A common question among users concerns the best way to use concentrates with the MiniVAP vaporizer. As you know, concentrates are derived from the extraction of active ingredients from plants using one of various methods: vibration, extraction with ice or gas, supercritical fluids, dissolution with solvents such as alcohol, etc.
The product always has a higher density and concentration of active compounds than the original plant. In addition, both texture and shape are usually compact and, in many cases, viscous and even sandy.
The texture and shape of each type of extract will influence the way in which we should use the MiniVAP vaporizer. The goal when vaporizing extracts is to:
“Achieve homogeneous heating and dense steam extraction on-demand.”
It must be understood that MiniVAP cores work with heating by convection, radiation or conduction. Depending on both the type of extract and the MiniVAP core, as well as the accessories that we use to handle the extract, we will obtain either more conduction and radiation heating (a more efficient way of heating and extracting a liquid) or more convection heat (more convenient for ground herbs), but it can also efficiently heat an accessory that contains a viscous extract, such as the liquid pad, included in the MiniVAP Starter Kit).
WARNING. Never place the extract directly inside the vaporizer or inside the basket, the hot air will melt the extract that will drip inside the vaporizer, leaving traces of dirt, and may even clog your vaporizer.
Pic1. Internal dirty airpath MiniVAP – Don’t do this!
Here are two proposals to improve the experience with extracts and your MiniVAP.
If the extract is dense and viscous (honey, BHO or pressed type), we must use the liquid pad.
Remember that the liquid pad is made of thin steel wire pressed into the shape of a sombrero-like disk. Important characteristics are that:
- Air passes through it when we inhale.
- The steel material (AISI304 steel) is non-harmful to health.
- It absorbs a considerable amount of liquid (or hot extract).
- To use the liquid holder, you must first insert it into the small basket, with the convex part towards the inside of the basket, and the concave part (where we place the extract) towards the outside. The small basket will help you to handle the pad and to seal the vaporization chamber.
The small basket, never the large basket, must always be used with the liquid holder. MiniVAP’s large basket leaves empty spaces for hot air to circulate, reducing the efficiency of the extraction process.
Pic2. MV Liquid Pad for extracts
Pic3. MV Liquid Pad and Basket. Set up
Pic4. MV Liquid Pad for extracts. Ready to use
Turn your MiniVAP green or red, because an extra amount of energy is needed to heat up the liquid pad. Place a few drops of extract in the pad with the basket and install the basket and then the flexicone. When you inhale, the hot air will circulate inside the pad, increasing the temperature (the steel in the pad absorbs the heat from the air and transfers it by conduction to the extract), thereby melting the extract close to the metal pad. The next time you inhale, the extract that will have been distributed over the surface of the pad will begin to evaporate.
You will enjoy quicker and denser extraction:
- the higher the temperature you set in the vaporizer, the more intense your inhalation will be.
- using hybrid cores: glass or Teflon-glass + the decarboxylation kit. They give off more radiation heat, helping to increase the temperature of the liquid pad.
If the extract is powdery, crystal or granular (pollen), we can also use the liquid pad. However, the use of baskets brings many advantages.
To use extracts inside the baskets, we recommended filling the basket with ground leaves or some vegetable fiber that absorbs or retains the liquid extract as it melts.
Pic5. MiniVAP with extracts or concentrates
Turn on the MiniVAP to your ideal temperature, in this case the core can be either convection or hybrid. Put the extract in the basket. Using the curved end of the brush (included in the Starter Kit) or a toothpick, mix it with the vegetable matter inside. Install the basket with the mixture in the flexicone and enjoy. The secrets of the extract, its quintessential tastes and flavors, waft through the vapor. A high concentration will greatly increase the density from the first inhalation.
WATCH OUT! An excess of extract using this method will lead to higher vapor density, with the downside of causing expectoration and a dry mouth.
Check with different amounts of extract to see how you feel. It’s a good option to try connecting the MiniVAP to a bubbler that will soften sensations for you to enjoy a dense and refreshing vapor.
Remark. If the extract is pressed or its purity is not very high, you can use any of the previous methods (liquid pad or the basket filled with plant material).
BE CAREFUL with these sorts of extracts, as their low purity can make melting and heat distribution more difficult, so adequate evaporation maybe less likely.
If in this situation, perform the following experiment. Place an amount of extract on a filter (from the Starter Kit) that covers at least half of the surface of the filter. Make a sandwich with another filter. Install the two filters in the flexicone and switch on your MiniVAP to the highest temperature. After several inhalations and observing the exhaled vapor and the residue in the filters afterwards, you can gauge the purity of the extract from the particles retained in the filter, most of which are not active ingredients (excipients, plant material, chemical additives, etc.).
We hope these tips will be helpful. If you have any questions, suggestions or wish to share your experiences using MiniVAP, please email us at: info@miniVAP.com.
