Understanding cannabis concentrates!

Understanding Cannabis Concentrates

With a growing marijuana industry, seems to be a growing number of terms - Indica, Sativa, hybrids, concentrates, shatter, distillates, dabbing, vaping, edibles‌ and the list goes on. In lieu of Fair Canna Care adding a line of concentrates to our online cannabis dispensary, we thought it was a good time to give our fellow users a rundown on understanding cannabis concentrates.

What Are Cannabis Concentrates?

The process of extracting cannabis concentrates beings with mixing the bud or plant with a solvent, then purging it to remove any remaining unwanted plant matter and solvents. The goal is to only extract the resin and trichomes, thereby producing a far more pure form of cannabis as opposed to the bud, which is trimmed direct from the plant. The solvents used can range from butane, alcohol, H2O, C2O. In addition, the cannabis can even be extracted using nonsolvent methods. Solventless extracts use water (to result in hash) or heat (which creates rosin).

As stated, the goal of producing concentrates is to generate a more potent form of cannabis.

While the potency of bud ranges between 10-25% THC, a concentrate is between 50-80% sometimes even reaching up to 90% pure THC! As a result, users require far less of the compound to reach the same high as they would with a joint.

Types of Concentrates Depending on the method and solvent chosen for processing, extraction can lead to many different forms of concentrates. Often, the name of these concentrates refers to their texture.

For example: shatter, wax or oil.

Shatter

This concentrate is referred to as "shatter", as it is likely to break into dozens of pieces if dropped on a hard surface - similar to glass. This concentrate is very stable and can be adhesive or smooth to the touch depending on the methods and process used. Shatter is thought to be one of the purest forms of concentrate, but because of its delicate nature it can be hard to work with. Most individuals prefer to "dab" shatter as opposed to trying to load it into vaporizers, which can be done as well. Visit our online cannabis dispensary to shop our shatter selection.

Dabbing is flash vaporization of concentrates such as shatter. Typically, you use a small torch to heat up a nail. When the nail is red hot, you apply the dab (of shatter in this case), directly on the nail and inhale slowly through a glass piece, like a bong.

Oil

Oil can be made with both CO2 or Butane processes, resulting in slightly different consistencies and taste. This is a popular option for individuals who prefer to avoid smoking as oils can be ingested directly, like edibles. In addition, ingesting them this way produces a slow onset of effects for the user, but also last longer. For individuals who are fans of vaping, oils can be easily consumed through a vape pen. Most of these concentrates, such as Clear Distillate, don’t produce any smell or smoke. Click here to buy Clear Distillate in our online cannabis dispensary.

Crumble

Crumble gets its name from the fact that it has an extremely dry consistency that “crumbles� when you handle it. However, this makes it easy to break into dab-sized amounts and is easy to handle without a tool. Keep this particular concentrate in a silicone or glass container with a lid, as opposed to parchment paper.

Budder

Budder refers to an extract with a creamy or “buttery� texture comparable to soft wax. This type of concentrate is more forgiving to work with than shatter and can be vaped, smoked, dabbed, twaxed or even used in edibles! Budder can be made by whipping shatter or sap; shatter will breakdown with time and heat. Budder is best kept in a container or parchment paper. If it is not sticking to your dabbing tool, a quick tip is to put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Wax or Sap

Wax is an extremely sticky concentrate of cannabis that can be hard to work with. Wax can encompass a few different cannabis concentrates depending on how it is processed (budder, crumble, honeycomb, etc), however, we are referring to the sticky, sap-like textured wax. With

this one, be sure to handle it only with a dab tool and not your hands, as it will end up on everything. Wax is primarily used for dabbing.

Hash

Hash is a concentrate that is extracted by using a non-solvent process (ie: water). Hash is created by separating the kief from the plant material and condensing it. To do this, the plant material is mixed with cold water and ice. It is then agitated to break off the trichomes, which are now brittle. This compound is then filtered to remove any unwanted material and results in a near-pure hash. It can be smoked in a variety of ways including packed in a pipe or bong, rolled up in a joint or vaped. Shop our online cannabis dispensary for a growing selection of hash.

Rosin

The last concentrate we are going to touch on is rosin. Rosin is another non-solvent type of concentrate that is derived by the flower is simply heated. During extraction, the concentrate is similar to wax but dries into a shatter-like consistency. This concentrate is also inhaled via the process of dabbing.

If you have not ventured into the world of cannabis concentrates, be sure to take things slow the first time. As mentioned, these concentrates can be 50-80% THC which doubles (and even quadruples) the potency of bud. Each of these concentrates only requires a very small amount, even for more experienced users, so use caution. If you think you are ready to try your hand at dabbing or vaping, our mail-order marijuana service has a growing selection of concentrates.

Click here to shop our online cannabis dispensary. Check out our FAQs for more information on how to buy marijuana online!