A-Z Guide to Smoking Cannabis with a Bong

A bong is a convenient way to consume marijuana that many users prefer. Here is a definitive guide on using a bong to meet your medical or recreational weed needs.

A bong has become an iconic device for weed consumption. Some models date back to ancient times and look pretty conservative, while others are performed in the best tradition of hi-tech, with innovative materials and plenty of contemporary esthetics. Thus, you can try a bong for your weed consumption routines regardless of your maturity level; it’s a simple and user-friendly variant for anyone. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of preparing a bong for weed consumption and share tips to make this routine more enjoyable. Besides, you can learn more about ways to consume marijuana by https://askgrowers.com/ to diversify your consumption experience.

Say Hello to a Bong

So, let’s start with the basics – what a bong is and how it works. A bong is a device known under many names; some of them are bubbler, binger, or billy. Some users even refer to the regular water pipes as bongs and relate them to a single category of smoking devices.

A bong is a smoking device with many centuries of history; it was used even by ancient tribal people. But it looked like a bamboo tube linked to a water container in those old times. The modern bongs are much more sophisticated in their structures; still, they follow a similar physical process.

Users are spoilt for choice in the modern bong market, with some bongs following a minimalist design and others being fancy-looking, with many details and embellishments. However, their method of work is essentially the same:

• The small bowl at the bong’s top contains the dry material you will smoke. It can be tobacco, weed, hash, or special hookah mixes that contain no nicotine.
• The water is placed in the bottom part of the bong (its base) to filter and cool the smoke from the burnt material.
• Once the user inhales the air through the bong, the smoke goes through the water and then enters the chamber, where it’s cooled down before entering the user’s mouth and lungs.

Due to the mechanics of a bong’s work, many regular marijuana consumers associate this mode of smoking with smoother and cleaner smoke. Indeed, it will be a purer and more self-indulging experience compared to the process of smoking a joint, but overall, the contents of the smoke you’re finally consuming are largely the same. Thus, bong use is similar to smoking in all aspects, and it shouldn’t create a false illusion of a safer weed consumption option.

How to Smoke a Bong? Step-by-Step Guide

Don’t let the fancy construction of a bong scare you off. Things work pretty simple when you follow easy step-by-step instructions for using it.

#1 Add Water

The first step is to add water to the base of your bong; it will serve as the medium for filtering and cooling the smoke coming out of your weed. It’s necessary to use purified or bottled water to ensure it’s not contaminated with pollutants or harmful bacteria. The smoke goes through the water and then penetrates your lungs – an organ with the highest absorption level. Thus, by using pure water, you can avoid unpleasant bacterial infections.

If you’re wondering about the volume of water you need, it’s all individual. The amount of water depends on the size of your bong, and the rule of thumb is to add water so that it covers the downstem by one inch. If you add more water, it may get splashed all around when you’re smoking, and less water will prevent the smoke’s movement through it for cooling and purification.

#2 Crush the Weed

While weed is best for storage in the form of whole buds, it’s necessary to crush it before smoking. The process is pretty straightforward and won’t require much effort; it’s performed with scissors or a grinder. Those who are not afraid of the odor can even do this with their own fingers.

#3 Place the Weed into the Bowl

Once the buds are crushed to the size convenient for smoking, you should place them into the bong’s bowl. It’s the outer part of the bong that’s placed on the top of the downstem. A pro tip is to place larger particles of weed into the bowl first to prevent the smaller particles from falling into the water through the bowl’s net.

Experts recommend putting the weed sparsely into the bowl without packing it too tightly so that it’s evenly heated and gives all its therapeutic content to the user. It’s also useless to pack the full bowl with weed; half of the bowl will be enough for one smoking session.

#4 Hold the Bong

Now, it’s time to light the weed up and start smoking. To avoid splashing water or seeing your weed fall out of the bowl, place the bong on an even horizontal surface (like a table) and sit next to it. If you smoke weed in a closed room, place it next to the open window to exhale the thick smoke and let it dissolve quickly. Check out for easily inflammable objects so that your smoking session is safe.

#5 Put Your Lips Correctly

You should keep the bong tight with a non-dominant hand (place it on the place where the water chamber connects to the mouthpiece) and take several deep breaths; then light the weed in the bowl with a dominant hand. Put your mouth into the mouthpiece so your lips are inside it, and your cheeks insulate it to avoid wasting any smoke.

#6 Light Up the Bong

Now that you’re fully prepared, bend the bong a bit sideways to light up the weed in the bowl. Don’t light it in full; burn the edge of the weed, and the fire will spread to the rest of the weed as soon as you inhale more times. Start inhaling as you light up the weed, and the smoke will start filling the chamber.

#7 Inhale the Smoke

As soon as you see that the amount of smoke is enough for you, stop inhaling, put the bowl with weed off the stem, and inhale the produced smoke. Those who can’t inhale all of the smoke at once should cover the mouthpiece with a hand while exhaling or preparing for the next round of inhaling.

#8 Prepare another Portion of Smoke

Once you’ve inhaled all the smoke produced during the first round, you can light up more weed in the bowl. Perform the same process and remove the bowl to inhale the produced smoke. Those who smoke in a company should exhale up or sideways to avoid exhaling the smoke into other people’s faces; it’s the fundamental rule of bong smoking etiquette.

How Can Smoking a Bong Harm You?

First, as we’ve covered in the previous sections, smoking a bong is no healthier than smoking a regular joint or a pipe. The weed smoke penetrating your lungs comes with the whole set of carcinogens and pollutants you would naturally expect from any other smoking method. Thus, bongs are not healthier than other options.

Second, you should note that the particles of weed you smoke with the help of a bong remain on its internal walls for a long time; it’s impossible to clean it because of its construction. Thus, there are sporadic reports of pulmonary tuberculosis or even necrotizing pneumonia infections resulting from sharing a bong with a company of fellow smokers. Some people you smoke with may have lung diseases they’re unaware of, so it’s always a wise choice to use an individual bong to protect yourself from hazardous infections.

So, Why Use a Bong?

Looking at our account, you may still have some doubts regarding whether a bong is a good variant for consuming weed. It’s definitely a convenient variant for many users, especially if it’s an individual device made of durable and eco-friendly materials. This way, you can be sure that nobody else uses your bong, and you run low risks of developing any unpleasant lung diseases. Besides, the benefit of bongs is their ability to cool and filter the smoke of burnt weed, which improves your user experience and helps you inhale less hazardous smoke compared to that of joints or cigarettes. These devices are nice and well-designed, so you’re sure to find a certain aesthetic appeal in using a bong for your daily cannabis routines.

This article is a product of Lana Braslavska, a full-time author at AskGrowers working on user education and promoting safe, responsible weed consumption. Lana tests various weed consumption methods, researches all ins and outs of their use, and shares her findings with novices to bridge the knowledge gaps in this industry.