There are three things to consider when buying e-liquid, one of the key ingredients to electronic  cigarettes because it provides both the nicotine and the flavor in your e-cig when it’s heated by the e-cigarette’s atomizer.

First is the flavor of the e-juice. Manufacturers spend a lot of time crafting the taste of their liquid for obvious reasons; most offer at least a few different “tobacco” or menthol flavors in order to please the palate of various customers who are accustomed to different brands of regular cigarettes. Many also spend lots of time crafting various fruit, savory or novelty flavors – and lots of people find that testing and trying different flavored e-liquid is a terrific hobby. One thing to look for here is the quality of the product, since some cheaper e-juices (often produced in China) will often have a sour or after-taste.

Next is what’s known as the “throat hit” – the oomph you get when you feel the nicotine in the back of the throat as you inhale. Without a good throat hit, you’ll feel like you’ve inhaled air. Often, e-liquid manufacturers just rely on the nicotine in the juice to provide the hit; in recent years, though, some have found the secret to creating a strong throat hit without needing to only rely on nicotine, a benefit for those using light or no-nicotine e-cigs.

One of the most obvious ways to judge e juice is by the amount of vapor you get when you exhale. The closer it resembles “real” smoke, the more real the experience – and the quality of the e-juice is often the key to getting strong vapor clouds. We often refer to the “smoke ring” test – good e-liquid will produce enough thick vapor to allow you to blow several big, thick smoke rings.

The most obvious way to judge is by trying various brands and flavors – but what do you do when you’re just starting out and looking for an e-juice supplier? We’ve found that the number one predictor of great e-liquid is where it’s produced; companies that manufacture their own liquid in the United States are most likely to have quality-controlled labs, well-trained scientists and top-motch ingredients. Of course, you may find that your search for interesting and new flavors takes you to overseas producers, and that’s where experientation and fun can come into play – and while we personally prefer American manufacturers for our primary vaping, we’ve had many good experiences with foreign-made e-cigarette flavors as well. As with any purchase, caveat emptor.