Girl smoking from a bong holding glass pipe

9 Tips to Taking Bigger Bongs Rips

It’s no secret that bongs are the most popular smoking apparatus, and perc bongs are the cream of the crop. With more opportunities for smoke filtration, perc bongs offer recreational smokers even smoother hits than normal bongs. And, while smoking a bong is fairly easy to do, there are a few key steps you can take to really get it right. Read on to learn how you can up your bong game.


1. Practice Deep Breathing

When smoking a perc bong, taking slow, deep breaths is key. Before you pick up your piece and start the process, be sure to practice deep breathing.

Exercising your diaphragm will open your lungs, and increase your breathing capacity. So, when you are ready to start smoking, you will have a higher endurance, and be able to take longer breaths. This will ensure that you can take a large hit.

Drinking alcohol decreases your breathing capacity, so avoid drinking if you plan to take large hits.


2. Finely Grind Your Dry Herb

In a pinch, it’s possible to break up dry herb with scissors. This is one of the best (and probably the most common) ways to improvise without smoking supplies. But to truly allow for an even burn, having a grinder is essential.

Finely ground herbs will burn evenly and slowly, as opposed to larger pieces. If you are smoking your perc bong socially, then finely ground herbs also enables you to share your piece!


3. Prevent Couching with a Mint

Everybody’s heard that coughing means you are smoking correctly. Whether or not it’s true, the fact is that most people tend to cough. But they don’t have to.

The reason that people cough while smoking a perc bong is simple: the smoke creates a dry mouth and throat. While drinking water and smoking simultaneously is out of the question, there is another solution.

Keeping a mint or gum will help create moisture in your mouth by causing you to salivate. This may prevent some degree of coughing. However, if you take this approach, be sure to refrain from choking.


4. Cool Down the Smoke

The percolators in a perc bong already lower the smoke’s temperature quite a bit. The good news is that there are other ways to cool down the smoke as well. Some water pipes allow for ice hits, which can be even smoother.

Ash catchers aid in keeping your pipe clean, while also acting as an additional percolator.


5. Pay Attention to Bowl Size

The size of the bowl, which is inserted into the downstem of the perc bong and removed toward the end of the hit, matters quite a lot. If you plan to take a large hit, then you should use a small bowl. If you intend to take a smaller hit, then use a big bowl.

Hear us out.

As a consequence of their size, bigger bowls have more airflow. This means that the smoke will be more concentrated, and the herb will burn better. Larger bowls have more airflow, meaning that they will produce less concentrated smoke.


6. Monitor Water Content

Believe it or not, this is a crucial point to consider with your perc bong. The water in your bong is what makes the smoking experience different. Without water, it would simply be another glass pipe.

Ideally, the downstem should be submerged in water. For perc bongs with multiple percolators, the percolators should also be in water.


7. Remove the Bowl Gradually

Whether for dramatic effect or through misunderstanding, most perc bong smokers remove the bowl with haste. This is not, however, the ideal method.

It’s common knowledge that removing the bowl will allow the smoke to travel through the perc bong, through your throat and into the lungs. Removing the bowl gradually, rather than all at once, will introduce the smoke at a reasonable pace. This means that your lungs will be able to better receive and process the smoke.


8. Take a Breath at the End of the Hit

Done correctly, a perc bong hit will be a somewhat lengthy process. Whether you are smoking individually or with friends, you should make the most of your herb.

One way to do this is by ensuring that you do not waste any smoke. When there is smoke that you do not manage to inhale into your lungs, then it will only enter the throat, and potentially cause irritation.

To avoid this irritation (and wasting herb), simply end your hit with a breath of fresh air. Doing so propels the smoke into your lungs, and gives you earlier exposure to clean air.


9. Exhale Correctly

Even after inhaling the smoke from your perc bong, your work isn’t done. To avoid a major coughing fit, you need to exhale properly.

Coughing results from residual smoke that is not exhaled, or is exhaled improperly. The best way to exhale smoke is to do it with some degree of force. Rather than doing this all at once, you can also exhale half of the smoke, then take a short breath, and exhale the rest. This breath will guide the rest of the smoke outside of your body.

After exhaling, take a few slow deep breaths. This will re-introduce your lungs to clean air. Then, restore the moisture content of your mouth by drinking some water.


Conclusion

Mastering the fine art of smoking a perc bong can be quite rewarding. In addition to easing the sensation of smoking, you will also conserve your herb, and have more fun! Whether you are a new or experienced smoker, adding a perc bong to your smoking arsenal will surely pay off in the long run.

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