A dab is a small portion of cannabis concentrate vaporized on a hot surface and inhaled in one hit, and dabbing is doing exactly that. Whether you're using a modern eRig or a traditional torch setup, the idea is the same: concentrate meets a hot surface, and you inhale the vapor.
How to dab in 6 steps
- Charge the eRig, or fill your torch rig with water to cover the perc.
- Load a rice-grain-sized dab on the bottom of the cool chamber or banger, then put the cap on.
- Start low, around 232°C on a rig with degree control, or on the lowest preset.
- Heat it. Wait for the eRig's ready signal, or warm the loaded banger on a low torch flame until the dab bubbles.
- Pull slowly and steadily.
- Wait 30 minutes before the next dab, and swab the chamber while it's still warm.
Details for each method below, plus the mistakes we see beginners make most often and the rigs that match your budget.
Dabbing turns concentrate into vapor in seconds
Dabbing works by placing a small amount of cannabis concentrate onto a heated surface, vaporizing the cannabinoids and terpenes almost instantly. On a water rig, the vapor bubbles through water on its way to your lungs. You'll feel the first effects within seconds to minutes.
Concentrates often test at 60 to 90% THC, against 15 to 30% for most flower, and strength varies a lot from jar to jar. A tiny dab goes a long way. Start small.
The heated surface is called a dab nail or quartz banger. Lower temperatures bring out more flavor, while higher temperatures make denser clouds and a harsher hit. We cover the full science in our vaporizer temperature guide.
You need 4 tools to start dabbing
Most dab setups use the same core components, whether you use a torch or an eRig. Here's what to have on hand.
Puffco Peak base, detached glass, chamber, cleaning swabs, loading tool and accessories arranged on a pale surface
1. A heat source and nail
Traditional rigs use a butane torch to heat a quartz banger or titanium nail. eRigs replace the torch with a battery-powered atomizer that heats on command. On a 3D chamber, like the Peak Pro's 3DXL, the heater warms the walls as well as the floor, so concentrate that creeps up the sides still vaporizes. The Dr. Dabber Switch 2 uses induction heating to warm a removable quartz insert instead of a coil atomizer.
2. A carb cap
A carb cap sits over the nail or chamber and controls the airflow over your dab. Most eRigs come with one, or with a mouthpiece that does the same job. On quartz bangers, some people add terp pearls that spin in the airflow and move the concentrate around the hot surface.
3. A dab tool
A metal or glass wand for scooping concentrate and placing it in the chamber. Use the one that came with your rig if it has one, and don't scrape the chamber with it.
4. Cannabis concentrate
Wax, badder, shatter, live resin and rosin all work (edible oils and tinctures don't). Each has a different consistency that affects how easily it loads onto the dab tool. We break down every type in our cannabis concentrates guide.
How to dab with an eRig
An eRig automates the heating process, making it the easiest way to start dabbing. No torch, no flame, and the rig tells you when it's ready.
Step 1: Charge and fill. Charge with the supplied cable and fill the water glass if your rig has one, keeping water out of the base. The Puffco Peak Pro is rated for about 30 sessions per charge, while the Bomb eRig Aerix manages about 25.
A small dab goes on the bottom of the cool chamber. Don't scrape the walls or block the air holes.
Step 2: Load a rice-grain-sized dab. Use your dab tool to set the concentrate on the bottom of the chamber. Don't scrape the walls or push concentrate into the air holes. On Puffco rigs, load the chamber while it's cool and put the cap or mouthpiece on before you heat.
On the Pivot, set the dab on the bottom of the chamber and close the mouthpiece before you heat.
Step 3: Select your temperature. Start on the low side for your first hit. Some eRigs use preset heat levels, like the Pivot's four colors, while others let you set the exact temperature. The Bomb eRig Aerix goes from 93°C to 371°C in 1-degree steps.
Step 4: Wait for the ready signal. eRigs vibrate, flash or beep when they're ready. Heat-up takes seconds, not minutes, and the Peak Pro needs about 20.
Step 5: Inhale slowly. Keep the rig upright and take a slow, steady pull. Hard rips can pull concentrate right out of the bowl, which is why Puffco recommends gentle draws on the Peak Pro and Pivot. Slow pulls taste better, too.
