A Guide to Concentrates

I'm venturing out into concentrates, but I keep coming across these different types and names, and I don't know what any of it means or what the difference is between them. Can someone(s) please explain? Full Melt? Bubble? Putty? Flake? Rocks? Hash... Kief... Oil...

Your bit or bunch of knowledge would surely benefit this ignorant mind.

It's really just the method they use to extract the thc from clippings, weed, etc. for example hash is made by extracting thc from cannabis using water and compression methods. Others use alcohol or glyserine or other materials wich cause for a better effect. That's all I can really help with.

*Happy Smokin*

So alcohol and glycerine have better effects? Are they stronger concentrates?

Yes usually

*Happy Smokin*

Full melt hash is hash that melts at the slightest tuch of heat, bubbles when lit. Prety much the same thing as bubble hash. These hashes are usually made with plant metter being agitated in cold water, and the trichomes sifted through various sized screens. The smaller the hole in the screen you use, the more likely you will get full melt.

Keif would be the un processed trichomes harvested off of plant material ie the stuff that gets you high, shiy crystals lol now when you take keif and you put it under high pressure, or a certain amount of heat it changes slighty, becomes a putty like substance. This is hash. Varies from green(impure) to an almost white(very pure)

Hash oils are hash that has been made by using a solvent to dissolve the thc off of the plant matter. Why this happens is basic science that I will not go into now. It has to to do with polarization of things. Anyway this has the highest concentration of thc, therefore is the stongest. Just because its called honey oil doesn't mean it will be that, it comes in consistency of almost molasses to hard shards of amber. Even a butter looking substance called budder lol

Solvents include but are not limmited to....butane, acetone, alcohol c02 hexane

Nice explanation. Very helpful. Thank you.

So far, I have bought some ganesh putty, which was okay-to-cool, and then I got some gold dust this weekend. I've been tossing some bud in the gold dust and am getting pretty good results that way. Just took one hit of some Yumboldt 47 tossed in it and am doing very very well. I actually was trying to buy some silly puddy from Florin Wellness, but they didn't have anymore so I got the gold dust on advice of the budtender.

How do you use the hash oil? Paint it on a joint?

Thanks cordovakushman! You're the hashiest!

Don't forget wax! I think that's whipped full melt. On the search for some down here in LA ...

What an awesome question. After getting my Medical Rec. I soon got bored of just smoking all the buds there were. So I decided just like you to go into hashes and concentrates. Here is the best explanation I can give:

Full Melt - Some clubs will fool you by saying their hash is full melt, when in fact it is bubble hash. Bubble Hash is the lowest form of hash, but still gets you stoney. Full Melt is a level above and when you light a FM Hash it will evaporate quickly similar to Hash Oils/Puttys/etc. A good full melt will probably be in the 30-50/g range.

Bubble Hash - Just your basic hash. When you light it it lights the hash but the hash does not fully melt. The taste is unique and you can usually find some good bubble hash in the 5-20/range.

Putty - Putty is a form of honey hash that is extremely pliable and is also pretty rare to find. A good putty will have a THC level somewhere between 60-80% and just a dab will have you feeling lifted. Putty is expensive and usually will set one back around 40-60/g.

Flake - I am assuming it is similar to Gold Dust or a full melt kief. Usually created using a CO2 extraction method and usually contains a THC level somewhere between 50-70%. Can some in different colors and is often kept in the fridge to preserve.

Rocks - Rocks can be two different things. 1) It can be a form of hash oil just a little more pliable (like putty), but the hash looks like its been crossed with oil. 2) A form of Hashish that has already been granulated into a rock form. I have seen Hash Rocks in the 30-40/g range.

Kief - The trichromes that fall off the plant. I personally only like to use Kief when vaporizing, but there are some higher quality kiefs out there that can be nice to sprinkle on a bowl. Usually somewhere in the 10-25/g range. Never pay higher than 25/g for kief!

Budder - Have yet to try this type of magnificent concentrate, but if you can get your hands on some buy it. It's not cheap, but I have heard it's the best in the world. Usually has a THC content of no less than 60% and have seen some as high as 88%THC!!!!!! Usually available in the 40-60/g range.

Hash Oil - My personal favorite. Hash Oil is a liquid form of THC and is usually made with an alcohol base. Since THC becomes it's most concentrates in oil form, the THC levels can usually be pretty high for oils, without the price being out of reach. I have found hash oils for as little as 20/g and as high as 50/g, all with the same potency.

How to Apply Hash Oil - This question is a good one. I had it when I first used hash oil and it turned me off from buying it for awhile. What I like to use is 2 different methods:

1) Use a paper clip and swab it around the hash oil jar. When you are content with the amount on the clip you take two small buds and make a sandwich with the oil and the two buds. Pull the buds and the oil will stick.

2) Use a paper clip and swab it around the hash oil jar. When you have enough grind up some herb and throw it in a little hash holder that you have used previously. Put some grinded herb in the hash holder then use the swab and pick up the grinded herb with the hash oil! Make sure to pack some grinded herb in your bong or piece before and then use the sandwich method with the grinded up herb! It's simply the best!

