What the heck is a ‘Premium’ E-Liquid?

The buzzwords of today are the wallpaper phrases of tomorrow.

21 Mar | Daniel Hollyman

In marketing, the dustbins are full of overused phrases, such as “putting the customer first” or “save time and money”.

In clickbait circles, the terms go outy of vogue quicker still. Back in the day just marking a video title with ‘Hilarious’ would guarantee some views.

When lots of people with unfunny pranks also used the word “hilarious” in their videos, all of a sudden, it took more to compel action.


In the e-liquid field, it is difficult to think of a term that has been more overused and abused than ‘Premium e-liquid’. There are a few runners up, such as ‘only the best quality ingredients’, but there’s simply too many ‘premium e-liquids’ out there that blatantly are not.

The poor brands stealing the phrase are ruining it for everyone… sorry… there’s a rant coming on.


Why does it annoy?

Quite simply, when you get companies who sell a 10ml e-liquid for a pound and still have the nerve to put “premium e-liquid” on the packaging, we can take it as a given that ‘premium’ is now a meaningless term.


What’s more annoying is when you buy a product from a reputable brand, at a high price point, and find that the vape is ‘mediocre’ at best.


Whether you’re buying cheap products that blatantly aren’t premium, or expensive products that contain poor quality e-liquid, ‘Premium E-Liquid’ is a phrase that should be applied by vapers, not marketers.


So what’s a Premium E-Liquid anyway?

It’s all well and good quantifying what a premium product isn’t. But what is it?


You could argue that the expensive bottle with the fancy label and packaging counts? After all, if you’re spending more on presentation then you’re creating a higher priced product that will at least be perceived as premium.

We all know this doesn’t just apply to our sector – we live in a world awash with mediocre products in attractive clothing.


Premium packaging creates a premium product, one could argue, but none of these ‘premium’ markers are passed to the liquid in the middle of the packaging. A poor vape is a poor vape, and no amount of packaging will fix that.


Can you really say any e-liquid is ‘premium’? What makes an ‘premium’ e-liquid special?

There are three very measurable values you can objectively review to determine whether or not a product is premium. It isn’t simply whether you like a particular e-liquid or not… it is possible to appreciate an e-liquid that you yourself would not vape.

Here’s a list that separates the special from the every day:

Nicotine quality

Nicotine is one of the most expensive ingredients in a vape, and it’s one area where some producers cut corners. DIY-ers know very quickly when they have poor quality nic.

Heck, even with nic shots, you can often tell when the nicotine is of poor quality before you’ve even ruined your delicious vape with it.


Some nicotine can have a fishy smell… others have a peppery taste and a harsher than average throat hit. Even pepperiness, if bad enough, can be determined by smell before you’ve even used a nic shot.


E-liquid manufacturers know nicotine quality based on more meaningful data… but in short, a high quality nic can cost double the price of an inferior import.

You can tell straight away. The nicotine will be very smooth. There will be no peppery notes and no odour.


Pretty much every vaper can tell good nicotine from poor one… it’s one of the reasons NicNic is the only nic shot recommended by some leading e-liquid brands out there.


Flavour intensity

There are a number of variables at play here. First off: how strong a flavour is it? After nicotine, flavour is the most expensive ingredient in a product, and some flavours are even more expensive than nicotine (terpenes is a prime example).

Vapes with a more mellow taste are using less flavour, which means corners are being cut and it’s a cheaper product to produce. Intense bursts of flavour mean a higher percentage is being used, making it a more expensive product.


However it’s not just quantity, it’s quality…


Flavour complexity

We’re not talking about throwing 20 different fruits at a liquid (although of course, we guess that would count) – we’re talking about the complexity of single flavours.

There are thousands of flavour compounds in existence. Some are very cheap to produce, while others are more expensive.


At their core, most fruit flavours will be made up of 8-20 primary compounds. These compounds give you a general taste of the real-world equivalent the artificial flavour is trying to replicate.

But real-world flavours can have thousands of compounds. The more of these micro compounds are introduced to an artificial flavour, the more authentic it becomes… and the more expensive to produce it becomes also.


Some commercial flavours can be bought for £20 per litre. High quality flavours can cost £130 per litre.

Not every vaper will be able to discern the difference, but those who have a sensitive palate will appreciate the nuance and complexity of these more expensive flavours.


In conclusion

‘Premium E-Liquid’ is a term that should mean something, but the reality is that it’s now meaningless. So producers… please stop wasting ink.

If you’re an up-and-coming brand looking to make their mark… stop using this term unless you mean it.