14 Sep Concentrates – Focusing on Craft Cannabis

Marijuana has come a long way over the last few decades. Long gone are the days of pesticide-laden, moldy pot being packed into trucks after being yanked from hidden gardens.

Though state-regulated medical marijuana programs, we have entered the era of craft cannabis. This increases the quality of cannabis products and selection. Choices for how to consume cannabis are evolving. Many people are aware of smoking and eating cannabis for different effects. Over the last few years, the art of making concentrates out of the flower is gaining popularity. The reason for smoking a cannabis concentrate is the full spectrum flavor and increased potency. Concentrates are just like it sounds; the cannabis product is more potent due to the extraction process. Often called “Dabs”  (as in a little ‘dab’ will do ya!), they are concentrated versions of the original marijuana buds. We are going to drill down and look at different types of concentrates, also referred to as extracts.

What are Cannabis Concentrates, and How do you Consume Them?

There are many different types of cannabis concentrates, each with about a dozen nicknames, like Shatter, Budder, Batter, Crumble, Live Resin, Rosin, Wax, and Dabs. But what’s the difference? And which is the best? The reality is, it all comes down to two main distinguishing factors: how it was made and the texture of the finished products.

How are Cannabis Extracts Made?

Extracting compounds from plants for medicinal or to concentrate the flavor is not new. DIY articles would have you soak your plant materials in alcohol under specified conditions to make a more concentrated product. Large commercial producers who create extracts from plants such as Lavender would use expensive equipment that would utilize a solvent to extract the active components.

Solvents are liquids used for dissolving other substances. In the case of cannabis concentrates, different types of solvents, like butane, alcohol, propane, water, or CO2, can be used to extract cannabinoids from flower, kief, shake, or trim to create a highly concentrated product.

Cannabis companies use similar equipment to isolate the cannabinoids and terpenes to make a concentrate. Overall, extracts are more potent than smoking flower. Concentrates test between 60 and 90 percent THC, while regular cannabis flower typically tests at 15% to 25% THC.

The challenge is to ensure that the final product is completely purged from the solvent used in the extraction process. A lab test will confirm that the product is safe to consume. There are also solventless concentrates such as kief and rosin. These products can be made from fresh frozen or dry plant matter and do not use solvents.  

What Does it Look Like?

In general, cannabis concentrates are similar in appearance to honey or butter and are either brown or gold in color. The consistency changes depending on the extraction method. For example, Crumble is well, crumbly, Budder will be soft, similar to real butter, and Wax has a waxy consistency.

How to Consume Concentrates

Canuvo carries a line of strain-specific extracts from flower grown in our garden. This is what they look like and how you would consume them:

Shatter –This type of concentrate has a beautiful honey color and the translucent pieces are malleable. The name ‘Shatter’ is a play on the fact it looks a bit like shards of glass. It’s made by pouring raw extract onto a thin slab and leaving the mix undisturbed during the purging process. Shatter can be put into a vape pen, broken up and put in a joint or smoked in a ‘dab rig’.

Budder – is a very popular THC-rich cannabis concentrate. It resembles regular butter in texture. This creamy consistency is achieved through a complicated extraction process that also leaves a high-terpene profile while preserving great levels of THC. This extract is whipped during processing to become a wax and this further aerated to create the consistency of butter. If you love a specific strain, a budder concentrate will enhance the flavor and aroma greatly. Depending on the strain, Budder is typically a beige, golden, or amber in color and because of its consistency, it’s easy to scoop the amount you desire into your vape pen or a dab rig.

Try our…

Lemon Skunk Budder –  Uplifting and very lemony!

OG Kush Budder – for a happy and relaxed mood.

Kief – is also known as ‘dry sift’ or ‘pollen’. Kief is the tiny trichomes covering the plant’s surface, which have broken away by the act of trimming or grinding the flower. When collected, it looks like a powdery substance that is sticky with crystals. Further screening will create a high-quality kief that is light tan or blonde in color. This solvent-less concentrate will enhance the potency of the strain you are smoking when mixed in a bowl or a joint.

Try our Sativa, hybrid, and Indica kief.

Live Hash Rosin – This concentrate is made from plants that have been flash frozen which creates an extract that is chock a block full of terpenes. This extraction process utilizes water and ice to remove the resin heads before processing via filters and pressure. The method of creating Live Hash Rosin does an excellent job of retaining the original flavor and aroma of the strain. The final product has a putty-like consistency.

Try our…

Strawberry Diesel Live Hash Rosin – well-balanced experience, Strawberry Diesel relaxes your muscles while creating an energizing clear-headed feeling.         

The Guice Live Hash Rosin – Great hybrid for getting things done.

Sauce – This concentrate is also known as terp-sauce. It is a tasty extract that is a mix of terpenes and THCA crystals. When the terp sauce is heated it will convert the THCA crystals into THC. The best terp-sauce starts with the best genetics possible. After the flower is made into the sauce it is left to age and crystallize. The end result is a viscous terpene sauce that engulfs diamond-like THCA crystals.

Try our…

OG Kush Sauce – Happy and relaxing

Strawberry AK Sauce – A energetic feeling with a very clean high.

Hope this information was helpful. Check out our menu for more descriptions. We are always available to answer questions! 

 

Top image credit – https://www.thekindpen.com/

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