Concentrates pack the purest, most powerful essence of cannabis into a palm-sized container, unleashing goodness at your fingertips. As cultivators have developed new ways to concentrate cannabis, they’ve also found new consistencies and applications for cannabis consumers to enjoy.
In this blog, we’ll introduce you to the different types of cannabis concentrates so you can find one that best suits your needs and lifestyle.
How are Cannabis Concentrates Made?
Before we get into the different types of concentrates, let’s first talk about how concentrates are made. The extraction process creates cannabis concentrates, isolating the most valuable compounds, such as cannabinoids and terpenes, from the cannabis plant. These concentrates offer a potent and flavorful experience, often much stronger than traditional flower.
Extraction Methods
There are two primary methods for extracting cannabis concentrates:
- Solvent-Based Extraction: This method uses solvents like butane (BHO) or carbon dioxide (CO2) to separate the desirable compounds from the plant material. The result is a high-purity concentrate with various consistencies.
- Solventless Extraction: As the name suggests, this method does not use solvents. Instead, it relies on physical techniques, such as heat and pressure, to extract the compounds.
Both methods have their own benefits, and the choice often comes down to what the cultivator is looking for in the final product.
Types of Cannabis Concentrates
Now that we have a better understanding of what cannabis concentrates are as a whole, let’s dive into some of the most popular types of cannabis concentrates to find out what sets them apart.
Shatter
- Characteristics: Shatter has a glass-like concentrate that breaks apart easily, hence the name. It’s known for its transparency and smooth texture, and it is typically golden to amber in color. It’s super potent and often chosen for its purity and strength.
- How It’s Made: Shatter is usually made using a butane extraction process. The extracted material is then purged of any residual solvents, creating a stable, hard concentrate.
Wax
- Characteristics: Wax is a soft, opaque concentrate with a consistency similar to candle wax. Wax ranges in color from light yellow to brown and has a sticky, pliable texture, making it easy to work with. It’s known for its rich flavor and strong effects.
- How It’s Made: Wax is also made using butane extraction. The key difference lies in the whipping process during extraction, which incorporates air and creates its waxy texture.
Crumble
- Characteristics: Crumble is a dry, crumbly concentrate that’s easy to break apart and handle. Crumble has a honeycomb-like structure and a golden color, and it’s much less sticky than wax. It’s often favored for its ease of use and potent effects.
- How It’s Made: Like wax, crumble is made using butane extraction. The difference comes from the post-processing step, where whipping and purging the concentrate at lower temperatures achieve its crumbly consistency.
Budder
- Characteristics: Budder is a creamy, butter-like concentrate that’s smooth and easy to handle. It’s known for its high terpene content, which is demonstrated by its rich, aromatic profile. Budder is popular for its strong flavors and effects.
- How It’s Made: Budder is produced through a similar process to wax but is whipped more vigorously to achieve its creamy consistency.
Live Resin
- Characteristics: Live resin has a sticky, saucy texture and is typically bright yellow or orange. It’s celebrated for its intense aroma and flavor and purer extraction method.
- How It’s Made: Live resin is a high-quality concentrate made from fresh, flash-frozen cannabis plants. Using butane or propane, extractors pull compounds from the flash-frozen plant to preserve its full terpene profile.
Rosin
- Characteristics: Rosin has a waxy or shatter-like consistency, depending on the starting material and production method. It’s valued for its purity and strong effects.
- How It’s Made: Rosin is made using a heat press, which applies pressure and heat to squeeze the resinous sap from the cannabis material. Because of its solventless extraction process, rosin is often regarded as one of the “purest” or “cleanest” concentrates.
Hash
- Characteristics: Hash is one of the oldest cannabis concentrates, made from the compressed resin glands of the cannabis plant. Hash comes in various forms, from dry and crumbly to sticky and pliable. Its color ranges from light brown to black, and it’s known for its potent effects.
- How It’s Made: Hash is traditionally made by sifting the cannabis plant through fine screens to collect the trichomes, which are then pressed into a solid form. Modern methods include bubble hash, which uses ice water to separate the trichomes.
Choosing the Right Concentrate for You
Ready to give concentrates a try? When choosing a cannabis concentrate, it’s important to think about what matters most to you. Here are a few key factors to consider:
- Potency: How strong do you want your concentrate to be? All concentrates are potent, but some concentrates, like shatter and live resin, are known for their especially high potency.
- Flavor: Do you prefer a rich, flavorful experience? Concentrates like budder and live resin are packed with terpenes, offering robust flavors.
- Ease of Use: Are you looking for something simple to handle? Concentrates like crumble and wax are easy to work with, especially for beginners.
Explore Concentrates at Stem Haverhill Recreational Cannabis Dispensary
At Stem Haverhill, we take pride in offering a diverse and high-quality selection of cannabis concentrates. Whether you’re looking for shatter, wax, crumble, budder, live resin, rosin, or hash, we have something to suit every preference and experience level. Our concentrates are carefully sourced from trusted producers to ensure you get the best in potency, flavor, and consistency. Check out our full line-up of concentrates here!
And if you’re still not sure about which concentrate to choose, our knowledgeable and friendly staff are here to help. We’ll take the time to understand your preferences and experience level to recommend the best concentrates for you. We stay up-to-date on the latest trends and products in the cannabis industry, so you can trust that you’re getting the best advice.
Tap into the purity of cannabis by exploring concentrates, and let Stem Haverhill be your guide.
*The contents of this blog are intended for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.*