AUSTER is the hub for smokers who have been burnt in the past. We exist to guide smokers towards discovery, personal taste, and a better experience of transition. We are a small team of ex-smokers with a cigarette laced past, striving towards a smoke-free future. #TakeControl at AUSTER.COM #SmokeFreeSubtleSatisfaction
Help Keep Vaping as Environmentally Friendly as Possible
By: Erica Freedman
It’s already been proven that vapes are better for the environment than cigarettes. Between the second-hand smoke polluting our air to the countless cigarette butts littering our streets, a puff of cotton candy vapor has been a welcomed change. But, much like computers, vaporizers are made up of parts that can be detrimental to the environment when disposed of improperly. Instead of simply throwing an old vape into the trash, there are now a variety of options to recycle the different pieces and ensure you're keeping your vape habit as clean as possible.
Start By Selling
If any part of your vape is still functional, your best bet is to resell. There is a slew of second-hand vape shops on the internet that will offer you cash for your old devices. Alternatively, Facebook and Reddit communities also connect buyers and sellers to make the process as easy as possible. Why dispose of something when you can make a bit of extra money?
Recycle Vape Batteries
If your vape pieces are broken, there is a slightly different protocol to recycling each individual vape piece. Batteries are one of the most important considerations when disposing of a broken vape, as these items contain lithium. Because lithium does not naturally occur in the environment, large quantities can cause a slew of environmental issues. According to The Guardian, lithium can have “negative consequences including mining, global warming, environmental pollution, and human health impacts.”
Instead of tossing batteries in the trash, find a local organization that specializes in battery disposal and recycling. Many of these organization will even offer to pick up the batteries from you.
Recycling E-Liquid Bottles
Although most e-juice liquid bottles are not recyclable in the traditional sense, there are some out-of-the-box options that can help you to limit your waste. If you purchase a flavor that you don’t like, definitely check to see if the company you buy from has a trade-in program. Some offer you the option to find your flavor instead of wasting your money on a bunch of pointless purchases.
If for some reason you’re stuck with your buy, or you have finished your e-liquid and are sitting with an empty bottle, a great option is to repurpose the bottle for other things. A couple of option include:
Using the bottles to make your own flavors: Home brewing is a cool way to develop your own flavor profile. Use these old bottles to experiment.
Replacing broken bottles: If a new purchase cracks, keep a small collection of old bottles to quickly switch it out.
Make art: The labels on these bottles can be really original and pretty. Collage and combine your bottles to create something new.
Recycling Vape Coils
The good news about coils is that, unlike batteries and bottles, this is a material that is easy to recycle. Scrap yards are always in search of metal materials and copper or aluminum coils fit the bill. Look up local listings for scrap metal sites that collect varied materials. Your coils will go to great use building something else.
Although recycling vape materials may not be the most convenient, it is definitely worth it. Vaporizers are a great way to improve the environment, but not if we’re filling our landfills with lithium. Take the extra time to get creative and make sure your vape parts are sorted to the right facilities.
In recent years, cigarette-smoking has quickly been losing its grip on the tobacco industry as vaping climbed the ranks. However, what are the consequences that come from this “potentially healthier” shift? You’d be surprised that one of the most overlooked topics are the recyclability of vape hardware.
The Lowdown on Cigarette Butts
Cigarettes have long plagued the environment, whether it’s cigarette butts laced across a sandy shore or along the curbs of New York City. There’s a popular misconception with cigarette butts being cotton and biodegradable, while they are mainly comprised of cellulose acetate – a type of plastic. In 2018, a new environmental analysis was released finding that cigarette butts were the single most retrieved item of litter in the ocean between 2014 and 2017, amounting to over 150,000 cigarette butts found. Cigarette butts typically take 18 months to 10 years to naturally decompose, yet this is potentially shorter than vape hardware!
First things first, we are certainly an e-liquid business that understands all of the positives of vaping as compared to combusting and smoking cigarettes. This also means it’s up to us to identify any issues that may hinder the growth of the industry or public perspective. The main culprit that may domino effect the environment? Closed pod systems.
“One and Done” Disposable Pods?
A closed pod system is most popularly recognized by the leading vape brand JUUL, but there are plenty of other major competitors on the market! These closed pods are designed to have disposable pods and refills are generally discouraged as it’s technically tampering with the device. You may begin to start seeing our point here.
Closed pod systems are modelled after the simplicity of smoking a cigarette; there’s no hassle with juice or bottles, it’s a pure plug-and-play experience. However, most pods are comprised of plastic bodies and metal inner components -- often kanthal, stainless steel, nichrome, or titanium. Given the ease of swapping out these magnetic pods, you can often find them littered across college campuses, sidewalks, and in your average neighborhood “organic waste” bins. Take for example the cover image of this article, in which a redditor picked up all of that litter in one walk around his/her college campus.
How can we curb this growing snowball that could result in an environmental disaster? Take the same approach as many efforts in your life to “go green”. Just like straws, plastic water bottles, or cutlery, halting one-time-use products are the first step. Whether it’s hacking your JUUL pod to get a few extra refills, properly disposing in a recycle bin, or opting for a refillable pod system, they’re all seemingly small habits that can compound into a greater cause.
Customized Vaping: The Importance of Personalization
Ways To Personalize Your Vaporizer or E-Cigarette
By: Erica Freedman
Vaping is the act of inhaling vapor through an e-cigarette or vaporizer product. Often considered healthier than traditional forms of smoking, this method has exploded across the USA and U.K in the last ten years. During this time, vaping has evolved into more than just a cigarette alternative; its a community of artists, scientists, and businessmen who innovate amazing products, flavors, and experiences. As a result, vaping has become an extremely personal experience, where your vaporizer and choice-of-products are an extension of you. If you're new to the world of vaping, it can feel hard to navigate all of the ways you can personalize your piece. In this guide, we help you understand some of your options and why it may be worth building your ultimate device.
Vape Mouthpiece
Vape mouthpieces can come in a variety of strengths and shapes. The most well-known vape mouthpiece is a drip tip. Drip tips are mouthpieces that attach to the atomizer of a vape. The drip tip is used to physically smoke e-liquid. Fill your vape with your e-liquid through the top of your drip tip, and pull. Whether they are RDAs, RTAs, or sub-ohm tanks, these pieces will help you to physically enjoy your vape experience.
Drip Tip Materials
When considering your drip tip, there are a variety of choices that come into play. Drip tips can be made of plastic, metal, glass, acrylic, stone, wood or a combination of more than one material. You want to choose this mouthpiece very carefully. If you are an individual who smokes frequently, you want to ensure your drip tip will last. Pick stronger materials like acrylic to ensure you don’t waste your money. Each drip tip offers its own special experience. In truth, drip tips can vary in size and color as well as material. What you use depends wholly on what you most enjoy.
Vaporizer Batteries
Much like a mouthpiece, the battery of a vaporizer will determine how long your piece functions before needing a charge. If you hit your vape once or twice a day, a small battery or pen will be best suited for your needs. If you are someone who vapes regularly throughout the day, you may need a turbo-charged box that can last you a full 24 hours.
