Are you tired of joints or slices of space cake? Then maybe it’s time to find new ways to consume cannabis. Here at Dutch-Smart, for example, we regularly tell you about our high-quality herbal vaporizers, but there’s another method that’s becoming increasingly popular: dabbing. This form of marijuana consumption is quite controversial in some respects, which is exactly why we’re going to tell you a little more about it today.
Huh, what? Dabbing?
No, we’re not talking about that viral dance move where you place your arms diagonally across your head. In short, dabbing is a method of consuming cannabis concentrates by dropping a small amount onto a hot surface and then letting it vaporize. These “dabs” are essentially concentrated doses of cannabis created by extracting THC and other cannabinoids using a solvent like butane or carbon dioxide, resulting in sticky oils. Depending on their consistency, these cannabis concentrates are also often referred to as wax, shatter, rosin, and butane hash oil (BHO).
But why go to all that trouble for some cannabis? Well, there’s a reason for that. Dabbing cannabis is extremely potent, and the effects are much stronger than if you were to smoke a joint, for example. The thing is, these concentrates are very pure and contain between 50 and 95 percent THC. You get the picture. You don’t need much to be completely out of it and get super stoned. To give you an idea: in terms of size, you often need no more than a grain of rice’s worth of concentrate to get seriously high.
The Puffco Peak is the most advanced dab rig you can buy. It’s the pinnacle of dab rigs and offers a perfect blend of the art of heating, vapor inhalation, and the refinement of top-tier materials. A must-have for every serious dab enthusiast.
How does it work?
Marijuana wax and other dabs are usually heated on a hot surface, typically a nail, and then inhaled through a dab rig. Smoking dabs as a method of consumption has been around for at least a decade, but the advent of more advanced extraction methods has led to a flood of cannabis concentrates that have boosted the popularity of dabbing.
Dabs can be smoked or vaporized, but the traditional way to dab is with a dab rig. Such a dab rig consists of a bong and a metal piece called a nail. When dabbing, you also need a blowtorch to heat the nail and another metal tool to pick up the dab and place it in the nail. For someone unfamiliar with the process, mastering the art of dabbing can be quite complicated and even risky. This is why more and more users are opting for a dab pen like the Dr. Dabber Ghost.
A dab pen is essentially a vaporizer that closely resembles other vaporizers and e-cigarettes. However, the device is modified so that the user can take a single hit from a dab, and often it is not possible to vaporize herbs or e-liquids in it. Just like a vape, there is a heating element that heats the cannabis dabs to reach the right temperature. Many first-time dabbers prefer to use pens because they are much easier to use and less complicated. Additionally, they are portable and look just like any other vaporizer.
Different types of dabs
Dabs are often made from the stems or other trimmings of the cannabis plant. Depending on the extraction method, different types of concentrates can be produced. The most common types are:
Wax: This type of dab often resembles brown sugar because it is coarse and crumbly. It can sometimes resemble earwax in terms of consistency and color, but fortunately, this type of dab is a bit more palatable… It typically has a THC content of around 50 to 80 percent, so it’s definitely nothing to sneeze at.
Shatter: This type can be described as a glassy and hard concentrate. It reaches THC levels of up to 95 percent and is therefore among the absolute best when it comes to the potency of cannabis concentrates. If your goal is to get as stoned as a shrimp, shatter is the way to go.
Live resin: This variety is completely different from other concentrates because it uses fresh cannabis plants instead of dried buds. It’s one of the harder-to-find dabs, but it’s said to offer a better taste than other options.
Just starting out with dabbing? Then the Dr. Dabber Ghostis the perfect choice. The Ghost kit comes with everything you need to get started right away, including a USB charger, silicone ball, dab stick, and an extra titanium atomizer.
Are there any side effects?
When you heat dabs with a vaporizer, it’s often assumed that it’s safer for the lungs compared to smoking weed because there’s no combustion. To what extent this is true, we at Dutch-Smart unfortunately cannot comment on, as there simply hasn’t been enough research on vaping. However, this argument is often used by dabbers.
But there’s more to it; however, this has less to do with dabbing itself and more with the extraction process of the cannabis extract. Because butane is often used—the same gas you use to refill your lighters—people who try to extract dabs at home need to be aware that the process can cause dangerous explosions. This is especially true for people without much experience in the process, but forewarned is forearmed.
And then there’s also the matter of the potency of dabs. Since dabs can contain up to 95 percent THC in some cases, there’s a good chance you’ll be completely out of it in no time. To put this into perspective: the strongest strains of weed contain about 25% THC. The high experienced from dabbing is therefore much stronger and is also reached much faster than when smoking weed.
