While smoking cannabis is the most common and popular form of consuming the drug, there are other more advanced ways to enjoy it. These consumption methods require a bit of time and preparation but can result in a vastly rewarding experience.
One of these alternative consumption methods is cannabis concentrate. If you’re looking to shake things up with something new, concentrates may be just what you’re looking for.
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What Are Cannabis Concentrates?
Cannabis concentrates are highly concentrated extracts obtained by processing cannabis plants. These concentrates are often more potent than smoking cannabis in its regular flower (bud) form. Processed extracts have a thick jelly-like appearance and often look like honey.
These extracts can come in many different forms. The differences among them mainly lie in their potency and features such as texture, processing technique, softness, or how brittle the extract is.
Unlike smoking cannabis, concentrates require extensive preparation. Processing techniques are complex and often comprise multiple stages.
Some of the most common extraction methods for cannabis concentrates include alcohol-based extraction, other solvent-based extraction, wax-based extraction, CO2-based extraction, butane-based extraction, and more.
Most of these extraction processes are far too complex to complete at home, but some simple techniques require minimal tools and time. As a result, simple home extractions may result in limited potency compared to more complex extraction methods and setups. It’s always a good idea to get cannabis-based products from authorized dispensaries that source products from trusted, reputable cannabis product producers.
What Makes Concentrated Different From Other Cannabis Products?
While all cannabis concentrates are extracts, not all cannabis extracts are concentrates. The main difference between cannabis concentrates and other cannabis products is increased THC and CBD potency, higher product purity, and enhanced flavor. Along with these primary benefits, secondary benefits include lack of pungent smell, increased portability, and legalized status.
Different types of extracts—like cannabis wax and cannabis oils—offer alternative ways to consume cannabis. Using concentrates like oil and wax guarantees a higher dosage of THC and CBD than smoking cannabis flower directly or using other CBD forms. You can find a variety of cannabis concentrate products in any authorized dispensary in Canada.
Impurities and other health hazards like pesticides are removed in the extraction process, allowing the effects of THC and CBD to hit quicker and with less product needed. This allows users to consume cannabis concentrates without worrying about potential adverse health effects associated with smoking the flower.
Common Uses For Cannabis Concentrates
Now that you know what cannabis concentrates are and how they differ from other cannabis products, you can learn about the most common uses of cannabis concentrates.
If you’re feeling lazy, the simplest way to consume cannabis concentrates is by pouring a little bit on the flower before a regular smoking session. The most popular way to consume cannabis concentrates, however, is by dabbing. You need a dab rig for dabbing, which often looks and sounds more complicated than it is.
A full setup is comprised of an oil rig, nail, torch, and wand. Different dabbing rigs have further usage instructions, but the process is universal across the board. In a nutshell, the process is: get your concentrate ready, heat it with the nail, and inhale what is produced.
You can also mix concentrates in drinks and baking recipes as a delicious alternative to consuming cannabis. Weed brownies are one of the most iconic cannabis baked goods that utilize cannabis concentrates in the baking process. To make brownies, you typically have to first make Cannabutter or oil by melting cannabis into butter or oil.
The sustained heat allows the THC and other cannabinoids to be extracted into the fat medium—in this case, butter. Once you have done this process of decarboxylating and extracting the compounds in your weed, you are ready to bake and enjoy all the benefits of consuming cannabis concentrates).
Other options for concentrate consumption include using a vape pen or a handheld vaporizer, but these often tend to be expensive in nature and require regular maintenance and cleaning.
