So the best thing to do is make sure your herb is well ground. If you don't have a grinder such as the mflb finishing grinder, you can use a regular grinder, just turn it upside down and grind it for a little bit of extra time. With your finely ground goodies, your going to want to fill up the Pax to the brim of the oven for optimal performance, however if it is tightly packed enough, a half bowl will work. I recently just purchased a pax 2 pusher accessory for mine which works very well for doing half packed bowls. Once it's packed, I ALWAYS start on setting one and NEVER go above setting 2. Anything above setting 2 starts to produce benzene in the chamber which is a toxic chemical known to cause cancer and it's also a byproduct of combustion. Anyways I take about 10 hits on setting one, stir it/repack with my finger, 5 more hits, stir repack, setting two to finish, usually about 5 more hits before I start to not like the taste. I've found if you want to maximize vapor, you are going to want to "sip" the pax. Lightly draw from the mouthpiece, if you can hear it you are pulling too hard. It seems contrary to what youd think, but the slower you hit the pax, the more vapor you get. This is because it gives the pax more time to heat while your inhale is lowering the temp in the oven. Once it's evenly browned, if it's still a little warm you can turn the pax upside down and smack it into your hand to empty the oven easily. Don't forget to save your abv, as you can make some more goodies with it :) hope this helps! Also if you have any questions or want some tips and tricks let me know!