Things That Make Cannabis Burn Fast Or Slowly

There is absolutely no doubt that a nice and even smoke is highly desirable. Every toker has different preferences regarding the burning rate of cannabis. Let’s see some reasons and alternatives that affect the burning speed of ganja in joints, bowls, and vaporizers.

HUMIDITY OF BUDS

First of all, let’s get the obvious out of the way. If the ganja is too dry, it will burn fast, if it’s moist, it will burn slower, or not at all.

The techniques used to cure marijuana will determine the amount of moisture contained in the bud. Marijuana needs to be dried and cured before consumption; one does not simply harvest a fresh plant and smoke it (as displayed in many feature films). The water from the buds must evaporate for an ultimate moisture content of around 10%. Even if the buds are perfectly cured, the storage, transportation, and local humidity levels will impact the amount of moisture contained in the bud.

Also, consider what you are blending your ganja with. If the bud is perfectly dank but the tobacco is super humid, the mixture will burn much slower, whether in a joint or bowl.

TIGHTLY/LOOSELY PACKED

Airflow plays a decisive role when a joint or a bowl is tightly packed it will burn slower due to condensed content and lack of airflow that provides oxygen. If it's packed too tight, it will be very hard to inhale the smoke, which will not result in the ultimate smoking experience. On the other hand, when a joint is too loosely packed it will give an uneven burn, it can randomly stop burning or the content will be falling out and burning your favorite "Legalize It" T-shirt. In a bowl, if it's loosely packed, you will get away with it and still enjoy a nice toke.

GRINDER/BY HAND

It's important to note how finely and evenly the ganja is ground. Using a proper grinder will produce a nice and even mixture which will ensure a steady burning rate. If you break down your buds by hand, the pieces may be uneven and this will result in a different burning rate between them. If you have big chunks of bud, they might be hard to burn and the distribution will be terrible. If you grind your weed or smoke kief, make sure to have a solid roach, to avoid choking on ganja dust.

INHALE INTENSITY

Another obvious burning rate factor is the inhale intensity. If you inhale hard, it will burn faster, if you inhale loosely, it will burn slower. If you smoke from a bong and inhale too loosely you might not even get a hit, due to an absence of necessary suction.

LET THERE BE LIGHTING!

You need to light a joint and that’s it, it will burn by itself. Bowls, on the other hand, can be subject to different lighting methods for optimal burning rates. If you are using a regular lighter, the mixture in the bowl will burn slower than using a jet lighter (jet lighters are not recommended since the higher temperatures may burn cannabinoids). You can experiment with different lighting materials such as hemp wick, heat wands, torches, whatever sparks your interest and ganja. When smoking from a bong, you also want the mixture to burn evenly around the bowl for a more sustainable burn rate.

TOBACCO ALTERNATIVES

Usually, even though it's not recommended, many ganja enthusiasts like to blend the ganja with tobacco. There are different alternatives for replacing tobacco which may affect the burning rate of the mixture, so if you are interested, you can try them out.

VAPORIZING

The depletion rate for vaporizers works a bit different. It all depends on several factors. First of all, it depends on the temperature settings, if the heat is too low, the ganja won’t give off its precious contents. If it’s too hot, it kills the idea of a healthy consumption method. Of course, the brand and the quality of the vaporizer will also determine the quality of the vapor, as well as aforementioned factors, such as humidity of buds, inhale intensity, tight/loose packing, and the size of the ground weed.

SMOKING PAPERS

Many manufacturers produce smoking papers which differ in their qualities such as length, width, thickness, glue/paper material, and additives. Contrary to many beliefs, thinner papers actually burn slower than thick papers. Smokers claim that natural rolling papers like Raw Hemp papers burn slower due to an absence of synthetic additives. Organic glue in papers is preferred over synthetic ones due to health aspects, also, synthetic chemicals can make the joint burn faster. Check out Zamnesias top 5 rolling paper recommendations.

CONCLUSION: CONTROLLING BURN SPEED

If the mix burns too slowly, before trying fancy techniques, try the following: rolling them more loose, making sure that the mix is dry and even, trying faster burning papers.

If the mix burns too fast, try: rolling them tighter, having an even mixture, using moist tobacco or its alternatives. And of course joining Winnie-The-Pooh with honey coated joints for an ultimate adventure.

Steven Voser

Steven Voser is an independent cannabis journalist with over 6 years of experience writing about all things weed; how to grow it, how best to enjoy it, and the booming industry and murky legal landscape surrounding it.

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