Hope this helps, and remember if you have the money, nothing smokes concentrates better than a vapor globe or a skillet:)

Great post by Ayalar09. Just a couple of things I want to add. By "flake" I'm assuming he means a granulated form of hash such as Shiva Crystals which you can find a picture and description of on this site. The hash generally looks like sand or very small pebbles and for the most part tends to be a caramel to light coffee bean color. This type of hash can range from 25%THC on the very low end to 65% on the high end with most being in the 35-45% range. Shiva Crystals as an example are about 50% THC. This type of hash tends to cost between $10-30 per gram.

If you are new to hash I would recommend using this type of hash to try at 1st. Concentrates are more difficult to use than flowers and some concentrates are more difficult to use than others. For example, I wouldn't recommend kief for a beginner because it is usually a very fine powder and tends to be difficult to work with. Oil is another one that beginners may find hard to work with.

There are several ways to create hash including the use of solvents, cold water extraction and supercritical gas extraction to name a few. I personally am not a fan of solvents because I believe you can never remove 100% of the solvent from the end product. This brings up another point; with concentrates it is more important to know what you're getting than with flowers (it's important to know what you are getting in flowers too). Some dispensaries are testing meds for potency and purity and they know which method was used to create the concentrate, these are the only places I will buy concentrates or any other product.

I would recommend looking at the Harborside Health Center concentrate menu on this site to get an idea of what different types of hash cost and what their THC and CBD levels are. Unfortunately they don't have pics yet but they have test results for all of the 20+ concentrates they usually have in stock.

One word of caution if you are new to concentrates, use a very small amount at 1st. Where flowers tend to run in the 10-20% THC range, concentrates are much more potent especially by volume because they are more dense than flowers and a larger percent of the material is THC.

IMO concentrates offer the best value per $. If you look around you can find hash in the 35-50% THC range for $10-20 per gram and oils in the 60-75% range for $20-30. Hope this helps, enjoy.

I agree with ayalar09 globes are always good for the oil.. definitely check out bells too.

My personal favorite although I haven't been able to try all concentrates yet is the budder. But all it really is is the has oil from a butane extraction whipped on low heat once the butane has evaporated and u r left with the goo filled with small bubbles. I actually enjoyed it so much that I got into extracting on my own in attempt to save money. Once I learned about the whipping process I started trying to make it work but am having a lot of trouble as so many variables have such a great effect on the outcome. The greatest of these being brand of butane. If you ever consider making your own always use Vector. But any advice of technique, temp setting and time spent whipping would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

would be great to cross reference these concentrate forms to the optimal vape pens ( omicron & atmos ) as I understand
certain forms perform better in one versus the other AND some types are NOT recommended for one or the other.

Can someone summarize the correct vaporizing temperatures to use for hash and kief.

where legal concentrates in Oregon?

"My personal favorite although I haven't been able to try all concentrates yet is the budder. But all it really is is the has oil from a butane extraction whipped on low heat once the butane has evaporated and u r left with the goo filled with small bubbles. "

I hate to resurrect a thread that's been dead for a year or two, but any smokers out there who feel the same way as wampdogg need to understand that if BHO is buttery, or whipped, that is typically a sign that there is residual butane trapped inside the concentrate. Although it looks like magical golden goodness, I would not recommend regular use of budder, especially if it has not been processed professionally.

If you are making oil yourself, I recommend that you always "winterize" it. This can be done relatively cheap and easy, and is completely safe as long as you use the right solvent (grain alcohol, NON-DENATURED iso, etc). Look up BHO winterization to learn more.

-Greenman

Winterizing is not a process to remove butane. It is a process to remove the fats and waxes. Perhaps during the freeze some butane is removed but I would guess there are better methods to purge the solvent aside from "winterizing".

When extracting with non-polar solvents, such as butane and hexane, many non-polar fats, waxes, and lipids are extracted as well. The presence of these water soluble non-cannabinoids is what gives BHO the potential to reach a buttery consistency---however, if the oil is "whipped" too early in the purging process, the resultant waxy color will mask the butane (and air) that is still trapped inside.

Many beginners tend to desire a more active role in the purging process aside from monitoring temperatures, and are tempted to whip the product to "expose more surface area and speed up the purge" (especially if they're anxious to smoke it). Once BHO has been prematurely over-agitated, there is no turning back, and a second purge is necessary. This is why I recommend winterization for beginners, as it is pretty hard to screw up, and the product will certainly be safer to smoke.

Agree 100%

Can someone go over the main points of the correct vaporizing temperatures to use for hash and kief.

I have tried all of the concentrates except rso and bubble hash. My favorite so far is the clear concentrates but if ur not going to dispenserys they could be very hard to find between shatter budder wax or honeycomb I tend to like honey comb. As far as temp goes it's something u have to play with, if too hot the dab will loose taste and even taste burnt. For shatter wax budder and honeycomb I use a vape pen and I can tell if my temp is right by the taste, also the resin or whatever u wanna call it, the oil that's left behind in ur pen, if thats black u r vaping too hot. If the left over is golden brown u r at the right temp.