What is ‘Menthol’, Really?

As someone who uses electronic cigarettes you will have at least seen, if not tried (and loved), ‘Menthol’ flavoured e-liquid.

‘Excellent!’ You may have thought, ‘I love a cool, minty flavour while I get my nicotine!’ and you’d be right to do so; it’s lovely.

However, it’s a common misconception that menthol and mint are the same thing. They’re similar flavours, obviously, but you may have noticed that ‘menthol’ is always a stronger flavour and has more of a cool sensation than plain old ‘mint’.

But why is that?

Well, menthol is actually a chemical compound that is found IN many kinds of mint (it can also be created synthetically). It’s a crystalline substance, milky white or clear and a bit waxy. It looks like this:

Menthol crystals are solid at room temperature but melt at just above that (around 36°C) and can be dissolved into other liquids. In the case of e-liquids it’s dissolved into the base-liquid mixture of PG and VG, then nicotine is added.

It has, funnily enough, a bit of a minty flavour.

If you’re interested in the chemistry, menthols molecular formula is C10H20O (and it’s full name is actually ‘(1R,2S,5R)-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol’, try saying that three times quickly!) And it looks like this:

‘That’s all very interesting,’ I hear you say, ‘but it doesn’t explain why menthol gives me that chilly, cool feeling while I vape.’

That’s a good point. That cooling sensation actually comes from menthols ability to activate the cold-sensing receptors in your skin without them really being cold. It’s so good at it that the protein involved is even known as ‘Cold and Menthol Receptor 1’ or ‘CMR1’.

It works the same way as spicy food tricking your nerves into thinking that they’re hot.

It’s also a bit of a mild painkiller, which is why they put it in those popular fruit-flavoured throat lozenges you can get.

At TABlites we have loads of menthol e-liquids for you to try, and they’re all different but they all have that lovely cooling sensation that makes them a joy to vape.

In our TABlites Premium Range we offer four varieties:

Menthol:
A basic ‘menthol’ flavour. A delicious, cool and crisp peppermint flavour with a little menthol boost. Perfect if you want a little freshness in your vape.

Triple Menthol:
The great flavours of peppermint, a little spearmint and even more menthol for a mighty cool kick. If you’re looking for a refreshing burst of flavour then this is the e-liquid for you.

Spearmint:
The great, sweet flavour of spearmint with a menthol boost to give it that minty freshness. Reminiscent of the flavour of chewing gum or those popular and quite soft mints you can buy in the corner shop.

Strawberry Mint:
Juicy, sweet and succulent strawberry, lifted by a little menthol boost and a peppermint flavour. It’s absolutely delicious and surprisingly complex.

Not only are they all great flavours, you can try three for just £10 on our 10ml Premium Range 3-for-£10 deal. Get all menthols, three of the same, or mix-and-match with other stuff. A couple of drops of Menthol mixes really well with fruity flavours like Blueberry or Cherry (how do you think we came up with ‘Strawberry Mint’?).

Or if you’re a little more luxuriously minded, you could try out the Decadent range at just £5 for 10mls.

In the Decadent Range of E-liquids you can find two more menthols:

Decadent Mentholyptus:
This is a blast of freezing menthol with an undertone of fresh eucalyptus, and just a slight hint of anise gives a delicious and refreshing flavour with loads of depth.

Decadent Mojito:
A touch of menthol and a burst of lime makes a zesty, cool and supremely refreshing mix in this excellent e-liquid.

And if you’re hankering for a menthol tobacco flavour you could check out the Pink Spot range (£6.99 for 12mls), where you’ll find:

Pink Spot USA Menthol Blend
A classic, slightly sweet and smoky American tobacco flavour with a hint of cooling menthol. This E-Liquid should be a staple of any tobacco flavour lovers flavour selection. Uncomplicated deliciousness.

Or go a little bit exotic with:

Pink Spot Fire & Ice
Cinnamon and Menthol combine to make a liquid that will blow you away. Sweet, spicy and cool all at once, like a cryogenically frozen Atomic Fireball. Truly an experience not to be missed.

There’s loads of menthol flavours to try and we’re sure you will enjoy at least one of them. You can give them a try in-store, or just drop in to chat about them, if you pop to your nearest TABlites outlet or take a look on the website to see them, along with our huge variety of other great flavours.

What’s your favourite menthol-based flavour? Let us know on facebook.com/tablites or on Twitter, @TABlites