Airdrie’s Guide to Cannabis Concentrates – Part 2

Welcome back to Airdrie’s Guide to Cannabis Concentrates. Our goal is to help you understand a little bit more about these new and evolving product types through a series of informative blog posts. To start, let’s take a second to refresh ourselves about what we learned in part one:

Part 1 Quick Summary : Solvent vs. Solventless Concentrates

• Cannabis concentrates contain greater concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes than found in dried flower.
• Solvent-based extracts use solvents such as ethanol, butane, or CO2 to process dried plant matter. Popular solvent-based consistencies include budder, wax, and shatter.
• Extracts are typically categorized by the consistency of the final product.
• Solventless concentrates are created through mechanical methods like ice water, sifting, or heat and pressure. Hash is an example of a popular solventless concentrate.                

What are we going to explore in Part 2?

• What is a solventless concentrate.
• The difference between popular types of solventless concentrates & how to use them.

So what is a solventless concentrate?
Solventless concentrates are simply concentrates produced without the use of solvents like ethanol, butane or CO2, but rather through more mechanical means like sifting, heat and pressure.

Popular Types of Solventless concentrates

Kief

You know that amazing fine powder that collects at the bottom of your grinder, or also known as the kief catcher? This is, well…. kief, and it’s considered a solventless concentrate.

• Kief is the collection of trichomes which are separated from the cannabis flower. 
• Typically considered low-quality; however, producers can refine kief using a dry sieve to create an extremely clean and flavorful product that’s sure to enhance your high.
• What is a dry sieve you ask? It’s a series of screen the product is sifted through, so only the trichome heads remain. The result, a super refined and delicious add to your cannabis experience.

What's a trichome? Glad you asked!  They're tiny, translucent, crystalline structures that appear as crystals all over the cannabis plants. This is where cannabinoids such as THC & CBD are produced including the essential oils also known as terpenes. 

How to consume kief? Simply add it to a joint or pack some in your bowl. We’ve seen some creative joint engineers add a little swagger to their js by applying some wax (or saliva if wax is a little advanced for you) to the outside of the J and then rolling it in kief. Honestly, we find this to be more about aesthetic then function, but whatever floats your boat!

Hash

• Hash is created by collecting the powdery resin (or kief as mentioned above) either by hand, mechanical means, or by submersing cannabis plants in icy water. Sieves are then used to remove trichomes. It’s then often pressed into the shape of a bar.
• The quality of the resulting hash is often determined by the size of the isolated trichome heads and the extent to which it melts when heated. If hash is considered full-melt, it’s usually of higher quality.
• The aesthetic and texture of hash can be described as soft and pliable or even stiff and brittle. Colours can range from red, black, brown, green, yellow, or blondish.

How to consume hash? You can add hash to a joint, pack it in a bong or pipe.

Bubble Hash

• Bubble hash gets its name from the way it bubbles when smoked.
• Bubble Hash uses ice water extraction. Basically, cannabis flower is added to bags of ice water, which are referred to as “bubble bags”. The frozen resin glands of the plant break off and then are moved through a series of screens isolating out the precious trichomes.
• The main goal behind ice water extraction is to isolate the trichome heads which store and secret the resinous cannabinoids and terpenes.
• Full melt is considered the highest of quality. If hash burns when heated, it may indicate it’s lower quality and contains plant matter in addition to the trichomes.
• Unlike traditional hash pressed into a bar form once extracted, bubble hash is typically a powdery consistency.

How to consume bubble hash? High quality and full-melt bubble hash can be dabbed or vaped. You can also add to a joint or pack it in a bong pipe or bowl.

Flower Rosin

• Rosin is created through heat and pressure.
• Cannabis flower is heated and squeezed via a rosin press.
• The heat & pressure forces out the coveted resinous sap that’s stored within the trichome gland. The result, a shatter like substance without the use of solvents.

How to consume rosin? Rosin’s are perfect for vaping or dabbing.

How do you know which one to choose?

Each solventless cannabis concentrate will give deliver a unique experience. When choosing a concentrate consider your personal THC tolerance, how you’re going to consume and what sounds more appealing to you.

Remember cannabis concentrates are higher potency, so we always encourage our RARE fam to dose low and go slow to avoid bad experiences. While new and exciting to the legal market, these potent forms of cannabis are not for everyone.

If you have questions, our RARE Experience Guides are also always here to help! Visit us today.