In the misty kingdom of the vape and vapers, gourmets are kings. This February evening, on Oneshot Media’s YouTube channel, followed by more than 8,500 people, 8 columnists are preparing to test a new flavor of liquid for electronic cigarettes that a manufacturer has sent to the editorial staff of this specialized online magazine. In duplex and live from their office or living room, the tasters fill the vial of their vaporizer, press the button and take deep breaths. Steam emerges from the nose and soon invades the screens in a whirlwind of white and opaque swirls.
The floor is with “Tonton”, one of the experts of the assembly, who gave this product the maximum score of 10/10: “It’s a nameless delicacy. […] We have a very good popcorn which is quite dominant. It is covered with an exquisite and creamy caramel. Everything is carried by a vanilla cream. It’s soft, it’s light, it’s a perfect e-liquid for those who want to vape it all day long. » The comments between the other participants continue; they praise its length in the mouth, its roundness, the balance of flavours. The scene is reminiscent of a wine tasting session at a wine merchant, or even the deliberation of a jury during a gastronomic competition. Are we witnessing a heresy or have we simply become the privileged witnesses of a new culinary phenomenon that is gaining momentum?
For those who consume them, inhale them – and therefore taste them – liquids for electronic cigarettes (commonly called “juice” or “e-liquids”) have become real objects of curiosity. According to the latest statistics from the “Eurobarometer”, a report published by the European Commission, in 2021, 22% of French people surveyed said they had already tried electronic cigarettes “at least once”. In France, they are now – it is estimated – more than 3 million to indulge in the practice of vaping. But how many give a taste value to the product they are consuming?
Aging in oak barrels
Since the scents of electronic cigarettes pass through the nose and our taste buds are responsible for tasting them, can we talk about a new kind of gastronomy, which would be apprehended through synthetic foods, in a dematerialized way? Therefore, a warning is in order: vaping liquids, which are traditionally used to quit smoking, are not completely harmless. They are composed, in a very regulated way and for the most part, of a mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin: two chemical compounds that the electronic cigarette will be able to vaporize. To this base, manufacturers add flavourings, generally from the food industry. Nicotine, on the other hand, comes in liquid form and is added at the discretion of the consumer. All of these ingredients are made in the laboratory and are not present in their raw state in nature. It is completely legitimate to say that our body is therefore not predisposed to ingest them. But isn’t this also the case with GMOs and processed food?
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