How to Use a Cannabis Chillum Properly | Pop's Cannabis

Quick answer

Pack a chillum loose with 0.1 to 0.3 g of ground cannabis. Hold the tube at about 45 degrees with the bowl up. Light the corner of the bowl and draw in pulls of 2 to 3 seconds. Tap out the ash and clean the tube after each session.

how to clean a cannabis chillum

What a chillum is

A chillum is a straight tube with a cone bowl at one end and a mouthpiece at the other. Most are 3 to 5 inches long and hold 0.1 to 0.3 g. Glass, ceramic, stone, and silicone are the common materials. A chillum has no carb, so airflow comes from pack density and lip pressure on the mouthpiece.

Cannabis Chillum for Beginners: Tips to Get Started

Steps

1. Grind. Break the cannabis into pieces of 2 to 3 mm. A medium grind burns with less stirring. Powder clogs the tube.
2. Add a screen. A glass chillum with a wide bowl takes an 8 mm mesh screen. The screen keeps ash and resin out of the airway.
3. Load. Drop 0.1 to 0.3 g into the bowl. Tamp it with light finger pressure so the top sits 3 mm below the rim. A tight pack cuts the draw and pulls hot smoke.
4. Angle. Hold the chillum at 45 degrees. Gravity keeps the herb in the bowl and the flame off the material.
5. Light. Touch the flame to the corner of the bowl, not the center. Move the flame in a circle and pull at the same time. A hemp wick burns cooler than a butane lighter.
6. Draw. Take pulls of 2 to 3 seconds. Seal your lips around the mouthpiece but keep the grip light. A hard seal on a small tube pulls resin into your mouth.

Draw and airflow

A chillum burns from the top down. The first pull lights the surface. The second pull carries the smoke. Stop when the ash turns gray and the draw gets tight. Tap the ash into a tray. Do not blow into the bowl, since that pushes ash into the tube.

cannabis chillum for beginners tips

Cleaning

Soak a glass chillum in 90% isopropyl alcohol for 30 minutes. Add coarse salt for scrubbing. Run a pipe cleaner through the full length of the tube. Rinse with warm water and let it dry. Resin collects in the narrow end first, and a blocked mouthpiece gives an uneven pull. Clean after every 3 to 5 sessions, and after each session if the tube is short.

Common mistakes

• Packing 0.5 g or more into a 4 inch tube. The draw stops and the herb burns uneven.
• Grinding to powder. Powder pulls through the mouthpiece.
• Holding the flame on the center of the bowl for 5 seconds. The herb chars before the first pull.
• Sharing without wiping the mouthpiece. Saliva carries bacteria.
• Skipping the screen on a wide bowl. Ash and resin reach your mouth.

Safety

Cannabis smoke contains tar and irritants. The CDC reports that cannabis smoke carries many of the same toxins as tobacco smoke. A chillum delivers a small dose in a short time, and the effect starts within minutes. Keep the first dose small. In the US, cannabis sales require age 21 and a state license. Check your state law before you buy or carry a chillum.