How to inhale a vape, two techniques and the airflow each one needs

Mouth puffing means drawing vapour into the mouth and blowing it straight back out, without it going any further. Plenty of new vapers do it without realising, then decide their device lacks flavour or strength.

The habit is easy to correct, though not in the same way on every kit. Learning how to inhale a vape comes down to picking a technique, setting the airflow to suit it and practising a few puffs in the right order.

How to inhale a vape, in one stage or two

Knowing how to inhale a vape means sending the vapour from your mouth down to your lungs instead of blowing it out straight away. Two techniques do that. Mouth-to-lung inhaling, or MTL, takes the vapour into the mouth first and breathes it in as a second step. Direct-lung inhaling, or DL, sends it down in a single breath.

Both avoid mouth puffing, despite a common belief that mixes up a two-stage draw with vapour held in the mouth. What separates them is the air path. MTL wants a tight airflow, DL an open one, and each becomes hard work on the other’s setting.

The right choice therefore depends first on the device in your hand. A pod kit or a tight-draw tank points to mouth-to-lung, while a sub-ohm tank with a wide airflow points to direct-lung.

Spotting mouth puffing in three signs

Many vapers mouth puff without noticing, because the puff tastes of something and nothing flags the mistake. Three signs let you check within a few puffs.

• The vapour comes back out at once, almost as thick as it went in, as soon as you open your mouth.
• No breath follows the draw, your cheeks simply fill and then empty.
• The puff leaves a taste in the mouth but no sensation in the throat.

If all three are there, the vapour never got past your mouth. Check first that the airflow matches the technique you are aiming for, then work on the action itself, because the wrong airflow is enough to keep the habit going.

Mouth-to-lung, the technique for a tight airflow

Mouth-to-lung works in two stages, with a tight draw and low power. It is often the easiest way out of mouth puffing, because it keeps the step in the mouth that a mouth puffer already does.

Setting up the kit first

Close the airflow almost completely, then open it by one notch. On a mod, stay at the bottom of the power range printed on the coil. A draw that is too open makes this action hard to control, because the mouth fills too quickly. The notch-by-notch detail is in our guide to MTL vape set-up and the order for a tight draw.

The two-stage action

Close your lips around the mouthpiece and draw gently, as through a straw, to fill your mouth. Let go of the button, move the mouthpiece away, then breathe in calmly through a slightly open mouth. The fresh air carries the vapour down, and you breathe out as normal.

That breath is an ordinary one, with nothing forced about it. If you have to strain to draw, the airflow is too closed.

Two drills to find the rhythm

The first is done dry. On a device with a button, draw on the mouthpiece without pressing it, to get a feel for the resistance of the draw and how long it takes to fill your mouth. The second means counting in your head, draw, short pause, breath, until the sequence comes naturally.

The draw timer on the Souffle Libre home page helps you keep puffs the same length from one try to the next, which makes comparisons fairer.

Direct-lung, the technique for an open airflow

Direct-lung inhaling drops the step in the mouth. It needs kit designed for a large flow of air, and an e-liquid suited to the volume of vapour it produces.

Setting up the kit first

Open the airflow fully, with a low-resistance coil made for this draw and set within its range. A liquid richer in vegetable glycerine suits it better. In the UK, nicotine e-liquids top out at 20 mg/ml, and a direct-lung set-up generally calls for a much lower strength than that, since each puff carries far more vapour than a tight draw.

The single breath

Draw as if taking a slow, deep breath, mouth open around the mouthpiece, pressing the button at the same moment. The vapour goes straight down, with no pause. Let go before you run out of breath, then breathe out.

The breathing-only drill

Before firing, take two or three dry breaths through the mouthpiece with the device switched off. This confirms that the airflow lets air through without effort. A draw that fights back points to a setting too closed for this technique, not to a fault in your action.

Switching between techniques on the same kit

A tank with adjustable airflow can sometimes handle both, provided several settings change together and in the right direction. The table sums up what needs to move.

Setting	Mouth-to-lung	In between (RDL)	Direct-lung
Airflow	Almost closed	Half open	Fully open
Coil	Higher resistance, tight draw	Mid resistance	Low resistance, sub-ohm
Power	Bottom of the range	Middle of the range	Within the coil’s range
E-liquid	Thin, 50/50	Balanced	Higher in vegetable glycerine

The in-between draw, often called RDL for restricted direct lung, works as a bridge. It is taken in one breath, but through a half-open airflow that limits the volume. For anyone learning how to inhale a vape while keeping a slightly restricted draw, it often becomes a lasting compromise rather than a mere stage.

Change one thing per practice session, starting with the airflow. If the coil fitted is not made for the new technique, no airflow setting will make up for it, and the coil has to change.

When a puff feels harsh, check the settings

An uncomfortable puff often sends people back to mouth puffing, out of reflex. The cause usually lies in a setting that does not match the chosen technique.

• A very open airflow with a strong e-liquid makes direct-lung harsh. Close it a little or change liquid.
• Too much power heats the vapour and dries it out. Go back towards the coil’s lower limit.
• A draw that is too long or too hard dries the wick by the end of the puff. Shorten it.
• A liquid very high in propylene glycol sharpens the throat sensation, whatever the technique.

FAQ

These five questions deal with real situations once both techniques make sense.

Does mouth puffing use less e-liquid?

No. The device vaporises the same amount of liquid whether the vapour goes down or not. Only what you do with that vapour changes, not how much you use.

Can an auto-draw pod handle both techniques?

Yes, if its sensor responds to a gentle draw as well as a full one. Its airflow, fixed or set with a slider, still suits one technique better than the other.

Should you hold the vapour in your mouth for long with MTL?

No, a short pause is enough. Vapour held too long cools and loses flavour before it is breathed in.

Why does direct-lung feel impossible on my device?

Because its draw is probably designed for mouth-to-lung. A narrow air path puts up too much resistance for a single breath, and the problem then lies with the kit, not with you.

Does a wide drip tip help with direct-lung?

It helps, because it reduces the restriction at the mouth. It does not replace an open airflow and a suitable coil, though.

How to inhale a vape for good, technique first and settings to match

The vapour has to go down, in two stages through a tight airflow or in one breath through an open one. The action takes a few sessions to learn when the kit is set up for it, and turns into a chore when it is not.

Work out which technique your device favours, set the air to match, then practise dry before firing. It is the logic followed across Souffle Libre, consistent settings first and comfort after, and it remains the surest answer to how to inhale a vape without going back to old habits.

More settings and fixes

• Vape wattage settings, working from the coil’s range
• Atomizer short on a rebuildable, the order of checks
• Dry hit, the four causes of a burnt puff

Written for adult readers only. Vaping products usually contain nicotine, which is addictive, and they cannot be sold to anyone under 18 in the UK. Souffle Libre sells nothing and this guide is not a buying recommendation.