It’s that time of year again, which is to say, roughly the same time as last year — but never exactly the same time — because it’s Hanukkah… right? Yes! Yes!
Hanukkah celebrates the victory of Judah Maccabee, a warrior priest and guerrilla leader who led a guerrilla force against the Seleucid Empire’s numerically superior army. It also commemorates Jerusalem’s Temple being re-dedicated. It’s kind of a long story, but here’s the gist: A Syrian king tried to outlaw Jewish worship and claim the Temple — the nucleus of ancient Jewish culture and law — for Hellenistic rituals.
You didn’t get what you wanted.
After gaining control over the Holy Temple and its menorah (a symbolic oil lamp), the Maccabees were able to rededicate this temple to worship. Left with only enough oil to light the sacred lamp of the Holy Temple for one night, the Maccabees fired up the lamp anyway and it stayed lit — for eight days and nights.
If you’ve got enough oil to last eight days, it is a simple matter of planning and persistence. What if all you have is one gram? It would seem miraculous to me if I could make one gram last for eight days. Frankly, I don’t recommend doing this on purpose, but if circumstances require you to be especially economical with your oil, here’s a few tricks — eight of them, because Hanukkah:
1. Take smaller dabs
Experiment with microdosing — it’s so hot right now anyway. It’s not a complex calculation, but if you use smaller doses you will need less. This should allow you to stretch your stash. It’s nice to know that smaller dabs can often be more balanced and accurate in expressing the flavors of a product than a huge amount.
2. Use larger amounts
You can also take bigger globs to get your desired effects. If you want to be lit up every single day for 8 days, then portion out your 1/8-gram dose into eight globs. Take one each day. This method works best if combined with methods #3 and #6 — and all of these work best if you follow method #5.
3. You can either roll or press the shatter.
It’s just my personal theory, but the amount of vapor that you get from a dabber has more to with weight than surface area. Let me explain. My extensive research has shown that, when you roll a quarter of gram into a small ball and drop it on the nail, the vapor produced is less than if the quarter of gram was pressed and spread out over a large area of the heating element. It may sound strange, but I have found that it improves the clarity of the shatter.
It’s easy to use shatter. Just warm it up with a light and roll it or press it on a silicon mat, wax paper, or even a small mat. I prefer to use two non-stick mats, a lighter, or my hand to gently heat the shatter. I then use either a lipbalm tube, or lighter, to remove it. The product is less and you can get more out of it.
4. Oil liquefied can be heated up again
If you are using low-temp dab, you will usually have a little liquefied bud oil left in your banger. If you want to extend your stash you can run the torch over the end of the q-tip for just a few moments, until the oil starts moving. Then recap it and hit the same spot again. While the flavor will be slightly diminished, there is still cannabinoids present.
5. Better oil to buy
The easiest way to use up your oil is by drizzling it on the food. It’s pretty hard to justify taking baby dabs of bland soup, but then again, it’s even harder to justify taking big ones — just don’t dab bland soup. The money saved is not worth it because you end up purchasing more. You can save money by buying toilet paper in a dollar store, but you’ll end up paying more for the inferior quality. It’s also a reason to celebrate! You don’t have to buy the $100-a-gram stuff, but get something tasty and potent — think of it as a present to yourself.
6. After the bud, follow up with some more bud
If you don’t do this, then you need to reconsider. There’s nothing like a good dab but you can complement the oil with the benefits and effects of a bong or old-fashioned joint.
7. The rosin will come out of your buds.
It’s a plus that you can dab more. It’s not ideal to use homemade rosin. You decide.
8. Ask the Old Testament’s vengeful God for oil
You can’t harm yourself.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES What can you do to make cannabis concentrates last for longer?