How can you turn dry herbs into vapor?
Dry Herbs in a dry herb vaporizer need to be heated up to a temperature of at least 350°F in order to produce a vapor. When the device heats up as far as 450°F you can often get to a point where the vapor is a much clearer and cure quality. Vaporizers that are capable of reaching 450°F will extract all of the components that can be found in a dry herb. 350° will not often produce much vapor but it can help as a starting point for heating up the coil in your device. As you continue to heat the device to a higher temperature you can eventually reach a happy medium between 350 and 450. Most devices that ignite beyond 450° will actually start to burn the herbs inside.
With any type of dry herb vaporizer is also crucial that you use fresh herbs. Older herbs will often dry out and this can cause them to ignite much faster. When you are going to vape weed, make sure that you have at least some moisture available in the cured herbs and that they are freshly ground.
Dry Herb Vaping:
Dry herb vapes were first made popular in the year 1994 when a vaporizer enthusiast named Eagle Bill Amado wanted to create a vaporizer that would be designed for aromatherapy that would also be extremely easy to transport. Classic style pipes were the inspiration here and the large glass pipe with a bowl could be heated up to produce a vapor without having to use a combustible flame.
Dry herb vaping continued to take off with products like the Ubie, Vapor Genie, Magic Flight Launch Box and eventually the Arizer. These dry herb vapes were considered to be some of the best in the market.
The development of dry herb vaping products:
The technology behind some of these early pioneers would pave the way for a number of revisions to these products. The manufacturers have produced new versions of them that heat up faster and produce a much better vapor is also miniaturized versions of dry herb vaporizers that have continued to expand the market and offer more discreet use.
Portable vaporizers continue their evolution and today there are devices that can deliver almost instant heat with massive levels of temperature control. Having more control over the vapor in the experience that a person can have it exactly what aficionados are really looking for.
The desktop vaporizer has massively improved as well. Although handheld vaporizers continue to gather attention for their discreet and portable nature, long-standing staples to the desktop market including the volcano have only continue to improve. Volcano with its bag vapor system is one of the most advanced vaporizers on the market and it continues to produce some of the finest quality vapor from a home vaporizer.
These devices remain quite different from a traditional E-juice vaporizer. Rather than having a tank filled with liquid that is placed on a wick, the material is placed on a mesh screen and then heated from below using an atomizer to bring it right to the edge of combustion. This draws out the additives in the dry herb without ever having to produce the combustible carcinogens that are often produced through smoke.
The structure of a dry herb vaporizer:
Most dry herb vaporizers contain three main essential parts. They are often much simpler than other types of vaporizers on the market that produce e-juice.
Herb chamber:
A dry herb vaporizer will not contain a tank like e-juice based vaporizers. They contain an element that's called the herb chamber. This area is also called an oven and this is the spot where the components inside the herbs can be vapor. In the early stages stainless steel was one of the most common for herb chambers. Most herb chambers today are produced using a ceramic or quartz because it can heat up faster and produce a pure flavor. A variety of heating elements are often used to vaporize the herb with some of the largest heat elements available on desktop style vaporizers.
Mouthpiece:
The way that you inhale the vapor is different depending on the manufacturer for your device. There are some manufacturers that produce a shorter style mouthpiece and this can often produce a warmer vapor that can be a little more flavorful. If you are interested in having one of the smoothest possible experiences with a vaporizer you may want to look towards a manufacturer that opts for a longer mouthpiece. This can cool down the vapor but often lead to a less intense flavor. Portable devices are often produced using a short mouthpiece in order to improve their portability. Most mouthpieces are produced with a neutral material like glass so that it does not affect the overall taste of the vapor.
Herb/Weed:
You can use a wide array of herbs with a dry herb vaporizer there are many people that choose to use cannabis products as well as some that would prefer to use tobacco style products. Gathering a herb or weed often means first grinding up the material so that it can vaporize more easily. A quick turn in the grinder and placing the material into the mesh is a great start to prepping the material and making sure that you have a good quality vapor. Be sure to remove any old material from the chamber before you use it again. Although the dry herbs that you put in may seem intact, after you draw from the device a few times it's very likely that they will not contain any of the chemical ingredients that you would receive through the vapor. Material can also burn up over time when it’s reheated too much. In order to preserve the flavor of your experience you should consider only using the same material for a few draws.
