If you’ve only recently begun your journey into medical cannabis, you may not be familiar with concentrates. Cannabis concentrates have exploded in popularity in recent years. Now, they nearly rival flower and edibles as some of the most popular products available. Below, we’ll help any newer medical marijuana users understand the complex world of cannabis concentrates.
What Are Cannabis Concentrates?
All cannabis concentrates essentially try to achieve the same goal: remove plant matter. They simply go about doing that in different ways.
If you’re a regular flower smoker, you may wonder why removing plant matter is important.
There are actually several reasons to remove plant matter. First, getting rid of plant matter like glucose and chlorophyll leaves behind nothing but cannabinoids and terpenes－which are the components of the flower that may reduce inflammation, pain, and more.
Second, proponents of concentrates will tell you that they allow you to truly experience a strain’s aroma and flavor. That may be a little more subjective. But if you perform a head-to-head comparison between flower and concentrates, you might find yourself agreeing.
How to Use Cannabis Concentrates
There’s one last thing to note when dealing with cannabis concentrates. To get the most out of them, you can’t just pack them into a regular pipe and hope for the best. Instead, you’ll need some specialized tools. They include:
- Dab rig: a dab rig is similar to a water pipe, but intended specifically for use with concentrates. Instead of using combustion (like you would when smoking flower), a dab rig is essentially a vaporizer. You’ll apply heat to a special bowl (called a “nail” or “banger”) made of quartz or metal. Then, apply your concentrate directly to the hot nail or banger and inhale the resulting vapor.
- Dab tool: concentrates exist in a sticky, viscous semi-liquid state. As a result, you won’t want to handle them with your bare hands. Instead,
- Torch: you can’t really use a lighter to heat up a dab rig. Instead, you’ll want a concentrated, intense flame. Kitchen torches work perfectly for this application.
Different Types of Concentrates
Below, we’ll cover some of the most common forms of cannabis concentrates. Concentrates can take one of several forms depending on factors like temperature, agitation (stirring), pressure, and more. Different concentrates also utilize different solvents, which can also affect their final form.
Butane Hash Oil (BHO)
Butane Hash Oil, also known as BHO, is the “industry standard” of concentrates. BHO can take several forms, including shatter, budder, wax, sap, and more.
CO2 Extracts
For those that want to steer clear of BHO, CO2 concentrates provide a solution. Instead of using butane as a solvent, CO2 extracts feature－you guessed it－carbon dioxide. Concentrate companies advertise CO2 extracts as being “cleaner” than BHO, although high-end concentrate connoisseurs tend to still favor BHO. Ultimately, you should try both BHO and CO2 concentrates and determine which you like better!
These aren’t the only two types of cannabis concentrates that exist. However, they’re the two most common on today’s market.
Where Can I Find Cannabis Concentrates in Oklahoma?
Want to dip your toes into the wonderful world of concentrates? If you’re an OK medical marijuana patient, check out our Oklahoma City Cannabis Dispensary. You can browse our online menu to see what’s in stock now, including BHO and CO2 extracts. After you dabble a bit in cannabis concentrates, you’ll discover your favorite strains, combinations, and extraction techniques.
