What Are Concentrates and THC Oil and How Do you Smoke Them
There are two topics which we need to cover if we are going to discuss how to smoke concentrates; the first is exactly that how to smoke concentrates, but the other questions you should ask is what are cannabis concentrates and how are cannabis concentrates made. There is a lot of confusion about what are concentrates, what are dabs, what is shatter and wax? We’ll cover all of this ground coming right up.
There are great positive effects that will produce a health benefit and also get you very high.
Cannabis oil is a sticky, resinous and thick substance which is extracted from the marijuana plant. It contains a large number of cannabinoids, two of the best known of which are THC (which causes the high) and CBD (which produces no psychoactive effects). This product is made by separating out the resin from the cannabis flowers using a process of solvent extraction to produce a concentrated product, hence the term “concentrates”. There are many forms of concentrates including Rick Simpson Oil, marijuana oil, hash oil, wax, shatter and dabs. Of the three primary cannabis products – the resin (hashish), oil and flower – cannabis oil is the most potent and concentrated.
How Are Cannabis Concentrates Made?
There are two primary categories of cannabis concentrate – those which are extracted using solvents and those which are extracted without. Some of the most commonly used solvents in this process are propane, alcohol, carbon dioxide and butane. Conversely, the process of solventless extraction introduces no foreign substances to the cannabis, except for water which although technically a solvent doesn’t officially count as one. While the same method of extraction can be used to produce several different forms of concentrate, it is the extraction method and the starting material itself which dictate the quality of the final product and how potent it will be.
A solvent based extraction produces cannabis oil which contains no contaminates or plant matter. BHO, or Butane Hash Oil, is the most popular form of extraction since it can produce several consistencies and is very potent. PHO or Propane Hash Oil mainly produces budder, and while the process is like that used to produce BHO, it often leads to high preservation levels of terpenes.
Carbon dioxide extraction is the method used for almost every type of cannabis oil vaporizer cartridge. This is the safest method and the resulting product is clean with no harmful contaminants.
Concentrates can also be made by using Everclear or Isopropyl, with the resulting product being known as Rick Simpson Oil and being consumed via tincture or by mouth. Isolation is one final form of solvent based extraction which separates out the different cannabinoids from the full spectrum cannabis oil, allowing CBD to be isolated and used in areas where THC is currently banned.
Cannabis oils which are extracted without solvents are believed to be better quality products. They can be produced through the dry sift method which uses silk screens with various microns to separate out the trichome heads from the plant and stalk matter. This method is rarely done since it is costly, but the resulting oil is especially flavourful.
The ice water extraction method uses water and ice to break off the plant material’s trichome heads before filtering the resulting solution through filtration screens to remove the contaminate. One final solventless method is the rosin tech method (sometimes known as SHO method). This process uses pressure and heat to extract the oils from the flower.
A Guide To The Different Concentrate Types
Concentrates come in many different types, including:
Kief
Sometimes called pollen or dry sift, kief is made from the resin glands which are found on the cannabis flowers’ trichomes. The glands contain the cannabinoids and terpenes which bring a variety of effects and flavors to the different cannabis strains. Commonly, kief is used to produce hash, or alternatively, it can be collected and then sprinkled on dry herb for added potency.
Hash
Hash is made by compressing the plant’s resin. Powdery kief can be collected up and pressed together to make hash, or alternatively, a solvent such as ethanol or ice water can strip the plant of is cannabinoid filled crystals. While hash isn’t as potent as other forms of cannabis concentrate such as BHO, it is still in popular use around the globe. How to smoke concentrates like hash? Hash Pipe, hot knives, joint, bong.
BHO
BHO, otherwise known as butane hash oil, is extremely potent and is used for vaporizing or dabbing. The cannabinoids are extracted from the plant using butane which results in a sticky wax or which, when allowed to harden, results in a honeycomb or glasslike “shatter”. BHO has a high THC content of up to 80%, which makes it ideal for use by those who suffer from chronic pain. As BHO which has not been purged properly can contain small amounts of butane, it is essential to choose a BHO product which has been laboratory tested for its purity. This can be mixed with honey to produce honey oil.
