Cannabis Concentrates 101
We have come a long way as an industry from the days of pressing two hot knives together to vaporize hashish and hash oils. With a wide array of stabilities, formulations and devices used to consume Cannabis Concentrates the space can begin to feel overwhelming at times. Let us help break this category and its use cases down for you. THC oils come in many forms and ratios. Cured Resin, Live Resin, Diamonds, THC-A Powder, and Rosin just to name a few. Let’s take this time to de-mystify Cannabis concentrates.
What is a Dab?
What even is a dab you may find yourself asking. Well, it’s both a noun and a verb. Taking a dab is the act of consuming cannabis extracts. A dab itself can also just be a reference to any type of cannabis concentrate – typically sold in retail shops in glass concentrate jars, packaged up with a custom packaging option. This form of cannabis is an extraction of all terpenes and trichomes off the plant either through a process that is solventless or solvent-based. Dabs can be consumed in many forms, be it infused into flower, infused into edibles, or consumed by itself in a “dab rig.”
Some important notes before we dive deeper into concentrates. This form of Cannabis is incredibly potent and not for the faint of heart. Be sure that you have some type of temperature gauge or E-rig that sets the temperature for you if dabbing off of quartz nails. Dabbing any cannabis material at too high of a temp is incredibly uncomfortable and will ruin your experience. Remember it’s called a dab because you only need a dab of it to get sent clear to the moon.
Let’s begin with one of today’s more popular varieties of extracts, Live Resin. Live Resins are comprised of two components, THC Diamonds in Sauce or more technically known as THC Diamonds in HTE. What makes a live resin “live” is that the plant itself never undergoes a curing and drying process. Plants are lightly trimmed and immediately frozen. This process allows for the solvents that will eventually flow over the frozen nugs to easily separate trichomes and terpenes from the plant material. This process ensures that what you’re smelling on the vine is what you’ll be tasting in your dab. Live resin can come in many forms such as a sugar wax, diamonds sauce, and your standard sauce. Live Resin is among the most versatile and affordable extracts on the market today. Found in vape pens, infused joints, and in its pure form consumers nationwide have made the switch. A superior tasting product with a superior high in comparison to hashish and or cured resins.
What Can I Dab?
One of the other more popular types of cannabis extract is Live Rosin. Rosin can be made in one of two different ways. It can be made from raw flower that’s been cured, known as flower rosin which is significantly less popular in dab culture these days. Or it can be made from live hash which has been extracted from fresh frozen material. Rosin has quickly become one of the more favored extracts among the cannabis community for its solvent-free extraction process, and its outrageously flavorful expressions. However, like fine wine, rosin requires significant care and attention. Storage, handling, and consumption method are critical to a good rosin experience. When dabbing rosin, a recommended temperature of about 570 degrees is ideal. For full-melt bubble hash, a temperate of about 540 degrees will give the best experience. Always keep live rosin in a freezer setting – do not leave it unattended or outside of a temperature-controlled environment Typically, live rosin has a higher price point given the nature of returns on the hash based on what kind of strain was extracted. With an out-of-this-world flavor profile, rosin has made a quick ascension to the upper echelon of dab culture.
Best Ways to Consume?
There are a ton of different ways to consume cannabis concentrates. An increasingly popular method of consuming cannabis concentrates is pairing live rosin with a high-grade flower in something called a hash hole or a doughnut. Popularized in Northern California, this is one of the newest types of extract consumption available on the market today. With a coveted skill set required to roll a proper hash hole acquiring one can often be a more difficult task, particularly in the legal markets.
One of the more popular methods currently is various types of E-rigs like the Ispire product lineup. With a preset temperature gauge and an eco-system of perfectly set up components, this is among the easiest and safest methods of cannabis consumption currently: easy to clean, easy to understand, and simple.
There is also of course the classic dab rig and torch. This method has somewhat fallen out of favor but with more modern components like temperate gauges and various banger styles, it is beginning to come back into favor.
Dabs to Go?
Perhaps the most popular method of Hash Oil consumption based on product category market share data is cartridges and pods. Nationwide cart and pod systems have gained massive hype. The potent effect dabs have makes them the perfect on-the-go use case – with wide varieties of Live Resin, THC-A Liquid Diamonds, and Live Rosin pens on the market today. So, what’s the difference in carts you might be asking? Well, you have your standard 510 thread battery-powered carts which most people are familiar with. However, a new age of disposable ready-to-go pod systems has been hitting the market with full force. Unrivaled convivence allows everyday consumers to enjoy some of the most high-end high maintenance products on the market with ease.
In conclusion, there should be a few key takeaways from this article. Start small, you can always take another dab but you cannot un-take one. Know your source, only buy extracts from lab-tested and highly vetted sources to ensure no contamination is present. Closely watch your temperature settings on whatever your chosen device or method of consumption may be. Following these few guidelines will not only save you money at the register but provide you with the most peak experience.