A dab is a small amount of cannabis concentrate, about the size of a grain of rice, vaporized on a heated surface and inhaled. Dabs can be bubble hash, rosin, live resin or other concentrates, taken on a dab rig with a quartz banger, an electronic rig or a dab pen. They are much stronger than smoking flower.
What does dabs mean?
Dabs means two things: the small dose of concentrate itself, and the act of taking it. You touch a dab of concentrate to a hot surface, it turns to vapor almost instantly, and you inhale the vapor through water. Puffco describes a dab rig as similar to a bong, with a nail in place of the bowl.
The history of dabbing
The history of dabbing runs through butane hash oil. As Bubbleman tells it, when dabbing caught on in Colorado around 2008, a dab meant BHO, until solventless makers pushed back that water hash dabs just as well; that story is in solventless. Today a dab can be bubble hash, rosin, live resin or any other concentrate that vaporizes clean.
What you can dab
What you can dab is any concentrate that melts into vapor without burning: full melt bubble hash, rosin, live resin, shatter, wax and badder. Lower grades of bubble hash leave residue and are better in joints and bowls; how to tell the difference is in how to smoke bubble hash. Puffco notes that its devices are built for dab-ready concentrates, not the distillate oils made for vape carts.
What you need to dab
What you need to dab depends on how you want to do it:
- A dab rig, a small water pipe made for concentrates, with a banger or nail in place of a bowl. Quartz, ceramic and titanium are the common materials.
- A heat source: a torch, or an electric nail that holds a set temperature.
- A dab tool to load the concentrate and a carb cap to cover the banger and keep the heat even.
- Or an electronic rig or dab pen, which replaces the torch with a battery and a button.
How strong are dabs?
Dabs are strong, much stronger than smoking flower: concentrates commonly test at about 52 to 95 percent THC, by Low Temp’s figures. Puffco’s advice for beginners is a dab the size of a grain of rice and a few minutes’ wait before taking more, because you can always dab more but never less.
From the archive: Bubbleman on dabbing
From the archive, Bubbleman on dabbing in his own words, from two live Sunday shows. Tap a time to hear that moment.
Season 12, Episode 14, Skully Vibes draws live
We called it the great humbler because everyone would take a knee… people weren’t used to strength like that. And with full melt bubble and BHO coming out simultaneously, it really did train the public in a quicker way, at least the portion that was dabbing.
On full melt, the great humbler
I personally love dry rosin. It’s easy for me to roll up with my fingers and just throw into bangers and into like Puffcos and stuff, especially when I’m traveling.
On his travel dabs
Is dabbing safe?
Dabbing is as safe as you make it, and three things matter most. Keep the heat low: in a 2017 Portland State University study, dabbing cannabis terpenes on a hot nail produced the toxicant methacrolein at higher temperatures and benzene at the hottest, while no methacrolein showed up at the lowest temperature tested. Skip the open flame if you can; Puffco calls electronic rigs technically safer for that reason. And buy from licensed makers, since poorly made extracts can carry leftover butane. The low temperature method, step by step, is in how to dab.
Dab questions
Dab questions, answered short:
What are dabs?
Dabs are small doses of cannabis concentrate, about the size of a grain of rice, vaporized on a hot surface and inhaled.
Are dabs weed?
Yes, dabs are weed in concentrated form: a dab is a small dose of cannabis concentrate, much stronger than smoking flower.
What does dabbing mean?
Dabbing means vaporizing a small amount of concentrate on a heated surface, usually a quartz banger or an electronic rig, and inhaling the vapor.
Are dabs stronger than smoking weed?
Yes, dabs are stronger than smoking weed: concentrates commonly test at about 52 to 95 percent THC, so a small dab goes a long way.
Can you dab bubble hash?
Yes, you can dab bubble hash if it is full melt, the grade that melts away without residue; lower grades are better in joints and bowls.
What do you need to dab?
To dab you need a concentrate, a dab rig with a banger or nail, a heat source and a dab tool, or simply an electronic rig or dab pen.
Is dabbing the same as vaping?
Dabbing is not quite the same as vaping, though it is a kind of vaporizing: the concentrate turns to vapor on a hot surface instead of burning.
Sources for this guide to dabs
Sources for this guide to dabs:
- Dabbing dos and don’ts: a guide for beginners, Puffco
- Distillate oil vs concentrates: what’s the difference?, Puffco
- Key differences between live resin vs distillate, Low Temp Industries
- Toxicant formation in dabbing: the terpene story (Meehan-Atrash, Luo and Strongin, 2017), ACS Omega
- Dabbing 101, Bubbleman’s World on YouTube
- Hash Church Season 12, Episodes 14 and 17: Bubbleman on dabbing, linked above