The Volcano exists in a class of its own. This iconic device dates back all the way to the year 2000 where it helped popularize herbal vaping into the mainstream. It’s ability to pack flavor, power and efficiency into a stylish and cool looking frame really hasn’t been matched in innovation since. With all this being said, there’s still a few things to learn to get the absolute most out of yours:
Grind Up Your Herb
This may seem a bit obvious as a tip, but the Volcano comes with a grinder for a reason. Use it! The one Storz & Bickel provide with the Volcano is actually designed specifically for vaporizers. It grinds herbs into a fine almost powder that helps guarantee the heat completely extracts all the goodness from each and every chamber-full.
Don’t Let Your Eyes Deceive You
Your first bag-full when putting in a freshly loaded chamber into the Volcano may not look as you expect. There’s a good chance it will look like a bag mostly full of air, without the cloudy vapes you’ve been conditioned to expect. This is not true.
This mostly-clear bag is actually the strongest and best tasting vape of the batch. The natural oils and moisture within the herb are released first before anything else, and these produce a nearly clear vapor. As the herb gets more used up and these oils and moistures dissipate, then you’ll start seeing the thicker clouds in the bag.
Heating it up more may help with this as well, since it will get those oils out quicker and in a higher quantity. Experiment some, but just be sure not to underestimate the power of these initial clear bags.
Get The Most From Your Herbs
Though vaping is a much more efficient and healthy way of consuming herbs than smoking, there can still be some waste. This is due to convection, which requires air to pass through a chamber, and it can end up not heating up some of the herbs that are sitting on the top.
To fix this simply let the chamber sit without the fan on for a few minutes, let the herb absorb some extra heat, and then turn it back on. This should give it an extra oomph of conduction power for a full extraction.
Get The Most From Each Pack
There’s a few different ways of packing up a chamber in the Volcano which are suitable for different situations.
If you’re using the solid valve, you’re able to put in just about any size load that you could want. Feel-free to experiment with this style as it’s designed for the most adaptability of any of the other options.
The easy valve, on the other hand, works best when either half or fully filled. This one may take a bit of fiddling with the amount to pack to get the exact right vape you want. The rule of thumb is if it seems like the vapor is too light, add a bit more herb.
Finally if you’re mostly a solo user, then there’s the option of using the Volcano Dosing Capsules. These metal canisters allow you to load up a 1/10th gram chamber with the same convection capabilities as a standard chamber. This gives a single user the option of having a nice short session without worrying about overdoing it alone.
High Temperatures Are Your Friend
This may seem somewhat counterintuitive, especially if you’re used to other vaporizers scorching your herbs at high temps, but the Volcano is designed for it. The convection system used on the Volcano operates with a swift airflow, meaning those high temperatures aren’t just sitting there baking your herb. Beyond that, it also cools down significantly once it enters the bag so you don’t need to worry about a hit that will send you into a coughing fit either.
It’s worth experimenting with the higher temperatures if you’re looking for a very powerful bag of vapor. Just be sure to finish it off in a timely manner, as it’ll grow a bit stale after a few minutes of sitting in the bag.