True. I can't handle harsh hits at all. Even without coughing, several hot, dry hits will irritate my throat.
I have realized that there are two factors that effect my vapor reaction, both heat and humidity. There's hot and cold and then also dry and humid. Some of the newer dimple and glass bead stems provide a cooler hit by adding greater surface area to the glass pathway but don't help with the humidity. I do like these pieces, plus J-hooks and such, and they definitely help when your using a portable and don't want to mess with a mini-bubbler (they work dry too).
I say all this because many folks can hit a dry stem and dry vc's all day and love it. I found vapcaps to be too harsh. This could very well be because I didn't master the torch, and I would still give it another go if I picked up an induction heater. Some vapes do provide cooler vapor than others. I use a Fury 2 right now and the hits are cooler than most others I've tried, but to get the humidity you need to add water. I usually vape it dry because I get lazy, but when possible I use one of these little bastards. They are cheap, around 6 inches tall, and work well in a pinch.
https://www.dhgate.com/product/toro...banger/410208998.html#s1-0-8;searl|4085790491
I have read about some people having success with sticking a wet, coiled pipe cleaner in stems.