If you aren’t familiar with what a dab is, it’s basically just a very concentrated form of cannabis. To get that concentrated form, you extract the THC and other cannabinoids out of the weed through various methods. Once you do that, you can smoke the dabs. This is typically referred to as “dabbing” throughout cannabis culture. For people that haven’t dabbed before at all, you might have 50 questions lingering around in your mind. Do dabs smell? Do dabs smell like weed? How much do dabs smell? All of these questions are important to consider because some people like to keep their cannabis consumption a little discreet, and when smoking cannabis, the smell is usually the first thing that ruins any discretion.
So Do Dabs Smell?
Yes, smoking dabs will produce a smell. The smell occurs because the terpenes are still in the concentrates that are being consumed. One notable difference between the smell of smoking cannabis and dabs is that the smell from dabs tends to dissipate much quicker in comparison.
If you smoke a joint, the odor will typically stick around for quite a while. The smell will get in your hands and clothes and can sometimes be a nuisance if you’re wanting to conceal your cannabis consumption. The smell from dabs doesn’t stick around for anywhere near as long.
A lot of people who consume dabs say that the first dab they take is usually the one that is the most potent. That also means it’ll usually be the one that smells the most. All of the dabs taken after the first one will still have all of the cannabinoids in them.
If you’ve ever smelled weed before, you might relate it to the smell of a skunk, depending on what particular strain you smelled at the time. When people really get into cannabis, they start purchasing different strains for their desirable tastes and smells. Sometimes you might find a strain of weed that doesn’t smell very good, and that may lead people to want to start experiencing dabbing more.
When you dab, you’re getting a concentrated form of cannabis. Because of that, you’ll want to exercise some caution when you’re taking dabs. If you’re completely new to cannabis, you might not want to start off with dabbing. Dabbing concentrates can reach up to 70% or higher in THC content, so if you’re only smoking cannabis with 12% THC content, you can see why there should be some caution being exercised.
Butane is a common method of extracting THC from cannabis, and the concentrate resulting from it is known as butane hash oil (BHO). This concentrate can range anywhere from 50 to 90% in THC.
There are a few ways to dab:
- Bongs
- Water pipes
- E-cigarettes (vape pens)
- Dab rigs
Dab rigs are a little more elaborate in comparison to the other methods. The concentrate will be put on a nail that’s heated up. The vapor will then be inhaled. Dab rigs are made of glass and look similar to bongs. People can get pretty creative with how they consume dabs. Sometimes people even heat up a knife, put the concentrate on the knife, and then breathe in the vapor resulting from it. This is usually a method you’d try if you didn’t have other more suitable options.
The terpene profile of the cannabis strain is what determines the various smells and flavors that come from it. Some strains will smell much like a skunk, and other strains will smell like berries or pine. Terpenes are the oils that make certain plants smell the way they do. If you take a smell of basil, the terpenes are responsible for that smell.
Does Shatter Smell?
Just like other concentrates, shatter will smell when you dab with it, as well. As mentioned previously, the smell won’t linger around as long as if you smoked out of a joint, but there will still be a smell.
