Havent licked my dog to compare .... but I've heard that beforeI tried cotton wicks in my vivi btw and it tasted like wet dog...supposedly that goes away but I didn't stick around to find out. Maybe try hemp I heard that's better.
I use cotton butchers string, haven't had a strange taste, actually just a purer taste of the juice. Many folks say to let a new wick soak for an hour .... I don't bother. Going to order a protank soon as more vendors stock them, I'm sure the price will drop too. Really like the bottom feeder vs top on VNs, and looks great on a vamo, natural,...or anything imho.