CO2 Oil
This popular concentrate is made by using carbon dioxide and pressure to separate the plant material. Sometimes known as a process of supercritical fluid extraction, it makes an amber colored oil which can then be vaporized in a vape pen. It often comes in the form of a disposable cartridge in which CO2 oil is mixed with polypropylene glycol (PG) to give it a liquid consistency.
RSO
RSO or Rick Simpson Oil was invented in 2003 by Rick Simpson to treat his skin cancer. This product is made by soaking cannabis in isopropyl alcohol or naphtha to draw the therapeutic compounds from the plant itself and leaving a tar-like liquid once the solvent has fully evaporated. This form of concentrate can either be applied topically to the skin or administered orally.
Tinctures
Until cannabis oil was prohibited in 1937, the most commonly type of cannabis medication in the USA was tinctures. Tinctures are liquid concentrates which are produced through the process of alcohol extraction to pull out the beneficial cannabinoids in the plant. While applying a couple of drops below the tongue is often sufficient to relieve certain medical conditions, more can be applied as required completely safely. Tinctures are now available in several flavors and are a great choice for people who would prefer not to vape or smoke cannabis oil.
How to Smoke Concentrates
There are several ways in which concentrates can be consumed. Tinctures are applied via a dropper below the tongue. Kief can be sprinkled onto dry herbs and then smoked or vaped, while Rick Simpson oil can be consumed orally or applied topically to the skin.
How To Smoke Concentrates
- How to Smoke Dabs
- How to Smoke Shatter
- How to smoke wax
- What Is live resin
Dabbing is a common form of cannabis consumption, especially for BHO. The word dabbing refers to vaping or smoking concentrated cannabis, and while this method has only been popular for about a decade, it is known for its potent effects. Any of this equipment is available from your local head shops. Concentrated forms of cannabis can also be smoked with Dabs which come in various forms such as crumble, oil, wax and shatter and some of the different ways to smoke them include:
How to Smoke Concentrates Using a dab rig – the effects when using this method are extremely strong, and so it is often best for experienced users. A dab rig is made up of a butane torch, oil rig, wand (or dabber tool) and dab nail. To use a dab rig, you need to apply a tiny amount of concentrate onto the dabber tool and then heat the nail using the butan blow torch until it is red hot. The concentrate should then be dabbed onto the nail before inhaling it.
• Electric Nail – sometimes known as an e-nail, this more user-friendly method of consuming concentrates involves using an electric device which simulates the effect of the blow torch to the nail. One of the benefits of this method is that you can better control the temperature to ensure that the concentrate is being vaped and not combusted, and there is no risk of being burned by the blow torch.
The nail can be made from many materials such as quartz nails, domeless nail but the best and cleanest option is titanium nails.
• Health stone – a health stone is a rock which is put into the bowl piece. The concentrate is placed onto the stone, with no need for a dab tool, e-nail or nail, although the blow torch is still required. While shatter is best dabbed with a rig and nail since it sticks easily to the dab tool, a health stone can be used with other forms of concentrates such as crumble or hash.
• Dab Pen – sometimes called a G-Pen, a dab pen is a convenient way of consuming concentrates. Simple to use and portable, they can be used anywhere and need no dabber tools, rigs or blow torches to use.
• Pre-filled cartridges – vape cartridges are incredibly easy to use since they can simply be used with any dab pen, vape pen or e-cigarette that accepts refillable cartridges. Discreet and convenient, they may be expensive, but they are very user friendly.
• T-waxing – one final way to consume concentrates is to mix it with dry herbs for a more enhanced smoking or vaping experience. Although this is an easy option, it results in reduced potency and therefore doesn’t offer the best value for money.
How to Smoke Concentrates
These are the most popular ways of how to smoke concentrates, and while there are a few others which aren’t mentioned here, these are the ones that are most commonly found and are a good starting point for anybody who has never used concentrates before. Once you have chosen the best form of concentrate for you, you will be better able to decide which is the right method of consumption for you since some methods lend themselves more to one form of concentrate than another.