How do you dab? We asked 6 buds how to set up, stock up, + spark up

Set up: Blowtorches and beyond

The dabbing method spectrum is vast, from traditional rigs to electronic (“E-rigs") to newer, more beginner-friendly dab gear. Our dispensary partners + Lantern experts shared their favorite ways to dab:

Traditional rigs

E-rigs

• Breanna, Doobie: For beginners, I highly recommend starting with an E-rig, which electronically heats the cannabis concentrates with just the click of a button. Using an E-rig allows users to select + maintain a specific temperature leading to more consistent dabs. Other methods often require torches + additional accessories that can be utilized for more experienced dabbers.

Stock up: Your dabbing shopping list

Traditional rigs

To spark up with a dab rig, you'll use a torch to heat a nail connected to a water pipe, place your small amount of concentrate on the heated nail, + inhale the resulting vapor through an attached mouthpiece. 

Getting started with a traditional setup can be intimidating. Here's our very own Miranda to the rescue with recs for a first-timer's shopping list:

• Dab rig 
• Quartz nail (the type you'll need will depend on your rig, they come in male or female + in different angles, 90 degrees or 45 degrees)
• Carb cap to cover the top + direct airflow so you get an even dispersal of oil over hot quartz
• Dab tool to scoop your concentrate
• Butane torch (like a creme brulee torch)
• Optional: silicone mat to keep your surfaces clean to set your sticky tools on + a jar of Q Tips to keep your rig clean (a clean rig is a good rig)

E-rigs and vape pens

Concentrates

Last but not least, you'll need the goods themselves. Concentrates come in all sorts of sticky, golden forms. What makes each type different? Their methods of extraction, which boil down to pressure, solvent, temperature, + strain affecting makeup + consistency.

• Bri, South Shore Buds: Blue River Terps, Natures Heritage. I'll try any live or solventless concentrate once.

• Dave, Curaleaf: Grassroots. All-day. Every day.

• Breanna, Doobie: When it comes to using an E-rig, I love using a more waxy + solid concentrate. Some of my favorite brands are X-Trates, Commonwealth Alternative Care (CAC), + Trulieve. Cresco's concentrates are also wonderfully terpy + super clean.

• Rowan, Insa: I absolutely love the Insa brand wax + batter; the taste is always spot on + the concentrates are always super terp-y. I also really love the Rythm concentrates, especially their Brownie Scout strain if you're a fan of really nice indicas like I am!!

Take your time to dial in your dab

• Miranda, Lantern: Start slow + low, the size of a cooked quinoa bead or a grain of rice if you're feeling frisky! If you're using a cold start or Puffco, sometimes you can get a couple of hits out of one little dab. If you can't finish, you can always come back to it.

• Rowan, Insa: Go slow + take your time figuring out what you like! There are so many different ways to consume concentrates + so many different varieties. It can be a little overwhelming at first; you might find that you enjoy small devices like dab straws, or prefer water-based smoking with a rig, or even that you prefer concentrates in your pre-rolls or blunts + like smoking it with flower rather than on its own. The possibilities are endless, so don't rush!!

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