Concentrates 101
For people that relate consuming marijuana to smoking a joint or taking a bong hit may find that their memories of consuming cannabis and the 2020 ways to consume cannabis are vastly different. When marijuana first became legal, many of the offerings resembled the street products that people were used to, joints, flower and brownies. However, over the years, scientists and cannabis enthusiasts have been working tirelessly on ways to improve the high, the quality, the safety and the convenience of the product. This has turned into an entirely new industry revolving around consuming concentrates. This article will give you a breakdown of the different types of concentrates, how they are made and what to expect from them. After reading this, you will be looking for the first dab device you can find.
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Bubble Hash – Bubble or cold-water hash is cannabis plan byproduct or trim that uses ice water as a solvent. You mix the byproduct with the ice water and then strain through smaller and smaller filters until the wax or hash is leftover. This is the heated to dry out for consumption. THC levels range from 30-60% on bubble hash. The good part about bubble hash is that it is a very natural process and therefore doesn’t have any potentially dangerous solvents.
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Wax/Shatter – Wax and shatter are put into one category as they are essentially the same thing. The main difference is in how they are manipulated after purging. Wax and shatter are usually cannabis plant product that is condensed using butane as the solvent. They are then purged of the butane. At this point, the product is poured onto sheets and dried for shatter or manipulated vigorously to create wax. The longer it is manipulated, the firmer the wax. Wax ranges from sauce to crumble. These tend to be the least expensive concentrates and typically run between 50-80% THC.
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Live Resin – Live resin also uses butane as a solvent, but instead of using cannabis plant product or trim, live resin is made from frozen buds. The buds are removed from the plant in their entirety and condensed again using butane. The fresh frozen buds create a sauce with crystals that has an unbelievably complex terpene profile. The smell and taste of live resin really stands out, as does the cleanness of the high. This is a middle of the road to high cost concentrate and typically runs between 70-90% THC. Some live resin has almost all crystals and little sauce, these tend to run more cost, but also have a much higher THC content, some even in the low to mid 90%. Live resin can come in all different forms from live sugar to live badder to marmalade sauce.
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Live Rosin – Live Rosin is like bubble hash in the fact that it doesn’t use any chemical solvents. In fact, in order to make live rosin, you must make bubble has first. However, instead of the drying stage, live rosin undergoes another processing stage where it is pressed under intense pressure, which produces a higher potency concentrate, without introducing any chemicals to the process. Live Rosin doesn’t has as much of terpene profile do to its process, but it is as natural a concentrate as you can get. Live rosin, due to the labor intensive processed involved in making it, generally is the most expensive concentrate on the market. The THC levels for live rosin range from 65-80% THC.
All these different products can be used for dabbing, bowl toppers or in electronic dabbing devices. Be aware of the different ways to smoke concentrates and how they can affect your high and how your body feels. Using as little direct flame and heated coils is better for a pure high. Many flower smokers graduate to concentrates because you consume less, and it is not as harsh on the lungs. If you want to try concentrates, stop into Lake & Leaf Cannabis Co. Our friendly and experienced staff will guide you through the world of dabbing and concentrates to allow you to have the best experience possible.