If you've read up on concentrates — rosin, live resin, hash — you know what they are, but that leaves the obvious next question: how do you actually use the stuff? For rosin, live resin, and hash, the classic answer is a dab rig. It looks a little intimidating on the shelf — glass, a torch, a small dish — but the process is genuinely simple once someone walks you through it slowly. That's what this guide does. No rush, no bravado, no "take the biggest dab you can." Just the parts, the technique, and a beginner-friendly way in.

What is a dab rig, exactly?

A dab rig is a water pipe built for concentrates instead of flower. Where a bong burns dried bud with a lighter, a rig vaporizes a small amount of concentrate on a surface you've pre-heated. The water cools and filters the vapor on its way to you, the same way it does in a bong. That's the whole idea: heat a surface, touch a little concentrate to it, breathe in the vapor.

You'll also hear about e-rigs — electric rigs with a built-in heating element and a temperature setting, no open flame needed. More on those below, because for a nervous first-timer they're often the friendliest place to begin.

What are the parts of a rig?

A traditional torch-heated rig has a handful of pieces. Knowing the names makes the rest of this guide click:

• The rig (glass piece). The water pipe itself — a small chamber you add a little water to, with a mouthpiece up top.
• The banger or nail. The dish you heat and dab onto. A banger is the common bucket-shaped quartz version; "nail" is the older catch-all term. This is the part that gets hot.
• The torch. A small butane torch to heat the banger. (An e-rig replaces this with an electric heater and a button.)
• The dab tool. A little metal or glass wand for picking up and placing the concentrate — you don't use your fingers.
• The carb cap. A small cap you set over the banger after dabbing. It traps heat and lowers the pressure so your concentrate vaporizes fully at a lower temperature — a big upgrade in flavor and efficiency.
• A timer. Optional but genuinely useful: your phone's stopwatch, so you can time the cool-down instead of guessing.

Low-temp vs. high-temp: what's the difference?

This is the one concept that separates a good dab from a harsh one. It's about how hot the banger is when the concentrate touches it:

• High-temp — dabbing onto a screaming-hot, glowing banger. The concentrate flashes off instantly with a big, harsh, hot plume. It's the wasteful, coughy way — a lot of the flavor is simply burned away.
• Low-temp — heating the banger, then letting it cool for a bit before you dab. The concentrate vaporizes gently instead of scorching. You get a smoother pull, far more of the flavor and aroma, and you're not wasting product.

For a beginner there's no real contest: low-temp is smoother, tastier, and more forgiving. The whole technique below is a low-temp method.

How do I take a low-temp dab, step by step?

Here's the calm, torch-rig version, start to finish. Read it through once before you light anything.

1. Set up. Add water to the rig — just enough to cover the downstem's air holes, not so much it splashes up to the mouthpiece. Have your concentrate, dab tool, and carb cap within reach.
2. Load the tool first. Use the dab tool to pick up a tiny amount of concentrate — rice-grain size or smaller (see the next section). Set it aside on the tool so it's ready; you don't want to be fumbling once the banger's hot.
3. Heat the banger. Aim the torch at the bottom of the banger and heat until it's very hot. (If you're new, heating until it just barely glows, then cooling, is a reliable starting point.) Turn the torch off and set it down safely.
4. Let it cool — this is the key step. Wait roughly 30 to 60 seconds. This is where the timer helps. A quartz banger that just stopped glowing is far too hot; letting it cool is what makes the dab smooth instead of harsh. Cooler and slower is the beginner-friendly direction.
5. Dab and cap. Touch the concentrate to the inside of the banger and gently swipe/rotate the tool so it all melts onto the surface. As it starts to vaporize, place the carb cap over the top and inhale slowly and steadily. Rotate the cap if it has an airflow directional feature.
6. Exhale, then let go. Take the cap off when you're done, and set everything down. Wait several minutes before deciding whether you want any more — concentrates can take a moment to fully arrive.

How big should a beginner dab be?

Small. Genuinely, surprisingly small. Concentrates are much more concentrated than flower, so the amount you use is a fraction of what a bowl or joint would hold. A sensible first dab is about the size of a grain of rice — or smaller. You can always heat up and take a second one; you can't undo one that was too big.

This is the same principle we cover for edibles: start low, go slow, and wait. With dabs the effect arrives faster than an edible, but the instinct is identical — begin with less than you think, notice how you feel, and only then decide about more. If you ever overdo it, our calm guide to feeling too high is a good, level-headed read.

Is an e-rig easier for a first-timer?

Often, yes. An e-rig is an electric, battery-powered rig with a heating chamber and a temperature setting. You pick a temp, press a button, wait for it to signal it's ready, load your dab, cap, and inhale — no torch, no butane, no guessing at the cool-down. For someone who's uneasy about an open flame, or who just wants repeatable results, an e-rig removes most of the fiddly parts. Start it on the lower end of its temperature range for the smooth, flavorful, low-temp experience.

There's no wrong choice between a traditional torch rig and an e-rig — it's a preference. Traditionalists like the ritual and the control of a torch; a lot of newcomers find the e-rig's set-it-and-forget-it simplicity is what finally makes dabbing feel approachable.

How do I keep a rig clean?

A clean banger is the difference between a bright, tasty dab and a stale, harsh one — leftover residue burns and ruins the flavor of the next hit. The good news is upkeep is easy if you do a little each time:

• Swab while it's still warm. After the vapor clears and the banger has cooled to just-warm (not hot), use a cotton swab to wipe out the leftover residue (the little puddle called "reclaim"). Doing this every session keeps buildup from ever starting.
• Deep-clean occasionally. When residue does build up, isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs handle the banger. Change the rig's water regularly, too — stale water means stale-tasting vapor.
• Don't shock the glass. Let hot quartz cool before it touches cold water or a cold surface; sudden temperature swings can crack it.

We go deeper on cleaning glass and gear in how to clean your cannabis gear — the same habits apply to a rig.

What can I dab — and where do I use it?

A rig is made for concentrates, so the products that fit are the ones you'd find in that part of the menu:

• Live rosin and rosin — solventless concentrates a lot of Vermont craft fans reach for when they want maximum flavor. (Curious about the difference from a vape cart? See distillate vs. live resin.)
• Live resin and other extracts — flavorful solvent-based concentrates. If the solventless-vs-solvent distinction is new to you, we break it down here.
• Hash — traditional and modern pressed hash also dabs well.

Menus rotate constantly, so rather than name a specific jar, browse the concentrates section of the live menu and tell a budtender you're dabbing at home and just starting out — they'll point you to something forgiving and full of flavor. And a Vermont reminder that matters here: cannabis is 21+ and private-use only. Public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in Vermont, so a rig is strictly an at-home affair — not the waterfront, not Church Street, not a car. The menu price is the final, all-in price, with Vermont's cannabis tax already included, and nothing you buy can legally cross state lines.

Where do I start at Float On?

Float On is on Church Street in downtown Burlington. If you're rig-curious, the easiest on-ramp is a conversation: come in, tell a budtender you're new to dabbing, and ask them to walk you through a beginner-friendly concentrate and whether a torch rig or an e-rig suits you better. Or browse the live menu first and pick up under your name. Bring a valid 21+ photo ID, keep it for private use at home, and — one more time, because it's the whole game — start rice-grain small.