One reason herbal vaporizers have taken off so rapidly is the additional control offered by the device. A dry herb vaporizer has the ability to change the flavor of your vape with subtle adjustments.
Vaping marijuana is notably different than smoking it. You may be shocked to find that your favorite products taste very different through a vaporizer than they do when you smoke them, or even that there are big flavor differences between different vaporizers.
Introducing Temperature Control
Temperature is widely regarded as the most important aspect of your cannabis vaporizer. If you are already familiar with more popular e-liquid vaporizing, you will instantly notice that the typical marijuana vaporizer has a much smaller temperature control window. For instance, an advanced e-liquid vaporizer can go from 200 degrees to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. By contrast, many MMJ devices are really only designed to go from about 365 degrees to 420 degrees.
Given the difference in raw materials there is good reason for this. Too low of a temperature will not actually produce a terpene-filled vapor from your dry herb, and too high of a temperature will burn it just like if you were smoking. Vaping marijuana requires a degree of precision. A vaporizer that would give you precision temperature control like on the video below.
What You're Tasting
One of the big differences between smoking and vaping marijuana is the fact that you aren't actually consuming it. Your vaporizer needs to heat the dry material up enough for it to release the chemical cannabinoids that you're after, but not enough to actually incinerate it. The flavor you're getting is typically more subtle and free of the harsh smoke that comes with burning your material. This essentially clean form of using marijuana will taste notably different than smoking.
Reaching the Ideal Temperature
Despite the fact that vaping changes the makeup of the flavors you taste, there are still plenty of ways to extract the flavor you have come to know and love. If your favorite marijuana strains offer a rich earthy flavor, you can still get that flavor from your vaporizer; you just have to find the right temperature range.
Many experience MMJ vapers recommend starting at a mid-low range temperature around 365 to 375 degrees to begin with. This is warm enough to ensure that you are getting plenty of terpenes in your vape so none of the marijuana is going to waste, while also drawing out the natural flavor at the same time. It isn't too watered down, nor is it inefficient. You can start at this temperature and slowly move up or down until you find the sweet spot. Ultimately, you would need a vaporizer that would have a precision temperature control capability like on the video below.
Different Devices
Temperature alone may not be the only thing impacting the flavor of your vape. Another important consideration is the type of vaporizer you are using. The same herb used in two different vaporizers may taste entirely different because of the materials used in the vaporizer's construction and the vapor path.
For instance, the DaVinci Ascent vaporizer offers an all glass vapor path. Glass is commonly used because of its pure, inert nature. It stands up to a wide range of temperatures and doesn't leach any unusual flavors into your vape. By contrast, cheap vaporizers may use plastic mouth pieces or internal components that react negatively to heat and give off a harsh chemical taste that discolors your marijuana.
Some vaporizers use a direct vapor path that offers little resistance, while others are more complex and may alter the temperature or flavor of your vapor before it hits your mouth.
We know that finding the right MMJ vaporizer is really a matter of experimentation and time. You may find that some of your favorite strains to smoke taste very different in vapor form. You may also find that some strains that you don't like to smoke taste better with the cleaner sensation of vaping.
Vaporizing also requires a little bit of trial by fire when it comes to temperature. With smoking you can't control the heat that is applied to your herb, but with vapor you can balance the heat – and the amount of chemical processing that takes place with it – in the chamber and how the flavor comes out on the other end. Even vaporizers that share similar specs can vary greatly in performance depending on their construction.