Batteries:
A good-quality batteries needed for any type of dry herb vaporizer. Some of the less expensive vaporizers contain replaceable batteries such as your standard AA's or AAA's. Most vaporizers on the market that contain a battery will have fixed batteries. There are also desktop vaporizers that utilize a regular power cord in order to power their heating element. Fixed battery designs often come with a USB port for charging and batteries have become much more advanced over the years ensuring that they can hold a much longer charge with the device. Removable lithium ion batteries also ensure that you can quickly change out a battery when it stops retaining a charge. Some of the best and most customizable vaporizers on the market will have a battery that you can swap out at any time for a manufacturer approved product instead.
The styles of dry herb vaporizer
There are several options available to you when you are looking in on dry herb vaporizers. If you want to vape weed, you can choose some of these styles for a dry herb vaporizer:
Desktop:
Desktop devices can often produces superior flavor the only downside is that they take up a lot of space. These devices don't often come with a battery and they can be plugged directly into the wall. They can also come with some features including remote use and a number of temperature adjustments. Desktop vaporizers are amongst some of the most sophisticated devices available for vaping dry herbs. Look towards models like the volcano and other bag style desktop vapes for a better quality experience.
Dry herb vapes:
Dry herb vapes that are somewhat portable often contain a battery that's replaceable or built-in for a rechargeable format. These devices can come with some of the same power options that you would find on a desktop device and a similar quality of vapor. The larger size for these dry herb handheld vapes doesn't make them super friendly for traveling but they do produce an excellent quality of vapor.
Dry Herb Pens:
There are miniature versions of a dry herb vape that are designed for the utmost in discretion. These are often products that you can pull out and have a quick draw from without anyone ever knowing. These devices are meant for extremely discreet use but they don't contain much material and they often have very limited options available for temperature control. These can be great devices for vaping weed if you want to try it out for the first time. Dry herb pens are often one of the lowest cost vaporizers on the market but with their simplicity they can also be the first to fail. They often contain fairly weak heating elements and it's rare to find one that has replaceable parts.
Using a dry herb vaporizer with different strains:
If you are going to be using a dry herb vaporizer with weed, it's a good idea to do some research into the strain that you will be using. With a vaporizer you will have to use far less material in order to achieve the same results that you would be a smoking marijuana. This is because the vaporizer extracts components like THC and CBD from the strains of marijuana that you place into the dry herb chamber. Your body can also absorb these materials much faster through vapor than it would through smoke. When you vape using a dry herb vaporizer there's no need to hold in the vapor because it can be absorbed through your lungs in just a few seconds.
Be sure it is some research into the potency of the strain that you are using. Understand if you would prefer to have a sativa dominant experience or indicia dominant experience before loading up your vape. Start by taking some short draws from the device and wait at least 10 min before vaporizing again. Testing your tolerance with a new strain is very important to making sure that you don’t over extend yourself vaping.
Pros and cons of dry herb vaping:
Pros:
-Vaping can produce better flavor: Most regular smokers suggest that by choosing a vaporizer, they have been able to experience a much better level of flavor from their favorite cannabis strains. It's much easier to discover the nuances between strains using a vaporizer because smoking can remove some of the flavors from every draw.
-Better temperature control: Having a temperature control ensures that you can get just the type of flavor experience you would like. Adjusting the temperature with different strains can really help you unlock new flavors.
-Improved efficiency: Vaping heats up the material much faster and you can often use the same material several times for a huge cost savings.
-Discreet: everything is contained to the vaporizer and this means that you don't have to carry around a lighter or any other device for enjoying dry herbs.
-Safer than smoke: using a vaporizer can be much safer than smoking because of vaporizer does not produce any of the carcinogens from the combustible herbs or papers if you are rolling herbs into them.
Cons:
-Does require ground material: you will have to do some prep with the material. This means purchasing a decent grinder and making sure that you have material ready to put into the vaporizer.
-Vaporizers require maintenance: you have to regularly replace the coil in your vaporizer and potentially replace the battery from time to time as well.
-Can require a learning curve: understanding how to set up your device for the first time and how to use it successfully often is a bit of a learning curve. If you are used to smoking cannabis, using a vaporizer does require a few more steps.
-No long-term studies have been completed: There have been no long-term scientific studies on the effects of using a vape.
Conclusion:
If you love smoking cannabis you may find some benefits in choosing to use a vaporizer for your weed instead. The process of learning how to use a vaporizer is actually quite simple and with the benefits that you can receive to flavor, your health and efficiency of use it can be well worth making the switch. With a wide range of devices available to help you vape weed, you can find your perfect fit between pens, handhelds and desktop style dry herb vaporizers at VapeNico.
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