Dab for beginners
Dabbing is the high-temperature flash vaporization of dabs using a e-rig, dab rig or dab pen. This tutorial will concentrate on dabbing using a dab rig. If you do not have a rig or don’t plan to have one, here is the best guide for you.
Dabbing has a bit of a learning curve, so having someone skilled explain you how to do it might be useful.
Things to remember while dabbing:
- Cannabis flower has 15-25 percent THC, whereas dabs have 60-90 percent THC.
- Too hot of a nail can burn terpenes and cause a coughing attack.
- Avoid a hot nail—it’ll be hotter than a hot bowl or lighter.
- A dab rig is a water pipe for dabbing. It resembles a bong, except instead of a flower bowl, it contains a nail for concentrates.
- One of the most frequent nail types is a banger, which resembles a bucket and is generally made of quartz or borosilicate. Another nail is a terp slurper. To vaporize dabs, nails must be able to resist 400-600°F.
Dab rig tools: shatter and wax
To get a concentrate out of its container and into your lungs using a torch, you need many tools. While dab technology is continually changing, the following components are required for a typical dab setup.
A dab rig cools dab vapor before it enters your lungs. A dab rig resembles a bong but with a nail fitting instead of a bowl. Dab rigs vary in size but are generally under 1′ tall.
A nail, like a bong bowl, is where dabs are vaporized for inhalation. The usual nail is a quartz banger. Nails are constructed of quartz, borosilicate, ceramic, or titanium to endure high temperatures.
To fit a 14mm stem, you need a 14mm nail. Female rigs need a male nail and vice versa.
Electronic nails may be attached to your rig to prevent needing a torch.
It’s used to assist control airflow while inhaling, and it’s put on top of a nail after the dab is placed. Like a bong: A carp cap works similarly, enabling you to cover or expose the nail while inhaling a dab.
Because dabbing causes the nail to get very heated, a separate device, a carb cap, is required to make contact with the nail.
A carb cap may assist manage airflow and is not required. Combination carb cap/dab tools are ideal for reducing dab gear.
Torch
Others use a cooking flame to heat nails. Remember to stock up on butane cans.
E-nails eliminate the need for a torch and offer continuous heat.
Dabber
Because dabs are sticky, you’ll need a tool to pull them out of their containers and onto the heated nail. Also, you don’t want to dab your palm on the hot nail.
Dab tools come in numerous forms and sizes: scoop, spatula, pick, shovel, blade, paddle, and more. Scoop for runny dabs, paddle for thicker dabs.
Mat & timer (optional)
Because dabs are sticky, a dab mat may assist keep your dabbing area clean and clear of dirt. It’s not must but good.
Many dabbers use a timer to attain the right temperature and heat the nail consistently (more below). In such case, a timer isn’t essential.
Dosage of dabs
Measuring a dab is tricky. THC levels in extracts vary, a sliver of shatter may be stronger than a scoop of sugar. Most solvent dabs include 60-90 percent THC, with some surpassing 90 percent, while others solventless concentrates contain less than 50%.
If you’re new to a dab, start small and build up as you feel comfortable. A modest dosage is a crumb or a sliver. Not much, but it’s a lot of THC traveling right to your body.
How large should a dab be?
To be legal, concentrate packaging must display THC and CBD potency as a percentage. Here is a typical 25mg THC dab example.
One gram of hash (roughly the size of your thumbnail) with 80% THC provides 800mg THC. Each component of the gram of hash contains 100mg of cannabis. The suggested beginning dosage for edibles is 5-10mg.
To obtain a 25mg dab, you’d have to split one of those chunks into fourths or divide one gram of hash into 32 equal portions (tongue-sized). 25mg of 80 percent THC hash is around the size of a few rice grains.
A dab the size of a few grains of rice vs. many grains of rice has a substantial difference in THC—about 25mg vs. 50mg.
Depending on the intensity of your dab, you may need as little as a few grains of rice for a 25mg dab. It’s vital to read the label for potency information.
Begin with a tiny dab
Like with edibles, start low and go gently. Take a little dab; you can always take another.
Our endocannabinoid systems all work differently, thus our bodies will react differently to cannabis. A specific size dab may be good for your pal but definitely too much for you.
Exhale and enjoy!