A Deeper Look at Dabs

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“Dabs” or dabbing” has grown in popularity over the past 10 years or so. The increase in popularity is especially apparent in the younger generations of smokers. With the increase of popularity amongst my people of my agI decided to take a deeper look into dabbing concentrates.

History

Today’s form of concentrates came to the United States in the 1970s. The Butane Hash Oil (BHO) originated in Afghanistan. There have been a multitude of processes for hash/oil production. Most of them included using butane, a highly flammable gas, to extract a highly potent cannabis product. But the resulting products still have trace amounts of butane. Which lead to procedures to look into new ways of producing hash. As a result the Carbon Dioxide method was created. Which is a much cleaner process that produces a higher quality product.

How Dabbing Works

Traditionally when one takes a dab they use a dab rig. A dab rig is very similar to a bong, but it has a nail instead of a bowl. These nails are usually made of quartz. The smoker heats up the nail with a torch to around 350-450 degrees. Then the concentrate or dab is put into the hot nail, and the rig is smoked like one would smoke a bong (but do not touch that nail!)

As far as the size of the dabs, it depends mostly on the smoker’s experience level. To make the math easier, let’s say you have a gram of concentrates with 80 percent total THC. Meaning the gram has 800 mg of THC (1 gram= 100 milligrams, 100x.8 =800 milligrams). The recommended dab size is 1/32nd of a gram. Which would give you a 25 mg of THC dosage (800 mg/ 32=25 mg). As a size comparison, we’re talking about a grain of rice. Always remember to start low and go slow. You can always take another, but can never undo a dab.

Pros

Taking dabs is a much more efficient method of smoking than others. In a minute span a user can consume a sizable amount of THC. There is a large variety of types of hash: oils, wax, shatter, budder, resin, and all types have all different flavors. Giving users many options to explore. Lastly, dabbing smoke doesn’t smell as “loud” as regular cannabis smoke, which can be nice for smokers trying to remain low key.

Cons

There is a solid amount of equipment needed to take a dab: a rig, tool, carb cap, a torch, and the actual hash. But this is being alleviated with the introduction of handy dab pens, carts, and e-rigs. Also, Butane Hash Oil does contain trace amounts of butane, which can be harmful to smokers. But with the emergence of the Carbon Dioxide extraction method, which leaves the product with no residuals, this is no longer a great concern. Lastly some users claim dabs get them “too high”. But as we discussed earlier your experience level and the size of your dab greatly contributes to the enjoyment level.

Sources: Sensi Seeds, Leafly, Yo Dabba Dabba

Images: Cannabox, Jeff W, Cottonbro