Dabs - Modern Era Concentrates

Concentrating a cannabis plant’s cannabinoids allows for the manufacture of product more potent, more portable, and less perishable than loose buds. The earliest type of concentrate was hashish, with “charas” accepted as perhaps the oldest method for concentrating the psychoactive resin of cannabis - resin was collected by simply rubbing one’s hands against fresh buds. Hash has come a long way in the last millennia ...

Concentrates 2.0

All extracts are concentrates, but not all concentrates are extracts. Extracts are those produced using solvents to wash the cannabinoids off the cannabis plant, while concentrates use a manual process to extract cannabinoids. Concentrates, as discussed above, have been around for quite some time, with early forms including hashish and kief.

As a result medical cannabis and recreational cannabis mass-legalization, companies can now push institutional-level monies into researching and developing new extraction methods and technologies. In just a short time, advanced CLS systems and C02 supercritical extractors have been developed in the drive to refine solvent-based extraction technologies, leading to better and better extracts. Modern-day concentrates, like the concentrates of the ancient era, dominate trade in cannabis markets.

Five Concentrates For Your Dabs

Let’s review some of the modern concentrates fueling (or fueled by?) the vape revolution, those potent, solvent-produced extracts often referred to as “dabs” ...

Budder

• Amongst the purest of all concentrates - averages 90% THC and 99% purity by weight
• Closely resembles actual butter in its consistency
• Rich in terpenes
• Invented by Canadian concentrate maker, “BudderKing”, in the mid-90’s

Crystalline

• Purest of cannabis concentrates - extract of a single, crystallized compound (such as THCa, CBD, or CBDa)
• Transparent or semi-transparent and resembles kosher salt or coarse sugar
• Lacking in terpenes
• Also referred to as “crystals,” “THC crystals,” or “diamonds”

Crumble

• Versatility, combined with potency, makes crumble increasingly popular
• Has a matted yellow color and crumbly, soft consistency
• Rich in terpenes
• Sometimes called “honeycomb wax”

Live Resin

• Allows one to experience a strain’s complete cannabinoid profile
• Freshly harvested buds are flash frozen and then cannabinoids are extracted - extraction method retains terpenes typically lost during the drying and curing of buds
• Properly extracted live resin has a color that ranges from gold to deep amber, with a balance of crystals and liquid - the crystals are THC, the liquids are terpenes
• Invented in 2013 by cannabis cultivator William “Kind Bill” Fenger and EmoTek founder Jason “Giddy Up” Emo

Shatter

• Very pure cannabis concentrate - high levels of THC and CBD, averages more than 80% cannabinoids by weight
• Consistency is from brittle and glass-like to “snap and pull” with some elasticity - shatter that is high in THC is more sappy than a shatter with a high level of THCa, which is brittle
• Rich in terpenes
• First marketed by Canadian concentrate maker, “BudderKing”, in the late-90’s

Vape That Concentrate

As discussed in the recent blog post “Cannabis Vaping - Adoption By Masses”, benefits such as control over dosing and a high level of efficiency make vaping an attractive alternative to smoking. While the article refers to the vaping of cannabis, specifically, these benefits apply to the vaping of concentrates as well. Briefly mentioned in the blog is that concentrates and extracts can be messy - a problem this author mitigates by vaping cannabis in one device, and concentrates in another. Recently, the Gig Wax Pen was tested (pictures below) for just this purpose.

Worth noting is that the Gig comes with clear instructions. After using many different vape pens, one never knows for sure how to turn a vape on or off without either clear instructions or annoying trial and error (is it three clicks or five?). The warning to not overflow the dab chamber by covering up its tiny air holes shows Puri5’s attention to detail and desire for a great customer experience.

The Gig charges quickly and heat settings are clearly indicated on the power button - the power button shines different colors bright enough to be seen while held down by one’s finger during vaping. Personally, this author always goes for the color red and max vape, lol. With a great weight and feel that come with a quality vape, the Gig is a wax pen for every day.