Types of Concentrates
At one time, your options for consuming marijuana broadly boiled down to smoking a joint or eating a hash brownie. These days, there are various tinctures, ointments, and gummies laden with cannabinoids. However, dabs are a form of weed gaining popularity as fast as anything on the market.
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Weed dabs, a type of marijuana concentrate, are essentially an extracted form of dry herb which you can smoke or vaporize. Although you can learn how to make dabs with marijuana, it is often best to purchase concentrates from a reputable seller. Also, as the THC content is sometimes over 90%, we urge you to moderate your use at first and watch out for any dabbing side effects.
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In this overview, we tell you about all the types of dabs out there.
Shatter
Shatter is created by rinsing dried cannabis flower with a solvent. The resulting solution is then processed to remove the solvent, leaving behind the desired cannabinoids in high concentration levels. The resulting concentrate is placed into a vacuum oven to further the refinement process and deliver the crisp, clear pieces of concentrate known as shatter. It is easy to use with an electronic vaporizer, vapor straw, or glass rig.
Live Resin
This typically comes in oil form and is made from fresh plants that did not go through the normal drying process. While some users claim this is the ultimate dab, it is hard to find.
Oil
THC oil is a concentrate or an extract. That means the cannabis plant matter has been washed with a solvent of some kind [common solvents include isopropyl alcohol, butane, and carbon dioxide (CO2)]. When soaked in a solvent, the trichomes, THC, CBD, CBN, and other cannabinoids get dissolve in the liquid.
Wax
This crumbly, coarse substance often looks like brown sugar and sometimes resembles earwax in color and consistency.
Diamonds
Diamonds and Terpene sauce are created from Live Resins, which means that the cannabis is flash-frozen after harvest, leaving many of the fragile terpenes present in the plant.
Because the flash-frozen plants retain more terpenes (the aromatic component of the Cannabis plant), the end result leaves a sauce with much more of these terpenes present. Higher quality, flash-frozen cannabis creates higher quality extracts, which is where diamonds and sauce really shine.
THCA Isolates
THCA isolates are extracted using solvents, and then heat and pressure are applied to create the final product. Since isolates are nearly pure concentrations of cannabinoids, there will be very few terpenes. Isolates may be consumed in the same manner as a shatter or budder. They can also be mixed with flower in the same manner as kief.
Budder
Budder is an extract that is created by rinsing dried cannabis flower with a solvent (Prime uses ethanol). The resulting solution is then processed to remove the solvent, leaving behind the desired cannabinoids and terpenes in high concentration levels. During this process, the resulting concentrate is whipped to create a buttery texture and consistency, hence the name “budder.” It can be vaporized directly out of our containers with the use of a vapor straw.
Vape Cartridge
Vape cartridges are pre-filled devices that contain refined and concentrated cannabis oil. The cartridge is placed onto a rechargeable battery that powers the heating element contained in the cartridge, which then vaporizes the cannabis oil for easy inhalation. Cartridges are a great product for those who may be looking for a discreet method of consumption, ease of use, or portability.
Decarboxylated Oral Syringe
The decarboxylated oral syringe is a highly concentrated cannabis oil that can be used for making homemade edibles or other infused products. The oil has been decarboxylated so heat is not required to activate the THC. You can mix the oil from the syringe with butter or cooking oil and add it to a recipe. See our “How To Use Oral Syringes” handout to learn more.
Kief
Kief is a solventless concentrate that is produced through the physical separation of trichomes from the cannabis flower. After separation, the resulting material is then refined by sifting the trichomes through fine micron screens. Kief can be sprinkled on top of a bowl or incorporated into a pre-roll to increase desired effects and impart additional flavors.
Other Types of Concentrates
The concentrates listed are the ones that we typically have available, but there are more than just what’s listed. Below are some other popular types of cannabis concentrates.
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Bubble Hash
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Crumble
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Rosin
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RSO
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“Sugar”