By Luke Sumpter


Although there are many different ways you can consume cannabis, one of the most popular methods is still the tried and tested bong. Some cannabis enthusiasts even think that nothing beats the high that you get from a huge bong rip.

Although this may be down to personal preference, smoking weed from a bong does indeed have some advantages: it can give you a cooler and smoother smoke, and you don’t have to fiddle around with papers like when making a joint.

On the other hand, not everyone may know how to properly use a bong. Well, help is on the way: In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know so you can smoke a bong like a pro. We’ll also share some helpful tips on how to clean your bong to keep it in top shape.

The Basic Components of a Bong

A bong or water pipe filters your smoke by sending it through water to make it cooler and less harsh. Bongs are typically made from durable glass like borosilicate, but you can also find ones made from acrylic, wood, and many other materials. Bongs are available in many sizes, from small and stealthy rigs to massive centrepieces that come with additional features to enhance your smoke experience even more. For this guide, we will stick with the basics to keep things simple and clear.

In order to have the best experience smoking from a bong, it pays to know the different components of the apparatus. A bong will normally consist of a bowl, a stem, the bong’s interior (the base), a smoke chamber (tube), and mouthpiece. Many bongs also have a small opening called a carb hole.

  • Bowl

The bowl is the part on your bong that holds your bud. Unless your bowl is made entirely from glass, the bowl can also be made from metal such as steel or copper.

  • Stem

The bowl of the bong is attached to a tube called the stem. This tube extends into the base of the bong through a hole. Inside the bong, the stem is partially submerged in water.

  • Base

The base is the large interior part of the bong at the bottom that holds the water. The base is also where the smoke builds up as it bubbles out from the water.

  • Chamber (tube)

The smoke chamber (or tube) is the large cylinder that extends up from the base. This is where the smoke goes through before it reaches the mouthpiece.

  • Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece is the large opening at the top of the bong where you place your mouth to inhale the smoke.

  • Percolator

A percolator is a filtration system featured in some water pipes that helps to cool down the smoke before inhalation. Percolators work by diffusing and filtering the smoke, breaking it up and making for a smoother smoking experience. Percolators can appear in the downstem of a bong, or in distinct locations, and come in various configurations. The percolator is what makes that familiar bubbling sound when using your bong.

The Basic Components of a Bong

How to Prepare Your Bong Before Smoking

  • Fill the bong with H₂O

Before you start ripping your bong like a champion, first you must fill it with fresh water. The golden rule is to add enough water to cover the slits of the downstem completely. If your downstem does not have slits, add enough water to submerge the downstem by approximately half an inch.

⇢ How Much Water Do I Put in My Bong?

The ideal amount of water is dependent on the size and features of your bong. If you have a massive bong with numerous percolators and chambers, add enough water so that all the percolator openings are submerged. This ensures you're taking full advantage of the filtration system.

  • Pack it up

There are smokers who fill their bowl with cannabis before they put the stem into the bong, while others pack it with the stem kept in the bong the whole time. Try for yourself to see what works best for you.

To pack your bowl, use your fingers or a grinder and break your bud down into small pieces. If needed, you can put a screen into the bowl as well. Pack your ground material into the bowl. If you smoke with others, make sure that you pack enough so that everyone can enjoy some green. If you took the stem out before, you can now insert it back into the hole on the bong.

Hitting Your Bong, The Right Way

How you hit your bong depends on whether your bong has a carb hole or not. The carb hole is a small opening that’s normally on the side or back of the bong. If your bong has a carb hole, close the carb hole with your thumb. This will keep the smoke inside your bong before you inhale it.

1. Light your bud

Now it’s time to light the bud in your bowl! Take the bong, put the mouthpiece to your mouth and get ready to draw: Take a good lighter or a lighting wick, but don’t go all crazy scorching the entire bowl. If you’re sharing with others, it is considered polite to only light a small edge of the bowl and not to turn the entire bud into ash.

