Vaping isn’t a good alternative to smoking for some people. They may find it too different from smoking to adjust to. Vaping products do not taste like smoking tobacco. Vaping is a fluid experience. While smokers might light a cigarette, then extinguish it a few minutes later. With vaping, it’s not like that.
Tobacco companies have tried hard to create products that mimic smoking but without the harmful effects of inhaling combusted cigarettes. They believe they have achieved that goal with modern heated tobacco products (HTPs), also known as heat-not-burn (HNB), tobacco products.
What Is IQOS?
IQOS and other HTPs make use of battery power to heat a cigarette-like tobacco tube. The tube is then treated with vegetable glycerin to produce visible vapor. It is not smoking and it is not vaping. It fills the gap between smoking and vaping, according to proponents.
IQOS consists of three parts: a pocket charger and the device itself. Heat sticks (called HEETS by some countries) are disposable mini-cigarettes that come in packs of 20. These terea sticks are a mix of nicotine, VG, tobacco, and flavors and simulate smoking a cigarette.
This is similar to the vapor that you get from a portable marijuana vaporizer such as a PAX, Firefly, or Firefly which uses conduct heat to extract the plant material. The addition of VG makes it possible to produce more vapor than with tobacco.
PMI refers to the IQOS device as the “holder” and it needs a 4-minute charge in the case between uses. After the device is charged, insert a heatstick into it and wait for it to light up and vibrate. You have to drag the device 14 times or wait six minutes, depending on which comes first. After that, you can repeat the process. These devices deliver nicotine much more quickly than vaping, according to HTP manufacturers.
The IQOS does not produce any “side streams” of vapor, just like a vaping device. The IQOS only produces the vapor when it is inhaled. The HeatSticks taste like cigarettes and have a flavor that is very similar to smoking.
The IQOS holder should be cleaned every 20 uses or after each HeatSticks pack to maintain the highest performance ceramic heating elements. Both parts of the device are powered by lithium-ion batteries and will eventually become inefficient.
Who Is IQOS For And Why?
IQOS, and the entire HTP category, is aimed at cigarette smokers with its tobacco-filled refills. The product was designed for those who are used to smoking cigarettes, from the HeatSticks’ price to the flavor. The conventions of smoking cigarettes are what define the IQOS experience.
- HeatStick refills come in packs of 20
- They are the same price as cigarettes, plus taxes
- Each HeatStick can provide a set number of puffs within a short period
- There are only two flavors available: plain tobacco and menthol.
- A used HeatStick looks like a cigarette, butt.
- HeatSticks use the Marlboro name
Vaping products, unlike IQOS, are not intended to replace smoking. E-cigarettes are not like smoking, and you can get e-liquid in almost any flavor. There are many vaping products available. You can choose from powerful, large mods or small, lightweight pods. You have the option to either vaporize massive, sub-ohm-powered clouds OR stealth vaporize without producing any visible vapor.
This doesn’t necessarily mean vaping is better than using IQOS or a heat-not-burn device. It’s just a different experience. It’s a fact that not everyone likes vaping. They don’t like the vaping experience they have grown to love. Some people might be interested in heated tobacco products such as IQOS.