Type of Vape Batteries
Top vape battery manufacturers include Sony, LG, Samsung, and Efest. Batteries like the 18350, 18500, and 26550 can be used in mechanical and temperature control vape models. The strength of the battery not only determines how long your vape will last but also the strength of the vape and the type of vape you can use. If you are using a smaller 30w vaporize, you will need to look at different batteries than if you were using a 200w vape. It is worth considering a variety of options and producers to ensure you find exactly what you’re looking for.
E-Juice Liquids and Flavors
Of course, the most common way we personalize our vape experience is through our e-juice flavors. Unlike cigarettes that limit your flavor options to tobacco or menthol, vaping offers a variety of options. At Auster, we have flavors that include everything from strawberry and frosted carnival cookies. As e-liquids evolve, it is also becoming possible to custom blend your flavors. Because this is the most sensory experience of the vape, it is worth taking your time on. Consider your favorite foods and flavors and develop a flavor personality. Instead of going for recycled flavors or cheap imitations, invest in something that is truly delicious and will keep you hitting the vape instead of buying another pack.
Craft Your Vape Aesthetic
Vaping is an aesthetic and personal decision that has started to function as an extension of our personality. With all of the options out there, why not take the time to build something that is truly personal to you? After all, vapes are considered accessories, so you might as well treat it like one.
Is It Truly Cost-Effective to Switch from Cigarettes to Vaping?
By: Erica Freedman
By this point, most of us have heard something about vaporizers saving smokers thousands of dollars a year. Sure, this alternative has padded the pockets of pack-a-day people, but how much can you actually save by making the switch? According to Dallas News, smokers can spend anywhere from $1500 to $5000 a year on cigs. In NYC, a pack of cigarettes now costs upwards of $16. In New Orleans, a pack runs buyers $7. The reality? Simple vaporizers, including disposable models, have proven to save smokers up to 92% annually. To better understand this staggering statistic, we’ve broken down the costs below:
At Auster, we offer vaporizer subscription boxes that can help jumpstart your #vapelife. These highly-personalized packages offer users a way to develop their flavor profile and get an introduction to a vape machine for the low cost of $35. If you are interested in something outside of a subscription, pen-style vape devices can cost as little as $12. Even with the addition of e-liquids
Disposable Vapes vs Reusable Vapes
According to Time Money, disposable e-cigarettes cost users roughly $1300 a year, which is less than half of what it costs traditional smokers. However, if you opt to invest in a reusable vape device, you could lower your costs to something like $500 - $600 annually. That’s a whopping 80% savings. And because cigarettes are often used in low-income groups, vaporizers could make some serious socio-economic impact while also helping our lungs.
Vape Pods: Closed Pod and Open Pod Systems
Have you heard of the infamous JUUL? This is actually known in the industry as a closed pod vape. This sect of vaporizers, also known as open and closed pod devices, offer another low-cost option. Vape pods hold nicotine salt cartridges and carry lower wattage than other vape devices.
Closed pods are designed for pre-filled nicotine salt cartridges. This straightforward, hassle-free option is best for those who do not want to refill their device on a regular basis. These pre-filled cartridges typically come in packs of 4 or 5. Although closed pod vapes can cost an initial $40 - $70, the closed cartridge replacements can cost as little as $7, and can be used three to five times more than a traditional pack of cigarettes.
Open pods require individuals to refill their device with nicotine salts. Because these materials are newer to the market, many companies are offering nicotine salt starter packs. These discounted packages can get you started for under $30, and keep you smoking for quite a long time. This is an option worth considering if you are interested in more flavor variety, as closed pods limit your flexibility and choices.
Much like a car, vaporizers can become quite expensive once you begin to personalize. Vaporizers have many parts including atomizers, drip tips, cartridges, and batteries. One of the most expensive vapes in the world currently costs over $800,000! Granted, its a diamond-encrusted vape from Russia, but it is still worth noting. Disposable options are less of an initial investment but can cost significantly more in the long-term. We recommend doing some research to see what is the right fit for your preferences and budget.
At Auster, we feel it is important to acknowledge that the industry has many different parts. Although vapes are cheaper than cigarettes in general, there are no absolutes. Determine your budget and find the right investment for you. Your vape is out there, all you have to do is find it.
Summer has arrived—are you ready? I don’t know about you, but I’m itching to crawl out of my winter cave and soak up some Vitamin D. Whether you plan to be lounging poolside, park-dwelling, backyard barbecuing, or tappin’ your toe at your favorite music festival, think about keeping the following items in your hot-weather tote bag. Auster’s 2018 summer essentials will seriously help you get your chill on.
The Ripe Box
NKTR is known for nailing some of the juiciest single-fruit vaping flavors. The Ripe Box comes with vaping accessories perfect for summer as well as four e-liquids including an insane mango flavor, strawberry, pear, and mouth-watering guava. The box is refreshing, to say the least.
Ricdecor Round Beach Towel
Um, have you seen these dope round beach towels? The Round Beach Towels from Ricdecor are super soft, absorbent, and at 5 feet in diameter, they’re big enough for two people to wrap up in! They come in a bunch of different colors and patterns and also work as a blanket, yoga mat, or tapestry.
SMOK Stick X8
The rainbow-colored SMOK Stick X8 is itty-bitty enough to fit in your pocket (or fanny pack) for an outdoor concert with a surprisingly strong vapor output. Pair with our juicy Ripe Box for some incredibly flavorful and chill vape vibes this summer.
Pustor Rainbow Stainless Steel Water Bottle
While you’re at it, pick up a matching Rainbow Stainless Steel Water Bottle. You’re definitely gonna want to be using a reusable water bottle this summer. The stainless steel water bottles from Pustor are BPA-free, vacuum-insulated, and hella cute.
E-Liquid Summer Stock-Up
You can pick and choose from your favorite summertime e-liquid flavors with Auster’s Summer Stock-Up sale. Use the code ‘5For5’ at checkout to score any five 30ml e-liquids for five dollars each! Cypher’s Tropic, Pop, and Breeze are some of the best sunny flavors, but Vape Kitchen’s Banilla Pie will really get your e-juices flowing!
With warm weather, breezy vibes, and so many things to do, summer really feels like vaping season! I mean, I love vaping every season, but chillin’ out, maxing, relaxing all cool really gets me in the mood to stick a chic little vape pen in my pocket, grab a tote bag with all my summer essentials, and head out on an adventure! For more summertime inspiration, check us out on Facebook and Instagram.
Guess what? Vaping is not just for bros anymore. The vape market has a ton of lady-friendly products that are pretty, slender, and discrete—it’s almost like they were made for us chicks. Not only that, vaping kits are available in [almost] everyone’s favorite color: millennial pink. Thank God, amiright?!
What’s Millennial Pink?
Millennial pink is the hue the millennial generation is utterly bonkers for. The color—which, in essence, is a muted Barbie pink but includes a range of shades—has been showing up everywhere in recent years. Millennial pink is in our Instagram feeds, it’s on our jewelry in the form of rose gold, and it’s all over the clothes we wear. We like to dye our hair pink, paint our nails pink, drink pink drinks, and scroll through social media on pink iPhones. You better believe you can get your vape on in millennial pink too.
Millennial Pink E-Liquids
If you’re as obsessed with pink as your generation indicates, plenty of feminine e-liquid flavors are available to keep you on-brand.
