# Red Astaire e-liquid, what it asks of a pod cartridge > Red Astaire e-liquid in an MTL pod? Which bottle to pour into 2 ml, how to prime and set up the pod, and why it deserves a pod of its own. **Red Astaire e-liquid** from T-Juice is usually summed up by its recipe, red berries, black grape, eucalyptus, aniseed and menthol. In a pod with a tight draw, though, the real question sits somewhere else, inside a 2 ml cartridge. The bottles sold under that name do not all behave the same way in it, and a recipe this bold leaves its mark on the cotton. What remains is to pick the right bottle, prepare the pod properly and know when to swap it. ## Red Astaire e-liquid in an MTL pod, the short answer Red Astaire works in an MTL pod, meaning a device with a tight draw where the vapour is held in the mouth before it is inhaled. Both 10 ml bottles, freebase and nic salt, sit on a 50/50 base that soaks easily into the cotton of a coil rated above 1 ohm. They go straight into the pod with no preparation. The 50 ml shortfill needs more care, because several listings give it a base with more glycerine. Whichever version you choose, keeping one pod for this recipe alone stops the aniseed and menthol from creeping into the next liquid. ## A T-Juice recipe that won an award in 2014 Behind the name is T-Juice, a brand that started in London in 2012. Its product page describes ripe red berries and black grape, then a sweet eucalyptus, a warm kick of aniseed and a cool menthol finish. Three of those five notes are herbal or cool, and they are what pull this red berry blend towards the herbal side. The recipe built its reputation early. Ecigclick, a UK review site, gave it the Best Flavour prize at its E Cig Awards 2014, a win it recalls in the review it published in January 2015. The formula has not changed since, according to one retailer's page for the range, and only the bottles have taken on a brighter look with the arrival of the Astaire Family. For a pod, that track record matters less than two figures on the label. The base, written PG/VG, gives the share of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG). The nicotine strength, in mg/ml, tells you how much nicotine each millilitre holds. Those are the figures that separate the bottles of **Red Astaire e-liquid**. ## Which Red Astaire bottle to pour into a 2 ml pod Three ready-to-vape formats share the shelf. The recipe is the same in each, but the base and the nicotine decide where they fit in an MTL pod. ### The 10 ml freebase bottle This is the reference bottle for a pod. Its 50/50 base stays thin enough for an MTL coil to rewick quickly between puffs without flooding the pod. The manufacturer lists it in 3, 6, 12 and 18 mg/ml. It goes straight into the pod, with nothing to mix beforehand. ### The nic salt version A nicotine salt pairs nicotine with an organic acid, which softens the throat hit at the same strength. Red Astaire comes in this form as a 10 ml bottle on the same 50/50 base, in 5, 10 and 20 mg/ml. It is the obvious choice for a small pod with a built-in coil, where the tight draw keeps the amount of vapour per puff low. The 20 mg/ml bottle sits right at the UK ceiling for nicotine e-liquid. ### The 50 ml shortfill The large format is nicotine free, in a bottle with room left for a nic shot. Two retailer listings give it a 40/60 base, so 60% vegetable glycerine, while another states 50/50 for the whole 50 ml range. Before you fill an MTL pod, read the label. The nicotine maths changes things too. One 10 ml nic shot at 20 mg/ml in 50 ml of liquid gives 60 ml at 3.33 mg/ml, far below the strengths of the 10 ml bottles. Those formats are not down to the brand. UK rules, carried over from the EU Tobacco Products Directive, cap nicotine refill bottles at 10 ml, nicotine e-liquid at 20 mg/ml and refillable tanks and pods at 2 ml. Hence the nicotine free shortfill and the 2 ml pod. | Version | Size | PG/VG base | Nicotine | In an MTL pod | |---|---|---|---|---| | Red Astaire 10 ml | 10 ml | 50/50 | 3, 6, 12 or 18 mg/ml | yes, the reference bottle | | Red Astaire Nic Salt | 10 ml | 50/50 | salts, 5, 10 or 20 mg/ml | yes, made for small pods | | Red Astaire Shortfill | 50 ml | 40/60 on two listings, 50/50 on another | 0 mg/ml, 3.33 mg/ml with one nic shot | after checking the label | ## Filling and setting up a pod for Red Astaire e-liquid A new pod needs preparing before the first puff, then you tune it with two controls. Red Astaire asks