Taste/Smell- Flavor will slowly diminish
You can tell that your weed is done when it starts to lose its flavor. You're familiar with how bubble gum eventually drops its taste after you've been chewing for a while. Well, a similar principle applies to marijuana, once it has been vaped to completion. All the terpenes that give each strain of cannabis its distinctive taste will have been used up, leaving the herb free of flavor.
A dry herb vaping session usually starts extremely flavorful & aromatic and loses flavor as the session progresses. Once you feel a sharp drop of flavor and the vapor becomes harsh, your weed is finished.
Once your herb has been thoroughly vaped, it starts to lose that sweet aroma. If you do it for long enough, it starts to take on a scent very similar to burnt popcorn, which is an unpleasant but very noticeable odor that no one likes. If you get that smell, it means that you vaped it way too much.
(TIP) Keep it clean
Make sure to empty the chamber right after a vaping session. Cleaning is easier because the vaped herb could get sticky and gunk up the chamber, making it much harder to clean, which is something you definitely don't want.
Related: How to clean dry herb vaporizer?
Looks/Texture- Will become brown and crunchy
Typically, fresh herb is a bright green color, but once it has been cashed, all the color is drained out of it, and it takes on a distinct brown color. As with any plant matter, Brown color is not a good thing, and marijuana is no different. If the herb is stiff, brittle, and it crumbles easily-, it's done.
You can take a quick look at your herb chamber while vaping, or examine the texture of your herb after your session, and make improvements during your next sessions.
With the Pax Plus (Review | Buy) You can open the oven lid and look at your herb. If you want to get super efficient, stir your herb once or twice during a session. It will circulate the herb in the oven and will make it vape more evenly. Of course, never touch herb as it comes out of the chamber. It's hot.
(TIP) Grind Your Herb Thoroughly
A nice, comprehensive grind makes your weed last for a long time because it maxes out the surface area of your weed, so you can get great vapor using less herb. This saves your herb's flavor, and it saves you money since you can use less with each session.
Time your sessions- Experiment and improve
Most vapes have a preset “session duration,” which is typically between 5-10 minutes. One of the best ways to gauge the right amount of time is by trial and error. Using the techniques mentioned above, practice a few times until you know exactly how long it takes for the weed to be fully exhausted in your vaporizer. Once you figure out how long herb lasts with your specific vape on a certain temperature level, you can time future sessions to achieve perfectly vaped herb. It's a matter of trial and error, and experimentation will take your vaping to the next level.
With Pax Plus (Review | Buy), it depends on the temperature settings. But generally I get around 5 minutes of delicious fresh flavor, then it slowly declines. I start with temperature three and increasing to 4 towards the end. With these settings, I get around 6-9 minutes of vaping, and in the end, the weed is wholly cashed.
(TIP) Low-Temperature Vaping
Vaping at the lower temperature settings on your vaporizer will make your weed last a lot longer. Not only does it extend the life of your herb, but it is also a pretty pleasant experience since lower temperatures tend to bring out the flavor a lot better than higher temperature settings. You can try starting a session low and gradually increasing the temp to max out your herb.
Final Thoughts
Aside from not tasting great, any attempt to heat up spent herb could result in the herb getting charred and producing smoke. I know that your weed is precious and that you want to get as much out of it as you can, but you need to know when it’s time to let go.
If you’re new to vaping dry herb, check out these seven tips to getting more vapor from your vaporizer.
