Here at 420 Science, we know a lot about taking bong rips. We test out the pipes we sell to make sure they hit right and can get just the right hit. With lots of research comes knowledge, and we love imparting it on our friends. We test a ton of bongs and dab rigs here. We're always looking for cool new pieces, and when we think we find one we put it through testing before we pick it up for sale in our online smoke shop. While water testing pieces we've learned a few tricks of the trade. Let's talk about the types of water to use, water level, and water temperature for the perfect bong rip.

What is a Bong Rip?

Hitting a bong is a pretty common way to smoke weed but you may not be familiar with it. Inhaling from a bong after filling it with smoke is one thing, but expertly stacking a large hit that can be inhaled all at once without being harsh is taking a bong rip.

How to Fill a Bong

Getting the perfect hit out of your water pipe is easier than you think, you just need a balanced temperature and percolation for the hit. Depending on what kind of water pipe you have, you'll want to go with on of two strategies. Either way, you'll want to use distilled water. Why? A few reasons. Distilled water is free of minerals, and won't leave deposits against your piece. It's also resistant to becoming cloudy at different temps, and that keeps your piece looking nicer too. Always start with the lowest water line you can and see how the bong hits, the add water from there.

Use Less Ice in the Bong's Ice Catcher

If you have a piece with an ice catch. Use less ice, most people put too much, you only need a couple pieces. Fill your Ice catch water pipe up with water until the end of the downstem is submerged an inch. The water should be at room temperature, 65-75°F. When you take a rip, the room temp water will percolate the water as it should but not cool it down by much. That's good because you want your hit to be neutral temp, not cold. Cold air is worse on your lungs than hot air. Once the still warm hot passes over the ice, it will be chilled down to a pleasant neutral temp, and you will only get a rich, flavorful, smooth hit. If you don't have an ice catch or a perc in your pipe, then you should treat yourself to a Chiller.

Use a Percolator

If you have a perc in your bong, then you can fill the bottom chamber with cold water, and the top chamber with the minimum amount of warm water. When you take a rip from your pipe, you will get a balanced, flavorful hit that isn't harsh or dry. When the cooled smoke passes back through the warm water, it has humidity added back into it which is easier on your throat. If you don't have a pipe with a perc in it, then check out our store, we have a few to choose from. So rip hard, rip often, and enjoy!

The perfect bong rip comes from a clean, smooth bong. Check out our guide on How to Clean a Bong to get your piece up to shape.