Types of Waxes/concentrates
There are many different types of cannabis concentrates on the market these days, so it's easy for a beginner to feel very overwhelmed, and understandably so! Today, we'll be focusing on waxes and oils; concentrates extracted from the cannabis utilizing butane or c02. As a cannabis novice, you may feel as if your head is spinning (and not in the preferred elevated sense) with so many different terms like "shatter" or "crumble" flying around.
So if you've ever wondered what the difference was between types of concentrates on the market, this should serve to help you make sense of it in the future.
Called "shatter" due to their glass-like consistency and tendency to- you guessed it- shatter. The glassiness is due to having much less fats, lipids and plant matter than other types of concentrates, thanks to going through multiple levels of extraction and filtration. The trade off is a much cleaner and purer concentrate, but less flavor due to much of the terpenes being flushed out during the extraction process.
Generally 60-90%THC content
This falls somewhere between shatters and waxes. Not having the purity or stability of a shatter, making it so that it's more on the sticky end, it gets it's name from the fact that in order to handle these types of concentrates, similar to silly putty in its consistency, you do just as the name suggests- You pull and snap.
There's a lot of different types of waxes out there, but this is generally lower purity, but higher in flavor when it comes to concentrates. Because it's not going through as much of an extraction process, it is able to keep much more of its natural terpene profile, making them a much more flavorful option.The biggest difference in types of waxes has to do with consistency.
Generally a 30-80%THC Content.
A dryer wax, tends to be a crumble, since like its name suggest, it tends to crumble if broken apart.
A stickier wax can be referred to as a sap or a budder, with budder being a bit softer in consistency.
Oils are much more viscous and sticky than other concentrates, definitely not something you'll want to handle bare-handed, usually coming in a syringe applicator or pre-filled vape cartridges for easy use. Unlike the other concentrates, oils are generally extracted using c02, as opposed to butane. This does give it a distinct difference in flavor, which is up to personal preference as far as which is better.
Which type of concentrate should you go with? Well, that's up to you. I suggest giving them all a try, if you're able to. But it basically boils down to a personal preference. The purity of a shatter will give you a cleaner and potentially more potent product, but the fats and lipids still present in waxes give you unparalleled flavor.
Are all concentrates extracted with solvents? No. There are many types of concentrates, including solvent free options like hash and rosin, which we will touch on in a future post. For now, find comfort in the fact that you can now have a little bit more confidence in knowing what you're looking at when presented with the wide selection of concentrates available within the cannabis industry.
