When it comes to smoking cannabis through a pipe or bong, how to properly pack a bowl is one of the issues that seem to affect newbies the most.
For seasoned cannabis connoisseurs, packing a bowl of weed may seem simple and straightforward. However, this might just be because bowl packing is something you’ve been doing for many years. It becomes muscle memory.
How to pack weed in a bowl is kind of a science, or even an art, if you will. To the untrained eye, it might seem like people just stuff weed inside of a bowl, light it, and smoke it, but there’s a little bit more to it than that.
Today, not only are we going to talk about how to pack a bowl but also the best way to pack a bowl. This is the ultimate guide on packing a bowl, including everything you need to know from A-Z.
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Key Takeaways
- To pack a bowl, you’ll need some cannabis, a grinder, a bowl, and a tamping tool, plus a lighter or hemp wick to light it.
- Grind your weed, put some in the bowl, and use the tamping tool to pack it down fairly tight, but not so tight that air cannot pass through.
- If you are a beginner, using a technique known as cornering is recommended, which means only lighting a small section of the bowl at once.
Contents
What is a Cannabis Bowl?
A cannabis bowl is the bowl of a pipe or a water bong that is full of cannabis. No, here we are not talking about a bowl made out of cannabis, but rather one filled with cannabis that is designed for lighting and smoking.
If you expect your smoking experience to be as good as possible, how to pack weed in a bowl is something that needs to be learned. Keep reading to find out exactly how a bowl of cannabis is properly packed.
What You Need to Pack a Bowl of Cannabis
There are a few crucial things that you need to pack a bowl of cannabis, and it all starts with the weed itself.
Weed
Your first step here is to choose a strain of weed. There are, of course, plenty of strains out there to choose from. Let’s take a quick look at some of the best strains for you out there at this time.
Grinder
Although it is technically optional, the next thing you will need to pack a bowl of cannabis is a grinder. A grinder is a small accessory or tool used to break down cannabis buds into very small chunks or, in some cases, even into powder.
Breaking down your weed into a very fine powder allows for even and consistent smoking. It burns much more evenly when it is ground down.
That said, some people choose to just rip the weed apart with their fingers, cut it up with scissors, or even use things like coffee grinders. Either way, you can’t pack a bowl with one solid bud of cannabis.
Pipe or Bong with a Bowl
Today we are here talking about how to pack a bowl of cannabis, so therefore, you obviously need either a pipe or a bong that has a bowl that can be packed. If you are a beginner, we recommend starting with a relatively small bong that doesn’t have a huge chamber.
You don’t want a big bong because that’s a lot of smoke to clear, and it will likely make you cough very hard.
If it is your first time smoking a pipe, you may want to go for something slightly longer rather than shorter. A longer pipe will provide the smoke with more space to cool down before it hits your lungs.
Lighter or Hemp Wick
You’ll need something to light that bowl on fire, so a lighter, matches or even a hemp wick is recommended. Hemp wicks are really cool because they stay lit for a very long time and don’t require you to keep relighting, such as with a lighter that you have to activate every time.
Tamping Tool
Although this is also optional, you can get a tamping tool to help make your bong or pipe smoking experience more enjoyable and effective. For those of you who don’t know, a tamping tool is something that you use to pack something down with and make a substance more compact.
A tamping tool is something often used in landscaping to pack down dirt and gravel, although miniature versions also work really well for packing down bongs and pipe bowls.
The reason why tamping tools are recommended for packing a bowl is that it allows you to really pack the substance fairly tight, therefore allowing for a more even burn. Tamping tools can be used while you are initially packing the bowl and while you are smoking the bowl to repack it as you go.
How to Pack a Bowl of Cannabis
Now that you know what sort of tools you will need to pack a bowl of cannabis, let’s take a closer look at how to actually do it.
