Custard and dessert vapes: rich, creamy and worth the coil cost

A good custard liquid is thick, smooth and eggy-rich, with vanilla at its heart. It feels heavier in the mouth than fruit, and the flavour sits on the tongue long after the exhale.

From that base, recipes branch out. Vanilla custard is the purest form. Caramel or butterscotch custard adds a toasty sweetness. Fruit custard pairs custard with strawberry or rhubarb. Custard tart and crème brûlée styles add pastry or burnt sugar for a bakery feel.

Dessert vapers usually find their favourite custard and stick with it for years. It is a comfort flavour in every sense.

Custard is the anchor of the dessert family, but it has plenty of company:

• Rhubarb and custard: a British classic, tart and creamy, like the Ohm Brew Rhubarb and Custard nic salt.
• Strawberry custard: sweet and rich, one of the longest-running dessert vapes.
• Custard doughnut: custard filling with fried dough and sugar.
• Ice cream: lighter and colder than custard.
• Cheesecake: creamy and tangy with a biscuit base.
• Caramel desserts: butterscotch, toffee and salted caramel.

Rhubarb and custard is a good first dessert for fruit vapers, because the tart rhubarb keeps it lively.

Desserts love a sub-ohm tank. A 70/30 or 80/20 VG shortfill run through a mesh coil gives a thick, warm cloud that brings out vanilla and cream far better than a cool, tight draw. Slightly warmer settings suit custard, within the coil's printed range.

Dessert nic salts for mouth-to-lung pods exist too, usually at 50/50. They taste lighter but still satisfying, and they are a good option if you want custard at a higher nicotine strength. Nicotine is addictive, so choose that strength carefully.

The ratios below show where each setup typically sits. You can browse 70% VG liquids for sub-ohm.

Custard is the toughest family on coils, and it is worth knowing why. Dessert recipes lean on sweeteners and rich flavourings that leave residue on cotton. The more you vape, the more builds up, until the flavour turns muddy or burnt.

Expect to change coils noticeably more often than you would with fruit or menthol. Running at the lower end of the coil's range helps, as does leaving a few seconds between puffs. Keep a stock of spare coils so you are never tempted to vape one past its best.

There is also a fair bit of folklore around custard. Tap the cards to see what is true.

Many dessert vapers swear by steeping: letting a freshly mixed liquid rest so the flavours settle and blend. It matters most with custards and creams, which can taste a little thin or sharp straight after adding a nic shot.

There is no exact science, and some liquids are sold ready to vape. But if a new custard tastes underwhelming, give it a few days before writing it off. Many people find the cream rounds out and the vanilla deepens.

Here is the simple routine most dessert vapers follow after adding nicotine to a shortfill.

Custard is a natural base, and almost every classic British pudding has been turned into a vape. The pairings that work best:

• Rhubarb: tart and creamy.
• Strawberry: sweet and rich.
• Caramel and butterscotch: deep and indulgent.
• Pastry: custard tarts and slices.
• Banana: soft and mellow.
• Tobacco: an old-school combination that still has fans.

Sharp fruits are the secret weapon: a tart partner stops custard getting cloying over a long session. Torn between dessert and fruit for your main vape? Our dessert vs fruit guide weighs up flavour fatigue, coil life and cost.