IQOS is heated tobacco, not vaping, and that distinction matters more than most people realise. This page covers the full IQOS range we stock at Vape Superstore UK: the Iluma devices, the complete Terea stick line up, and HEETS for older models.

Contents

• What heated tobacco actually is
• IQOS Iluma and Iluma One
• Why induction heating changed things
• Terea sticks, the full flavour guide
• HEETS and older IQOS devices
• Compatibility, what fits what
• Choosing your first Terea flavour
• How to use and clean an IQOS
• Heated tobacco compared with vaping and smoking
• UK law, tax and age rules
• What IQOS costs to run
• IQOS FAQs

What heated tobacco actually is

A cigarette burns tobacco at around 900 degrees. That combustion is what creates smoke, tar and the bulk of the harmful compounds. An IQOS heats a compressed tobacco stick to roughly 350 degrees instead, which releases a nicotine containing aerosol without setting the tobacco alight.

The practical result is no smoke, no ash and far less lingering smell on clothes and furnishings. It is not a vape. There is no e liquid, no coil and no nicotine salt. You are still using real tobacco, and it still contains nicotine, which is addictive.

For many smokers this makes IQOS an easier transition than a vape, because the taste is genuine tobacco rather than an approximation of it. Public Health England and successive UK reviews have consistently placed heated tobacco below cigarettes but above vaping on the risk scale, so it should be understood as a reduced risk product rather than a safe one.

IQOS Iluma and Iluma One

We stock both current devices. The IQOS Iluma Kit is the two piece system: a holder you use, and a charging case that refills the holder several times. That is the one to take if you are out all day, because the case keeps you going well past twenty uses.

The IQOS Iluma One is a single piece device. Everything is in one unit, it is genuinely pocket sized, and it gives around twenty uses per charge before it needs a cable. It costs less and there is nothing to lose, which suits lighter users and anyone who found the two piece system fiddly.

Neither device needs cleaning tools, which is the single biggest change from earlier IQOS generations.

Why induction heating changed things

Older IQOS models used a heating blade that pushed into the tobacco stick. It worked, but the blade was fragile, it snapped if you twisted a stick out carelessly, and it accumulated burnt residue that had to be cleaned with sticks and brushes.

Iluma replaced the blade with induction. A metal susceptor is built into the Terea stick itself, and the device heats it from the outside with a magnetic field. There is nothing inside the holder to break and nothing to scrub. You pull the used stick out and drop a new one in.

This is also why Iluma devices cannot use the old sticks, and the old devices cannot use the new ones, which trips up a lot of people upgrading.

Terea sticks, the full flavour guide

Terea is the stick range built specifically for Iluma. We carry the full UK line up, and the colour names are more logical than they look once you know the pattern.

Tobacco side. Amber is the classic full bodied roasted tobacco and the closest thing to a traditional cigarette. Sienna is rounder and slightly woody. Russet sits between the two with a nuttier edge. Teak is the darkest and richest of the four.

Menthol and cooling. Turquoise is the standard menthol, clean and sharp. Blue is a softer, sweeter menthol with a berry lift. Green is a herbal mint rather than a straight menthol.

Flavoured. Yellow brings a citrus note over tobacco. Mauve is berry forward. Twilight Pearl and Amelia Pearl both carry a capsule you crush mid use to switch the flavour partway through the stick, which is a genuinely useful feature if you cannot decide.

HEETS and older IQOS devices

HEETS are the sticks for blade based IQOS devices such as the IQOS 3 DUO. We stock Blue HEETS. If you own an Iluma, HEETS will not work in it and forcing one in can damage the chamber.

Compatibility, what fits what

The rule is short. Iluma and Iluma One take Terea only. IQOS 3 DUO and other blade devices take HEETS only. There is no adapter and no workaround, because the heating method is fundamentally different.

If you are unsure which device you have, look inside the holder. If there is a visible blade, you need HEETS. If the chamber is smooth and empty, you have an Iluma and you need Terea.

Choosing your first Terea flavour

If you smoked regular cigarettes, start with Amber or Sienna. If you smoked menthol, start with Turquoise. If you smoked a lighter or slim cigarette, Russet is usually the better fit than Amber.

Most people find the first two or three sticks taste odd because there is no combustion note. Give it a full pack before deciding, as the palate adjusts quickly and the tobacco character becomes much more apparent once it does.

How to use and clean an IQOS

Insert the stick with the printed line facing up, push gently until it stops, and press the button. The device heats in a few seconds and gives you roughly fourteen puffs or six minutes, whichever comes first. Pull the stick straight out when it ends and bin it.