Step 6: Exhale and assess. Give it time before you take another dab. You'll feel it within minutes, but the full effect can take up to 30 minutes to build. Concentrates hit harder than flower, and taking too much too fast is the most common beginner mistake.
If you're shopping for your first eRig, our concentrate vaporizer rankings compare our top picks, and our guide to choosing a concentrate vape walks through the key decision factors. First eRig on a budget? The Puffco New Peak is our easiest entry point, and the Bomb eRig Aerix is the cheapest eRig we rank (see our Bomb eRig Aerix vs New Peak comparison). If flavor comes first, the Ispire Daab is our pick for terpene flavor thanks to its all-glass vapor path, and our New Peak vs Peak Pro comparison shows what the upgrade gets you.
Dab pens work the same way, in your pocket
A dab pen is an eRig shrunk to pocket size: the same small load and ready signal, with no water glass needed. On the Puffco Pivot, the top pick in our concentrate vaporizer rankings, it takes four steps.
Step 1: Load and power on. Set a rice-grain-sized dab on the bottom of the cool chamber and close the mouthpiece. Then hold the button for 3 seconds to turn the Pivot on.
Step 2: Pick a preset. Single-click through the four presets. Start on blue, the lowest at 260°C.
Step 3: Double-click to heat. Heat-up takes about 8 seconds, and the Pivot flashes twice and vibrates twice when it's ready.
Step 4: Pull gently. Hold it upright and take a slow draw. Want more? Double-click after the ready signal for Boost, which adds 15 seconds and a 10°C bump.
Want a portable base that also runs water glass? The Puffco Proxy (7.8/10, $280 US list price) swaps between Proxy-compatible glass pieces and adds app control, and our Pivot vs Proxy comparison splits them.
A dab straw is the cheapest way to start
A dab straw, also called a nectar collector, is a tube with a heat-proof tip. It takes three steps.
- Heat the tip.
- Touch it to a small dab on a heat-proof dish.
- Pull slowly as it vaporizes.
It's the most basic setup there is: no water, no nail and no cap.
How to dab with a torch and quartz banger
Traditional torch-and-glass rigs offer more control for experienced users, but they take careful temperature management, starting with a cool-down after heating. The technique is simple once you learn the timing. Work on a stable, heat-proof surface, with your cleaning alcohol well away from the flame.
Step 1: Fill your rig with water. Add enough to cover the percolator slits. Inhale through the mouthpiece to test. If water splashes your lips, pour some out. New banger? Torch it once while empty, let it cool and swab it before your first dab to clear off any residue from manufacturing.
Step 2: Heat the banger with a torch. Aim the flame at the bottom and sides of the quartz banger until it's evenly hot. Don't chase a red glow, which is far hotter than you need.
A banger glowing like this is far too hot to dab. Let it cool first.
Step 3: Let it cool before you dab. This is the step most beginners skip. A scorching banger burns off terpenes and gives harsh, burnt vapor. Cool-down time depends on the banger's thickness, so time yours once with an IR thermometer and stick with that count. No thermometer? Use a cold start (below) until you've timed your banger.
Step 4: Apply the dab and cap. Drop the concentrate into the banger using your dab tool, then immediately place the carb cap on top. With a directional cap, rotate it gently to steer the airflow.
Step 5: Inhale slowly. Draw gently through the mouthpiece and stop if it turns harsh. A harsh hit usually means the banger was too hot or dirty. A puddle of leftover concentrate usually means it was too cool, or that you loaded too much. Next time, cut the cool-down by a few seconds or load less, and don't re-torch a puddled banger at full flame.
Step 6: Clean immediately. Swab the inside of the banger with a dry cotton swab while it's still warm. This prevents residue buildup that dulls flavor over time.
Hot start vs cold start: which is better for beginners?
A hot start drops the dab onto a banger you already heated and cooled. A cold start loads the dab first, then heats it. Hot starts hit the dab with more heat at once, for bigger clouds. Cold starts let you stop at the low end, where the flavor is, and they're how every eRig and dab pen in this guide works. For your first torch dabs, go cold.
A cold-start dab reverses the process: load concentrate into a room-temperature banger, cap it, then apply heat gradually until vapor appears. You skip the cool-down countdown and simply watch the dab instead.
