What are Cannabis Concentrates and How do You Consume Them?

Cannabis concentrates are available in a number of forms. Weed oil is one example of a form that is on full display, while other times they go unnoticed in medicated balms and edibles.

Those searching for a complete understanding of the world of cannabis concentrates have come to the correct location. We’ll go through some typical types of cannabis concentrates and how to use them as well as where to look for the right product for your needs.

Concentrates provide you with a plethora of options for consuming cannabis; they are available in a range of textures and can be consumed using a variety of methods.

What are concentrates and extracts?

Cannabis concentrates, like the ice juice concentrate in your freezer, are the end result of distilling down the most desirable substances in the plant. They contain all of cannabis flowers’ cannabinoids and terpenes, as well as none of the excess plant material. Marijuana concentrates have a far greater proportion of chemicals called cannabinoids and terpenes than raw cannabis flowers per ounce.

The cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis products are responsible for the neurological, mental, physical, and psychoactive effects associated with cannabis use. Trichomes, which are small, sparkling structures present throughout the cannabis plant, contain them. A cannabis concentrate is simply a combination of these trichomes. You may observe them for yourself if you have any high-quality marijuana flower. These icy appendages cover the entire surface of the plant but are especially apparent on the flower buds.

Concentrates allow you to enjoy the finest aspects of cannabis in a variety of ways, and they come in a range of textures that may be consumed variously. Cannabis concentrates and extracts can be eaten alone, sprinkled into a joint to enhance the strength, or precisely mixed with other ingredients in edibles depending on their ultimate form.

Trichomes are little, glittering points that cover the cannabis plant’s leaves and buds. The most valuable cannabis chemicals are present throughout the plant in tiny, sparkling structures called trichomes.

Is there a difference between a concentrate and an extract?

Concentrate and extract are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a significant difference between them. A solvent is used to create extracts, which are a kind of concentrate. While all extracts are concentrates, not all concentrates are extracts.

Alcohol is used as a solvent to extract the sought-after flavor component, vanillin, from vanilla bean pods in the case of vanilla extract. Alcohol may also be utilized to produce cannabis extracts like Rick Simpson Oil (RSO). Other solvents can be employed, too, such as butane for Butane Hash Oil (BHO) and supercritical CO2 for cannabis wax extracts.

Concentrates produced without the aid of solvents are made by removing and gathering trichomes using mechanical or physical processes. Rosin, dry sift, and kief are all examples of concentrates manufactured without the use of solvents.

Although extracts and concentrates are available in a variety of consistencies, you can’t tell them apart just by looking at them.

How to consume cannabis concentrates

Not all concentrate buyers are dabbers, and not every concentrate is an extract. Dabbing is the act of heating a concentrate or extract to the point that it vaporizes, generating a highly potent vapor that the user can breathe. The most popular method of consuming concentrated cannabis is through dabs, which explains why you’ll hear concentrates referred to as dabs. However, these items may also be experienced via vape pens, tinctures, topicals, edibles ,and more.

Consider what you want to achieve before selecting which concentrates and ingestion practices are best for you.

For a low-maintenance potency boost: top your flower

Powdered kief may be added to your bowl or a joint wrapped in wax for a quick and easy way to boost the potency of your smokeables. These techniques do not require any expensive dabbing equipment, but they do enhance the strength of your smoke as well as providing additional taste from the concentrate.

With little more effort, adding powdered kief to your bowl or wrapping wax around a joint can significantly boost the strength of your smokeables.

For an intensely potent, fast-acting high: dab

When most people talk about consuming cannabis concentrates, they’re usually referring to vaporizing the concentrate using a dab rig. Heating the nail, or the dab rig equivalent of a bong bowl, and then applying the concentrate directly onto the hot surface, instantly turning it into an inhalable vapor is the procedure known as “nano-coiling.” Most dab rigs are made of glass with nails fashioned from various materials such as glass, ceramic, titanium, or quartz. While a traditional approach entails heating the nail with a torch, there are now many user-friendly e-nails on the market as well.

Dabbing is the process of heating a nail, or the dab rig equivalent of a bong bowl, and then applying the concentrate straight to the hot surface, producing an inhalable vapor almost instantly.

It’s also worth noting that high THC concentrations and dabbing are not the same thing. While the majority of THC levels remain high, dabbable high-CBD concentrates and 100% CBD distillate are becoming more popular.

For a light high on the go: use a vape pen

Vape pen atomizers are filling devices that can hold a variety of chemicals, such as CBD or THC. Pre-filled vape pens are a discreet, portable, and efficient way to consume cannabis concentrates. While they aren’t likely to get you high like a dab session, the high does set in rapidly. All you need is a pre-filled cartridge and an internal battery or an all-in-one vape pen. The cartridge’s battery activates a heating element that warms the cannabis concentrate within it. Vape pens are often activated by pressing a button or, in the case of a buttonless pen, simply taking a drag from the mouthpiece. Pre-filled cartridges and pens aren’t refillable and must be thrown away when the concentrate runs out, but detachable batteries may be kept and used many times.

If you’re searching for a more customisable experience, a dab pen might be the way to go. You manually fill the chamber with any sort of concentrate and attach it to a battery using a dab pen. This method combines the mobility of a dab rig with the freedom of a pre-filled vape pen.