Soleil
13th Floor Evaporators came out with their delicious e-juice flavor Soleil that tastes like frosted circus cookies, wrapped into a gorgeous hot pink bottle. The buttery notes are everything.
Deep Purple
Sometimes millennial pink ventures out into a light pinkish-violet shade (ultra-violet is the 2018 Pantone Color of the Year) which is a fun variation. IGEN’s Deep Purple e-liquid has grapey-mint vibes which sounds weird but totally works!
Velvet Cake N’ Bake
Velvet Cake N’ Bake is a stupid-good flavor by Hawkeye that truly tastes like all things birthday cake and sweet whipped cream.
Watermelon
NKTR’s Watermelon e-juice flavor is the perfect addition to your millennial pink collection. It tastes like sour watermelon hard candy and is likely to be your new vaping obsession.
Millennial Pink Pod Vape
You’re gonna need something to put all your e-liquids in, and the Suorin Air vaping device is just the thing if you ask me. The pod system clicks in with magnets and the built-in battery will last you all day. It’s lightweight, super portable, and—you guessed it—pink (well...rose gold, but damn close)!
Of course, just because a woman vapes, doesn’t mean she wants everything to be pink. Auster has plenty of vaping pens and juice flavors that aren’t all fluff and frills. Do you!
I always thought vaping was kind of a masculine thing. Every product I came across was marketed to dudes, which made me think, Is vaping just for guys? Well, not anymore. The vape industry has come a long way in recent years and expanded its horizons to encompass all demographics, including us gals. Turns out you can get adorable pink vape pens and girly e-juice flavors that taste like baked goods! Check out the girl’s guide to vaping.
Get Your Health On, Girl
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know cigarettes are bad for you—it’s probably a major reason why you wanted to quit. But (good news!) vaping is way healthier than cigs. E-liquids are made from propylene glycol (a synthetic organic compound), glycerin, nicotine, and different flavors. Vaping is easy on the lungs and doesn’t create any second-hand smoke. Let’s face it: when you’re healthier, you look better, so consider vaping the newest component to your beauty routine!
Sleek & Slender is a Girl’s Best Friend
Gone are the days of clunky, macho vaping products available in every boring shade of gray. Newer vape pens are sexy, sleek, and fit in your purse or pocket. Whether you’re looking for a vape pen that’ll go with your outfit, hide in your purse, or look like a tube of lipstick, Auster has plenty. The Suorin Air is a personal fav. It’s chic, lightweight, and best of all: pink! If you’re looking for something with a little more girl power, the rainbow chrome pocket-sized SMOK Stick X8 has an impressive vapor output with baby-smooth delivery. Coughing isn’t cute, but these purse friendly-vapes totally are!
Smell Like a Queen
E-liquids and nicotine salts from Auster come in plenty of yummy, fem flavors like Savory Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream, Velvet Cake N’ Bake, Strawberry Kiwi Crush, and Lemon Layered Cake. But guess what? They don’t leave a smell! That’s right—no cigarette breath and no smokey clothes. All that’s left after your vape break will be the scent of your favorite perfume and lip gloss. Vaping will leave you smelling like you!
Whether you’re out at a party, on a date, or heading to work, it’s nice to be able to be discreet with your vaping products. Auster has plenty of delicate vape pens and non-smelly e-juices that definitely won’t cramp your style. For more feminine vape inspo, check us out on Instagram. Happy vaping, ladies!
To get into the festivities of Independence Day, AUSTER is running multiple promotions: something for everyone! Get your national pride on all week with deep discounts.
Buy One Get One FREE on All AUSTER Boxes
Dive into an all-in-one bundle with a plethora of accessories and four 30ml e-liquids to satiate your cravings. It’s about more than just juice.
CODE: FREEDOMBOX
ALL 30ml e-liquids are $8.00, no code necessary
While AUSTER boxes come with more than you’d expect, we know a lot of vapers want just juice, and no frills along with it. For the value seeker, our 30ml’s are a steal all week.
Take another 20% off ANY of our AUSTER Salt bundles
And we haven’t forgotten about the stubborn quitters! With our salt bundles, inclusive of a device of your choice and a full range of our Auster Salt flavors, satisfaction and simplicity are just within reach.
Nicotine consumption has long been plagued by lack of technology. With tobacco combustion being the primary method of consuming it for centuries, no alternative had ever challenged it – until now.
Vaping has taken the globe by storm over the course of the last several years, with technology within the industry rapidly innovating. The most recent rise in vapor innovations has been “nicotine salts”. Don’t let the name intimidate you, it’s simply a variant of your usual nicotine, but less “basic” (vs. acidic). This format heightens the absorption rate to mimic that of a cigarette.
AUSTER has strived to remain at the forefront of identifying trends and what may resonate best with our customer base, with a single goal in mind – to lower the smoker population one at a time. As a result, we’ve launched our new line of AUSTER Salts! This product line is currently available in 30mg and 50mg nicotine concentrations, in a 10ml bottle format.
The first flavor in our AUSTER Salts lineup is Apple, Cucumber, Mint. Inspired by our Cypher Breeze, this refreshing trio is a delicate touch of apple blended with a wave of cucumber, rounded off with a cooling sprig of spearmint. This flavor has resonated best with smokers who adored menthol cigarettes.
The second flavor in our AUSTER Salts lineup is Mango Jackfruit. Inspired by our CYPHER Tropic, it’s a gentle guide into a vast world of tropical and exotic fruits. From the sweet and juicy notes of Asian mango fruit to the aromatic floral hints of jackfruit, this e-liquid’s for those who love clean tasting fruit flavors!
The third flavor in our AUSTER Salts lineup is Strawberry Peach. This fruit explosion errs on the sweeter side, with an almost candy-esque touch. The strawberry hard candy and touch of peach gummy rings can’t be missed! Indulge your sweet tooth and your nicotine craving with every inhale.
Last but not least, the final flavor in AUSTER Salts is Caramel Tobacco. No lineup would be complete without a tobacco flavor and we had to made this shine. A medium bodied tobacco – not too earthy, not too bland – swirled with a touch of decadent caramel. Ideal for a vaper looking for a balance of rich and sweet.
Why a 10ml bottle format?
We noticed some devices were great for being pocket-friendly and discreet, but the pods just didn’t hold enough juice capacity for a full day worth of vaping! As a result, a lot of customers complained that their 30ml e-liquid bottle was oftentimes larger and heavier than their pod device. On top of that, a 30ml e-liquid bottle of nicotine salts would last you well over a week! Who needs to carry that around on a daily basis?
What if 10ml simply isn’t enough?
We are releasing more formats and flavors for AUSTER Salts in the near future. The closest on the horizon will be a Three Pack of 10ml bottles, for customers who love the flavor and the 10ml bottles but want more of the same thing. Following right after that will be our 30ml Chubby Gorilla bottles, this is purely for the no frills and cost conscious salt vaper. Priced at the best value per ml, it’s for our vapers who want to stock up and leave bottles around their office, car, or home.
As for new nicotine levels and flavors, those are in the works and will be available in the coming months. Keep your tastebuds perked and your eyes peeled.
