Celebrate 710 Day: Guide to Cannabis Extracts And Concentrates

Did you know that if you invert the numbers 710 you get OIL? On 7/10, the cannabis world celebrates cannabis extracts and concentrates, much like 4/20. 710 has now come to represent dab culture, in general. 

In honor of OIL Day we've assembled a comprehensive cannabis guide to extracts and concentrates that are available on the market today. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned user, our guide can help you find the right extract for you.

What Are Cannabis Extracts and Concentrates?

Cannabis extracts and concentrates are concentrated forms of the plant’s trichomes, which contain active ingredients such as cannabinoids and terpenes. As a result, concentrates and extracts are much more potent than cannabis flower buds.

Cannabis concentrates and extracts come in a variety of colors, consistencies, textures, and potencies, depending on the starting material and extraction process. Extracts refer to products made using solvents, while concentrates use mechanical or physical separation processes.

Solvent-Based Extracts

Solvent-based extracts use a closed-loop system and chemical solvents such as light hydrocarbons (butane and propane), ethanol, and carbon dioxide to dissolve the cannabinoids and terpenoids from the raw flower material.

Shatter

Shatter, made using hydrocarbons, is one of the most popular extracts available. It has a glass-like, translucent, and amber appearance. Its consistency ranges from brittle to sappy.

Budder

Cannabis budder, also known as badder or butter, has a light hue and a creamy and smooth consistency. It is made by using a whipping technique during the extraction process.

Wax

Cannabis wax, made using hydrocarbons, has a waxy consistency. It has a light and opaque color.

Crumble

Cannabis crumble has a crumbly and powdery consistency. Crumble can be made using hydrocarbons and CO2. It has a light and golden color.

Live Resin

Made from fresh-frozen cannabis buds, live resin has a higher concentration of terpenes than most other extracts. It has a golden yellow color and a sticky consistency,

Distillate

Cannabis distillate refers to an odorless and flavorless oil that has a single cannabinoid, THC or CBD, without any additional terpenes. Distillate can be made with ethanol or hydrocarbons. It is found in edibles, capsules, tinctures, and vape cartridges.

Isolate

Cannabis isolate of CBD or THC is a refined distillate that contains only one single cannabinoid without any other compounds. It is 99% pure cannabinoids. The product has a powdery consistency.

Terp Sauce

Terp sauce, made with hydrocarbons, has a terpene-rich and runny oil with some crystallization of cannabinoids.

Solventless Concentrates

Solventless concentrates are made without the use of harsh chemical solvents. Instead, a range of agitation techniques or methods using heat and pressure break apart or melt the cannabis trichomes.

Rosin

Cannabis rosin has a viscous consistency and is made by squeezing raw material such as flower or kief/hash with heat and pressure. It can be easily made at home with a hair straightener and some parchment paper.

Live Rosin

Live rosin is just like rosin except that it is made with fresh-frozen material to preserve the terpenes in the plant.

Kief

Kief has a dust-like appearance. It is the accumulation of cannabis trichomes that can be collected in a grinder or using dry sifting techniques.

Hash

Hash refers to the collection of kief that is compressed into a ball or slab.

Bubble Hash

Bubble hash, also known as water hash, has a crumbly and dry consistency. It is made using an ice water agitation technique and screen filtration.

How to Consume Cannabis Extracts and Concentrates

Cannabis extracts and concentrates provide users with a higher potency than traditional flower-based products. Cannabis flower has THC levels between 10 and 25%, while concentrate levels can be between 50 to nearly 100%.

There are many ways to enjoy cannabis “dabs” at home or on the go. Dabbing is the most popular consumption method, but concentrates can also be found in vape carts, tinctures, edibles, and topicals.

Pro tip: If you want to get the most out of your concentrates, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark place away from a heat source, which can degrade the quality of the product.

Elevate the Potency of Flower: Pipes and Joints

Cannabis extracts and concentrates can be easily added on top of packed bowls of cannabis or inside/outside of joints and blunts to give you an extra dose of potency. Add kief on top of bowls or gently heat cannabis wax to make it easier to add inside or outside of the joint.

Fast-Acting, Intense Potency: Dabbing

One of the best ways to enjoy cannabis concentrates is with a traditional dab rig or an e-nail. Dab rigs are usually made of borosilicate glass and look like a bong. However, instead of a bowl piece, it has a nail that you heat up with a blowtorch. Then you apply the dab to the nail surface for vaporization. Water can go inside the rig to filter the vapor.

E-nails are more convenient and efficient ways to dab cannabis concentrates. They have a temperature control box and coil that keeps the nail at a specific temperature without having to use a blowtorch.

At-Home or On-the-Go High: Vaporizers

Cannabis vaporizers, whether they be portable or desktop versions, allow you to add a dab of concentrate to the heating chamber, which turns it into a vapor. Then, you just inhale and enjoy. Some vaporizers can work with both dry herb and extracts.

Pre-filled vape cartridges contain cannabis oil and can screw into a 510-threaded battery or you can buy disposable vape pens that already come with a battery. Disposable vapes usually have one temperature setting.

Vaporizers can have a range of pre-set temperatures or the ability to zero in on a specific temperature degree to get the maximum level of terpenes and cannabinoids.

Long-Lasting High: Edibles

All the edible products on dispensary shelves are made with cannabis concentrate. Enjoy the benefits of a concentrate with none of the smoke. Edibles have a longer onset time (1 to 2 hours) and duration time of effects (6 to 8 hours). The experience will depend on your tolerance, amount consumed, metabolism, and potency of the product.

Localized Relief: Topicals

Cannabis concentrates can also make topicals such as salves, creams, and lotions. A topical infusion can be applied directly to the affected area for relief. Topicals do not absorb into the bloodstream or cause intoxication.

Become a Cannabis Extraction Expert

Celebrate OIL Day by learning all about cannabis extraction and infusions. Gain a complete understanding of the process by enrolling in Cannabis Training University’s (CTU) online cannabis college.

Students receive well-rounded education in cannabis extracts and concentrates:

• Introduction to cannabis extraction
• Preparing the cannabis
• Cannabis infusion and extraction processes
• Straining, filtering, and purging
• Cooking with cannabis
• Cannabis recipes

Learn from the top cannabis extraction technicians and chefs. Start making your own extracts and infusions today!