Mary’s tips: Dry Herb Vaping for Beginners

Are you playing with the thoughts of getting your first dry herb vaporizer? You have come to the right place! The market is extremely saturated and can be overwhelming to pick out your first device, not even mention other things you need to know about. 

You might be asking questions like

How do you pick the best vape for your needs?

What are the different vaporizers?

What kind of dry herbs should you get?

Are vaporizers better than e-cigarettes?

In this article, I will guide you through the process of getting into dry herb vaping, and try to answer these questions as well.

What is a dry herb vaporizer and how does it work?

A dry herb vaporizer is an electronic device, that heats your plant material to the point where the active compounds can be released and inhaled. It does so without burning (combustion) the substance, so you won’t get nasty carcinogens in your lungs. Dry herb vaporizes the main role is to extricate beneficial active ingredients of the herb. 

Why is it good to have a vaporizer?

When you are smoking instead of vaping, by-products of burning can be inhaled with the smoke, which can be potentially harmful to you. Vaporizers operate at a much lower temperature than cigarettes, so you only inhale the desired compounds. 

Burning pretty much destroys the herbs. The herb is turning into ash and smoke, not even mention that the useful chemical compounds that we are longing for, are also wasted this way.  You need carefully controlled heat (which is what an electronic dry herb vaporizer does) to efficiently extract the active ingredients that dry herb is infused with. 

Dry herb Vapes VS E-liquid vapes

They are both called vaporizers, but there is a fundamental difference. 

Dry herb vapes designed to be used with, natural, raw herbs. Some dry herb vapes also work with wax-like substances, which is also the natural extraction of the plant. With their tiny oven, dry herb vapes heat up the substance to the right temperature where terpenes, flavors, and compounds are released. 

E-juice or e-liquid vaporizers work with liquid that is mainly made of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin infused with artificial flavors and concentrated plant cannabinoids or nicotine. (CBD, THC) The disadvantage of these vapes that the liquid they work with can be mixed with all kinds of stuff that you might not even know. It is hard to tell which one is a quality product, that not gonna cause side effects in a long run. 

Obviously, with both categories, we need to keep in mind that vaping is a fairly new trend in this form, and with the potential health benefits there are potential side effects as well, that we can’t really know at this point. So always be responsible and do your research. 

The main kinds of dry herb vaporizers

There are three major categories, that we have to mention when we are talking about dry herb vaporizers

Portable Dry Herb Vaporizers: portable dry herb vapes mostly battery-operated, which allows them to be able to used basically anywhere. You can slip them into your pocket and enjoy a nice puff on the go. The market of these vapes is huge, there are plenty to pick from. This has mostly turned out this way because of the high demand for these types of devices. 

Analog (non-electric) Vaporizers: Analog vapes are also portable most of the time, but it is kinda a hustle to use them. The reason for that is because instead of a battery, they operate with an external heat source, like a torch lighter. Looking at the way it functions, an analog vape is closer to a pipe. However, the heating chamber is closed and shields the content from direct flame or heat. It uses a conduction heating method and there isn’t too much room for temperature control. 

Desktop Vaporizers:

Desktop vapes work on the same principles as portable dry herb vapes, only they are bigger, the allow even more sophisticated temp control. They are also more expensive and they need an electrical outlet. They are great for large vaping sessions. 

convection VS conduction
convection VS conduction

Read Mary’s full guide to dry herb vaping

Essentials you need to start dry herb vaping

When you start planning to get into dry herb vaping, there are few essentials you need to get your hands on. Here is a shortlist of the most important things. 

Herb

Dry herbs that are most commonly used in a dry herb vaporizer are marijuana and hemp. The cannabis plant is used for medicinal and recreational purposes. It contains a high amount of THC or CBD, the two most recognized and studied cannabinoids. CBD is legal on a federal level and it has to be hemp-derived to contain less than 0.3% THC. High THC strains are marijuana strains and legality varies in different states and countries. But in most places the recreational use of marijuana is illegal. CBD is good for relaxation and pain management without altering your mind. THC may medicinal benefits but it is also psychoactive. Besides the cannabis plant, there is plenty of legal herbs that you can vaporize. Just mention a few: ginseng, ginseng, tobacco, eucalyptus, basil, lavender, lemon balm, kava mint, peppermint, thyme, etc. 

