Making Concentrates: What They Get Rid of and What Is Left
Concentrates are one of the more mysterious products that you can find in a dispensary and a lot of people will spend their time avoiding them for this reason. It isn’t that there is anything wrong with concentrates, but most people just don’t understand what they are or how they are made. Since this is the case, we wanted to take some time to breakdown what concentrates are and what makes them so special.
What Is A Concentrate?
A concentrate is a cannabis product that has been made using only preferred plant compounds. Instead of giving you the full spectrum of cannabis components, concentrates deliver very specific compounds. In most cases, they are made to focus on THC or CBD, which can both be isolated. These two prominent compounds are most sought after because of their perceived effects. When a concentrate is made, only these elements are left behind, generally only one or the other, so that the person can get the most concentrated form of it without anything else.
How Are Concentrates Made?
Concentrates are made in a wide range of ways. The most common method involves the use of solvents to extract the THC or CBD as needed. There are many different solvents that can be used to make this possible. Ultimately, they work together to leave only the desired compounds. Other methods include oil extractions, as well as solventless extractions. Oil extractions are another variation of solvent extraction that uses oils instead of traditional chemicals. Solventless extractions, like what we see with ice water hash or dry sift, focus on removing the elements without exposing the actual flower to chemicals. Concentrates can be produced in a wide variety of ways after the extraction process is complete.
Distillates, hash, resin, shatter, and rosin concentrates, among others, can be used for vape juice. Starting with the base concentrate heated up under low heat (under 315 degrees Fahrenheit). Once the concentrate is in a liquid state, the flavorful terpenes and carrier liquid (diluent) are mixed. The mixture is stirred until well blended, then taken off the heat source and allowed to cool. Once cooled, the juice is evaluated for proper viscosity for pen vaping. If needed, the mixture may be reheated to add more terpenes and diluent, or more concentrate if it’s too runny.
What Do We Lose?
The easy answer to this question is that with a concentrate, you lose anything that isn’t supposed to be there. Every bit of flower is actually filled with a wide range of cannabinoids, leaving users getting more than they accounted for a lot of the time. While there is no harm in the other cannabinoids, some people prefer to isolate one compound in particular. This can be used to increase potency, or even just to make it possible for someone to get CBD and not THC with it. At the end of the day, it is about creating a product that is exactly what it says on the label.
Conclusion
Cannabis concentrates are growing in popularity as more people learn how to use them. Though making them is not an easy process, they are fairly easy to use, and many people swear by their effects. If you have been looking specifically for THC or CBD in a product, concentrates will be great for you. They allow you to focus on only the ingredients you want to see so you can skip out on the other cannabinoids and focus on the ones that you choose!
