A typical dispensary visit now has more choices than ever. Long gone are the days when flower and edibles are all you’ll find on the shelf in a legalized city. Now, most of the products available come in the form of concentrates. Cannabis concentrates come in two main categories: solvent extracted and non-solvent extracted. In this article, we are going to go over some of the more popular products that you can find commercially. Some of these products users should dab, and others not.
Vape Cartridges and Distillate
Vape cartridges are typically single-use containers filled with CO2 extracted oil, distillate, or sauce. Distillate manufacturers use advanced equipment to vaporize the THC and CBD in flower and then cool the vapor and collect the condensation. Most terpenes are burned off in the process, so many manufacturers add terpene content to the final product to give it the flavor profiles users demand. Vape cartridges usually screw into a rechargeable battery wand that heats and vaporizes the concentrate.
Shatter
The process of making Shatter begins with blasting plant matter with a solvent in a closed-loop system. The resulting slurry is cooked in a vacuum oven to remove the residual solvents from the slurry. The result is a translucent, amber-colored product that is sturdy and snaps into pieces. Shatter has a high terpene content, and is made for dabbing, giving users a great experience in aroma and flavor.
Wax and Budder
Wax and Budder are dabbable concentrates that has a higher moisture content than Shatter, or Honeycomb style concentrates. The process of making wax and shatter consists of blasting the plant matter with solvents in a closed-loop system. They are then whipped vigorously (and by hand) to remove the residual solvent. The result is a soft and malleable product that is amber in color. Budder is whipped less than wax and therefore has a smoother consistency. Although usually dabbed, wax can also be used as a bowl topper if dabbing seems too intimidating.
Live Resin
The process to make live resin is the same as Wax and Budder, but the plant matter used is cryogenically frozen first, preserving the terpenes and cannabinoids. This process allows the flavor and aroma profiles to remain almost the same as the live plant.
These are just a few varieties of cannabis concentrates. Extraction methods are becoming more diverse, with newer methods developed each year. The next time you are at your local Oklahoma medical marijuana dispensary, ask your budtender about the various concentrates available and if any might be right for you!
