Vaping is one of the most popular cannabis intake methods, especially with a cannabis oil vape pen. However, there are other intake methods for cannabis vape juice and/or cannabis buds. For instance, there are table-top vapes and dry-herb vaporizers.
Vaping is one of the most popular ways to inhale cannabis because it is healthier and safer than smoking it. For instance, it enters the bloodstream faster than with edibles and its bioavailability is higher than any other intake method.
There are many factors you should consider before vaping. The point here is that various cannabinoids and terpenes – all with their own specific effects and medical benefits – require different temperatures to vaporize properly. In other words, when you vape cannabis, you need to consider the vaporization method, the cannabis strain and which cannabinoids you want to inhale. In addition, you need to choose the right vaping device, cannabis buds and/or cannabis vape juice.
What Do You Want to Vape?
Firstly, before choosing one or another vaping method, you need to decide what you want to vape. There are two cannabinoids living in the spotlight: THC and CBD. THC is a psychoactive cannabinoid with pain-relief and relaxing properties. On the other hand, CBD is not psychoactive and it is very popular as a treatment for anxiety and epilepsy. In addition, it has been studied for its possible use as a substitute for opioids.
However, we should not forget that there are many other cannabinoids that are very useful and with amazing potential properties. For instance, CBG, often dubbed as the next CBD, is the precursor form for THC and CBD. It is more difficult to obtain, but this unique property imbues CBG with tremendous therapeutic potential, making it a subject of great interest to both the scientific community and cannabis consumers.
Why is it important to know the cannabinoid you want to vape before vaping? Because each cannabinoid has a different boiling point. Nonetheless, there are many theories about the exact boiling point of THC or CBD (it depends on the atmospheric pressure and other factors). Furthermore, terpenes have also “ideal” boiling points. If you want to know more about cannabinoids and boiling points, this article from the hightimes.com explains it in detail.
Once you know what to want to vape, you need to think how you want to vape it. There are many vaping methods, for example, dry herb vaporizers and e-liquid and cannabis oil vapes.
Cannabis Vape Juice or Dry Herb?
Next step, you have to decide whether you want to vape cannabis oil or dry herb. These two methods offer similar effects. However, some vapers claim that a cannabis oil vape pen provides more of a psychoactive effect than dry herb vaporizers. Nevertheless, this depends more on the oil and its THC concentration than if it is dry herb or cannabis vape juice.
Although these two vaping methods are similar, there are some differences between these two methods. For instance, cannabis oil must be heated to a higher temperature than dry herb vaporizers. In other words, it takes longer time to heat up cannabis oil than cannabis buds.
Furthermore, dry herb vaporizers need less maintenance than cannabis oil vape pens. For example, it is easier to clean and you will not experience problems common in refillable cannabis vape oil pens such as flavor ghosting.
Other things you should consider before deciding if you want to vape cannabis e-liquids or dry herb is the battery life of the device. Cannabis oil vape pens last much longer than dry herb vaporizers. Dry herb vaporizers require more energy to run, which means that the battery will drain quicker. In addition, if you care about convenience, then disposable cannabis vapes win the battle.
Moreover, disposable cannabis pods are very convenient compared to refillable e-liquid vapes or dry herb vaporizers. Refillable vaporizers require you pour oily and viscous e-liquids into the vape tank while dry herb vaporizers require you grind the cannabis buds before you vape them.
What’s Vaping Dry Herb?
Some vapers prefer dry herb vaping over cannabis oils because the buds are not processed. On the other hand, e-liquids with pre-filled pods means that somebody has done the whole process for you: decarboxylation, removing chlorophyll (not always necessary), adding flavors, etc. In other words, you do not know exactly what the cannabis oil contains. In short, dry herb is more natural as it has not been processed, just the drying process of the buds that generally takes between 10 to 15 days.
Furthermore, it is easier to clean up a dry herb vape than a cannabis e-liquid refillable vape. A dry herb vaporizer can be cleaned and reloaded in just a few seconds while it can take a bit more time to clean and refill a cannabis e-liquid vape.
Hybrid Vaporizers
There are also another kind of vaporizers called “hybrids”. These vaporizers are designed to vaporize both dry herb and extracts. This type of vaping devices are ideal for vapers who like to vape both dry flower and concentrates.
Vaping Cannabis with a Cannabis Oil Vape Pen
This type of vaporizers is very popular as they are portable, easy to use and convenient. It basically consists of a battery and a cartridge or tank. There are both prefilled pods and also refillable ones. In addition, a prefilled pod is very convenient if you are looking for simplicity and you do not want to get involved in the process of preparing the cannabis oil. In addition, a cannabis oil vape pen is more convenient if you want a portable vaping device.
A cannabis oil vape pen is designed to vape cannabis oils that are often obtained using solvents such as butane, propane, ethanol, or CO2. Obviously, the solvent is separated from the solution by different means. For example, it could be evaporated, or a water distiller is used in the process.
Ceramic coils are ideal for vaping cannabis as they are perfect for more viscous e-liquids. In addition, ceramic coils do not alter the flavor of the e-juice. The third generation of vape cartridges are made of Pyrex glass and ceramic coils. Moreover, these cartridges are very durable (ceramic coils last much longer than cotton ones).
Another advantage of cannabis oil vape pens and cartridges are how easy it is to use them. You just need to fill the cartridge if it is a refillable one or just connect it to your device and vape it if it is a prefilled disposable pod.
Conclusion: Cannabis Oil Vape Pen vs Dry Herb
There are many ways to vape cannabis. There are dry herb vaping systems and cannabis oil vapes.
Dry herb vaporizers have the advantages that you always know what you are vaping. In other words, you can feel and “touch” the plant material. On the other hand, a cannabis vape juice has been processed, which means that you need to be sure that you are vaping a top-quality cannabis vape juice. Nonetheless, it is more convenient, especially if you vape prefilled cannabis cartridges.
There is no better method than the other as it depends more on your personal preferences
This post was originally published on January 9, 2020. It was most recently updated on July 29, 2020.