Have you just gotten into smoking dry herbs? It can be a relaxing pastime that is great for meditation, mindfulness, gathering with friends, or just enjoying the savors of different blends.
If you’re new to this, don’t let the sheer volume of heady glass and smoking accessories throw you for a loop. You’ll discover your preferred methods of enjoying dry herbs, and we’ll help you get there.
Here’s a high-level view of what our head shop in Ft Lauderdale, Fl, offers, and what the benefits are of each.
Water Pipes
A water pipe is a smoking device consisting of a glass body with a chimney and a water chamber at the base. Water pipes also feature a part called a downstem, which runs through the water chamber, and a bowl that can be inserted into it.
There are very simple water pipes, but there are also elaborately blown and decorated water pipes that are often referred to as heady glass. These are some of the most ornate pieces in our shops, and you can see many pictures of them on our Instagram.
Why smoke dry herbs through a water pipe? Well,
- The water filters out tar and ash from the smoke, preventing burned bits from getting into your mouth or lungs.
- Water pipes create a cooler, smoother smoke that some smokers prefer.
- Some water pipes have an “ice pinch” in the chimney that enable the user to fill them with ice, which will cool off the smoke even further. Some water pipes even feature special chambers with glycerin coils that are uniquely designed to cool off the smoke.
- The size of some water pipes bowls and chimneys enables you to take bigger hits or “rips.”
- Some smokers collect water pipes and appreciate them for their ornamental as well as their functional value.
Hand Pipes
In addition to water pipes, we also sell a huge collection of glass hand pipes (sometimes known as spoon pipes) in our head shop in Ft Lauderdale Fl (as well as in Pompano Beach!).
Although they can be brightly ornamented and elaborately styled, the vast majority of hand pipes are much less decorous than most water pipes. They also tend to be smaller.
Without the water chamber and the extra parts, hand pipes offer some unique advantages to smokers, including:
- They are typically small, light, and convenient. The lack of removable parts makes them less fragile as well.
- Since they’re smaller, they’re perfect for travel.
- It is very easy to pack and light a glass hand pipe. You don’t need access to water.
- Some hand pipes are easier to clean than water pipes.
- Some hand pipes are fairly easy to clean, with less surface area than water pipes and dab rigs.
- Like water pipes, glass hand pipes are still available in a wide range of colors, designs, shapes, and more. They can be personalized and collected.
One-Hitters and Chillums
We also sell special types of glass pipes known as chillums, which, depending on the size, may be referred to as a one-hitter.
These are the simplest glass smoking pipes of all, consisting of a cylinder or a cone, with an open bowl at one end and a stem that runs through the middle. Think of it like a glass rolling paper – you pack one end, light, and draw – very simple.
While the vast majority of these are small, they offer a number of benefits to interested smokers:
- Chillums offer the best discretion, convenience, and portability of all smoking pipes.
- Chillums, with no moving parts or extremities, are extremely durable and difficult to break.
- They are easy to pack and smoke.
- They are easy to clean.
- They’re perfect for an on-the-go lifestyle.
- They can be highly economical.
Dab Rigs
We also sell a range of dab rigs in our smoke shops. Dab rigs are designed for vaping concentrates and look like water pipes, except in place of the bowl, they have a nail and a dome. The vaper heats the nail (often made of quartz or titanium) drops a bit of concentrate on it, and inhales the vapor.
Dab rigs offer some benefits that are unique from each of these other types of smoking pipes.
- While they take a bit more experience to learn how to use properly and effectively, dab rigs can be used to take some of the most potent hits of all.
- Dab rigs deliver some of the most powerful flavors.
- Dabbing can potentially be cleaner than smoking, because (technically) no smoke or ash is produced.
Rolling Papers
Finally, for some, the purest way to enjoy dry herbs is by rolling your own with rolling papers. It takes a bit of skill to master the technique of packing a rolling a cigarette, but some smokers enjoy the ritual.
It is time-consuming to roll your own, requires you to keep rolling papers (and possibly a tamper) on hand, and produces a bit of ash, but there are still some benefits to doing it the old-fashioned way.
- If you roll your own, you won’t need to carry a pipe, and there’s nothing to put away or clean when you’re done smoking.
- You have complete control over the size and shape of what you roll.
- Some smokers enjoy the process of grinding, packing, and rolling herbs and consider it a relaxing experience.
Don’t Forget a Grinder and a Lighter!
Regardless of whether you prefer to roll your own or carry a glass spoon pipe, two more things you’ll need to acquire as a smoker are a lighter and a grinder.
The reason you’ll need a lighter is self-evident. As for the grinder, packing or rolling loose herbs that you haven’t ground won’t pack as evenly or consistently, meaning they won’t burn evenly or consistently, either. Grinding your herbs before packing ensures a more consistent, enjoyable experience and helps prevent any of your herbs from going to waste.
Visit Us in Our Head Shop in Ft Lauderdale, Fl
Ready to try something new? Come visit us in our head shop in Ft Lauderdale, Fl, or if you’re closer to Pompano Beach, come visit us there – we have shops in both locations!
We have countless smoking pipes and accessories in stock, so you’re sure to find something that’s perfect for you.