Bongs have become one of the popular ways to enjoy cannabis flowers. Bongs are water pipes with filtration and cooling properties, and they deliver smooth bong hits. Unlike pipes and joints, whose harsh smoke can irritate the soft tissues of the throat, bongs allow you to take cool draws of smoke and are thus most friendly to inexperienced cannabis smokers. Bongs come in varying sizes, shapes, and designs. The basic parts of a bong include the water chamber, the neck, the downstem, and the bowl. Bongs are made of different materials like glass, acrylic, and silicone.
Bong Anatomy & Features
Thanks to their design and enhancements, bongs allow you to take smooth draws of smoke. Whether you’re using a chambered, percolator, recycler, or straight-tubed bong, your smoke session is better than smoking cannabis from a joint or pipe. As a newbie, it’s critical to learn the anatomy of a bong, as it enables you to optimize your experience, clean up the bong well, and eliminate risks. The following are some of the parts of a bong:
Bowl: this is where the herb is packed. For the best results, you shouldn’t pack the herb too tightly, to improve air circulation and minimize wastage. When you spark the herb and take a drag through the mouthpiece, the smoke starts to flow into the connecting tube. The quantity of smoke is dependent upon the strength of your draw.
Downstem: this is the first feature of the bong with filtration properties. The downstem provides a link between the bowl and the water chamber. The downstem helps with ridding the harsh smoke of particles, thus making the smoke lighter, and purer. The downstem plays a critical role in optimizing smoke flavor.
Water chamber: the water chamber exerts a filtration and cooling effect on the smoke. The water chamber collaborates with the downstem to optimize the filtration and cooling. Upon contact with smoke and water, bubbles are formed, and this process aids with cooling and filtering the hot smoke. This critical step allows you to enjoy massive delicious draws.
Percolator: although percolators are considered secondary features, they play an essential role in boosting smoke quality. Percolators are extra water chambers with multiple openings, which provide superior filtration and cooling. Percolators are designed to increase the rate of contact between water and smoke and they produce that distinct sound of bong rips.
Ice catcher: ice catchers, like percolators, are too considered secondary bong features. The role of an ice catcher is to chill the smoke so that you inhale smoke in its super-cool form, the roughness and hotness eliminated. They are usually located above the percolators and provide the final filtration and cooling before the smoke flows to the mouthpiece.
There are different types of bongs out there. To purchase a bong that suits you, you need to recognize the experience that you want, and then look for a bong that meets your needs and preferences. We have built a prestigious reputation, and you can rely on us for quality bongs and accessories.
How to Use Your Bong
If you saw someone skilled in smoking cannabis out of a bong, it probably looked easy. But, it takes practice to have it down. The more you use a bong, the better your smoking sessions become. You start by loading some flower into the bowl, lighting the bowl, and then inhaling. The following are the materials you’ll need:
- A bong
- Cannabis flower
- A grinder
- Water
- Lighter
Step 1: Prepare the Bong
Pour sufficient water into the bong. The ideal amount of water might vary from one bong to another, but the water level should typically come up an inch above the downstem. In case you spill some water on the outside, make sure to wipe it off, to avoid getting your glass slippery. I mean, if you have slippery glass, the risk of falling and shattering is greater. Some bongs may be filled with water through the opening that holds downstems and some bongs may be filled through the mouthpiece. If you attempt to take a draw, the water typically bubbles, but doesn’t splash upwards.
Step 2: Grind the Flower and Pack the Bowl
To get your flower to burn evenly so that you to enjoy smooth bong hits, you need to grind the flower into fine, consistent crystals. You can use a grinder to transform the coarse and stocky cannabis buds into fine bits. There are different types of grinders, some grinders have simple grinding properties, and some grinders have advanced grinding properties that support kief production. Grinding your cannabis flower helps with saving time, maintaining the potency of your flower, and minimizing wastage. Once you’re done grinding the buds, ensure that the bowl is clean before packing the flower. If it’s just debris and ash coating the bowl, you can blow it off, but if the bowl is dirtier, you may need to poke and scrub it a bit. Pack the bowl loosely and ensure that things are stable.
