When it comes to smoking weed out of a pipe, you’ve got a lot of options. Water pipes, one-hitters, glass pieces, gravity bongs, apple pipes—the list goes on. But no matter what type of pipe you’re smoking out of, they all have one thing in common: a bowl that you light. Once you know how to do that, you’ll know how to hit a pipe—any pipe—that’s passed your direction.

In this blog, we’ll go over how to hit a pipe, from lighting the bowl to inhaling the smoke.

Choose Your Ignition Source

A disposable lighter is all you need here, but you do have another option.

Technically, using a lighter causes you to inhale lighter fumes like butane. If you’d prefer a more natural option, you can always hit your pipe using hemp wick. To do this, light the end of your hemp wick with your lighter and allow it to burn until you have a small, steady flame. This will be the flame you use to light your bowl.

You can find hemp wick at most smoke shops, dispensaries, craft stores, and big box stores.

Light Your Bowl

Hold your flame at the edge of your bowl, not directly on top of it. Unless you’ve only packed one hit’s worth of weed, you don’t want to burn everything in your bowl all at once.

Keeping your flame on the edge of the bowl will allow you to “corner it,” or only light one side of the bowl at a time. This way, you can rotate your bowl so you always get a fresh hit. If you’re sharing, this allows others in your circle to get a fresh hit too.

Hit Your Pipe

You should do this part in conjunction with lighting your bowl. With your flame on the corner of the bowl, start to breathe in. Your pull will help to bring the flame down into the bowl and light the weed.

If you’re hitting a pipe with a carb, keep your finger over it while you’re inhaling to help control the airflow. This gives you a chance to burn as much weed as you’d like, letting the smoke build—AKA the size of your hit. When you feel you have a proper size hit, uncover the carb (or lift the bowl if you’re using a water pipe) and fully inhale, taking the smoke into your lungs.

Contrary to what you may have heard, you don’t need to hold the smoke in your lungs to “get higher.” Cannabinoids enter your bloodstream the second they reach your lungs. Simply exhale naturally. You’ll notice the effects nearly immediately.

Effects can build, so give yourself time before you hit your pipe again. You may only need one hit to reach your desired high.

Now that you know how to hit a pipe, you can start looking for one that suits your needs. The best place to start is with a piece that’s easy to use, like the MAZE-X Pipe. It’s ideal for beginners and seasoned consumers alike because its design cools the smoke before it enters the lungs, providing a smoother and more flavorful hit. It’s small and portable, with a lid to cover the bowl so you can save weed for later and/or avoid an ashy mess if you have nowhere to empty it.

If you’d like to enhance your smoking experience by eliminating the harsh cough that can come with hitting a pipe, give the MAZE-X a try, and check out our blog on how to smoke without coughing.