The demise of the bong has been forecast for years, with paraphernalia pundits declaring that dry herb vapes and other options would soon spell the end for this venerable cannabis delivery method. But a funny thing happened on the way to extinction: people kept buying bongs. Today you have more choices when it comes to these customized glass pipes than ever before. So the question shifts from "When will the bong become obsolete?" to "How can you produce better bong hits?" And it’s the latter question we’re here to answer.

Our Top Tips for Copping Better Bong Hits

If your bong does not seem to be delivering the goods it may be a matter of poor technique. With that in mind, the team at the Puffr wholesale smoke shop have brought together the following tips that should enable you to get better hits and a better buzz. Here they are in no particular order.

Perfect your breathing

Regardless of what type of bong you have the quality of your hits will depend in large part on how you inhale. The key to enjoying big, fat hits is taking long, slow breaths. This is especially true with perc bongs. So don’t be in a rush. Instead, relax, empty your lungs as best you can, and then take a long, slow pull on the mouthpiece. And don’t drink a bunch of beers before you fire up the bong because alcohol is known to decrease breathing capacity.

Chew gum

Stoners often start coughing right in the middle of a monster hit resulting in a lot of lost weed and a sore throat. In most cases, the reason we cough is because smoking tends to dry out the throat. Dry mouth + cannabis smoke = coughing fit. But it doesn't have to be that way. If you often find yourself coughing during a big hit try chewing gum. Chewing promotes salivation which can prevent dry mouth cough. Just be careful not to inhale the gum or to let it drop into the water chamber.

Grind your weed a little finer

In many cases, a disappointing hit can be traced directly back to the quality of the grind. If you simply broke up the buds using your fingers chances are you're not going to get the draw you want. One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your bong hit is to use a grinder and break your flower down into fine pieces that will burn efficiently and effectively. If you don't have a grinder go to the Puffr wholesale head shop and get one. They’re affordable, easy to use and they’ll improve the quality of your experience.

Cool things down

Another reason people cough when using a bong is that the hit is too hot for their throat. Even though the smoke is filtered through the chamber it’s still too hot. Fortunately, there are ways to make the hit cooler. One is by adding a perc to your bong. Another is to buy an ice catcher bong or add an ice catcher to your existing bong. There is some debate over whether ice catchers are a good idea but those opposed seem to object mostly because it seems to go against bong orthodoxy.

Keep an eye on the water level

A bong is called a customized water pipe for a reason: it uses water to cool down and filter impurities from your hit. But water evaporates and if you’re not careful it may drop to levels that render it useless. This is especially true for heady glass where it can be difficult to see what’s going on inside the bong. Whether you’re using a standard bong, heady glass, or a percolator bong the downstem should always be submerged in the water. If it’s not it’s going to undermine the dynamics of the hit.

Use your perc bong correctly

This tip only applies to those with percolator bongs. Removing the bowl on a perc bong at the end of the hit can facilitate the effectiveness of the hit. But a lot of stoners remove the bowl too quickly. A better method is to remove the bowl slowly. This will help regulate the way the smoke is introduced into your lungs and should allow you to drag out the hit a bit longer so that you can pull in more THC-rich smoke.

Make sure you exhale correctly

Just because you did not cough on the inhale it doesn’t mean you won’t cough on the exhale. Everyone has done it at one time or another. This happens because the person did not exhale correctly and there is still some smoke remaining in their lungs. Rather than exhaling in a leisurely fashion a better idea is to eject the smoke from your lungs with some force to make sure you got all of it.

An alternative method is to exhale half the hit, take a breath, and then exhale the rest of the hit which is now blended with the fresh air you just inhaled. Once you're sure you have exhaled everything, take a couple of long, slow breaths to cleanse the lungs, and then relax for a minute before taking another bong hit.

The Bottom Line

The fine art of taking the optimal hit off your bong requires patience and practice. But if you take the above hints to heart you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a higher quality experience. You’ll also waste less weed and get more from the weed you burn.

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Order Bongs, Pipes and More from Puffr!

Getting the most out of your bong is not rocket science, but it’s bound to take a bit of practice. If you tend to cough when using your standard bong consider adding a percolator or switching over to a percolator bong. It will produce cooler, smoother hits that may be more agreeable to your respiratory tract. And for the best selection of custom bongs and paraphernalia visit the Puffr brick-and-mortar or online wholesale head shop.