Simply put, cannabis concentrates are concentrated forms of cannabis. Made by stripping cannabinoid resins and bioactives from cannabis plant matter, cannabis concentrates contain a wide spectrum of cannabinoids—including THC and CBD—and they provide a powerful consumption experience.
Consumers appreciate cannabis concentrates for their ability to deliver a super-charged consumption experience and instant relief. Available in a variety of textures, tastes, and forms, they’re an incredibly popular way to enjoy the potential wellness benefits of cannabis.
Cannabis concentrates are derived from the cannabis plant, offering consumers potent forms of THC and CBD. The cannabis plant serves as the primary source for a variety of concentrates, including wax, live resin, and shatter.
The journey begins with the cannabis flower, known for its rich terpene content and cannabinoid profile. Cannabis flowers are meticulously processed to create high-quality concentrates, offering a wide range of consumption methods, including vape pens and dab rigs.
The appeal of concentrated cannabis lies in its versatility and potency. From live resin to hash oil, concentrated cannabis offers consumers the ability to explore various textures, flavors, and effects.
From cannabis concentrate products like wax and shatter to cannabis extracts such as hash oil and live resin, the market offers something for everyone. Both cannabis concentrates and extracts boast a high terpene content, making them flavorful and potent options.
Benefits of Cannabis Concentrates
Made by blasting cannabis plant material with a solvent and whipping it into a creamy texture over low heat, wax is often consumed using “dab rigs.”
A newer addition to the world of extracts, live resin is made by flash-freezing cannabis plant matter right after harvest. This retains the aroma, flavor, and terpene content of the flower, offering a fresh and flavorful experience.
With a texture similar to unbaked cake batter, this cannabis concentrate is treated with a shorter whipping process that helps it retain more moisture.
Resembling broken pieces of glass, shatter is an extremely potent cannabis concentrate extracted through a similar process to wax, with an additional refinement stage.
This extraction method uses lower temperatures, preserving the terpene content while creating a crumble texture.
Hash oil is one of the most versatile cannabis extracts, used in everything from vape pens to edibles. Its high THC content makes it a popular option for medical and recreational consumers alike.
Known for their delicate structure, diamonds/sugar are created using a longer extraction process, allowing for higher terpene content and unique textures.
A hybrid of cannabis flower and concentrate, moon rocks combine high-grade flower, hash oil, and kief dust, offering a potent indulgence for consumers seeking the best of both worlds.
Common cannabis extraction methods use a cooling process to freeze trichomes so they easily break from the plant. Here are the four most common extraction methods you should know:
In ice water extraction, only cannabis plant material, ice, and water are used to create the concentrate. Cannabis flowers are blended so the trichomes fall off the plant and then sifted through screens to create either bubble hash or full melt concentrate, depending on the quality. Because no solvents or extreme heat are used in this process, many concentrate connoisseurs think ice water extracted products have an especially pure taste.
Using butane as the solvent extraction agent, BHO extracted concentrates are typically higher in concentrated cannabinoids. Butane causes extreme cold, which allows trichomes to easily fall off the plant matter, creating a distinctive slab of trichomes. The residual butane is then removed in a two step process: first the solvent is purged using a closed-loop system, then the slab of concentrate is baked in a low-temperature vacuum oven for a minimum of 12 hours, resulting in shatter, wax or live resin.
Concentrates made with PHO extraction methods are created the same way as BHO concentrates. The only difference is that the extractor uses propane instead of butane as the extraction agent.
Considered cleaner than PHO or BHO concentrates by some concentrate connoisseurs, CO2 extracted concentrates are often more expensive, premium products. In this process, CO2 is used as the cold solvent, resulting in a liquid cannabis concentrate. Concentrates represent the more potent side of medical cannabis, so we encourage you to ask your Rootdown budtender for guidance.
In addition to cannabis concentrates, many consumers explore other cannabis products such as edibles, tinctures, and topicals, broadening their experience with cannabis.