Troubleshooting your Cannabis
To my knowledge there exists no industry where things don’t go a little bit sideways from time to time, and the cannabis industry is certainly not going to be the first exception. While a majority of the products operate as intended, there are going to be some rare instances where a little bit of extra troubleshooting on the part of the consumer will go a long way to ensuring that they get the most out of their products. This week, we are going to tackle two of the most common issues we see come up when it comes to cannabis products: Dry flower and the dreaded clogged vape cart.
Dry Flower
Cannabis flower that you purchase in store that is ready for consumption is, by its very nature, dried cannabis. It’s in the name, so it’s expected to be a little bit dry. In fact, if your cannabis isn’t dried properly, it can be a health issue, running the risk of producing mold and other harmful microbial nasties. That being said, if your bud is so dry that it basically turns to dust when you apply pressure to it, that’s a problem. While studies have shown that the THC potency doesn’t suffer a significant drop due to dryness, the sweet little terpenes are almost certainly going to be reduced to depleted shells of what they were. This results in a tasteless smoke and reduced potency since you’re going to be missing out on the benefits of the terps. Never fear though, there is a recovery method that has proven itself repeatedly useful should this unfortunate turn of events swing your way: reintroducing moisture back into your bud. Moisture packs (in particular Boveda packs) are one way to bring your bud back from the brink. Pop a pack into a sealed container with your overly dry flower, seal it for 12 to 24 hours and open the jar back up. More often than not you’ll be greeted by the scent of a flower that will be a far more pleasant smoke than the sad husk of a bud you put in.
If you’re more of a DIY type that would prefer a natural method, there is also the orange peel trick. All you need is an orange and a particularly sharp knife along with a mason jar. Simply take your dry flower, toss it in the mason jar, carefully peel a slice of skin from the orange and seal it in the jar with the cannabis. Once again, you’re going to want to leave it in the jar for about 24 hours, so kick back and eat your orange while you wait. It’s recommended to pop open the lid of the jar a few times throughout this process to let some oxygen into the jar.
Clogged Cart
Ah, the clogged cart. An oft times unavoidable issue and definitely the one that we at Circa have encountered with the most frequency. While it can definitely be frustrating to try to take a pull from your vape cart and be greeted only by the thin whistle of air trying and failing to find its way through, there are a few things you can do to get around it. First and foremost, make sure that when you’re storing your vape cart between uses you store it upright. Storing it upright will ensure that the distillate within doesn’t pool on the sides of the cart, out of reach of the heating coil. It is also beneficial to make sure that the area you’re storing it in is out of direct sunlight as sunlight tends to degrade the quality of the distillate and will negatively impact your vaping experience.
Even with proper storage, vape carts can still clog. When you’re inevitably faced with this unfortunate eventuality there are a few methods you can use to help unclog your cart and get back to vaping happily. Almost every vape battery has a preheat option which is usually outlined in the instructions included with the device. For example, with the Honeystick batteries that we carry, clicking the power button twice will enable a preheat mode which will heat up the distillate within without you having to hold down the button. Sometimes, a little heat is all you need.
If you are still experiencing issues with your cart not getting sufficient airflow, there is another method that can be tried (carefully!). Take a toothpick or similarly long and thin object and gently insert it into the hole in the mouthpiece of the vape cart and move it back and forth slowly. This will hopefully remove any particulate matter or distillate that may be gumming up the works.
Any other tips?
Sometimes even these methods won’t yield the results you’re looking for. If this is the case, you should seek support from either the licensed producer of the product you’re having the issue with or consult with your friendly neighborhood budtenders to see if together you can find a solution.
If you have any tips or tricks of your own for getting around either of these issues (or maybe some you’ve encountered that don’t fall under these) feel free to let us know in the comments!
Check out our Vape Menu HERE
Check out our unique Flower Menu HERE
