What Is Direct To Lung Vaping?

Direct-to-lung vaping, often referred to as DTL vaping, is an inhalation style commonly used with sub ohm e-cigarettes and e-liquids. This is a very different style of inhalation to the ‘mouth-to-lung’ method used when smoking traditional cigarettes and roll-ups and, as such, it can take some getting used to.

Cigarette smokers will be familiar with the approach of first breathing smoke into the mouth and holding it there momentarily before then breathing the smoke down into the lungs. DTL vaping, however, requires the user to breath the vapour straight down into the lungs in a slow and steady fashion without first holding it in the mouth - much the same as simply taking a deep breath. A direct-to-lung drag should last for around three to five seconds, rather than the usual short, sharp drag experienced when smoking traditional tobacco.

Why Use Direct To Lung Vaping?

The reasoning behind this inhalation method is to achieve the thickest possible cloud production and flavour payoff from your e-liquids by filling your lungs to near capacity with vapour. This generates a huge amount of flavour and gives the user the satisfaction of exhaling thick, voluptuous plumes of vapour which is perfect for experiencing and appreciating the various flavour notes within an e-liquid.

Don’t be surprised if your first time direct-to-lung vaping is somewhat of a shock to the lungs, as they’ll likely not be used to holding this amount of foreign matter in them. We recommend starting out with a low-wattage and tight airflow setting on your e-cigarette device to ease you in to what is essentially an acquired skill. With time, your lungs will become used to holding this amount of vapour and any discomfort you might have first experienced will lessen dramatically.

When it comes to nicotine and DTL vaping, it’s probably best to stick to low or 0mg nicotine e-liquids as the higher the nicotine content, the harsher the accompanying ‘throat hit’ will be.  Because sub ohm / DTL vaping is more of a hobbyist practise and a means to exploring amazing e-liquid flavours than a way to quit cigarettes, you might find that a high-nicotine content muddies the various flavour notes within an e-juice and creates a harsh aftertaste.

You should also be aware that because DTL vaping requires you to take a significant amount of vapour into the lungs, you will inevitably experience a far greater nicotine hit which, for some individuals, may not be desirable.

Direct-to-lung vaping is best suited to e-liquids with a high-VG (vegetable glycerine) content, as high-VG e-liquids tend to be smoother on the throat and can therefore be held in the lungs in bigger volumes with minimal irritation.