Ice vapes have become so common today – especially in disposable vapes – that there may actually be more new ice flavors coming out these days than non-ice flavors. If you’ve tried more than a few disposables, in fact, you’ve probably noticed that many flavors actually include some level of cooling even when they don’t actually have “Ice” in their names.
So, why are ice vapes the hottest things in vaping these days – and what is it that makes ice vapes so icy? You’re going to learn the answers to those questions as you read this guide. Stick around to the end, where we’ll list some of the best ice vapes that you can buy today.
What Is an Ice Vape?
An ice vape is any vape that makes you feel a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat when you inhale the vapor. In some cases, the cool feeling is very pronounced like what you’d experience when smoking a menthol cigarette. These flavors will usually have words like “Ice,” “Menthol” or “Mint” in their names.
In other cases, the cooling sensation in an ice vape will be much less overt. It’ll just be a mild flavor element that you’ll notice in the background. These flavors may not actually have “Ice” in their names. As we mentioned in the article’s introduction, this trend is particularly common in disposable vapes. We’ll explain why next.
Why Are Ice Vapes So Popular?
The biggest reason why ice vapes are popular is because people enjoy the cool rush. A little under half of the smokers in the United States prefer menthol cigarettes, and many of those people want to experience the same type of minty sensation when they switch to vaping. However, ice vapes have many fans even among those who didn’t previously smoke menthol cigarettes.
There are also two other reasons why ice vapes have become so common.
- A light cooling sensation can reduce the potential for throat irritation or coughing when using vapes with higher nicotine strengths, which is particularly useful with disposable vapes and nicotine salts.
- The addition of a coolant can also make some types of flavor profiles taste truer to life. Consider a flavor like cola, for instance – no matter how good the flavor might be, it’ll still lack a certain something because the vapor is warm. With a coolant, though, the experience begins to resemble drinking a real cola poured over ice.
What Ingredients Are Used to Make Ice Vape Flavors?
There are two main types of ingredients that can be used to make ice vape flavors. Here’s what they are.
Menthol
Menthol occurs naturally in many mint species, and it’s typically extracted by obtaining the essential oil from mint leaves and freezing it. When the essential oil is frozen, the menthol crystalizes out of the solution and is then collected. Menthol can also be produced synthetically. Menthol has a strong cooling effect, but it also has a noticeable minty flavor. That makes it less than ideal for pairing with certain flavor profiles in vapes. You would obviously expect and want a minty note in a mint or menthol vape flavor, but you might not want it in something like a fruit or beverage flavor.
“WS” Agents
The fact that some vape flavors work well with a cooling effect but not necessarily a minty note calls for the use of an alternative cooling agent. There are actually several alternatives available, and they were all developed by a shaving company decades ago. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Wilkinson Sword (known as Schick in the United States) began to research potential alternatives to menthol that could be used in shaving creams and balms to provide a cooling effect without stinging the eyes. These alternative cooling agents were given names beginning with “WS,” such as “WS-3” and “WS-23.” Many of them ended up being used for so long that they were eventually given the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) designation as food additives in the United States by the FDA.
The different “WS” agents vary in their perceived coolness, but the main difference between those agents and menthol is that they don’t add the same pronounced minty flavor to an e-liquid. That means they can be used instead of menthol to provide a cooling sensation without noticeably affecting the e-liquid’s overall flavor profile. A cola flavor, for instance, will taste like cola and ice rather than cola and mint.
The ”WS” agents can also be used in combination with menthol to achieve an extra-strong level of cooling. If you’ve ever had an e-liquid or vape juice that seemed much cooler than a menthol cigarette, chances are that it contained both a “WS” agent and menthol.
What Are the Best Ice Vapes?
Now that you know everything you need to know about ice vapes, it’s time to begin your explorations. The selection of ice vapes that you can buy today is absolutely enormous, so we’re going to help you get started with some recommendations. These are the best ice vapes on the market today.
Blue Razz Ice Geek Bar Pulse X
Blue Razz Ice might be the most essential vape flavor that exists today, and Geek Bar’s interpretation of that flavor might be the best one you can buy. Tasting like a blue raspberry slush with a generous hit of menthol to cool your throat, this flavor is completely authentic and will make you feel like you’ve just made a trip to your favorite convenience store.
In terms of vaping hardware, the Geek Bar Pulse X might be every bit as essential as the Blue Razz Ice flavor and could even be the most popular disposable vape on the market today. Containing 18 ml of vape juice, the Geek Bar Pulse X lasts up to 25,000 puffs and offers both single-coil and dual-coil vaping modes. Go for maximum smoothness or crank up the intensity on demand – the choice is yours.
Banana Icy Runtz Bodega Bar
You can find an ice version of just about every vape flavor profile that you can imagine these days. Fruit-and-ice flavors are incredibly popular – as typified by the Blue Razz Ice flavor discussed above – but candy-and-ice flavors are arguably even more interesting. The Banana Icy Runtz flavor by Bodega Bar is a perfect example that combines a chilly blast of menthol with a base flavor that tastes like a popular banana candy. If you’re a banana fan – and we know that there are plenty of people out there who love banana vapes – we think you’ll really like this one.
The Bodega Bar may not advertise an enormous number of puffs on the box. It contains 17 ml of vape juice, though, which is just as much as some other brands that advertise much higher puff counts. It’s also an ideal device for those who crave a simpler disposable vape experience without a confusing array of options and settings. Just puff away and recharge the battery when the light starts to blink.
Champagne Strawberry Ice Cream EB Create PI7000
Here’s another vape that doesn’t advertise a huge puff count – just 7,000 – but it does contain a very impressive 17 ml of vape juice and might last longer than you’d expect. We also love the slightly squat shape of the EB Create PI7000, which adds a touch of uniqueness and makes the device stand out while also helping to make it feel small in your hand despite the enormous e-liquid supply.
As for the flavor, it would be hard for any vape flavor to be more creative than one that combines notes of champagne and strawberry ice cream. You’ll get four distinct notes with this flavor: juicy strawberries, smooth ice cream, bubbly champagne and a moderately cool menthol finish. There are plenty of strawberry ice cream vape flavors on the market today, but it’s the complexity of the champagne note that really takes this one over the top.
Sour Gummy Worm Ice (“The Worm”) Rodman Vape
We love candy-and-ice flavor profiles here at VapeJuice.com. If you feel the same way, the Sour Gummy Worm Ice flavor by Rodman Vape – also known as “The Worm” – is one that you just have to try. Gummy vape flavors are surprisingly realistic, and the addition of a slightly sour finish really makes you feel like you’re chomping on handful after handful of sour gummy worms. You wouldn’t put real gummy worms in the freezer, of course, but a nicely executed vape flavor can make almost any experience possible.
The Rodman vape is easily one of the best disposable vapes that you can buy today. Containing 16 ml of vape juice, this is another device that isn’t advertised to have an enormous puff count but actually lasts just as long as the other guys. It also has the main feature that everyone wants – a display that helps you keep track of the e-liquid and battery – and none of the complexity you don’t want. The Rodman vape is designed to deliver a perfect puff every time, so no settings or adjustments are necessary.