A Beginner’s Guide to Weed Pipe Smoking – 8 Mistakes to Avoid
Smoking weed pipes are a relatively old means of cannabis consumption. However, with the development in the cannabis industry, preferences and their manufacturing materials have evolved.
There are various ways to consume your dry herbs in this day and age. However, many factors come into play if you want to enjoy a smoking session thoroughly. Surprisingly, weed pipe smoking is not as straightforward as it sounds.
Therefore, to ensure a smooth, consistent smoke that appeals to your taste buds and doesn’t disappoint in any terms requires careful prep.
However, a few mistakes that can ruin your weed pipe smoking experience are:
1. Messing Up the Basics—Buying the Wrong Pipe
The first impression is the last impression. Although this phrase doesn’t stand true in many real-life situations, it holds a lot of value when talking about pipe smoking.
Smoking pipes are readily available in various shapes, sizes, and price ranges at the smoke shop. In addition, they are synthesized from several types of raw material, each of which gives a unique experience.
Subsequently, glass smoking pipes and silicone smoking pipes are the more popular preferences. While silicone pipes are more durable, people seek glass pipes because of the intricate artwork.
However, smoking pipes are available in other materials as well. Among these, corn cob and clay pipes fall at a cheap price point. Meanwhile, briar pipes are more renowned and long-lasting; they add delicate flavors to the smoke.
2. Butchering the Taste—Using Wet Herbs or Tobacco
At the time of buying tobacco or dry herbs, they contain moisture. As a result of this moisture, you may have an uncomfortable smoking experience as it makes the smoke over-saturated.
Mostly, people prefer trimmed dry herbs and tobacco for smoking as it produces the best taste profile, given that its easy combustion leads to better extraction of the compounds.
Therefore, it is best to dry your tobacco or dry herbs before smoking. For this purpose, you should leave it on a piece of paper to dry and let it be like that for a few hours.
Then, you may observe its crispiness by holding it in your hands. If it clumps together, it is probably wet. On the contrary, if it feels crunchy, then it is too dry. You can check the crispness according to your preference.
Meanwhile, you should avoid using pre-oven heated tobacco or herbs as they do not produce good flavors. However, if you are uncomfortable with air drying your herbs, you can opt for drying equipment.
3. Foul Prep—Using Cheap Herbs
Cheap herbs are not ideal for a good smoking experience as they cannot provide good flavors for a smooth smoking experience. Instead, they only produce extra smoke upon lighting.
Additionally, cheap herbs are responsible for leaving behind a bland taste that can irritate your mouth.
Furthermore, aromatic tobacco has more demand on a worldwide scale. In many cases, aromatic tobacco has a great taste, making the smoking experience much more mesmerizing.
On the downside, aromatic tobacco consists of a lot of moisture content which adds to the difficulty of managing the crispiness of tobacco and is burdensome to keep it lit. Also, according to a few reports, aromatic tobacco can most likely cause a dreadful tongue bite.
4. Lousy Cover—Packing Too Tightly
Tightly packed tobacco or dry herbs can cause your smoking experience to go adrift as it is tough to manage to keep it lit.
To compensate for the tight packaging, you will have to put in more effort and puff harder. Consequently, the pipe will become too hot, leading to an unpleasant tongue bite.
The right way to pack your tobacco is by loosely filling the smoking bowl around two-thirds of its capacity, which is the same way when you fill the chamber of a weed vaporizer.
Take the process slowly and start filling it up. Then compress it down with the aid of your finger. Fill it up again, but decrease the force when compressing it down.
Lastly, if there’s room, add a little more, but with even less force than before; this reduces the chances of very firm packaging and leaves space for airflow.
5. Besmirching the Lighting Process
A lighter is not an advisable tool for burning a pipe because it has a high flame. Also, lighters are not very precise. As a result of the hot temperature induced by the use of lighters, the taste of the herb may change.
Moreover, short matches and lighters cannot easily access the herb in the pipe that can cause damage to the pipe and the burning of the bowl.
Long matches are the best choice when lighting the smoking bowl to counter the problem as they can reach the herb in the pipe and last longer until the herb burns.
Beware of the flame coming in contact with the tobacco. Instead, brace the flame just above the tobacco and puff to draw it in.
6. Speeding Through the Process
Tamping is a climacteric process when smoking pipes, but the users often do it wrong. The objective is to keep the flame burning as it stays in contact with the tobacco underneath.
Beginners firmly push down the pipe, which compresses the tobacco, causing inadequate combustion, leading to very hot smoke. Tamping keeps the pipe going, and it is pivotal to avoid compressing the tobacco while you tamp.
Another mistake that can lead to the flame burning too hot or cooling is the frequency and strength with which you take puffs. Instead of speeding through the smoking session, relish the experience and take light puffs at regular intervals to get the best results.
7. Inadequate Maintenance
Properly cleaning your pipe is crucial, and you must thoroughly do it to keep your pipe in its best condition. In addition, you must regularly use pipe cleaners to clear the remnants left inside the shank of your pipe.
Otherwise, the accumulation of these remnants in the pipe can cause a residual bloom. Alongside, if you don’t wipe your mouthpiece before every session, it can cause the trapping of bacteria.
Additionally, the residuals and germs interfere with smoking as they can migrate up the stem and reach your lips, leaving a foul-tasting essence.
8. Poor Herb Storage
It is essential to store the dry herbs after trimming in conditions where their taste is not compromised. Moreover, you must keep your herbs or tobacco in a container where air or moisture does not intrude.
Furthermore, tightly packing them in aluminum is an excellent method of keeping your herbs and tobacco safe from factors that can ruin its combustibility or taste.
Not to mention, much like alcohol, tobacco tastes better as it ages. Therefore, you can store it for a couple of months and appreciate its enhanced taste.
Takeaway
Like everything else, smoking a weed pipe is also a skill you master with time and practice. As a beginner, falling short in one area or another is unavoidable. However, you should enjoy the process and learn from your mistakes as you explore various options and determine your preferences.
