How to properly smoke a bong

February 28, 2022

Photo by: LexScope

For many novice smokers, bongs can be quite intimidating and there isn’t always someone to show you how to smoke a bong properly.

The first hurdle is all the bong-related lingo. How can you figure out how to smoke it if you don’t know what it is?

Bong terminology

key: This is the part of the bong that is shaped like a very small bowl at the base and where the weed is placed, hence the term “smoking a bowl”.
Down: This is a long pipe that is detachable and points into the chamber of the bong. By removing the smoke spreads in the bong water.
carbohydrates: a hole in the chamber of the bong. It’s meant to be poked or stopped with your finger when you make a move so all that good stuff doesn’t escape. You can then release it when you’re done with your shot and the smoke is escaping.

Now that you know these terms, how do you actually smoke a bong?

Bong Smoking Technique

Fill your bong with water. Water is said to cool and filter the smoke. A good rule of thumb is to add enough water so your dip tube is submerged about half an inch. Too little water will result in heavy smoke and too much will result in water leakage and you might even inhale some. How much water you end up putting in can be a matter of trial and error, but the mistakes will be easy enough to spot.
Load the bowl. Grind your weed just like you would a joint. Fill the bowl loosely and do not overfill. You can also mix it up: fill the bowl with hash, make a mix of weed and hash, add some tobacco or leave it all out to just smoke a dab.
Light and go. Position yourself so that you can comfortably inhale from the bong through the mouthpiece while simultaneously igniting the weed in the bowl and plugging in the carb with one finger. It does require some level of hand-eye coordination, but is easy to master after a few tries. Start by inserting the carburetor in with a finger. Then light the bowl and start inhaling.
Smoke it properly. This is where things can get a bit complicated. Keep these reminders in mind when you smoke:
1. Remove the flame when you notice the weeds are trapped. A telltale sign of this is when the grass glows.
2. Make sure you have enough capacity to keep inhaling once you take your finger off the carb. Not all bongs have a carb; If yours doesn’t have one, consider removing the bowl instead.
3. Then make sure you surface for some fresh air – all in one breath. Fresh air ensures that you get that bong smoke into your system. If you can’t get all the smoke out of the bong initially, don’t worry about it. Lung capacity and technique will only improve over time.

Tips and Warnings

Be ready to cough. A lot of. It can be discouraging, but you’ll be fine. To reduce the chances or severity of coughing, opt for smaller puffs.
Understand that you will get very high. Bongs are stronger than joints, so a little goes a long way. Pace yourself!
Lips in, not out. When using the mouthpiece, make sure your lips go inward.
Remove the rest of the smoke before passing it on. If you smoke with others, make sure you clear all smoke from the chamber and throat of the bong before passing it around. It’s just good etiquette!
corner your bowl. Cornering is another bong slang term and it refers to when you only light a small corner of the bowl. This is to keep the rest of the bowl fresh, especially if you are sharing the bong with other people.

Do any experienced bong rippers out there have any other tips to share? Let us know in the comments below! We hope this has been educational for our readers. For more content like this, follow @cannalifenet.

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