Does Vaping Feel the Same as Smoking Traditional Cigarettes?

Does vaping feel the same as smoking real cigarettes? Not exactly!

First, in terms of aerosol form, real cigarettes produce solid particles, while e-cigarettes produce liquid particles. That means the flavor of e-cigarettes spreads in the mouth faster, because solid particles need time to dissolve, while liquid particles do not, or they dissolve very quickly.

Also, real cigarettes operate at temperatures above 800°C to 1000°C, while e-cigarettes are around 180°C to 220°C.

So e-cigarettes mostly vaporize and aerosolize e-liquid without changing its chemical structure. In other words, most of the process is physical, while real cigarettes involve combustion and oxidation, which are mostly chemical reactions and produce thousands of substances.

So in terms of flavor complexity, real cigarettes are more complex. In addition, an important source of aroma in real cigarettes—tobacco tar—is not present in e-cigarettes.

Therefore, e-cigarettes can only simulate or come close to the feel of real cigarettes, not fully match it. However, e-cigarettes do contain some of the active ingredient found in real cigarettes: nicotine.

So e-cigarettes and real cigarettes are similar in terms of suppressing cravings. They contain no tar, reduce nicotine cravings, and are healthier than real cigarettes.

Of course, don’t compare them with fresh air. E-cigarettes are not harmless, but they are much less harmful than real cigarettes. The best option is to quit smoking and not use anything at all.

If you can’t, you can try e-cigarettes. Give yourself a chance to make friends with health.