Whenever I step into any of my local dispensaries, I am typically always fascinated by the amount of options available to me. Of course, you have your flower varieties, several types of topicals and edibles, but what always tends to intrigue me are the cannabis concentrates. If you don’t know what that specifically entails, cannabis concentrates are usually a sticky type of oil that can be found crumbly in texture or as an ultra-thick wax and has been extracted from the cannabis flower itself. Using this form of cannabis is not as straightforward compared to using a lighter to fire up your bong. You will mainly find individuals needing other things to consume concentrates, such as a blow torch, dabber, nail, carb cap, and a special water pipe called a dab rig. Now I don’t know about you, but this sounded a little overwhelming to me when I was first exposed to using cannabis concentrates, also known as dabs. Regardless, I was motivated to learn more about the world of dabbing.
Throughout my journey I learned that concentrated forms of cannabis tend to yield higher levels of terpenes and cannabinoids. These compounds found within the cannabis plant are believed to produce the medicinal properties of cannabis and the unique flavor or aroma of a particular strain. Concentrates can be a lot more potent than your standard flower, which usually ranges up to around 30% THC whereas dabs can surpass THC levels of 70 percent. Not only does this mean that you will experience the medicinal effects at a much faster rate, but it can also allow you to use a lesser amount of product to produce a strong experience. This may be a desired quality for patients who have developed a strong flower tolerance and/or those looking to receive immediate and effective medical relief.
Some forms of cannabis concentrates include, but are not limited to, badder, shatter, rosin, crumble, sugar, and diamonds.
If you are like me, dabbing may still seem a little off-putting at first. Thankfully, with the growing legal cannabis market, there are so many alternatives to the standard dab rig set-up. For your standard high-quality glass rig, brands like Higher Standards and MJ Arsenal may be something to look into. Or maybe you want something that feels less like a science experiment, such as an electronic dab rig. That’s where e-rigs such as the Puffco Peake come in clutch with its ability to have a 20 second average heat-up time, four heat settings, plus it brings everything you need to easily medicate faster and more efficiently.
Those options all sound great. However, I can’t leave out other methods such as the good ol’ portable oil vaporizers that can create a more straightforward and even easier experience to consume your medicine. For starters, I actually have my own dab pen, the Puffco Plus, and it’s my go-to method. There are other dab (or wax) pens out there, like the Utillian 5 (V3) wax pen kit, Linx Blaze, Vivant Incendio, and the Kandypens Elite vaporizer. Essentially these are all great choices to pick from if you are looking to use cannabis extracts or concentrates for a more on-the-go use and minus the standard external heating source using a torch. You’ll find that there’s a removable mouthpiece, a heating chamber, and all you have to do is press and hold the power button while inhaling to start medicating.
My last dabbing method is using a nectar collector. It’s also a type of portable dab rig, but these tend to look and be used like a straw for dabbing. This is also a much simpler way to vaporize cannabis dabs as you will only need a torch, dab straw, and concentrate of choice. As you heat the tip of the straw, or nectar collector, bring the tip into contact with the concentrate. Inhale, as if sucking through a straw, and be sure to have a safe place to put the dab straw down after you finish inhaling. This is my second go-to method, and you will find that there are electronic and glass nectar collectors available in the market such as the Stinger 2, DabTech Daborizer, Pulsar Magic Mushroom, and Yocan Flame.
Welcome to the world of dabbing.
Sources:
https://www.leafbuyer.com/blog/leafbuyer-710/
https://cannigma.com/plant/what-does-710-friendly-mean/
https://leafwell.com/blog/benefits-cannabis-concentrate/
https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/dabs