Iluma devices need no internal cleaning. Wipe the outside occasionally and keep the charging contacts free of pocket lint. That is the whole maintenance routine.

Heated tobacco compared with vaping and smoking

Against smoking, heated tobacco removes combustion, which is where most of the harm sits. Against vaping, it keeps real tobacco taste but carries more risk than an e cigarette does, because you are still heating tobacco leaf.

If your priority is the lowest risk route away from cigarettes, a vape is the better choice and the NHS guidance on e cigarettes explains why. Look at our Elf Bar or Vaporesso ranges if that is your aim. If you have tried vaping and could not get on with it, IQOS is a reasonable alternative that many ex smokers stay with.

UK law, tax and age rules

Terea and HEETS are tobacco products in UK law, not vaping products. That means they carry tobacco duty, they must be sold in standardised packaging with health warnings, and they cannot be displayed openly in shops.

It also means the vape rules do not apply to them. There is no 2ml limit and no 20mg nicotine cap, because those belong to the e cigarette regulations. What does apply is the age restriction: you must be 18 or over, and we verify this at checkout. The GOV.UK guidance sets out where the boundary between the two product classes sits.

What IQOS costs to run

The device is a one off purchase. After that your only cost is sticks, and a pack of Terea is priced comparably to a pack of cigarettes but attracts a lower rate of duty.

For a twenty a day smoker the saving over a year is meaningful without being dramatic. The stronger arguments for IQOS are usually the absence of smoke smell and the fact you can use it indoors where a cigarette would be impossible, subject to whoever owns the building.

IQOS FAQs

Is IQOS the same as vaping?

No. IQOS heats real tobacco. A vape heats e liquid. They are regulated differently and taxed differently.

Can I use HEETS in an IQOS Iluma?

No. Iluma uses induction heating and requires Terea sticks. HEETS only work in older blade devices.

How many puffs do you get from a Terea stick?

Around fourteen puffs or six minutes of use, whichever comes first, which is close to a cigarette.

Does IQOS smell?

There is a faint tobacco aroma while in use but it fades within moments and does not cling to fabric the way cigarette smoke does.

Do I need to clean an IQOS Iluma?

No. Induction heating leaves nothing inside the holder, so the cleaning sticks and brushes needed by older models are unnecessary.

Do you deliver IQOS across the UK?

Yes, tracked UK delivery on all orders. Tobacco is age restricted, so you must be 18 or over and we verify age at checkout. See our returns and refunds policy.

Switching from cigarettes, what to expect

The first thing most people notice is the absence of the throat catch that combustion gives you. Tobacco heated to 350 degrees produces a softer sensation, and for the first day or two that can read as weak even though the nicotine delivery is broadly comparable.

The second is the fixed session length. A stick ends after six minutes whether you have finished with it or not, and there is no relighting. Some people find this helpful because it enforces a natural stopping point. Others find it frustrating in the first week.

The third is smell. You will notice cigarette smoke on other people within a fortnight of stopping, and you will notice it on yourself if you go back. That is usually the moment the switch becomes permanent.

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying the wrong sticks. By far the most common error. Check whether your device is blade or induction before ordering, because Terea and HEETS are not interchangeable.

Pushing the stick in too hard. It should slide in with light pressure until it stops. Forcing it compresses the tobacco and gives a tight, unsatisfying draw.

Twisting the stick when removing it. Pull it straight out. On older blade devices twisting is what snapped the blade, and while Iluma has no blade to break, twisting still leaves tobacco debris in the chamber.

Judging it on the first stick. Give it a full pack. Almost nobody likes their first one.

Letting the battery run flat repeatedly. Lithium cells last longer if you top them up rather than draining them to zero every time.

Who heated tobacco suits, and who it does not

It suits smokers who have tried vaping and disliked it, usually because the taste was wrong or the draw felt unfamiliar. It suits people who want to keep a genuine tobacco flavour and a defined session rather than grazing on a device all day.

It does not suit anyone looking for the lowest risk option, where a vape is clearly better. It does not suit people who want flavour variety, since the range is narrow next to e liquids. And it does not suit anyone who has already stopped using nicotine entirely, because these products are for existing smokers, not for people who have quit.

If you are trying to stop nicotine altogether rather than switch, NHS Better Health runs free local stop smoking services and that is the right starting point.

Storage and travel

Keep sticks dry and out of direct heat. Tobacco that has dried out draws harshly and tastes flat, and a stick left on a warm windowsill for a week will not be pleasant.

For travel, the device carries in hand luggage on UK flights but must not go in the hold, in line with the rules for all lithium battery devices. Check the airline and the destination country before you fly, because several countries restrict or ban heated tobacco outright even where cigarettes are legal.