Why Can't I Taste Anything?!

In this video I try to remedy my "vaper's tongue". After coming back from ECC, I've noticed that my nose and palate has been burnt out from over vaping. It's as if my mouth has a thick blanket over it, and my nose can only smell the most pungent of smells, where any subtlties are lost. The problem I face is that I need to mix for a client tonight, even though my palate is gone. Is there anything I can do to make sure I can at least get some type of flavor from my recipes?

Hot Soup

One of my friends has given me some advice. He explained to me that eating some hot and salty soup would help bring my senses back to normal. I figured it was because the salt would "clear" out any impurities on my palate, but he told me the real reason is to just give your nose some steam. While the soup itself is great for helping "reset" your palate, it's not a very effective one that lasts a while. But the steam that comes off the soup (or any hot beverage or food) really helps relax the nose for a bit, maybe getting a few more hours out of it. This would be just enough to help me reach my goals for the night. 

The Vapor Chef Drama

Another thing I bring up in this video is the drama coming from Vapor Chef. Watching the video will give you a better understanding of what went down, so give it a look. It pops up around the middle of the video where I'm eating soup. It's quite the interesting topic as it shows how one of the "pioneers" and "originators" of the industry, has turned into someone bitter, undeserving, and ultimately, an arrogant asshole, often bragging about the amount of money he's made from the vapor industry, the "lesser thans" he's stepped on to get where he is, and the constant barrage of abusive language towards other members of the industry. 

"Vaper's Tongue" Best Remedies

Remember, "vaper's tongue" has nothing to really do with your tongue. The real term is "olfactory fatigue" and it has to do with desensitizing your nose. If you walk into someone's house, it often has a smell to it that you're not used to. After a while you don't notice it anymore and just becomes part of the background. What's interesting is that you can still smell other smells even while in that house, meaning we can really be selective with our sense of smell. The problem is when those aromas are far too strong, and EVERYTHING becomes the background, even prominent aromas. This is the gist of olfactory fatigue, and its the biggest reason many of us vapers can't taste our e-liquids anymore. I've written a very in depth article about olfactory fatigue in InTheMix Magazine if you want to give it a read and learn how to effectively prevent it. But this is more of a quick run down of things you can do to get rid of your vapers tongue, that you already have, for a short amount of time to make sure you can get some more mixing in before it comes back. 

1. TIME: Now time is the BEST thing for vaper's tongue. There's no better way to regain your senses other than to give them a break. The longer you can refrain from vaping, the better you'll be. I took a long vacation from vaping a while back, and it was the best thing for me as my sense of smell and taste was stronger than ever before. So if you can, keep the vape away until you ABSOLUTELY need to vape it. 
2.  HYDRATION: This is another HUGE reason we have olfactory fatigue. Our noses inside are wet, soaking wet, with mucous that helps us retain the aroma molecules that reach it. When our noses dry out, its much harder for those aromas to stick to anything, thus getting rid of our sense of smell. Whenever you're sick, and you're constantly blowing your nose, that's the reason why you cant taste or smell anything. It's not that its clogged, its that it's dried out. Staying hydrated all the time is one of the best ways to keep in tip top mixing shape. Drink the recommended amounts of water (I think like 8 glasses a day or some shit?), and you should be absolutely fine. If you notice you're dehydated, try drinking something with electrolytes to replenish yourself much quicker.
3. STEAM YOUR FACE: This has a lot to do with number 2, but I wanted to point it out because I did it in the video. Drinking hot tea, or coffee, or eating some hot soup, anything where steam gets into your nose, is a good "quick" method of getting a bit more out of your nose at a time where its especially dry. Taking a hot shower is another great method, and taking one before you mix will ensure your palate is fired up ready to taste
4. MENTHOL: Many people, including myself, love using menthol to clear their palates while testing flavorings. It does a great job of just "cleansing" the palate and nose and allows the next flavor, no matter how different, to sit upon a clean slate. Some like to REALLY pound their faces with some ice, I tend to go a little lighter. But the flavor is up to you, as long as it has that frigid flavor that resets your entire face. 
5.  RELAX: If you've done all the steps above (except waiting a few days, cause you don't have time) and you still can't taste anything, just relax. Nothing you can do will magically make your sense of smell and taste appear. You're just gonna have to wait it out, and continue doing the methods above to make sure you recover in the quickest way possible. 

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