AUSTER | The Lush Box: Chef Oren, Vape Kitchen, and Why
The Man Behind The Juice
Chef Oren from The Vape Kitchen is a renowned chef who’s taken his culinary background into the world of e-liquids. Mark our words, he does not take the flavorist talent lightly. With a sommelier’s nose, Oren is able to pinpoint elements that are either too strong or too subtle in an e-liquid blend. Pair this superhuman nose with a chef’s touch, and you’ve got the foundations of The Vape Kitchen. Auster chose to collaborate with The Vape Kitchen for a multitude of reasons: flavor, innovation, and a willingness to venture into the unknown. For his Opus line and a handful of other e-liquids, Oren is known to take saffron (the world’s most expensive spice!) and directly steep it in pure VG for up to months. This subtle but powerful saffron punch gives his e-liquids a depth of aroma that vapers can’t quite pin-point, yet love.
The Collaboration
Chef Oren and The Vape Kitchen embodied what Auster felt the vape-space was lacking: character and personality beyond the vape space. While flavor comes first and foremost in Auster’s process of selecting collaborators, a compelling brand story certainly pique our interest. We worked with Chef Oren on the newest addition to his masterpiece “Opus” line, with Auster serving as the first place to try his newly unveiled Opus 5. Let’s just say that Oren already has a plethora of food and drink pairings for any vaper to indulge in with Opus 5.
The Result
The Lush Box by The Vape Kitchen was a collaborative effort on both the design and e-liquid curation. While Opus 1 through 4 already existed, Oren wanted to bring something new into the Lush Box. Thus -- Opus 5, exclusively launched by Auster. The box’s design was intentionally simple and straight to the point, much like Chef Oren himself. A man of no-frills, he’d rather let the flavors and experience speak for themselves.
Nicotine Salt E-Liquids - Making Vaping Potent and Truly Pocket Size
In the last couple of years, innovation in the vaping community has almost ground to a halt. With so many countries clamping down e-cigs and vape juices (stares angrily at the FDA), all it takes is a bit of back-of-the-napkin math to realize that the excessive bureaucracy will seriously compromise the bottom line of most manufacturers. Luckily, not everyone is scared of red tape. Thanks to PAX, the company behind JUUL vaporizers, the vaping world got a rare new buzzword last year! Of course, I’m talking about nicotine salts here.
Nicotine salt e-liquid has been gaining a lot of traction lately, in part thanks to the numerous benefits this type of vape juice has over traditional ones. Inspired by its popularity, we at Auster are happy to announce that we’re in the process of launching our own label of nic salts: Auster Salts!
Benefits of Nicotine Salt E-Liquids:
They are better at nicotine delivery - the fact that nic salts are made in higher concentrations (they are commercially available in strengths from 1 mg/mL to 59 mg/mL) means that they are more effective when it comes to nicotine delivery. This is especially important for smokers who are just switching to e-cigs and are looking for something that has the same punch.
They provide a smoother vaping experience - the reason why regular vape juice doesn’t come in similar strengths is that it’s very harsh on the throat. Even 24 mg/mL vape juices will, generally, make you cough your lungs out. That doesn’t hold true for nic salts, since they have a different composition (more on that below).
Nicotine salts work great with pod systems and vape pens - as the years go by, vaping devices become bigger and bigger. Up until now, if you wanted performance and a satisfying nic kick, you needed to own a vape mod that’s substantially bigger than your smartphone. Well, that time is up - nic salt vape juices are intended for use with small, stealthy pens and pod systems, and what they lack in cloud generation, they certainly make up for in practicality.
Ok, now you know why nicotine salts are adored by stealth and casual vapers, as well as smokers turned vapers.
However, you still have no idea what they are, do you?
I mean, the question in your head is probably…
Wait.
Salts.
Really?
What the Heck Are Nicotine Salts?
That’s a fair question.
Although, it has to be said that the name is somewhat misleading. When you hear ‘salts’, you immediately jump to your run-of-the-mill cooking salt, which is granulated. Don’t worry, nicotine salt vape juices are still liquids, so you won’t be chasing any suspicious-looking crystals around a glass bowl (perish the thought).
In fact, nicotine salts are pretty much the only available type of nicotine in nature. Pure, or freebase, nicotine has a very unstable molecule (as most alkaloids do), so it links to other organic molecules (acids, in this case) to form salts. Salts, on the other hand, are much more stable.
There’s a reason, however, why nic salts are not the preferred type of nicotine for tobacco manufacturers. In a nutshell, they have a rather low bioavailability, which means that they are not as readily absorbed into our blood and brain, at least not as readily as freebase nicotine. That’s why Philip Morris funded a helluva lot of research in the 1960s and managed to make Marlboro the success it was and, arguably, still is.
What PM found was that by adding ammonia to cigarettes they could deprotonate nicotine salts found in tobacco leaves. The resulting nicotine formulation in the smoke would then become freebase - a dangling string of nicotine molecules that are lipid-soluble and, therefore, much more addictive.
That, my good folks, is what freebase nicotine is all about - potency and bioavailability.
So, why are we back on nicotine salts again? Even if you make the strongest e-liquid out there with them, surely it would flop because most of that nicotine wouldn’t be bioavailable.
Or is there something we’re not catching on here?
Why Are Nic Salts Suddenly Becoming Popular?
In 2015, PAX patented a new vape juice formulation, one that included nicotine salt instead of freebase nicotine. Since the patent text is a lengthy (and difficult) read, here’s the gist of the story. PAX caters mostly to casual vapers, the kind that isn’t interested in mucking about with high tech vape gadgets, sub-ohm tanks, and rebuilding, but still want vaping to be as similar to smoking as possible. Also, nic delivery with vaping is lower than with traditional cigarettes, so transitioning smokers need to up the nicotine level considerably to increase their chances of quitting.
That’s where we hit a bit of a snag. Freebase nicotine has a pretty strong (and, for some, unpleasant) throat hit, especially at higher levels. If you’ve ever tried a 24 mg/mL vape juice, you know what I’m talking about.
PAX labs set out to create a considerably stronger vape juice (in the range of 50 mg/mL) when they stumbled across nic salts. After a bit of experimentation, they found that one particular salt (created by pairing nicotine with benzoic acid) rivaled the bioavailability of freebase nicotine found in analog cigarettes.
Their tests clearly show that this particular nic salt vastly outperforms regular vape juice in terms of bioavailability. Benzoic acid + specific reactions that occur during the vaping = equal plenty of usable nicotine. But that’s not all - the resulting vapor is not harsh on the throat, even when we’re talking about 59 mg/mL nicotine levels, which is what the JUULsalts are packing.
What Do Nicotine Salts Mean for Vapers and Those Looking to Switch to Vaping?
You might be tempted to say: ‘Yeah, that’s all cool but, basically, who cares?’
And that’s fine. For a whole lot of established vapers, this development might seem a bit underwhelming. However, you need to consider the future of our community, as well as the fact that, so far, it had pretty high barriers to entry. In essence, most beginner vapers would find regular vape devices too complicated and ordinary juices too weak, and they would give up.
With nicotine salts, a great vaping experience (similar to smoking, even in those pesky little details such as throat hit, smoothness, and nicotine delivery) will be easily achievable with small, portable devices. If you need a solid nic hit, you can now get it discreetly, without a huge ball of vapor hovering above your head. Higher nic content will also be great for conversion rates - 50 mg/mL nicotine is the solution for heavy smokers. While it might not be an ideal solution, it’s definitely better than the alternative.
