If you’re ready to try concentrates, or have been dabbing for a while and heard people talk about “hot and cold starts” and want to know more, we can help with that.

There are two different methods for dabbing (a way of consuming cannabis concentrates through vaporization): hot and cold start.

Each method gives different benefits and ways of enjoying concentrates. Here are the basics on each – how to do them, the effects, and differences.
  

The Hot Start Dab

This is the classic method most people picture: heat your quartz banger until it’s glowing, wait for it to cool to your target temp, then drop the concentrate in.

Temp range: roughly 600°F and up (for those going full blast). Most experienced dabbers work in the 500–650°F range rather than scorching hot

What you get:

• A more immediate, hard-hitting effect.
• Less flavor complexity, but more vapor production per dab.

Best for: High-tolerance consumers, quicker sessions, or products where terpene nuance isn’t the main event. Useful if your focus isn’t flavor.
The tradeoff: Harsher on the throat. Burns off terpenes quickly, which means you’re losing some of what makes a concentrate worth concentrating. At very high temps, you can also degrade the product.

The Cold Start Dab

Cold start (also called a reverse dab) flips the process. Instead of heating your banger first, you load your concentrate into a cold rig, then apply heat gradually until it melts and vaporizes. You pull as it heats up.

This method works best with electric rigs like Puffco-style devices, electric nectar collectors, or seahorse-style devices because the device controls the heat gradually and evenly.

These rigs have chambers designed to heat concentrates from a controlled starting point that helps protect the flavor, preserve more of the terpenes, and reduce the chance of instantly scorching the oil. You won’t have to rely on guesswork with a torch.

Temp range: roughly 400–450°F

What you get:

• Preserves terpenes and the more subtle flavors of the concentrate.
• A smoother, cooler hit. 
• More control over the vaporization temperature and speed.

Best for: Flavor-forward consumers, anyone dabbing rosin or high-quality live resin, and newer concentrate users who want a more controlled, less intense experience. Can be gentler on the lungs and throat

If you’re spending money on premium product, cold start is a great way to taste what you bought.

The tradeoff: Might require a different (electric) setup or rig. There’s also a learning curve to knowing when to pull.

A note on product: Temperature matters even more when you’re working with higher-quality concentrates. Rosin in particular — made without solvents, full of intact terpenes — is most expressive at low temps.

  

The Best Way to Figure Out Your Preference: Try Both

Come in around 710 and ask your budtender what’s fresh. They can walk you through what’s in right now and help you figure out which method makes the most sense for however you like to consume.