Blue raspberry and other blue vape flavours: what blue actually tastes like

Blue raspberry is a flavour invention. It was developed for sweets and frozen drinks in the United States in the mid-20th century, and the bright blue colour was chosen largely so it stood out from the red cherry and strawberry flavours already on shelves. The taste is a sharper, sweeter, more sweets-like take on raspberry.

In a vape, that means a bold, sweet-sour flavour with a candy edge, rather than the perfumed tartness of fresh raspberry. If you liked blue slushes or blue sweets, you already know the taste.

Browse the full blue raspberry range to see how many ways brands have taken it.

The word blue in a flavour name is not always blue raspberry. It can mean several different things:

• Blue raspberry or blue razz: the classic sweets flavour.
• Blueberry: a real fruit, soft and jammy, with its own guide in our berry section.
• Blue razz lemonade: blue raspberry with lemonade fizz, such as the Elfliq Blue Razz Lemonade.
• Blue sweets blends: blue raspberry, blueberry and raspberry together, like the Seriously Fruity Blue Razz Berry.
• Blue menthol: blue raspberry with a cold finish.

When in doubt, check the listed flavours on the product rather than trusting the name.

Blue raspberry grew up in bar-style vapes, so it feels most natural in a mouth-to-lung pod filled with a 50/50 nic salt. The tight draw keeps the sweet-sour balance sharp.

Blue sweets blends and blue slush styles also come as 70/30 shortfills for sub-ohm tanks, where they turn into big, sweet clouds. Because they are so sweet, start at the bottom of your coil's wattage range: overheating caramelises the sweetener quickly and you will taste it.

Nicotine is addictive, and a bold flavour does not change how strong a liquid is. Choose your strength to suit your device.

Blue raspberry sits firmly in the sweets camp, and sweets-style liquids are usually sweetened more heavily than realistic fruit. That sweetener caramelises on the coil, turning the cotton brown and the flavour muddy.

If blue is your daily vape, plan on changing coils or pods more often than someone vaping menthol or citrus. It is not a fault, just the trade-off for that bold, sugary taste. Blue menthol styles sometimes last a little longer, because the cooling carries more of the flavour.

These habits will stretch every coil further without giving up your favourite flavour.

Blue raspberry confuses people more than any other flavour name, mostly because it sounds like a fruit. The truth is simpler: it is a flavour built for sweets and drinks, and vaping borrowed it. That is why it tastes bolder and sweeter than any raspberry you have eaten.

The other thing that catches people out is assuming every blue liquid tastes the same. Brands lean in different directions: some go sour and tangy, some go sweet and syrupy, and some blend in blueberry for a softer finish. Trying two or three is the quickest way to find the one you like. Tap the cards to bust the rest.

Blue raspberry is already sweet and bold, so the best partners add sharpness, fizz or cold:

• Lemonade: the classic, fizzy and sharp.
• Sour notes: a tangy coating like sour sweets.
• Menthol or ice: cuts through the sugar.
• Blueberry and raspberry: builds a fuller berry body.
• Cherry: a red and blue sweets mix.

Avoid stacking blue raspberry with other very sweet partners such as candy floss or bubblegum unless you want a seriously sugary vape that will also flatten coils quickly. If you prefer real berries to sweets-style blue, our berry guide covers the natural side of the family, from soft blueberry to sharp blackcurrant.