A Few Good Terms to Know: Banger and Terp Pearls

As promised in the last blog let’s chat about a “Banger” And when I say the word “Banger”, I am not talking about a song that’s really good, I am referring to a part of a “tool” that is called a “Dab Rig” that you put your concentrate into in order to heat up your desired concentrate. We will also quickly go over what a Dab is.

Bangers are typically made from quartz which allows it to heat up to high temperatures without shattering or cracking. It is important, when you are purchasing a Dab Rig (or sometimes referred to as a rig), to ask about the material the banger is made from for many reasons.

You will find that taking a dab/hit (the word “dab”can also be used to mean a small amount of concentrate) off a Rig that has a steel banger for instance, creates an overly heated dab. In turn it will hit a lot hotter and can feel like it’s “burning” hotter in your lungs. This is because the concentrate will melt faster and hotter thereby causing the smoke to become hotter when heating up the concentrate this way on steel material versus when using a quartz banger.

When consuming your concentrates, there are a couple of ways you can heat them up.

Firstly there is something called “Cold starting”, this is when you place your dab ( a small amount of concentrate) into your banger then heat it up by using a torch under the banger until the concentrate is melted-then you take your hit.

Many people prefer this way because the smoke hits at a cooler temperature and may feel less harsh on the lungs.

The second way you can go about heating up the banger and dab is by heating the banger up first, again by using a torch under the banger, then putting a dab of concentrate in the banger.

Both ways are “the right way” to take a dab, it simply becomes a matter of preference. You may notice that you are able to better taste the dab one way or the other. The taste of a dab depends on its terpenes.

Terpenes are responsible for the aroma and flavors that are in cannabis. ( How do you like how

I eased another new term in there?)

The newest tool for taking wicked good dabs is something called “Terp Pearls” or otherwise known as “Banger Beads”.

They are typically made of quartz or other material like borosilicate, and are little marbles that you place into your banger. You take a rip off your rig and they spin around in your banger producing an even burn of your dab. When your dabs burn evenly, it makes for the perfect hit! Not only is the taste better but it is smoother because your dab isn’t clumped up burning in one place in your banger. The dispersion of the dab helps the taste of the dab be more recognizable to the consumer. They’re worth taking on a spin ;)

Capping these new terms off with a disclosure that dabs are a pure form of the THC from a cannabis plant, which means they’re much more potent then say just smoking the actual bud.

If you are interested in dabbing then start with a very small amount of concentrate and wait to feel out the feeling that it brings into your body. Always remember to be your own advocate and never to over-do your consumption of any medicine. Low and slow is the way to go!

Written by, Erynn H, co-created with Martha Malik