How To Inhale A Vape Properly: MTL, DTL & RDTL Vaping Explained

While it may seem like a self-explanatory action, one of the most frequently asked questions we get here at LiQuid is “How do I inhale my vape properly?”. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to vaping or have been at it a while, knowing how to inhale a vape properly isn’t always obvious, and doing it “right” depends on a few different factors.

We’ll get into these factors and explore the most common vaping methods below which will help you learn how to vape. Before we do though there is one important thing to remember – if you are comfortable with the way you vape and it’s working for you, don’t feel like you should change anything.

For those people struggling with how to inhale a vape without coughing (especially common when just starting out), or those who just feel like they aren’t using their device properly, then we hope this guide will help you get the hang of how to properly inhale a vape and nail your preferred vaping technique!

Table of Contents

What Is Vaping And How Does It Work?

For those at the very beginning of their journey preparing to vape for the first time, let's cover the basics first: Vaping is the act of using an electronic cigarette to inhale vapour which contains nicotine and flavourings, much like the act of smoking. The benefit of vaping is that it contains 95% fewer harmful ingredients and is considered far safer than cigarettes according to the most recent evidence from healthcare experts.

Vapes are comprised of three main parts: a battery, a vape tank or vape pod which is connected to the battery, and a vape coil which sits inside your vape's pod or tank. If you're new to the vaping scene, and unsure what each of these things do, then you can find out more about each of these in our guide.

The battery passes a current through the coil, which then heats up. This coil is wrapped around a wick-like cotton in the tank. When you add your chosen e-liquid to the device's tank, it begins to absorb into this wicking material. When the coil wrapped around it heats up, it turns the e-liquid into an aerosol, or 'vapour' and you can then draw the vapour to inhale and exhale.

Balancing the right device and e-liquid type is important to ensure the vaping experience you end up with is right for your needs and satisfies your cravings - learning the correct inhale technique is a key part of that, so keep reading to learn how!

What's The Difference Between Inhaling Cigarette Smoke Vs E-Cigarette Vapour? 

While the act of lifting your vape up to your mouth to inhale and exhale is very similar to smoking, there two main differences to be aware of when inhaling e-cig vapour: Temperature, Nicotine strength.

How Temperature Difference Plays a Part In Learning How To Inhale a Vape Properly

One of the biggest differences when inhaling a vape is the temperature. Because vaping devices turn e-liquid into an aerosol by heating it up with a coil, it feels much cooler than hot cigarette smoke. This can make the inhalation feel a little strange at first. Give yourself time to adjust to this and it will soon feel more natural, and you'll be able to inhale properly and exhale with no problems. Adjusting the wattage of your vape kit can also hep tailor the temperature of your inhale, so take note of your device settings when attempting to find the right balance.

For some, that heat played a role in why they enjoyed the act of smoking as it contributes to the sensation of having a ‘satisfying drag’. If you find your vape isn’t as ‘harsh’ as you’d like, increasing the amount of nicotine can help recreate the sensation. Take care not to go higher than you are comfortable with, and try to find a balance between the vaping experience you want and the craving satisfaction you need.

How Vape Juice Nicotine Strength and Throat Hit Impact your Inhale Technique

Where different types of tobacco can impact the harshness of a cigarette, your chosen e-liquid nicotine strength can play a major role in the ‘harshness’ of your inhale when vaping. Low-strength e liquids like 3mg or 6mg are typically smoother, with 12mg and 18mg being incrementally harsher tasting respectively.

Thick HVG e-liquids like Short Fill vape juices are naturally far smoother tasting because they are only available in lower strengths. They also carry more VG (typically 80%VG-20%PG) which increases vapour production and is a little softer to vape than higher nicotine, higher-PG 50VG-50PG e-liquids and best used in a sub-ohm vape kit.

Some users prefer a harder hit at a higher strength, but for those who want a smooth vaping experience at a higher nicotine level, there is also nicotine salt vape juice. These provide maximum craving satisfaction potential, but offer the smoothness of a 3mg or 6mg due to the special type of nicotine they use.

When it comes to your perfect inhale, choosing the right nicotine strength can be very important – go too harsh and you are likely to cough a little, but go too weak and your vape won’t satisfy -balance is key! If you like a harsher hit and are still coughing, try to take slightly smaller puffs so as not to overwhelm yourself.

