It’s a great time to be a cannabis fan! Legal medicinal and recreational markets continue their steady spread around the nation, which means more people than ever have access to the products of this amazing little plant. Meanwhile, cultivators continue to up the ante with the most interesting, effective and enjoyable products they can create. While flower always have a spot at the top, concentrates are getting better and better. Whether you’re new to these products or not, here are four things to know about cannabis concentrates.
DIFFERENT EXTRACTS —> DIFFERENT CONCENTRATES
You can probably puzzle it out for yourself — the term “concentrates” is a direct reference to the concentrated form of a cannabis extract. Still, people can be surprised at the sheer number of cannabis extracts, all of which are classified as concentrates. They all have their own names, too, and they’re usually describing consistency and texture. Think sugar, crumble, sap or shatter.
There are a few things to consider when we’re talking about methods of extraction, including solvents and consumption preferences. Being clear about what you like and don’t like can help you zero in on the best concentrates for you, which becomes important when you’re looking at the category as a whole. And if you don’t know anything about any of it, don’t worry. The budtenders here at The Dispensary can answer all of your questions about a given concentrate, from how it was manufactured to how it’s consumed to what you might expect in terms of effects. Our team loves answering your questions, so please, fire away.
THESE THINGS ARE SERIOUSLY POTENT
Again, the clue is in the name. A concentrate is going to be a potent product than the flower from which it originates. THC percentages in particular are often way higher — between 50 and 80% and in some instances, clear up to 90%. What does that mean for the novice cannabis user? Proceed with caution!
For medicinal users, a CBD concentrate can mean exactly the kind of relief you need from pain and inflammation, particularly if you’re looking to avoid traditional pain medications.
CONSUMPTION OPTIONS
One of the big draws of cannabis concentrates are the option for consumption. Maybe you’re into concentrates that are used with vape pens or dab rigs. Maybe you want a concentrate you can take sublingually, that you ingest, or that you apply by hand. With concentrates, you can do that! Again, let your preferred method of consumption and desired effects guide you in the right direction, and lean on your budtender for recommendations.
THE FLAVOR WILD CARD
Terpenes get all the credit for the signature fragrances and flavors of cannabis flower. But terpenes themselves — those aromatic little compounds — are delicate buggers that don’t always make it through the extraction process. And that can mean a concentrate that’s a little meh. But clever cultivators can methods for circumnavigating this issue, and one of them is re-introducing terpenes after extraction. The highest quality concentrates use terpenes that are derived from the same cannabis strain, rather than food-grade terpenes that are just pale imitations. Keep that in mind if you get the impression that a particular concentrate seems a little flat in flavor.
EXPLORING CONCENTRATES
If you’re new to cannabis concentrates, there’s a whole world of products to explore. And just a little bit of thought about how you’d like to consume and what kind of effects you’re shooting for is enough for our budtenders to throw a few options your way. Excited? So are we!
