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In this complete guide to marijuana concentrates, we outline all the different consistencies and types, along with the most common extraction techniques.
Through your dabbing days, you’ll probably come across many names that refer to the product that is dabbed, but we are going to focus on the umbrella term: concentrates. This typically refers to “stuff” that is made from extracting trichomes from plant matter. Concentrates come in all shapes and sizes, if you will, and are made using a number of extraction techniques. Ahead we’ll outline all the different types of concentrates along with their key characteristics.
Types of cannabis concentrates
So, what are the different types of concentrates? First off, it’s important to know that concentrates can have a number of consistencies, ranging from oily to glass-like. Though they are sometimes smoked differently and can have different levels of purity, the main difference between the different types of wax dabs is the extraction method used to make the product.
Oil
An extremely potent concentrate popularly consumed by dabbing or vaporizing. Marijuana oil is commonly extracted using the butane method and, unlike wax and shatter, is the same consistency of most other oil products.
Wax
Usually the product of butane extraction and most often comes from a failed butter/shatter extract. Wax concentrates are often wax-like (not formed) and sticky. This concentrate type can sometimes be found with a softer consistency, almost like watery peanut butter.
Live Resin
Unlike most other concentrate types, live resin is made using plant matter than has not yet been dried and cured. This gives the product heightened freshness that helps to preserve maximum cannabinoids and terpenes from the original plant. In terms of flavorful, aromatic dabs, it doesn’t get much better than live resin.
Bubble/Ice Wax/Full Melt
This is one of the safest and cleanest concentrates due to the ice water extraction method. The trichomes are simply washed off of the plant with ice cold water (rather than using chemicals to absorb the trichomes). The product has a stable, grainy texture that looks a lot like beach sand.
Rick Simpson Oil (RSO)
Rick Simpson Oil — or RSO — is a cannabis concentrate that contains particularly high levels of THC, making it highly useful for medicinal use. You can read more about RSO in our Guide to Rick Simpson Oil.
Dabbers for every type of concentrate
Browse our selection of dabbers to find something that’s perfect for handling your extract of choice.
Cannabis extraction methods
There are a number of different extraction methods that product different types of concentrates. As far as which method to use, it usually comes down to the preference of the extractor and what they enjoy smoking.
Water + Ice
Products made: Ice Wax, Bubble, Full Melt
Ice Wax is a full melt concentrate that gets its name from the extraction method used. Ice Wax, Bubble, and Full Melt commonly refer to a type of concentrate that melts completely and leaves little to no ash. If it doesn’t melt 100% to liquid, it’s not a full melt.
This type of concentrate comes in many grades, ranging from light beige to golden to dark black. The purity of the product is easily determined by its color; light colors are the purest, while dark colored concentrates usually contain plant matter and contaminants. Lower-grade Full Melts are soft, moist, and have the consistency of silly putty, while the “good stuff” looks and feels like beach sand and is usually made from sativas since indicas don’t usually melt completely.
Ice Wax is extracted using screens and ice-cold water, making a much purer product. The extraction process is tricky and tedious, making this a relatively rare product. When heated, this concentrate may bubble slightly due to small amounts of water that tend to get trapped when the oil glands burst.
Acetone, alcohol-based
Products made: Honey Oil, Black Gold, etc.
These are made by soaking plant matter in acetone for a certain amount of time. The longer the plant matter soaks, the darker the extract will be. As with Bubble, the purity is determined by the color; lightest being the most pure. Waxy Oils should look like wax, but should be hard as rock when touched. When heated, this product should turn completely to oil. Beware of liquid or strong fume smells in this product, as they are caused by leftover chemicals that were not evaporated during the extraction process.
Butane Hash Oil
Products made: Goo, Earwax, Honey Oil, Shatter, etc.
Most commonly known as BHO, this is made using a complicated process that involves passing butane over plant material. When done correctly, the resulting product will be light-colored with a consistency similar to earwax. On occasion, the result will be as hard as glass, a concentrate known as shatter. These concentrates will turn to a clear or yellowish amber marijuana oil when heat is applied. The butane process, unlike the water and ice method, is non-organic. However, the end result is extremely pure and potent while the smell and taste are left completely intact, leaving out useless plant matter and chemicals.
Dry Ice
Products made: Gold Dust, Moon Rocks, etc.
To make this concentrate, dry ice is shaken with plant material and the trichomes are allowed to fall through screens. Due to the dramatically cold temperatures, the trichomes are very cleanly separated from plant matter, and the product is usually rather pure. The final product is a gold flake or powder, and will sometimes melt in warm environments.
Gold Dust often has a flaky/dusty texture.
Supercritical CO2
Products made: Shatter
This concentrate is made using a process that is just like the butane process, except CO2 is used. The CO2 extraction process is desirable because the chemical is much colder and safer than butane. The final product should be extremely sweet-tasting and completely hard at room temperature. CO2 products will also be full melt and very potent.
Rosin Tech
Concentrates can also be extracted from plant matter using heat and pressure alone. This is done on the professional level using rosin press machines, but you can achieve a similar effect at home using hair straighteners instead. Visit our dedicated resource article to learn more about how to make rosin dabs.
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