For a long-lasting, smoke-free high: eat an edible

Edibles rarely enter the discussion surrounding cannabis concentrates, but they should. Cannabis extracts allow store-bought and homemade edibles to be created. They don’t require any special equipment, and they’re simple for anyone to try. And, like dabs, they may provide a long-lasting, powerful high depending on the dose. The main distinction between edibles and inhalables is their onset time. Inhale vapor or smoke, and your high will hit almost instantly; eat an edible and your high may take anywhere from two hours to two days to show itself.

For targeted relief: try a topical

Topicals, like edibles, are rarely spoken about in the context of concentrates. Topical applications, on the other hand, may deliver focused relief by utilizing concentrated forms of cannabis.

Concentrated forms of cannabis can provide focused relief without the head high when used topically.

How to decode concentrate product descriptions

You’ve decided you want to dab, vape, or smoke a cannabis concentrate. You’re off to a good start! Now that you’ve made the decision to dab, vape, or smoke a cannabis concentrate, you’ll want to understand all of the names for these complex products.

There are a few of things to think about when it comes to weed laws. Weed businesses aren’t attempting to be difficult, but they do need to include a lot of information in order for you to understand important product features and characteristics. The phrase “Nug Run Blue Dream Shatter” informs you of three things:

1. Blue Dream was the strain of cannabis used.
2. This test produces a result of “nug run.” This sign means that the plant material used to make the extract was dried and cured flower.
3. The fixative has a brittle texture that shatters readily.

Reduced fat homogenized ultra-pasteurized milk, for example, may be more succinctly characterized as 2% milk since it is. The many names for cannabis concentrates might all be classified into a few categories (pun intended). Vaping Cannabis Concentrates

• The input material
• The extraction method
• The resulting texture

Input material

The starting material for marijuana is the cannabis flower buds, leaves, and stems. The input material may influence the end product’s cannabinoid and terpene profiles. The quality of the starting material also has an impact on the strength and flavor of the finished product.

Set the final Cut function to nug run, as previously outlined, indicates that dried and cured flower is the input material.

Trimming implies that the concentrate was manufactured using defatting leaves from the harvested plant.

The whole plant designates cannabis plants that have been fully dried as the input material.

Fresh or flash-frozen, not dried, cannabis was used to indicate that resin is in its raw form.

Extraction method

Cannabis concentrates are made up of trichomes (the glands that hold the cannabinoids and terpenes), but how extractors remove those trichomes from the source material varies significantly. Some techniques remove only one cannabinoid (like THC or CBD) while others preserve all of the chemicals. The majority of extraction methods can be classified into two categories: solvent and solvent-free.

Solvent-free, or physical, separation. Trichome glands are removed from cannabis starting material using a physical process, such as shaking or pressing, during the physical separation procedure. Consider the trichome glands to be fruit on a tree; removing ripe fruit is similar to shaking a tree. For example, cannabis is shaken through a series of screens in specific sizes to guarantee that only the trichome heads make it into the final product. Rosin is made by compressing the plant using heat and pressure to remove the desired chemicals. Physical separation implies that performing a direct physical action produces trichomes.

Liquid solvent extraction. The procedure for solvent extraction is essentially the same as it is for COVID-19: a liquid solvent is used to remove the active chemicals from the trichome gland, resulting in a solution. The solution must be further refined until only the wanted substances remain. Due to the volatility of these solvents, technicians generally employ closed-loop extraction systems that allow them to safely regulate things like temperature and pressure in order to achieve the best result. Some sort of vacuum system is used to guarantee total solvent removal before ingestion, depending on the solvent chosen.

Texture

The words that cause the most confusion (particularly shatter, badder, crumble, and sauce) are simply a concentrate’s appearance and texture. Although most of these adjectives are self-explanatory, things get muddled when they’re crammed into a jam-packed product description like Apple Fritter Live Resin Badder.

While the textures may not always be an indication of how a concentrate will taste or impact someone, they do have an impact on the experience. Some people prefer budder because it is simpler to scoop, while others choose oil for its adaptability. As a result, there are no ideal or terrible textures; rather, there are varying preferences.

Shatter is renowned for its shatter-like texture. It may also have a snap-and-pull texture. (imagine taffy candy being drawn really tight before it’s snapped). Shatters are typically golden yellow to brilliant amber in color throughout.

Budder and badder are greasy, soft to the touch, and malleable. (Think of a stick of butter or thick cake batter.) They’re flexible, simple to use, and have a sun-yellow to brilliant orange color palette. The buttery texture allows the extract to be easily utilized as a spread on blunts or joints, as well as being dabbled with a dab rig.

Crumble is a less stable variant of budder or badder. It has a crumbly, honeycomb texture, as the name implies. They have a matte or dull finish rather than a glossy one, according to their color.

A sugarlike substance that has a similar viscosity to wet, mushy sugar is referred to as “sugar” in the tabletop gaming industry. It’s not consistent in form and commonly includes hues from brilliant yellow to rich brown.

The consistency of the sauce is thick and sticky. The color of the sauce can range from a deep amber to a bright mustard. Sauce is comparable in texture and hue to sugar, but has a more regular crystalline structure.

A single, crystallized cannabinoid is called a crystalline. THCA and CBD crystals are white crystals that range in density and size from tiny pebbles to fine powder.