Choose Your Strain
Lemon Cherry Sherbet
Lemon Cherry Sherbet is a connoisseur’s delight, a harmonious blend of contrasting yet complementary flavors. This strain boasts a tantalizing tartness of lemon, mellowed by the sweet, ripe cherries, and a hint of creamy sherbet. Lemon Cherry Sherbet offers balanced high, offering a cerebral euphoria coupled with a soothing body relaxation. Its vibrant terpene profile not only ensures a sensory delight but also potential therapeutic benefits. Lemon Cherry Sherbet is a must-try for those seeking a unique, flavorful, and potent cannabis experience. Elevate your senses, and indulge in the symphony of flavors.
Rainbow Candy Strain
Rainbow Candy is a vibrant strain that lives up to its name, offering a kaleidoscope of flavors that dance on the palate. Rainbow Candy Strain shines with a unique blend of sweet, fruity, and tropical flavors that mimic a handful of your favorite candies. The high is just as delightful, providing a balanced blend of cerebral stimulation and physical relaxation. Rainbow Candy is perfect for those seeking a flavorful escape, an uplifting experience, and potential therapeutic benefits.
Apple Banana Zoap Strain
Apple Banana Zoap is a tantalizing strain that offers a unique fusion of flavors. As a cannabis expert, I can attest to its delightful blend of crisp apple and sweet banana flavors, creating a tropical fruit medley that’s hard to resist. The high is equally enticing, offering a balanced blend of uplifting cerebral stimulation and soothing body relaxation. Apple Banana Zoap is perfect for those seeking a flavorful journey, an invigorating experience, and potential therapeutic benefits.
Grind the Weed
Now that you have chosen your weed, you need to grind it up. For a beginner, starting with anywhere between 0.3 and 0.5 grams is recommended, with 0.5 grams already being quite a bit for someone who is not a regular user. Our recommendation here is to go slow.
Either way, put your weed in half of the grinder, close the halves together, and turn them back and forth a few times. Your weed should come out looking fairly fine and powdery. Remember that for the best results, the weed should be fairly fine, as this allows for even and consistent burning.
Pack the Bowl (Don’t Over-Pack, Though)
You can now take your ground cannabis and pack it into the bowl. Most people just use their fingers for this, as it provides you with the most control. Be sure that the cannabis bowl is not too loose. You don’t want too much air in between the cannabis particles.
If the bowl is too loose, a lot of those ground-up cannabis particles might pass through the bottom of the bowl, which is especially the case if you don’t have a screen in there. On a side note, we recommend using a bowl that has either a glass or metal screen at the bottom.
This prevents cannabis from passing through the bowl and getting into the bong water, or if you’re using a pipe, a screen prevents the weed bits from going right into your mouth.
Also, if the bowl is packed too loose, or just not really packed, then it will burn far too quickly and unevenly. On the other hand, however, you also don’t want to pack it too tightly. If you pack the bowl too tightly, you just won’t be able to pull air through it very well, and it won’t burn.
Smoke
Now you can smoke your bowl. To smoke your bowl, put your mouth to the mouthpiece of your bong or pipe. Take your lighter, matches, or hemp wick and light the bowl. As you hold the flame to the bowl, pull it through your mouth.
Remember that here you are not pulling directly with your lungs like with cigarettes, but rather pulling with your mouth, pulling the smoke into your mouth, and then inhaling.
Ash and Clean Your Bowl So it’s Ready for the Next Round
The final step, once you have inhaled the cannabis smoke, is to ash the bowl. By ashing the bowl, we mean emptying out the burnt remains, the ash. You can just lightly tap the bottom of it with your lighter, and the ash should fall out.
Some people also choose to clean their bowls, particularly if they are very dirty. If you don’t clean your bowels regularly, the residue builds up and might clog the hole, therefore making them impossible to use. Maintenance is key when it comes to this kind of thing.
How to Light and Smoke a Bowl
Alright, so we did talk about how to smoke a bowl above, but we want to go into more detail about lighting the bowl. Lighting it is almost like a science in itself as well, so let’s take a look at how to do this properly.
