Direct or indirect inhalation Guide

Indirect inhalation

When you smoke, you first inhale the vapor into your mouth and then direct it into your lungs. This is called indirect inhalation (in 2 stages). For the e-cigarette with indirect, it's the same principle: you reproduce a puff very similar to that of a cigarette.

How is this achieved?
Firstly, thanks to the type of clearomizer, which has small-diameter air inlets for a tight draw (low air flow).
Secondly, the coil, which will usually be greater than 1 ohm with a restricted airflow. It will produce sufficient vapor and will be able to vaporize high nicotine strengths without the risk of the hit (sensation of going down the throat) being too aggressive.
The final factor is the drip tip, which must be narrow to restrict the passage of the vapor.

Indirect draw is the best way to start to vape, as it allows you to imitate a cigarette and use high strength of nicotine.

Direct draw or direct inhalation

Direct inhalation is the opposite of indirect vaping. The draw is very airy (large air flow) and the vapor is drawn directly into the lungs, rather like a hookah.

Coils on this type of equipment are less than 1 ohm to produce maximum vapor and the air inlets are very wide for the most airy draw possible.
The drip tip is wide and short.

To put it simply, this equipment is not at all suitable for beginners, as it will produce an enormous amount of vapor, so you won't be able to use too high strength of nicotine at the risk of having a hit that's much too strong in the throat and an unpleasant vape. On the other hand, a vaper who is used to a low nicotine dosage (max 6 mg/ml) will be able to enjoy a generous and intense vape. One exception: this type of vape may be suitable for beginners who smoke almost exclusively hookah, and will enable them to get as close as possible to their tobacco habit.

Airy or tight

Depending on how you inhale, you can have a tight draw (low airflow) or an overhead draw (high airflow). For example, an indirect inhalation with a tight draw will reproduce the draw of a rolled cigarette or, if it is more airy, the draw of a blond cigarette. For direct vaping, a tight or airy draw will indicate whether the vape is more or less restricted, but in all cases the vape will inevitably remain fairly airy.

Typically, in indirect inhalation, the draw is tight. In direct inhalation, the draw is aerial.

The elements involved in the draw

The three most important elements in vaping are: the air flow, the coil and the drip tip.

Air flow

The wider the air flow (the air opening that enters the clearomizer), the more aerial the vape and the closer it will be to a direct draw.

Coil

Coil is very important in the draw: if it is greater than 1 ohm the vapor will be less and more inclined towards an indirect draw.

For resistances below 1 ohm, known as "sub-ohm", the vapor will be much more intense and abundant and perfectly suited to direct draw.

The drip tip

The drip tip is the part of a clearomizer that's easy to forget but very important. The longer and narrower it is, the tighter, colder and more indirect the vape. Conversely, if it's wide and short, the vape will be warm and very airy.

Choosing the right draw

For beginners, the choice is restricted to indirect vaping, with the exception of hookah smokers.

For others, it's all a question of taste and desire, and you shouldn't hesitate to test several types of clearomizers to find the one that suits you best. For those who are undecided, there are multi-purpose clearomizers that allow you to vape either directly or indirectly, so you can simply find the vape that suits you best.

Advice

For beginners, we recommend that you start by breaking down your indirect inhalation: don't inhale too hard or too fast, but do it slowly. This will help you avoid the coughing that can occur when you're new to vaping.