In addition to that, the fact that nic salts work best in smaller devices will push the manufacturers in that direction. We’ll get truly pocket size vapes - either pod systems or good ole’ vape pens - that are beginner-friendly, practical, and consistent.
As for us here at Auster, we’re excited to be unveiling the Auster Salt line now, and we hope that you will give it a try. If it helps just one smoker to give up the nasties, it was well worth the effort!
Auster’s WIP Secret Party Brings a Sneak Peek of Company’s Culture to India
When talking about the vape culture, people tend to forget that it was not created, and it does not exist, in a vacuum. Vapers come in all shapes and forms, and it’s our diversity that makes this community such a fun area to work and grow in.
After spearheading the new wave of vape culture in the good ole’ US of A, we were super excited to cross the pond and take on India. In September 2017, Auster organized a secret warehouse party in Delhi, bringing in Soulection’s Jarreau Vandal from Amsterdam, as well as the Seoul-based R&B and hip-hop star Didi Han. Home-grown forces, Zokhuma (Mumbai) and MAdStarBase (Delhi), also joined the fray and made the night a truly memorable experience.
Artists With Messages of Unity, Openness & Cooperation
More than 700 people attended, despite the fact that the location was disclosed only on the day, and people had to RSVP with a code from our Facebook page. Because, a bit of mystery never really hurt anyone, right?
Artists brought their tour de force behind the mix counter, but also talked about how traveling and mingling with other creators and cultures empowers and fuels their own work. Tarini Sethi, an eclectic local artist that honed her craft in New York, contributed to the event with her amazing installations.
Auster’s ‘Works In Progress’ events are far from over. We’re preparing a bunch of treats for you - art, music, film, vape culture, you name it - so stay tuned in case that one of them pops up near you. It’s definitely not something you want to miss out on!
If you’ve tried to google ‘Are e-cigs bad for your teeth?’ or ‘Does vaping cause tooth decay?’, you were presented with a lot of anecdotal evidence but with little, if anything, concrete. One of the stickiest issues with vaping is that the science of it is lagging far behind, especially when you consider the uptick of vapers in the last couple of years. Just think about it - it took nearly a decade for credible scientists to actually research the effects of vaping on the human heart. And I’m not talking about tobacco industry-funded scientists, who would regularly turn up with muddled results that seems to prove that a day of vaping is worse than years of smoking.
These days, we know that vaping has some undesirable consequences (elevated heart rate and short-term blood pressure spikes), but that is attributed to nicotine. Vaping, in and of itself, doesn’t bother your heart all that much. However, that’s a core ‘health’ concern. A lot of our ‘peripheral’ concerns are still pretty much unanswered. Vaping and dental health is one of those concerns.
However trivial the subject seems in comparison to heart and lung issues, it’s only natural to want to know the relationship between oral health and vaping. As I’ve said, most of the evidence here is anecdotal (we sorely need more studies done in this area) and should be taken with a grain of salt, but here’s what we know about vaping and teeth so far.
Your Biggest Enemy Is Dehydration
Both VG and PG, the base liquids used in the manufacture of vape juice, are known dehydrants. They dry out the mouth (and your body in general) by tying moisture to their molecules. The result, as far as your teeth are concerned, is making your mouth a very hospitable area for bacterial growth. Bacteria loves dry places and thrives in them.
The best way to deal with this? Simply drink more water. Yes, water. Not Kool-Aid or Coke - pure, unadulterated water. It’s the best thing out there for keeping yourself hydrated. An often touted rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So, for example, if you have 200 pounds (90 kg), you should drink around 2.5 liters of water as a bare minimum; more if you’re exerting yourself or exercising.
By drinking plenty of water, you’re keeping your body, and your mouth, hydrated, combating the effects of PG and VG and denying the bacteria their playground. Try it - it’s not that hard!
Nicotine WILL Affect Your Oral Health
We can all harp on about how much healthier vaping is than smoking (and it really is!), but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that nicotine is exactly what our bodies need. Although it’s not as big of a villain as the media portrays it (most negative health-related effects of smoking are due to other additives in cigarettes and not the nicotine), it’s difficult to argue that nic is good.
When it comes to teeth and, generally, oral health, nicotine does have some serious consequences that just pile atop one another as the time passes:
Nicotine causes gum recession
It also makes it more difficult to notice gum disease (no bleeding due to its vasoconstricting properties)
It can cause bad breath (halitosis)
Nicotine exacerbates teeth grinding (acts as a stimulant)
If you’re using nicotine vape juices, it’s best to consult with your dentist about these potential issues. Now, I’m not recommending you stop enjoying your e cigs, especially if that would drive you back to smoking. However, a dentist can help you by scheduling regular (albeit frequent) visits, which will help rule out potential gum problems that are being masked by your nicotine intake.
The Confusing Effects of Propylene Glycol
Propylene glycol seems to have a controversial role when it comes to vaping and oral health. On one hand, it severely hampers the growth of bacteria, so it’s anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal. Actually, it creates an environment that is not hospitable to these little tooth munchers, as opposed to killing them straight off the bat.
However, as many vapers point out, you inhale the PG into your lungs, you don’t slush it around in your mouth. It’s highly unlikely that vapers have a significantly different bacterial eco-system in their mouth than non-vapers, otherwise, we’d all be walking around with pearly whites. Still, I suppose that every little bit helps.
On the other hand, a study published in the International Endodontic Journal (paywall link) found that PG invades dentine (the stuff that teeth are made of) easily, and can carry other contaminants with it, such as nicotine or artificial sweeteners. Naturally, this spells bad news for your teeth.
That said, the jury is still out on this one. As things stand now, it seems that our teeth are not overly exposed to PG when we’re vaping (unless you’re doing it with your jaw clenched), but it’s still wise to keep this bit of information somewhere in the back of your head and hope that science will shed some light on it soon.
Should You Worry About Vape Juice Sweeteners?
Flavorings are always a tough cookie when we’re talking about vaping. On one hand, we eat them regularly; on the other, that still doesn’t mean they are good for us. I mean, even flavored water has enemies, for Pete’s sake!
When it comes to a specific sub-group of flavorings, sweeteners, we seem to be in the clear for now. It’s difficult to be 100 % sure, but most vape juice manufacturers seem to avoid ordinary sugars, which are the main culprit for tooth decay.
Instead of ordinary sugars, they use sucralose and sugar alcohols, such as ethyl maltol.
Sucralose is made from sucrose, table sugar, but it doesn’t contain any calories since our bodies can’t break it down. Similarly, the bacteria can’t feast on it, and sucralose doesn’t present a problem when it comes to your oral health.
Ethyl maltol is a sugar alcohol and falls into that group of sweeteners that is almost as sweet as regular sugar, has far fewer calories, and doesn’t wreck havoc on your teeth. Stevia is also sometimes used in vape juices, but far less than either sucralose or maltol.
Still, keep in mind that there are some unscrupulous manufacturers out there, who won’t balk at the idea of using cheap ingredients if that helps them to earn a few more bucks. Buy your vape juice from reputable manufacturers, and always do your best to know exactly what goes into it.
