To understand what a cold start dab is, you must know what a dab is. A dab is a concentrate of cannabis that has gained a lot of popularity recently. These concentrates include varieties such as crumble, sauce, and shatter wax, to name a few. You can also get them in different strains, such as Sour Diesel, Blue Dream, OG Kush, and Wedding Cake. However, after dabbing using the wrong methods, many people prefer using the cold start dabbing method for many reasons.
What Is a Cold Start Dab?
When dabbing first came out, the norm was using high temperatures. All you had to do was heat the nail red-hot and then load the concentrate. Taking a hit of this dab resulted in choking and coughing, making the experience unbearable at times. Then came cold start dabbing as a better alternative. It involves the normal low-temperature dabbing process but with a somewhat different method and lower heat.
Traditional torch dabbing involves preheating the nail before introducing the concentrate for vaporization. With cold start or reverse dabbing, you place your dab on the nail (preferably a quartz banger) before you start heating. Then, you can heat the nail for a short period. Although dabbing by heating cold nails is not a new concept, the method has found new life thanks to modern equipment. Some consumers opt for a quartz insert, which they place the dab.
How to Do a Cold Start Dab?
Cold start dabbing is quickly gaining popularity because it is conveniently fast and foolproof. Just follow these easy steps to do a cold start dab:
- Gather your setup, ensuring the banger is clean. Reheating residuals from your last session distorts the flavor of the fresh concentrate.
- Place the concentrate onto the dabber.
- Insert the dab inside the bucket of the cold nail. If you have a quartz insert, place it in here first, then into the banger.
- Cover the nail with the carb cap.
- Fire up the torch and hold it a few inches from the banger’s base.
- Watch the dab keenly. After about 10 seconds, it should start bubbling and vaporizing.
- Immediately put the torch down and take a hit. Depending on your lung capacity and your dab’s size, one cold start can give you multiple hits.
- After exhaling, rotate the carb cap free and clean out the rig’s chamber.
- To keep your banger clean, swabbing it out is advisable.
- Repeat this process after your banger is completely cool.
Advantages of Cold Start Dabbing
One of the major benefits of a cold start dab is preserving the dab’s terpene profile. This is because high temperatures tend to degrade the dab’s quality. If you are in a rush, this technique cuts your dabbing time significantly. A typical cold start takes only about 10 seconds. You also do not have to worry about messing up your heat-up and cool-down timing.
Disadvantages of Cold Start Dabbing
A major disadvantage is the waiting time if you want to do multiple cold start dabs. This is because, after every hit, you have to wait for the nail to cool down completely before repeating the process.