Ganja Guides

How to Use a Bong: Easy Instructions

girl smoking bong

Bongs are one of the best accessories for smoking weed out there, giving casual and daily smokers some of the best highs possible. There are many good reasons why stoners everywhere choose a bong as their main method of consuming cannabis. These amazing devices use water to create very potent hits, and the high kicks in almost immediately. They come in all shapes, sizes, and designs, are sturdy and reliable, and will surely get you beyond baked. Check out these steps and soon you can even teach others how to use a bong!

Photo: Pexels

How to Smoke a Bong

While it’s fairly easy to smoke from a bong, sometimes figuring out the timing and potency of your perfect hit can be a little tricky. Still, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with bongs if you want to elevate all of your smoking experiences or even impress your weed enthusiast friends. It just takes a few smoking accessories and you’ll be on your way to outer space.

Setting Up Your Piece 

To begin, you will need a bowl for smoking weed, inserted into the downstem. Most bongs come with both of these pieces, but make sure yours has them before starting. Along with these glass pieces, ensure that you always have a lighter and at most one cup of filtered water on hand. 

Fill the Bong With Water

Pour water into the top of your bong, until it is about half of the downstem is covered. Don’t fill the bong with too much liquid or you’ll inhale gross smoke-flavored water. To double-check the water level, lightly inhale from the top to make sure the bong water percolates without rising into your mouth. 

weird bong with water
This unique glass piece is filled with the perfect amount of water! (Source: SmokeHonest)


How to Hit a Bong 

1. Grind Flower
Using either your fingers or a grinder, break the cannabis flower down into a coarse texture.

2. Pack Bowl
Fill the bowl with the weed you just ground up. Filling the bowl with more cannabis will naturally give you a larger bong hit, so pack the bowl with just a little bit of weed if you’re using a bong for the first time. 

3. Ignite the Weed
Use a lighter or match to light the weed while lightly sucking in to draw in smoke through the water. For starters, gently suck in a small amount of smoke, because a lot of THC will enter your lungs as the smoke is drawn through the water! 

4. Inhale
Take the bowl out of the stem and inhale all of the vapor before exhaling.  

inhaling from a bong
It’s crucial to take out your bowl piece when inhaling! (Source: Unsplash)


What Makes a Good Bong Hit?

The perfect bong hit depends on a few important elements: a clean bong, good cannabis, and the right amount of filtered water. With a clean bong, leftover resin or ash cannot find its way into your bong rip. In addition, use your favorite strain of weed to make any smoking experience better. Finally, don’t let your water get dirty to ensure you get the smoothest bong rips. Learn how to clean your bong here for the best hits possible! 

Pack the Perfect Bowl!

Once you start mastering the art of using a bong, you may never go back to other methods of smoking weed. Even better, there are so many fun bongs that you can experiment with, such as gravity bongs or silicone bongs. Some stoners also give fun names to each bong in their collection. What are you waiting for? Pack a few more bowls and join the amazing world of bong enthusiasts! 

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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].