A First Timer's Guide to Smoking
Getting ready for your first smoke session doesn't have to be scary! If you are considering smoking some herb for the first time we are here to help! We are going to cover all your basics from the mechanics, different tools to use, and how to prepare yourself mentally. Here at Tako Glass we want to set you up for the best smoking experience for all you first timers out there.
What do you want from the experience?
First things first, picking out what type of cannabis strains you want to smoke. This means considering what type of high and what type of expereince you are trying to facilitate for your first time lighting up. Weed can be used for a variety of reasons including stress relief, sparking those creative juices, focusing on a otherwise mundane task, waking you up or helping you go to sleep.
Sativa strains are typically what gives you that head high and making you feel uplifted and more energized. Meanwhile Indicas are known for their more relaxing, calming effects. But remember, weed effects everyone differently so take your time to figure out what works best for you. Remember that bud tenders, or people working in your local dispensaries, are there to help you, so don't be afraid to ask for suggestions and ask questions when you're shopping for your most ideal type of cannabis.
Choosing a Location
Step two is choosing where you are going to smoke your weed. We suggest choosing somewhere you feel safe and comfortable and a place where you aren't going to bother anyone else with that sweet herb smell. If you are smoking for the first time you want to consider the fact that you aren't exactly sure what your high will feel like or how certain strains might affect you so we recommend smoking at home or at a friends house. That way you can ward off any bad vibes and have access to all the munchie snacks you want!
Avoid busy places for your first time just in case your body doesn't completely agree with the strain you chose. Plus no one wants an angry person getting mad at you for smoking around them when it's your first time experiencing weed.
Tools for Consumption & How to Use
When it comes to smoking weed, you have endless options at your fingertips! You can smoke out of glass, roll a joint, use a vaporizer, ingest a tincture or munch on an edible. If it's your first time smoking you want to make sure your experience is positive, so we highly encourage you to select a piece that is going to aid in those good vibes.
Glass is the best thing to smoke out of because it is easy to use, easy to clean and provides you with clean, tasty, smooth hits every time! We are going to outline a few options below so you have an intro to the world of glass smoking devices and how to use them. Check out our website for even more products Www.Takoglass.com. Once you know what you like the best you can start your glass piece collection so you have a piece that fits all your smoking needs and one for every occasion!
Dry Pipes include chillums, gandalfs, hammers, pocket pipes, spoon pipes, sherlocks, and steamrollers. Don't be alarmed though, most of these function in the exact same way and none of them require water!
The term spoon is just another way of saying pipe and it is based off of the shape of the device you are using to smoke, with the larger spoon end being the bowl.
Steps to smoking your herb:
1. Grind your herb using a grinder to break it into finer pieces for a better burn and an easier bowl filling experience. Our Tako grinders will do this job for you perfectly!
2. Pack your bowl with your herb. If it's your first time, start with a less full bowl so you can see how you like it!
3. Cover the carb hole: Place your finger on the carb hole located on the side of the bowl. Make sure you can easily remove this finger later. Most bowls can be held in the palm of your hand, with your thumb covering the carb hole. Curl your fingers around the other side of the bowl for balance and support while lighting.
4. While holding your finger on the carb hole, light your herb with a lighter. You can torch the whole thing for a big hit, or just focus your flame on part of the bowl for a smaller, less smokey hit.
5. Inhale the good vibes. While your flame is on the herb, breath in to pull the flame closer to your herb and bring the smoke through the pipe and to your mouth.
6. Release the carb. As you inhale the smoke will fill up inside the glass piece you are using. By releasing your finger off of the carb hole you will release the smoke through the mouthpiece and into your mouth. Moral of the story- the carb allows you to control the airflow!
7. Keep smoking until your weed turns to ash. If it starts tasting bad, that is a sure sign that it is time to pack a new bowl, or maybe clean your piece if you have used it a few times already. Make sure to clean your pieces regularly for the best flavors. Check out our cleaning supplies here: www.takoglass.com/collections/cleaning-supplies
All dry pipes work in basically the same way. Typically spoons, pocket pipes, hammers, sherlocks, and gandalfs all have that carb hole to control airflow and facilitate your smoke to enter the chamber of your pipe. If there's no carb hole or similar hole to control airflow all that means is one less step for you to do!
Chillums or one hitters typically do not have carbs because they are such small pieces- you simply fill the end of the chillum with a little bit of weed and inhale through the other end while you light it! Steamrollers look like large glass tubes and usually feature a large opening on both ends- one for your mouth and one acting as a large carb. Simply cover the hole in the end with your hand or finger, place your mouth on the opposite side and light your herb while breathing in.
Water pipes work in similar ways to dry pipes, they just require you to fill part of the bottom chamber of the glass piece with water. Water cools your smoke, providing you with cooler, smoother hits than some of your dry pipes will. Water pipes also tend to be larger and produce larger smoke clouds, although this is not always the case.
Water pipes include bongs, bubblers, dab rigs, and hammers. Bubblers and hammers almost always feature a carb hole to control airflow while lighting your herb. Bongs and dab rigs don't usually have carb holes because instead, you are using the bowl or pullslide to control your air intake.
When using glass bongs you load your bowl as usual, place the bowl in the bong joint, light your herb as you inhale with your mouth at the opening of the bong at the top, and once the bong is full of smoke you lift up and remove your bowl to release the smoke from the chamber into your mouth. Dab rigs work in a similar fashion, but instead these glass pieces are made to smoke oil instead of flower and we will save that conversation for another day.
So now that you have an intro into the world of smoking cannabis, let us know how your first experience goes! Don't forget to peruse all our glass pieces on our website once you figure out what your daily driver is going to be for inhaling that sweet ganja! Stay safe and have fun!
