Remember hanging out in a packed garage at a party with a bunch of other people (pre-covid), when all of a sudden some dude is hacking up a lung while simultaneously handing you a clear garbage bag full of… air? Beckoning you to do the same thing. 

What if that gross dude imploring you to suck the bag wasn’t being as irrelevant and random as you thought. He was thinking big. 

Sure it may seem like a glorified science experiment, but just like in elementary school, the science behind a volcano is impressive. 

Volcanic History

Don’t worry, there’s not going to be a quiz on this, but it’s still interesting stuff. 

The Volcano (for weed) was invented in 1998 in Germany by Marcus Stortz. He was inspired by a tidbit he had read which speculated that hot air passing through herbs would be an effective way to extract and activate ingredients within the plant.

Marcus changed the course of weed highstory twenty-four years ago when he invented the volcano vape in his basement. 

Since then the use of vapes and handheld vapes has taken off using the power of pure convection heating and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

How Does It Work?

The volcano is more than a goofy toy for frat guys and dudes in metal bands. It uses breakthrough and cutting-edge technology. 

The volcano vaporizer uses convection heat to fill a large plastic bag full of smokeable weed vapor. Just like a real volcano, this device will indicate when it’s time to smoke by emitting a big puff of smoke from the top.

Another cool feature of this device is that it allows the user to smoke either flower or concentrate.

The Parts Of A Volcano

First, the magma rises from the mantle and through the upper crust causing the volcano to explode. Lol, jk.

• The iconic cone-shaped volcano base

• A drip pad 

• A normal set of screens

• A valve balloon with mouthpiece 

• A filling chamber with a cap

• Marijuana, or marijuana concentrate of your choice.

Setting The Scene

1. Place the volcano on top of a sturdy surface near a wall outlet.

2. Plug the volcano into the wall directly. Do not use extension cords, they may not be able to facilitate the exact power specifications needed to carefully heat your weed in incriminates of ten degrees (depending on if you want your smoke to be more or less flavorful you can roast it longer on lower, or at a higher temperature for less time).

3. Unscrew the filling chamber cap.

4. Grind your weed finely. This will help the vaporizer to evenly heat your flower and not have to pass through much surface area.

5. Fill the chamber with your ground herb. Be sure not to pack the chamber too tightly with weed, it should be loose enough for air to pass through easily.

How To Krakatoa 

1. First, you must pre-heat your flower if the control lamp is off. 

• Push the red “heat” button. This will turn on the orange control light.

• On top of the volcano, attach the filling chamber.

• Wait until the orange light turns off.

2. Expand your balloon, stretch that thing out so that air can pass through easily.

3. Take the mouthpiece off of the balloon and fix the bag to the top of the base.

4. Flip the green air switch and watch as the bag begins to fill.

5. Stop filling the balloon at the first signs of it becoming tight.

6. Remove the bag unit from the volcano.  Never leave it unattended.

7. BE CAREFUL! Don’t burn your friggin hands on this thing, it gets as hot as a regular oven.

Usually, people heat their volcano around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In Conclusion 

The weed volcano is a relic of the early and middle 2000s, and just like hair-crimping, it is making a nostalgic comeback.

If you are a regular smoker and are looking to switch things up in your smoking routine, it could be really fun to be the provider of your own party bag of weed. 

Maybe it would be nice to not need to rely on some bro to smoke you out with his nasty, crusty, personal volcano balloon. 

But to be honest, unless you have a lot of storage space in your home, the weed volcano is a big and somewhat goofy investment. It is very easy to vape nowadays without needing to purchase a big science experiment.

There are plenty of rechargeable handheld vape options that offer the same benefits as a volcano, just in smaller quantities. Let’s face it, unless you’re smoking out the Von Trapp family, there’s no need to harvest that much weed vapor at a time if you are just one or two people. 

Ask your JARS budtender what they recommend when it comes to vaping flowers or concentrate and how to get started!