There are two main groups of smoking alternatives: heated tobacco, or “heat-not-burn” products, and e-cigarettes.
Heated Tobacco Products as a Smoking Alternative:
Heated tobacco, or “heat-not-burn” devices are smoke-free alternatives. Heated tobacco devices utilize real tobacco that is specially processed, and formed into sticks. The tobacco sticks are then inserted into the device, where innovative technologies heat the tobacco to specific temperatures, but never high enough to cause the tobacco to burn. As with e-cigarettes, there is also no smoke produced with heated tobacco. Some heat-not-burn devices utilize an external heating source, meaning the tobacco stick is heated all the way around, from the outside. In this instance, the tobacco is not heated first; rather, the paper around the tobacco stick is heated first. This may impact the taste. Other heat-not-burn devices, such as IQOS, contain a ceramic blade with gold and platinum. A HEETS tobacco stick is inserted directly onto the blade, and the blade heats the tobacco directly from the core. This allows the tobacco to be heated first, before the paper, which delivers a consistent taste & experience.
E-Cigarettes are an Alternative to Smoking:
E-cigarettes are another kind of smoking alternative, but it does not utilize real tobacco. They are electronic products that heat and vaporize e-liquids in a wide range of low temperatures. Most utilize a system called “wick & coil”, where the wick draws the e-liquid, which contains flavors and nicotine, onto a coil element to heat it and create a vapor. The vapor is drawn from the device through a mouthpiece. There is no smoke.
E-cigarettes are also sometimes called “vapes” or “vaping systems”. Some of these have an open tank system that is fully customizable. Other e-cigarettes have closed vaping systems, where they are either single-use, rechargeable, or contain cartridges.