Burbujas

A bubbler is a hand pipe with a built-in water chamber. It is small enough to hold in one hand, and the water cools and smooths the smoke like a small bong. Bubblers sit between a dry hand pipe and a full-size bong, and they come in glass and silicone for flower or, with a banger, for concentrates.

A bong is a larger water pipe that sits on a table, with a removable bowl and downstem and more water for cooling. A bubbler is hand-held, usually has a fixed bowl, and uses a smaller water chamber. Bongs give bigger, cooler hits; bubblers are more compact, easier to store and better for solo sessions.

A hammer bubbler has a flat-bottomed chamber with the mouthpiece off the side, so it looks like a hammer and sits flat. A sherlock bubbler has a long curved neck that drops below the bowl, like a Sherlock Holmes pipe. A blunt bubbler holds a lit joint or blunt in an opening so the smoke runs through water without packing a bowl.

Yes, with the right piece. Mini dab bubblers such as the MJ Arsenal Hydra and Mini Jig and the Wulf Mods Atom use a joint that takes a quartz banger instead of a bowl. A standard hand bubbler with a fixed bowl is for flower only. If a bubbler has a 10mm or 14mm joint, it can take a banger.

Add water through the mouthpiece until it just covers the bottom of the stem inside the chamber. Too little water skips the filtration, and too much splashes up into your mouth when you pull. Change the water after every session or two to keep the flavor clean.

Pour out the water, add 91 percent or higher isopropyl alcohol and a spoon of coarse salt, cover the openings and shake. For heavy buildup, let it soak, then shake again and rinse with warm water, never boiling. Glass cleaners like Formula 420 work the same way with less effort. Use a gentle cleaner on fumed, color-changing or heady glass.

A silicone bubbler, like the Eyce Hammer Silicone Bubbler, survives drops that would break glass and comes apart for cleaning. For glass, a pocket bubbler such as the GRAV Hourglass or Slush Cup is small enough to pack safely. Empty the water before you travel.

Heady bubblers are handmade, one-of-one pieces from working glassblowers, so you are buying functional art. Angies Boutique carries heady bubblers from artists like Andy Roth, Chadd Lacy, Matt Robertson, RJ Glass, Sakibomb, Reyna and Pakoh. Each piece is unique and is gone once it sells. For daily use on a budget, a GRAV or MJ Arsenal bubbler gives the same water filtration.

Angies Boutique at 838 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012 carries everyday and heady bubblers. Open daily 11am to 7pm PST, call (213) 680-0080. Order online for same-day in-store pickup or same-day delivery in Los Angeles, or shipping to all 50 states and worldwide. 21+ only.