Cornering a Bowl
Yes, you can light the whole bowl at once if you are feeling adventurous. However, many seasoned experts use a technique known as cornering. This is where you use your flame to light just a small corner of the cannabis material in the bowl.
This allows you to preserve the rest of the bowl for further use while only smoking as much as you want or need at once.
Not only does this allow you to preserve cannabis for future use, but it also prevents you from coughing too hard. Bong and pipe bowls can be relatively large, and if you light the whole bowl at once, chances are that it will be too large and harsh for you to handle.
Cherried Bowls
Once you have lit your bowl, the lit part that is currently burning is known as the cherry, and it’s aptly named so because cherries are bright red, just like the burning plant matter. Once a cherry starts, that fire will spread to the rest of the bowl and eventually light the rest of the bowl on fire as well.
So, at this point, you have two options, which are to either keep smoking or to put out the cherry. If you keep smoking and pulling on the bowl, that cherry will get larger and larger until the rest of the bowl is on fire as well.
This means that you need to be dedicated to smoking the whole bowl at once. However, if you don’t want to smoke the whole bowl at once, you should start with cornering and then, after the first hit, or maybe the second hit, put the cherry out. This will prevent the rest of the bowl from being lit and will make sure you’re putting your weed to good use.
How to Put Out a Bowl
Seeing as one of the options above is to put the bowl out, you also need to know how to do that. To put a bowl out, or really to put out any fire, your best option is to smother it. Many people use the palm of their hands or any other flat tool that is not combustible to cover the bowl and remove all of the oxygen from the equation. If this is not an option for you, using a tamping tool to pack the bowl down and effectively smother and crush the cherry is another option.
Use Proper Etiquette in a Group Setting
Something we quickly want to touch on is using proper etiquette in a group setting. Generally speaking, this means not smoking the whole bowl at once. You never have someone else pack you a bowl just to empty it on them.
If someone packs a bowl for you, or even if you are the one to pack it, taking a single hit is proper etiquette. You take a single hit, clear the chamber, and pass it to your neighbor.
If you are the one to take the last hit, it’s up to you to clean the bowl out and refill it with fresh cannabis. Also, if you happen to get any saliva or grime on the mouthpiece, it’s also up to you to clean it off before passing it to your neighbor.
Final Thoughts
Although packing a bowl of cannabis isn’t exactly rocket science, it needs to be done properly. Properly packing a bowl of cannabis allows it to burn properly and provides you with the best smoking experience.
Looking for more answers about consuming cannabis? Check out our guides on How to Microdose Delta-8 Gummies, and How Long Do Delta-8 Gummies Take to Kick In?
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we wrap things up, let’s quickly answer some of your most frequently asked questions about packing a bowl.
How to Pack a Hookah Bowl
To pack a hookah bowl, you’ll need a shisha fork to handle the material. Use the shisha fork to evenly mix the shisha with the tobacco, and gently pack it into the hookah bowl. Don’t pack it down too tightly, however.
How to Pack a Volcano Bowl
To fill your Volcano, remove the bag from on top, put your ground weed inside of the bowl directly below, and put the bag back on. For a volcano, you want the substance to be packed down quite a bit but not too tight. You still need air to be able to flow through the cannabis material.
How to Pack a Bowl with a Big Hole
If your bowl has a big hole, chances are that a lot of that cannabis material will fall through the bottom. Therefore, the recommendation here is to use a screen to prevent this from occurring. You can’t always just take a relatively large bud of cannabis and put it in the bottom to effectively block most of the hole.
How to Pack a Bowl Without Grinding
You really can’t pack a bowl without at least breaking down the weed a little bit. So, if you don’t want to grind it, at least use your fingers to rip the buds apart into manageable chunks. You can’t put just one large chunk into a bowl.
How to Pack a Bowl Without Making a Mess
How to pack a bowl without making a mess is really just something that comes with experience. However, we recommend using a grinder and then tapping your weed into a tray, and then only picking up a little bit at a time with your fingers and placing it gently into the bowl.