What Temperature Should You Vape Flower?

You’ve probably noticed a lot of talk regarding different temperatures regarding vaping, especially when it comes to electric vaporizers. Of course, the best temperature to vape cannabis flower is partially personal preference, but there’s a little more to it.

The Effects of Different Temperatures when Vaping

Different chemicals have different boiling points; exceeding these is important if you want to begin to vaporize them effectively. It can be helpful to do a little research on which compounds are the most important to you to assist you with deciding on the best temperature at which to vape. However, many vaporizer users simply explore this through experimentation, and others start at a low temperature and work their way up, which is casually called temp stepping.

To look at things in the simplest way possible, if you’re looking for a lot of taste when vaping cannabis, you can start at lower temperatures (around 160°c) and go from there. However, suppose maximum vapor and the highest possible extraction are your goals. In that case, the higher end (usually 200°c - 220°c) is where you’ll find the most action, though this does come with more intense heat and will often be harsher, which is something of which to be aware.

What Temperature should you Vape CBD Flower?

For those who vape CBD flower, it should be treated a little differently than the high-THC flower, which typically contains very low-CBD levels. CBD or hemp flower is best vaped at higher temperatures if you intend to vaporize a good amount of the CBD in the flower.

When vaping CBD flowers, you can expect some of the CBD to vaporize between 160°c - 180°c; though you won’t find it vaporizing very well at these temps at all, you will still notice a lot of flavor in this temperature range. However, if you want to extract as much CBD from your flower as possible, you’ll find that temps around 220°c are typically required for a more complete CBD vaporization.

What Temperature is it Best to Vape High THC Flower?

When vaping cannabis flower high in THC, it’s typically best to start around 160°c, where you’ll find a lot of flavor and some minor effects that are typically more psychological than physical. However, if you were to stop here, you’d miss out on most of the potential the flower has to offer, which is still trapped inside, waiting to be vaporized with a little more heat.

At 180°c, you’ll receive more significant effects as more of the THC is vaporized and with greater efficiency. You can still achieve some nice flavorful hits at this temperature, but the THC will start to steal the show in terms of its effects.

If you’re looking for a moderately efficient extraction that isn’t too hot and won't char your material you may find the sweet spot for you is around 200°c. At this temperature, you’ll receive much of the THC the flower has to offer, and if you stop here, you can rest assured you haven’t left a considerable amount of it in the spent material once you’ve finished your session.

Suppose you intend on squeezing every last drop of cannabinoids out of your flower. In that case, you can start pushing the temperature up to 220°c, or if you can stand the heat and risk of charring around 230°c, which should be considered the max reasonable limit, if your device even supports operating this hot, many vaporizers max out at 210°c or 220°c.

At the highest temperatures, you can expect the vapor to be noticeably harsher and warmer, with flavor leaving quickly as the more volatile terpenes evaporate rather quickly at these temperatures. If you want to improve your experience while still hitting these temperatures to achieve fuller extractions, you can always leave it until you’re nearly finished with your session before boosting up to the higher temps for a final push.

What Temperature Should you Vape Balanced Flower?

Balanced cannabis flower has a significant amount of both CBD and THC. However, as THC vaporizes well at lower temperatures, you should aim for a higher temperature to ensure you get a good amount of CBD in the vapor.

If you just want to get a little CBD alongside your THC and aren’t too concerned about the CBD, you can start around 180°c, but if you’re aiming to benefit from both cannabinoids hitting at least 200°c is a good target.

Conclusion

When vaping cannabis flower, the best way to find out what works for you is to experiment. Starting low and working your way up can help you to find that sweet spot that gives you the results you’re looking to achieve.

When vaping cannabis flower, you are heating essentially a raw material that contains a mix of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds, and that’s not even taking into account variations between flowers of different strains and even batches, so attempting to pinpoint specific temperatures for precise results can be a bit hit and miss as vaporization will produce a vapor containing more of a spectrum of various things. Still, once you find a temperature that works well for you, it should be consistent enough to produce great results every time.