Introduction to Cannabis Concentrates and Extracts

What are Cannabis Concentrates

Cannabis concentrates historically came in the form of hashish. One of the easiest methods to collect this resin filled substance was to rub the plant with your hands. This process produced what is called ​“Finger Hash”. 

It’s called finger hash because obviously it’s prepared primarily with the fingers. As the plant is pressed and rubbed together, large amounts of cannabis flower, the resinous ​“good stuff”, collects on the hands and can be inhaled or used for other purposes which we will discuss later.

Cannabis flowers contain sticky resin in the frosty looking trichomes covering the plant. When cannabis concentrate is created, many techniques are utilized that are also found in the production of cooking oils, foods, and more.

Goals of this Process

The goal of utilizing these techniques is to separate the good stuff (Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and more) that provide benefits to us. The plant matter, leaves, stems, and other compounds aren’t reported to provide these benefits. The resulting extract is highly potent. 

For example, an average THC percentage for raw cannabis flower ranges widely but tops out at around 30% concentration. This is not always the case but 30% is considered a high THC amount. Concentrates can range from 60% THC, all the way up to 100% THC. You may wonder why a Canna-curious might be interested in such a strong product, so let’s explore.

Forms of Cannabis Concentrates

Cannabis concentrates come in many consistencies from brittle to liquid oil. There are two main ways we use concentrates: dabbing and vaporizing. Dabbing or vaporizing allows us to inhale the oil vapors that may result in an incredibly potent experience. This is NOT recommended for the Cannacurious as the process to vaporize cannabis extracts can be hazardous, as one inhale can equate to smoking one or two entire products. 

Cannabis enthusiasts enjoy dabbing because not only is the euphoria very strong, but the flavor is just as intense. During vaporization, unlike traditional inhalation, nothing is burned so the flavors you can experience when inhaling in this manner is truly something special. From lemons to garlic, the tastes alone are something to behold.

The traditional process for vaporization includes a glass pipe and blowtorch. However, new methods have been created to make the process safer. Despite the incredible flavor of the vapor, the effects are of such intensity we don’t recommend vaporizing cannabis oils until you have a strong relationship with the plant. Vape Pens are filled with cannabis oil but because of the light vaporization that occurs inside the hardware, the effects aren’t as powerful as traditional dabbing. They still have a kick so as always, go low and slow. 

Infusions

Have you ever wondered how they got the cannabis into that chocolate bar or muscle cream? After creating the substance from the extraction process, the oil is homogenized into the final product. This could be done by mixing it with chocolate, fruit flavored gummies, cooking oils, bath bombs, mints, and so much more. 

This is a great way to add cannabis to products, as it allows us to precisely dose the final product which can be trickier, although not impossible with raw flower. You can heat cannabis in a crock pot with coconut oil, strain it, and add this to your recipes. However, calculating the exact dosage of the final product may be tricky. 

For example, if we have 1gram of 98% THC cannabis oil and add it to a batch of brownies, we can expect the entire batch to contain 980mg of THC. Using flower percentage as a starting point is trickier, and it’s made less accurate because the methods used to test flower potency are not exact. This dosing ability alone makes cannabis extracts a great way to make products. 

Another important reason cannabis concentrates are great to use in the products we eat is because there may be little to no cannabis taste present in the product. But Cannabis butter has a heavy, earthy, grass like taste that may be hard for some to stomach. Again, taking it slow can help with this.

Getting Familiar with Concentrates and Extracts

Despite cannabis concentrates and extracts being highly potent they are vital for creating modern cannabis products. Precise dosing, mild taste, and concentrated mixes of THC, CBD, and more, make modern cannabis infused products a must try for any Cannacurious. 

If you have questions and would like to learn more, we invite you to book a consultation with our Head Curator to answer your specific questions. Cannabis products are complex, and we want to educate and build consumer confidence to have the best experience possible. 

We invite you to explore these options in our experience bundles. No matter the experience you choose you will find products that include cannabis concentrates! Enjoy the journey with LucidaClub discovering the many ways to integrate cannabis into our lives.