Step 3: Take a Draw of the Smoke
Once you’re done with grinding and packing the bowl, you’re now ready to enjoy some delicious cannabis smoke. Ensure that the bong is resting on a stable area, whether it be the top of a table or your lap, and take hold of the stem, and bring your lips to the mouthpiece. Put your lighter on and hold the flame to the bowl, lighting up flower. As you take a pull of the air, you’ll see the smoke running, and being filtered and cooled, before flowing into your mouth with bubbling sounds in the backdrop. Bongs may be used for private sessions or in social settings.
Benefits of Smoking from a Bong
If you’ve ever smoked a joint or pipe, you should know that the experience is different from smoking out of a bong. Joints and pipes deliver relatively coarse smoke, which oftentimes causes the throat of an inexperienced smoker to feel irritated. Many people love using bongs as they appreciate their numerous advantages:
Filtration: when smoking a pipe or joint, there’s that chance of inhaling unwanted substances like ash, tar, and debris, as there aren’t any filtration systems. But, when you use a bong, the smoke is subjected to water filtration, which helps to rid the smoke of ash and debris, thus allowing you to inhale pure smoke.
Cooling effects: again, joints and pipes deliver hot smoke, which can shock the throat. But, when smoking out of a bong, the smoke flows into water, losing the heat. Some bongs have additional cooling features that cause the smoke to grow chilly, thus enhancing the flavor. The chilled smoke makes it easy for you to take massive bong hits.
Customizations: bongs come in different shapes, sizes, and designs. There are bongs for both high and low budgets. You can customize your bong to deliver the high-quality smoke that you want. But, when using standard smoking devices like pipes, there’s no room for customizations and flavor enhancements.
Reusable: when smoking a joint, the rolling paper is used up, but when smoking from a bong, you only use up the flower. Thus, bongs are convenient, less costly in the long term, and support the preservation of the natural environment by sparing trees from being cut down.
Choosing the Right Bong for Your Needs
When shopping for a bong, you’ll realize that bongs come in diverse shapes, sizes, and designs. The following are some of the things to consider when shopping for a bong:
1. Bong Sizes
If you’re a traveler, you need a compact and portable bong, and if you smoke cannabis in social settings, you need a larger bong. The perfect bong size is usually dictated by lifestyle.
Mini bongs: these are fun pieces, and are ideal for travel, and discreet cannabis consumption. But, on the downside, they have lesser airflow.
Medium bongs: as the name suggests, they are neither small nor huge, and might be ideal in different situations. They have greater functionality than mini bongs.
Large bongs: if you like smoking while at home, or you typically smoke with friends, you can maximize the experience with a large bong. Large bongs have the best filtration properties.
2. Bong Materials
Different materials can influence smoke integrity. And so, it’s important to consider how the bong material fulfills your needs and preferences.
Glass bongs: these are some of the popular bongs. They are made of borosilicate; they have a high resistance to thermal shock, and thus provide clean and pure hits. Also, glass bongs are super-easy to clean. On the downside, they are fragile.
Silicone bongs: these are highly sturdy, and are ideal for smokers who are generally “rough”. For instance, if you like holding nightlong house parties, silicone bongs would be a better option than glass bongs.
Acrylic bongs: they are usually cheap, and they come in a range of colors and designs. Acrylic bongs are extremely durable and less likely to be destroyed. On the downside, acrylic bongs don’t produce the best smoke.
3. Cost
At the end of the day, you don’t want to buy something that’s going to clean your bank account. Check the prices, check the corresponding value, and choose the bongs that fit your budget. We have a range of bongs for all budgets.
The Takeaway: Bongs for Newbies
Bongs are one of the popular ways of enjoying cannabis flowers. Bongs have distinct structures and features, allowing for filtering and cooling of the smoke. Many newbies prefer using bongs as they deliver cool smoke that won’t shock their throats. Bongs are relatively easy to handle, but it takes experience to become super-skilled at using them.
