What is Smoking Dabs?

Dabbing - You may have heard it from a cringey viral trend that swept the world in the mid-2010s, but it’s 2021 now and the smoking community is taking back a term that’s rightfully ours! So what is dabbing? What is smoking dabs?

If you’ve ever wanted to know what dabbing is and what it means to smoke dabs, Cloud 9 Smoke Co has got you covered with all you need to know about dabbing!

Ready? Let’s dive in!

So, What is Dabbing?

Dabbing is a form of consuming dry herb through the form of concentrates or oils. Typically, any concentrate will take on a honey color, or a little bit lighter, and has a sticky, dense consistency. Opposed to dry herb, concentrates allow us to absorb the maximum amount of benefits our favorite flower has to offer!

Do You Smoke Dabs?

In a sense, yes and no! When you take a dab, you’re actually not inhaling any smoke. When you heat up your concentrates to a high temperature, your concentrates will begin to vaporize instead of combust. Instead of inhaling smoke, you’re inhaling vapor!

However, the mediums used to consume dabs, primarily through dab rigs, make it seem a lot similar to smoking from a water pipe. You’re using a glass pipe that incorporates water and filtration to diffuse your vapor to a cool, smooth consistency.

So, in a sense you are ‘smoking,’ but you aren’t actually inhaling any smoke!

What Do I Need to Begin Dabbing?

To start your journey into the world of concentrates and dabbing, you’re going to need a few essentials to make sure that your dabbing experience is started off the right, and best, way.

• Dab Rig - It’s essential to have a dab rig when you begin to consume concentrates! Dab rigs are a compact form of water pipe engineered specifically for concentrates. Dab rigs are smaller in size, contain percolation systems, and feature more compact chambers to preserve the potency and concentration of your concentrate’s terpenes!
• Banger - If you’re without a banger, you’re out of luck for dabbing. At least for a newbie! Think of the banger as the slide to your water pipe; it’s where you load your concentrates to be heated and consumed. At Cloud 9 Smoke Co, we have the best quartz bangers online, ready to go home to you!
• Carb Cap - Having a carb cap is quintessential for dabbing! A carb cap acts as a seal for your banger to control, limit, and manipulate the airflow inside your banger. Carb caps also work to ensure that the terpenes and potency of your concentrates are well preserved and not lost to the surrounding air around your dab rig.
• Dab Tool - As we mentioned before, concentrates are pretty thick and sticky in consistency. You’re definitely going to need a dab tool to transport your concentrates from storage to your banger. This will also help to reduce any potential burns you’d face if you tried to load your concentrate onto a heated banger!
• Torch - Unfortunately for dabs, a typical lighter isn’t going to do the trick to heat your concentrates. Concentrates have to be heated to very high temperatures in order to vaporize, so you’ll definitely need a butane torch to heat your banger! Torches are able to heat your banger in short periods of time, giving you all the power to enjoy a dab ASAP.

How Do I “Smoke” a Dab?

In order to “smoke” a dab, you’re going to need all the items listed previously as well as an open mind to begin dabbing! The process isn’t as intimidating as it may seem, but there is definitely a method to the madness that you should follow. If you overheat, or underheat, your dabs, you won’t be able to experience their benefits in full-swing! To help you make sure that all the dabs you take are the best they can be, follow these steps.

1. Fill the base of your dab rig with water. You don’t have to fill your dab rig with a ton of water, but you definitely want to make sure that any slits or holes in your percolators are well submerged.
2. Do a water test. After you’ve filled your dab rig with water, do a water test to make sure that you won’t experience any splashback or drag during a sesh. You can do this by lightly sucking on your mouthpiece and getting a feel to how your dab rig is pulling. From there, you can add more or less water depending on your preferences.
3. Place your banger into the joint of your dab rig.
4. Take your torch and turn the flame gauge counterclockwise until you hear a subtle “hissing sound.”
5. Once you hear your torch “hiss” press the button above the flame gauge to ignite the flame.
6. When your flame is at a length that you feel comfortable handling with, use your torch to heat the bottom of your banger. Let it heat for 30 seconds to a minute. You want to avoid letting your banger glow in any fashion. This will affect the integrity of your banger for the long-run.
7. After you’ve heated your banger, let the banger rest and cool for 15 to 20 seconds.
8. While your banger is cooling, take your dab tool and retrieve your concentrates from storage.
9. Once you’re ready to take a dab, use one hand to insert your concentrate into the banger and use the other hand to hold your carb cap.
10. Your concentrates should begin to bubble and vaporize once it makes contact with your banger. As soon as you see your concentrate begin to vaporize, it’s time to grab your carb cap.
11. Take your carb cap and place it directly on top of your banger. Keep your thumb over the hole at the top of the carb cap as you direct the carb cap in a rotational motion to direct the airflow of your concentrate.
12. When you’re ready to inhale, remove your thumb from the carb cap and begin to inhale. The tiny hole on top of your carb cap is responsible for any airflow entering inside your banger. Releasing your thumb from the carb cap during this step will increase the amount of airflow into your dab rig, allowing you to receive a full, potent, and scrumptious dab.

That’s pretty much it! There’s a lot of science that goes into the art of dabbing, but we’ll trouble you with further details another time.

What Are the Benefits of “Smoking” Dabs?

The benefits of smoking dabs starts with the fact that you’re actually not smoking at all! Instead, you’re inhaling vapor, which is a lot easier on the lungs and throat.

When you smoke dry herb from a joint, blunt, hand pipe, or water pipe, you’re inhaling all the byproducts of flint, butane, resin, and tar that come from using a lighter and dry herb to smoke. However, heating and consuming concentrates puts you at a limited exposure to these byproducts, and you won’t have to worry too much about lung irritation and throat irritation.

A benefit of smoking dabs that sets you at another advantage opposed to smoking dry herb, is that concentrates contain a higher potency of benefits than dry herb. So if you’re looking for something that’s quick, efficient, and extremely effective, taking a dab or two may be exactly what you’re looking for!

If you live with roommates, or have a partner or family member that isn’t too fond of the smell of dry herb, smoking dabs will definitely help you stay on top of your dry herb enthusiasm without the setback of stinky smells. Compared to dry herb, the molecules and components of concentrates have a lesser chance of sticking to your clothes, hair, skin, walls, and other surface areas around you! Dabs are great if you need a bit of discretion in your smoking experience.

It’s Time to Begin Smoking Dabs!

So now you have an understanding of what it means to smoke dabs, why you should smoke dabs, and what you need to begin dabbing, your journey of consuming concentrates begins today! With what you know about the benefits of dabbing, there’s no way you shouldn't resist indulging in the world of concentrates. Remember, concentrates have a higher concentration of potency compared to dry herb. If you need a quick, effective fix - you know what to turn to!

We also compared water pipes to dab rigs a lot in this article. What is the difference between dab rigs and water pipes? Read this article to learn more!

Happy toking - and dabbing!