These are the entries I got from some very helpful users a while back. Finally decided to put them in a post. A good start to the best of imo. I cropped them slightly to keep them applicable. Here ya go!
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"I have one older Milaana and one newer. The newer one runs much faster and hotter than the old one and they require vastly different techniques. My draw is almost always the same, I draw slowly with minimal pressure. To put a number on it, maybe a 40% draw.
Older version:
Two 5-second pre-heats to get the vape warm before every session. I find this helps to get more even ABV.
For low temp - Draw with the button for around 5 seconds, and then pulses of 2-3 seconds. Let go of the button with enough lung power left to draw from residual heat. No stirring needed.
For high temp - Pre-heat for 5 seconds and then start drawing. Draw with button pressed until just enough lung power to draw out residual heat. Stirring required every two hits.
Newer version:
Pre-heat not needed.
At the top of the battery, while drawing the whole time, hold button for slow 3 count, let go of button for 1 count, repeat until just enough lung power to draw residual heat. As the battery depletes, button is held for longer.
I hope this helps. Thanks!"
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@fluffhead
"So I prefer basket style for small loads (upagainst the edge, with a cm or so of a glass rim), for one or two people, fill as much asyou want (just enough to cover the screen, a full dense pack, or anything in between. Half full and 3/4 full work exceptionallywell). With a fresh battery be sure to not hold the trigger more than a few seconds at a time, a weaker battery can be more forgiving, but if back to back hits are taken and the unit is heat soaked, be sure to build the trigger for only a few seconds at a time. The key is to draw slow at first, let heat build in the bowl as you draw it though the herb, then pick up draw speed as the heat rises, let go of the trigger and continuedrawing with steady suction for a few more seconds to clear the hit with a smooth finish. This is generally low temp extraction, but if you session it you can still finish the bowl as things get more heat soaked. Stirring could be more minimal with this method, though I do still like to stir every 5 hits give or take, for more even extraction and optimal taste (you can taste it when you need to stir, as one spot will get more cooked than others, so this is the flavor chaser's Milaana technique)
Forgot to mention that I now prefer to load with a scooper tool, let it in loose even when fully packed, and take the start of the first hit inverted so the heat can naturally tamp the load. You can take one light hit like this to set the load so it will not fall out, can even store in the battery case like this since the herbs are secure. Sucking up herb in the bowl like a straw also works, especially out and about reloading, just may require more stirring to break up the load after a few hits to prevent hot spots.
Grind is medium, can be medium fine or medium course, for slightly different results and depending on the herbs. With screen stock style (dome vs basket) the bowl is bigger and better for more people (still fine for one or two too), there you want to fill it 3/4 or half full to allow for more even heating. Again stirring can be avoided with the same trigger and draw technique, but still prefer stirring for optimal taste and most even extraction, may be able to hold trigger a bit longer with this set up as well.
Hope that all helps!"
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@Shit Snacks
"HERB PREP
First and foremost, to get the most out of any vape, herb prep is where it all starts (as well as herb quality). The Milaana has enough raw power to cook through anything, but for best effect, taste, clouds, efficiency, I like to get the moisture out.
I normally take a couple of small buds (couple of grams) and place in a small glass bowl, I have a lamp with an adjustable "arm" that I can lower the bulb up and down to about 6 or 8 inches from the material. Too close and you risk overdrying (or vaping before it hits the vaporizer). I've done this, not good.
I use a medtainer to shred, and if weed is properly dried, it rips it to dust. If not, it's left all gummy (including medtainer), and you'll lose some taste and in my opinion, session duration will suffer with less efficient extraction.
The key to the session you want it to be, sip or rip, long or short, is about getting the herb just right and on to the next issue, stem pack.
Stem Packing and Screen Placement
I like the screen placed at exactly where it was intended, in the exact manner it was intended to be placed. RBT got it right the first time around. Fill it 3/4 of the way, about .08 or so, and leave about an 1/8 of an inch from tip. The classic screen placement is open end of basket facing mouthpiece, push to where the entire screen just makes it into the frosted (tapered) end.
For a quick session (not really what I do), push the screen closer, put in less weed. Still leave the 1/8 inch. When you do this you loose the marathon nature of the classic placement. Must be something about the right amount of weed, right distance, where the heat can really soak the material. I think if there isn't enough weed in there, you lose something as the heated material is so much less volume (less heat). It's like trying to make a small amount of oatmeal vs a large pot. The large pot tastes so much better, even though the small amount is good.
Tamp pretty tight but don't crush. Experiment with this. The product, dryness, humidity, all come into play. If you get it wrong, stir and retamp. The tamp is what really sets the stem up to cook nicely, allowing the "heat to hover" in the material more than anyplace else. When the Mi is cooking, the maple body gets hot. It's a big block of wood, so it holds it, but when it gets hot like that with the right load and tamp, you're in for a long session without stirring. I still stir near the end to finish things up no matter what.
Sometimes I stir a lot, sometimes only once. If I don't nail the session, stirring can bring things back, as well as a last minute screen adjustment. If all goes right, the ABV is dark, dark with taste at the end that never wains. If one of the following occur, bad dry, bad load, bad tamp, bad draw, too much button, the ABV can be uneven, with some brown still left. I've repacked this and gotten two or three tasty clouds. I'm always amazed at this. I was about to toss it, and reloaded, getting 2 huge hits that did not taste burnt at all.
Teaching Others
Teaching others in a crowd is not possible. If you have company who vape or smoke, let them use another vape, or roll a joint, and you can hit Mi. If they are there to learn to vape (into it), it's not that bad. I taught my wife in one minute. There needs to be focus, concentration, can't be in social conversation, playing a board game, drinking heavy.
Do all of the above and take the fist hit or two yourself. Have them watch the way you draw slowly into your mouth. Depends on what unit you have as far as heat up time, but i hate counting seconds and it's not necessary. You can press that button all day, it's the button press and draw that will combust. Just pressing the button drains the battery. Press long enough to feel heats you pull. Press for a few seconds before beginning pull, this is more important when unit is cold, or on older units.
Pull and Press
So press first, wait a couple of seconds and start to sip. Start with the short stem because it's easier to pick up the feedback on your mouth and lips. Pull SLOW, but with a vacuum like effect, into your mouth, the opposite of the way you'd pull on a doob (down into your lungs). Use your upper lip to reduce the open area so you can pull through a narrow space (more pressure, less volume). You can play this like a flute as you keep finger at the ready to either release completely, or feather if you feel the back end dropping off too quickly.
It's all about the syncronicity of the pull and press. If you've pulled slowly, feeling the herb cook, you can sometimes release completely and pull a bit quicker and more powerfully, as the heat drops off (you kind of keep it from dropping by pulling, like fanning a flame).
Have them watch you, and encourage the complete release vs feathering if it's too much. Warn them to stop pulling and pressing if they feel too much heat at their lips. Demonstrate the process, and let them try in between your good hits.
Cleaning
Cleaning is a joke. I just put in an empty stem and pull. Screen is spotless after that. Once in a blue moon I soak stems in ISO just so they look all shiny and clean, really not even necessary. For what reason, everything stays real clean. You never have to touch the Milaana itself. This is a huge plus."
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@Bravesst