How Long Should I Inhale A Vape For?

This is really down to personal preference, although most vaping devices will have a cut-off for safety after a few seconds of holding down the fire button or inhaling constantly on a puff-activated vape device.

Bear in mind that the longer you use your vape and inhale, the greater the risk of your coil giving you dry burn. This is when the cotton-wicking material has not had long enough since being vaped dry to absorb fresh e-liquid from the tank or pod. Longer inhales keep the heat on for longer, so naturally you will need to give it longer before puffing again or you will likely get dry burn – a generally bad taste that can also ruin your coil if you aren’t careful!

A good general rule to get you started is to take shorter puffs if using higher-strength e-liquids and equally those that produce big clouds. Doing this will reduce the risk of coughing and dry burn. If it’s a little lower in nicotine or is exceptionally smooth like a nic salt, you will likely get away with a longer inhale, just be mindful of your coil!

What Is The Right Way To Inhale A Vape?

While there is no fixed "right or wrong" answer to this question there are three main inhale techniques that vapers practice, MTL, DTL, and RDTL. MTL and DTL are well-established, whereas RDTL is a newer technique brought about largely by the rise of disposable vapes.

They individually suit different e-liquid and device pairings. We will explain all three in the sections below so you can work out which is the best fit for your journey.

What Is MTL Vaping?

How To MTL Vape: Step By Step

When you use a vape kit that supports MTL vaping, try to be calm and gentle in following the below steps, don’t panic if learning how to inhale properly takes some getting used to! If you used to smoke a cigarette, try to apply the same principles when MTL vaping, and you will be able to inhale without coughing in no time.

• Inhale gently using your vaping device.
• Hold the vapour in your mouth for a second.
• Now inhale into your lungs.
• Smoothly exhale.

The Best Vape Kits For MTL Vaping

Due to being the easiest and often first inhale techniques a vaper will master, some of the best MTL vape kits are those designed for beginners. This is because they tend to ustilise vape coils rated at 1.0ohm or above, and are inteded for use with standard 50-50 freebase e-liquids. They avoid fancy features and keep things simple and functional, designed to serve as effortless everyday companions on your vaping journey.

The Best E-Liquid For MTL Vaping

MTL inhaling is the best technique when using freebase 50-50 e-liquids like our original £1 range. This is because the technique will allow you to comfortably vape a full range of nicotine strengths including 3mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg. Whichever strength you prefer, MTL is a great technique for enjoying them smoothly without coughing. Classic nic salt vape juice flavours can also work well for MTL vapers, but if choosing more modern Bar Salt e-liquids RDTL is best as we will explain further on in this article. 

What Is DTL Vaping?

How To DTL Vape: Step By Step

Just like MTL, don’t panic and inhale the vapour calmly and smoothly to avoid coughing. This technique is a little more specialised, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t master direct lung first time around!

• When firing the device, take one smooth deep inhale straight into your lungs.
• Do not attempt to hold the vapour as this will make you cough.
• Smoothly exhale the vapour cloud.
• Allow for a clear breath between DTL puffs, it will help keep your chest clear and won’t overwhelm you.

The Best Vape Kits For DTL Vaping

Any sub-ohm vape kit will be suitable for DTL vaping. These are typically advanced vape kits, also called mods or pod-mods. The key features are coils rated below 0.9ohms, and a higher wattage range to heat them. They pair best with thicker High-VG vape juice. Due to having plenty of extra features built-in, the ideal DTL vape kit might be a bit challenging for a new vaper to use right away, so consider MTL or RDTL kits as a starting point before progressing to DTL vaping. 

The Best E-Liquid For DTL Vaping

DTL Vaping was invented for getting the most from High-VG e-liquids. This could be 10ml HVGs, or shortfills like our 50ml range. regardless of your preference they feature lower nicotine strengths of only 3mg or 6mg, ideal for smoothly inhaling larger volumes of vapour produced by their 70% VG content as opposed to 50-50 ranges. If you are not using a HVG juice, or are using one with a higher nicotine strength, consider MTL or RDTL techniques instead, as they better suit stronger, harsher vape juice.

What Is RDTL Vaping?

