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Beginners Guide to Cannabis Concentrates

Cassidy Cenedella, Aug. 17th, 2023

Different Kinds of Concentrates

Cannabis concentrates all have different methods of extraction and consumption resulting in a variety of textures, potencies, effects and experiences. Some concentrates are better for topping a bowl or adding to a joint for smoking. While others are best suited for dabbing using a rig or similar set up. For more info on concentrates, check out Leafly’s Cannabis Glossary.

KEIF

We get Keif when the trichomes on the flower dry and fall off, the most efficient way to collect it is with a grinder that has a kief chamber. Though more potent than flower, Keif can often feel harsher and lose flavor.

Keif can be added to bowls or joints as well as be turned into other concentrates. 

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

HASH

Hash is a solventless extract, using different methods, many of which you can do at home.  

  • Bubble hash is made when cannabis is submerged in ice water and the trichomes freeze and fall off. The texture can range between dry and chalky, to greasy and oily
  • Brick hash is made when Keif is pressed, either with a hash press or various home methods. It is usually brown or dark green in color and comes in a brick or ball
  • Dry sift hash is extracted by mulling Keif through multiple fine screens to achieve its purest form
photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

Hash potency can range from 40-80% THC. 

Hash can be added to bowls joints or, when extracted in a pure form, dabbed  

ROSIN

Rosin is solventless and simple to make, using only heat and pressure. The taste is cleaner, purer, and more terpy. Compared to other extracts, it is typically less potent. 

  • Flower rosin— as the name suggests, uses dried flower material. This is the most common source material for rosin.
  • Live rosin—uses frozen plant material; the process of freezing preserves that terpenes and flavors, making Live Rosin more flavorful than other rosins.
  • Hash rosin—uses bubble hash or dry sift hash

Rosin should be golden yellow to dark yellow in color and either soft and creamy or honey-like, and malleable. 

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

DIAMONDS

Diamonds are solid semitransparent and gem-like, and are usually dabbed. They are so pure that they have very high potency, and are often dabbed with terp sauce as they have little to no flavor.

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

DISTILLATE

Distillates are made through a complicated process of purifying extracting and refining the THC into a clean oil mostly done using solvents and other refinement methods  

Distillates are mostly found in vapes, while they can be dabbed, they are more fluid than other concentrates.

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

WAX

Wax is an umbrella term for solvent extracted “wax-like” concentrates. Wax is made through a solvent-based process that produces a cannabis concentrate high in THC and with many different variations of texture and color.

BADDER/BUDDER

Budder will have a creamy and smooth texture resembling butter or cake frosting. Badder, on the other hand, will be less solid, resembling cake batter. 

It is usually golden or creamy in color.   

Badder is a cannabis concentrate made with a chemical solvent like butane or propane that has been agitated during extraction it ranges from a viscous sauce to a wet crumble.

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

CRUMBLE

Crumble ranges from pale to deep yellow with a potency close to 90% 

Crumble can be made either from dried buds or fresh frozen cannabis, which would make a live resin crumble. It is made similarly to shatter using a solvent such as butane or propane. Made in a vacuum oven, crumble is one of the driest forms of cannabis concentrate. 

Crumble is agitated during the extraction process to ensure it doesn’t become shatter.

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

SHATTER

Shatter is a hard brittle concentrate that has a glass like consistency and cracks very easily.  

Shatter is usually gold or amber and it has THC content of 80%-90%. 

Shatter is made using a solvent such as butane to extract the oil. Unlike wax or crumble shatter is left alone during extraction which gives it its clear hard appearance. 

photo of cannabis nug laying on top of concentrate

Interested in cannabis concentrates? Shop our selection.