IQOS is an electronic tobacco heater. While the tobacco in conventional cigarettes burns at temperatures of around 1472 Fahrenheit degrees, the IQOS device only heats it to around 662 Fahrenheit degrees – and it does not burn, but creates a vapor that tastes like tobacco. In November 2018, Philip Morris launched the third generation of IQOS. According to its own information, the company has invested around 4.5 billion dollars in research and development of the smoke-free alternative in recent years, causing the HeatSticks USA consumption.
IQOS always consists of a pen, also known as a holder, into which the user inserts the tobacco stick and heats it up. There is also the pocket charger, in which the holder is recharged after use, a charging cable for the charger and cleaning accessories. Finally, to use IQOS, you need the HeatSticks USA tobacco sticks, which are available in four flavors.
With the IQOS 3, you press the button on the side once to start the application. The device vibrates briefly, which means that the stick can be used. It takes a few seconds for the tobacco to heat up, then a second vibration follows. Now you can, like with a normal cigarette, pull on the filter and inhale and blow out the steam. According to the manufacturer, a tobacco stick lasts for 14 puffs or 6 minutes. Towards the end, the holder vibrates a third time, from now on only two or three moves are possible, the light on the button flashes and finally goes out. Now the stick is taken out of the holder and can be disposed of with normal household waste.
IQOS is often referred to as an e-cigarette, which is wrong. In the case of e-cigarettes, the so-called liquid, a flavored liquid that often also contains nicotine, is heated with the help of vaporizers. So it contains no tobacco, which is why many smokers also lack the tobacco taste. IQOS can fill this gap, causing the enormous HeatSticks USA consumption. It is something in between the classic cigarette and the e-cigarette. That is why there is also talk of a hybrid or hermaphrodite cigarette.