Exploring Cannabis Concentrates: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’re a fan of cannabis or enjoy the unique effects and medicinal benefits it can provide, you might like to take an active interest in cannabis concentrates. But, if you’re new to the concept of concentrates of cannabis, it can all feel a little overwhelming.

There are lots of different types of marijuana concentrates to consider, and each one is a little different. There are also multiple ways of consuming weed concentrate, from vape pens to dab rigs, and more.

This comprehensive guide to cannabis concentrates will cover all you need to know.

What Are Cannabis Concentrates?

Let’s kick off with the simple question that most beginners have: what is a concentrate?

Well, marijuana concentrates are highly concentrated (hence the name) substances that are made by processing cannabis plant matter in specific ways to extract and distill all the very best and most important parts of the cannabis plants, like cannabinoids and terpenes.

They can come in many forms and are often gold or amber colored, made up of lots of condensed cannabinoids, with high levels of potency in every single drop or piece.

Difference Between a Concentrate and an Extract

It’s quite common to hear people refer to weed concentrate and extract as the same thing, or use the two terms interchangeably. However, there is a slight difference between the two.

To put it simply, extracts are a type of concentrates, made in a specific way. Extracts are always made with the help of solvents, while other types of concentrates can be made using solventless methods. In other words, every extract is a concentrate, but not every concentrate can be classed as an extract.

How Are Concentrates Made?

Just like cannabis edibles, cannabis topicals, and all the other many products you can find in your local marijuana dispensary in Portland, cannabis concentrates have to be made using precise, established processes.

The extraction methods involved can be divided into two distinct groups:

• Solvent: As the name implies, solvent-based extraction involves the use of a solvent of some kind, with common examples including butane, ethanol, and olive oil. The cannabis plant matter is exposed to the solvent in some way, and the solvent breaks down the trichomes and draws out the contents of the cannabis.
• Solventless: There’s also the solventless approach, which doesn’t require the use of any solvent at all. With this method, water is the main liquid used to essentially separate the trichomes from the plants and draw out the key cannabinoids and terpenes. Heat can also be used, as well as simply physically shaking the cannabis flower.

Types of Cannabis Concentrates

There are many varieties of cannabis tinctures, oils, extracts, and concentrates. Some of the most popular and well-known examples include:

Shatter

Shatter is a very thin, brittle kind of concentrate that can break (or shatter) into lots of little pieces quite easily, under very little pressure. It can have very high THC levels of up to 80%.

Budder & Batter

Budder, batter, and badder are all terms used to refer to the same kind of concentrate. This one feels very buttery, which is where it gets the name from, and its more solid consistency often allows for easier handling compared to other cannabis concentrates.

Live Resin

Live resin is a concentrate famed for both its high levels of concentrated THC (up to 70%) as well as its rich smell and taste. It’s a very popular choice with purists and is made with very freshly harvested or frozen plants.

Rosin

Rosin is a very runny concentrate made using the solventless method. It has a big flavor, and many fans of cannabis concentrates enjoy debating the merits of rosin vs. resin.

Sauce

Sauce, just as the name suggests, is a very gooey, sauce-like concentrate with very high levels of terpenes. It can be a little tricky to handle, but has really tasty flavors.

Honeycomb

Honeycomb is so-called due to the fact that it truly looks and feels a lot like a real honeycomb, straight from a bee hive. It’s a versatile concentrate, you can use for dabbing marijuana or in a vape pen.

Kief

What is kief? This concentrate is one of the simplest. It’s made up of trichome crystals that have been shaken free from the cannabis flowers and then collected together. It’s easy to add to joints or pipe bowls.

Hash

Hash is a thick, brick-like concentrate made up of trichomes. It can come in various forms and is one of the oldest examples of cannabis concentrates.

Diamonds

Diamonds are a crystalline concentrate left over once all the terpenes and runny sauce have been moved. Flavor tends to be quite low with diamonds, but they’re very potent.

How to Consume Cannabis Concentrates

There are lots of different ways to work with and consume cannabis concentrates, including:

• Dabbing: This involves the use of a “dab rig”, torch, nail, and other equipment to heat the concentrates to extremely high temperatures and effectively vaporize them for rapid, easy inhaling.
• Smoking: Concentrates can also be smoked. They can be mixed in or used to infuse or “top off” pipe bowls and joints.
• Vaping: Various vape pens and vaping devices are also compatible with concentrates, allowing the user to vaporize waxes, oils, and more.
• Making edibles: Another great way to use cannabis concentrates is to use them for making tasty edibles, like cannabis cookies, brownies, cakes, and more.
• Making topicals: Cannabis concentrates like wax and oil can also be used to make topical cannabis creams and lotions.
• Making tinctures: Concentrates are essential ingredients when making cannabis tinctures and oils.

Contact us to find out more about how to use concentrates.

Benefits of Using Marijuana Concentrates

Some of the benefits of concentrates include:

• Versatile: There are lots of different forms of concentrates and ways to use them.
• Potent: Concentrates have high levels of cannabinoids for potent effects.
• Fast-acting: You can usually feel the effects of concentrates very quickly.
• Health: Concentrates can offer certain health benefits, like pain relief.

While concentrates can be a little confusing for first-time users, they’re a great choice for people who want to broaden their cannabis experiences, enjoying a wide range of consumption methods, tastes, aromas, and effects.C