The World of Concentrates

Some of you already know about concentrates, but there are still many who don’t. Concentrates are simply a concentrated form of THC that can be extracted from the plant in a number of ways to create a wide variety of products. Some of these concentrates are shrouded in controversy while others are considered to be safer and cleaner than cannabis itself. Whatever the case, concentrates are more popular than ever and some find it all to complicating so this article is intended to simplify things.

We’ll start with the basics. Kief is a concentrate made from dried and cured cannabis flowers. Simply agitate some dried weed over a fine screen and it won’t take long before you see a very fine powder appear. The powder can be collected and consumed on top of a bowl or added to a joint. This simple concept is known as “dry sift” and there are many grinders on the market that collect kief as you grind and prepare your weed. Larger amounts of kief can be gathered and pressed into whats known as hash or hashish.

Kief from Pure Funk – $30 a gram

Most hash on the market is extracted in ice water rather than dry sifted. This is commonly referred to as bubble hash and can be made at home with the help of some bubble bags. The quality of hash and kief is determined by how well it melts. As it melts it will bubble and more bubbles means less plant matter in your hash. No matter the quality, hash is flavorful on the palette and expansive in the lungs. Hash is consumed just like kief, however, the beauty of hash is that you can break off a chunk and throw it right into your bowl! Just be careful, these products are potent.

Hash from Kai’dro – $35 a gram

A newer trend in the cannabis industry is hydrocarbon extracts. This involves a pressurized closed loop system to run butane, hexane, or propane through a cylinder containing cannabis material. The extract material is caught in a dish then poured onto trays. The trays are then placed in vacuum ovens to purge out residual solvents. This process can also be done with alcohol and CO2. As I understand it, different textures like shatter, wax, and oils are all created through additional processes that occur after the extraction phase. Some textures are easier to handle and everyone has their preference, but neither texture or clarity determine the quality of the product as rumors suggest. Quality should always be determined by test results.

Marion Berry Kush Shatter by Slab Mechanix – $25 a half gram

Hydrocarbon extracts often face scrutiny due to the solvents used in processing, however, these same solvents allow us to create a new product called live resin. Live resin is made from fresh frozen buds. Thats right, buds are chopped off the plant and immediately frozen. This freezes the terpenes in the resin glands before any have a chance to evaporate. After frozen, the resin is typically extracted with butane as previously described and the result is some amazingly fresh resin that stimulates your senses beyond belief. Extra costs involved means live resin is usually a bit more expensive, but worth every penny.

Live Resin from Honu – $40 a gram

Due to the controversy surrounding residual solvents the need for solvent-less extracts gave birth to ‘rosin tech’. This technique can be done very easily at home with a hair straightener and  some parchment paper. Take a small nug and place it inside a folded sheet of parchment paper then smash it between the plates of the flat iron. The key is lower temps and lots of pressure. Every setup is different and I wasted quite a bit of weed in my experimenting. Now there are large presses specifically designed to press rosin on a production scale. Mother Earth Farms just delivered a fresh batch of Super Lemon Haze and UW rosin that have some crazy test results. Be sure to get your hands on some before it’s all gone.

Freshly pressed Rosin

Concentrates have become so popular in recent years an entire industry has evolved around its consumption. The term ‘dab’ is now used to describe a hit of concentrate and dabbing has fueled the glass world in unimaginable ways. There are now dome-less titanium nails, quarts bangers, carb caps, and bongs specifically designed for dabbing called “rigs”. The use of a torch used to be mandatory, but electronic nails are becoming the norm. While the industry grows so does the world of concentrates and some believe it will eventually dominate over flower sales. Whatever your belief, concentrates have definitely made their mark on an industry as well as a culture.

Dab Rig with Dome-less Titanium Nail