At Least One Study Confirms Vaping Has a Positive Net Effect On Oral Health Compared to Smoking
Overall, current studies (and an overwhelming amount of anecdotal evidence) point to vaping having little or no effect on oral health. A recent study published in Medicine (Baltimore) concludes that, out of 300 participants (smokers) who switched to vaping for 120 days, all experienced a net positive periodontal effect. Their gums started to recover, gum bleeding stopped, and their overall well being improved.
If you’re a vaper and concerned for your oral health, by all means, consult with your dentist. You should do this especially if you’re experiencing problems, such as gum sensitivity or bleeding, and you think it might be connected to vaping. Just remember - don’t fret too much about hurting your teeth with vaping. An overwhelming number of vapers report that their dental health was vastly improved once they’ve switched from smoking to vaping. So far, nothing indicates that you will be any different!
South Korea’s rising star, DJ Didi Han, appeared at Auster’s WIP secret party in Delhi on September 9, 2017, and blew the tin roof right of off that warehouse! Known for her versatile selections, Didi seamlessly fuses R&B, hip-hop, and house, building her own eclectic beat that the audiences just love. So far, she appeared on Boiler Room twice, and is a star of festivals in Taiwan, Korea, India, Hong Kong, and, soon enough, all over the world.
Didi wasn’t up in knots about her debut in India. Asked about her selection in an interview, she said she wasn’t too worried about it. ‘The people here are nice and like my music’, Didi chimes in, ‘and I’m looking forward to helping create this warehouse party’. Check this short clip of Didi in the days leading up to the Auster’s WIP party.
Don’t forget to follow Didi Han on Instagram and SoundCloud and get a sneak peak into the awesome beats that the audience at the Auster WIP Delhi had the pleasure of grooving to live!
Skills You Will Learn While Vaping - Electronics, Chemistry, Physics & Common Sense
In the recent years, vaping has developed into a ‘plug-and-play’ sport. You get your MOD, your tank, and your vape juices and you’re good to go. Put a few drops in the tank, puff away, and rinse and repeat. Oh, and charge your batteries from time to time. And this is great. It means that vaping is accessible to a lot more people who might otherwise be too lazy to take it up if it was difficult. However, scratch just a bit under the surface and you will find that there are a lot of vaping skills that can be helpful in everyday life.
Advanced vapers (those using mech MODs, rebuilding their coils, and/or mixing their own vape juices) pick up quite a few things during their learning process. They will often dabble with things that have to do with electronics, chemistry, and physics in order to figure out how something works and how to make it work better.
Check out these skills that vaping teaches and decide for yourself whether going advanced is worth the hassle. We most certainly think it is.
Battery Safety Principles Will Let You Keep Your Teeth!
The first hat you don is dual in nature- you will be both an electrician and a chemist - you have to be since we’re talking about batteries right now. We use them every day - in our electric trimmers, power tools, remote controls, and smartphones. They are generally safe, even when vaping, especially if you use them with regulated devices.
However, problems arise if you become too nonchalant about batteries when building coils and using them on mechanical, unregulated MODs. To do this safely, you have to learn about batteries and what makes them tick. You have to know why they are named the way they are (18350, 18650, 26650), what amperage is, and what IMR and ICR mean.
Battery designations such as 18350 and 18650 are not just random numbers someone decided to use. They have their meaning. The first two digits stand for battery diameter, the second to for battery length, and the last digit denotes shape. Zero, as you could imagine, stands for ‘round’.
This gives you an idea about which battery will fit in what device right from the get-go. Although most devices use 18650 batteries these days, there are still outliers and you want to know about that so you don’t end up buying something you can’t use with your device.
Next thing you will familiarize yourself with is amperage. Amperage is a unit used to measure current and it’s important because you always need to know how much current can be safely drawn from a battery. Some batteries are rated 35 amps but don’t go thinking that you can continuously draw that from them. That’s a pulse rating - short, intermittent bursts of that kind of draw can be tolerated. To be on the safe side, make sure you never draw more than 20 amps from a battery (better yet, leave yourself a margin and cap that at 17 amps), especially if you’re taking puffs often or chain-vaping.
Why?
Because you don’t want to get your teeth knocked out by a venting battery, which will happen if you draw too much power and have no idea about the Ohm’s Law (we will get to that in a minute). Battery thermal runaway is a serious issue and can potentially turn your mechanical MOD into a deadly weapon.
IMR and ICR stand for Lithium Manganese and Lithium Cobalt Oxide, respectively. They tell you a bit more about battery’s internal chemistry. It’s generally accepted that IMR batteries are safer than ICR batteries. They support higher discharge rates and should be your number one pick for low resistance builds.
The Ohm’s Law - Essential For Safe Vaping
Basically, the Ohm’s Law defines the relationship between current (amps), voltage and the resistance - everything you deal with every time you pick up a MOD and take a deep, satisfying puff. This is how the relevant equations look like:
So let’s break it all down:
I = CURRENT - the rate of the flow of electrons and measured in amps.
V = VOLTAGE DIFFERENCE - difference in electrical potential.
R = RESISTANCE - how much does a material restrict the flow of electrons.
Another important number not pictured above is W and it stands for Power, measured in Watts.
W = POWER - a process in which electrical current releases heat.
So why is this all important?
Knowing Ohm’s Law important because it gives you a working knowledge of how your MOD operates. This is especially important when you’re using mechanical MODS which have no safeties and no way to regulate how much power is drawn from a battery.
Remember thermal runaway, that thing that can cause your mechanical MOD to blow like a bomb? By far the most common way to cause it is to draw too much power from your battery. Higher resistance equals lower wattage, cooler vapor, and lower amperage, which means a safer vape. Lower resistance means higher wattage and, consequently, higher amperage.
Most batteries are capped at 20 amps for a continuous draw. This means that if you’re drawing more power, there’s potential you’re going to damage the battery and cause thermal runaway - after which it’s you who is going to have to run away! Knowing how Ohm’s Law works and what it means for vaping will keep you from building coils with too low resistance and will keep you out of a hospital.
For more (easy to understand) information about Ohm’s Law, check out this great video by New Amsterdam Vape:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3h0ta-L_zc&t=48s
Vaping Wires - Materials, Gauge, Surface Area, and Ramp Up Time
Resistance is also an important metric in the above calculation and in the whole process of vaping. It determines how much power you’re going to need to heat up the coil and to enable it to evaporate your vape juice. This all hinges on what type of resistance wire you’re using, what’s the gauge (diameter), and how big is the surface area (how many wraps you’re doing on every single coil).
Let’s talk about the gauge first. For example, 32 gauge Kanthal wire (0.2 mm or 0.008 in) has a higher resistance than a 24 gauge Kanthal wire (0.51 mm or 0.02 in). To run it, you’re going to need more power and more amperage but the result is going to be warmer, more abundant vapor and increased flavor. Keep in mind not to overdo it. Generally, smaller gauge wires are easier to work so that’s one reason why people use them. Bigger gauge wires are for sub-ohming because, as mentioned, they create a better overall vaping experience for some vapers.
Still, this will depend a lot on the type of wire you’re using. This is where you get to play a metallurgist and an engineer if you’re so inclined. There are currently five types of wires predominantly used to make coils and they are:
Stainless Steel - holds shape well and is easy to work with. Has a better ramp up time than Kanthal and can work with Variable Wattage and TC MODs.
