the range, especially with a new coil, and work up gradually. If you want bigger clouds or a warmer hit, find a coil that is actually rated for higher power rather than pushing a standard one past its limit.

How to check:

• Look for the wattage range printed on your coil, for example 15W to 30W
• Start at the lower end and increase slowly
• If you have a variable wattage device, turn it down a bit and see if the burnt taste clears

Other Things That Can Cause a Burnt Taste

Heavily sweetened e-liquids, particularly dessert and bakery flavours, leave a sticky residue on the coil over time called coil gunk. The sweeteners in them do not fully vaporise when heated. Instead they caramelise and slowly clog the wicking holes. You start to get a darker, slightly burnt taste that gets worse the longer you leave it.

Coils also just wear out. Most last one to two weeks with regular use, though sweet and high-VG liquids shorten that. If you notice reduced flavour, a faint burnt taste with a full tank, or dark residue building up, it is time for a new coil. You can find replacement coils for your device on our website. Rinsing the tank with warm water between changes helps keep things cleaner. Never use soap or cleaning products inside the tank.

A Few Extra Habits Worth Getting Into

Store your device upright when you are not using it, and clean the tank properly each time you change coils. Keeping it upright means the e-liquid stays sitting against the wicking holes, which stops the cotton drying out between sessions. Cleaning the tank stops residue from your previous e-liquid sitting there and affecting the flavour or condition of your fresh coil. Rinse with warm water, leave it to dry completely, then put it back together. Neither habit takes long but both make a decent difference to how long your coils last and how your vape tastes day to day.

Rotating between lighter and sweeter flavours rather than using heavy dessert liquids all the time is easier on your coils in general. If you mostly vape sweet flavours, swapping in a menthol or a simple fruit option every now and then slows down gunk buildup. Fog Fathers has a decent mix of shortfills, salts and 10ml e-liquids across both lighter and sweeter profiles if you want to mix things up.

Sort It Out and Get Back to Proper Flavour

A burnt hit is annoying but it is rarely a big deal. Prime your coils before use, keep your tank topped up, match your e-liquid to your device, give yourself a few seconds between puffs, and stay within your coil's wattage range. Do those five things and burnt hits will happen far less often.

If you are still having trouble or want to find coils and e-liquids that suit your setup better, Fog Fathers carries a solid range of replacement coils and premium e-liquids to help you get back to a great vaping experience.