One of the first things that Cannabis smokers ask when transitioning to vaping is, “Does vaping weed smell?” The short answer is yes. Vaping still produces a noticeable weed smell. But the good news is that the scent doesn’t last long, nor does it stay on you. The smell also doesn’t cling to hair, clothes, or the room you’re smoking in, so people won't know that you've been vaping weed.
How Do Vapes Work?
Every vape you come across will have several components that allow you to enjoy your cannabis products and vape subtly. Almost all vaporizers have a tank or compartment where you put cannabis oil or the herb. The vape atomizer then heats up the weed with power from a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The type of heating method used will influence how much weed smell you get when you use your vaporizer.
Convection Dry Herb Vaporizer
A convection dry herb vaporizer involves passing heat through the herb without any direct contact from the atomizer. You can think of this as putting your weed inside an oven to release the active compounds. This is now the most popular heating method in modern dry herb vaporizers.
With a whip-style vape, for example, you draw air in slowly through the chamber to help hot air flow over the weed and into your mouth. Balloon-style vaporizers, on the other hand, have a fan to blow heated air through the pot. The vapor created from this process fills up a balloon that you can then remove and enjoy later. Neither type of vape directly burns the plant material, which significantly reduces the weed smell while vaping. If you want to reduce the smell when you vape, convection vaporizers are one of the best vaporizers available.
Conduction Herb Vaporizer Pens
Conduction vaporizing involves putting the oil or dry material in contact with the heating element of the vaporizer. You can think of this as putting your weed on top of a stove to release the active compounds. This method is more popular with both desktop and portable dry herb vaporizers. The heating chamber reaches a set temperature with the push of a button, delivering instant herb vapor. But while conduction herb vaporizer pens are faster and simpler than desktop vaporizers, they don't burn the weed material evenly. There may also be some combustion of the weed plant material when using a vape pen, which can lead to a stronger scent.
Why Does Vaping Cannabis Smell?
The smell of cannabis differs from strain to strain. This is because each strain contains a distinct mix of terpenes in the plant. These terpenes contain aromatic oils that produce the smell (and taste) of the herb.
When cannabis is smoked, the smell released from the terpenes is mixed with other by-products brought about by combustion (i.e., burning the herb). This gives it a smoky smell; it is also why smoking produces a stronger and longer-lasting scent that often attaches to other materials and lingers on people.
Vaping cannabis also releases the terpenes in the herb, which explains why it still has that marijuana smell. However, since vaping doesn’t generally burn herb directly, it produces a cleaner and more subtle scent. Additionally, since it’s vapor, it’s thinner, so the smell dissipates from the air more quickly. Learn more about cannabis and the history of vaporizing weed.
Joint vs. Vaporizer Odor
It is a personal choice whether you prefer to smoke a joint or a vape pen. There are, however, numerous differences between the two approaches that you should know about in order to make an informed decision about which is the best vape for you. The first, quite obviously, is that joints and similar vape methods directly burn the plant material, while a vaporizer merely heats the cannabis up to release the active compounds, THC and CBD. Burning the weed directly always causes a strong smell and is much stronger than when the weed is heated through convection methods. As no combustion takes place inside a vape, the weed smell will almost always be weaker than that of a joint.
Which Cannabis Product Has The Least Amount Of Smell?
In addition to the type of vape you use, the type of weed product you consume will determine the strength of the odor released. People typically choose the type of cannabis product they vape based on factors like potency and flavor. However, the weed odor from your vape is likely to also depend on the type of cannabis product you're working with. When choosing the type of weed to vape, you will want to take all these factors into consideration.
Dry Herb
When using a dry herb vaporizer, you add dried cannabis flower into the vape chamber. As the heating element raises the temperature inside the vaporizer, the active compounds, mostly THC and CBD, are delivered in a concentrated vapor. Unlike with smoking a joint, however, the vape temperature can be highly regulated so that the weed doesn't burn. When you vape dry herbs using high-quality vapes, like we offer here at DaVinci Vaporizers, you can adjust the temperature to your liking. When it comes to odor, dry herb vapes typically produce the most discernible smell. The method of heating dry herbs is similar to the combustion that occurs when burning plant materials to smoke.
