While there are tons of indica, sativa, and hybrid flower strains out there, many marijuana lovers find themselves wanting something stronger. Cannabis concentrates are potent products made using a variety of extraction processes to bring out the true potential of your favorite cannabis strains.
Not only are cannabis concentrates high in THC, but many contain high levels of terpenes, making them extra flavorful. Concentrates come in a wide variety of strains and can be smoked, vaped, or dabbed for a sensational high. However, with so many types of concentrates out there, you might not be sure where to start.
Here’s a helpful beginner’s guide to different types of cannabis concentrates and where you can buy them.
Shatter
Known for its glass-like appearance and high THC levels, shatter is one of the most popular types of cannabis concentrates you can buy. It’s made by blasting cannabis buds with solvents such as butane to separate the potent trichomes from the rest of the plant. The result is a powerful extract that looks like a sheet of amber glass.
It’s easy to break shatter extracts into small pieces, hence its name. You can also burn shatter until it melts, making it easy to add small dabs to a joint, bong, or pipe. It’s also a popular choice for vaping and dabbing. Some people even use shatter to create marijuana edibles or vape oils.
Hash
Hash is one of the most common types of cannabis extracts you can find. Unlike solvent-based concentrates, hash is made by collecting and compressing particles of dried cannabis trichomes, also known as kief or dry sift.
There are many types of hash made using different methods, including bubble hash, Afghani hash, and Lebanese hash. It can also be found in a wide variety of strains.
To use hash, you must first prime it using a lighter. Heat causes hash to soften, making it easy to break apart and crumble. It’s great for smoking and many people mix hash with weed in a joint or bowl. You can also package hash between two chunks of weed in a dry herb vaporizer for an excellent vape session.
Live Resin
Live Resin is a high-terpene full-spectrum extract known for its excellent cannabinoid and terpenoid concentrations. Producing live resin involves flash-freezing freshly harvested cannabis buds before using solvents to extract the THC and terpenes. Its complex extraction process results in some of the freshest and most flavorful cannabis extracts.
It’s a popular choice for cannabis connoisseurs who want the most flavorful products possible. It’s best to vaporize live resin with a concentrate vaporizer, especially as this brings out its flavor as well as its potency. With that said, you can also mix live resin with weed for smoking or even use it with a dab rig for extra-strong hits.
Live Rosin
Rosin is a unique cannabis extract known for its solventless extraction process. It’s produced by applying high levels of heat and pressure to tightly packed cannabis, kief, or hash. This is usually done using a Rosin Press – a machine specially designed to create high-quality solventless rosin extracts.
While rosin can be made with all kinds of cannabis buds, Live Rosin is a special type of rosin made using flash-frozen buds. Flash-freezing cannabis buds after harvesting them helps maintain the fresh cannabinoids and terpenes. As such, Live Rosin concentrates are full of flavor and great for vaporizing.
Wax
Cannabis Wax is a solvent-based concentrate known for its waxy texture. Similar to Shatter, Wax is made by blasting cannabis buds with solvents such as butane to extract the most potent parts of the plant. A purging process is then used to make the extracts clean and satisfying. Wax is known for possessing extra-high concentrations of THC – often higher than 70%.
Since it’s so pliable, it’s easy to scoop dabs of wax and mix them with weed in a joint or bowl for a potent smoking session. It’s also excellent for vaporizing – even a small dab of wax in a concentrate vaporizer can deliver sensational hits. Dabbing wax is also a great idea for those who want the most powerful effects.
Badder
Badder, also known as Batter, is a solvent-based cannabis extract with a battery texture. Like Shatter and Wax, Badder is produced by blasting weed with solvents to produce potent extracts. Badder concentrates can also be extremely strong, sometimes containing more than 70% THC.
Many fans of cannabis concentrates enjoy using badder as it’s extremely pliable. Its battery texture makes it easy to separate and collect dabs for all kinds of purposes. It can be combined with weed for smoking, used in a vaporizer for potent and flavorful hits, or used with a dab rig for extra-strong effects.
Distillates
Fans of liquid cannabis concentrates will love cannabis distillates. These fluid cannabis concentrates are made using complex lab equipment to extract cannabis resin, blast it with solvents, winterize it with freezing temperatures, and decarboxylate it using high heat. The extracts are then distilled to produce a potent liquid.
Distillates are among the purest cannabis products out there. They often contain THC concentrations of 90% or higher, making them great for those who enjoy powerful extracts. Cannabis distillates come in a syringe and you can squeeze out as much as you need for smoking, vaping, or dabbing purposes. Distillates can also be consumed sublingually or orally.
Moon Rocks
Moon Rocks are unique concentrates made by combining three types of cannabis. First, you take a chunk of fresh, potent cannabis buds. The buds are then rolled in potent butane hash oil or another oily concentrate. Finally, you roll these rocks of coated cannabis in Kief for some extra THC.
Since they combine three types of cannabis products, Moon Rocks can be extremely potent. Moon Rocks can even combine different strains of cannabis, meaning they can offer an exciting blend of effects and flavors. They’re usually chopped into small pieces before being smoked in a joint, bong, or pipe. They can also be vaporized.
How To Smoke Cannabis Concentrates
If you’re looking for a convenient way to use your cannabis concentrates, you might want to try smoking them along with your cannabis flower strains. Trying to smoke cannabis concentrates by themselves isn’t recommended – they won’t burn smoothly enough and will usually stick to your rolling papers or smoking devices. However, mixing them with weed can work surprisingly well.
To smoke cannabis concentrates in a joint, start by adding ground weed to your rolling paper as usual. You might want to use a little less to make way for more of your cannabis extracts, but make sure to add a good amount throughout your joint. After adding your weed, add your concentrate of choice. It’s best to prime your concentrates and break them into small pieces before placing a few dabs on top of the weed.
Once your rolling paper is full enough, roll and seal it securely. When you light your joint, your concentrates will burn along with your weed, resulting in some extra-potent tokes. You might want to smoke less than usual, especially since cannabis concentrates can hit you much harder than cannabis flower alone.
You can also smoke your favorite marijuana concentrates in a pipe or bong. Simply add a good chunk of ground weed to your bowl before adding dabs of your chosen concentrate on top. You can then light your bowl and enjoy the potent hits.
Although smoking cannabis concentrates is a quick and easy way to get their effects, you might want to consider other methods of consumption. With that said, some concentrates work especially well for smoking. For instance, hash, kief, and rosin can easily be mixed with weed for a sensational smoking session.
How To Vape Cannabis Concentrates
Vaping has become one of the most popular methods of cannabis consumption, especially as it allows you to inhale the effects of cannabis without any harsh smoke. Short for vaporizing, vaping involves heating your products with a vape device designed to release smooth, satisfying hits of vapor without any burning whatsoever.
While many marijuana lovers already vape their favorite cannabis flower strains, you can also vaporize cannabis concentrates. It’s arguably the best way to use them as vaporizing can bring out the full potential of the powerful cannabinoids and flavorful terpenes in your cannabis extracts.
You’ll need a compatible device. Dry herb vaporizers aren’t designed for vaping concentrates, so make sure you get a concentrate vaporizer. These are sometimes known as dab pens and they often include a chamber and collection tool for adding a dab of your chosen extract. You don’t need too much for a potent vaping session as concentrates often contain plenty of THC even in small dabs.
After adding a dab to your vape device, turn the device on to heat and vaporize your extracts. You can then take a long, slow draw from the mouthpiece for instant effects. Take as many hits as you need until you’re satisfied with your high. You can then turn your device off until you’re ready to use it again.
How To Dab Cannabis Concentrates
Although vaporizing concentrates is good enough for most users, some might want to try dabbing. Dabbing is an even more powerful form of vaping that involves using a butane torch and dab rig for incredibly strong hits. While some users might find dabbing overwhelming, others consider it a good way to experience the full potential of their cannabis extracts.
You’ll need a dab rig if you want to dab cannabis concentrates. These devices often look similar to bongs. The main difference is that they feature a dab nail or banger made of heat-resistant material like Quartz, titanium, or ceramic. You’ll also need a butane torch to heat your dab nail, a carb cap, and a collection tool for applying your dabs.
Traditionally, you need to light your dab nail using a butane torch until it’s red hot. You should then wait around 35 seconds for the nail to reach around 300-400°F. At this point, you can apply a dab of your chosen extract to the heated nail using a collection tool. Alternatively, you can use an enail to automatically heat your nail to the perfect temperature.
Hold a carb cap over the nail while you inhale through the mouthpiece. You can release the carb cap once you’re satisfied with your hit. Bear in mind that dab hits can be exceptionally strong, even for experienced cannabis enthusiasts. As such, you might find that you only need a single hit for a phenomenal high.
Where To Buy Cannabis Concentrates
Cannabis concentrates are potent products that can be particularly hard to produce. As such, you should always buy your cannabis concentrates from a top-rated cannabis dispensary. For instance, marijuana lovers in the Breckenridge, CO area can buy a range of high-quality cannabis concentrates from The Dispensary Breckenridge.
The Dispensary offers a selection of incredible cannabis extracts, including shatter, hash, live resin, live rosin, wax, moon rocks, and a range of high-terpene full-spectrum extracts. Not only can you find different types of extracts, but they’re also available in various indica, sativa, and hybrid strains.
Whether you prefer to smoke, vape or dab cannabis concentrates, you can find the perfect products for your needs here. You can also find a selection of other top-quality marijuana products, including flower strains, edibles, vapes, tinctures, and topicals. Various cannabis accessories are also available to buy.
The Dispensary covers cannabis buyers across Colorado. In addition to our Breckenridge store, you can find The Dispensary branches in Colorado Springs, Crested Butte, Dillon, Gunnison, and Littleton. We also have a Boulder dispensary opening in early 2024. You can visit our dispensaries and talk to our friendly budtenders or browse our online menu before buying.
Conclusion
Cannabis concentrates are potent, high-THC products that can be smoked, vaped, or dabbed for sensational effects. They come in all kinds of forms from shatter to hash to live resin. They can also be found in various indica, sativa, and hybrid strains, so everyone can find a cannabis concentrate suitable for their needs.
Since concentrates are hard to make, it’s important to buy them from a trusted dispensary. Fortunately, users across Colorado can find an impressive selection of marijuana extracts at The Dispensary. We have branches in Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Crested Butte, Dillon, Gunnison, and Littleton.
