More people it seems, are finding that hemp flower is their favorite way to enjoy the powerful cannabinoids and flavorful terpenes that the plant has to offer.  And, ELYXR’s premium hemp flower comes in all kinds of magnificent strains and cannabinoid infusions so that our customers can pick and choose exactly which effects they most desire.

However, if you don’t know the basics of smoking or vaping raw flower buds, then you’re likely going to be in for a disappointment even if you have the highest-quality buds around.  The biggest lesson that all flower enthusiasts need to learn is how to avoid burning their flower, whether they’re vaping it or smoking it.

What Happens When Hemp Flower Burns?

Hemp flower is raw, dry-cured flower buds taken from the hemp plant, and their various cannabinoids and terpenes each have a distinctive burning point.  Once that burning point is met, the compound breaks down and loses its ability to offer its effects to the body.  What this means is that once your flower is burnt, it’s just won’t deliver in terms of its ‘high’, other effects, or even its flavor (derived from terpenes in the plant material.

Not only that, but naturally, burnt flower is not going to be pleasant to inhale either when smoked or vaporized.  It’s gonna taste, well, burnt, and it can become very harsh on the inhale, resulting in a lot of unpleasant coughing and throat irritation.

What are Some Tips You Can Use When Smoking or Vaping Hemp Flower?

Since hemp flower is both smoked and vaped nowadays, it is best to divide our tips to avoid burning your flower into two sections.

Section #1: Smoking Hemp Flower Tips

Smoking is the more traditional route, and can be done with various types of pipes, as well as joints and other types of rolls.

• Buy Fresh Flower: First off, make sure you’re buying from a trusted company like Gas Canna to end up with flower that’s fresh.  As flower ages, it dries out, and dry flower will burn fast since there’s no moisture in it to act as a buffer.
• Store Your Flower Properly: Similarly, you’ll want to store your flower in an airtight container to make sure that it doesn’t dry out before you get to finish enjoying it.  Should that flower dry out anyway, place a lettuce leaf or a damp paper towel in the jar or container, which will infuse moisture back into the buds.
• Don’t Grind it Too Fine: A common mistake is grinding your flower so fine that the flower burns almost as soon as heat is applied to it.  The smaller the grind, the more surface area the flame makes contact with, and the easier it is for the buds to burn instantly.
• Be Conscious of the Flame: Of course, be mindful of the flame when you’re lighting your pipe or roll.  Holding the flame against the flower for too long is going to risk burning it.

Section #2: Vaping Hemp Flower Tips

If choosing to get your ‘vape on’ with hemp flower using a dry herb vaporizer, a lot of the same rules as above apply, but you may need to be even more aware of your routine since there’s more room for error that can result in burnt buds.

• Buy Fresh Flower: Again, you want to make sure that your flower is fresh, because the heat of your vaporizer can burn flower that doesn’t have any moisture left in it.
• Store Your Flower Properly: Like we said earlier, flower must be stored in an airtight container so that it doesn’t dry out and burn easily.
• Don’t Grind It Too Fine: Another rule that’s worth repeating is avoiding a grind that’s too fine.  Again, the finer the grind, the more surface area makes direct contact with the heat source, and this can be a recipe for disaster.
• Pay Attention to Your Settings: Perhaps the most common cause for burnt flower when vaping is having the output settings far too high.  We know that a higher voltage or wattage level can give you bigger hits of vapor, but that can come at the cost of just burning your buds entirely.  Start with the lowest setting and work your way up incrementally to find your sweet spot, rather than diving into the highest setting your device allows.
• Don’t Inhale Too Hard or Too Long: Whether you’re using a draw-activated or button-activated vaporizer device, you want to avoid pulling too hard or for too long, as both of these bad habits will force the coil to stay hot and risk burning your flower rather than vaporizing it.
• Use Quality Vaporizer Products: Finally, always use top-quality vaporizer equipment, because cheap equipment can burn your flower due to poor materials that get way too hot, as well as faulty settings that are prone to causing your device to overheat.  And, obviously, only use a vaporizer made for flower, since oil vaporizers and dab pens can burn flower, which is more delicate than oil as well as concentrates.

Burnt Hemp Flower is Wasted Hemp Flower: Follow These Tips for Flower Success!

At the end of the day, one of the worst things that you can do when using hemp flower is burning it.  Once it’s burnt, its compounds are all but useless, and you’re going to be in for a lot of disappointment in every way.  Plus, your wallet will feel it, too.  Fortunately, these simple tips will keep your fresh buds in good shape so you can enjoy them to the fullest.