Delta-8 Cart Tastes Burnt? Here’s What You Should Do
Have you ever tried to use a Delta-8 vape cartridge and tasted a harsh flavour somewhat akin to a burnt t-shirt? A burnt hit is just about the worst thing that you can possibly experience when vaping. If the wick in your cartridge isn’t completely saturated with e-liquid or oil, the cartridge’s heating element will begin to glow red and emit noxious fumes. The “dry hit” resulting from that situation causes severe throat irritation and tastes absolutely horrible. Naturally, it’s something that you want to avoid at all costs.
Here’s the good news: If a Delta-8 vape cartridge tastes burnt, the source of the problem is almost always something that you can resolve easily. In this article, we’ll explain how to do it – but before you get started, the most important thing is to make sure you’re using the right hardware for the job.
Use a Device Designed for Oil Vaping
The most important thing to understand about vaping Delta-8 – or any oil-based concentrate – is that you need to use a vaping device designed for that purpose. Rokin Vapes, for example, manufactures a wide variety of oil vaporizers that are perfect for Delta-8 vape carts.
How can you tell whether you’re using a good vaping device for Delta-8? The first thing you need to know is that if your device is a high-power vape mod using the variable-wattage method of power delivery, you might not have a good experience with a Delta-8 vape cart. That’s because variable-wattage devices are usually designed for sub-ohm vape coils that operate at high wattages, while the ideal power level for a Delta-8 cart is usually somewhere in the range of 8-12 watts. If your device can’t go that low, you’ll probably experience a burnt taste when vaping Delta-8.
The ideal device for Delta-8 vaping is usually one that either offers variable-voltage power delivery or is regulated to operate at a consistent power level around 3.6-3.7 volts. You’ll generally want to avoid using a high-end vape mod; the simplest devices are often the best one for Delta-8 and other oils.
Set Your Device to the Lowest Available Power Level
The fact that some oil pens have variable-voltage power delivery doesn’t necessarily mean that the cartridge you’re using will give you a good experience at every possible power level. A vape cartridge generally gives the best performance within a specific power range, and that’s the purpose of using a variable-voltage vape pen – to ensure that you can get the best performance regardless of the cartridge you’re using. With some cartridges, however, you’ll get a burnt flavour if you use your device at a voltage that’s too high. Whenever you’re using a new cartridge for the first time, set your device to the lowest available power level and increase it slowly.
Use the Right Type of Cartridge for Delta-8 Oil
If you’re buying bulk Delta-8 oil and filling your own cartridges, it’s extremely important to make sure that the cartridges you’re using are the right ones for the job. A vape cartridge for e-liquid or oil always has a wick, and the most common wick materials are cotton, silica and ceramic. Of those three materials, only ceramic will give you acceptable performance with thick oils. Cotton and silica, on the other hand, only work well with e-liquid – which is much thinner than Delta-8 oil. If you’re using Delta-8 oil in a cartridge with a cotton or silica wick, you’ll almost certainly get a burnt taste because the oil won’t flow properly through the wick.
Note, though, that Delta-8 e-liquid does exist. Unlike Delta-8 oil – which is usually pure distillate – Delta-8 e-liquid is diluted with vegetable glycerine and/or propylene glycol like a standard nicotine e-liquid. Delta-8 e-liquid is much less potent than pure Delta-8 oil, but the fact that it works in any vape tank or cartridge is a benefit that some consumers like.
Warm the Cartridge to Encourage Full Wick Saturation
One reason why a Delta-8 vape cartridge can taste burnt is because the wick isn’t fully saturated with oil. That can happen if the oil is very thick and is kept in a cool environment. If the wick has a dry pocket close to the heating coil, that portion of the heating coil will start to glow red because there’s no oil in contact with the coil to keep it from overheating. In this case, you can usually resolve the issue by warming it gently. Warming the oil makes it less viscous, which helps to increase the flow rate through the wick.
There are three easy ways to warm a Delta-8 cartridge and get the oil flowing. If the cartridge has a dry pocket, you should see small bubbles begin to form around the cartridge’s wick openings as the oil warms. The bubbles indicate that the wick has begun to absorb the oil. After a few minutes, the cartridge should be ready to use.
Roll the cartridge between your hands for a few minutes to let your body heat warm the oil.
Seal the cartridge in a plastic bag and run it under warm water.
Warm the cartridge with a blow dryer at the lowest possible heat setting.
Don’t Try to Put Wax in a Cartridge Designed for Oil
Not all vape cartridges are designed for liquids. There are also cartridges designed for solid wax, and those cartridges don’t have wicks. If you’re trying to vape a Delta-8 or cannabis wax, that’s the type of cartridge you want to use because the cartridge surrounds the wax with heat, helping it to melt. If you try to stuff wax into a cartridge intended for oil, the heat from the coil won’t melt the wax – and you’ll definitely get a very unpleasant burnt flavour when trying to vape.
If you’ve tried to put wax into a cartridge designed for oil, your best bet is to remove the wax if you can. If you can’t get the wax out, you can try to warm it using one of the methods above. If you’re able to melt the wax, it should soak into the wick, allowing you to vape.
