Cannabis 101: Cannabis Concentrates and Extracts
What are extracts?
An extract or concentrate is any oil that concentrates the chemical compounds of the cannabis plant, like THC and CBD. There are many types of extraction processes and solvents that can be employed to make removal of potent compounds easier and more thorough. The results are highly potent cannabis products of varying consistencies commonly used for dabbing or vaping.
Budder, Shatter and Crumble – What’s the Diff?
Cannabis concentrates carry many names, most of which refer to the consistency of the product. Read on to demystify common extract types and terms.
Cannabis Oil Extracts
Cannabis oil extracts refer to concentrates that retain transparency throughout the extraction process. Based on the technique used, temperature and moisture levels, these extracts vary in consistency.
Shatter is the hardest and driest form of oil extract.
Shatter concentrates are made by liquefying and then re-solidifying the trichome crystals that coat cannabis buds (which house the THC and other cannabinoids) in a process using some type of solvent. This results in a brittle, yet sticky, very potent concentrate that resembles amber and shatters easily when cold/melts when heat is applied.
Pull-and-Snap is the mid-range of oil extract. Pull-and-Snap is still clear but has a taffy-like consistency that “snaps” when pulled apart.
Sap is the softest of the transparent cannabis oil extracts and as a sticky, runny consistency like syrup or tree sap.
Rosin refers to an extraction process that utilizes a combination of heat and pressure to nearly instantaneously squeeze resinous sap from cannabis. It has gained popularity as a solvent-less way to create shatter-like melts. All that is needed to create rosin from cannabis is heat and pressure.
Cannabis Wax Extracts
Wax extracts are concentrates that become opaque during the extraction process. This occurs when the molecules are agitated during extraction. Like shatter and sap, waxes also have varying consistencies based on the technique and temperature used to create it.
Budder is the softest wax extract. It has a sticky, creamy texture.
Honeycomb is an opaque extract similar in texture to waxy honeycomb. This is the mid-range of the wax extracts in terms of consistency.
Crumble is the driest form of cannabis wax and can typically be broken apart easily for dabbing.
Other Types of Extracts:
Kief is dry, powdery pollen made up of the resin glands found on the trichomes of cannabis flowers. This resin contains compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes, which are responsible for the potency, effectiveness and flavor of each unique strain. Kief is typically used to make hash.
Hash is one of the oldest cannabis extracts. Made from the powdery pollen of the cannabis plant known as kief, hash is a concentrate made by compression. It isn’t as potent as today’s modern extracts but remains popular in many cultures.
Live resin concentrates are made using a freezing process on freshly harvested cannabis plants. As much of the plant’s flavor and potency are lost during drying, flash-freezing fresh cannabis prevents this loss and results in highly potent, flavorful, connoisseur-grade extracts.
Visit www.NaturalCannabis.com to view our selection of high-quality cannabis extracts available at any of our three Northern California locations.