Rule the pod out first, because a worn pod gets blamed on vape tongue constantly. XLIM pods run roughly 600 to 800 puffs, and the decline is gradual enough that your palate adjusts as it happens, so one morning everything simply tastes dull. The test takes two minutes: fit a fresh pod and use the same bottle of liquid you have been on. If it tastes right again, it was the pod and nothing more. If the fresh pod is also flat, then you are looking at sensory adaptation, which is what people mean by vape tongue - your senses have simply stopped registering a flavour profile you have been using constantly. That one fixes itself, and it goes faster if you switch to something deliberately contrasting for a few days rather than another variation on the same theme, so a menthol or a sharp citrus if you have been living on desserts. Drinking more water helps as well, more than people expect. Two other things quietly mute flavour and are worth checking while you are there: the airflow slider sitting fully open, which thins everything out, and running below the pod's recommended wattage, which for a 1.2ohm pod means 12 to 16W. Heavily sweetened liquids also gunk the mesh faster and shorten the good part of a pod's life. There is a full breakdown of when a pod is actually finished on our pod lifespan guide.

The fresh pod test is the one. I was convinced I had vape tongue for a fortnight, put a new pod in and it was like the flavour had been switched back on. Turned out I had done nearly a thousand puffs on that one.

If it does turn out to be your palate, a few days on a mint is the quickest reset I have found. Going from one dessert to another dessert does nothing at all, you need the contrast.

New pod and it is completely back, so it was never vape tongue at all. I had no idea I was that far past the puff count. Airflow was half open too so I have closed that down a bit and it is even better.