Wax

Has become a popular cannabis concentrate, because it is clean, lightweight, easy to use, and super-high potency. It can have many names: Hash oil, shatter, budder, and crumble, depending on the texture of the solidified oil. Wax is extracted from hemp or marijuana using butane as a solvent. 

Grinder

Herb grinder is a small device with “teeth” mostly made of metal, and it is used to break your herb buds down into small pieces. A grinder is a little magic weapon that makes your life so much easier. Vaporizers require small pieces of the plant material, in order to be able to evenly cook the herb and deliver the best experience. Herb grinders also can be used for spices and other substances. The material, the color, and the shape of a grinder vary, but we recommend doing your research to make sure you get good quality. You don’t want the grinder to shred itself and add extra particles to your natural herb. 

Accessories

However accessories are not entirely essential they significantly enhance your vaping experience, or just make your life easier. Like a smell-proof case for your vape, it’s a nice addition. It stores your vaporizer, doesn’t let the smell out, and protects the vape from dirt or dust, especially the mouthpiece. There are portable charging docks or replacement batteries so your vape is always ready to roll. Water bong extensions make the vapor tastier and smoother, and the list could go on. You can personalize your vaporizer with a stylish mouthpiece. 

Cleaning and packing tools

Vaporizers and used with natural plant matter, so they require regular cleaning. Evaporated cannabinoids, oil, and waxes leave a sticky residue in the chamber and the mouthpiece, which can build up over time. You can scrub that away with a tiny brush that usually comes in a package with a vape, including other supplies, like cotton swabs. A packing tool cab also comes in the package that is useful for loading and stirring the content of the chamber. 

How to Choose the right Vaporizer?

Vape buying guide
Vape buying guide

It appears that the more research you do about vaporizers, the more equation comes up. The main one is though: What to consider when buying a vaporizer? 

There are so many options that you can choose from, it can get pretty overwhelming. However, if we break it down, we can see that there are really 4 main aspects that you need to exam closer. 

Price range

Everyone’s budget is different, and portable vaporizers can start as low as $50 and can go all the way up to $300. (The big desktop vapes easily can hit the $500 mark.) Whatever your budget is, you can find quality vapes for sure in that range, but once you have the amount of money you willing to spend you can look further into the other aspects. 

Frequency of usage 

This is fairly easy if you break it down. If you are someone who vapes occasionally, or just on the weekends, you will be pleased with a simpler, more straightforward design. If you use it on a daily basis, maybe it is comfortable for you to look for the more advanced and vapes, with bigger bowls and a more powerful battery. 

Portability 

This kind of comes hand in hand with our previous point. If you are using your vaporizer occasionally and mostly at home, it maybe doesn’t matter to you if the device is not pocket-sized. However, if you are using it several times a day you probably need a stronger batter, while the device itself sleek, easy to carry around, and discrete. 

Vaping by yourself or sharing

Vaping can be a social event. You get together with your friends, talk, and laugh or watch a movie and you enjoy your vaporizer altogether. For these kinds of events, you will need a powerful desktop vaporizer, with a bigger bowl size that will work for an extended period of time. (Longer sessions). Portable devices unfortunately can’t really compete in this situation. 

Note: The quality of materials used to build the vape is important. Underpriced portable dry herb vapes can be built from materials that can’t handle the heat, and dissolve or melt. This can cause serious health issues.

Let’s start you first vaping session

Burn off: This is just for safety reasons but it is good to start your vaporizer fresh out of the box with a burn-off session. Set the vape to the highest temp and do a few cycles with an empty chamber to sterilize the device. After you are done clean the vapor path with a cotton swab, and also clean the mouthpiece with rubbing alcohol. 

Grinding and packing: Grind your herb well but not into dust. Vaporizers work well with evenly grind substances. When the herb is ready, load the chamber, pack it well but not too tight, to allow airflow to path through. 

Turn on the device: When your vape is on you constantly experimenting with temperature. You will notice a difference in taste and the amount of vapor as you are changing the temperature. Find the point when you are satisfied. If your herb tastes too harsh or experiencing coughing, start from a lower temp. 

Be patient and give time to yourself to find the best settings and vape away 🙂