​Best bong water alternative to infuse your bud with flavor

Best bong water alternative to infuse your bud with flavor

 

Smoking from a bong is one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis. Little wonder, as bongs can give you the ultimate high while also providing a nice, smooth hit. On the other hand, it can get a bit repetitive using the same old bong, so to keep things fresh, you can add a little twist of flavor to your bong water.

There are plenty of options when it comes to infusing a little extra flavor into your bong hit. You can use juice or tea to add taste or soda water to add an exciting fizz. 

But before you start experimenting, it's essential to know that not all drinks are good for adding to your bong. For example, milk will make your cannabis less potent, and using a high content alcohol beverage poses some dangers that are best avoided. Here is a rundown of the top alternatives we've found that will infuse your hits with extra flavor.

Credit for photo: Vice.com

Ice water

Using ice water instead of regular bottled or tap water will add a crisp freshness to your hits. 

The next time you smoke, add lots of ice to the water for a completely different smoking experience.

Ice helps cool the smoke as it filters. It also delivers super-smooth rips and enhances certain flavors of cannabis, which is useful for users who like to taste their buds.

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Sparkling water

Sparkling water (don't confuse this with soda) like Perrier or LaCroix is a favorite alternative for regular bong water. You can add extra zing by choosing from various sparkling fruit-flavored water like San Pellegrino or Schweppes. With lemon, lime, pomelo, and other flavors, there's plenty to experiment with. 

The flavors are more subtle than you'll get with fruit juice, but these delicate undertones of taste coupled with the carbonation in the water will completely alter the texture and taste of your hits.  

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Tea

Another trendy alternative to regular bong water is to add tea to your bong. 

Just like ice water, freshly brewed black, green, or herbal teas can give your smoke a rich yet subtle flavor enhancement. 

A good thing about tea is that there are many kinds of tea, so you can always try out a new flavor. Don't brew the tea in your bong. It would be best if you brewed it in a teapot or use a carafe. 

Adding some freshly brewed hot tea to your bong pipe can make for nice warming hits in the winter. Be careful when pouring hot tea into a glass bong. Cheap water pipes made of low-quality glass may crack due to thermal expansion. 

Likewise, the use of hot liquids in cheap acrylic bongs is not recommended, as the heat may interact with the plastic to release potentially toxic plastic fumes, or the heat could distort your pipe.

Some people prefer iced tea to hot tea, and this goes the same for when adding it to a bong. You can add some iced tea into your bong for an incredibly cool and smooth smoking experience. 

To do this, make the tea as usual and then cool it in the fridge for a while. Then filter the tea into your bong and add plenty of ice. Alternatively, you can freeze the tea and make it into ice cubes and add those into the water pipe along with water. 

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Gatorade

Gatorade and similar sports drinks make a good water substitute to add to your bong. 

Gatorade will give your smoke a pleasant, subtle aroma, most noticeable when you exhale.

The only downside to Gatorade and sports drinks is the high amount of sugar. Therefore, after smoking with Gatorade, be sure to rinse the bong with warm water. Otherwise, the sugar will make the bong sticky, and if you don't clean it regularly in the future, this can grow mold or other bacteria that is bad for your health as well as that of the bong.

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Infused water

Some people like to keep to plain water but choose to enhance it with some natural flavors. From mint leaves and ginger to orange and lemon peels, or refreshing fruits such as kiwi, lime, or blueberry, anything can add some zip to the flavor.

Whichever ingredient you choose, we recommend adding it to a pot of cold water and leaving it to infuse in the fridge for at least a few hours.

Alternatively, you can boil the extra ingredients in the water for 5-10 minutes and then let it cool completely, and this helps the water absorb more flavor and aroma.

Filter the particulars out of the infused water before adding the water to your bong. This way, you won't clog up the percs with bits of fruit pulp or leaves. 

As we mentioned before, some ice can add a smoothing dimension to the smoke, but some people chose to go with hot infused water. Why not try both out and let us know which one you like the best!

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Fruit juice

You can add a variety of flavors to your bong smoke by using fruit juice instead of water in your bong. Try orange, apple, grapefruit juice, or anything that sounds good to you. You're sure to find a favorite with a little experimenting. 

The best juice is fresh juice that has no artificial ingredients or additives.

You may also need to add lots of ice cubes to the juice for the best experience and smooth smoke. On a hot summer day, what could be better than ripping some dank weed from a bong with cold, fruity, fresh juice?

Remember that fruit juices are high in natural sugar content, so clean your water pipe well after to avoid it getting sticky or growing mold.

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Cranberry juice

Okay, we've already mentioned juice above, but cranberry juice is worth its own mention. Cranberry juice is unique because it confers a sour and slightly bitter taste to the smoke, which is very satisfying. Plus, pure 100% cranberry juice has way less sugar than other juices, so it won't mess up your pipe so quickly. 

Some people also say cranberry juice is better because it contains vitamin C. For the best flavor experience with cranberry juice, we recommend using freshly squeezed cranberry juice without additives.

According to most online sources, cranberry juice's higher acidity helps keep glassware clean longer, which is good news for those struggling to find the motivation to clean their bong regularly.

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Wine

Putting high-alcohol drinks (such as vodka, gin, or rum) into a bong is usually a bad idea for several reasons. 

Inhaling alcohol fumes from high-strength liquor can cause serious health problems, and mixing fire and alcohol can turn your bong experience into a potentially dangerous situation.

However, due to its lower alcohol content, wine poses much less risk than vodka.

If you want to use wine instead of plain water, try a medium-sweet red wine like a Malbec. Alternatively, you may want to try a sparkling Lambrusco. Those extra bubbles will change up the texture of the smoke.

Credit for photo: foodandwine.com

Final thoughts on bong water alternatives

There are plenty of options when it comes to bong water alternatives. 

Ice water, infusions, juice, or wine bring a new experience and are all tested alternatives! 

The different terpenes in cannabis, such as limonene or myrcene, can make your weed smell and taste citrusy or of mango, thyme, lemongrass, etc. When choosing a bong water alternative, consider the aroma and flavor of your weed strain and then try to further enhance these by opting for complimenting flavors when choosing which fruit juice or other ingredients you infuse into the bong water. 

Try to avoid liquids that are high in fat. The main ingredient in weed that gets you high is THC. As THC is soluble in fatty substances, milk and other sorts of fatty liquids are not suitable for use in your bong as you'll lose some of the potences from your weed to them. 

THC is soluble in alcohol, so liquids containing alcohol are generally not recommended, especially not high content alcohol. 

Take care when using extremely hot water; not only could you scold yourself, but hot water could damage plastic bongs releasing toxic chemicals. It can also cause thermal expansion in cheap glass bongs, causing them to crack. 

Remember that if you are not using regular water, you will need to be extra careful when cleaning the bong after use. For some useful tips on how to clean your bong thoroughly, check out our article "How to Clean a Glass Bong" where you'll learn everything you need to know to keep your water pipe sparkling clean!