Disposable Vape Burnt Taste: Why It Happens and the Fix

When there is a burnt taste, it is because the coil is firing but there isn’t enough e-liquid absorbed by the wick to take in the heat. If the device is not already at the end of its life, leave it alone for five to ten minutes and then take one slow draw. This remedy works most of the time. However, if the burnt taste persists afterwards, it means that the coil has failed or the liquid is finished.

First, Rule Out Empty

When a burnt taste develops gradually towards the end of a device’s expected lifespan, this simply means the device is at the end of its life and there is no remedy. In contrast, if a burnt taste appears suddenly in a device that should still have a good amount of life left, then you are facing a different issue that does have a real solution. Our guide on telling when a disposable is empty explains how to determine which of these two situations applies. The remainder of this page assumes the device is not empty.

The Fix

1. Stop vaping it right away. Carrying on with puffs taken from a dry wick will make the problem permanent, and each puff after the first burnt one will further damage the coil.
2. Rest the device for five to ten minutes. Keep it in an upright position without touching it. That is the real solution: the wick needs time to reabsorb the liquid from the reservoir, and there is no method of speeding up the process.
3. Draw slowly once. That is, one pull lasting two seconds, not a series of tests. If it tastes normal, the wick was only just behind.
4. Spread out your puffs. If the problem had been caused by chain vaping, meaning quick puffs taken without allowing the wick a chance to catch up, then a gap of five to ten seconds between each puff is sufficient on most devices.
5. Keep draws under the cutoff. Most disposables automatically stop firing after a continuous draw has lasted for eight to ten seconds. If you keep the pull going right up to that limit, the wick will dry out faster than it can be refilled.

If It Still Tastes Burnt

If the device has been given a complete rest and then drawn on slowly, a persistent burnt taste indicates one of two possibilities: that the e-liquid is actually used up, or that the coil has burnt out prematurely. In either case, the problem cannot be repaired on a sealed device, since there is no coil that can be replaced and the scorched wick cannot be re-wetted.

At that point you should stop using it. A burnt coil doesn’t become safe just because you keep trying, and the taste only gets worse. If the device is a recent one and is still well below its rated puff count, then you have a case of premature coil failure, which is worth bringing back to us.

Preventing It Next Time

The burnt taste is mainly due to how the device is used rather than a fault in the device. Space your puffs out, keep the draws short, and avoid leaving the device in a hot car, since heat thins the e-liquid and changes the way it is absorbed. It should also be stored upright so that the liquid sits where the wick can reach it. Devices fitted with dual mesh coils maintain flavour consistency for longer than those with a single mesh, which our mesh coils guide explains.

If weak vapour arrived alongside the burnt taste, there may be a separate airflow problem. See what to do when a disposable isn’t hitting.

Ready for a replacement? Our disposable vape range is here, and the complete disposable vapes guide covers how to choose one that lasts.

FAQs

Can you fix a burnt disposable vape?
When the wick has just dried out as a result of chain vaping, it usually gets fixed by putting the device away for five to ten minutes. But if the coil has really burnt out or the e-liquid has been used up, then no. Sealed devices do not have any replaceable parts.

Is it harmful to vape a burnt disposable?
The taste of a burnt hit is unpleasant and provides a sufficient reason to stop. Once every puff tastes burnt, there is no benefit in carrying on, since the device won’t be able to recover.

Why does my new disposable taste burnt already?
It is most commonly caused by chain vaping before the wick has become fully saturated, or by taking long puffs near the device’s cutoff point. If the flavour is burnt from the very first puff on a new device, that indicates a manufacturing defect.