How To Customize Your High with Temperature

Most cannabis enthusiasts will likely think that the high that they are getting from weed depends on the strain that they’re smoking. After all, you know how heavy indicas can give you a relaxing stone, while the high from sativas can be more heady, uplifting and energetic.

But the strain that you’re enjoying for a specific high isn’t the whole story. When you’re vaporizing cannabis, you can customise the effect by setting the right temperature. Find out how and why controlling temperature can be the key to unlocking whatever high you want from your cannabis!

CANNABINOIDS, TERPENES, TEMPERATURES & YOU

Cannabis contains different chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. These cannabinoids, or to be more exact, the different concentrations of them in a strain are what gives weed its particular effects. THC and CBD (the two main active cannabinoids) are likely known to most, but there are other cannabinoids as well, such as CBN, CBG along with a whole lot of more.

It is these compounds in cannabis that get you high, can relieve your tension or help you sleep at night. Cannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid system in our body. This way, the cannabinoids in the cannabis plant can affect functions of the body, including our mood and behaviour.

The specific effects that cannabis can give you, such as relaxation, happiness, creativity, hunger, and so forth depend on the cannabinoids a strain contains, and which of those you are getting into your system.

In a similar way as cannabinoids are responsible for the effect that you are getting, so are other compounds in cannabis, the so-called terpenes. Terpenes are the aromatic substances that give a strain its flavour and aroma. It had previously been thought that terpenes don’t do much more than that, but research shows that they may also play a role in the effect of cannabis.

Getting back to our vaporizing temperatures, what’s important to know is that various cannabinoids, as well as terpenes in weed are released at certain temperatures. When you set your vaporizer to different temperatures, you can control which compounds are being released and can get the high you want!

VAPORIZING TEMPERATURES OF CANNABINOIDS AND TERPENES

You likely know about one of the major cannabinoids, CBD. CBD needs to be heated to its boiling point of 160°C–180°C so that it is released.

Another relaxing compound in weed is terpene linalool, which is brought out at a temperature of 198°C. As a general rule, if you set your vaporizing temperature higher, this will normally result in a more intense high, and if you vape at lower temps, the effect that you’re getting will be more mellow.

To help you reach a desired effect, here is a list of some of the common cannabinoids and terpenes and their optimal vaping temperatures:

Note: cannabinoids are thought to influence each other. For instance, CBD balances out the psychoactive high effect from THC so that you get a more relaxing effect, despite THC being present.

VAPORIZING TEMPERATURES FOR SPECIFIC EFFECTS

Now that we know the different temperatures that bring out specific compounds, here are recommended vaporizing temperatures for some of the desired effects:

1. Best Daytime High

154°C–166°C - vaping at these low temperatures is perfect if you just want a mild buzz during the day, and you are looking to get things done.

166°C–188°C - at this medium temperature range you get more THC, so you can enjoy a more intense high. You can try starting at 166°C and then slowly increase the temperature as you vape. This way you can enjoy a nice buzz, but without a total knockout just after a few hits.

2. Best Body Stone to Relax

188°C–221°C - this is the range which allows for the most intense effect, perfect after a long day when you want to relax. With the right strain like a heavy indica, this temperature is your ticket to Couch Lock City. At these high temperatures, you will get the whole package of compounds that are in weed, including THCv and terpene linalool, which will both make for a euphoric, yet calming effect.

3. Best for CBD users

221°C - if you want to take advantage of the healing properties of cannabis and get the most CBD, CBN and CBC—the cannabinoids with therapeutic effects from pain relief to relaxation, you want to set your vaporizer at this temperature. But don’t go any higher since you will otherwise approach combustion temperature which you want to avoid.

4. Best Flavour

177°C - if you don’t care too much about the effect from your weed, but are vaporizing so that you get the best flavour, set your vaporizer at this temperature. 177°C is the setting where most of the flavourful compounds in cannabis are being released. It is also where you get the smoothest vapor clouds without the harsh flavour of higher temperatures.

EXTRA TIP: HOW TO ENJOY CANNABIS WITHOUT ANXIETY AND PARANOIA

Some strains, in particular potent sativas, can make some people feel anxious and paranoid. If you’re among those folks, you can decrease the chances for this to happen when you vape your weed at lower temperatures. Grab yourself a nice indica, dial in a low temperature and enjoy a pleasant and relaxing effect.

THE BEST TEMPERATURE FOR VAPORIZING - BOTTOM-LINE

Everyone is different and this means that strains can have a different effect on you than they have on someone else. Because of this, it isn’t easy to give a general recommendation about the best overall vaporizing temperature for weed. But if we had to give such a recommendation, we would say that 210°C is a good middle-ground that should work for most people.

The reason for this is that when you vape at 210°C, you will be getting all the valuable compounds from cannabis, including the cannabinoids and terpenes but you’re still below combustion temperature.

But don’t take this as gospel. The best thing that you can do is to find your own perfect vaporizing temperature: with a decent vaporizer with temperature control you can start low and then gradually increase by a few degrees. It will help if you note down what effect you observe at what temperature. Yes, this way you could go through a lot of weed, but it can be worth it when you finally find what temperature works best for you.

Happy Vaporizing!

Adam Parsons

Professional cannabis journalist, copywriter, and author Adam Parsons is a long-time staff member of Zamnesia. Tasked with covering a wide range of topics from CBD to psychedelics and everything in between, Adam creates blog posts, guides, and explores an ever-growing range of products.

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