If you’re new to the world of smoking cannabis — a complete rookie with no idea where to start — you’ve probably heard about smoking from a bong, regardless of how little knowledge you have.
This is because it’s one of the best ways to ingest cannabis, whether it’s for medicinal or recreational purposes. It offers one of the purest and biggest hits you can hope for, making bong smoking super-efficient and enjoyable.
So, how do you use a bong and what type of smoking tips should you keep in mind? This blog is here to help you look less like a rookie!
How Does a Bong Work?
A bong is also sometimes referred to as a water pipe. This is because water is integral to the bong smoking experience. The unique thing about a bong is the way the smoke filters and cools through the water. This makes for a smoother smoking experience and a potent hit, to boot.
The key function of a bong hinges on filtering out impurities or particles through the water while cooling the smoke as you draw from it. When you inhale from a bong, this causes negative pressure, forcing the smoke to move through the water, causing a bubbling effect. This cools the smoke so you’re not inhaling it while it’s hot.
All in all, this ensures you’re reaping the full benefits of the cannabis or hemp you’ve chosen, without the unwanted particles, tars, and hot smoke clogging up your lungs.
How Do You Use a Bong? 4 Simple Steps (Plus Bonus Tips)
First thing’s first, it’s important to understand the anatomy of a bong. It all starts with the base of the bong which supports the rest of the apparatus, then you have the chamber where you add your water. After that, there’s the uptake which is a long, cylindrical tube that you draw from. There’s also the mouthpiece that you use to draw from.
Jutting out from the side of the bong there’s the bowl and stem. You pack your cannabis into the bowl and light it up when you draw on the bong. The stem attaches to the chamber of the bong and submerges underwater. Finally, there’s the carb hole, located on the side of the chamber, just above water level.
Now, let’s get into using a bong:
Step One: Set Things Up
The first thing you need to do is fill up your bong with fresh water through the mouthpiece opening at the top. Fill it up with enough water so that the end of the stem is about half an inch, to one inch submerged underwater.
If your bong is on the more elaborate side, it might also come with a percolator, also called a ”perc”. This is an additional means of filtration and cooling of the smoke. You want to fill up the percolator with freshwater too.
There’s also the option to add ice to your water. This helps to cool down the water, making inhalation easier on your lungs. This is a good tip for all beginner bong smokers!
Step Two: Prepare Your Weed
Your next step is to prepare the goods you’ll be smoking. When you’re starting out and learning to use a bong, this is a very important step and will make all the difference in your smoking experience.
Make sure to invest in a small weed grinder that separates the seeds and stems from the leaf material. You want to break up and separate your cannabis by twisting the grinder backward and forwards.
However, don’t grind your weed to a fine powder. It still needs to have a little bit of texture. Be gentle with your grinder, too. You don’t have to exert too much pressure to get a good end result.
Step Three: Pack Your Bong Bowl
Don’t feel tempted to pinch off a nugget of your weed and try to jam it into the bong bowl. This does not make for a smooth or enjoyable smoking experience — especially as a beginner. It might work for some, but it doesn’t deliver the same type of bong hit.
What you want to do is evenly pack your bowl with your ground weed, tapping it gently into the bowl. Make sure to press it down evenly, but don’t pack it too tightly as this can stifle the airflow.
Step Four: Light It Up
For this step, you’ll need a lighter. Place your mouth to the mouthpiece of the bong, and cover the carb hole with your thumb. Then, use a lighter and its flame to gently heat the packed weed inside the bowl.
Place the lighter down once you’ve lit up the weed and slowly inhale from the mouthpiece. Keep your breathing deep and measured, and watch the chamber fill up with smoke.
Once the chamber is full of smoke, remove your thumb/finger from the carb hole. Then, inhale the smoke gently. You don’t need to hold onto the smoke once you’ve inhaled it, you can exhale right away.
Handy Smoking Tips
While the above steps sound simple enough, smoking a bong for the first time can be a steep learning curve. If you want to make the most of your experience, here are a few pro tips:
- In order to avoid a coughing fit and lung irritation, don’t inhale too deeply when you light up the bowl or inhale the smoke
- Keep your inhalation relaxed and slow, take smaller hits if you’re a beginner
- Invest in a bong with a mouthpiece with an additional filter for a smoother hit
- Don’t continue to smoke a bong with brown, dirty water — refresh the water after every 10 hits or so
- Cool the water down inside the bong with ice for a smoother draw
If you’re just starting out and want to enjoy the experience of smoking from a bong, remember to keep it simple. Don’t feel tempted to add strong, high-alcohol drinks to your bong chamber, instead of water.
It’s also a good idea to invest in a high-quality bong, specifically made from American glass!
Looking To Invest in Top-Quality Weed Accessories?
If you’ve found yourself interested and wondering ”how do you use a bong?”, then we hope this blog has provided some insight into how to enjoy the bong smoking experience.
Want to invest in some of the highest quality bongs you can find in America? Brothers With Glass has you covered! Check out our huge range of beautiful glass bongs and bubblers, all made from the finest American glass.