Weed Oil
Instead of vaping marijuana plant material, some people prefer to vape the oil extract. Oil vape pens are very popular with first-time users, as they tend to produce a cleaner vapor. Something else to note is that there can be very strong oils, sometimes up to 90% THC or CBD oil, making it much more potent than cannabis dry herb, so new weed users should tread lightly the first few times they smoke. An oil pen also smells a lot less than when you vape dry herbs.
Weed Wax
Weed wax is a semi-solid cannabis plant extract that has the highest potency of the three types of vape material. Weed wax isn't cut with other carrier oils, so it tends to have a cleaner odor. For some people, however, the scent from wax cannabis material lacks the distinct cannabis odor that they enjoy. Wax is also the most expensive vape material, so it may not be a realistic option for people on a budget.
How Long Does The Smell Last?
Some vapes do a better job in reducing the smell of cannabis than others. Dry herb vapes typically produce the most discernible smell as far as vapes go. Those that run on conduction let out a stronger smell, while vapes that have convection ovens within them produce a weaker scent in comparison. If you’re using a dry herb vape, you may want to crack open a window or make sure that no one comes over within 30 minutes of your vaping. Meanwhile, dab pens or vapes that use waxes are subtle, while vape pens are the most unnoticeable.
Dry herbs have a stronger odor than their more processed counterparts. You can tell just by opening a container of it—the smell immediately spreads. So using it needs a little more caution if you’re trying to be discreet about vaping weed.
The good news is the smell from cannabis vaping only lingers for 5 to 10 minutes in well-ventilated rooms. If you’re vaping outside, it can even disappear as soon as you smoke it, since the open environment allows the vapor to dissipate more effectively. In a closed room, however, it may take up to 30 minutes for the smell to completely disappear.
How Do I Reduce The Smell While Vaping?
Reducing the smell of weed starts with knowing which vaporizer substance to use and having a good vape. That said, there are some tricks you can do to vape weed almost completely undetected.
Keep Your Vape Clean
Be sure to keep your vape clean to help it function properly. Doing so also prevents the vape from harboring any remaining substances that may keep the smell of cannabis in the device. This is especially important if you’re using a dry herb vape.
Store Your Stash Properly
The issue of lingering scents doesn’t just concern the vaporizer device or the act of vaping. It’s detectable in the substances you use, particularly if it’s a dry herb. Store remaining buds properly to stop them from leaking their natural odor. The best way to do this is to keep your weed in a glass jar.
Vape Outdoors
Vaping outdoors is the best way to mask the smell of vaping cannabis because it allows the vapor to dissipate more quickly. If you can’t vape outdoors, do it in a well-ventilated room or beside a window. You can also do the age-old trick of placing a towel under the door to stop the smell from coming out of your room.
Mask The Smell
If you’re vaping indoors, you can also use essential oils, light a scented candle, or spray some perfume to ensure that there’s no trace of the smell. Many people also recommend popping a bag of microwavable popcorn, since the buttery smell of the snack tends to be so overpowering that it takes over the roomand hides the smell of the weed.
Choosing A Good Vaporizer
As we've mentioned before, any vape that uses dry plant material and conduction heating will likely have a stronger cannabis smell. Another factor to consider when you're looking for a vape with minimal scent is the heating time. A quicker heating time results in less time for the vape smell to be generated. That's why it pays to invest in a high-quality vaporizer. Be sure to choose a vape device that fits in with your life and smell preferences.
Conclusion: It Still Smells
Vaping weed does smell. But the scent it produces is not as strong or long-lasting as the odor smell created by smoking weed. So while the distinct smell of marijuana is there, it quickly disappears, and it doesn’t stick to your person or in the room. This makes vaping cannabis a better alternative for those who want to enjoy the high discreetly.Read about bringing vapes on a plane.
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