How To Take A Dab! The Basic Guide.
This basic guide on taking your first dabs should get you on the road to dabbing experimentation, enjoyment, and refinement. That's what it's all about! It'll take time to pick up all of the nuances of concentrates, master dabbing techniques, and the expression of artful consumption exhibited by a longtime dabber, but you will certainly be well on your way after this brief tutorial on how to take your first dabs. Most importantly, make sure you've gathered the five necessary tools to take a proper dab, and your cannabis concentrate, so we can begin.
- Gather and assemble all five of the necessary tools to take a proper dab: a dab rig, dab nail (quartz banger/titanium nail/hybrid nail), carb cap, dabber tool, and your heat source (a butane torch or eNail controller with a properly sized coil heater). Make sure you have water in your dab rig.1
- Heat up your nail with a butane torch by blasting the bottom of the bucket style quartz banger or terp slurper for 30-60 seconds.2 Or, turn on your eNail to a first temperature setting of 625 Degrees Fahrenheit (start here and adjust as needed) and wait until the temperature is stable.
- If you're torch dabbing, turn the torch off and allow the nail to cool for 20-60 seconds, depending on your temperature preferences, type of nail, and length of heat-up. Use this time to load up your dabber tool with your wax glob!3
- Now, once you believe (or know) the temperature has cooled down to your preferred temperature zone because you've counted off a cool down time, lower your loaded dabber tool into the inside of the lower wall of the quartz banger bucket, or down into the inner tray of a terp slurper, and let that dab get vaporized! Watch the glob to view how it reacts to your temperature. If it slowly sizzles, pops, and slides down the quartz, producing vapor, you might have a good temperature. Was the dab smooth to the throat, too? Or, did the glob instantly flash out and dissappear? That's an indication the nail was too hot!4 Overtime, by adjusting the heat up time, and cool down time variables while paying attention to how the wax reacts once put into the heated banger, and how it tastes and feels in the throat, you'll get your heat up and cool down times down to a science. If you want to cheat, use one of our dab nail thermometers to make it easier!
- Keep inhaling and place the carb cap on top of the nail to retain the heat and control the vapor, also adding back pressure to help accumulate more vapor to be inhaled. Exhale, and see how you did?
POINTS TO CONSIDER: 1If you're not sure, just fill the water up to right above your percolator in the bottom of the rig. If you get water splashback when dry inhaling to test, slightly reduce the water. You should be setup similar to our torch and electronic dabbing kit images below these steps.
2Heat up times, cool off times, and desired dabbing temperatures are a personal science and experience based, while also dependent upon your equipment, concentrate type, consistency, and personal preferences. View our Terp Slurper Tutorial video from 4:11 to 6:15 for an example of heating up and waiting to cool.
3Don't forget to prepare your wax on your dabber tool!
4What is known as fact is that lower temperature dabs preserve terpenes and therefore the desired taste. Lower temp dabs are also easier on your throat and healthier for your overall. Hot dabs transmute terpy molecules into other things that are not desireable. 485-525 Degrees Fahrenheit is a lower temp dab that pleases me. Keep the temps low for a more enjoyable, sustainable, and healthy dab!
Torch Dab Rig Versus Electronic Dab Rig!
*You should have a complete dab rig setup to follow the basic guide on how to take a dab above. You'll notice that in the picture above on the left, you'll see a complete torch dabbing kit for someone who doesn't want to be tethered to an eNail controller box, and who also prefers using a quartz banger nail heated by a butane torch. You will go through butane over time and the cost adds up. In the picture above on the right-hand side (lower image on mobile), you'll see a complete electronic eNail dabbing kit for someone who doesn't want to use an open flame and who prefers not to have to spend money on butane torch fuel. eNail dabbing kits can use a quartz banger nail, or a titanium dabbing nail. You just need to choose which you prefer, or have and do both! In the two pictures above, torch dabbing versus electronic dabbing, can you identify and name all five of the necessary tools? [Think: Rig, Nail, Carb Cap, Dabber Tool, Heat Source]
So, you've got to choose whether to get into torch dabbing, or electronic eNail dabbing!