Somehow, sweet-toothed vapers have got a real stranglehold on the e-liquid industry. Sure, we enjoy a dessert-inspired or sweet e-liquid flavour every now and then, but Maple Syrup Pancake or Strawberry Marshmallow isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. If you’ve ever looked at a list of e-liquids and felt your teeth start to ache, you probably know what we mean.
Vapers often tell us that they’re struggling to find great non-sweet vape juice, and we definitely can relate. Sweet just seems to be the default for many e-liquid brands — if you want a slightly more sophisticated flavour to vape it can be hard to know where to start.
That’s why we’ve carefully researched, taste-tested, and ranked a wide range of e-liquids in order to put together this list of the best vape juices (shortfills, nicotine salts, and freebase) that won’t overwhelm your palate with sweetness. Let’s get started.
Best tobacco e-juice
Tobacco is perhaps one of the most popular non-sweet e-liquid flavours so it’s no surprise that many brands have released their own unique takes on this famous flavour. However, not all tobacco vape juices are created equal — if you’re looking for a nic salt, freebase vape juice, or shortfill that isn’t too sweet and can be vaped all day here are some of your best options.
Zeus Juice Tobacco Blend
The kings of tobacco e-liquid, Zeus Juice are hard to beat for their selection of tobacco flavours and the vibrant realism of each taste. Yes, many different e-liquid manufacturers offer a tobacco flavoured e-liquid, but how many brands have created more than one? With not one, not two, but seven different tobacco varieties available, Zeus Juice honour the wide variety of different flavour profiles and blends available.
So, with so many different tobacco e-juice flavours to choose from, which one is best for vapers who are tired of sickly-sweet e-liquids? Of course, everyone’s preferences are different, so you’ll have to do some experimentation to find your favourites. However, we highly recommend starting with Cubano Tobacco, a flavour that is rich, bold, and full of smokiness to perfectly capture that Cuban cigar taste. American Red Tobacco also packs a punch with its full-bodied and complex flavour that ex-smokers in particular will love.
If you don’t mind a hint of sweetness in your vape juice, why not try Vanilla Tobacco or ZY4? These flavours lace the rich savouriness of tobacco with a hint of sweet vanilla or caramel to elevate the vaping experience to a whole new level. Give them a try — even though they have some sweetness they’re not overwhelmingly sugary like your traditional sweet or dessert flavoured vape.
Available as both a 10ml freebase nicotine e-liquid (nicotine strengths 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, and 18mg available) and a 10ml nic salt (5mg, 10mg, or 20mg nicotine), it’s easy to find the perfect formulation and nicotine strength from Zeus Juice for you.
Just Juice Tobacco Club
If you’re looking for shortfill e-liquid that isn’t too sweet, why not try Just Juice’s Tobacco Club e-juice. Yes, Just Juice are mostly known for their fruit and tropical inspired e-liquids (and we definitely recommend checking these out if you enjoy fruity vape juice), but Tobacco Club shows that they can also make a great less sweet vape.
With the Tobacco Club range you can choose from three different flavours which each come in a 50ml bottle: Nutty Caramel Tobacco, Sweet Cubano Tobacco, and Vanilla Toffee Tobacco. While all three might sound a little sugary for your liking at first, we urge you to give vaping them a go because of the well-balanced flavours that highlight the rich and full-bodied tobacco on every inhale.
While these Just Juice e-liquids may be flavoured with tobacco, they don’t contain any nicotine in them. This means you can enjoy a nicotine-free vape or add a nic shot to the mix to achieve your preferred nicotine strength. Just remember to shake the 50ml bottle to ensure that the nicotine is effectively mixed with the rest of the e-juice.
Plus, with 70% VG (Vegetable Glycerine), these e-liquids are perfect for use in your favourite sub-ohm vape kit. Try them today — you won’t be disappointed. Side note: if you’re looking for other e-liquids that are high in VG, check out our list of favourite vape juices with a high VG ratio.
Best menthol e-liquid
If you prefer a refreshing, light vape without any of the sweetness or sugariness, menthol e-liquid is the way to go. We sometimes see some confusion between menthol and mint within vaping circles so here’s a quick explainer.
Menthol explained
While mint is a herb and sometimes you might see mint as a flavour used in e-liquids, menthol is a separate organic compound that comes from the mint plant. When it’s used in vape liquid, menthol does not actually have a flavour of its own because the taste molecules are removed in the menthol extraction process. However, menthol stimulates your thermoreceptors, causing your brain to think that something cold is in contact with your body. This is what causes that cooling or icy effect of menthol which is pleasant and soothing to vape.
Fun fact: spicy foods stimulate your thermoreceptors in a similar way to menthol, causing your brain to sense a heating sensation in your mouth when you eat a hot wing or chilli pepper.
