Concentrates refers to wax, dabs, rosin, and all the other various concentrated forms of marijuana. They are called concentrates because the marijuana’s effective chemicals is concentrated into the new substance. For example, rosin contains much more THC per milligram than standard marijuana flower does.
Concentrates may also be referred to as “extracts.”
There are many methods of extracting concentrated cannabis
New methods are coming along all the time. Briefly, the current methods in practice for extracting cannabis concentrates include:
- Ethanol – One of the most efficient methods, cold extraction works best.
- Hydrocarbon – Using butane or propane, HIGHLY flammable and dangerous to work with, but also efficient.
- CO2 – Supercooled carbon dioxide, flexible process, but too expensive for anything but industrial-scale extraction.
- Ultrasound – Vibrating sound waves are directed at an ethanol solvent to help extract more of the compounds, not very common.
- Hydrodynamic – Flower is frozen, pulverized with ultrasound, separated in a centrifugal chamber, and processed from there, highly specialized.
- Honeybee extraction – No kidding, bees allowed access only to cannabis flower make cannabis honey with THC present, not very common.
The end product can take many forms
These include:
- Shatter – A stiff, candy-like consistency
- Crumble – A moist, cake-like consistency
- Wax – A drippy, honey-like consistency
- Sap – Like wax, but runnier
- Pull-and-snap – Like shatter, but more of a taffy-like consistency
- Budder – Made from whipped wax, with a creamy, butter-like consistency
- Oil – A liquid, oily consistency using in vaping
