Concentrates have become widely popular, making the art of “dabbing” as normal as smoking a joint. The difference though? These guys can pack a punch. Heck. Shatter itself is 80% THC. One hoot, and you’ll be one with the couch for the night.
We will talk about the commonly known concentrates only. But there are numerous different kinds. First of all lets start with the heavy weight of the batch;
Shatter
Now shatter is perfect for dabbing, but user beware. I wasn’t joking when I said it’s the heavy weight. Shatters coming in the ring swinging, and you’re going down. Packing a punch of 80% THC, it’s gonna literally shatter your brain.
To get this guy, you’ll need to do a double extraction. By doubling down your removing mostly all the fats and plant gunk left behind. A glass sheet of hardened cannabis resin is left behind.
Rosin
Rosin is pretty darn cool in my books. Why is it just so darn cool? Because it’s made without a solvent. *Mind blown.
To get it, you simply need heat and pressure. You got a hair straightener? Awesome. How about parchment paper? Wicked. And I will assume you have the last ingredient readily available. Buds. Place the bud on the parchment paper fold over and press between the straightener. After, you simply scrape the rosin off the parchment paper using your dab tool.
Budder
Ah budder. You creamy devil you! Budder is obtained using a butane hash oil technique (BHO). Being the opposite of shatter, budder has a waxy creamy like consistency. Does your stash look like it’s melting? Pop it in the freezer before using it. This will form it back to the same consistency it was before.
CO2
Now CO2 is the only one that is not extracted using the BHO technique. No, this one is extracted using a more cleaner user friendly way than butane. The gas C02, is used to extract the concentrate “CO2”. This extraction way will yield you a more liquidly sticky substance. Use a vape pen with this concentrate. Did I mention the taste from this guy? Delicious.
Crumble
Now crumble uses the same BHO technique. Getting its “crumbly” texture due to the heating and cooling process. Crumble is easy to work with and pick up with your dab tool. But, it can become powdery when it loses moisture. Don’t panic if this happens. You can still use it, but it’s best to keep this guy in a small container in a cool dark place.
Live Resin
Live resin is probably the most flavourful of the group. It keeps its flavour thru the extraction process it will go thru. When plants age, their buds lose aroma and cannabinoids. Flavour and cannabinoids/terpenes are preserved thanks to the flash freezing process.
Sugar Wax
Another product of BHO extraction. Sugar wax is formed thru heat, and extra fat lipids that were not properly removed while making shatter. This product is easy to handle. Shatter may take on a sugar wax like texture. This is not something to worry about!
Bubble Hash
Bubble hash differs from regular hash because it is not pressed, and bubbles when burnt. A process called ice water extraction uses a “bubble bag”, ice and frozen bud/trimmings to extract the bubble hash. This is strained multiple times, then left overnight to dry.
Lastly, is my personal favourite of the concentrates family. Not for its psychoactive properties, but for its medicinal ones.
Rick Simpson oil or Phoenix tears
A little back history first.
Diagnosed with basal carcinoma skin cancer in 2003. Simpson had 3 spots, 2 on his face and one on his neck. Simpson had an idea after not having the greatest luck with surgery. He had already been extracting oil from the cannabis plant and ingesting it orally for a year. Remembering a discovery from 40 years earlier. Mice were cured of their cancer with the use of cannabis oil. Since mice were cured of their cancer, why couldn’t he?
Simpson applied the oil to 3 bandages and applied them over the cancerous spots. After 4 days, he took the bandages off to see what had happened. Surprised, Simpson found spots were completely gone! Excited, he took his findings to his doctor. Since his Doctor wouldn’t listen. Finally, Simpson then went to the cancer association, who wouldn’t listen as well.
In the end, Simpson decided to share his knowledge for free to everyone. Even growing the plants in his own backyard, extracting the oil and giving it to anyone who needed it. Google him. He’s awesome.
Rick Simpson obtains his pol from the cannabis plant and a solvent. This could be any high proof grain alcohol for best results, but ever-clear or isopropyl will work as well. By heating the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant. In addition to using a solvent. The oil is extracted.
What concentrates are in your stash?! Mine is looking rather sad. With only a bit of shatter and crumble. I’ll probably be making some rosin tonight though! 😉
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