What Is A Nectar Collector and How Does It Work?

Like a highly-evolved stoner hummingbird, you, too, can literally suck the nectar of the gods (we’re talking about dabs of course) using one of the most innovative, unique and portable dab rigs known to man: the nectar collector, also known as a dab or honey straw/collector.

Whatever you call it, it can get you high off your rocker (in a good way) with its vertical and handheld design. A dab straw allows you to literally heat, dip and sip your extract to produce some of the tastiest vapor from your shatter, wax or any other type of concentrate.

As a relatively niche dab rig variation, a honey collector is not as popular as the traditional dab rig, but is just as effective. Our nectar collector dab rig guide takes you through the nectar collector’s components, how to use it, how to clean it and how to add it into your dab rig arsenal.

What is a nectar collector?

Nectar collectors, or dab and honey straws, are vertical and small-sized dab rigs with a tube-like design that are easy to carry around and disassemble when needed. You can use them to dab concentrates of all types. Here’s some of the main components of a nectar collector:

• Mouthpiece: A glass or silicone straw-like mouthpiece with a flared top. It can be used like a straw to sip on dab vapor.
• Tip: Made of titanium, quartz or ceramic, a nectar collector’s tip (usually 10mm or 14mm in size) is heated and directly applied to the concentrate.
• Concentrate container: A food-grade glass or silicone dish used to contain the dab.
• Water chamber: A percolator within the design of the body that uses water to filter the dab vapor.

Glass Nectar Collector from Yo Dabba Dabba

A modern variation of the silicone or glass dab straw is the electric nectar collector. Instead of heating the tip of a quartz nectar collector with a torch, the electric dab straw uses an atomizer to heat up the concentrates with the push of a button.

How does a nectar collector work?

If you are familiar with dabbing from a traditional dab rig, then you won’t have much trouble learning the ropes of how to use a nectar collector for wax. But, for complete beginners, here’s how your nectar collector works and how you can use it without wasting dabs or burning your fingers.

Instead of dropping in a small dab of extract into your glass dab nail, a nectar collector requires you to heat the tip of the device and gently apply it to the concentrate in your glass dish. Feel free to use the container the dab came in, as long as it’s food grade.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to run you through how to use a dab straw:

1. Fill the body of the nectar collector with water.
2. Grab your blow torch and heat the nectar collector’s tip. Here’s where it gets tricky. Heat it for about 40 to 50 seconds. Heating times vary depending on the strength of your torch, quality of your tip and your desired heating temperature.
3. Once heated, allow the tip to cool for about 15 to 30 seconds. Feel free to use an infrared temperature gun to get the tip within a specified temperature range and avoid burning or underheating your dabs
4. Once it’s at your desired temperature, place your mouth around the glass or silicone straw mouthpiece and slowly inhale as you lightly apply the tip to the concentrates in the dish.
5. Inhale as the vapor forms and remove the dab straw from the dish when done.

Which types of concentrates can be consumed using a nectar collector?

Like most dab rigs, a water nectar collector only works with concentrates, not loose leaf cannabis. Nectar collectors are versatile dabbing tools that allow you to smoke nearly every concentrate available including, but not limited to:

• Wax
• Shatter
• Oil
• Budder
• Crumble
• Live resin
• Rosin
• Hash

What are the benefits of nectar collector dabs?

Compared to a traditional dab rig, a nectar collector or dab collector has several benefits. While you won’t want to replace your at-home rig, investing in a nectar collector can open up the dabbing possibilities. Here are a few of the benefits of using a nectar collector:

• Affordable: Compared to large dab rig setups, a nectar collector can come at a considerably lower price point. Nectar collectors are perfect for budget or new users looking for a convenient way to get high without the fuss.
• Portable: Whether you want to keep your rig at home due to its large size or don’t want to risk breaking it on-the-go, nectar collectors come in a lightweight, travel-friendly size that can be disassembled and easily stored in your backpack, purse or carry-on luggage. Break apart the tip, body and mouthpiece and store them in a safe environment that won’t crush each piece.
• Efficient: One of the biggest selling points for dab straws is the no-waste method of consumption. A nectar collector gives you the ability to simply dip and dab without wasting any oil getting scorched or puddling in the corner of a dab nail.
• Easy to use: With a nectar collector, there is no loading of dabs like there is with a dab rig. All you need to do is assemble the collector, heat, dip and sip. No need to go through a drawn-out entire ritual when you can dab on-the-go.

Nectar Collector: Disassembled

How to clean a nectar collector

Learning how to clean a nectar collector is straightforward – a key benefit is how easy a nectar collector is to clean. All you need is the following items:

• 91% or higher isopropyl alcohol
• Plastic resealable bag
• Coarse salt
• Warm or hot water

Once you have those items in your possession, it’s time to get your dab straw clean as a whistle. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Disassemble the mouthpiece, tip and body of the nectar collector. Start by taking off the tip first, and blow into the mouthpiece to remove the water inside.
2. Remove any caked-on resin with a cotton swab or other soft material to avoid scratching your silicone or quartz nectar collector.
3. Drop the tip, mouthpiece and body of your collector inside separate resealable plastic bags and add enough isopropyl alcohol to completely submerge them. Add a ratio of 2:1 alcohol to salt. Make sure the container is completely closed.
4. Allow each component to soak for at least 30 minutes or an hour depending on how dirty they are.
5. Once they’ve been soaked for a good amount of time, it’s time to shake things up. Hold on to the glass or other pieces inside the bag and shake vigorously allowing the salt to literally scrape the caked-on resin outside and inside the pieces.
6. If a vigorous shaking doesn’t completely remove the resin, you may leave the nectar collector component in the solution for a longer time and shake regularly until you’re satisfied.
7. Once you’re satisfied with your results, you can rinse the body, tip and mouthpiece with water and repeat the process if needed.

Dab away with a nectar collector

Now that you’re a nectar collector expert, it’s time to find the proper dab straw to invest in and start getting high at home and beyond. The possibilities are endless. A nectar collector makes an incredible addition to your dab rig collection.