for nothing unusual, but a five-note recipe loses its balance quickly when the heat is wrong. ### The first fill Pour the liquid through the fill port, aiming at the wall of the pod rather than the central chimney, and stop below the top. The cotton of a new coil then needs a few minutes to soak before the first puff. Drawing too early on a dry wick scorches the cotton, and that burnt taste does not go away. Our guide to the [Innokin Klypse range for a tight MTL draw](/uk/innokin-klypse-range/) shows that resting time on a cartridge pod. ### Coil, wattage and airflow With a 50/50 base, a coil above 1 ohm remains the rule for a tight draw. Start at the bottom of the power range given by the pod maker, with the airflow almost closed. Then open the air in small steps before you touch the wattage. A 40/60 base, if the shortfill label says so, suits a slightly lower coil and a looser draw better. That is the territory of versatile pods rather than a classic MTL cartridge. ## A pod kept for Red Astaire alone The cotton in a coil holds on to part of the flavour it has soaked up. With a recipe where aniseed and menthol carry the finish, that memory often shows in the next liquid, above all a dessert blend or a more delicate fruit. A pod with a built-in coil cannot be cleaned in depth, and a quick rinse does not remove that trace. The simplest fix is to keep one pod for **Red Astaire e-liquid** and another for everything else. On devices that take more than one pod type, our [Vaporesso pod compatibility table](/uk/vaporesso-cartridge-compatibility/) helps you find the right cartridge and its coil rating. Then there is the question of when to swap it. A burnt taste that settles in, berries that fade behind the aniseed from a fresh bottle, or vapour that weakens at the same settings all point to a coil near the end of its life. With a built-in coil, the whole pod is what gets replaced. ## FAQ Five questions that come up about Red Astaire and its place in a pod. ### Which e-liquid is closest to Red Astaire? Its Astaire Family spin-offs first. Blue Astaire leans on raspberry and blueberry, Pink Astaire on strawberry and raspberry with less menthol, and Black Astaire on blackberry, blackcurrant and grape. Elsewhere in the T-Juice range, Clara-T also pairs red berries with grape, finished with a light menthol. ### How many times does a 10 ml bottle fill a 2 ml pod? Five times if you fill to the brim, a little more if you stop below the top. Usable volume varies from one pod model to another, and the pod's leaflet remains the reference. ### What does TPD mean on a Red Astaire bottle? TPD stands for the Tobacco Products Directive, whose rules on nicotine e-liquid still apply in the UK through domestic law. Beyond the size and strength limits, they cover how bottles are presented, with a leaflet, a nicotine warning, an ingredient list and a safety cap. ### Should you shake the bottle before filling a pod? A few seconds are enough for a bottle that has stood still for a long time. For a shortfill with a nic shot added, it is essential, because the shot has to spread through the whole bottle before the first fill. ### Does Red Astaire come as a longfill? The brand has sold a 20 ml longfill, a concentrated flavour supplied in a larger bottle to be topped up with an unflavoured base. Its UK shop lists it as out of stock, as a short-dated product that expired on 30 September 2025. ## Red Astaire e-liquid in an MTL pod, what to remember In a 2 ml pod, **Red Astaire e-liquid** is best poured from a 10 ml bottle, freebase or nic salt, both on a 50/50 base. The shortfill comes after you have checked its label and added a nic shot. A coil above 1 ohm, a pod that has soaked before its first puff and a pod kept for this recipe alone do the rest. Looking at the pod before the recipe is the method behind the kit choices on Halo du Soir, for Red Astaire e-liquid as for any other bottle you pour into a pod. ## For tonight's reading - [La Chose e-liquid, which version suits an MTL pod](/uk/la-chose-e-liquid/) - [Vaporesso pods, which cartridge fits which device](/uk/vaporesso-cartridge-compatibility/) - [Innokin Klypse range, which version to pick for a tight MTL draw](/uk/innokin-klypse-range/) Written by Halo du Soir for adult readers only. Vaping products can contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. Vaping products are not for sale to anyone under 18 in the UK. Nothing on this page is a buying recommendation.