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Vaping is a modern trend with some pretty ancient history. Even Greek Historian Heroditus’s book “The Histories” from 430 BCE tells of ancient Scythians who would vape hemp seeds by placing them on hot coals until they began to smoke.
Modern vaping gets its start in the early 1900s when the first butane vaping device was patented in the United States. Vaping is most commonly associated with vape juice and dabs, but vaporizing weed is where modern vaping got its start.
We’re going to show you how to vape weed!
Can You Vape Weed?
Before we show you how to vaporize weed, we have to cover the basics.
Yes, you can vape weed. Vaping works with cannabis flower just as well as it works with vape juice, dabs, or oils. You just need to have the right gear for the job.
What is Vaporizing Weed?
Vaporizing weed is actually a pretty straightforward process.
Vaping involves heating the weed quickly beyond the point where the cannabis plant material burns. This boils the cannabinoids and terpenes in the plant and causes them to vaporize. This allows you to inhale a smooth, vaporized smoke.
There are two main types of devices that are used for vaporizing weed.
Desktop Vaporizers
Desktop vaporizers have the old-school way of vaporizing weed, but they’ve come a long way over the years.
The original models of desktop vaporizers are still around and can provide you with a lot of utility. The desktop vaporizer fills up a large inflatable sack with the vaporized cannabis smoke. The sack will usually have a mouthpiece and you can essentially pass it around like a joint for vaporized weed.
There are newer desktop vaporizers that have a mouthpiece instead of a large inflatable sack. These feel more like hitting a bong or a bubbler—just without the water!
Pocket Vaporizers
Pocket vaporizers are going to feel right at home for anybody who vapes using vape juice or dabs. You can think about these as being a regular vape, but you switch out the vape juice with ground cannabis flower.
Pocket vaporizers are portable, lightweight, and a great way for enjoying cannabis on the go.
Check out our recommended portable dry her vaporizers.
Does Vaping Weed Smell?
We should dispel a common myth before we show you how to vape weed.
You often hear people tell you that you can vape cannabis flower without any aroma, but this is false. Cannabis has a potent smell and you can definitely detect it when vaping.
Vaping weed is definitely more discreet than smoking a joint or hitting a bong. The aroma doesn’t tend to linger and stick around quite as much when you’re sparking up with cannabis flower rather than vaping. However, you’ll still know that someone’s been enjoying cannabis if you vape.
How to Vape Weed
Vaporizing weed is way easier than it might seem. Even though it sounds a little high-tech, it’s actually just as easy as packing a bowl and hitting your vape pen.
Here’s a step by step guide that shows you how to vaporize weed.
Gather Your Supplies
You’re going to need a few supplies if you’re looking to vape your cannabis flower. The only specialty tool you’re going to need is the vape itself and everything else is just cannabis 101 equipment that you probably already have.
- Dry cannabis flower or CBD hemp herb
- A grinder
- Your vaporizer of choice
- Pipe cleaners or a cleaning tool for your vape
How to Pack Your Dry Cannabis Vaporizer
There are two steps to packing your dry cannabis vaporizer. You need to grind your weed to the right consistency then pack your vaporizer’s chamber which can be different based on the type of vaporizer you have.
We recommend giving you your dry herb flower a nice, fine grind. While you can get away with just picking apart a nug with your bare hands if you’re hitting it in a bowl, vaporizers do best with a fine grind.
This is because a fine grind gives more surface area for the vaporizer to heat. This allows it to evenly and quickly boil off the cannabinoids and terpenes.
After that, all you need to do is pack your vaporizer’s chamber. The location of the vaporizer chamber is different based on the model of vape that you own. Check out your user’s manual to make sure that you’re packing your vape correctly.
Tips for Inhaling a Weed Vape
There is a special technique for inhaling when you’re hitting a weed vape.
You want to take a long, smooth inhale from your vaporizer’s mouthpiece. This ensures that you have a relaxing vaping experience and you’re not coughing after you inhale.
You can think about this less like taking a rip from a bong and more like taking a slow drag from a joint.
How to Clean Your Vape
Once you’re done enjoying your weed vaporizer, and you’re in a good head space, it’s time to show your vape a little TLC.
We always advocate for cleaning your vape after every use. This will ensure that resin and other gunk doesn’t build up in the chamber or in the mouthpiece.
Your vaporizer either came with a cleaning kit or you can simply use isopropyl alcohol and a pipe cleaner. Give the mouthpiece, the chamber, and the vapor path a quick clean to ensure smooth vaping every time.
Follow these steps and your vape will always be clean.
- Clean out the chamber
- Wipe down the mouthpiece
- Use a pipe cleaner and isopropyl alcohol to clean out the vapor path
You can also clean your weed vaporizer by doing a burn-off. This is great for getting any stubborn gunk cleaned out of the chamber.
All you need to do is empty out your chamber and run your vaporizer through 3 heating cycles. Give it a quick clean afterward and it will be resin free!
Wrapping Up How to Vaporize Weed
Now that you know how to vape weed, you’re ready to vape some freshly ground flower.
Vaporizing weed provides a cleaner inhale that might even be safer for your lungs. Remember, the best way to enjoy vaporized weed is by giving your herb a fine grind and keeping your vaporizer clean.