Hitting Your Bong, The Right Way

2. Fill the bong with smoke

As you light up the bowl, draw in through the mouthpiece and fill the chamber with smoke. Are you still covering the carb hole? Good! Keep drawing smoke into the bong until you have collected the desired amount. Get ready to rip!

Hitting Your Bong, The Right Way

3. Clear the bong

When the bong is filled with smoke, you’re ready to rip, clear the chamber, and inhale the smoke. Remove your thumb from the carb hole, or, if you have a bong without one, pull the stem out from the stem hole. Now, inhale the smoke from the chamber. If you can’t finish all the smoke that’s in the bong, no big deal since you can always draw a second time.

You don’t want your next rip to start with stale smoke left in your bong, and you sure don’t want to come across as an impolite jerk when you’re smoking with others. Because of that, you should make sure that you clear the bong of any lingering smoke left in the chamber when you’re done.

Hitting Your Bong, The Right Way

How To Clean Your Bong

Keeping your bong clean and properly maintained isn’t just something you should do to achieve the best flavour, biggest rips, and smoothest high; an unclean bong can also be bad for your health. It only takes about 24 hours for the stale water in your bong to turn into a breeding ground for bacteria. Likewise, sticky resin on your bong will also promote the growth of mould and bacteria. Because of that, you should regularly clean your bong after each and every use. But no worries, basic bong cleaning is pretty easy and doesn’t take long.

First off, you should always dump your bong water out after your session. Simple: If there is no bong water left, it cannot get nasty. Afterwards, rinse your bong with some warm water. With a paper towel, wipe your bong down and then allow the piece to dry. This should do for everyday use and helps keep your bong from getting too icky.

Tip: If there is sticky resin that won’t easily rub off on some spots, such as the stem or the bowl, alcohol wipes will do wonders. Likewise, make sure that you also replace your screens regularly if your bowl needs them.

If you follow these simple bong maintenance tips, you can always enjoy big rips and the best flavour from your bong. If you want more thorough information on proper bong cleaning and maintenance, check out How To Clean Your Bong, Bowl Or Pipe, where we show you further tips on you how you can clean your bong and other smoking devices.

Bong Water Temperature

Ask weed enthusiasts what the perfect temperature for bong water is, and you will be met with different answers. Everyone has their own opinion, and there is no right or wrong—it all comes down to personal preference.

  • Hot vs Cold Bong Water

However, there are unique benefits to using both hot and cold water that may make one more appealing to you. To give you some idea of what to expect, here are some pros and cons.

Hot Bong Water Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Potentially smoother hits Not suitable for all bongs
Better filtration Takes some preparation
- Potentially less-potent hits (less-condensed smoke)

Some swear that hot bong water gives you a smoother, more enjoyable hit. The steamy smoke is believed to irritate the throat and airways less than cold water, resulting in less coughing.

When we say "hot", we don't mean boiling, and we don't mean lukewarm. We are talking about the temperature of a freshly brewed cup of tea.

Though there isn't currently any evidence to suggest whether the temperature of bong water can influence levels of THC, hot water is believed to filter out more contaminants than cold.

It is not suitable to use hot water in acrylic or plastic bongs. You should only use cold water in these models.

Cold Bong Water Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Allows for bigger hitss Potentially harsher on the throat
Suitable for all types of bongs Filtration is not as good
Doesn’t require preparation Using ice may have adverse effects
Remains fresh longer -

Cold water cools the smoke down and condenses it. Some believe this makes for the most powerful impact as it allows the lungs to intake more smoke—though this theory is contested. Furthermore, using cold water means you don’t have to spend time heating up your water before enjoying a smoke. Cold water will also stay fresher and more appealing for longer than hot water.

You will also see bongs for sale with special compartments for ice. The purpose is to cool the smoke down even further to allow for bigger, smoother hits.

However, there have been reports associating ice bongs with bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. Though unproven, it's worth considering.

Once you have mastered how to prepare, clean, and use your bong, you will see how it is one of the easiest and most effective ways to use cannabis.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: