Cannabis concentrates are starting to spread like wildfire among cannabis enthusiasts, but many casual users are still intimidated by this exciting way of consuming weed. While using cannabis concentrates is a little more challenging than other delivery methods, the extra potency and purity make using marijuana concentrates worth it.
Looking to try something new at your Massachusetts cannabis dispensary and reach new heights on your cannabis journey? Let’s learn more about cannabis concentrates.
Understanding Cannabis Concentrates
Cannabis concentrates are substances that are made by distilling down the best parts of the marijuana plant. Instead of wasting space with plant matter that’s not psychoactive, concentrates are made from trichomes, the most potent parts of the cannabis plant.
Trichomes are the shiny crystals you may see on the surface of high-quality cannabis buds. They contain all of the plant’s THC, CBD, minor cannabinoids, terpenes, and other important compounds. This pure substance is much stronger by volume than traditional cannabis flower.
Cannabis concentrates have extremely high levels of THC. Normal cannabis flower generally has a THC percentage around between 10-25%, while concentrates can reach 50-99.99%. This means that they’ll bring on a unique sensation and probably get you much higher than any other delivery method.
Different Types of Cannabis Concentrates
Cannabis concentrates can be made in several different ways. This results in variations in taste, aroma, texture, color, effect, and potency. Overall, much of choosing between marijuana concentrates comes down to personal preference.
Here are some of the different types of cannabis concentrates and how they differ.
Badder & Budder
Badder and budder get their names because their textures are very similar to soft butter or cake batter. They’re not quite liquids or solids, but have more of a waxy texture. These cannabis concentrates contain the natural terpenes found in marijuana, giving them a rich aroma and taste. They have a THC concentration of about 70-80%.
Make sure you don’t confuse cannabis budder with cannabutter. Budder is a concentrate that’s meant to be dabbed or vaped, while cannabutter is actual butter that’s been infused with cannabis, which is used to make edibles.
Crumble
Crumble has a texture that’s similar to an under-mixed pie crust. It’s dry and powdery with a light yellow, orange, or brown color. This weed concentrate is very easy to handle and is a great texture for beginners. It’s one of the stronger cannabis concentrates on the market, with THC percentages up to 90%.
Diamonds
Diamonds are one of the most potent types of cannabis concentrates, and they may contain up to 99.99% THC when heated. They’re semi-transparent and resemble gemstones. Diamonds are often contained in sauce, which produce the flavor and smell of cannabis.
Distillate
You’ve probably consumed cannabis distillate and not even known it. This marijuana concentrate is well-known for its use in disposable vaporizers, vape cartridges, and edibles because it’s relatively inexpensive and has a very mild taste that makes it easy to add other flavors.
Distillate doesn’t contain all of the terpenes and minor cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Instead, it’s an extremely isolated liquid that contains just the THC from the plant. It can range from about 75-95% THC concentration.
Hash
Hash is created by compressing the trichomes of the cannabis plant. This results in tightly-packed, concentrated solid chunks that you can smoke or dab. Generally, this cannabis concentrate can have a THC percentage up to 60%.
Live Resin
Live resin has a texture that’s like a waxy sauce. Like most concentrates, it’s very sticky. It’s generally a light yellow or white color. It usually has a THC percentage between 50-80%.
Live resin is notable because it’s created using cannabis that was immediately frozen after it was harvested. When cannabis is dried, it loses some of its terpenes and trichomes, so live resin may retain many of the plant’s original flavor, aroma, and potency.
Rosin
Rosin is made by using heat and pressure to strip the trichomes from the cannabis flower. It’s often considered to be one of the most potent weed concentrates. In some cases, pure hash rosin can have a THC concentration of up to 98%, but 60-80% is more common.
Rosin can look very different depending on how it’s made. The temperature and duration of the extraction process can change the concentrate’s texture, color, and appearance. Rosin can resemble other concentrates, including shatter, crumble, budder, badder, and wax.
Shatter
Shatter gets its name because it breaks apart like glass when pressure is applied. It’s much more solid than other concentrates like budder or distillate and has a gold or amber color. Instead of agitating the concentrate while it’s being created, the extract is left undisturbed, which creates the solid substance.
Shatter is extremely strong, and may contain up to 80-90% THC. It can be a little harder to use than some other types of cannabis concentrates, so we recommend newbies try a different variety first.
Sugar
Sugar gets its name because it has a texture similar to wet sugar. This cannabis concentrate has crystal-like structures and is generally amber or yellow. It has a THC percentage between 60-90%.
How to Use Cannabis Concentrates
Using concentrates can be more difficult than smoking a joint or taking an edible. However, after a little extra practice, we think you’ll find the process worth it, even if you only use marijuana concentrates sometimes.
Weed concentrates are usually packaged in extremely small containers, 0.5-1 gram. This is because you need only an extremely small dose to get high. New users will usually only need a dab the size of a ballpoint pen, a peppercorn, or half a corn kernel.
The most common way to use cannabis concentrates is dabbing using a dab rig. They’re glass pipes with a nail where the bowl usually is. When you dab, you place the concentrate on the nail and use a butane torch to heat it, usually for about 30 seconds. The dab vaporizes and you can inhale the vapor through the pipe.
Want an easier way to try cannabis concentrates? We recommend purchasing a disposable vaporizer. These usually contain distillate, which is rich in THC. All you need to do is push the button and inhale to try out the power of cannabis concentrates. This allows you to try out the effects of concentrates before making a large investment.
Where Can I Learn More About Cannabis Concentrates in Massachusetts?
Cannabis concentrates are some of the most complex types of THC products. We totally understand if you still have questions and need help choosing the best concentrate for you.
The friendly retail dispensary agents at Blackstone Valley Cannabis in Uxbridge, MA are here to talk to you about how to use cannabis concentrates, the different types of cannabis concentrates, and the concentrates we carry. We’re happy to work with you until you can walk out of our cannabis dispensary with products you’re excited about.
Our inventory changes all the time, but some of the cannabis concentrates you can find at Blackstone Valley Cannabis include:
Ready to try cannabis concentrates? Stop into our cannabis dispensary in Uxbridge, MA, or buy cannabis concentrates online and pick them up today!
