A Guide To Dry Herb Vaping Guide & Its Many Benefits
What Is Dry Herb Vaping?
If you’ve been looking for a new way to consume your flower that doesn’t involve smoking or eating it, dry herb vaping is guaranteed to be a satisfying solution. Unlike concentrate vaporizers, dry herb vaporizers simply use regular bud as opposed to oil cartridges. That’s the right, the very same bud you would pack a bowl or roll a joint with.
For this reason, dry herb vaping has grown exponentially in popularity over the last few years among cannabis consumers. Not only do they provide a clean, discreet, and adjustable hit- they allow for a more nuanced appreciation of your flower.
If you’re still unfamiliar with or considering switching to dry herb vaping, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a one-stop guide here for everything you need to know about dry herb vaping and how it works.
How Do Dry Herb Vaporizers Work?
Dry herb vaporizers work by heating and evaporating the terpenes and cannabinoids in your bud without combusting the plant material. They are designed to be used with unprocessed bud or plant material instead of vaporizing concentrates or extracts as in a concentrate vaporizer.
One of the best things about dry herb vaporizers is their ease of use. Using either conduction or convection heating (more on that below), the vaporizer chamber heats the herbs and produces a smooth, tasty vapor.
Typically the only steps involved with using a dry herb vaporizer are packing the chamber and adjusting the temperature (depending on your vape). Their simple, easy-to-use design makes them suitable for both weed newcomers and experts alike.
As mentioned above, some dry herb vape models allow you to control the temperature of the chamber. This is a huge advantage as it allows you to experiment with, and dial in temperatures that work well for you. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the chamber temperature, the heavier and harsher the hit will be. Lower temperatures will produce a smoother, milder, more flavorful hit.
You can use this guide as a general rule of thumb, though its results may vary depending on your personal tolerance:
- (160-180°C) This range is the best if you want to enjoy your flower's full flavor and aroma profiler. Effects will be light and more of a “head” high. This range is great if you just want a subtle pick-me-up throughout the day. Many users report this range as being helpful for dealing with anxiety.
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(180-200°C): In this range, you will still enjoy much of the great flavors and aromas, but the bodily effects of being high will be more apparent. Hits in this range are typically not super heavy and great for mild pain relief & relaxation.
- (200-220°C): At this higher temperature range, the vapor will taste the least flavorful and most harsh. You get the most potent possible hit in this range, and it is most suitable when you are ready to relax for the day entirely.
Types Of Dry Herb Vaporizers
Two factors differentiate between the different types of dry herb vaporizers. Those would be the type of heating element the vaporizer uses (convection or conduction) whether your vaporizer is portable or stationary.
Portable Vs. Stationary
Portable dry herb vaporizers have grown in popularity over the last few years as advances in battery duration and vapor quality has made them impossible to ignore. They are typically about the same size as the average “vape” pen and are easy to use on the go.
Though they are less commonly seen, stationary dry herb vape rigs have their fair share of benefits. Vapes like the Deluxe Daddy Stationary Dry Herb Vaporizer allow you to pack deeper bowls, and since they plug directly into the wall, they are well suited to long, laid-back sessions at home.
Convection Vs. Combustion Heating Element
The other main difference between dry herb vaporizers is the type of heating element they use to vaporize your bud.
Conduction vaporizers work by transferring heat to the flower via direct contact with a heated metal plate. This vaporizes the moisture, cannabinoids, and terpenes to produce its vapor. One downside to this heating style is that the heated plate may unevenly burn the plant that’s it touching, creating a hot, burned taste.
Convection vaporizers work the same way a convection oven works. They circulate hot air through the chamber to heat the flower and produce vapor. These types of vaporizers are considered to be preferable to conduction vapes because they heat your herbs more slowly and evenly by circulating hot air throughout the entire chamber.
Benefits Of Using A Dry Herb Vaporizer
We’ve mentioned a few times now how dry herb vaping has enjoyed a popularity boom in recent years. When you begin to consider all of the benefits dry herb vaping has over other consumption methods, it almost becomes hard to justify smoking any other way!
