Extracts

There are many ways to consume cannabis but none of them can boast the same experience as concentrates and extracts. Flower might be the most traditional and recognizable method of taking cannabis but it is not always the most effective. In those regions where marijuana use has been legalized, cannabis extracts are becoming more and more popular among users. 

Cannabis concentrates or extracts are fast acting, potent and, depending on your delivery method, can be easily transported or added to existing delivery methods. Much like other cannabis products, there are many ways to ingest an extract. Depending on the extraction process, the finished product will come in many different textures, each with their own unique method of use. 

What is a Cannabis Extract? 

The term extract and concentrate are often used interchangeably but this is not always true. All extracts are concentrates but not all concentrates are extracts. A cannabis extract is a particular type of concentrate that uses either a mechanical practice or solvents to separate cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis plant materials. What is left over is a marijuana concentrate that can be used on its own or in addition to cannabis flowers or joints. 

The process of creating a cannabis extract involves separating plant materials from cannabinoids and terpenes, leaving behind highly potent materials. The type of cannabis extract that you are dealing with will often be named after their texture or the process in which they were created. 

Concentrates can be separated from plant material using a mechanical approach involving heat and pressure, or can be done using a solvent. The most commonly used solvents are butane, propane, ethanol and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2). Once the process is complete, solvents are dissolved, leaving behind a highly concentrated cannabinoid. 

Types of Cannabis Extracts 

When researching extracts, it is common to come across products that are named for either their final texture and consistency, or the process with which they are made. 

Named for Texture: 

• Crumble – the finished product is a crumbly extract that can be added to dried flower or dry sift and consumed using a bong.
• Wax – extract with a sticky, stretchy texture and can be wrapped around a joint. 
• Shatter – brittle with a final texture that is easily snapped and separated, used with a dab rig. 
• Budder – final product is a whipped texture, similar to butter and is typically created using butane. 

Named for Process/Technique: 

• Live Resin – extracted from fresh plants instead of dried plant matter. 
• ISO Hash – produced with the use of isopropyl alcohol or ethanol 
• Butane Hash Oil – (BHO) created with butane as the solvent 
• CO2 – process involved compressed CO2 
• Tincture – uses alcohol to pull cannabinoids from plant matter, creating a potent cannabis oil concentrate 

How to Use Cannabis Extracts 

Part of what makes cannabis flower such a popular option for users, is its versatility. In the same way that flower can be transported and consumed in a variety of ways, so can extracts. Concentrates can be consumed through a variety of delivery methods, each with their own unique advantages and draw backs. 

• Flower: adding a powered extract, such as kief to a bowl can increase potency, as can wrapping a traditional joint. 
• Dab Rig: is a larger, more in-depth piece of equipment. Consumption requires heating a nail or dab ring and applying extracts directly to surfaces, vaporizing materials and inhaling. 
• Oral Consumption: some concentrates, such as tinctures, can be taken orally, making for simple to use, portable use. 
• Vape Pens: some extracts can be used with vape pens, another accessible and transportable alternative to rigs. 

When you want to increase potency or speed up delivery of cannabis products, extracts might be the answer. Using a trusted source like Green Sasquatch for your product needs allows users to experience cannabis in a new and efficient way.