By Aarr Kellz, Spaceship Earth Farms
To dab or not to dab is no longer the question. The question, is at which temperature should we dab? Well I was recently introduced to the joys of low temp dabbing.
So what is low temp dabbing?
Low temp dabbing is when you take a dab at a lower temperature and cover the heating source with a carb cap while inhaling. This results in the process of convection, and much like a dutch oven, the heat gets trapped and causes concentrate that would normally not have enough heat to vape, to completely vaporize efficiently, leading to more powerful, flavorful dabs.
How do you take a low temp dab?
If you are running a domeless rig then you need a carb cap. A carb cap is either a dome (quartz, glass, titanium, ceramic, etc…) with a little hole, or holes, that allow a small amount of air to enter while the heat becomes trapped. If you have a dome or nail setup, then all you need is something to cover the hole on your dome. A finger can work in a pinch as long as it is not
too close to the nail to burn you. Also a glass flower bowl might work as a carb cap if you are running a domeless setup.
The best way for quartz and titanium low temp dabs, that I have found, is to heat your nail to just the point of red hot. Then, allow 5-10 seconds for it to cool. Place the dab on the nail, and give it a quick stir with the dab tool. Then quickly cap the nail and trap the heat in as you inhale. If done correctly you will find that the concentrate on the nail continues to sizzle and fill the chamber with a nice milky vapor once capped and will continue to do so until all of your concentrate has been vaporized. Make sure you use a small amount of concentrate, and work your way up to see how much is right for you. Everybody’s environment, quality of oil, type of nail and personal preference will be a factor here. Some people like to wait as long as 25 to 35 seconds after a nail is red hot before they take a dab. Experiment.
Why should we take lower temp dabs?
FLAVOR! Also, less concentrate is disintegrated at the beginning of the dab, and many low temp dab advocates have reported saving big bucks chilling out. Some dabbers even report different psychoactive properties in the high from lower temp dabs. Longer, more intense highs have also been reported.