When you purchase cannabis, it can’t be miraculously consumed. Actions and processes are required to get the splendid, magical plant into your system.
Unless you’re consuming it in an edible or vaping, you’ll need to smoke cannabis.
While the traditional option is rolling papers or blunts, which enable you to wrap cannabis into a cigarette or cigar, those aren’t your only choices. Smoking apparatuses include bongs, bubblers, bows, dab rigs, etc.
Accessories are more than only smoking apparatuses, though. Also included under this umbrella are components like bowls, necessities such as lighters, and tools that make your life easier, like grinders.
As people learn more about cannabis due to its growing legalization and destigmatization, the related accessories are soaring in popularity, which is why we’re exploring them below:
Bongs: Water Filtration For Smooth Hits
Bongs are essentially water pipes. They cool the smoke, offering a filtrating effect that smooths the toke and soothes the harshness of each hit.
Typically, the base on a modern bong holds water and has a tube coming up. Inserted into the down-stem is a bowl, wherein the cannabis flower is packed.
The down-stem also sends smoke into the base through cold water. From there, it travels up the tube through the mouthpiece, entering your lungs. Instead of going into your mouth, the mouthpiece goes over your lips when smoking a bong.
It’s essential to clean your bong with relative frequency as it collects resin and other gunk. Click here for a helpful video on how to do so.
Different types of bongs include:
- Beaker.
- Percolator.
- Straight Tube.
- Glass.
- Ceramic.
- Round base.
- Gravity.
- Multi-chamber.
- And more!
Bongs offer a certain amount of efficiency when smoking. Instead of rolling a joint, you can pack a smaller amount into a bowl and feel more effects from a lesser amount. The hits are much bigger and pack a heavier punch, although you can control dosages by filling bowls with smaller amounts.
Bubblers: Compact Water Pipes For Portability
Bubblers combine the convenient portability of a standard cannabis pipe with the water filtration capabilities of a bong.
Unlike a bong, water pipers are handheld and discreet, meaning you can carry one around wherever you go. Unlike a standard pipe, the cooling effect offers seamless and easy usage that’s more soothing to the lungs.
Different types of bubblers include:
- Glass
- Ceramic
- Hammer
- Spoon
Here’s a list of steps for cleaning and maintaining your bubbler:
- Drain it.
- Rinse with hot water.
- Apply salt and rubbing alcohol.
- Shake your bubbler.
- Sweep up remaining debris/resin.
- Fill the stem and bowl with hot water.
- Put the stem and bowl into a container.
- Put salt solution and alcohol into the container.
- Slosh the stem around the container.
- Rinse and shine.
Bowls: The Classic Smoking Companion
Bowls are the compartment wherein you pack the cannabis in a pipe, bubbler, or bong. It’s built as a basin, and you can sprinkle in some kief or tobacco with the broken-up flower.
A bowl can be glass, metal, ceramic, etc. Some are built into the smoking apparatus, while others are separate, slotting into a hole in the stem.
Smaller bowls are better for solo smokers who don’t pack much into a single hit. Those who prefer bigger hits or are social smokers should consider a larger bowl to fit more cannabis.
Often, you’ll require separate screens for your bowls to prevent cannabis flower from getting inhaled into your apparatus of choice. However, some bowls are built with glass screens, so you don’t require disposable screens. Glass screens also offer superior airflow.
Dab Rigs: For Concentrate Enthusiasts
Dab rigs are specifically designed for cannabis concentrates–known for their supremely high THC levels. They’re available in various styles. The simplest version is a dab straw–a glass or quartz tube heated at one end. There are also electronic dab rigs.
The nail is a dab’s heating element. It can reach up to 800 Fahrenheit and is sometimes called a banger–generally included when you purchase a rig. Quartz nails offer the best dabbing experience since heat or thermal pressure won’t crack them.
A blowtorch or heat gun works best with a traditional nail to help it reach the appropriate temperature. Lighters won’t do the trick since they won’t get hot enough. The flame must be held to the nail for about half a minute to help it reach the right heat level.
Glass domes are necessary for domed nails to catch vapor and ensure it reaches your lungs.
Types of dab rigs include:
- Recycler.
- Silicone.
- Mini.
- E-rigs.
- Glass.
Here’s a video on how to use a dab rig. And here’s another video on how to maintain your dab rig.
Grinders: Preparing Your Cannabis for Consumption
Grinders break up cannabis flower into almost a powder, making it easier to roll or pack into a pipe/bong and smoke. Grinders are made of metal, plastic, wood, etc., and can be manual or electric.
Many grinders have compartments on the bottom that catch the crystals of the flower, compiling them over time, enabling you to add them to a joint or bowl.
Here’s a video of how to use a manual cannabis grinder. Here’s another video detailing how to clean it.
Pipes: Portable And Diverse
Cannabis pipes are highly portable and simple. They don’t require water and can often be placed in your pocket and carried around wherever you go.
Types of pipes include spoons pipes, chillums, glass pipes, and one-hitters. You’re better off tempering your hits into smaller, manageable amounts with a pipe due to the lack of water/cooling effect. They can be pretty harsh but offer potent results.
Click here to learn how to clean your pipe.
Accessories For Enhanced Experience
Consider also using rolling papers and blunt wraps. Filters and tips are also crucial for the joint or blunt smoking experience. Lighters are necessary for standard flower consumption, while a torch is necessary for a dab rig.
Also, one of the best ways to store your cannabis is in a mason jar to lock in the freshness and maximize its quality over an extended period.
Conclusion
The cannabis market is rich with accessories. You’ll get the most out of your accessories by combining them with top-tier cannabis strains, which you’ll find in Stash Dispensary’s menu.
