New to refillable vaping? Start here.
Just switched from a Juul, a disposable, or cigarettes? A refillable device works a little differently, and getting a few small things right makes your first few days a lot smoother. Pick where you want to start.
Set up your device
Fill it, let it soak, and take your first puff the right way.
Read the setup guideGet your strength right
Too strong or not enough? Find your nicotine level, and salt vs freebase.
Find your strengthSet up your device the right way
Most first-week disappointment comes from skipping one step. Don’t skip the soak.
- Fill it. Open the tank or pod and fill with your e-liquid. Avoid getting liquid down the center airflow tube.
- Let it soak (the one people skip). After filling, and after every new coil, wait 5 to 10 minutes before your first puff so the wick fully absorbs. Puff on a dry wick and you get the burnt taste, and the coil is usually ruined for good.
- Prime with a few pulls. Take 2 or 3 gentle pulls with the device off, just to draw liquid into the coil.
- Start low and easy. If it has wattage settings, start at the low end of the coil’s range and work up. Slow, steady pulls, not short hard ones.
Mouth-to-lung (MTL)
Draw into your mouth first, then inhale, like a cigarette. Tighter draw, higher strength, smaller device.
Direct-to-lung (DTL)
Inhale straight to the lungs. Airy draw, lower strength. Usually not where a new switcher should start.
Get your nicotine strength right
Too strong feels harsh and makes you cough. Too low and you’ll keep reaching for a cigarette. The goal is a draw that feels satisfying without the harshness.
Nicotine salt
Smoother at higher strengths, absorbs quickly, satisfies fast. Suits smaller MTL pods and most people coming off cigarettes or disposables.
Freebase nicotine
Feels stronger in the throat at the same number; works better at lower strengths in bigger devices.
A rough starting point by how much you smoke (everyone’s different, a starting point, not a rule):
| Up to about ½ pack a day | A lower salt strength, or a low freebase. |
| Around a pack a day | A mid salt strength. |
| More than a pack, or you want it to really hit | A higher salt strength in an MTL pod. |
First-week troubleshooting
| Burnt taste | Almost always a dry wick. Let it soak after filling or a new coil. If a coil already tasted burnt, replace it, they don’t recover. |
| Too harsh | Strength likely too high for your device, or you’re inhaling too hard. Try a lower strength, slower pulls, or a smoother salt. |
| Not satisfying | Strength may be too low, or airflow too open for an MTL draw. Bump the strength a step, or close the airflow. |
| Leaking / gurgling | Usually overfilled, airflow too low, or liquid in the center tube. Don’t overfill, wipe the connection, pull slower. |
| Spitback (tiny pops) | A few quick, gentle pulls clears excess liquid off the coil. |
Why Black Note tastes like real tobacco
If you’re switching for the taste, here’s what makes ours different. Black Note NET (Naturally Extracted Tobacco) is made from real tobacco leaves, cold-macerated over time the way fine spirits are aged, with no synthetic flavorings. That’s why it tastes like actual tobacco instead of a candy-shop version of it. For a lot of people leaving cigarettes behind, that real-tobacco character is the thing that finally makes the switch stick.
Answer a few questions, we’ll match you.
A few quick questions and we’ll match you to a device, a nicotine strength, and the right flavor for you. Prefer it saved? We’ll email your match.
Take the Vape QuizEvery first order gets a quick setup check before it ships, so you don’t start with the wrong device, coil, or strength. If something isn’t right, we fix it free before it goes out.
Real people, no pressure.
Book a free 15-minute call, or text us. We’re here for the awkward first-week questions.
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