Stirring Those Herbs When Vaping from a Desktop Vaporizer

Stirring Those Herbs When Vaping from a Desktop Vaporizer

Posted by Vaporizer Chief on 7th Nov 2021

Desktop vaporizers are an excellent choice for those who prefer to inhale big clouds but want a solution for their herbs that doesn’t involve combustion. These relatively large vaporizer devices are incredibly powerful, and better yet, they come with various adjustable settings that put you in charge of how you experience your vapor in terms of potency, output amount, flavor and more.

One question that’s often asked is whether or not a person should stir their herbs throughout the process of operating one of these devices. Does giving those herbs the occasional stir actually enhance the vaping experience, or is it an unnecessary and tedious inconvenience?

Should You Give Your Herbs a Stir?

To better answer this, we first need to understand how a desktop vaporizer heats the herb that’s in the chamber. The large majority of desktop vaporizers rely on convection as their method of supplying heat to the flower. Convection blows hot air throughout the chamber, which causes the dry herb inside to move around. This is the most common alternative to conduction-based heating, in which the flower directly makes contact with a hot surface.

Because desktop vaporizers almost always revolve around convection, stirring is not as critical as it would be with a convection-based device. Quite simply, the process of convection does a far better job at supplying heat to the flower evenly. But still, we recommend stirring your dry herb. And, note that conduction-based desktop vaporizers certainly do exist, and with these devices, stirring is all the more important because the uneven heating means a higher risk of burning your herbs, which are, again, making direct contact with the heating element. While the process of convection is great for evenly distributing heat, and also moving the flower around in the chamber, it may not be enough depending on how tightly packed the chamber is, the grind, or the output level you’re using.

The Risk of Burning Your Herbs

Basically, regardless of the heating method your desktop vaporizer utilizes, the higher the temperature you’re vaping at, the more important it is that you stir your herbs. This truly ensures even heating, which accomplishes a few things. For one, it prevents the risk of burning your flower, which doesn’t just produce an unenjoyable flavor, but also destroys the potency of the flower by overcooking its compounds. And, of course, burnt dry herb means wasted money in the long run.

The more packed your chamber is, the harder it will be for heat to be distributed evenly, and the higher the chance will be that your herbs will burn as a result. Further, stirring your herbs when vaping with a tightly packed chamber will increase airflow. Bear in mind that the finer the grind, the higher the likelihood of burning as well, since there’s less surface heating area through which heat can be distributed.

Using a Desktop Vaporizer Bag without a Valve

Desktop vaporizers that use a bag may or may not come with a valve, which seals the bag when it’s being handled so that no vapor escapes. Other models do not contain a valve and require that the user manually seals the bag with their hand when it’s being held. This may seem like an inconvenience, but it doesn’t require much effort, and not as much vapor will escape from an unsealed bag as you may think.

Either way, if you’re using a vaporizer bag that does not have a valve, stirring your herbs is all the more important. Beginners especially may be likely to let out some vapor, and if the herbs haven’t been stirred, the vapor may already be less potent due to uneven heat distribution.

Stirring Your Herbs: Worth the Effort

The clear consensus is that in many cases, it’s worth giving those herbs a stir mid-vaping session. Overall, this leads to a more consistent vaping experience, better flavor and a reduced chance of damaging your dry herb.