Heat the bottom of the loaded banger with a torch on low flame. When the concentrate starts to bubble and vapor forms inside the cap, start inhaling.
Lower temps taste better, higher temps make bigger clouds
The Pivot's four presets, from blue 260°C through green 271°C and red 282°C to white 307°C.
Temperature controls the balance between flavor and cloud density. Heat also breaks terpenes down, and a 2017 lab study of simulated dabbing found benzene and methacrolein forming from common cannabis terpenes. Here's how the ranges play out for us on rigs with degree control.
157-204°C, low temp: The most flavor, with wispy vapor and a smooth throat feel. Best for live resin and rosin when you want to taste the strain. Some concentrate may be left behind.
204-260°C, medium temp: The sweet spot for most people. Strong flavor with visible vapor. A good place to start on a rig with degree control.
260-316°C, high temp: Dense clouds, a stronger throat hit and less flavor. Good for distillate or when clouds matter more than taste.
316°C and up, too hot: Harsh, burnt taste and a hard cough. We don't recommend this range.
Preset rigs work differently. Electronic chambers don't read the same as torched quartz, and the Pivot's presets all sit between 260°C and 307°C. On a preset rig, go by taste: start on the lowest setting and step up only if you want bigger clouds. The Peak Pro's factory profiles run 254°C, 266°C, 277°C and 302°C, and you can edit each one in the app.
Which concentrate is easiest to dab?
A dry, crumbly concentrate (left) scoops easily. A glossy, runny one (right) takes a steady hand or a heated tool like the Hot Knife.
Badder is the easiest concentrate to load, because consistency decides how easy a concentrate is to scoop, portion and vaporize.
Badder and budder have a soft, cake-batter consistency that scoops easily onto a dab tool. They're the easiest texture to work with when you're starting out.
Live resin and live rosin are made from fresh-frozen cannabis, and fans love them for their flavor. Live resin is solvent-extracted, while live rosin is pressed from hash using only heat and pressure. Texture depends on how they're finished, from runny sauce to thick, cured badder.
Shatter is glass-like and brittle, which makes it harder to portion. Break off a small piece and let it warm slightly on the dab tool before applying.
Diamonds and sauce pair THCA crystals with a runny, terpene-rich sauce. They're flavorful and potent, but the sauce takes a steady hand.
Clean your setup after every session
Residue buildup is a big reason dabs start tasting burnt. A quick swab after each session keeps the flavor clean, and a deeper clean every so often handles the rest.
For eRigs: Swab the chamber after every session while it's still warm. For a deep clean, let the rig cool and follow its maker's routine. On the Peak Pro, Puffco's routine is a 20-minute chamber soak in 90%+ isopropyl alcohol, and water never goes in the chamber. Let everything dry completely before you reassemble. The Switch 2 has no atomizer to soak, so you swab its removable insert and clean the glass instead.
For quartz bangers: Swab with a dry cotton swab after every dab while the banger is still warm. For a deeper clean, let it cool completely, soak it in isopropyl alcohol, and let it dry fully before you torch it again. That alcohol is highly flammable, so keep it well away from your torch.
For water glass: Empty and rinse it after every session, and give it a regular alcohol soak. Keep rinse water out of the electronic base and chamber.
Our full eRig cleaning guide walks through chambers, glass and induction inserts model by model.
5 beginner mistakes that waste concentrate
1. Dabbing too hot. If your hit tastes burnt or makes you cough hard, stop. Next time, turn the temperature down or give the banger a longer cool-down, and make sure the chamber is clean. Still harsh on a clean chamber at a low setting? Our vaporizer troubleshooting guide covers the other causes.
2. Loading too much. A dab the size of a grain of rice is plenty for a beginner. You can always take a second hit once the first has fully kicked in. You can't un-take a massive one.
3. Inhaling too hard. Aggressive draws can pull concentrate right out of the chamber. Slow, steady pulls taste better and waste less.
4. Skipping the carb cap. Your rig is built to run with its cap or mouthpiece in place. Always cap your nail or chamber right after loading, and before heating on Puffco rigs.
5. Not cleaning after sessions. Dark, carbonized residue on your banger or atomizer ruins flavor. Swab after every session, deep clean on your rig's schedule, and keep water out of electronic chambers.
