Admittedly, the developments of the dabbing world are sometimes a lot to keep up with. The high potency, variety of extraction methods and quick turnaround time to take a dab have infatuated myriad cannabis consumers over the years, with many turning to favor concentrates over the tried-and-true methods of flower consumption.
If you are one such consumer, or simply enjoy a good dab session every now and then, you might be familiar with terp pearls. If not? Buckle up and get ready to amp up your concentrate game.
These small but mighty spheres are some of the newest and most functional accessories to incorporate into your concentrate consumption. Jump in with us to explore the ins and outs of terp pearls, how to use them and how they can drastically alter your dabbing experience.
What Are Terp Pearls?
Terp pearls have a number of names: dab beads, terp balls, dab balls, banger beads, the list goes on.
Whatever moniker you prefer, terp pearls are small balls, roughly four to six millimeters in thickness, often made from materials like quartz, borosilicate glass, ceramic, even ruby and sapphire, among other materials.
When used with a carb cap or bubble cap, the pearls circle in the banger, and the constant spinning increases airflow and helps to distribute heat, which cools down the concentrate and preserves its terpenes. Terp pearls make it easier to consume concentrates at lower temperatures, and those familiar with low temp dabbing know it leads to a better experience.
There are a number of reasons to use terp pearls.
Who doesn’t love more flavor?
are also responsible for creating the psychoactive effects of cannabis, so more terpenes typically means the high will pack a bigger punch, with different terpenes leading to different effects.The pearls also help to distribute the concentrate evenly around the banger to help a user to vaporize every last drop of the hit, rather than leaving behind residue and waste.
Using terp pearls allows the user to opt for low-temperature dabbing, which can lead to a more potent hit, with more terpenes and a higher quality flavor profile. Apart from the function, these dab pearls are plainly a fun accessory for users to watch and incorporate into their sessions.
What Types of Terp Pearls Are Available?
As we open this Pandora’s Box of sorts, it can be overwhelming to realize the variety of terp pearl options. As previously mentioned, terp pearls are made from a number of different materials, and this is surely something to pay attention to as you shop. Your ideal pearl may very much depend on your needs.
Borosilicate and Ceramic Pearls
Ceramic and borosilicate pearls are often cheaper; they can be relatively fragile, more likely to melt or crack in intense heat or among rapid temperature changes.
Quartz Pearls
A quartz banger on a dab rig is a popular option to ensure durability among fluctuating temperatures. Quartz pearls, for that same reason, are often a go-to choice.
Quartz terp pearls are typically the most popular. A quartz pearl is going to help balance out cost, heat retention and durability, which will ultimately lend itself to a tastier and smooth dab. Quartz is also more resistant to thermal shock, which means they can be cleaned with a torch or dropped into isopropyl alcohol to keep them neat and tidy.
Ruby and Sapphire Pearls
While sapphire and
have high heat retention and will deliver some quality flavor, they aren’t as resistant to thermal shock as quartz. It doesn’t have to be a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind as you clean the pearls. If they are cared for properly, they can still last a lifetime even with regular use.These pearls are definitely an aesthetic dream, as the colors shine bright, make for a great spin and are often UV reactive and glow under a blacklight.
SIC Pearls
To throw in yet another option, silicone carbide pearls have superior heat retention and conductivity and are very resistant to thermal shock. These will be ideal for pretty much any rig: easy to clean with a torch or alcohol and flexible among low or high heat.
How to Use Terp Pearls
Most terp pearl users heat up their banger with the pearls already inside, though if your terp pearls can’t handle high heat, you’ll have to heat the banger first and then drop your dab pearls inside.
This is also dependent on your preference, but should your pearls allow it, many consumers prefer to drop the pearls in, heat their banger and then let it cool to the ideal temperature.
Once the banger is at the desired temperature, with little beads inside, dab in some concentrate. Only certain carb caps will work: Use a cyclone/vortex carb cap; a bubble or directional airflow carb cap will also do the trick.
After popping on the carb cap, you’ll get the terp pearls in your dabbing rig spinning. From there, the dab pearls’ constant spinning spreads liquidized concentrates around the banger and will provide more heat over the entire surface area. The terp pearls push the heat evenly through the banger, leading to more flavorful hits.
A common question here is, “how many should I use?”
Typically, using one pearl is going to ensure that it spins. Many consumers will use up to two or three, though to ensure the terp pearls spin, avoid stacking them on top of one another and maintain a single layer on the banger’s surface. This is also fully dependent on the size of your terp pearls and banger.
If your terp pearls aren’t spinning, it might be because of the amount in your banger. You might not be using the right carb cap, as the airflow is crucial in getting the terp pearls moving. Only certain caps will get your terp pearls properly spinning: Once again, stick with directional carb caps and vortex carb caps.
Cleaning and Preserving Residue
It’s important to keep your terp pearls clean to help retain the terpene flavor and maintain those quality hits they’re built for. With that in mind, clean terp pearls after each dabbing session to optimize the experience, pearl longevity and ensure concentrate residue doesn’t build up.
Wait until the terp pearls cool down, then mix them with isopropyl alcohol until the residue is gone. Wipe them down with a cotton swab or q-tip, and you’ll be good to go, just give them a bit of time to dry and cool off before trying another round.
For folks trying to really maximize their concentrate use and preserve the residue left on the terp pearls, try soaking them in alcohol for about a half hour. Start with less alcohol at first, as small amounts will evaporate quicker.
Once the residue naturally soaks into the alcohol and off of the terp pearls, remove the pearls and let the alcohol-reclaim solution sit out to evaporate. A sunny window might expedite the process, but given the highly flammable nature of the alcohol, it’s critical to leave the mixture in a safe place.
After a day or two, the alcohol should be fully evaporated. You can scrape the remaining residue off the bottom of the dish with a dab tool, and store it on wax paper or a silicone container.
As mentioned previously, a torch clean will make material like ruby, sapphire, borosilicate and ceramic crack and is not recommended. Quartz shouldn’t crack when torch cleaned, though repeatedly cleaning your terp pearls in this way may decrease their heat retaining capabilities.
Proceed at your own risk, or stick with alcohol-based cleaning.
Parting Thoughts and Considerations
Sure, you don’t have to use terp pearls to dab, but low temp dabs truly preserve the delicious flavor profile abundant in many concentrates and support a better overall dabbing experience. Once you try them out, you might be reluctant to get your dab on without them.
Should you care for your terp pearls, you shouldn’t need to worry about replacing them often (unless, of course, you want to add some other colors or varieties to your collection).
And fortunately, they are fairly affordable: A handful of terp pearls will likely burden your wallet significantly less than even a single gram of concentrate. The folks at
, and have some great options to get you started.We’re far past the days of haphazard dabbing. Concentrate consumers want an efficient option that also provides a great high and even better flavor. These miracle dab balls provide this and more, are easy to use and clean and will surely provide consistent dabs for any future sessions.
If you made it this far, it might be time optimize your dabbing session with terp pearls, one incredible and simple tool of the trade.