Ganja Guides

How to Smoke a Bong

smoking from bong

Learning how to smoke a bong filled with your favorite weed strain is an amazing way to get a trippy high out of every sesh. In fact, one small bowl goes a long way and helps make your batch of weed last longer. Why? Smoking out of a bong extracts all of the THC out of your nug while requiring less weed than a joint or blunt, especially if you’re using a large glass bong.

Photo: Unsplash

How Does A Bong Work? 

A bong is a vessel that can be used to smoke weed, tobacco, or other plants. They can be of glass, silicone, metal, wood, and come in many other aesthetic or fun varieties. So many people are drawn to bongs, though, because of the way they function. 

The anatomy of a bong is simple, you just need to add weed! (Source: Unsplash)

Every bong has a base, tube and a downstem at the base which holds a bowl piece. Dried cannabis flower is packed into the bowl piece, which has a whole in the bottom. While inhaling from the top of the bong and lighting your weed, smoke is drawn through the downstem and filtered through the water because of the percolation from the water bubbles. As the weed burns, pulling the bowl out from the downstem sends cooled-down and filtered weed straight to your mouth. 

How to Smoke Out of a Bong 

Knowing how to properly hit a bong involves a few simple steps that can be perfected and honed over time. Follow some simple tips, like keeping your bong water clean or using your favorite flower and piece, and these steps will soon be like a stoner second-nature!

smoking bong clear
Bongs are usually both beautiful and effective! (Source: Unsplash)

Supplies

  • Bong
  • Filtered Water
  • Lighter 
  • Cannabis flower 
  • Grinder (optional) 

How to Smoke a Bong Step-By-Step

1. Fill Bong 
Pour clean, filtered water into the top of your bong, making sure the downstem is slightly covered by the water. A few inches is usually best. Make sure you don’t fill up your bong too much, so that the bong water stays away from your mouth. 

2. Grind Weed
Using a grinder or your fingers, break down your cannabis of choice into a finer texture. Ensure that is not so fine, or the flower will fall through the hole of the bowl when smoked. 

3. Pack Bowl
Put a small amount of weed into the bowl. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with a small amount to get used to the feel properly hitting your bong . Make sure not to pack the weed too tightly or the flower will not combust properly. 

4. Light Up
Using a lighter or match, slowly burn the weed while also lightly sucking in from the top of the bong. Burning the flower from the sides of the weed bowl, or “cornering,” can help you to get multiple hits out of each bowl packed

Lighting your weed from the side of the bowl can help ignite as much weed as possible! (Source: Pexels)

5. Lift Bowl Piece and Inhale 
Once you feel there is enough smoke that has filled up the bong, lift your bowl piece and inhale. It’s always okay to start with a small amount and discover your tolerance for large hits. It’s much easier to pack bigger bowls after seeing how you feel after your first bowl.

6. Exhale and Enjoy the Trip
Exhale the weed. It’s okay and normal to cough a LOT your first time. You’ll feel high quite quickly because of the dense amount of smoke going into your bloodstream with each hit. Either way, always start small and cautious and build your way up to larger rips. Now, enjoy your otherworldly adventure!

Types of Bongs

Hooray! Now you know how to smoke a water bong, but the variety of bong types doesn’t end there. There are other ways to use bongs, such as hookah. Also, there are many luxury and niche versions of the bong, such as custom artisan bongs, silicone, and more.

cute octopus bong
Glass pieces can be expressive, cute, and colorful, like this bong here. (Source: Unsplash)

Check out some of these awesome and beautiful mini bongs! Despite the endless variety, water bongs made of glass are usually the best for weed consumption because of the dense smoke made when filtered through water. 

Bong Upkeep and Essentials

There are two reasons why smoking from a bong feels so potent. First, the chamber of space in the bong can fit much more smoke in it than a usual puff from a joint or pipe. Next, the water in the bong cools down and filters the smoke to ease. With this ease, it doesn’t feel as harsh to smoke the much larger amount that usually comes out of a bong hit. 

It’s vital to keep your bong water clean so you can continue having the safest and smoothest experience. Cleaning the glass itself can be even more important, though, because over time tar and other particles stick to the sides of your bong. You can learn how to clean your bong here, and with this you can truly master your bong skills and impress anyone smoking with you.

Show Off Your Water-Pipe Skills

With this new information, you may soon discover that a good bong hit goes with almost anything – music, food, outdoor excursions, you name it. Any seasoned stoner will tell you that bong rips can get you very, very, very high, so practice safety and caution while smoking. By building up your tolerance you can soon be able to handle bong rips you’d never have expected to have conquered before!

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About Olivia

Olivia, our Oakland-based cannabis guides writer, graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She's an independent writer, cannabis enthusiast and Sales Lead at her local dispensary. She's also a recent grad, history buff, and has a passion for animals. You can reach her at [email protected].