How to Hit a Bong
Bongs are an easy-to-use smoking device, but still, they can be confusing for someone who’s never smoked. That’s okay though because bongs are a great gateway into the smoking world. They offer the cleanest smoke and smoothest hits so even a newbie won’t be coughing much after taking their first hits. This Guide will explain exactly how to take a hit from a bong- everything from what materials you need, how to set your bong up, and some tips and tricks.
What You Need to Smoke A from a Bong
You don’t need a ton before you can start ripping your bong, but there are a few things you’ll want or need to have in order to have a good experience. Here are the five materials you should have with you before you start smoking (other than the bong itself). It doesn't matter if we are talking about a big bong, a mini bong, or something else.
Dry Bud: Okay so this one is obvious but it is absolutely necessary. You can’t smoke from your bong if you don’t have anything to actually smoke. Just to be clear, a bong is a device that allows you to smoke marijuana, the bong itself is only a tool and not a substance that gets you high. The higher the quality of the bud, the better the taste and high will be. Make sure you have some dry bud before you get ready to smoke.
Ice Cold Drink: Ice water is good to have beside you when you’re smoking just in case you experience any irritation in your throat. It’s not a necessity but you will be extremely thankful you have it next to you should you start coughing. Plus, you should be drinking water before, during, and after you smoke, this will help prevent a weed hangover.
Water for Bong: The whole reason bongs were created is to use water to filter and clean the smoke. You’ll need some access to water so you can fill your bongs water chamber up.
Weed Grinder: A weed grinder will greatly enhance your smoking experience. Grinders are often said to be the most important weed accessory and the right-hand man of every true stoner. Grinders crush your herb into a smaller consistency. This increases the surface area of weed in your bowl which will make your smoke session last longer and your weed burn more evenly.
Lighter or Hempwick: Lastly, you need something to light your bowl. You can’t create and inhale any smoke without lighting your herb, and you need something to do that. If you’re just getting into the weed venture, it’s a good idea to have more than one lighter around. They’re easy to lose and it’s no fun going to smoke only to realize you have nothing to light your bowl with.
How to Set Up Your Bong
Now that you have all the materials you’ll need out in front of you, it’s time to set up your bong and get to smoking. Here is a step-by-step guide to how to use a bong:
Fill the chamber with water: The first thing you need to do is fill your bong with water. Start by looking at your stem to determine where the water level should be. The stem is the part of your bong that connects the water chamber and bowl (where you put your weed). If you look closely at the stem you will notice small little slots in it towards its bottom. This is where you want to fill the water chamber up to. Lastly, use cold water if you want to experience a cooler hit.
Grind your marijuana: Now that your bong is ready to go, you need to get your weed ready to smoke. Place a few buds in your grinder and twist your grinder until there is very little or no resistance remaining.
Pack your bowl: Once you have your herb at the right consistency, take it and pack it into your bowl. There are a few different methods for packing a bowl but a simple way to do is to take a pinch of weed and place it into the bowl until it’s full. Fill the bowl to the brim but don’t pack it so densely that there’s no oxygen in your bowl.
Take a Hit: Once you have water in your bong and you’ve packed the bowl you can start taking some hits. To do this, first, grab the bong neck with your non-dominant hand, then grab your lighter in your dominant hand. Next, place your lips around the mouthpiece and create as tight of a seal as you can. After this, flick the lighter on and torch your bowl while inhaling just enough to get some bubbles going. Once your lunges are exhausted, pull the bowl away from the stem and inhale intensely one more time. Hold your hit for as long as possible and breathe out slowly to avoid coughing. That’s it, you can now repeat these steps and take as many hits as your heart desires.
Clean your bong: After you are done getting blazed, it’s important to clean your bong so that it will be ready for its next use. Ideally, you should clean your bong after every use but every few uses will do otherwise. If you don’t clean your bong then resin will build up and start to ruin your smoking experience. Your bong will begin to smell and your hits will taste awful. If this happens and you still don’t clean your bong then you run the risk of it developing mold and bad bacteria that can give you a lung infection. The easiest way to clean your bong is to use isopropyl alcohol. Fill your bong with this, shake it thoroughly, and then leave it to soak for a few hours. You can clean harder-to-clean pieces like your bowl and stem with a pipe cleaner and isopropyl alcohol. Having a clean bong ready when you go to use it is worth the small amount of time that cleanup takes.
Tips and Tricks
Once you are comfortable using a bong, you may want to spice things up or look into what else you can do to make your experience better. One thing you can do when you get to that point is using an alternative to bong water. For example, using cranberry juice instead of water in the water chamber will add a lot of flavor to your hits. Another trick is to put your bong in the freezer for a few minutes before using it, this will make your hits cooler and therefore smoother and make your smoking experience better. Just make sure that your bong is freezer-safe, typically bongs made of silicone do fine in the freezer. Lastly, a tip if your looking for a bong is to opt for a smaller or miniature one. Smaller bongs offer a more concentrated flavor since the ratio of air to smoke is better. Plus, smaller bongs are more portable so it’s a win-win.
