Most people who switch from smoking start with a tobacco or menthol flavour because it feels familiar, and plenty of them end up on fruit a few months later. Neither is wrong. The right first flavour is simply the one that makes vaping enjoyable enough to stick with.
The short version
- Tobacco and menthol feel familiar; fruit often becomes a favourite later.
- Menthol e-liquids are still legal even though menthol cigarettes were banned in 2020.
- Nic salts at 10 to 20mg in an MTL pod suit most people coming from cigarettes.
- Your taste can change after stopping smoking, so revisit flavours after a few weeks.
Why flavour matters when you switch
If you are moving from cigarettes to vaping, the device and nicotine strength get most of the attention, but flavour matters just as much. A liquid you do not enjoy makes vaping feel like a chore, and that is when people drift back to old habits.
The NHS says nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking, while being clear it is not risk-free and is intended for adults who smoke, not for non-smokers. If that is you, it is worth spending a little time finding flavours you genuinely like rather than settling for the first bottle you try. Our help page covers common questions if you are new to vaping.
Tobacco, menthol or fruit?
The three usual starting points each have strengths. Tobacco feels familiar and dry, with no sweetness to get used to. It will not taste exactly like a lit cigarette, but a good Virginia or Burley blend gets close in spirit. Our tobacco flavours guide explains the styles.
Menthol is the natural choice for former menthol smokers, and it is clean and refreshing. Fruit is the most varied family, and many ex-smokers find it the most enjoyable once they are used to vaping, partly because it feels like a clean break from cigarettes.
There is no wrong answer. Plenty of people keep a tobacco liquid as a base and add fruit for variety.
If you used to smoke menthols
Menthol cigarettes and menthol rolling tobacco were banned in the UK in May 2020, but menthol e-liquids were not affected and remain widely available. That makes vaping one of the few legal ways to keep the cool, crisp feel menthol smokers are used to.
A menthol tobacco is the closest match: a dry base with a cold finish. If you want something cleaner, plain peppermint or a fresh mint keeps the cooling without the tobacco note. Many former menthol smokers later move on to fruit menthol, such as berry or watermelon with a cool kick.
Our menthol and mint guide covers every style in detail. The products below show tobacco liquids in stock if you want the classic route.
Nicotine strength and device
Flavour only works if the nicotine side is right. Most people coming from cigarettes do best with a mouth-to-lung pod, which gives a draw similar to a cigarette, filled with a nic salt. Salts feel smoother than freebase at higher strengths, so they suit the 10 to 20mg range that many ex-smokers start at.
As a rough guide, heavier smokers often start near 20mg, the UK legal maximum, and lighter smokers around 10mg. Nicotine is addictive, so treat these as starting points rather than targets; many vapers step down over time. Browse vape kits for refillable pod options.
- 0mgNicotine free
- 3mgTypical sub-ohm
- 10mgLighter smokers
- 20mgUK legal max
Find your first flavour
Your smoking history is the best guide to your first flavour. What you smoked, and how you felt about the taste, says a lot about what will feel comfortable in a vape.
Do not feel locked in by your first choice, though. The point of a starting flavour is to make the first few weeks easy. Once vaping feels normal, exploring other families is part of the fun, and many ex-smokers say trying new flavours is one of the things they enjoy most about it. Answer the question below for a recommendation, then buy a 10ml to try before committing to a bigger bottle.
What did you smoke?
Start with an unsweetened Virginia or Burley tobacco in a nic salt. Familiar without trying to copy smoke.
Try a menthol tobacco first, then a plain peppermint if you want something cleaner.
Look for a rich, sweet tobacco such as RY4 or a Cavendish style.
Go straight to fruit. A berry or fruit ice nic salt is a clean, easy start.
Your taste may change, so revisit
Many people who stop smoking notice their sense of taste and smell changing, and the NHS lists improved taste and smell among the changes people can notice after stopping. In practice, that means a liquid that tasted flat in week one might taste completely different a month later, and flavours you dismissed early on can become favourites.
It also means a tobacco flavour that felt essential at first may start to feel unnecessary. That is normal. Keep a few 10ml bottles from different families in the drawer and revisit them every couple of weeks. The checklist below is a simple plan for the first month.
Quick answers
What is the best vape flavour for someone who just stopped smoking?
Many start with tobacco or menthol because it feels familiar, then branch into fruit. The best one is whichever you enjoy enough to stick with.
Can I still buy menthol vapes in the UK?
Yes. The 2020 ban covered menthol cigarettes and rolling tobacco, not menthol e-liquids.
What nicotine strength should an ex-smoker use?
Many heavier smokers start around 20mg nic salt and lighter smokers around 10mg. Nicotine is addictive, so treat these as starting points.
Why does my vape taste different a few weeks after stopping smoking?
Many people notice their taste and smell change after stopping smoking, so flavours can come across differently over time.
