Vaping is a popular way to inhale cannabis but if you are new to it, you might find the selection of devices and cartridges a little bit complicated. Village Media Content Studio spoke with Leanne and Paul Thompson, co-founders of Little Leaf Cannabis Co. Inc., to learn more about vapes.
What is Vaping?
Vaping is a way to inhale cannabis that uses a battery-powered device (simply called batteries) to heat cannabis oil to the vapour stage.
“Vaping is easy, it’s compact, and you don’t have to prepare anything. You just plug and play. You don’t have to grind the flower and roll it. All you really have to do is monitor the battery power on your device,” says Leanne.
She continues, “It is incredibly convenient while still being fast. The effects are usually felt between five and fifteen minutes after the first inhale, similar to smoking a joint.”
Cartridges and Pods
The cannabis oil is contained in either a prefilled vape cartridge (often called 510 carts for short) or PAX pod.
“There are two types of vape carts. Distillate carts use cannabis oil that has been refined to make them vapable. All the flavours that are added to distillate carts often use botanical terpenes from natural sources,” explains Paul. “There are also what’s called live cartridges. Instead of using a distillate oil, they’re using the actual cannabis plant oil with the original cannabis terpenes in it.”
The most common type of battery uses a cartridge called a 510. These cartridges and batteries are standard so any 510 cartridge will work with any 510 battery. PAX pods and batteries are less common, but according to Paul they have some really cool features like remembering your settings.
“A PAX never clogs and they will drain the cartridge to virtually nothing. Whereas when you get low in a 510, you'll see a little ring around the bottom that there's still product in there, but you can't use it anymore. There are always remnants leftover in a 510 cartridge,” he says.
Choosing a Battery
There are two main categories of batteries: reusable and disposable. Reusable batteries can be recharged and used over and over with a wide range of different types of cartridges or pods. They are available with a number of functions and styles as well.
“Look for a battery that has multiple temperature settings and a pre-heat function,” recommends Leanne. “We recommend starting at a low setting, which means that it is burning the oil at a lower temperature, so you get more flavor. A preheat function is really awesome to prewarm before you draw, especially in our Canadian winters.”
Disposable vapes are also available. These are not refillable and come pre-loaded with the cartridge permanently attached. While they are somewhat convenient, they are not great for the environment and are more expensive in the long run.
Taking Care of Your Device
There isn’t much upkeep required with a battery, but Paul does recommend cleaning it occasionally. “If you find that you've got a little bit of sticky residue at the bottom of the cart, use a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to wipe it off. Don’t use water and don’t submerge it,” he says.
“In some cases, you might get a defective 510 cartridge. If that happens, bring it back to the store you bought it from. At Little Leaf, we always reach out to the rep on our customer’s behalf to see if we can get a replacement,” says Leanne.
If you are new to vaping and want to give it a try, the best advice is to talk to one of the helpful Cannsultants at Little Leaf. They will help you choose the best battery style for your needs as well as help you to choose some cartridges.
Little Leaf is Stratford’s only locally owned and operated cannabis lifestyle company. They are located at 804 Ontario Street in Stratford or you can shop online.