What is a Chillum Pipe & How Do You Use It?
Are you interested in a small, single-smoke session that gets the job done without using a lot of marijuana? You’re going to want to pick up a chillum. In this guide, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about these one-hit wonders, including:
- What is a Chillum?
- How Do You Use a Chillum?
- How Do You Clean a Chillum?
- Chillums vs One-Hitters: What’s the Difference?
- Answering FAQs About Chillums
What is a Chillum?
A chillum is a type of cannabis pipe designed to hold a small amount of flower, suitable for one or two puffs. These consumption tools have been around for thousands of years, traditionally used in specific events to smoke hash. The chillum was held vertically between the middle and ring fingers, allowing an opening with the index finger for smoking. The vertical hold helped to prevent cannabis from falling out of the small bowl.
Now, chillums come in all different varieties and can be smoked horizontally as well as vertically. While you can smoke hash with your chillum, they can also handle a single session of ground flower, too. You’ll find that chillums are a favorite among cannabis enthusiasts because of their portability, ease of use, and discrete nature.
How Do You Use a Chillum?
There are two things to know about using a chillum: don’t grind your marijuana flower too fine or you’ll end up burning it too fast or inhaling ash, and keep your chillum angled when you smoke it to ensure your precious flower doesn’t fall out.
Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to use a chillum:
Step 1: Grind the Flower
Grab your grinder and grind your flower to ensure an even burn–just be careful not to grind it too fine. This will make it burn faster, or worse, drag ash into your mouth when you inhale.
Step 2: Place in Bowl
Take your ground cannabis and drop it onto your rolling tray. There you can grab a pinch or two and pack it into the bowl of your chillum. While you can fit more than you might think, be careful not to overpack.
Step 3: Light & Inhale
Once you have your bowl packed just the way you like it, you can light it. Some cannabis enthusiasts choose to use a hemp wick but most grab their trusty lighter to get the job done. Be sure to hold your chillum so that the flower doesn’t fall out. After that, simply inhale and enjoy.
How Do You Clean a Chillum?
Cleaning your tools is probably the least exciting thing about consuming cannabis. There’s one way to make it easier: do it frequently, especially when it comes to small tools like chillums. That said, it’s pretty easy to get done.
Grab a sealable plastic bag and add some isopropyl alcohol and coarse salt inside it. Place your chillum in the bag and swish it around to ensure the liquid gets into all the nooks and crannies of your chillum. Then, if it’s especially dirty, let it sit for a little bit. This will allow any built-up residue to soften.
Once you’ve finished soaking, grab a pipe cleaner and push it through the stem of the chillum. This will get anything left out of your marijuana pipe. Soak it again in the bag as many times as you need to to get the debris out, rinse it with water, and then let it dry.
Chillums vs One-Hitters: What’s the Difference?
If you read enough articles, you’ll see that there are two different takes on chillums. One says that chillums are a type of one-hitter, and the other says that chillums and one-hitters are the same thing. We tend to agree with the latter. While there are different types of one-hitters, if you hear someone say one-hitter or chillum, they’re likely referring to the exact same thing.
Answering FAQs About Chillums
Once you’ve got the basics of a chillum down, there are just a few things you need to know.
What’s the difference between a chillum and a one-hitter?
Most people use the words chillum and one-hitter interchangeably. While chillum once referred to a clay pipe used by Hindu monks, today they’re made of all different materials and enjoyed by cannabis enthusiasts around the world.
How many times can you use a chillum?
Chillums are also called one-hitters for a reason: They can generally be used for a sizable, single session of marijuana smoking. Of course, everyone’s different, so what would be the perfect one-hit for one person may not be the same for another.
What’s the difference between a chillum and a hand pipe?
Hand pipes are a category of cannabis tool that encompasses everything from one-hitters to spoon pipes. It’s any type of pipe that can be held by hand that isn’t a water pipe, or “bong.” Chillums are a type of hand pipe.
Purchasing Chillums
If you’re looking for a glass chillum or any type of chillum, head down to your local dispensary. Chances are, they will have a variety of chillums you can choose from in order to find the perfect tool for you. Of course, you should also pick up your favorite cannabis flower to enjoy in your new chillum.