7 Popular Ways to Smoke Weed (for Beginners)

by Chris Husong

7 Popular Ways to Smoke Weed (for Beginners)

If you’re new to the world of smoking weed (hey, we were all beginners once!), do you know what type of smoking experience you’re looking for?

If you’re smoking weed for the first time, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ve listed 7 of the most popular ways to smoke weed for beginners. Click the link beside these items if you’d like to skip down to where we explain how to use each device.

Depending on what type of smoking experience you’re looking for, pick your favorite way of smoking weed:

Joint: Sure, rolling your own requires a little practice, but smoking weed from joints offers a truly classic experience that is even better shared. 

Blunt: Blunts are larger than joints. Like joints, you roll your own blunts using either tobacco-based paper, cones, or wraps.

Bong: Perhaps the all-time favorite, smoking weed from a bong delivers powerful but smooth hits with water filtration.

Bubbler: Smaller than a bong, smoking weed from a bubbler delivers smooth hits with even more water filtration and bubbles.

Pipe: Smoking weed from a pipe delivers hits smaller than a bong without filtration but offers portability and stealth.

Chillum: The smallest of pipes, smoking weed from a chillum delivers small hits without filtration but offers discretion and portability. 

Steamroller: Larger than a pipe, steamrollers deliver some of the most powerful hits of THC without filtration.

So, you’ve got yourself some top-shelf flower, put it through a grinder, and now you’re ready to learn how to smoke it using a specific device.

Here, we’ll explain 7 popular ways to smoke weed for each device.

How to Smoke a Joint 

Learning how to smoke a joint is old-school but much beloved. Joints are rolled using rolling papers, very small and thin sheets of paper.

First, light one end of the joint until you see that the cherry (glowing ember) is lit. Then, on the opposite end, take a few shallow puffs into your mouth (not your lungs) to get the cherry burning even stronger.

Once a nice smooth burn starts, you’re free to toke on your joint, inhaling the smoke deeply into your lungs.

Joints are better for a solo smoke, while blunts are best shared.

How to Smoke a Blunt

If you’ve never smoked a blunt before, learning how is pretty simple. However, like joints, learning to wrap your own blunt takes some practice to get it right. 

There are two types of blunts, filtered and unfiltered. A filtered blunt offers a smoother hit but it also filters out THC which reduces your high.

First, light one end of the blunt until you see that the cherry is lit. Then, on the other end, take a few shallow puffs into your mouth (not your lungs) to get the cherry stronger and you see a nice even burn to the blunt. 

And that’s it, you should be ready to inhale the smoke deeply into your lungs. 

Blunts are best shared because a typical blunt holds a full gram of weed. As a beginner, you definitely don’t want to smoke all of that by yourself!

How to Smoke Weed with a Bong

Smoking from a bong is easy!

First, when you add water to the water chamber, make sure that the downstem is completely submerged. The downstem is the glass tube that goes into the water chamber which is a percolator. 

Once you have the proper water level, pack two pinches of weed into the bowl.

Then, light the weed using a lighter (you’ll get better results if you tap the flame to the weed, instead of pushing the whole flame onto the weed).

Next, inhale deeply as you light the weed. No smoke will be seen entering your mouth, but the bong will start bubbling as the water chamber fills with smoke.

This is the process of filtration, so the more bubbles are created, the more filtering and cooling takes place. Once the chamber is filled with smoke, remove the bowl and deeply inhale all of the smoke. Hold the smoke for 1 to 2 seconds, then exhale.

Remember, if you’re smoking weed with a bong for the first time, it’s a two-step process where you inhale first to fill the water chamber with smoke and then remove the bowl to inhale the smoke deeply into your lungs.

How to Smoke Weed with a Bubbler

Smoking weed with a bubbler is fun! Actually, all these devices are fun ...

Bubblers are like small bongs that have heavier filtration through bubbles. When you inhale with a bubbler, the water chamber produces more bubbles than a bong which cools the smoke.

The end result is nicely filtered smoke that is cooled down for a very smooth hit.

Add water to the chamber and pack your weed in the bowl. Then, light the weed by tapping the flame into it until a cherry is lit (glowing ember).

Once the weed is lit, inhale. The smoke will swirl around the chamber with the water and bubbles. Keep inhaling and creating bubbles until the ember fades away. 

When the chamber is filled with smoke, remove the bowl and inhale the filtered and cooled smoke into your lungs. Hold the smoke for 1 to 2 seconds, then exhale.

Easy, right? 

How to Smoke Weed with a Pipe

A pipe is a great way to smoke weed, especially if you’re a beginner on a budget.

A pipe has three functions, the bowl, the carb hole, and the end where you inhale.

First, pack about two pinches of ground weed into the bowl. Then, light the weed by tapping the flame to the weed while covering the carb (the little hole on the side) with your thumb.

Once the cherry (glowing ember) has gone out in the bowl and the weed has burnt to ashes, remove your thumb from the carb hole and inhale all the smoke. Hold the smoke for 1 to 2 seconds, then exhale.

It’s a very easy process, but you’ll find the hits are harsher without filtration. However, the benefit to no filtration is that no THC gets filtered out! However, if you find the hits are just too harsh, you can always try a silicone pipe. You can even freeze the pipe before use for a cooler hit.

Make sure not to grind your weed too fine. Otherwise, the ashes might go through the pipe and end up in your mouth!

How to Smoke Weed with a Chillum

If you’re smoking weed with a chillum for the first time, they deliver THC in manageable doses, as well as being affordable and discreet. 

The bowl end of the chillum is a little bigger, and the other end has a small hole to inhale from. There is no carb or extra features of any kind. You just pack some weed into the bowl, light it by tapping the flame to the weed, and inhale through the other end of the chillum but don’t pull too hard. Hold the smoke for 1 to 2 seconds, then exhale. 

As noted with the pipe above, make sure not to grind your weed too fine. Otherwise, the ashes might go through the chillum and end up in your mouth! On the other hand, if your buds are too large, they could block the airflow, so you wouldn’t get a full hit. It just takes a little practice to grind the perfect consistency. 

How to Smoke Weed with a Steamroller

steamroller has one huge carb hole at the end of the pipe that delivers a powerful hit without filtration. They are typically cylindrical and have two open ends. You inhale from one end, while you cover the other end with your hand as the smoke builds.

Pack weed into the bowl, covering the carb hole with one hand. Light the weed and inhale. 

Once the weed is lit, inhale first to draw the smoke into the steamroller. Once the weed has burnt down to ash and the cylinder is filled with smoke, remove your hand from the carb hole and deeply inhale the smoke. Hold the smoke for 1 to 2 seconds, then exhale.

You are forewarned, the smoke rushes in very quickly!

Well, there you have it. Now you know 7 popular ways to smoke weed. Browse our selection here at Headshop. You’re sure to find the best device based on your personal preference. Enjoy!

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