How to Smoke Weed Out of a Bong

Bongs are the devices created for consuming cannabis. To be exact, a bong is a water pipe that allows combusting marijuana and inhaling the smoke while making this process smoother.

The variety of bongs nowadays is extremely wide. You can choose the one according to your needs and visual preferences. But they haven’t appeared recently. Bongs have been around for centuries. It is believed that the actual word “bong” comes from the name of an ancient Thai bamboo device for smoking called “baung”.

Today they’ve become much more complicated than the bamboo tubes from the past, but the function is still the same. Read the article below if you’d like to understand the device’s operating process and learn how to use a bong correctly.

DISCLAIMER: Using a bong for smoking doesn’t make it totally safe and can cause damage to your lungs.

Bongs Brief History Review

Bongs are not a new invention, according to scientists. The archeologists discover such devices in Russian kurgan. The bongs that have been found are made of solid gold and are believed to be 2400 years old. According to the study, the Skythian tribal leaders used those things for smoking cannabis and opium.

Later in the 1500s, the usage of devices similar to contemporary bongs spread to China. During the Qing Dynasty, the commoners used bamboo bongs. Chinese merchants, on the other hand, were more likely to use more advanced metal water pipes for smoking.

The current version of bongs appeared during “Hippy Erra” in the 1960s when an American glassblower Bob Snodgrass came up with the first bong made of glass.

What is Special About Smoking a Bong?

The tokers who prefer smoking from bongs claim that it gives them smoother and more potent high in comparison to regular joints. Basically, what bongs do is cool and filter smoke via the percolation process. When cannabis is combusted, the smoke doesn’t get straight to the consumer’s lungs. Before that, it goes through the water that bubbles in the bottom of the water pipe. That allows users to get a creamy, cool, and smooth experience that leads to coughing less than when smoking joints. Therefore bongs are considered to be a better option, especially for novices.

Moreover, the less harsh smoke makes it easier to inhale more, so the statement about a more potent high might be truthful. On the other hand, it is a warning for not experienced smokers to avoid large hits in order not to get overwhelmed.

Scientifically speaking, bongs are not better at transferring THC in comparison to joints. According to the study published by MAPS in 1996 and reviewed in 2000, unfiltered joints provide stronger high than bongs do. So, generally, bongs’ main feature is making users’ experience smooth, cool as well as easier on the throat and lungs.

What are the bongs’ basic components?

The market is full of bongs of different types and compositions, but there are 5 elements that make up any of them regardless of the price.

1. Tube / Chamber / Neck It is the chamber that fills with smoke after it is filtered and before it is inhaled via a mouthpiece.
2. Base This is the bottom of the device, and it is usually made in the form of a bubble.
3. Bowl It is a small part where smokers place dried cannabis and combust it. Bowl is usually removable in order to clean the device.
4. Downstem / Stem It is a short tube that transits smoke from the bowl to the base, where it percolates through the water.
5. Carb hole Carb is short for the carburetor. It is the hole made to clear the smoke from the tube.

Bong Types Overview

Now that we know what are bongs used for and what they consist of, it’s time to find out what types of bongs the market offers and how to choose the best one.

The variety of water pipes available is really impressive. They differ in forms, sizes, design, cost, materials, and features. We offer you a brief outline of the most popular devices that users prefer.

Read Also: Homemade Waterfall Bong

First of all, let’s examine different types of bongs by materials:

• Metal

Metal bongs are not in favor amongst consumers. Though they are durable and quite cheap, the material impacts the taste and provides a not really smooth experience. On top of that, metal bongs are not see-through, so users don’t have the opportunity to control the fatness of a rip they take.

• Glass

Glass bongs are on the top of users’ choices, and there are a lot of reasons for that. Due to the wide variety, the prices vary greatly, so anyone can find a device that will not cost a fortune. Glass water tubes are known for the smooth and creamy experience they provide. Moreover, there are tons of accessories consumers can add to these bongs to improve smoking, like percolators, ice catches, and so on. Though some people think they are easy to break, good quality glass bongs are made of thick material that is quite durable. On top of that, there are lots of different designs and sizes, so it is not a problem to find one that suits the user’s desires. The only disadvantage is that glass pipes are not easy to clean.

• Silicone

Silicone bongs that got popular in the last decade are also popular among consumers. Their main advantage is that they are almost impossible to break and can also be cleaned in a dishwasher. The prices of such devices are affordable, and the variety is wide. Among the disadvantages, we can name the lack of accessorizing options. Also, due to the small sizes, these pipes have little to no percolation, which makes them a good option for travelling, but not the best one for indoor usage.

• Acrylic

Acrylic bongs are not the best option for the cannabis smoking experience. Though they are really cheap, the plastic materials they are usually made of are harmful to smokers’ health. What is more, they are really easy to break. Even though there are lots of such devices available on the market, they are hard to accessorize.

• Ceramic

Ceramic bongs were there before glass ones appeared. These old-fashioned devices are usually large and come in different shapes and designs. According to consumers, ceramic pipes are durable and affordably priced. But there are no accessorizing options, and just like metal ones, they are not see-through.

Speaking of accessorizing, here are the most popular additions that consumers prefer to use for their bongs to enhance their experience with cannabis.

• Ice Catchers

Users often choose bongs because of the cooling that they give to smoke. To improve that feature, you can add some ice into the water. But when the ice melts, it can get to the neck of the device, so here ice catchers come. Ice catchers are pinched glass structures inside the bong's body that keep ice above the water chamber. They are usually placed above all of the percolators and serve as the final filtration before the smoke enters the mouthpiece.

• Percolators

Basically, almost all bongs have percolators inside. Perc is a part that does the main filtration to the smoke and is placed inside the bong’s main body. However, if your device doesn’t have one, you can get a percolator attachment to make smoking cooler and smoother.

Besides the usual bongs, there are other similar devices that users prefer to use for consuming marijuana.

• Dab Rigs

Dab Rigs are actually water pipes like bongs, but they are made for vaporizing oils, vax, or “dabs”. According to users’ feedback, these devices provide better taste and an even smoother experience than bongs for combusting dry material.

• Hand-Made Gravity Bongs

Gravity bongs, also called G-B or geebs, perform an old-fashioned homemade way to consume cannabis. These bongs work by dipping a bottle or chamber with a bowl made of foil with weed on top into a bigger bottle or bucket of water, operating with water and gravity. This way is certainly not the best option for newbies as the high it gives is more potent in comparison to common glass bongs.

Read Also: How to Make a Homemade Gravity Bong

How Do Bongs Work? – The Step-by-Step Guide on How to Smoke a Bong

Knowing how to hit a bong correctly is essential to get the best of this consumption method. Follow our step-by-step manual to make your smoking process smooth and satisfying.

1. Prepare your device First of all, make sure that the bong is clean, and the bowl removes easily. Pour some water into the chamber through the mouthpiece. The amount of water is enough when the bottom of the downstem is submerged.
2. Grind your cannabis The best way to prepare material for combusting is to use a grinder. That is a special device in the form of a round box where you put the grass to get it ground. If you don’t have one, you can use scissors or a sharp knife instead. The purpose is to break down the nug into small chunks that are roughly the same size.
3. Fill the bowl Use ground material to pack the bowl. Gently tap the material into the bowl, but make sure it is not too tight because it may lead to problems while pulling the smoke. Put the bowl into the stem.
4. Start smoking Use a firelighter or a hemp wick to inflame marijuana in the bowl. At the same time, put your mouth to the mouthpiece and start gently pulling. You will see the chamber getting full of the smoke that will get to your lungs after that.
5. Finish your hit To finish the process, you need to clear the chamber. The best way to do this is by removing a bowl. Keep pulling, and the airflow from the stem will push the smoke up to your mouth and lungs.

Now you know how to smoke weed out of a bong. But this is not the last step. Do not forget to clean your device after using it.

Read Also: Ways to Consume Marijuana: The Definitive Guide

How to Clean My Bong?

Bongs can get unclean, smelly, and resin-clogged. That is why it is necessary to clean them after each session.

• First of all, you need to clean the bowl from the ash and pour out the water from the bong.
• For the next step, you can rather use a special cleaning solution made for the procedure or some coarse salt and rubbing alcohol. You will need to clean the bowl, downstem, and the bong itself separately. To do this, take a zipper-top plastic bag and put there some cleansing material and the bowl. Close the bag and gently shake it, then scrab it with your hands to get rid of sticky resin. When the bowl is clean, wash it in clean water.
• After that, repeat the same actions with the downstem.
• To clean the bong itself, put cleansing material inside and shake it for a while. When you can see that the device is clean, just wash it with water, and the process is done.

Is Smoking a Bong Safe?

Fans of smoking from a bong claim that it provides a smooth and cool high while making the process less dangerous for the lungs. While the first part of the statement is truthful, the second one is rather not. Though the smoke feels not that harsh, you are still inhaling it into your lungs with all the harmful components inside. The filtration process works for some amount of bad stuff, but not for all of it.

According to the study presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regardless of material burnt, any smoke is harmful to the lungs because of carcinogens included in it. Moreover, as we know that the smoke seems smoother with the bong method consumption, it is easy to overdo it and get more harmful elements into your lungs. So, in any case, smoking just can not be healthy.

Read Also: Everything You Need to Know About Cannabis Topicals

Conclusion

Smoking weed out of a bong is undeniably one of the most preferred methods of marijuana consumption among consumers. The devices similar to bongs have been around for centuries and have evolved much through their long history. While ancestors used first simple bamboo tubes, later metal bongs, today the variety is really impressive. Users can choose a glass device and complement it with accessories, a non-breakable silicone one, or a craftily designed ceramic. There is even an option to make a homemade gravity bong.

Regardless of what type you choose, the main bongs’ advantage is a smooth and cool smoking experience. These devices’ anatomy allows to filter and cool the smoke so it could feel better on the lungs. But it is essential to remember that no matter what method of consumption you prefer, smoking will still be harmful to your health, and no bong existing can prevent it.