Concentrates
The facts
Cannabis concentrates provide intense effects with very little product. They come in many different shapes, colours and consistencies but they’re fundamentally the same. Concentrates rely on the collection of trichome heads that contain THC and CBD, or the extraction of concentrated oil using solvents. The consumer needs to be aware that with increased potency comes increased side effects. The amount of concentrate should be kept small with ample time between sessions to get the safest, steadiest and most enjoyable experience from these products.
Tips
Concentrates can be added to joints and other dried products to increase overall potency.
The safest and most flavourful way to use concentrates is at a lower temperature.
Ready-to-use pens are activated by breath. Take a long, strong and steady inhale for best results.
Use vapourizers designed for concentrates. Some concentrates leave residue which can damage your vapourizer. Check the literature of your device carefully to make sure it is built to handle hash, waxes, or other concentrates.
When using a vapourizer, make sure to clean your vape thoroughly after every use. Residue can shorten the lifespan and efficiency of your vape and can alter the taste of your product.
Kief
Kief is the loose trichome heads that are collected from flower. When marijuana is ground up or shaken, these crystalline powdery particles detach. Kief is rich in the glandular parts of the plant that produce and contain THC or CBD. Kief can be smoked, vapourized or added to joints or a pipe to increase potency/effect. Kief must be decarboxylated with heat (or decarbed) to become active.
Bubble hash
Bubble hash is made by separating the resinous, glandular parts that are rich in THC, CBD and terpenes from the rest of the plant-matter using ice-water and fine filters. The water allows the denser trichomes to sink the bottom while the impurities stay on the top, separating the potent parts from those that don’t have cannabinoids. The cold temperatures allow for a rich flavour to be preserved by keeping the terpenes stable during the process and making sure they stay in the final product for the consumer.
Dry-sift hash
Loose trichome heads that are separated away from the plant and put through increasingly fine filters. This results in a bright, clean, powdery end-product that is collected and can be pressed. Dry sift hash can be added to dried flower or smoked in its original form. High purity dry-sift hash can also melt cleanly with heat and can be dabbed without any significant residue.
Cannabis Rosin
The resinous product that is extracted from cannabis bud using simultaneous heat and pressure. Rosin is sought after because it’s a solid cannabis extract that doesn’t need solvents or added chemicals. Rosin has a strong scent and is very similar in smell, taste and effect to the flower it is derived from. The translucent sappy rosin can be used in a dab rig for maximum effect.
Shatter / waxes
Made by processing hash oil with solvents such as butane or CO2, these solid and semi-solid concentrates provide a potent high while preserving the THC and CBD from its original strain. These solid concentrates can range from translucent, breakable solids (shatter) to pliable opaque products that have been agitated to a wax. These products can be used with a dab rig and specialized concentrate vapourizers.