The many benefits of dry herb vaping include:
Flavor & Flexibility
By not (literally) scorching your buds, you are allowing yourself to experience a fuller spectrum of flavor and aroma from your strain. Cannabis strains are available in a nearly unlimited amount of unique cannabinoid and terpene combinations.
If your vaporizer has temperature control options, you will have the ability to target different cannabinoids and compounds to achieve different effects. The chart below provides a detailed outline of the temperatures each of these cannabinoids is activated and their effects.
Cleaner, Healthier Inhalation
One of the top benefits of using a dry herb vaporizer is that it’s just about the “cleanest” way you can smoke your weed. By “clean,” we mean that the vapor is relatively free of many of the impurities and by-products produced by combustion.
Mainly, you are avoiding inhaling the tar byproduct inherent to burning plant material. Instead, you are inhaling the moisture which has been vaporized out of the plant, along with the cannabinoids.
While there is no completely “healthy” way to inhale anything into your body, dry herb vaping is considerably more healthy for your lungs and throat- especially if you smoke frequently.
They Are Discreet & Portable
Though dry herb vapes are not entirely free of odor, it’s pretty limited, and they are still highly discreet to use. Many vapes consist of just three elements; the battery, the chamber (aka where you place your herb/ location of the heating element), and the mouthpiece. They are simple and about the size of any standard “vape pen.” This means it can fit neatly in your pocket while heating quick enough to be used at almost a moment’s notice.
Many boast of producing thick, heavy “clouds” of vapor (which can be true), though they are far from obnoxious. Usually, one quick little puff here and there will be all you need!
Saves You Herb
Dry herb vapes are an excellent investment if you hate to waste weed. Rather than losing significant amounts of smokable plant material while your joint or bowl smolders in between puffs, dry herb vapes are far more economical.
By vaporizing your greens slowly, you are essentially allowing yourself to get the total mileage out of your bowls. You’ll be surprised how much further your stash goes instantly!
Tips For Better Dry Herb Vaping
Keep Your Vaporizer Clean
One of the beauties of owning a dry herb vaporizer is that they’re simple and easy to use. This means they’re also easy to clean and, as such, should be kept clean! You will simply negate many of the benefits of using a dry herb vape by allowing old, increasingly scorched bud bits to taint your session.
You should be sure to follow specific cleaning instructions depending on the vape model you are using, but usually, a little bit of isopropyl and a cotton swab will do the trick!
Make Sure Weed Is Properly Cured
Any flower that is either too dry or too moist and sticky will be challenging to vaporize satisfactorily. It’s just a good rule of thumb (regardless of how you consume it) to always use fresh and properly cured buds.
Don’t Overpack The Chamber
If you consider how a dry herb vaporizer works, they rely on having good airflow. Without good airflow, the heat will not be able to distribute through your greens properly, and you will get a lacking, poor-quality hit.
Make sure the chamber is full, but don’t overstuff it or pack it down too hard!
Us a good grinder
The more evenly ground your weed is, the more evenly it will heat, the smoother and more consistent your hits will be. It’s a small detail that goes a long way. Get yourself a well-constructed grinder like the best-selling Cheech Classic 4pc. Herb Grinders.
Re-distribute Herb
If you want to get the most out of your dry herb vape, it helps to use a small poker tool to re-distribute the herbs in your chamber.
With conduction vapes where the heating plate is in direct contact with the plant, it is essential to do this after a few hits to ensure that you aren’t starting to burn some of the buds.
This is another instance where failing to do so begins to cancel out some of the benefits of the dry herb vape.
Find The Perfect Setting For You
Don’t be afraid to experiment with your temperature settings (if possible)! We provided a few guidelines above; however, everyone reacts differently. On top of that, every dry herb vape model is slightly different from the others and will perform in its unique little ways.
By trying different settings for different effects, you can establish guidelines that work best for you!