Kanthal - easy to work with, pliable, but still holds shape well. It has an average ramp up time and is generally a good wire for beginners and single-coil builds.
Ni-Chrome - known as Ni80. It has lower resistance than Kanthal, which also means reduced ramp up time if we’re talking about the same gauge wire. Be careful - Ni-Chrome has a low melting point and doesn’t tolerate dry burning that well. It’s also a known allergen.
Titanium - not difficult to work with and must be used with TC MODs. Titanium has a faster ramp up time but can be a hazard - it can ignite at extremely high temperatures.
Nickel - also known as Ni200, it’s the first wire to be used with TC. Difficult to work with and doesn’t hold shape well - easily bends when wicking. Nickel can cause allergies as well.
Every one of these wires has its pros and its cons. The subtleties in flavor will change, depending on which one you’re using, and so will vapor production. They will also have a differing ramp up time, as mentioned already. Ramp up time is the time required to heat up your coil to the point where it starts evaporating vape juice. It’s dependent on many things, including wire type, wire gauge, coiling diameter, and overall surface area.
Surface area depends on how many wraps you’re doing for your coils. It can play a major part in flavor and vapor production. There are countless combinations - more wraps with a smaller diameter and higher gauge, fewer wraps with a smaller diameter and lower gauge, more wraps with a higher diameter and higher gauge, and so on. You name it and it’s probably been done - check out the ECF forum to find more info on the intricacies of coil-building.
When we’re talking about advanced vaping, nothing is easy! All of this can seem pretty overwhelming but you’ve probably had to deal with all of it if you ever built a single coil from scratch. If you haven’t, it’s important to remember that vaping is all about personal preference and experimentation. As you can see, you’ll dabble in a lot of fields, from metallurgy and engineering and all the way to physics and chemistry. All those skills will make for some impressive talking points. After all, isn’t variety truly the spice of life?
But we’re not over yet! There’s one big vaping area we haven’t even touched on and it’s extremely popular with advanced vapers. Care to guess what it is?
Why DIY? The Science of Making Your Own Vape Juice
Vape juice DIY used to be reserved for hard-core vapers but it’s getting increasingly popular. One reason for that is the increasing over-regulation, as we’ve seen in the case of TPD in Europe. The other reason is that a lot of vapers consider vaping to be a hobby - they actually enjoy tinkering with their setups and vape juices so it makes sense to devote a little time to vape juice mixing. When you think about it, DIYing is the process by which most vape juice manufacturers come up with new flavors. Experimentation is the key and a lot of premium vape juices had their start on a dusty table in a garage of an enthusiastic vaper.
Other benefits of mixing your own vape juice include:
Sidestepping the regulations - regulations are limiting bottle sizes, nicotine levels, and more. By making your own vape juice you can make as much as you want at whatever nicotine level you desire.
Cost-effectiveness - 30 ml of premium vape juice can cost up to $30. On the other hand, you can mix up to a liter and half yourself for just over $120. This includes buying PG, VG, flavorings, nicotine, and everything else you’re going to need to start.
Control over ingredients - you always know exactly what you’re putting into your vape juice. Most manufacturers don’t disclose their ingredients - there was even some controversy about vape juices containing untested ingredients. By DIYing, you know exactly what you’re vaping.
So, what exactly do you learn when mixing your own juice? You learn exactly what goes into it - vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, various flavorings, and, optionally, nicotine. You learn that playing around with percentages can yield great results but that it can also often produce horrible vape juice. For example, if you’re off by just 0.1 % with certain flavorings can make your juice completely unfit for vaping!
You also learn that there are two ways of going about vape juice mixing:
By weight - measuring the weight down to a hundredth of a gram
By volume - measuring the space a liquid occupies
Luckily for you, you don’t have to be a math wiz to mix your own vape juices. Sure, you can do it the hard way but there are dozens of great vape juice mixing calculators available online, such as this one from E-Liquid Recipes. You simply enter your ingredients and the quantity you’re going for and you will get two calculations - one for mixing by weight and another one for mixing by volume.
This is important because all vape juices are mixed by percentages. Your base liquid will be 100% or one whole. The amount of flavoring that goes into each mix differs - anywhere from 0.5% for complex juices with more flavors, to 10% for simpler, one-note juices. If you’re adding nicotine, you will be adding it diluted in either PG or VG (there are different concentrations, anywhere from 24mg to 100mg). Word of caution - never use pure nicotine when mixing. It’s poison and needs to be handled carefully.
So how do you do it? With volume mixing it’s a bit easier. If you’re making 30 ml of vape juice you just need to figure out how much 3 % (or 1 %, 2%, or 5%, depending on flavoring) of 30 ml is in milliliters. Then you use a syringe or a pipette to add that amount to the bottle. Once all the flavorings (and nicotine) are in, you top the bottle off with PG and VG in different concentrations, depending on the VG/PG mix you’re going for.
Mixing by weight is a bit more difficult but it’s a lot cleaner. An assumption is that 1 ml equals 1 gram, right? Well, that’s only true for water. PG, VG, flavorings, and nicotine have different consistencies so that assumption would be wrong. For example, 1 ml of PG is 1.038 grams, 1 ml of VG is a whopping 1.26 grams, and the weights of 1 ml of flavoring and nicotine will depend on the solvent they are in (PG or VG), as well as the type of flavoring.
And that’s it! Mixing your own vape juice is a handy vaping skill and, with all the tools and ingredients available online, it’s not nearly as much hassle as you might have previously thought. If you need ideas on what to make, visit eLR or the DIY e juice subreddit - new recipes are added daily.
So why not give it a try?
The Most Important Vaping Skill - Common Sense
That’s right. You get to learn a lot about common sense when you’re a vaper. For one, you learn that pushing your choices on everybody you meet is a waste of time. People will either recognize the benefits or they won’t. On the other hand, you also learn to deal with things - like being asked to leave a restaurant or a bar, getting looks from strangers, and explaining for the umpteenth time that no, vaping is definitely not worse than smoking.
You will learn that vaping flavorings is a big no-no (since you will have tried after getting your first batch and DIYing), that metal coins in your pocket don’t mix well with unprotected batteries, and that cloud-chasing is a sport best enjoyed in the comfort of your own home.
What did you learn since you started vaping? Share it with us in the comments section below and don’t worry if you had to learn something from the ‘common sense’ category the hard way. You were not the first and definitely won’t be the last!
Anyone can walk into a vape shop or look up a flavor online when they start getting into vaping. It’s never fun to walk away with a flavor you don’t like, and wonder if you’ll make the same mistake the next time you purchase.
At Auster, we wanted to make it easier for new vapers and connoisseurs to enjoy a curated selection of products. Sure, you could go out and pick up a few bottles, but what if you had some vape experts choose flavors that blend together seamlessly, but are different enough to have a wide variety?
That’s where Auster comes in. We choose four flavors to put in each box, so it’s guaranteed you’ll find at least a few you enjoy. You’ll be able to mix and match flavors without the fuss of picking mysterious flavors on your own.
Sure, these boxes come with your vaping needs, but they’re also pieces of art. Art is something that surrounds each of us every single day, but we seldom notice it due to our busy lives. One of the best things about the Auster boxes is that we take the time to find artists that we know you’ll love, and that deserve to have a medium to present their work. The boxes are created in collaboration with the artist, that includes everything from the box itself to the zine featuring their captivating artwork.
