IQOS Heated Tobacco vs Vaping: What's Actually Different?

"Heated tobacco" and "vaping" get lumped together a lot. Both are smoke-free, both use a battery-powered device, and both are sold to adults who smoke. But they're genuinely different products, built around different materials and different experiences. If you're trying to work out which one suits you, here's what separates them.

How heated tobacco (like IQOS) works

Heated tobacco devices use real tobacco. A small stick of processed tobacco leaf is inserted into the device, which heats it to a controlled temperature: hot enough to release nicotine and tobacco flavour compounds, but below the point of combustion. Because nothing is burned, there's no ash and no smoke in the traditional sense, just an aerosol.

The stick is used once per session and then thrown away, similar in ritual to a cigarette: you get a fixed number of draws before it's done.

How vaping works

Vaping devices don't use tobacco leaf at all. Instead, a coil heats e-liquid (a mix of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine or no nicotine, and flavouring), turning it into an inhalable vapour. There's no combustion and no plant material involved. You aren't limited to a fixed stick, and you can swap the e-liquid for a different flavour or nicotine strength whenever you like.

Where the two differ in practice

The difference in how they work leads to a few practical differences day to day:

Flavour range: heated tobacco sticks are built around tobacco-forward flavour profiles, with a limited number of variants. E-liquid comes in a much wider range of generic flavours, from tobacco and menthol through to fruit and dessert, and switching flavours is as simple as changing what's in the pod or tank.
Customisation: vape devices let you choose your nicotine strength, including 0% nicotine, and some setups let you adjust wattage and airflow too. Heated tobacco sticks come pre-set, so there's less to tweak.
Consumables: heated tobacco runs on individual sticks, bought much like a pack of cigarettes and used once each. Vaping runs on e-liquid and replaceable coils or pods. Running costs vary a lot by device and habits.
The physical ritual: if the tobacco taste and the fixed "one stick, then it's done" rhythm matter to you, heated tobacco is built to mimic that. If you'd rather have more control over flavour and strength, vaping is the more flexible format.

Nicotine delivery: similar goal, different feel

Both formats deliver nicotine, and both are intended for adults who already smoke or vape, not people who have never used nicotine. The sensation differs, though. Heated tobacco tends to feel closer to a cigarette in throat hit and tobacco taste, since it uses tobacco leaf. Vaping, particularly with nicotine salts, is formulated to give a smooth hit without any tobacco.

Which one suits you?

There's no universal answer. If the tobacco flavour and the fixed stick ritual are what matter most to you, heated tobacco is built to replicate that closely. If you want a wider flavour selection, the ability to choose your own nicotine strength, and a device you keep refilling, vaping is the more adaptable format.

NZ Vapez mainly stocks vaping devices and e-liquid, plus a small range of TEREA heated tobacco sticks (TEREA Amber and TEREA Sienna) for IQOS devices. If flexibility and flavour choice are what you're after, our Vaping Devices range and Nicotine Salts range are the place to start. Many adults who smoke begin with a pod system and a tobacco or menthol nic salt, then try other flavours if they want to.

For support to stop smoking, talk to your GP or Quitline (0800 778 778).

This article is general product information, not medical advice.

Shipping & FAQs ▾

Does NZ Vapez sell heated tobacco sticks?
Yes, a small range of TEREA sticks for IQOS devices (TEREA Amber and TEREA Sienna), alongside our vaping devices, pods and e-liquid.

What's the main difference between heated tobacco and vaping?
Heated tobacco heats real tobacco leaf in a single-use stick. Vaping heats e-liquid, which contains no tobacco leaf and comes in a range of flavours and nicotine strengths.

How fast is delivery?
Orders before 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day. Same-day delivery in Christchurch and Rolleston is $19.90 (Monday to Friday, minimum order $45). Courier delivery is $4.99 ($9.99 rural), free on orders over $49.

R18+. Vaping products contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance.