When smoking out of a bong, we utilize our breath to pull the smoke from the bowl, through the downstem, and into the water. As we use or inhale as a source of power to pull the smoke through the water, you will inevitably notice a collection of bubbles forming in the base or in the chambers of the bong where the water rests. 

These bubbles are the result of our airflow passing through, and the bubbles are in fact part of the reason why bongs are one of the most loved and appreciated forms of smoking pipe to consume cannabis flower from. The bubbling water acts as a filter to remove heavy particles and unwanted chemicals while also cooling the smoke down, resulting in one of the cleanest, healthiest, smoothest, and strongest of available hits. 

So to further intensify the bubbling effect, a little device known as a ‘percolator’ is added within the bong.  

A percolator is a little glass contraption with different varieties of small holes that suction the airflow in unique ways (depending on the type of perc) and thus provide the smoke within your bong more surface area and time to cool down, as well as increased movement and filtration. 

There are a ton of percolators to choose from, and percs are usually permanent. But if you want a really cool way to add or change percs within your own bong, a bong shop with customizable modular bongs will allow you to do exactly this, a great way to experiment with different percs and see how they each change the smoking experience! 

A Cleaner Smoke 

THC is not soluble in water, so this means that the molecule itself can pass through H2O without any adverse effect on it at all. We use combustion as a means to absorb the THC through the smoke that we inhale, and the smoke acts as a means of transportation. 

And you can think of this transportation as dirty and full, an uncomfortable and unsanitary ride into our lungs. But by adding a little water, the H2O will hold onto all sorts of the gross stuff, allowing the smoke to clean itself up before presenting to us a meeting of TCH.

The more percolators a bong has, the more that the bubbles will force the smoke through the water, like tumbling through a washer machine over and over, allowing those particulates to leave the smoke and hang around in the water instead.  

Fewer chemicals and less gunk in our lungs, something that consistent smokers especially appreciate, and if you want to smoke cannabis out of a pipe with the least amount of health effects, then bongs are the way to go.

And a quick tip, for the healthiest experience from your bong, change out the water consistently! 

A Smoother Hit 

No matter where you stand in your personalization of cannabis consumption, the fact that we usually enjoy a nice and smooth hit on our throat holds for most of us! 

Thick smoke is dark and full of stuff that hurts, so just as how water filtration through the percolator creates a healthier smoke, the removal of these particles also results in a much smoother and easier to inhale smoke. 

For new smokers who are intimidated by bongs, using one with one or more percolators for the first time will really help you out as you don’t have to be worried about a hot and heavy hit sending you into a coughing fit. 

Aside from filtration lending for a smoother hit, percolators also allow the smoke to travel through a greater surface area. A greater surface area equals more time to move around and more time until the smoke is pulled into your mouth. 

The longer the surface area (or overall distance) that smoke has and the more time it has before we inhale, the more it will cool down. And colder smoke will always be smoother than hot smoke, as it comes down to definitive measurements in temperature differences. 

And how exactly do percolators increase surface area to cool smoke?

If you were to hit a bong with no smoke in it, you will notice the water rise upwards on the side of the bong in a fountain-like manner as soon as the bowl or carb is released. This is a representation of exactly what the smoke does when inside the bong. 

As the water pulls up and along the sides of the bong, so does the smoke, allowing it to travel the entire length of the bong instead of through just the first inch or two of water should the water remain otherwise stagnant without perc. 

A Cleaner Taste 

Ask any serious cannabis consumer what some of their favorite aspects about weed are, and I can almost guarantee they will say the taste! And then, should you ask the best way to preserve the taste of cannabis when smoking from a pipe, they will surely say a bong!

Aside from a vaporizer, which technically isn’t a pipe at all, bongs are really well known for preserving the taste of cannabis. It all comes right back around to that incredible bubble action provided by percs. Cleaning out the extra gunk, resin, and lighter chemicals from your weed by passing it through the percolators will allow only the most in-depth bud flavor to showcase itself.

Taste is essential in profiling cannabis, understanding cannabis, and it also directs the way we react to different strains and our liking for each!

If you want to focus on the taste of weed, make sure to smoke out of a clean bong with new water and a ton of percs!