You may have seen boxes like this that require a subscription and are month to month, but we’re not trying to tie you down like that. These boxes are available for anytime you want to purchase them with no commitment. But, we can’t guarantee that you won’t come back wanting to your next box.
Each box has four 30ml bottles of unique, satisfying flavors that we know you’ll love, and a selection of six accessories to go along with them. Here’s what you could get:
Accessories such as:
A zine featuring artwork from the artist
A 2600 mAh Powerbank to keep you charged up
Daneson Flavored Toothpicks to combat that stubborn vaper’s tongue
A Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
A silk scarf designed in collaboration with the artist
Auster x Chubby Gorilla Bottles to lighten up the weight from the glass bottles and ease transportation
An accessory pouch to hold all your vape needs
Moroccan Magic Organic Lip Balm for the sake of your drip tips
Two Auster patches to add to any item of clothing or accessory that you want
Two Auster pins featuring our logo and some amazing designs
These boxes aren’t the everyday purchase, they’re special. They’re a gift to yourself when you want to get started with vaping or try something new. Inside has everything you could ever want, so you can enjoy the vaping experience along with having some cool accessories to show off. Not to mention, it’s a deal.
The boxes are $55 each, but you can use the code FLASH for a discount. With a $95 value, you’re getting more than 40% off a selection of diverse products and accessories that are guaranteed to impress your friends. Whether it’s a gift to yourself or a gift to a fellow vaper, these boxes are sure to please.
So go ahead, try one of our boxes. Once you’ve enjoyed your first, we’ll see you when you’re ready for your second!
How To Wean Yourself Off of Nicotine: A Practical Timeline
Vapers come from a multitude of backgrounds, ranging from an average Joe to a cloud-chaser. While backgrounds vary across the scale, one thing persists across vapers. They want to quit cigarettes, and by extension, nicotine. Maybe you want to use vaping as a tool for quitting, and nothing else. Nothing wrong with that!
Whatever your reasons are, a cocktail of consistent effort and vaping is all you need. In this article, we give you a practical plan to quit nicotine without the withdrawal nightmares. With vaping, the process of quitting smoking is not only easier, but possibly fun! Let’s get right into it.
Your Path
Here, we introduce two possible vape paths. One is beginner-friendly, and the other is for those who want to explore vaping deeper. The process of quitting is similar despite the vaping device. Feel free to choose your own path!
Why You Need a Gradual Timeline
You’ve likely heard the war stories from the cold turkey quitters. Plain and simple, quitting cold turkey is a bloodshed path. Users who wean off of nicotine report a gradual path, often involving something like a nicotine patch and of course, vaping.
A gradual reduction almost eliminates nasty withdrawals and makes your life much easier. When you quit with vaping, it’s even easier. Smokers have a strong association with the process of smoking. Vaping allows you to continue your routine, with the ‘feel’ of a real cigarette. This alone can help keep prior smokers grounded.
Quit Smoking Using Pods
When it comes to quitting nicotine, pods are the beginner-friendly option. Why? Pods are affordable, accessible, and dead easy to get started with. Pods let you explore vaping without the complicated setup.
When dealing with pods, you have open-system and closed system. Closed-system pods have containers of pre-filled eliquid, allowing you to easily replace them. This eliminates the need to fill your own juice, which makes switching flavours a breeze. Open-system pods let you fill the juice yourself, while giving you more customization options.
Pods have a “pop and go” nature to them, making them incredibly convenient for just about any situation. For a beginner, we’d recommend a closed-system pod for its convenience and ease of use.
If you’re looking for a place to get started, you can find awesome pods here
Quit Smoking Using Subohm Atomizers
A subohm build bends the technology of vaporizers to create a pack-a-punch device. In the vaping world, more power equals room-filling clouds. Yes, you heard that right! For beginners, subohm tanks are ideal, which come with a premade build. A tank’s biggest advantage is the fact that you don’t have to build your own coils. If you want to make things interesting, you can build your own subohm atomizer. For the beginner, you can’t go wrong with a subohm tank.
For the curious, you can dive deeper to find out how these things actually work. In short, the coils set the resistance of the device, measured in ohms. Anything lower than 1 ohm is a subohm build, hence the name! As you can imagine, this creates a powerhouse of a hit. We’d recommend a nicotine strength of no higher than 6ml, starting at a 1 ohm build and exploring from there. When deciding your method, just do what works for you!
The Timeline
Here’s where the fun begins! This timeline takes you from top to complete zero. It won’t be easy, but it’s doable with a practical plan and a follow through. Ready? Let’s get into it.
Week 0: Prepare
We know you just want to dive in, but planning goes a long way. It’s time to purge anything that causes a trigger to smoke. Go all in. This includes ashtrays, accessories, and so on. Remove the smell of cigarettes from your house and car. That’s a big one! Time to Febreeze it up. Take a moment and list everything that reminds you of smoking, including life events such as stress.
Decide Your Route, Purchase Your Items
It’s time to purchase your vape items of choice. It’s easy to overthink this part, but don’t! A common concern is the where, not what. Our recommended starting point for pods is here. Taking the subohm route? Start here. Think about what else you may need, including accessories. Now you need to know which fluid to get, which brings us to the next section.
Week 1: Find Your Nicotine Intake and Drop it by 25%
Vendors usually sell vape fluid that range from 3-24 ml/oz. Your job is to find out how much you need. To do this, estimate how many cigarettes you used per day. On average, a single cigarette has about 1 ml per stick. If you smoked 5 per day, your fluid amount is about 5ml/day.
To get started, take your base amount and cut it by a quarter.
As a general rule of thumb:
3ml → 2-2.25ml
5ml → 3-3.5ml
10ml → 7.5ml
Once you have your starting value, you know which fluid to start with. It doesn’t have to be exact, as long as your body can adjust to it!
The Next Few Weeks: Gradually Bring Nicotine Down
After a full week with your reduced nicotine solution, remove another 1-2mls. If you feel strong withdrawals, simply bring your nicotine up to a level that your body can handle. For example, if you’re having trouble with a 2ml drop, bring it up by 1ml.
The amount of weeks this process takes depends on your starting amount. We recommend an 8 week plan, with a 15-25% drop every week. Adjust this starting point to align with your goals. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint!
When You’re Under 3ml/day: Dilute Your Solution
If you made it this far, you’re almost there! You have two options: purchase a lower than 3ml solution, or dilute it yourself. If you can purchase a lighter solution, go for it! If not, you have to dilute it.
How To Dilute
One common method is to buy a 0ml solution and mix it with your current vape juice. You can cut your juice’s content in half with a 50/50 mix. For example, a 50/50 mix of 3mg and 0mg solution gives you 1.5mg. Here’s a forum post with other users going through the process.
Making The Leap To Zero
It’s possible to skip dilution completely, bringing you to the final step. Before you can make the complete jump, make sure your body is used to a very low nicotine solution(1-1.5mg). Once you’ve adapted, completely drop your nicotine solution to 0mg. Hooray!
From here, you have two paths. Drop vaping and live nicotine free, or continue exploring with a no nicotine solution. Whatever you decide to do, we’ll be happy to see you here, completely nicotine free! It’s a long path, but we know you can make it.