How To RDTL Vape: Step By Step

RDTL vaping is identical to DTL in practice, with the only differnece being a slightly smaller cloud and more restricted airflow/draw resistance. So the same guidance applies; smooth deep inhales and exhales in a single motion are the key to not coughing!

• Take one smooth deep inhale straight to your lungs.
• Do not attempt to hold the vapour as this will make you cough.
• Smoothly exhale the vapour cloud.
• Allow for a breath between puffs, it will help keep your chest clear.

The Best Vape Kits For RDTL Vaping

The type of vape kits most commonly associated with RDTL Vaping are refillable pod kits with sub-ohm coils or similar intermediate vape kits. Despite being sub-ohm, this style of inhale technique is actually preferred by many disposable vape users transitioning to refillable vape kits. This is because disposable vapes have a very open airflow which naturally lends itself to the RDTL style inhale, so some device manufacturers have started releasing 50-50 pods and coils tailored to this style with a sub-ohm rating despite still being designed for nic salts. The best examples of which being the Vaporesso Xros range.

The Best E-Liquid For RDTL Vaping

RDTL vaping is the best way to enjoy modern 50-50 nic salt e-liquids like our Bar Salt range. This is because vape kits designed for RDTL, paired with a double-concentrated nic salt flavour replicates the exprience offered by disposable vapes like Elf Bars or Lost Mary BM600s. The open airflow delivered by RDTL coils gives you an enhanced flavour experience and slightly more vapour production than MTL. This extra vapour doesn't cause problems at higher strengths though as the intended nic salts are very smooth even at 10mg or 20mg.  

How Do I Know Which Vaping Style Is Best For Me?

Your chosen device and e-liquid will make a big impact on the style that best suits you, but there are always exceptions to these guidelines, and it is entirely up to you to decide which technique you prefer.

The important thing to remember when you start vaping is to adjust for the differences between vaping and smoking, and be prepared to explore your options to find the perfect balance to master inhaling your vapour to vape safely. There are many vape products out there on the market today to cater to all levels of vaping experience from beginner to expert.

If you're considering make the switch from smoking to vaping, we hope this guide on how to inhale a vape properly has helped you understand the different ways to inhale from a vape to get your nicotine hit. If you want a little inspiration when choosing a new vape kit or e-liquid, check out some of our top tens:

The Best Vape kits of 2024
The Best Nic Salt E-Liquid Flavours of 2024
The Best E-Liquids of 2024
The Best Desserts Flavours of 2024

To learn even more about the basics of vaping, check out our guide on How to Vape Properly. If you have seen any jargon here that left you with more questions – Our Jargon Buster should help you get your head around the vaping lingo.

Why Buy MTL, DTL & RDTL Vape Kits Online From LiQuid?

Quality, Safety, Price - these are the three best reasons to choose the LiQuid brand as our trusted vape supplier, whether you are looking for vape kits or indeed any vaping product - we have a huge range designed to cater to all vaping preferences and techniques.

We have been proudly serving hundreds of thousands of customers every month for ten years, selling millions of bottles of e-liquid and constantly evolving our ranges through extensive testing, R&D and customer feedback. When you buy a bottle of e-liquid from LiQuid, you get the benefit of a decade of industry expertise, dedication to quality, and a commitment to low prices. You simply won't find a higher quality e-liquid for less in the UK.

We have developed an end-to-end manufacturing process that gives us unmatched control over the quality of our raw ingredients and e-liquid blending. This is combined with our full scope of laboratory testing that allows us to ensure the strictest standards are upheld at every stage of production to guarantee your satisfaction.

Beyond our promise of quality and value, becoming a member of the LiQuid community gives you acces to unique benefits as a vaper, including our subscription service and LiQuid loyalty point scheme to help you get even more from your vaping journey.

Written By Oliver Norman

Our resident vaping expert with 9 years of industry experience. Ollie has worked in a massive range of roles over the years; from bottling on the shop floor to mixing e-liquid in the cleanroom, heading up Tech Ops and flavour development in the lab and beyond; Ollie has been with LiQuid for nearly a decade and now heads up our content marketing team making sure our customers get the best quality information to make informed choices on their vaping journeys.

He is a one-stop-shop of vaping knowledge from scientific technical info to current vaping trends, vape juice to vape kits and all points in-between - and he's keen to share it all with you, from one vaper to another!