While menthol is often added to sweet e-liquids to balance out the flavour, there are also some great e-juices that feature mouth-watering menthol without all the sweetness. Here are some of our favourites.
Vampire Vape Ice Menthol
One of the best-known UK-based e-liquid brands of recent years, Vampire Vape have a wide range of different flavours that cater to vapers of all preferences. One of Vampire Vape’s best flavours among their 10ml Freebase collection is Ice Menthol. This 10ml bottle of e-liquid is bright and refreshing, cooling your taste buds with a chilly breeze on every inhale and exhale. Menthol fans will appreciate the strength of this flavour and its slightly soothing nature — perfect for countering the throat hit that freebase nicotine often provides.
Vampire Vape also has a wide range of other menthol blasted flavours which use the cooling sensation to balance the sweetness of the e-liquid. If you want a mix of sweet and refreshing, some of the Vampire Vape flavours such as Spearmint, Pinkman Ice, or Heisenberg might be suitable options for you.
Ruthless Freeze Iced Out
Another great icy menthol flavour comes from Ruthless e-liquids. Iced Out, a flavour from their Freeze 100ml shortfill collection is your ultimate non-sweet e-liquid with its simple but refreshing icy flavour. This shortfill is great either as a palate cleanser or as your all-day-vape. Featuring 70% VG and 30% PG it’s also a great choice for your sub-ohm vape and can provide large amounts of delicious vapour. Just vape it nicotine-free or add a nicotine shot to achieve your desired nicotine strength.
Note: for a fruity twist on your menthol e-liquid, try the Ruthless Freeze Berry Blast flavour. With its mix of blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry under a menthol breeze, this e-liquid has a slight tanginess that counteracts the sweetness of the fruit.
Best non-sweet fruity or floral e-liquid
It can be tough to find fruity and floral vape juices that aren’t overly sweetened and artificial tasting, but don’t worry — we’ve tried and tested a wide range to find some great options for you. The following e-juices are well-balanced and sophisticated without being overly decadent. You won’t feel like you need to call the dentist after vaping any of these flavours!
Aisu Aloe Vera
In a world full of Blue Razz and Candy Floss flavours, we’ve got to hand it to Aisu for doing something truly unique. The Aloe Vera flavour from their 50ml shortfill collection takes a flavour we’re not very accustomed to in food or drinks and creates a stunning and refreshing e-liquid that all vapers need to try. Subtle and slightly floral in taste, the Aloe Vera flavour combines the plant with a pleasing kick of menthol for an unusual but exciting vape juice. Plus, with 70% VG, this high VG e-liquid from Aisu makes a great sub-ohm vape experience. You can add a nicotine booster or two if you want to enjoy the vape juice with a higher nicotine strength.
Ohm Boy Volume II E-liquids
For fruity and floral flavours that don’t contain too much sweetness, Ohm Boy’s famous Volume II range is a great choice. It’s hard to pick just one of the flavours from this selection to talk about so we’ll give you a list of our favourite vape juices:
- Rhubarb, Raspberry & Orange Blossom: floral, sophisticated, and multi-faceted, this e-juice has a hint of sweetness that is balanced by the tartness of the berries and rhubarb.
- Sweetwater Grape & White Peach: two naturally sweet fruits, this e-liquid flavour is nonetheless a subtle and realistic recreation of some favourite flavours that keeps sugar to a minimum.
- Apple, Elderflower & Garden Mint: the best of English flavours, this floral and slightly fruity medley contains a subtle natural sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm.
We promise you that these flavours are like nothing you’ve tried before. Masterfully concocted for the more discerning vaper, these truly feel like e-liquids for grown ups with good taste. Plus, the flavours are available as both high VG 50ml shortfills as well as 100ml, and high PG 10ml bottles of nicotine salts so you can enjoy them no matter the type of vape you use.
Final thoughts
In a world of vape e-liquids created to dazzle your tastebuds with sweetness, it can sometimes be hard to find the more subtle and complex flavours. Fortunately, whether you prefer tobacco, menthol, or floral flavours, there are some excellent brands catering to your tastes. In this article we’ve shared a few of our favourites — what vape juice would you add to the list?
Of course, there’s also nothing wrong with the super sweet dessert-inspired and fruity flavours created by many vape brands — we’ll admit to enjoying a Dinner Lady or Nasty Juice flavour as much as a full-bodied tobacco every once in a while! Candy-inspired flavours have a real nostalgia factor and it’s always fun to indulge in them sometimes, even if they don’t make a great all-day vape for your preferences.
Note: did you know that you can search e-liquids by flavour here on the Oxford Vapours website? Click ‘E-liquids’ in our menu and then scroll to the ‘Flavours’ section to search our selection of vape juice by taste. With a wide range of flavours including Ice, Sour, and even Aniseed, it couldn’t be easier to find the e-liquids that appeal to you on the Oxford Vapours online store!