At Mission, we have the distinct pleasure of meeting all kinds of people from every walk of life, from old cannabis pros to those who have never even smelled it in person! But, no matter your level of weed experience, there’s a cannabis skill that everyone can make use of: Knowing how to smoke a bowl properly.
Sound silly? Believe it or not, it’s not quite as simple as sticking a pipe in your mouth and inhaling. From getting a good grind on your flower to using the correct lighting technique, there’s always more to learn when it comes to smoking cannabis, and once you have it down, you’ll be golden.
Read on to learn about the most popular types of bowls, find our easy step-by-step guide to smoking from a bowl, view the best cleaning techniques, and more. Ready? Let’s get rolling!
What Do You Need to Smoke a Bowl?
If you’re new to the wonderful world of smoking weed, then you may have never interacted with a bowl—and that’s OK by us. We meant it when we said that we love interacting with cannabis fans of any experience level—even if that means none at all!
With that in mind, when referring to a “bowl,” we’re talking about the small, bowl-shaped area in a hand pipe or a bong that’s meant to hold cannabis before smoking it. If you’re unsure about the differences between pipes and bongs, now is as good a time as any to get the terms straight.
Hand Pipe
Typically made of glass, ceramic, or other non-porous and heat-resistant material, a hand pipe is the most basic cannabis-smoking device available. Consisting of a bowl-shaped end to hold ground flower and connected to a stem to draw the smoke through, it’s typically small enough to fit in your pocket or palm. The bowl of a hand pipe usually measures about 1 inch in diameter or less.
Pipes also contain a small hole on the bowl end called a “carb”—short for “carburetor.” The function of the carb is to hold your fingertip over the hole while simultaneously lighting and drawing the smoke. Once the smoke starts flowing, you can release your fingertip to allow for greater airflow and draw the smoke deeper into your lungs.
Bongs and Bubblers
While it may look considerably more involved than a hand pipe, bongs are only the modernization of an old device called a “shisha,” or water pipe. The method is simple: A bowl is attached to a stem—just like in a hand pipe—but before it reaches your mouth, smoke travels through a chamber filled with water. Removing the stem once the water chamber’s full of smoke and inhaling it up is similar to using the carb on the hand pipe: It instantly gets easier to draw that full mouthful of smoke into your lungs.
What’s the idea behind the water chamber? Drawing smoke through water cools it slightly, making for a more comfortable smoke on the inhale. Seeing that we’re speaking of bowls here, somehow or other, the “standard” bowl size for bongs has more or less stabilized at either 14mm—slightly more than half an inch, or 18mm—about 7/10s of an inch.
As for bubblers, they’re a unique variation on the classic bong. Smaller and more portable than their bigger siblings, they typically don’t feature a removable stem, thus losing the carb-like action.
How to Smoke Out of a Bowl: Step-by-Step Guide
Trust us, you’ll find it easier to pack and smoke a bowl than to read about it—it’s a fairly intuitive process once you understand the fundamentals. But as with everything, getting it right from the start will take you far. Here’s our step-by-step guide to properly smoking a bowl.
Step 1: Grind Your Bud
While some will eschew grinding as a step in the bowl-smoking process, in our experience, pre-grinding your flower will greatly enhance your smoke sessions. Why? Ground cannabis burns more readily and evenly.
You can achieve a good grind by tearing it apart with your fingertips, though this method tends to transfer precious cannabinoids and terpenes to your fingertips instead of the bowl. You can also use a chef’s knife to chop the flower into fine, uniform bits. But, at the end of the day, a simple weed grinder is all you need—it isn’t expensive, and it’s the perfect device for breaking down your flower into small, even pieces.
Step 2: Pack Your Bowl
Now that you have all that perfectly ground cannabis, it’d be a shame to pack too much of it in the bowl. While it may sound appealing to rip a huge hit off your pipe or bong, you may get better and less wasteful results by only loading up a small amount—about half a teaspoon. There’s no point in leaving weed burning when it’s not being inhaled, so unless you’re with a bunch of friends and sharing, it’s best to go small and then pack and smoke a fresh bowl if you want more.
Step 3: Light It Up
When you’re ready to begin your smoke session, bring the pipe, bong, or bubbler up to your lips, cover the carb hole (if using a pipe), and prepare a source of fire. Lighters are usually the simplest option, but you can use matches or hemp wick to achieve a good flame and skip the smell of butane.
However you light it, we suggest moving the tip of the flame in a swirling motion around the ground cannabis as you gently draw in air. Keeping the flame moving helps propagate an even burn and prevent scorching.
Step 4: Inhale and Enjoy
Once you feel the smoke is flowing, you can release your fingertip from the carb hole. You’ll immediately notice an increased airflow, which draws the smoke deeper into your lungs. If you’re using a bong, simply draw the downstem out of the main cylinder body to experience the same effect.
Tip: There’s no point in holding the smoke in for a long time—we recommend 2 – 3 seconds at the most. At that point, the vast majority of the cannabinoids have already been absorbed, and the only effect of holding the smoke in longer is increasing the potential for lung irritation.
How to Clean a Smoke Bowl After Use
Since it’s such a simple tool, a hand pipe requires little maintenance, but having a clean device is well worth it. Why ruin the taste of top-shelf cannabis by allowing those old, crusty, resinous weed deposits into the mix? Regular cleanings with a moistened swab or a pipe cleaner work well, especially when paired with warm water, white vinegar, or rubbing alcohol.
If it’s been a while (or never) since you last cleaned your pipe, try this simple guide:
- Place your pipe in a resealable plastic baggie
- Add in enough coarse salt—we recommend kosher salt as it’s extra-grainy—to surround it
- Pour in just enough rubbing alcohol or white vinegar to submerge the pipe completely
- Seal up the baggie, then gently rub the salt and alcohol mixture around the pipe with your fingers until the majority of the resin has been scraped off
- Allow the pipe to soak for a couple of hours before removing it, then agitate the bag to get the rest of the resin off
- Rinse it out with warm water and let air dry
For more on keeping your bowls sparkling clean and ready for your next session, check out our full guides on how to clean a pipe and how to clean a bong.
Load Up Your Bowl with Premium Strains at Mission
Learning how to properly smoke and clean a bowl isn’t quite as simple as it might seem, but it’s still easy enough to do. It also pays to know how to smoke out of a bowl without wasting precious cannabis.
Want to take your cannabis knowledge to the next level? Begin with our guide to how to keep your flower fresh, or browse our other informative content on our cannabis blog. You’ll find hard science and expert tips on how to make your journey with cannabis that much more rewarding.
If you’re ready to start practicing your new bowl-packing techniques, we’ve got you covered. Start by choosing the Mission dispensary closest to you, where you’ll find a huge selection of hand pipes, bongs, one-hitters, and more. Once you choose your preferred device, scroll through our extensive menus filled with quality strains. We can’t wait to hook you up!